In this memoir about leadership, Augie Hinnenkamp shares how lessons learned from his time as an Alaskan fishing guide and outdoorsman inspired his career as the CEO of Clo Clo Foods, Inc.

"Building something in Alaska takes grit, sacrifice, and leadership under pressure. This book captures the mindset it takes to survive and succeed when the stakes are real."—Jake Anderson, boat captain on television's Deadliest Catch

The wilderness has a way of stripping life down to what matters.

As a professional fishing guide, Augie Hinnenkamp worked with locals and high-profile clients, learning how to read people as carefully as he reads the water. Every current, cast, storm, and conversation offered a lesson in leadership, resilience, risk, and building a meaningful life.

Hinnenkamp shows how the same instincts that help a person navigate wild water can also help them lead a team, make difficult decisions, adapt under pressure, and keep moving forward when the path is uncertain.

Bringing an outdoor adventure memoir to a business leadership lesson book, Augie Hinnenkamp shares lessons that shaped him, from Minnesota life to his years guiding on an Alaskan river, and eventually into the high-pressure world of CEO leadership and startup success.

In Shaped By Water, the lauded back country wilderness areas of Alaska, Lake of the Woods, Bristol Bay, and Katmai National Park become more than a setting. Lakes and rivers become a teacher: of attention, grit, resilience, and the kind of decisive action that changes a life.

In this business memoir book, readers will discover essays on:

• Leadership lessons shaped by rivers, wilderness survival stories, and risk

• Reading people, reading conditions, and leading under pressure

• Practical wisdom for decision-making, resilience, and adaptability

• A grounded approach to grit, focus, and radical action

Shaped By Water offers a straightforward reminder: the forces that shape us can also teach us how to lead, live, and go boldly into the unknown.

Augie Hinnenkamp is an entrepreneur, outdoorsman, and lifelong explorer of the waters and wild places that shape the human spirit. His early adventures began on the lakes of northern Minnesota and eventually carried him to Alaska, where the wilderness challenged, humbled, and inspired him.

Augie began his business career with 3M, spending ten years in sales and international business development. He later joined Panther Vision in Chicago, where he eventually became vice president. Today, he is the co-founder, CEO, and executive chairman of Clo Clo Foods, Inc., a nationally distributed allergen-friendly frozen pizza brand with 5M+ pizzas sold.

Augie lives in Edina, Minnesota, with his wife and three children. When he is not working or on the water, he enjoys competing in triathlons and traveling with his family.

"I fished out of Naknek, Alaska for sixteen seasons. Building something in Alaska takes grit, sacrifice, and leadership under pressure. This book captures the mindset it takes to survive and succeed when the stakes are real." — JAKE ANDERSON, Boat Captain, Deadliest Catch TV Show

"Shaped by Water is more than a leadership book—it's a compelling reflection on resilience, adaptability, and the discipline required to lead through uncertainty. The parallels between surviving the extremes of Alaska and building high-performance organizations are both authentic and insightful. Entrepreneurs, CEOs, and anyone navigating complex challenges will find practical wisdom and a refreshing perspective on leadership, culture, and personal growth." — PAUL WALSH, Executive Chairman, McLaren F1 Racing Limited

"Real transformation—whether in fitness or business—starts with commitment and is sustained by consistent action. This book delivers a powerful message about showing up every day with purpose and doing the work that matters." — CHUCK RUNYON, Co-founder and CEO, Anytime Fitness & Purpose Brands

"Augie Hinnenkamp is a masterful storyteller—one who knows that the best leaders are shaped long before they ever sit in a corner office. With warmth and precision, he draws a seamless line from the quiet lessons of a fishing guide to the bold decisions of a CEO, showing how family, friendship, and the patience to read a river all flow into the making of Clo Clo Foods. This book doesn't just teach leadership; it makes you live it. By the last page, I was ready to go fishing." — LIZ BANK, Global Head of Human Resources, Thomson Reuters