Building the Best You

The Power of Sauna & Cold Plunge

• Jeanne Collins • Season 2 • Episode 78

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This week, we welcome Ginger Richardson, the founder of Kiin Sauna, for a deep dive into contrast therapy and the path that led her from interior design to a thriving wood-fired, mobile sauna brand at 52. Ginger shares how a simple ritual—eight to fifteen minutes of heat, a guided one to three minute plunge, and a mindful reset—can train your nervous system, boost cardiovascular health, sharpen focus, and leave you with that rare combination of clarity and ease.

Ginger walks us through the full experience: cedar, glass, and metal for a clean, non-toxic environment; filtered water and organic essential oils; a curated playlist; and the quiet magic of community. We talk winter sessions in open air, why even standing outside between rounds delivers powerful contrast, and how breath coaching turns the cold from panic into presence. Along the way, Ginger debunks extremes and invites you to listen to your body—whether you start with 30 seconds, splash your face, or commit to the plunge.

We also dig into infrared versus traditional heat. Infrared warms you from the inside out at lower temps and fits busy routines, while wood-fired sauna heats the air, creates a faster sweat, and offers a ritual many people crave—the scent of cedar, the glow of flame, the grounding of nature. Ginger shares practical buying advice, including clean materials and low EMF considerations, and a surprising tradition: wool sauna hats that protect your head and extend comfort time.

Ginger opens up about boundaries, balance as a single mom, and the books that fueled her reinvention, including Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser. If you’ve been curious about contrast therapy or you’re seeking motivation to start something new, this story and these tools will meet you where you are.

More about Ginger:

Ginger Richardson is the founder of Kiin Sauna, a mobile wood-burning sauna and cold plunge experience based in Fairfield, Connecticut. Born in Canada and having spent years living in the USA and Asia, Ginger carries a global perspective on wellness that blends cultural influences with the ancient Scandinavian tradition of sauna.

As a divorced single mom, Ginger knows firsthand the power of resilience and doing hard things. Her own journey of reinvention inspired her to create Kiin Sauna, not just as a business, but as a way to foster connection, courage, and healing. 
www.kiinsauna.com

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to Building the Best You, a destination for you to reimagine what is possible in your life and then create it. Welcome everybody. I'm your host, Gene Collins, and today we are talking about saunas. I am excited for this one. We have Ginger Richardson with us. She is the founder of Kin Sauna. We're gonna have a discussion about how you even say sauna. But I am excited to share her story. I am totally into saunas and the benefit that they can add to our lives. So I am super excited to share her journey, her story, how she became an entrepreneur, what is so unique about her sauna experience, hot, cold, cold plunge, and just really inspire and educate everybody. So, Ginger, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you, Gene. I'm so excited. You're this is my fourth podcast in the last six weeks and the first female one that's gonna air. So I'm really excited about that.

SPEAKER_01:

I love it. I love that everybody is so interested in what you do. So before we get into this, my producer and I were having a conversation before you joined about the word sauna. How do you pronounce the word sauna?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm just curious. Well, I would like to say that if I was not living in the United States, I would probably say sauna. Okay. But because no one here understands that, and I guess I could be the one to start it and start changing that. But um, you know, in Scandinavia, it is definitely sauna. Yeah, not sauna. And when I meet the Scandinavians in our community, which there are a fair amount, and they're coming more and more and more out of the woodwork, obviously, because of the sauna, and they're excited about it, and and it's something that they do in their home countries. So um they are very, very, very enthusiastic about the fact that it is a sauna and not a sauna. So, you know, I don't know, it pops in and out here and there. I sort of say it and then people question and I tell them the reasons why. But yeah, so it is sauna.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I love it. We had that discussion because he says in Finland that it that's how they pronounce it, not sauna. So we were a little curious. I love that. And I didn't I didn't know that. I learned something, which is great. All right, so before we get into your business and everything about your business, I would love to share a little bit about your entrepreneurial journey because this is actually a pretty new venture for you. So I would love to share your journey and how you got here because I think it is so helpful as entrepreneurs to inspire people that our journeys are not linear. And also it is never too late in life to try to find something new that you are passionate about and you represent both of those things. So if you wouldn't mind, if you could share a little bit about you and your background and your journey.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, sure. Um, I'd also want to add just quickly on the linear subject that, you know, I don't think really anything is linear. You know, the I the idea that, you know, we grow up and we get married and we have kids and we have a job and everything's perfect, and you just arrive at this like perfect place. I like to think that is possible, but it I just don't think it is, not in my experience anyway. So um, yes, my road as an entrepreneur. Um, you know, I was an interior designer. I know you and I have that in that background in common. I was an interior designer, but I wanted to be a gym teacher when I was living in Canada. I had decided I was very much into sports, loved things about the body, ironically, how I end up doing something related to the body. But that didn't work out for me. I ended up going down a different path, became an interior designer, lived in Asia, but I never worked for myself. I always worked for other businesses. And again, that's that not the nonlinear path, is all of the things that have happened to me have sort of added up to give me the tools and the skills that I have to be able to do this now. And it happens to be at age 52 instead of at age 28 or whatever it is. And then let me see, I was getting divorced in 2016. I actually was divorced in 2018, but in 2016, you know, just reevaluating your life and the book that you're gonna ask me about later is the book that sort of kickstarted all of this and made me really think a lot about how I wanted to spend the rest of my time in my career. And, you know, as a stay-at-home mom at the time, I was a stay-at-home mom for 13 years. And I never really thought I was gonna have to work. I thought it was gonna be a, oh, I'll go back to work and I'll do something I love and really didn't give it much more thought than that. And then when I knew I was getting divorced, I thought, I gotta change this. I love interior design. I don't know if you know much about human design, but I'm a manifesting generator. Yep. And I came to realize that it's okay that I like a bunch of different things and could maybe wear a different business hat every day of the week. Um, and decided that I wanted to become a health coach. I was all along alongside my interior design career, was coaching people, not for money, but friends and family, talking to them about their diet and their movement and their stress and their supplements and emailing people about what food I ate. And it just sort of was the next logical step for me. So I went back to school and got my certification as a health coach, just as I was about to get divorced, started down that path and was always a sauna fanatic.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And in 2019, I was going to open a sauna, an infrared sauna inside of a gym in Westport and do my health coaching business out of there. COVID hit, the business closed. I was gonna put it inside the gym. And I thought to myself, now what do I do? You know, like back to the drawing board. But that sauna thing had always been there. And skipping through trying a bunch of other wellness things, I had a tallow face cream, which I still have, and I'm gonna be bringing that back at some point. I was doing marketing and PR, was just sort of like trying everything in the wellness world and started cold plunging. Three years ago, someone invited me to cold plunge and I fell in love, even though I said I would never do that. I hated cold. Fell in love with it and started coaching people around cold plunge. So I started with my mobile cold plunge tub and I did that for about 18 months before purchasing a tent sauna that was a had a wood-burning stove inside, and I would take that with me with the cold plunge tub. And but as soon as it would rain or be windy, I wouldn't be able to do that. And all of these people that experienced it were saying, you know, I want to do this all the time. Like, can't you do something? And I said, I would love to do it, but single mom didn't have a bunch of cash sitting in a bank account. And frankly, I don't really think I was ready. I don't think I had the confidence. And I still think I needed to go through figuring out what ginger 2.0 or 3.0 after being divorced, having a child, really that I had the ability, that I had the strength, that I had the dedication. Um, you know, I think it takes us a long time to grow into those things. And uh March of this year, I had um a relationship end. My mother had a stroke. I had to leave. Thank you. I had to leave a house. I had sold my home uh the year before and had to leave a rental property and I had a business relationship end. And I just thought, what is going on? Like what am I supposed to be doing here? So honestly, there was a couple of weeks on the sofa in between moving and feeling a little depressed about my situation and not really knowing do I go get a job? I actually interviewed for a really big nonprofit role in the food world. I didn't get the job and deep down I didn't really want it, but I thought that was what I needed to do. And I just woke up one day and I said, that's it. I'm done. I'm gonna build this mobile sauna. I know exactly what I want. I uh used my interior design background to, you know, manifest the vision. I found a contractor to build it for me. And I then hired a professional photographer and a professional branding company to do my website and help me with my brand. Came up with the name that I'd been thinking about for a few years. And four months later, here we are, and it's been crazy. It's been crazy. I can barely keep up with everything, but I will tell you that story that you hear a million times over about being an entrepreneur. And when you do something you love, you will never, you know, work a day in your life. I will tell you that my work gets woven in and out of my day. And it can be a little distracting to sort of not have it be super regimented, but I kind of love it that I can go work out in sauna and then I can do some emails, and then I can hang out with my son and do some emails and do some marketing. And it's been an amazing, amazing four months. And I think I said on a last podcast I was on, you know, if if nothing comes of this and it doesn't succeed for whatever reason, I've had the most amazing experience learning how to start a business from scratch and how incredibly hard it is. But but I'm excited about I'm excited about it. So yeah, that's the story.

SPEAKER_01:

I can't, so Marshall, I cannot even believe it's only been four months because I I remember when people that I know posted about it on Instagram that you were doing this and what a cool idea, and everybody was supporting you. And I clearly remember when that came out and I was like, oh, that's an interesting concept. But I have to say, like, I see your stuff everywhere now. I mean, I I see you advertising it, I see you promoting it, I see people talking about it, I see people going, I see events all the time, and it is amazing how much it's grown over four months. Yeah, so I am so curious because you know, I know for myself and many other entrepreneurs, we don't approach starting a business the same way they teach you in business school. Like we don't necessarily go out and do the market research and be like, okay, let's identify the target market and all that stuff. We're sort of so many of us, especially as manifesting generators, are like, I love this idea. I'm just gonna jump in and do it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. I mean, basically, I guess I did have a little market research just because I was doing the cold plunge and the sauna with the tent for a little while. And I could see that there was definitely a desire for it and uh and an ask. And then when people did it, they were obsessed. Yeah, you know, and then of course, you know, when you choose a path, then you can sort of research other businesses around the world that are doing something similar and you can see that their trajectory's been really great, you know? So I did have a little bit of market research, but really, yeah, I mean, I have no business background. I did not go to school for business. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I love it. I know that I am incredibly passionate. I'm very hardworking. I am very versed in the body and health and wellness. I've been doing that a long time. Um, and I have my own results from my own body on what contrast therapy has done for me. So I guess I can speak to it really from a genuine perspective. And again, I just love all I've been able to marry all the things in my life that I love to do. So building community, being around community, educating people, doing marketing and PR, I really do enjoy that. I love like putting reels together and putting music to it. And and it really, you know, that's a whole other rabbit hole that I'm looking to hire somebody for because as much as I love to do it, I'm running out of time to be able to do that. And but yeah, and the outreach and the networking, I really enjoy to do and the interior design portion, which is also event planning. So I I've thought about being an event planner, you know, then I was an interior designer. So it's kind of pushing everything together for me to be able to create an experience for people that is yes, it's good for them, their body. Yes, it's good for their mental state. Yes, they're gonna meet people, they're gonna take a break, they're gonna have community, but it's also just the whole environment. It's the decisions on the quality of the ingredients in the sauna and the aesthetics and how everything flows and what it looks like when you come for your experience and the towels and the music and the lighting. So I kind of get to blend all that together. And when I say all of this to you, you know, I forget. This is so good for me to do these podcasts because it's like, I'm like, oh yes, that's why I'm doing what I'm doing. Because you've you got to remind yourself that it's it's, you know, it's an uphill battle, but these are all things that I love to do. And I get to do it every single day.

SPEAKER_01:

I have pinch me moments a lot, which is beautiful, and creating an experience is so great. And interior design and event planning are so similar. I wrote a blog post about it recently because I planned an event for one of my past clients when her husband passed away. And I wrote a blog post about how similar event planning was to interior design. And it's so similar when you talk about layout and timing and organization of multiple vendors and flat like the aesthetics of flowers and the colors and the placement and you know, floor plans, all the details and all the details. It's so it's yeah, it's you know, sound, visuals, all the things are so similar to interior design. And it's I love that you said you create an experience because that is what I my conclusion after doing that was that is one of the things that we do in that profession of design is create experience. And I think the value of creating experience to people now is so valuable because I really do think we're getting to the point, especially at our age, because I'm 55, where we have a lot of stuff, and people are really about experience. And you give that, it's not because of the community element that you are giving that to people that you're giving this experience. So I would love you to share so two things. One, I'm gonna have you send me some pictures of your stuff so I can weave that into the video for the people who can see it so they can see what we're talking about. But I would love for you to explain to the listeners you know what the experience actually is. Like, what is it like if someone comes and books an appointment? What happens?

SPEAKER_00:

So basically, you're gonna arrive and the sauna is a wood-burning sauna. It's usually hovering around 200 degrees in there. You're in a community of about seven people that can go in the sauna at the same time. I talk to everyone about the cycle and what it's gonna be like and what to expect and ask questions around have they done this before? What are their concerns, that kind of thing. You're typically in your swimsuit. I provide the towels and you would go into the sauna with the group, and I come in and I add the eucalyptus water to the stones to create a little bit of steam. And you stay in there approximately eight to 15 minutes. Everybody's different, but that first round typically is uh you're not going to stay as long as the second round because your body's gonna be cooler after you get in the cold plunge tub. So you do eight to 15 minutes in there, you build up a nice sweat, you hang out with everyone, you have great conversations, you get to know each other a little bit. I come in and educate everyone and ask questions and answer questions about cold plunge and sauna and contrast therapy. Then everybody's different. So someone might get out at eight minutes, someone might get out at 15 minutes. So everything in between, you get out, you spend a minute or two letting your body's temperature sort of regulate and your heart rate regulate a little. And then you, optional, of course, can get in the cold plunge tub. I love to do the cold plunge tub, but not everybody's into it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I would say that 95% of the people I have will get in the cold punch tub. There's a 5% that are like, nah, I'm just gonna stand outside and cool off, which is totally fine. But getting in the cold punch tub is a completely different experience. It's a little more intense. Yeah. You're gonna get, you know, the adrenaline and the dopamine and all of the brain calming and the central nervous calming um hormones that really help our body stay focused and make you feel incredibly awake and up, but yet your nervous system feels calm. So you do one to three minutes in the cold plunge tub. I guide everyone through that, through their breath work, what's gonna happen to them, how to tune people out that are standing around them, or any other noises. And then the same in reverse, you get out, you spend a minute or so letting your heart rate come back down to temperature. You do a little bit of body movement, maybe you have a sip of tea, some water, and then you go back in the sauna. So for me, a one-hour cycle is the best option. Depending on what event I'm at and where I'm popping up, sometimes it's 30 minutes, sometimes it's 60 minutes. It just depends. For me, doing two full rounds is you exhaust your body, you get a cardiovascular workout, you've sweat out toxins, and you've got this amazing up feeling, but yet you feel calm. Um, it's just a feeling of bliss, basically. And, you know, in my space, it's it's well set up, it's very clean. I use a filter on the water for the shower and the cold plunge tub. There's essential oils that are organic. My entire situation is non-toxic, is uh microplastic free as much as I can. In fact, I can tell you that the only thing that I have is like the rubber tub that you sit in does have a little bit, but it's rubber, it's rubber-based. Yeah. Um, I care so much about people's toxic burdens. So when you're in the sauna and your pores are opening, the last thing you want to be doing is adding toxins into the environment. So smells like cedar. It's 100% cedar in there. Everything's glass and metal. So, you know, you hang out in community, you feel amazing, and it's just a beautiful experience that the playlist is on. I change it depending on the people that are coming and requests. And um we talk a lot about the music and how that affects our mental state too. And then you can hang out afterwards and have some tea. Um, I uh represent Grace Farms tea. So I always have a different tea on hand. And yeah, it's just a great, great time for you to give to yourself, to do something that's good for yourself, to get out of your comfort zone, which we can talk about doing hard things, and meeting other people in community and and or planning a private event. You know, people I have private clients that come. They have two people that come. You know, it just depends on people's budgets and what they want to do. And of course, I also bring it to people's homes and partner with other wellness businesses and, you know, um, corporate retreats and wellness retreats, et cetera. So kind of can go anywhere as long as I can fit the trailer in there. We can make it happen. So uh, so yeah, that's I think that's one of the best parts besides the community building is creating the experience in all of these different environments. And um, so it's like new to me all the time. I get to go meet new people, I get to be in a new space, different view, different weather.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, it's it's really kind of fun.

SPEAKER_01:

That is so cool. So the first thing I'm thinking when you're saying, okay, you go in the hot and then you get out, I'm thinking it's now, you know, in the 40s here in Connecticut. And then people go from the 40s of the natural air and then they go into the cold. And people are really doing that, right?

SPEAKER_00:

They are, yeah. So the sauna is around 200. So, say for if we use that example, the air temperature is around 40. The cold plunge tub, I usually keep it at around 50, between 50 and 55. So it's actually warmer than the air. So even though it's really cold, it is warmer than the air. But I'm telling you, when you get out of that sauna, you know, in Scandinavia, there there is locations where I go to now because everyone's turning their hoses off. So I don't have access to water as much now. So it depends on the location. But in Scandinavia, they don't, if they don't have a fresh body of water, they're typically not getting into the cold plunge tub. Like we, we've created this whole cold plunge. Community where traditionally there would be a fresh body of water. There would be a lake. There'd be a river. So it's not, my business is the mainstay is really the sauna. To me, that is the all-year situation. And you can just stand outside and have the contrast between those two temperatures. It's just different enveloping your body in the water. It's it's more intense. You're going to get more of a kick in all of the things like the dopamine. And, you know, it presses on the lymph because it's actually putting pressure on the body. Whereas standing outside, you're not getting that, but you're still getting amazing benefits because your blood vessels vasodilate in the sauna. They open up and then they vasoconstrict when you come out into the cold. So even though you're not getting in the cold punch tub, still standing outside with your body steaming, it feels incredible. So yes, it's cold, but you cool off for a few minutes and you're like, I'm ready to get back in the sauna. And that's your signal that your veins have constricted enough that you're now going to start feeling the cold. And then you get back in the sauna. And then when you're done your cycle, you get dried off. You feel amazing. I have a shower on the back of the sauna that people can rinse off. You put your clothes on and you get about go on with your day and you just feel amazing. So that's the scenario. That is so cool. And I also heard you burn a lot of calories too. Yes. So yeah, you're getting a cardiovascular workout. So if you look at it as the fact that that just the fact that your blood vessels are opening and closing in between the hot and the cold, you're getting a cardiovascular workout and your body is trying to cool itself down when you're in the sauna and heat itself up when you're out in the cold. So yeah, you're burning calories. You're boosting your metabolism. You're boosting your immune system. I mean, honestly, I think the the pinch-me moments a lot besides being in the beautiful environments is the fact that I am bringing something. This is the message I really want people to hear. I am bringing something to our community that really has no downsides. Cold plunge, I know there's all kinds of people arguing about how women shouldn't go in the cold plunge and they shouldn't do it too cold and they all these shoulds and shouldn't. And I'm really an advocate for listening to your body. There's enough studies to show that the cold is really amazing for us. Um, but obviously in moderation, I'm not someone who's gonna say to you, go do your 11 minutes, like they say it's 11 minutes per week, right? Suggested. I'm never gonna tell you to stay in there for 11 minutes. I am not somebody who's happy with extremes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Listen to your body. You're doing something good for yourself just by going in the sauna, even if it's for five minutes, you know? Just the fact you put yourself in the cold punch tub and don't sit down, you did something. Yeah. Or you sit down for 30 seconds and you get a little bit of an ID. And the next time you try a little hard, uh, you know, stay a little longer. And for women, yeah, around your cycle, you know, usually leading up to uh menstruation and during that, you're gonna be more sensitive to the cold and you don't need to be in there as long, or maybe not at all. You know, you sort of have to be more mindful about just listening to what's good for you instead of following some prescription. I know when you start, you need to have some somebody guide you and give you some criteria, but I just tell people just try it. Go in there for a little bit, go for 30 seconds, splash water on your face, just put your hands in. You know, there's so many ways to try it. But yeah, so there's all these different ways to go about doing it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And it does. It I've I've done both. Cold plunge is not really my favorite, but I do I look at cold plunge like running. I I hate to run, but man, I feel so good afterwards. Yeah. Yeah, and that's what I'm telling people. Cold plunge is similar. I really, you know, and I meditate and I was like, I really try. And it's I find it very, very difficult. The song I find much easier. Yeah. But when I do afterwards, I have to say, like, I actually feel really good.

SPEAKER_00:

After three years, I still don't look, I'm still not like excited about it. Yeah. You know, I know the benefits now, I and I know how I'm gonna feel, but I still don't that moment, I'm like, why am I doing this? You know? And then then you're like, oh, you know, after that, you hit that 40 second mark, and I'm like, oh yes, this is why I'm doing this, you know. And then when you can do it with the sauna, and I always say to people, the sauna is like the sweet, you know, it's like everybody likes the sauna. Maybe they don't want to stay too long, but everyone can get their head around how nice it's gonna feel to get in a sauna. Yes. And then I'm like, okay, and you have with a side of discomfort over here, and then you can get back, then you can get back in the sauna and warm back up again. You know? It's the treat. It's the treat.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So I have a question, and you might not even know the answer to this, but I remember seeing last winter, people were talking about their outdoor saunas in their yards and getting these portable sauna things, and they were wearing hats when they went inside. What is the benefit or why would someone, I'm just purely curious, why would someone wear a hat inside the sauna?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So in Scandinavia, and you know, every region of the world has different traditions, and some of them wear hats and some of them don't. In Scandinavia, they have a wool sauna hat, sauna hat, um, that is it actually is to protect your head from the heat. So instead of insulating your head and you think it's going to make you hotter because you think that the air is heated from the stones, the fire heats the stones, the stones heat the air, and the air gets incredibly hot. So A, it protects your hair from from being too hot, um, but it protects, it insulates your head. So what that means is that you can actually stay longer in the sauna than when you don't wear a hat. And I can tell you that I can stay in there at least two to three minutes longer when I wear the hat. Because if you think about heat rising, your head is going to be the first thing to get hot. So people usually say to me, Oh, like I'm getting uncomfortable in here. I'm getting a bit of a headache or I'm feeling a little lightheaded. That sauna hat makes such a huge difference. So it not only allows you to stay longer, it keeps you a little more comfortable for the time you are in there. So I'm a huge sauna hat advocate. I'm sold out out of them right now. I'm waiting for my shipment to come from Poland. Okay. Um, but mine are made of a hundred, a one piece of a hundred percent wool. Again, I don't want you to be in there with toxins and so yeah, that's the that's the hat. And I know they look funny. And everybody always messages me when I post something on Instagram and they're like, what are these hats? And they're they're funny looking. And what's up with the hats? Why are you wearing the hats? And I'm like, people, I'm not just doing it for looks. Like it's a thing, you know? And I'm in the sauna so much, I have to be very careful about my hair getting, you know, really dried out. Even when I'm working, I'm in and out of the sauna all the time. So um, it has so many benefits for me. And, you know, I trust the Scandinavians. They've been doing it a really long time, and that's what they wear. So people bring them, you know, in Russia and they would they would come to the saunas, they bring their sauna hat. Sometimes it has their name on it. Mine has my name on the back. And my clients that come regularly, they bring them. They bring their hats with them, they use it, and then they go home and you wash them and you hang them up to dry and bring them back the next time.

SPEAKER_01:

I had no idea.

SPEAKER_00:

But it makes so much sense.

SPEAKER_01:

I had no idea. And I'm so glad that you talked about what they're made out of because I wouldn't have really thought. And as I'm thinking, I'm like, oh, I have like some definitely some hats that you wouldn't want to put in there because they might have some synthetic.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, and you can buy you can buy them on Amazon, but they're just not great quality. They'll have like panels and they're stitched together and um sometimes are synthetic, like as long as it's a hundred percent wool.

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, that is so fascinating. All right, so what's on your bucket list?

SPEAKER_00:

What do you want to do next, personally and professionally? Gosh, wow, that's an interesting question. I don't think about that one. I, you know, for me professionally, I really just want to get the messaging out about how important it is, yes, for us to do sauna and cold plunge for the physiological benefits, but really more about disconnecting from our phones, taking time for ourselves, connecting to our community and being in nature. And I think that our world is ripe for that scenario. People are grasping it, they're craving it. You know, I have a teenage son, he's about to be 16. Yeah. And he has become so self-aware of when he's been on his phone too long, when his friends come over, he's the guy saying, everybody has to put their phones away, we're gonna play a board game. He's asking to go on hiking trips, he wants to be in nature. And, you know, it's kind of like as a parenting moment of like, okay, I've been modeling it all along as best as I can, and now it's starting to make sense. But I think the world as a as a as a whole, our society is really starting to realize the detriment from, you know, our screens and social media and and all of it is so incredible. Like, look, you and I are doing a podcast in a different city, and we're able to see each other and use all these great things. But, you know, when it's when the bad side of it is that we're getting dopamine via something that is not natural. So my, I guess my goal is to get as many people exposed to sauna and the benefits and why they should have one in their house or at least have one in their gym, and then come to mind for the community and the nature, um, the grounding aspect of it, and really realizing that we need to use our technology in small pieces and be very intentional about it. So that's that's my message. That's really what my goal is is to just expose as many people as possible to this idea. So hopefully I can get there and many more, many more mobile saunas. I'm doing my business plan right now, which I am, thank goodness I have an amazing friend who's helping me with that. And uh, you know, when I started this, it was just I wanted to do something I loved and that I got paid to do enough that I could afford to live here and uh, you know, have some money in the bank. But now in the last four months, I've been able to see that this has this is maybe going to be a lot bigger than I thought it was gonna be as a lifestyle brand and using it as a platform for wellness in general, mental and physical. And uh yeah, so many more mobile saunas to come, hopefully.

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, that's so powerful too. And that's a beautiful thing. And I love that you set out not knowing, just knowing that you had a passion for it and letting it unfold and letting the universe bring the opportunities to you by not forcing that. That is just so beautiful. Thank you. I lucked out. Ah, and to do what you love. Now, are you like so next crazy question? You know, as an entrepreneur, work and life are all, as you said in the beginning, like they're all intertwined. Like, we are our jobs, we are our brands, we are always on everywhere we go, we are representing our brands. So it's very hard to delineate work from not work because it's all one thing, it's all our life. So, what do you personally do to find balance? Because so many people struggle with balance, and I'm a single mom. I totally get that. That like raises the bar on balance and makes it so much more difficult. So, but what do you personally do? Because I love to give people kind of a glimpse and some they might garner some tips or tricks based on the things that you do.

SPEAKER_00:

I guess the first thing I want to say is that all we can do is try. So I try, I strive. I am by no means perfect. I try to have a routine, and most of the time I'm pretty good with it. I will say sauna isn't the anchor. I have an infrared sauna in my house, and I use that one personally for myself because I don't have to put the wood in the stove and wait an hour for it to heat up. You know, my sauna's pretty the infrared's ready in about 10 minutes or so. So it's just time-wise. So for me, definitely looking at my calendar and scheduling my free time. I'm a huge music fan, a huge uh live music fan. So I kind of plan my week around, okay, where are the two days that are gonna be, you know, a little more flex, or I'm gonna be able to see some live music. I'm gonna be able to get outside in nature. So nature for me, nature and live music are the two things that I do outside of the of the house. So definitely hiking, walking my dog, grounding, you know, bare feet in the winter. I don't know if a lot of people know this, but you can put wool socks on or cotton socks and ground in the snow because your feet are gonna be cold, but you can wear those socks and still get the benefits. So when I'm having a tough day, those are my tools that I do movement, nature, sauna, grounding. So my routines are working out. I have a rebounder, and so my bedroom sort of has enough space for my weights. I was an Equinox member for a long time, but I just don't have the bandwidth now. So I've had to be very intentional about waking up in the morning, rolling out, and sauna, cold plunge, not cold plunge all the time, definitely sauna and rebounding, lifting weights, Pilates, those are my go-to movements. Um, and then walking the dog. Uh, meditation, I love, love, love. Again, I'm striving to make that more of my routine. I do that a lot in the sauna when I'm alone. That's the other thing about being social in the sauna. It's kind of hard to be in a meditative state, but I'm gonna start having some silent hours. I've had some people request to come and be not feel the pressure to communicate when you're actually in the sauna. Yes. So we'll see, we'll see. Yeah, we'll see how that goes. But um, but yeah, meditating in the sauna for me in the infrared because I'm by myself. I can really sort of zone in. I don't bring my phone in and I can really sort of go inward in that, in that moment. But I do find that hard. The meditation piece for is hard for me because when I have the quiet, I often am then now in my head thinking about business. Right. Sure. Um, which is okay. You know, that's I'm in I'm in that place in my life and I get amazing thoughts and ideas when I'm in there meditating.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so uh, so yeah, I'm not gonna get down on myself. I do the best I can trying to, you know, schedule my time. I do, I am very intentional about scheduling my downtime. Like I look at my week and I really don't say yes to things that are gonna push me over the edge. Good. That being said, this week, there's some things happening that I'm like, I don't know how I ended up agreeing to that on one day. But, you know, it's like I'm kind of like, it's a challenge. Like part of me is like, oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do this. And I just gotta like plan my meals and make sure I'm hydrated and have help with the dog and figure out where my son's gonna be. So um, so yeah, it's it's fun too. But I don't know, did I give you any tools in there? Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

No, well, what it's also important to say, you know, having boundaries, right? Learning to say no, super important. Time blocking, super important, making it a priority, having non-negotiables, and also giving yourself a little slack that not every day has to have everything because it's just not possible. And some days, you know, you just overbook yourself, and that's just you just got to do the best that you can do, but that can't be every day.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And then how about sitting on the sofa? Because there's that too. Like I'm I love to I love to watch Netflix. I'm sorry, like there's there's things I need to sort of zone out time. I call it my like phone's going off. I don't, I'm not gonna be productive. I'm not gonna exercise. I'm just gonna sit, yeah, you know, and hang out or sit and watch a movie with my son or something like that. You know, it's it's important to be lazy too. And I think our culture is very focused on always being productive. And that's a bit of an epidemic, you know, it's like the lazy epidemic, and then there's the epidemic of too much go, go, go and not having not having like any just like downtime to do nothing.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And you need the downtime for your body. So I have another crazy question. I have two more questions, and then we've definitely taken a bunch of your time. So thank you. So I have two more questions. One is about infrared versus non-infrared sauna. So you said at home, you use an infrared sauna, but your mobile sauna is not infrared. Is that correct? Yes. Yeah. What if someone's trying to understand the differences, pros, cons, benefits, whether it be something in their house or something they want to go experience? Can you give any insight into the differences between the two?

SPEAKER_00:

So I've had an infrared sauna for many years and I love it. So infrared um is the harnessing of the sun's rays, basically. And it's it's put into a man-made panel that heats you through waves. So it actually heats you from the inside out. Okay. Whereas a wood-burning sauna, a traditional sauna, dry sauna that has electric heating the stones or the fire heating the stones is going to heat the air, which heats you on the outside of your body. So the big difference is that the infrared is not going to get as hot. Most infrared on the market are somewhere between 130 and 170. Uh, mine gets to 170, which is hotter than the average infrared. I can stay in there for like 30 minutes. And in the wood burning, I'm like, you know, 15 minutes, like half the amount of time. Yeah. So I personally sweat a lot more in the in the dry sauna, in the uh wood burning than I do in the infrared. I have to stay in the infrared a lot longer to really build up my sweat. But there are people that will tell you that the infrared is detoxing the organs first because you're getting the heat builds on the inside at your core instead of the outside. So, and that the sweat is the is the reason we sweat more in the wood burning is because our body just gets so hot so quickly that it makes you start to sweat. So I don't think there's an uh a one that's better than the other. I I feel like, you know, from what I understand, I have uh in my research is that the wood burning sauna, all of the studies that have been done on the effects of sauna, sauna, is um sauna is been through traditional style sauna. So there are more studies coming out on infrared, but we don't really have the big picture yet. So when people say, oh, I have an infrared sauna company, and these are all the studies around what sauna infrared is not really a sauna. Sauna, that word is the traditional style of sauna. So I think they're both great. I think, you know, obviously the wood burning is not as convenient. You have to put wood in the stove, but I love that. I love the ritual of putting the wood in. I love the smell of the birch. I love looking at the fire. That's infrared light coming from the fire. And we have a physiological response to looking at fire, to gazing at the fire, makes us feel safe and calm in our central nervous system. So I'm a big nature girl. So for me, the infrared's great. You're still plugged in. You've got to make sure that you're buying a company that is caring about their ingredients, as making sure it's very low to zero EMFs when you're in there. I that's really important. Again, your uh detox pathways are open and you can absorb things. So I like that I have both. Um I would tell people research the company, make sure if you're buying an infrared or or even a wood burning or an electric sauna, that the quality of the materials are going to be clean. The company is transparent about what they use. They're not using crazy glues that are gonna um detox in your environment and the materials are important. But I think, listen, getting in the sauna and raising your body temperature and sweating, however you want to do it, however much time you have, whether you want a Wi Fi system that you turn It on from your phone before you get home. You know, everybody's different. And I kind of like, I want both. I want the wood burning, and I also would love to have the convenience of having one in my house that can just turn on at the click of a button. So that would be my advice on those two. So helpful.

SPEAKER_01:

I've always wondered the difference. So thank you so much. Yeah, you're welcome. Wealth of information. All right. Last question for you. I ask every guest if they can to recommend a book or books has impacted themselves personally or professionally. I am a true believer that books change lives. So I would love to know what your book that you recommend is. Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

So my book is Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser. And I was racking my brain knowing I was going to talk to you about how I came across that book. And that book crossed my path. I don't remember how, in 2016, when I knew I was, you know, thinking about divorce and what that looked like. And that book is all about, you know, how hard things can push us into something greater in our lives. So whether that's loss of a marriage or a relationship or someone passing away or, you know, um hard times and how that it breaks us open. And by breaking us open, we are able to hopefully see the growth possibilities in that sad, depressing situation. And that book was an absolute game changer for me. When I read that book, I immediately can remember being in my bathroom in Weston, hiding away from my situation and reading that book and thinking this is exactly what I needed to hear to know that there was the light on the other side of this difficult situation, that I didn't want to cry anymore in the shower, that I have a whole life ahead of me. And my mother said to me one day, you know, Ginger, you know how you feel about your son. You know how you feel you want the best for him. And you don't, you just want him to be so happy and how his life is the most important to you. And I said yes. And she said, Well, that's how I feel about you. And your life is just as important as your child's. And you only have one. So do the best you can. If you're not happy, change it. You know, and I'd been through therapy and done all the things. And that book was kind of the reason I was able to have the strength to realize that I could get something good out of that really hard situation. So I can't recommend that book more highly. And there was another little one I wanted to throw at you that I mentioned. Let's do it. Yes. This is the easy one, Brave Enough by Cheryl Strait. Um, you mentioned that she's the author of Wild, which I haven't read. But this book is like an easy throw on your desk. You flip through every day, once a week, whatever, and you get something inspirational. And if I can, could I read one to you? Of course you can. I love it. Really quickly. Yes. I flipped it this morning waiting for you, and I was like, I have to read this one. Good. Because I'm just I I'm so love focused. I just, if you focus on love, everything's gonna be, everything's gonna be good. Right. Very true. Love is the feeling we have for those we care deeply about and hold in high regard. It can be light as the hug we give a friend, or heavy as the sacrifices we make for our children. It can be romantic, platonic, familiar, familial, fleeting, everlasting, conditional, unconditional, imbued with sorrow, stoked by sex, sullied by abuse, amplified by kindness, twisted by betrayal, deepened by time, darkened by difficulty, leavened by generosity, nourished by humor, and loaded with promises and commitments that we may or may not want to keep. The best thing you can possibly do with your life is to tackle the motherfucking shit out of it.

SPEAKER_01:

I love it.

SPEAKER_00:

That's so great. Isn't that so good? I was just awesome. It's it's like everything in one paragraph.

SPEAKER_01:

Everything in one little paragraph. Oh, I've got to get that book. That is great. Oh my goodness. Ginger, thank you so much for being on the show. I have learned so much about Sauna and how you pronounce it, infrared versus wood burning. It is so fascinating. I love the experience that you're creating. I'm gonna put in the show notes your Instagram, everybody go follow you, Kin Sauna. If you're local, you guys check her out. She has so many different events. You can go and participate and have the experience. I am a true believer in what you do and just you're so inspirational, just trying to help people live better lives. So I thank you so much for taking the time to come on the show and to educate us. It's truly, it's been an honor to meet you. And I feel like I'm seeing you at the at like the like rise of the com of your career. And I could be like, I talked to her way back in the beginning.

SPEAKER_00:

Way back in the beginning. Oh my gosh, thank you so much. I've been so excited to connect with you. We have so many people in common. We've followed each other for a long time. And I'm glad we finally got to connect through Lindsay, finally in person, and that this happened. So thank you for giving me the space to share my passion and hopefully people will find something good out of the conversation. I appreciate you very much. They absolutely will. Okay, have a beautiful rest of your day. Thank you, you too.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for joining us for this week's episode of Building the Best You. If you are ready to take a deeper dive into transforming your life, check out my Empowerment Fundamentals course on my website, houseofgermar.com. Thank you, and I will see you next week with another inspiring guest.