Why does profit feel a lot like breathing... necessary to stay alive, but never the actual reason you're here? In Episode 63, entrepreneur and business expert Jean-Christian Rindoni argues that businesses, like human beings, need profit to live, but their purpose has to be more than just breathing. Recording from his new home on Portugal's Algarve coast, recently ranked among the world's best seaside destinations, Jean-Christian shares the story behind Symbiosis Infinity Group, a consultancy he founded after spending more than two decades doing business in 30+ countries. After a year of looking inwards instead of outwards, he made a career pivot in his late forties to combine his international expertise with somatic breathwork practice and a model he calls Conscious Business Growth. We unpack his trademarked Symbiosis Infinity Loop, a four-stakeholder framework inspired by symbiotic ecosystems in nature, designed to move companies beyond ESG box-ticking into hands-on circular supply chains. The conversation goes deep on a working case study from Cameroon, where Jean-Christian and his partners are helping cocoa cooperatives turn discarded cocoa husks (roughly 70-75% of the plant's weight) into nutrient sources, sustainable packaging materials, and biofuel feedstock, opening new revenue streams for farmers stuck with unsold beans amid a market crisis. Beyond the business, we explore the daily practices that keep Jean-Christian grounded: somatic breathwork, box breathing, Stoic philosophy, an unwavering morning routine that begins with making the bed, and the kind of stillness that lets imagination return. He shares why "innovation at source" gives companies a competitive edge no R&D lab can replicate, why scaling a purpose-driven business sometimes means saying no to clients who only want to make money, and why, as he puts it, "your inner world dictates your outer world, not the opposite." If you're interested in conscious business, the circular economy, breathwork, or finding your calling at any age, this one is worth your full attention. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:59 Guest Intro, The Algarve & Breathwork 13:38 Jean-Christian's early career 19:56 Symbiosis Inifnity Group 21:59 What is Conscious Business Growth? 23:29 The supply chain of cocoa 33:28 The symbiosis infinity loop concept 40:21 Challenges for circularity and symbiosis 47:17 Learning and walking with the big players 51:57 A precautionary tale about scaling 1:00:16 Upcoming exciting projects for Jean-Christian 1:03:44 Q&A Start 1:04:03 What does innovation mean to you? 1:08:11 Key moment, book, person 1:13:08 Time Management 1:20:32 Favourite childhood memory 1:24:59 What would you most like to be remembered for? 1:26:41 Where can people find you? 1:28:30 Final Message 1:29:46 Outro Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode. Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world! Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from. Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience. Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on: X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach Instagram: @petermbach87 Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
