Second Nature

Forget what you think you know about conservation. Jake Fiennes, Director of Conservation at Holkham Estate, is rewriting the rules of land management, biodiversity, and environmental investment in the UK. From bringing cattle egrets and white-tailed eagles back to Norfolk skies, to challenging centuries-old subsidy systems, to asking why ancient woodlands are still undervalued—this episode doesn’...

Jim Murray’s journey spans the bright lights of hit TV dramas, the creative world of art, and the urgent, often overlooked fight to save Britain’s rivers. As an actor, artist, and conservationist, he’s witnessed the highs and lows of industries that thrive on fear, desperation, and competition — and he’s discovered that the courage to stand your ground matters just as much on a riverbank as it doe...

What if the environment sector doesn’t really exist? Guy Thompson, MD of EnTrade, sits down in the Shoot Room to challenge the very idea of the sector, explore why £3 trillion in potential returns are being ignored, and ask whether nature markets are truly about environmental restoration—or just clever offsets. From regulatory roadblocks to bold innovation, we tackle the uncomfortable truths holdi...

What does it take to run 694 acres of land, transform lakes and waterways, and launch a sustainable tourism program that wows hundreds of visitors - all while rewriting the rules of estate management? The Shoot Room Sessions travelled to Manor Farm to sit down with Ashlee Murrell , our estate manager at Manor Farm, to hear her untraditional journey from Manchester to Norfolk, from wedding planning...

What if sustainable tourism wasn’t a niche — but the future of land management? Archie Barnes, Estate Custodian at Mornacott, isn’t just managing land — he’s rewriting the rules on how we connect with it. From a background in marine biology to running one of the UK’s most forward-thinking estates, Archie has turned “unreasonable hospitality” into a tool for conservation, creating experiences so wi...

Asher Clark, co-founder of Vivobarefoot, is dismantling the myths we’ve built around footwear. In a world obsessed with more padding, more support, more stuff , he’s asking a radical question: what if less is the way forward? From seventh-generation cobbler roots to creating a global brand on a mission, Asher’s journey is proof that purpose and profit can walk the same path. We talk about the real...

What if the future of Scotch isn’t in its past — but in tearing up the playbook entirely? Rich sits down with Annabel Thomas, founder of Nc’Nean, the whisky distillery that’s not just rewriting the rules — it’s ignoring them altogether. No dusty traditions. No legacy pretence. Just a radical vision for what whisky could be: organic, elegant, sustainable, and built from the ground up by someone who...

Can you build a climate start-up that actually works? Rob Godfrey, co-founder of Treeconomy, sits down in the Shoot Room to challenge the broken logic of carbon markets — and offer something better. They dive into what it means to measure nature like it matters, how remote sensing and rewilding can work hand-in-hand, and why biodiversity has been left behind in the rush to hit Net Zero. This isn’t...

What does it really take to stay at the top for nearly four decades? And what do you lose along the way? Rich Stockdale sits down with Paddy Dring, joint head of Knight Frank’s Private Office. With 36 years in the ultra-prime property market, Paddy shares candid insights on balancing relentless client demands with personal sacrifice, the secret to earning trust in a world of billionaires, and how...

This is the EV movement for nature — invest early or miss out. The Oxygen Conservation Carbon Curve 2025 is here — and in this special episode, Chris Winter and Rich Stockdale take you inside the forecast that's already sending shockwaves through the carbon market. They reveal how a £125-per-tonne deal is shaking up the UK market and rewriting the rules on impact and integrity. They unpack th...

What if the future of luxury… was refillable? Can a bottle still feel premium when it’s been reused — again and again? Howard Davies, co-founder of Salcombe Distilling Co., shares a journey that’s as much about place and purpose as it is about crafting perfect spirits. From the spark of a barbecue conversation to scaling a distillery on the water’s edge, Howard pulls back the curtain on the challe...

Born above the Arctic Circle, Elena Doms saw climate collapse before most of us believed it was real. Now she’s leading a not so quiet revolution — not with protests or politics, but with hemp and soil. Rich sits down with the founder of Earth Plus to talk about leaving the corporate world behind, witnessing the Arctic melt in real time, and the urgent fight to restore our most overlooked resource...

Andrew Hicks, CEO of Biodiversity Exchange (bngx) and former NatWest banker, joins Rich Stockdale PhD for a no-nonsense conversation about leadership, ambition, and the real cost of high performance. Andrew shares his journey from global finance to building a digital marketplace aimed at making biodiversity net gain (BNG) policy work in practice — potentially reversing decades of environmental dec...

Esme Evans returns to the Shoot Room—ecologist, estate manager, and now a vital part of the Oxygen Conservation Natural Capital team. With a background in marine biology and ecology, Esme’s journey has taken her from discovering new species in Madagascar to managing nearly 1,000 acres of complex estate land in Cornwall. But what does it really take to balance biodiversity goals with community rela...

Founder of NatureMetrics and a pioneering force in the emerging field of nature tech - Kat Bruce’s journey is anything but conventional—from studying tropical ecology in the depths of the Amazon rainforest to navigating the challenges of launching a cutting-edge company that uses DNA sequencing to transform how we monitor biodiversity worldwide. Kat shares the story of how next-generation sequenci...

“We called it carbon trading, but no one stopped to ask what we were actually trading.” Carbon markets. ESG litigation. Climate credibility. Adam Hedley, Partner at Clifford Chance, and one of the leading voices in environmental, health & safety (EHS), carbon law, and ESG regulation, joins Rich this week to break it all down From growing up in Durham to navigating boardrooms in London and Hous...

There’s something magnetic about people who’ve operated at the highest levels — and then had the courage to say, “This isn’t working.” Ben Bulger is one of those people. From the punishing kitchens of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons to the boardrooms of Oxygen House, Ben’s story is a study in transformation — not just of career paths, but of thinking. In this episode of Shoot Room Sessions, he sits dow...

What does it take to scale nature recovery—without owning a single acre? Benedict Macdonald and Gil Martin have been wrestling with that question from opposite ends of the field. Now, for the first time, they sit down together in the Shoot Room. Benedict is a rewilding visionary and award-winning author. Gil built one of the UK’s most ambitious wilding estates from the ground up. Together, they’re...

What happens when a banker goes in search of beavers—and ends up helping reshape the future of finance? Bevis Watts returns to the Shoot Room for a conversation that spans wild rivers and radical investments. A conservationist in a corporate suit, a scuba diver with a PhD in Management Science, and a CEO unafraid to challenge the foundations of traditional banking—Bevis brings clarity, urgency, an...

What if we stopped pretending conservation is simple? What if we admitted it’s messy, political, and full of compromise? What if we told the truth — and let that be enough? That’s the book we set out to write. And it wouldn’t exist without Abbey Dudas. Abbey didn’t just edit the book — she challenged it. She made sure we didn’t smooth over the rough edges. She pushed for clarity where there was co...

What if your passion wasn’t the destination, but the starting point? Rich Stockdale is joined by Will Hayler, CEO and Co-Founder of Blue Earth — the movement-led platform, shaking up the intersection of climate, entrepreneurship, and capital. From surfboards in Cornwall to global summits in London, Will’s story is one of building not in the spotlight of passion, but in the powerful, messy peripher...

What does absence teach us about nature? And what can parasites, fungi, and strange symbiotic relationships reveal about life — and our place in it? This week, Rich Stockdale sits down with award-winning science communicator and author Sophie Pavelle to talk about curiosity, rejection, career detours, and her unique path into the world of conservation storytelling. Sophie shares the deeply persona...

What does it mean to really care for a piece of land—and the people who depend on it? Claire Whitfield has spent over two decades answering that question. As a Partner in Knight Frank’s Rural team, she’s at the heart of a changing industry—helping landowners navigate everything from carbon markets to community impact, all while keeping one eye firmly on the long game. But this isn’t a standard cha...

This week, we sit down with Tom Bloom, a drone surveyor and proclaimed “terrain detective” at Oxygen Conservation. With a background as a chartered mechanical engineer and years of experience leading large-scale data capture and digital twinning projects, Tom brings an unmatched perspective to the intersection of technology, land, and impact. From the cutting edge of LiDAR and photogrammetry to th...

What if the wildest version of your life is waiting on the other side of yes ? Sophie Storm Roberts stopped waiting to feel ready—and that single decision cracked her world wide open. From spreadsheets to summits, pub napkins to Paris, she’s swapped the comfort of tech startups for the chaos of ultramarathons, Ironmans, and Alpine epics. Now the founder of Challenge Sophie , she’s proof that you d...