Julia Armstrong D’Agnese isn’t selling software. She’s building Earth Knowledge — digital twins of the planet that Fortune 500s, governments, and insurers use to see the future before it hits.

From hurricanes to droughts, supply chain shocks to financial collapse — the risks are here, but most of us are still blind to them. Julia and her team fuse climate, weather, and nature data into something more valuable than oil or gold: foresight.

We talk about scaling a company that partners with Microsoft and NASDAQ, the brutal truths of climate risk, and the personal conviction it takes to build a mission this ambitious.

This isn’t a story about tech.

It’s a story about Earth’s… knowledge.

And whether we’re smart enough to use it.

Peter Stein has spent his life proving that conservation isn’t about nostalgia—it’s about power, money, and strategy.

From building urban parks in the South Bronx to managing Lyme Timber’s $900 million portfolio of forests, Peter has been at the intersection of land, finance, and community for decades. He’s seen how conservation easements can outlast politics, and how private capital can scale nature protection faster than government ever could.

In this conversation we go deep into conservation finance, collaboration across unlikely partners, and the future of land stewardship in a world where natural capital is finally being priced in.

This isn’t just about saving trees—it’s about re-engineering the relationship between money and the natural world.

Anika Staccone has always lived at the edge of forests and frontiers. From watching pine beetles devastate her childhood landscapes in Colorado, to leading research on nitrogen-fixing trees at Columbia, her path has been shaped by the question of how we truly understand nature. Today, as Product Owner at Earthshot Labs, she is fusing AI, geospatial data and field science into tools that don’t just measure trees, but unlock new ways of protecting them.

This conversation is about why ground truth matters more than satellite snapshots, why conservation must be designed with people as much as with pixels, and why the future of carbon and restoration isn’t about billion-dollar projects but smallholders finally having access to global markets. We explore the role of ecotourism, the promise of AI, and the stubborn reality that nature will not be saved by numbers alone.

Can markets really bring ecosystems back to life?

Tripp Wall thinks so — and he’s putting capital where most only put campaigns. As founder of Trailhead Capital and Pantheon Regeneration, he’s scaling restoration projects that don’t just conserve nature, but rebuild it: rivers, forests, biodiversity, and the communities that depend on them.

We dive into the economics of regeneration — from voluntary carbon and regulated water markets to the AI tools tracking ecosystem health in real time. Tripp explains why environmental inflation is already warping balance sheets, why insurers and investors are starting to wake up, and how soil carbon, biochar, and even enhanced rock weathering could change the game.

This is more than climate chat. It’s a blueprint for turning restoration into an investable, durable, trillion-dollar market — and a reminder that the future of finance may just depend on the health of the land beneath our feet.

Carbon markets could be the backbone of climate finance.

Shannon Smith, Chief Commercial Officer at Chestnut Carbon, joins Rich Stockdale PhD to unpack one of the most controversial tools in climate finance. From planting 30,000 acres of diverse forests to signing a 25-year, 7-million-tonne carbon removal deal with Microsoft, Chestnut Carbon is moving at scale. Backed by JP Morgan, powered by LIDAR and data science, their projects aim to rebuild trust in an industry riddled with scandals.

This conversation gets into the big questions: can we value nature without selling it out? What happens when Wall Street meets the wild? And is this the bold new future of climate action — or its biggest gamble yet?

Lauren Carrol, Chief Operating Officer at BrewDog, takes us inside one of the most talked-about sustainability moves in business: the acquisition — and sale — of The Lost Forest.

From a dinner with David Attenborough to buying a Scottish estate, BrewDog has never shied away from bold, ambitious action. Their decision to pass Kinrara Estate on to Oxygen Conservation reflects a recognition that the project’s scale and long-term potential could be best realised through dedicated conservation stewardship.

We dive into Carrol’s unconventional career path, the evolution of BrewDog’s brand, and the tension between commercial growth and environmental responsibility. She talks culture, leadership, and what it really takes to scale a rebellious beer company.

This isn’t just about brewing. It’s about whether global brands can balance profit with purpose — and what happens when they try.

What if the systems meant to protect nature are actually holding it back? Tim Graham has spent 20 years inside the world of conservation, and he’s not afraid to call out what’s broken—and what’s possible.

From reviving lost species and shaping national policy, to navigating bureaucracy and ethical minefields, Tim takes us behind the scenes of nature recovery like few others can. Rewilding isn’t just a concept—it’s a way to engage people, spark action, and challenge the status quo. He shares bold ideas that often go unheard, exposes where we’ve stalled, and asks the questions that will define the next decade of ecology.

This isn’t a gentle discussion. It’s a challenge: to rethink, question, and push conservation further than ever before. Are you ready to be provoked—and inspired?

What if farming wasn’t broken — just funded the wrong way?

Paul McMahon, Managing Director of SLM Partners, joins Rich to reveal how regenerative agriculture and forestry can become profitable, scalable, and investable.

From cattle that restore grasslands to continuous-cover forestry, from carbon markets to “lighthouse” farms inspiring the next generation — this is about turning food and forests into a future worth backing.

It’s finance, farming, and climate — but not as you know them.

What if the future of energy isn’t in building new projects — but rebuilding smarter ones?

Franjo Salic, Chief Investment Officer at CEE Group, joins Rich in Rotterdam to reveal how repowering and hybridisation are transforming renewables. From turning a 50 MW solar farm into 140 MW on the same land, to combining wind, solar, and storage into resilient super-sites, Franjo explains the real innovations powering Europe’s clean energy transition.

They dive into the economics of risk and return, the challenges of finding top talent, and why culture matters as much as technology. And at the heart of it all: Franjo’s belief that renewable energy is about more than returns — it’s about leaving a legacy strong enough for the next generation.

This isn’t theory. It’s the future of energy, built today.

What if the conversations everyone else avoids are the ones we most need to hear?

Shoot Room Sessions isn’t about safe answers or polite headlines — it’s about sitting down with people brave enough to rewrite the rules. Entrepreneurs, rebels, innovators, and misfits who don’t wait for permission.

🌍 A huge thank you to our sponsor, Knight Frank, for making these conversations possible. Their support helps us dive deep into the crucial topics shaping a more sustainable world.

Subscribe now and be part of the journey—because the future of conservation starts here!