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Application only · Furnas, São Miguel, Azores · Eight leaders

You’ve hit success. What’s next?

For founders and executives carrying the one decision they’ve been avoiding. Body first, then movement, then an honest room of eight. You leave knowing exactly what to do next — and fully behind it.

Enquire Read the programme note
Application only
read personally by the founders
Eight guests
the earned right to an honest conversation
Furnas
about 45 minutes from Ponta Delgada (PDL)
One cohort
per season
Before & after
private calibration with Rob Paynter
Investment
on enquiry

Samir Javed · Wim Hof Method Level 3 instructor Cabins with Furnas Lake Forest Living Spotlighted by c0founders

The cost no one measures

Pressure doesn’t cost you one bad call. It costs you a slow drift of slightly worse ones.

6×

Across 1,000+ major business decisions, the decision process mattered roughly six times more than the quality of the analysis.

Lovallo & Sibony, McKinsey Quarterly, 2010

Is this you?

  1. 01The smarter you are, the better you are at defending your own bad decisions.
  2. 02You did not reach the top by being wrong often. That is exactly the trap.
  3. 03There is one decision you keep not making.
  4. 04You do not need more advice. You need the right conditions to make your decision.
See the criteria

The method

Clarity isn’t random. It is designed.

Three conditions that create the physical and mental space for clearer thinking — in this order.

01

Breathe

What you do
Wim Hof Method breathwork and cold exposure, with Samir Javed.
What it changes
Regulation at the body level before anything else. You can’t think your way to clarity in a stressed body.
Research
In a randomised study, five minutes a day of cyclic sighing — two inhales through the nose, one long exhale through the mouth, a different technique from the Wim Hof Method — improved mood and reduced physiological arousal more than mindfulness meditation. Balban, Spiegel, Huberman et al., Cell Reports Medicine, 2023

Guided by Samir Javed, a Level 3 Wim Hof Method instructor. You decide how far you go. Breathwork and cold exposure aren’t suitable for everyone — if you have a health condition, please ask us before you apply.

02

Move

What you do
Somatic movement and yoga with Carolina Lino; handpan and sound in nature with Jorge Valerio.
What it changes
Movement that slows thinking, not accelerates it. Your best decision will not happen at your desk.
Research
A ninety-minute walk in nature measurably reduced rumination. Bratman et al., PNAS, 2015

03

Connect

What you do
Eight founders and executives, decision councils with Rob Paynter, and the cozido das Furnas table.
What it changes
People with the earned right to have an honest conversation.
Research
Group intelligence depends less on the smartest person in the room than on how the group talks: who listens, and whether everyone gets a turn. Woolley et al., Science, 2010

These studies informed the design of the programme. None of them studied The Neighbours Hub.

The decision council

Your next decision is only as good as the room you make it in.

And the more senior you get, the smaller that room becomes.

  1. 01You bring one decision.
  2. 02The coach brings the method. The room pressure-tests your thinking — asking the questions your usual circle won’t.
  3. 03You do the deciding.

Councils are guided by Rob Paynter — executive coach, twenty years inside C‑suites, specialising in decision-making under uncertainty.

Not a retreat

A programme that begins before you arrive — and continues after you leave.

  1. 7–14 days before you arriveBefore

    A private calibration session with Rob Paynter. Set a clear intention.

  2. Furnas · eight guestsThe week

    Breathe, move, connect — and the decision council. Logistics are shared personally once your place is confirmed.

  3. After you leaveAfter

    A private calibration with Rob. You leave knowing exactly what to do next — and fully behind it.

The shape of the week

  1. Body firstBreathwork, cold and thermal water. Regulation before anything else.
  2. Then movementSomatic movement, yoga and raw nature. Thinking slows down.
  3. Then the roomDecision councils and the cozido table. An honest room of eight.

Every day ends the same way: a sound bath with Nuno Amendoeira closes each day’s programme.

The shape of the week, not an itinerary. Each experience is tailored to each cohort.

“I have been to retreats before. I left inspired, made promises to myself, and then returned home to the same noise.”

The Founder Series, Episode 03

No cameras. No audience. No record.

Honest conversation requires no audience. The moment a room can be recorded, people perform instead of reset. Privacy is not a courtesy here. It is the condition that makes the work possible.

One rule you can already check: no participant’s face appears in anything we publish.

Enquire

The people

Every facilitator holds a specialism.

The programme was built by the founders for themselves first.

  • Samir Javed

    Breath & Cold

    Level 3 Wim Hof Method instructor. With Wim Hof since 2010; the first from Australasia to learn from him in person.

    “It was the first time for me doing the ice bath — Samir was very supportive.”

    Review of Samir’s own practice · Sukhbir Dhillon, Melbourne
    Full bio

    Our lead practitioner. A founding member of the Wim Hof Method in Australia, Samir has been involved with Wim Hof since 2010 and was the first person from Australasia to learn from him in person. He has spent more than a decade helping establish the method across Australia and Asia.

    In Furnas, he guides breathwork and cold exposure designed to regulate the nervous system and support a return to the parasympathetic state — where clarity, calm and better decisions become more accessible.

    “The breathwork was amazing. It was the first time for me doing the ice bath — Samir was very supportive. I survived and surprised myself by completing it.”

    A review of Samir’s own practice — Sukhbir Dhillon, Melbourne, Australia

  • Rob Paynter

    Decision & Integration

    Executive coach. Twenty years inside C‑suites; ten-plus years coaching. Decision-making under uncertainty.

    “He gave me the freedom and space to take the conversation where I needed to.”

    Review of Rob’s own practice · verified client, mind-diagnostics.org
    Full bio

    Rob spent twenty years inside C-suites before finding a new purpose in supporting other leaders. He brings more than a decade of coaching, counselling and mentoring to the programme.

    Every guest has a private calibration session with Rob 7–14 days before arriving, to set a clear intention. On the island he helps you reflect on what you are carrying — and you leave with practical tools to sustain a stronger state of mind beyond the week.

    “Robert clearly draws on a wealth of experience. He has a wonderful coaching style and gave me the freedom and space to take the conversation where I needed to.”

    A review of Rob’s own practice — Verified client, mind-diagnostics.org

  • Carolina Lino

    Movement

    Yoga and somatic movement, specialising in high-performance professionals.

    Full bio

    Carolina uses movement to support clarity and mental focus, with a specialism in somatic practices for high-performance professionals — restoring the body’s capacity to regulate so the mind can follow.

    “Carolina gives you great confidence. The feeling was magnificent — goodbye stress, goodbye problems. You just let yourself go.”

    A review of Carolina’s own practice — María Huamán, TripAdvisor

  • Jorge Valerio

    Sound in Nature

    Handpan and sound in nature — the bridge between physical regulation and stillness.

    Full bio

    Jorge uses movement and sound in nature to help guests transition out of mental noise — the bridge between physical regulation and stillness.

    “An experience unlike anything I had encountered before. The handpan in that landscape created a stillness I didn’t know I needed.”

    A review of Jorge’s own practice — Workshop participant, Azores

  • Nuno Amendoeira

    Sound

    Tibetan singing bowls since 2005. His sound bath closes each day.

    Full bio

    Since 2005, Nuno has worked with Tibetan singing bowls and other instruments to create meditative spaces where sound supports release and restoration.

    His sound bath closes each day’s programme — a space to pause, release, and return to yourself.

    “Nuno made the experience really relaxing. It was a special moment for both of us.”

    A review of Nuno’s own practice — Maarten Verlent, TripAdvisor, September 2024
Miguel PestanaLondon · formerly Google
Tiago CordeiroSydney · formerly Burton

Built from direct experience

Founders and executives operate under relentless pressure. Over time, that pressure doesn’t just create stress — it quietly degrades decision-making.

We founded The Neighbours Hub from direct experience of this. We researched what the highest performers of this generation actually do to sustain clarity — and built a programme around it, in Furnas, our hometown in the Azores. Remote enough to force a genuine break.

Welcome to the neighbourhood.
Miguel Pestana & Tiago Cordeiro

Watch the Founder Series

Why Furnas

The place that made the problem cannot solve it.

A place that has been doing this for centuries: a geothermal valley on São Miguel, our hometown, about 45 minutes from Ponta Delgada.

Thermal water steaming at night, lit low among the ferns
The WaterThermal Hot SpringsGeothermally heated water rising from deep below the earth’s surface. You immerse.
Low timber cabins set against the forest at Furnas Lake
The StayPrivate CabinsTucked into the landscape. No hotel corridors, no lobby noise.
Mineral-rich thermal water winding through the subtropical forest of Terra Nostra Gardens
The ForestTerra Nostra GardensAncient thermal pools in a subtropical forest. Mineral-rich water heated by the earth below.
The geothermal ground at Lagoa das Furnas where pots are buried to cook
The CookingCooked UndergroundPots lowered into the earth. Six hours of geothermal heat.
The TableCozido das FurnasThe most unhurried meal you will ever sit at. Slow-cooked underground for six hours, served at a table with eight people who have earned the right to an honest conversation. Food as metaphor for the entire week.

Seasons

One cohort per season.

  • Autumn · October 2026Furnas Full
  • Future experiencesFurnas Enquiries open Enquire

Eight places each season. We curate each cohort carefully — people who belong in the same room.

Not ready to enquire?

Your data is handled with the same discretion we apply to everything else. Privacy

Private experiences For your own circle. Leadership teams, boards and peer circles — at the same standard.

Criteria

Not for everyone. By design.

  1. 01Role

    Founder or senior leader, 35–60.

  2. 02Weight

    Making six-figure-plus decisions.

  3. 03State

    High-performing but mentally saturated. You know your decision quality has quietly declined.

  4. 04Commitment

    Willing to step away from control for the full programme — breathwork, cold exposure and time in raw nature included.

Not for you if

  • You are looking for relaxation or a traditional holiday.
  • You are avoiding difficult decisions, not facing them.
  • You are unwilling to engage in physical activities.

How a place is offered

This is not a booking form. Let’s have a conversation.

  1. 01EnquireFive short questionsAbout two minutes
  2. 02Read personallyBy the founders, and reviewed with Rob PaynterA reply within 48 hours
  3. 03CalibrationA private session with Rob to name the decision7–14 days before you arrive
  4. 04The week in FurnasBreathe, move, connect — and the decision councilEight guests
  5. 05IntegrationA private calibration after you leaveAfter you leave
EnquireBook a 30-minute call

Questions

Before you enquire.

The work

Is this a retreat?

No. A retreat sends you home relaxed. A mastermind sends you home with notes. The week is built so you leave knowing exactly what to do next — and fully behind it.

Can I really step away from my company for the week?

That is the point — and the hardest part. The programme asks you to step away from control for its full length; it is one of our criteria. Not a holiday from your business. A better environment to see it clearly.

What if I don’t have one clear decision yet?

You don’t need one. The enquiry asks what brings you: a decision, a nervous-system reset, or calibration away from operational noise. Your session with Rob before you arrive helps set the intention.

Do I need experience with breathwork or cold?

No. Breathwork and cold exposure are guided by Samir Javed, a Level 3 Wim Hof Method instructor, and you decide how far you go. They aren’t suitable for everyone, so if you have a health condition, please ask us before you apply.

The room

Who else will be there?

Eight founders and senior executives in one closed cohort. We curate each cohort carefully — people who belong in the same room.

What stays in the room?

No cameras. No audience. No record. Participant faces are never shown in our content.

The place

Where do I stay?

In private cabins tucked into the forest, with Furnas Lake Forest Living.

How do I get there?

Fly into Ponta Delgada (PDL) on São Miguel; Furnas is about 45 minutes east. Logistics are shared personally once your place is confirmed.

The process

What does it cost?

Investment is shared on enquiry.

When is the next cohort?

October 2026 cohort fully booked. One cohort per season; enquiries are open for future experiences — see Seasons, or leave your email there to hear first.

Can you design one for my team?

Yes — private experiences for leadership teams, boards and peer circles, at the same standard. Tell us about your group →

The conversation

Step away from the noise. Return with clarity.

  • Read personally by the founders, and reviewed with Rob Paynter.
  • A personal reply to every enquiry within 48 hours.
  • Application only. Confidential.
You
Your role *
What brings you to the neighbourhood?
Last thing

Please leave out health details — we discuss those separately if needed.

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