The Man Who Walked Away From Corporate to Work in Paradise

and then I did this · Oct 14, 2026 · 36m

Neal Hegarty lost his corporate job during the 2008 financial collapse and went on to build a permaculture farm, restaurant, and eco community in paradise. Neal, founder and CEO of CreaSol Permaculture, grew up on Irish farmland, spent years in the corporate world, and knew it wasn’t his path.

When the 2008 financial crash cost him his job, he used his severance as permission to start over. A volunteer trip to a Guatemalan village opened his eyes: the “sustainable farming” he was teaching wasn’t sustainable at all. That moment launched his journey into permaculture design, regenerative…