Duke Stump

"It's become a courageous act to love who you are"

Duke Stump is a brand architect, cultural provocateur, and champion of soulful leadership. Over the past three decades, he has helped shape some of the most purpose-driven brands on the planet - from Nike and Seventh Generation to lululemon and Tractor Beverage Co.

As the founder of Bonfire with Soul, Duke helps leaders and organisations rediscover what he calls their “inner bonfire” - the spark of curiosity, creativity, and care that makes work feel alive again. His approach blends business strategy with poetry, philosophy, and a deep respect for the natural world.

Duke’s philosophy is simple but radical: growth and goodness are not opposites. He believes that commerce, when guided by empathy and imagination, can be a regenerative force.

A student of the outdoors, Duke spends his time exploring how we can build companies that behave more like ecosystems - diverse, interdependent, and full of wonder.

A lover of nature, slow food, horsemanship and yoga, Duke and his family live on a small ranch in idyllic Ojai, CA along with horses, dogs, cats and chickens.

Summary:

In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, Duke Stump explores what it means to lead with curiosity, creativity, and courage in a world obsessed with data and outcomes. Drawing on decades of experience—from Nike to Seventh Generation and now as Chief Brand Officer at Tractor Beverage Co.—Duke shares his belief that business must rediscover its artistry, its humanity, and its connection to nature.

He introduces The Mad Farmer Tour and Tractor Beam, two projects designed to reconnect people with soil, community, and imagination. Duke’s concept of “soil and soul” runs through it all—a reminder that healthy systems start beneath our feet.

We discuss curiosity as a leadership practice, the lost art of play, the dangers of over-automation, and how hope—when forged with action—can close what he calls “the hope gap.”

Key Quotes:

“To know is to be in prison. To not know is to be free.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti

“Hope, forged with action, is how we close the hope gap.”

 “The natural world doesn’t go solo. It thrives through collaboration.”

“We need people to fall in love with soil — to see it not as dirt, but as a living, breathing thing.”

Themes:

Regenerative business, curiosity, biomimicry, leadership, play, collaboration, soil health, hope, and rewilding corporate culture.