Second Nature

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 sequencing revolutionised environmental science, enabling her team to decode entire ecosystems from a single environmental sample. She reflects on the early skepticism she faced, the technical hurdles NatureMetrics overcame, and the rapid growth that followed as governments, businesses, and conservationists began to see the power of precise, scalable ecological data.

Beyond the technology, Kat opens up about the personal sacrifices and breakthroughs that shaped her leadership—from grueling ocean rowing expeditions to moments of burnout and rediscovery. This conversation dives deep into what it means to build a mission-driven company at the intersection of science, technology, and environmental stewardship.

If you’re curious about how cutting-edge science is helping us understand and protect the natural world in unprecedented ways—or if you want to hear an inspiring story about resilience, innovation, and purpose—this episode is for you.

“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 Houston, Adam's story is anything but conventional — and neither is his take on the global carbon economy.

He’s not here to play it safe.

This is a conversation about law, yes — but it’s also about leverage, power, and the systems driving the next global economy.

Whether you're in sustainability, finance, legal, or just want to understand what really sits beneath the climate headlines — this episode is unmissable.

📈 The market is moving. Are you ready?

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 down with Rich Stockdale to talk about pressure, failure, letting go of control, and the danger of chasing targets that look good on paper but let us off the hook in reality.

He talks about the myth of “net zero” — how it’s become a convenient destination rather than a stepping stone — and why real climate leadership means refusing to settle, even when the offset box is ticked. It’s not about doing what’s required. It’s about doing what matters.

This is an episode for anyone who’s felt the tension between discipline and creativity, who’s leading something that’s growing faster than they can control, or who’s ready to challenge the sustainability status quo.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about pace, process, and what it means to keep showing up when the real work begins.

Listen to the full conversation now — and ask yourself:

Are you leading for optics, or are you building something that lasts?

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 leading Restore, a business built to unlock land for restoration through natural capital—not ownership.

But this isn’t a polite chat about carbon and biodiversity units.

It’s about the grit required to actually sell this stuff.

It’s about chasing deals, facing down doubt, and launching a new partnership—Restore Finance—to finally give nature projects the capital they need upfront.

This episode is urgent, ambitious, and occasionally uncomfortable.

Because if nature is priceless, how do we build a system that pays for it?

And if we don’t—who will?

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, and soul to a sector often defined by jargon and inertia. As he prepares to step down as CEO of Triodos Bank UK, he reflects on a legacy that includes pioneering a £20 million loan for rewilding, spearheading a commitment of £500 million into nature based investment, and writing a book that uncovered Britain’s secret beaver population.

Can banks lead the charge against biodiversity loss? What happens when carbon credits, conservation, and capital markets collide? And why does nature need its own financial language—and perhaps its own financial system?

In a bold alignment of values and action, Bevis Watts and Triodos Bank are supporting the launch of Oxygen Conservation's debut book on Scaling Conservation. Not just a gesture of support, but a strategic signal: storytelling is part of the infrastructure we need to shift systems. If policy is slow and markets are hesitant to act, then maybe it’s stories—messy, honest, field-tested stories that can accelerate change. Will this book spark the next wave of innovation we so desperately need in the nature-based economy?

Bevis makes the case for nature as a stakeholder—and dares the rest of the finance world to keep up.

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 complexity. And she asked the hardest question of all: Who is this really for?

It’s a book about ambition, contradiction, failure, compromise — and the real cost of trying to build something good inside a system that rewards the opposite.

In helping shape this book, she’s helped us stay true to what Oxygen Conservation has always been about: not being perfect, just being real.

Stay tuned as there is more to come - It’s a big week for the Shoot Room Sessions Podcast!

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 periphery around it. What began as a surf-travel company evolved into a mission to blend innovation, investment, and influence toward systemic environmental change.

This conversation dives into:

• Why real change-makers are often “mavericks and nutters” — and why we need more of them in the room
• How Blue Earth is reframing what climate action looks like — and who gets to lead it
• The uncomfortable truth about monetising your passion — and the magic of building adjacent to it
• The tension between profit and purpose — and why Will believes we must make the climate movement investable
• How nature can serve not just as a cause, but as a metaphor for better business, better design, and better systems

This isn’t a typical founder story. It’s a call to arms for anyone building at the edges — where ambition collides with reality, and new futures are forged.

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 personal story behind her first book, Forget Me Not, a journey across the UK to reconnect people with the species most threatened by climate change. And she gives us an inside look at her powerful new release:

📖 To Have or To Hold: nature’s hidden relationships, out now with Bloomsbury, in hardback, e-book, and audiobook. Please support independent bookshops where possible when purchasing a copy. Sophie is also on tour — you can book tickets here: https://www.sophiepavelle.com/events.

Together, they explore:

— Why nature shouldn’t have to “perform on demand”

— The emotional weight of writing about absence and fragility

— How parasites make up 50% of the world’s biodiversity (yes, really)

— The quiet power of learning with the reader

— And why it shouldn’t take sheer endurance to get a job helping the planet

🔗 Listen in for insight, laughter, and perspective from one of the most refreshing voices in environmental writing today.

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 chat about estate management.

In this episode, Claire joins Rich in the Shoot Room to talk about the roots of her career, growing up on a rural estate in Northumberland, and the moment her life took a dramatic turn in her early twenties. What followed was a journey of purpose, resilience, and a quiet promise to do something meaningful—with land, with people, and with legacy.

From the overlooked power of a favourite tree stump to the surprising culture inside one of the UK’s biggest property firms—this conversation moves between deeply personal and fiercely practical. It’s about leadership. It’s about land. And it’s about remembering what actually lights your fire when the paperwork, pressure, and politics get loud.

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 the hidden magic of thermal imaging, Tom reveals how drone technology is reshaping how we manage land, understand ecosystems, and measure carbon.

This is more than just a conversation about drones — it's about redefining how we see the natural world. Tom shares how his journey from spreadsheets and pipelines to windswept moorlands and remote forests has changed the way he thinks about work, life, and legacy. He also opens up about the evolution of drone tech, the challenges of balancing fieldwork with wildlife protection, and how becoming a father has shifted his priorities. Whether you're a conservationist, a tech nerd, or just curious about the future of environmental monitoring, this episode will make you think differently about the land beneath your feet — and the data above it.