Stop Playing Small with Kiin Sauna Founder Ginger Richardson | Ep. 12
Listen in as Hannah and Amy sit down with Ginger Richardson, certified sauna and cold plunge coach, health coach, and founder of Kiin, a contrast therapy business based in Westport, Connecticut. Ginger runs a wood-burning Nordic style mobile sauna and cold plunge operation that pops up at beaches, wellness retreats, and private events across the area, and Hannah has personally experienced it firsthand, breaking a lantern on the way in and staying in the cold plunge for two full minutes despite having Raynaud's.
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Ginger's story is one of the most honest and inspiring the show has featured. Divorce after 12 years out of the workforce, a mother's stroke, a lost friendship, a relationship ending, a rental sold out from under her, all within five months. Instead of playing small, she woke up one morning and put her savings into a mobile sauna business she designed herself. Less than a year later she has investors, two employees, and a permanent location. But the real heart of the conversation is not the business success. It is what Ginger learned along the way about discomfort, the central nervous system, community, and what happiness actually requires.
Ginger's definition of happiness is a calm central nervous system, and everything she does, contrast therapy, breathwork, grounding, movement, community, filtering relationships through how they make her feel in her core, is in service of that. She talks about the tools she has built, how she uses humming to regulate in the middle of the night, how breathwork in the cold plunge translated into getting air into closing airways during an anaphylactic episode, and why she believes all the hard things in her life led her exactly where she needed to be.
In this episode: contrast therapy and its benefits, the physiological effects of heat and cold, breathwork as a life skill, building your toolbox before you need it, cognitive flexibility and metacognition, the central nervous system and happiness, filtering relationships, doing the inside work first, why you just have to start, and why life being hard is actually the best part.
Find Ginger
Kiinsauna.com for booking, private events, corporate events, and wellness partnerships.
Instagram: @kiinsauna Kiin is based in Westport, Connecticut with mobile pop-ups throughout the area.
MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE
The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal: Hannah references the episode they did on this book and McGonigal's finding that people who believe stress is harmful have a significantly higher mortality rate than those who see stress as something useful. Listen to that episode here.
The Happiness Lab with Laurie Santos: Hannah references Santos on the idea that we don't expect to get fit from one exercise class and never work out again, yet we somehow expect happiness to work that way. Listen here.
Contrast therapy research: Ginger references research that suggests regular sauna use may be associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. Read it here.
Reach out to us! Email us at hello@icanbehappier.com or visit icanbehappier.com. Find us on Instagram at icanbehappier.podcast, and on Facebook and LinkedIn. This podcast is not a substitute for professional mental health support. Please reach out to a qualified licensed provider if you need help.
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Transcript
Bill Abel
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[:Intro & Welcome
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[: [: [: [:Meet Bill Abel
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[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:Yeah, so 10 years ago. And uh, here I am still at it.
I'm also a watercolorist. I've been a studio artist, um, since we had children. My family I was lucky to have three children, and at the time I wanted to kinda ditch my retail job and I thought, well, you know, it makes perfect sense to be at home with my kids. And so, um, I had a very understanding wife and very supportive in that respect, and that's just how it turned out.
's, um, just part of who I am[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:Finding Yoga: The Cold Call
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[: [: [: [: [:And he said "Hey, why don't you come try Dancing Mind Studios in Falls Church, and we'll let you come in, have a, a free session, and you can see if you like it." And that's how it all began. Um,
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:And so that's
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:Feeling Stuck, Divorce & Vulnerability
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[: [:yeah, what was
[:Um, I really was, um, in love with my family so completely. To be-- have that break apart was just like the worst thing that could happen. And I was stuck in that place for a while. Like, I called it ground zero, just, you know, a lot... It, it created a lot of sense of unworthiness, um, sense of disconnection.
And [: core word, core, core means [:I've been accused of being maybe a little too open, and I'm definitely that, so what you see is what you get usually is very, um, much who I am too. I think that, that helps a lot in growth, um, just to come from being, you know, authentic and to let others see the beginner in you.
It's just really like that whole sense of, of you know, being vulnerable. And, um, and that's something that's, I don't know, it either came natural or it came through my yoga training. And yeah, it was just a wonderful experience.
[: [: [:maybe that, or maybe not a switch, but a catalyst?
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:easy. And, um, do you, was that, do you think that that was one of the first times that you allowed yourself to be vulnerable and say, like, "I need something.
I don't know if this is the right thing, but I know I need something"?
[: [: [: [: [:And so the idea was that, you know, um, that I had a big D on my forehead that said, "This, this man is divorced 'cause he, he failed at marriage." And so it's like the whole psychology of it is that, you know, I'm gonna just cover and hide and lay low and, um, yeah, I'm not worthy of love, obviously. And so you stay stuck, and you stay, you know, in a comfort zone and like I said, it might be in congruence with your-- what you want in life and your-- what you love.
your job, our jobs might not [:Um, I worked at a frame shop, I worked as the crossing guard, you know, odd jobs here and there so I could be at home for my kids. And that, to me, that, that's perfect because I, I don't, I don't like to sit and work, and I don't, I don't like, um, I-- Passing time at work, oh, I hate, I hate just killing time. I like to be busy and active and, and that's, you know, that's all there with yoga and, and even in watercolor.
lor paper that looks fine as [:You know, it's the saying like,
[: [:It's kinda harsh, but it's true. I
mean just know that humble beginnings and, um, and just be okay with that. And at first, it's not that easy to be okay with that, and I think just the more you practice and you realize what you're developing is a connection with other people who have felt the same way you have probably.
Um, might not be able to articulate. Like, I'm not a-able to articulate here today everything I wanna say. But, you know,
[: [: [: [:Um, had all the hours of teacher credit needed, but I could not-- Once, once they made us take a video, and I saw myself and I heard myself, and I said, "I, I don't want to put people through that."
[: [: [: [:Those are the things, like, you focus on. Um, just naturally we all do it. We go, "Look at the f-"
[: [: oh, you saw [: [: [: [: [: [: [:So,
[: [: [: [: [:do it
Fear as a Signal for Growth
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[: [: [:And I think that's more realistic than forget fear because I think fear, we have-- we need fear for survival. But fear less, hey, I can maybe live better and, and produce better and be more effective if I, if I'm not afraid of taking a chance.
[: [: it's like life. Um, I mean, [:But, um, just to be aware of that alone helps you, like, you know, to be more loving toward yourself and accept, you know, what you can and can't do at the moment. Um, 'cause it's all about small beginnings and just moving it forward, trying new things one step at a time. Yeah, we say one step at a time, not the whole staircase, you
[: stakes in the moment, but it [: [: [: [: [: [: [:Yoga as a Mirror
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[: [:All those things are-- It's like shining a light inside, and that's why they say the yoga mat is like a mirror. Um, we hate mirrors, by the way. I hate mirrors. I hate them in the studio. Like you said, I,
[: [:Hmm, simple, right? But you can go deeper there, and you can start to, in your practice, you know, really kind of, um... you're it's not, it's not the process of building like other workout routines are. Um, it's a process of taking away.
[: [: I think then, [:You know, everyone's gonna find a yoga practice that might not be for them, or they like it, but I don't think I'll come back." Or, um, that was not the case for me. I was like, "This is me. This is what I love."
I was just really lucky to find a yoga that was right for me and kinda spoke to me and without it, I w- I would, I don't know what I would've done. But it just kinda got me out of my head,
[: [: [:yeah
[: [: [: [: [: [:And something about getting moving in a yoga class or any exercise probably, and I, you know, this is one viewpoint, but just to get moving is the key. You know, to get moving forward, to get out of your head, come out of your head, come into your body, and it's so... Yoga's so good for that. And so I'm in love.
Obsessed
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:And yeah, it changes everything. So that's one of the-- that's the first pillar, I think. Drishti or, or breath. Drishti is your gaze. Of course, setting your gaze, calming your gaze so you can calm your mind. 'Cause sometimes we're looking at others, you know, and we're seeing how they're doing, and we're judging ourselves against them.
ice I teach. So it's, again, [:Self-Limiting Beliefs & The Gremlin
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[: [:And I feel like if you, if you head into something new, you are approaching it with a beginner mind, but you probably also have these, like, self-limiting beliefs that are like hitchhikers and coming along and making it harder to embrace the beginner mind.
[: [: [: as far as limiting beliefs, [:And so we kind of personify this, this, um, I don't know what you'd call it, just a, a megaphone of limiting beliefs. All right? This is a gremlin. Mine was Richard, and mine was Richard because short for Richard went Dick. And so I could say, "Dick,
[: [: not worthy. I'm not lovable. [:The wolf or the... I don't know. There's, there's another thing like that.
[: [: [: [: [: [: awn, and there was just this [:of, you know, all my toxins. All...
[: [: [: [:Um, even if it's like 10 minutes, um, it really does help to reset and I should do it. I should. There's a... I'm gonna should myself.
[: [: [: these programs and learning [:Um, our parents, our spouse our kids. Oh my gosh, kids are so wonderfully critical of us. I mean, we don't even, we don't even need that yeah, that limiting belief or that gremlin. You know, we got the kids to say, "Oh,"
[: [: [: that [:And I was like,
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: t's a, um, something that we [:Or we listen to, We're, we- we're in our head about what we're gonna say next or, you know. Yeah. I, I mean, I'm sure you've discussed it on this program, but yeah, it's that whole, um, yeah, pure listening was challenging. Um-
Connection, Belonging & Creativity
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[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: have to work hard and fail a[: [: [: [: [: [:Um, I guess, yeah, coming from a family where my dad was a doctor, a family physician, and there were those big, what is it called, pillar of the community kind of jobs that seemed to always be what, you know... "You're gonna be an engineer, right? You're gonna be a rocket scientist, right? Hmm, yeah, you're gonna be a doctor like your dad, right?"
tting through, you know, the [:I even threw it, and then in my senior year, I, I took two art classes and I was like, "Oh, my gosh." You know? I was breaking my brain over this biology and chemistry and math. So I have a BS in biology, a minor in math, and you know, all these things like... But, and then when I finally found out, "Oh, this is so, like, natural for me, and I feel, I feel like I'm actually good at it."
And all that happened my senior year, and I was like, um... I was also learn- losing speed and- this desire to go through, you know, five, 10 more years of schooling. I felt like it was gonna be that long for med school, but I was like, me being a slow learner, I thought, "Why am I beating my head up, you know, against a wall
[: [: But again, it's what I [:Life Transitions: Bound Away Bill
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[: [: [: [:You know? It's just kind of like, survival mode. And, um, it sort of caught up with me, and I was like, "Oh, what is going on? I don't wanna do this anymore. I don't want this job. I don't want..."
or art. But it was just the [:And then I, I got into the school year, and I just... I had the goal of putting my house up for sale. Um, and now I'm here, and it's gonna sell and and I'm gonna travel. And people say, "Well, where are you gonna go?" I'm gonna go out there. People wanna know where.
y new nickname. And I'm just [:One's out in Colorado called Pagosa Springs And a friend of mine from eighth grade he has a tiny home out there, and
[: [: [: [:And gosh, you know, how much time is left? And you start to look at the hourglass, and you're like, "Ew, I don't like that." You know, 10 more years, I'll be that, and then 10 more years, I'll be that. Oh no, I better get with this now. And so,
[: [:I wanna hopefully be able to practice and teach yoga and practice my watercolor, have more time for painting. That's one of the things that brought it to... me to a grinding halt, was I really, a year ago, I w- I was just finding no energy, but also just no time to set up and paint. And there's a lot of things that come into that too.
Like anything, you, um, you self-sabotage.
so I'm just working on being [:I think David Bowie had a quote about it once that was really good about, you know, getting older is the beautiful process of, and I'll, I'll misquote it, but of becoming who you were really meant to be.
And yeah, I,
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: " And so from a grass-eating [:It's like totally different creature altogether. But I think like in where I'm at now, I'm in the pupa stage
[: [: [: [:hiking up in the mountains. Um, a- and on Sunday as well, and I'm just excited to be able to be outside
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:Okay. Hannah, how about you?
[: [: [: [: [:I'm gonna track her down and give her a little squeeze.
[: [: [: [: [: [: [:Madison Square Garden. Got the figurine. Yeah. Oh,
[:This was really lovely having you on. It was really nice to hear your stories and your wisdom.
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:Closing Reflections & Outro
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[: [: [: [: [: [:Like, he just, he has that about him. So Bill, keep doing what you're doing, okay?
[:So what a shame that the younger version of him didn't realize
[: [: [: [: [: [: o you, it's how you, how you [:You know? Like do you, do you let them take over your life, or do you figure out w- a way to, you know, to, to live with them,
[: [: [:But, but are you gonna let them run the show is the question, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Yeah, they can be a passenger but not a driver, right?
[: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [: [:Blooper
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And now for those of you who hung around till the end, here's a blooper
[: [: [: [: [: [: [:
