What happens when someone walks away from a successful professional sports career, not because they have to, but because they choose to? That’s the story of José Peleteiro, known to many as Jota, whose journey from top-tier European football to founding a sustainability tech company is a testament to something deeper than reinvention. It’s about trust: in oneself, in the process, and in the vision to build something entirely new.

In this episode of The Future of Trust, hosted by Mat Yarger, Jota opens up about growing up in a small fishing town in Galicia, knowing from the age of five that he wanted to become a footballer, and how that singular focus shaped every sacrifice he made. But this isn’t just another tale of sporting grit. It's about what happens after the dream is achieved, and how you find a new one.

Choosing to Walk Away

At the height of his career, with contract offers on the table and his name cemented in the sport, Jota felt something shift. “If I lose the motivation, I know I will end up hating what I do,” he shares. It wasn’t burnout. It was clarity! He stepped off the pitch not because he was done, but because he had more to give elsewhere.

That decision led him to found GROINN, a company now working across 14 countries with a bold mission: to digitize carbon measurement in agriculture and empower farmers with tools that bring integrity and accountability to the carbon credit market.

Building Trust, From Soil to Strategy

Jota’s philosophy is simple: if you want to earn trust, show up. GROINN’s technology is high-performance, but its delivery is deliberately simple, accessible even to small-scale farmers in regions where technology has often been excluded rather than included. The feedback, he says, has been overwhelmingly validating. “They see it and say, ‘this is impossible.’ And then they see it work.”

He’s also blunt about the state of the carbon credit market: “A lot of it is a lie. There’s no real data behind most of it.” It’s this demand for real measurement, not marketing, that drives his work. And it’s why GROINN isn’t just building tools, it’s contributing to policy and frameworks with governments and global institutions.

Integrity Is Not a Brand Strategy

But trust, for Jota, isn’t just about systems. It’s deeply personal. He speaks with honesty about the culture of public life, how being in the spotlight as a footballer meant carefully scripted interviews, PR-driven appearances, and constant surveillance. “You’re never off the clock. Every weekend is an exam.”

What surprised him most after leaving football was how differently people treated him based on status. “People only want to ride the wave,” he says. “They’re not there in the hard times.” It’s why he’s cautious now about who he spends time with and what he gives his energy to.

A non-negotiable? “If someone talks about someone else behind their back, I leave the table. Instantly.” For Jota, trust is directness. It’s presence. It’s integrity when no one’s watching.

Legacy Isn’t Fame, It’s Family

Perhaps the most powerful moment in the episode comes when Jota reflects on what success really means to him now. “Success is when your kids are 30 and they want to come back home and spend time with you.”

For a man who’s experienced fame, fortune, and the pressure of performance from a young age, this vision of legacy is refreshingly human. It’s not about being well-known. It’s about being known well.

A New Chapter, Rooted in the Future

Today, Jota is a father of five, building a business that’s grounded in real-world impact, not vanity metrics. He’s also working on a new organic farm in Saudi Arabia, bringing his passion for soil, data, and food systems full circle.

His journey reminds us that trust is something we build, over time, through action. And sometimes, the boldest move you can make is to walk away from success to build something even more meaningful.

The Future of Trust continues to explore the personal and structural dimensions of trust. Subscribe to stay updated, and follow us as we speak with builders, thinkers, and change-makers across sectors and continents.

Listen to the whole episode with Jota here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wJLs2Pe3VuboRtMvNdrTU

More about the Future of Trust’s previous episodes: https://www.demia.net/blog/exploring-the-future-of-trust-why-this-conversation-matters-now