Discover the incredible health benefits of ice baths with EMILY BENT from OTHERSHIP

0:00 On the mic with us today is Emily Bent, one of the visionary founders of Othership, a place that combines mindfulness practices, communitydriven social spaces, and holistic healing in a transformative environment. He had he'd gotten sober a couple years before, so we were kind of looking for ways to stay in the city, to maintain a sober lifestyle, looking for things to do. I mean, he's also really social, so it is hard in bigger cities to connect with people without alcohol. It takes more intention. So, and then at the same time, it kind of all coincided. Our our shower didn't go cold enough in the house for him to have a proper cold shower. So, he was like, "We need an ice bath in the backyard." At the same time, we had started going to these Russian banyas as a way to yeah, connect with his friends in a sober way.

0:50 especially in the evenings when there's when there's not too much to do. And so yeah, we started with our >> Emily's passion for helping others find balance and mindfulness shines through her work bringing wellness to the world. This is Rise and Thrive with Miss Monday. I'm your host, a photographer, filmmaker, and artist devoted to telling stories of brave souls who are standing up, speaking truth, and building something better. My podcast is independently created and powered by passion. Just my soul connecting with your soul. If something here moves you on the show, I'd be honored if you'd like, subscribe, and share it. Your support fuels this movement and it means more than you know. So, thank you.

1:48 Thank you for listening, Emily. Welcome to the show. >> Wow. Thank you so much. So nice to connect with you. It's been really >> a a Oh my goodness. So I love other ship. So this was just so exciting to have you on the show. I my first experience with othership was like god about a year ago and it left such an imprint on me. It wasn't just like a spa day listeners it was like a journey. I thought I was going to a spa but I ended up going going into a full meditation practice and then experience it was like coming home to a part of myself that I didn't even know I guess I could say existed like something that was in me that I didn't even realize was in me. And for those listening who haven't had a chance to visit Othership yet, can you paint the picture? What is Othership really? And why is it why does it feel so different than like the typical spa? And then also I guess who is this for?

2:49 I'm so happy to hear that. So yeah, so rewarding to hear stories like yours. I think >> othership really intends to be this immersive experience where you can step away from the hustle and bustle of your day-to-day life. All of our locations are in big cities. So yeah, our journeyers know like what it's like out there every day. You're overwhelmed. You have so many different tasks on your list are just yeah kind of bombarded all the time with all of your messages and yeah, we're just connected in in lots of different online ways. And so we've tried to create this sanctuary for self-care in the city where you can come and immediately you're kind of transported when you enter. We want to think of it like you're going through a portal. You're going on this journey.

3:38 And then when you're behind those doors and you can put your phone away and you can shed your layers and you can participate in these practices that really do shift your state and boost your mood and yeah, they're just so good for your body. So the hot the sauna and the really cold ice baths that both have just such a profound impact on your physical health but also your emotional health and your emotional well-being. And yeah, that's the the goal to just create this really safe space for people to enjoy these practices.

4:10 >> Lovely. Yeah, it's so cool. Like when you go there, you walk in like I'll just paint the picture too so people understand. Like you walk in and it's like this really dim, beautiful, calm environment. You're not allowed to talk, right? Only in the in the talking area and then you go into the the sauna. It's guided, which is so cool. Like you have a guy or a guide and they walk you through and it makes the session go so much quicker because usually you sit in the sauna and you're sweating and you're dying and you're like, I just like need to get out. But then you know that there's this ice bath coming which is so cool.

4:47 And then you're also sitting there and you're getting you know guided with this this and you're going into a state of meditation and oh my god it it's just so cool. Like so thank you for what you've created. I love it. So many people today are like I'm also just glad on like some of the points that you touched on. They're so meaningful for us. I think especially as women like it was really important to me going into the experience that women felt safe there. I mean, you are in a vulnerable spate.

5:18 You're wearing your bathing suit. In North America, we don't have a lot of practices like this that are co-ed. Like in Europe, it's really common. >> Everyone's so used to it. But how we were raised in North America, it can feel like that's even alone a big step for people. And so, we wanted to make sure that you felt safe. All of our lighting is really intentional. The sightelines, you don't see through the space, so you can feel like you're not, you know, on display. in these areas and so yeah th those things were really important to us and the sun as well like staying in for a long time is really challenging and also it can be really ner nerve-wracking to do a nice bath so just what you said about when you get really hot you're like okay I'm I'm ready for this I can do it >> yeah for sure and yeah and I've I feel so safe there and I' I've obviously been to other spas before and you don't have a guide right so it is true that there you may be feeling a little vulnerable if you're in hot steam room or something and then there's like a guy there and you're like oh I'm in my bikini like am I safe but you definitely feel safe at other ship because there is like a guide or there's an assistant there's actually two people in the room with you all like leading the class and yeah it's a very wonderful experience but what I have a question so so many people today are searching for ways obviously to feel better and to live healthier and take control of their well-being I Sure. I sure am. And I am now like I love other ship. I go there all the time. I'm like, "Oh my god, where has this been in my all my life?" You know, like I'm just I love it. Can you just walk us through the benefits? Cuz I've obviously I'm sure like so many people are listening.

6:57 They're like, "What? Ice baths? No way. I would never go in an ice bath." But yes, there are so many physical and amazing things that are happening in your body, right? And your guides talk about it a little bit to when you first show up, the first time they make you wear a bracelet and you're like they they answer questions. But for anyone listening right now, can you kind of walk us through what's happening when you're immersing in this practice?

7:20 >> Yeah, of course. >> A cold baths that are freezing. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Absolutely. So, I think there's equal parts physical benefits and then emotional benefits. So, we really like to focus on both. I mean, the physical benefits are talked about more. So reducing your inflammation, enhanced muscle recovery or yeah boosting your circulation can be enhancing for your immune function which is really interesting. They've done studies in cold water swimmers where they actually have elevated white blood cell count. So your metabolic health which people don't talk about too much which as a former nutritionist I really love but it actually can help with your glucose tolerance. So those yeah all really unique physical benefits with obviously varying degrees of evidence. I mean, this is still an emerging practice. So, it's not all ironclad, but the emotional health benefits, I mean, you can just see so clearly when you're there. And so, those we really like to talk about cuz you can feel it immediately when you step out of the ice bath. You feel so good. like it's really is a a rush and you're getting this surge of dopamine of norepinephrine of just mood booing mood boosting endorphins that have you feeling so so good >> and I think also there's a couple things like when you are in that experience it's so intense especially we do keep our ice baths really cold and it's training you to be able to stay calm under situations of pressure so I think that's a lot of the time people will refer to boosting resilience. And what does that mean? It just means when you have these moments in life that feel so overwhelming. We have a toddler, Robbie and I. So, you know, he can be having a moment of upset in the business, you know, life can be really stressful and the the ice bath really trains you, okay? You know, you can breathe through it. You can sit through this intense experience and yeah, you can make it to the other side. So, a lot of women actually compare it to child birth as well. I've heard that so many times when I'm guiding people through like wow it really is like that intensity of the experience where you can harness your breath to ground yourself in the experience. and then also there is this really unique kind of moment that happens I feel when you stay in usually for me it's around a minute and a half and you get through the really intense experience and then all of a sudden you just have this boost of clarity and presence. It really is like a mindfulness practice. And so for me, that's one of the most beautiful parts too when you get through the really intense part and then you can finally relax into it and you just feel like well you feel like you've been meditating for half an hour but you've just gotten into the ice bath. So it gets you there really quickly. Yes, it ha it does. But I it was a journey for me. Like I remember the first time I did a ice bath, I like jumped in jumped out, right? And then I was like no, I can do this again. But then you're like, "No, I know it's so good for like weight loss and all these things. So many good things for your body and I'm gonna just sit through it." And then when you get through that two minutes, I mean, I've done a few different classes. Some some classes you sit in for 30 seconds, 30 seconds and jump out and come back in again multiple times or you sit in for two minutes straight. And when you accomplish it, you come out, you feel so incredible. You feel like you've accomplished something. And like you said, you almost have gotten to a state of like meditation, right? And like child birth. I have two kids at home, so it's true. It's like, okay, I can do this. Breathe, breathe, breathe. I'm going to do this. It's the same feeling.

10:52 Definitely. I mean, not as long cuz child birth is like over an entire day, right? But it's like this 2 minutes definitely there is a feeling there that's that's definitely similar. So, yeah, it's a great reference. Now, I'm interested. I want to know where this all began. when you knew wellness was what the world needed. You and your husband Rob and I've heard the other ship was born in the heart of the pandemic. Is that true?

11:17 >> It's sort of true. Okay. Okay. Okay. Interesting. It was born before the pandemic. >> Okay. Although like just before so we opened our kind of tester location and in our garage. That was the first >> our backyard. >> That's what I've heard. I've heard it was in the garage, right? And I was like, "Oh, I want to hear the story." Okay, cool. So, yeah, tell us. >> Yeah. So, first in our backyard, Robbie had an ice bath in the backyard and he is just like captain community.

11:52 He Yeah. So, started connecting with like-minded people. I mean, we had just moved back. We were living in San Francisco for years and we had moved back to Toronto. He had he'd gotten sober a couple years before, so we were kind of looking for ways to stay in the city, to maintain a sober lifestyle, looking for things to do. I mean, he's also really social, so it is hard in bigger cities to connect with people without alcohol. It takes more intention. So, and then at the same time, it kind of all coincided. Our our shower didn't go cold enough in the house for him to have a proper cold shower. So, he was like, "We need an ice bath in the backyard.

12:33 At the same time, we had started going to these Russian banyas as a way to yeah connect with his friends in a sober way and especially in the evenings when there's there's not too much to do. So those things at the same time, wow, we would really love to make a version of this with ice baths and that felt like more aligned with our community. and so yeah, we started with our with our backyard and then the garage. Robbie's aunt is a is an amazing designer, so she helped us with the to convert our garage space into a little tester center and it was actually really beautiful and it's still running today. So, it's it's really great, a little community space with a sauna and ice bath. And in that time, we kind of started testing programming. How can we help people stay in the ice baths longer? How can we support people through the journey?

13:28 Seeing the reactions of all our friends and family when they were coming through connecting with an early community that was interested in these practices. And then Robbie's sister owns some incredible fitness studios, JBird and Lree, and she was like, I think you could just easily put this up on MindBody or one of these platforms and start charging people for sessions. So we started doing that and >> we're planning on building out a bigger kind of traditional bath house >> and that was right before the pandemic.

13:57 So we kind of had launched the garage had grand vision. There was about two to three months and then we were finally like ramping up the garage and then yeah then the pandemic happened and slowed everything down. So, we were extremely fortunate that we hadn't signed anything ironclad before that happened. And so, we really took those years. We kept testing, having our friends and family through, and then we were able to get a great deal on our first space in King West. And so, we signed that and then as soon as the as businesses were able to start opening again, we opened that. And it was a big risk. It really was because even at the time, there'd be articles come out and it was like, "This is insane. nobody is ever going to take a group sauna again and really getting feedback like that. So, we had to be pretty determined in our vision that people would want to connect again.

14:47 >> I know what a time people weren't allow we weren't allowed to socialize. We weren't allowed to even get our haircut at our hairdressers. I'm so happy you guys didn't walk away and you kept, you know, kept your resilience and went through because it is one of the most amazing experience and I'm addicted now. Like it's something like my partner whenever it's like my birthday or a Christmas he's like like he's he gifts me the other ship experiences like I'm like this is the perfect thing for me and anyone that I all my girlfriends I've like brought them in. I'm like you got you got to experience this. I mean I wasn't expecting this when I first stepped into the first class and then when you when you experience it you just want to share it you know it's like it's like your church it's like become my church you know. So, now >> feel that way. And also, just quickly, we just had our first ship proposal.

15:36 >> Yeah. >> This week. So, that they proposed in the space. And so, we were Yeah, it was so exciting for us cuz Yeah. have been It's like part of our journey. I mean, we're a couple. Amanda and Harry are in relationships. We We have our coup's class that we're so passionate about. So, when you're saying your partner knows you love and was buying you passes, it just came to mind. It was so exciting for us, too.

15:56 >> Yeah. Yeah, we've had a few people meet there and get married now and we had our first proposal so we were all really excited this week. >> Oh my god, that's such a blessing to hear that. Yeah, I took your for Valentine's. I did the love class. My partner, it's it's geared towards couples because there's a session in the class where you have to stare in each other's eyes and you're like I loved it. I was like, "Thank god you're here cuz I would look at anyone else's eyes like right." And after that, it's funny. I mean we do we do look at each other's eyes but not for that long like what you had to do in the class you had to stare in deep into each other's eyes and I remember it was like a new knowing a new connection to between us even though we've been together for 10 years it was one step further in our journey yeah othership is so cool guys it's very cool so so I've heard I don't know if it's true or not but you I heard your husband and say in another interview, another podcast that it was you really that started it all.

16:58 Is that true? Or it was like something about your first date or something. You took him to an ice bath. Can you want to tell the listeners? >> He's very generous. He's the driver for sure. I think he's referring to I mean, yeah, I was I was a dietitian and a nutritionist before, so I was really into listening to all these podcasts, listening to Rhonda Patrick and Peter Tia, Tim Ferris, of course, and at the time they were having Yeah, they were just talking a lot about the sauna and how amazing it was for you. Wimhop was coming up talking about ice baths and so >> and talking about the benefits. So, I think yeah, I was encouraging him to try this as part of his sobriety journey cuz I there is something about that intense personality that is drawn to stimulants and the ice bath is an amazing replacement for that. It really is. So, I think he found it and he really loved it. So, no, he's he's definitely the driver, but I'm glad that I was able to support him. I think yeah, as part of his sobriety journey, just really being there for him, that was important in in the early stages. You also have these social gatherings, right? I haven't actually done the social, so I know my girlfriend has.

18:07 >> So fun. I feel like my most fun moment of honestly the last like few years we had Daybreaker and we do these morning dance parties and we were having one in New York like around the time we first opened. So we were all living there at the time and it was so honestly just so fun and you really get the feeling like you are in this altered state when you're there. You've done the song, you've done the ice bath. Everyone's so out of their shell. Like, you really see the transformation come out. Everyone's feeling really authentic and so happy.

18:37 And then to put on an amazing DJ and everyone's dancing, it just feels it's Yeah. So joyful. >> Wow, that's so cool. Yeah, I definitely have to experience that. I mean, I've been to so many outdoor dance parties or just dance parties, but like nothing in a spa before. So, that is just so cool. an alternative way to party. Now, instead of going to the nightclub and getting trashed, now there's all these other options. And wow, it's really cool. So, let's talk about connection. So, you know, from what I've experienced, I feel like other ship is all about creating a space where people can connect and reconnect and dance and have fun. Or there's classes where it's quiet. Like, it's not all loud, guys.

19:23 Like usually all the classes that I've taken is are like the typical spa, you know, the quiet, but you offer those dance parties as well. And they they are listed as social. What do they they're called? >> Yeah. Yeah, they're called socials. So don't worry, you won't accidentally you don't accidentally walk into one. For sure. >> Yes. You'll be you you'll be well informed before you sign up. So so let's talk about connection. Obviously, you've created this amazing space and and but there might be some people out there that live they don't live in Toronto, don't live in New York. Maybe someone that's listening that lives like 3 hours away and they're like but I you know I'm not in Toronto and I can't come.

20:02 have our breath work app and I don't >> I don't want to pitching it but I didn't talk about it before and it's my baby so I'm always yeah that actually was born during the pandemic which is so exciting and it was a way for us to offer these experiences online when our community was kept apart. So we started just on Zoom like many people were doing Zooms during the pandemic. But the first week we would have we met every Sunday kind of late morning. The first Sunday was maybe 20 people and then 50 and then over 200. And we really just kept growing and because we were using breath work as part of the experience as we still do and helps in the sauna in the ice bath and to really have these kind of emotional releases when you do the longer sessions. And so we were doing a long session every Sunday. And yeah, we started being asked for the recordings.

20:57 So I made a little like little tiny Kajjabi portal where you could come on and get the recording and just kind of offering it for our community. And then we started growing that and taking it more seriously. And then we built our mobile app. So we still do have a like wonderful app known all around the world which is surprising I think even for people in Toronto. And it's a lot of our early New York community when we opened our first other ship there. We're like, "Oh my gosh, I've been listening to Amanda and Harry on the app for years."

21:27 And yeah, just so excited to connect in real life. So breath work is an amazing practice because it helps you have these experiences at home really quickly. And as a mom, I don't have a ton of time for these experiences right now. And there are times where you're just yeah, maybe you can't get to a physical experience, but you want 10 minutes and you just want to either relax your nervous system or maybe you want to boost for the day to to feel better and feel more energized. So, we really offer Yeah.

21:56 that our core offerings on the app are under 10 minutes. We have a daily up and a daily down. You can choose whichever you're in the mood for that day. And then we do offer these longer sessions geared towards specific topics. Maybe it's like guilt release or loving kindness. We have wonderful partner sessions that you can do together to connect as a couple. Yeah. And so that's something that that we we still work on. We're really passionate about today and I think hopefully in the next few years we'll take it even to another level. So that's another offering that we had. But yeah, to your question, I think even being a mom of young children, like being present with your kids is such a practice in itself of mindfulness. And >> yeah, I have two at home. I have two kids and yours >> and one's four and two.

22:42 >> Oh yeah, >> I'm busy and I'm like, "Oh my goodness." Like, but yeah. Yeah. >> And I mean, I think just that playing with them in itself, you can't really be doing other things or thinking of other things. So >> those are really Yeah. part of my practice right now. Walking to get a croissant with him and sitting on the park bench. Yeah. Wellness has changed a lot in the last little bit, but >> Mhm.

23:06 >> practices that give me joy. I think I'm thinking of wellness more. >> Oh wow. But yeah, breath work is so important and your app is so incredible too. So yeah, that is available there for anyone who's listening who's like I'm not in New York or Toronto. You can, you know, sign up for this app and be part of this group and experience that. So many people struggle to make time for mindfulness. like obviously like if you're a mom and you know right especially in the chaos of everyday life. So why do you think wellness is so important now I guess more than ever? I'd love your I'd love your thoughts on that.

23:44 >> Yeah, I think we try to to make it as easy as possible. Like you're not going for a therapy session. You're not going for something that's going to feel uncomfortable. I mean, you are though, but you're not expecting that when you come. It's a spa experience, and I think most people can make time for things that feel good and feel easy. Maybe you're just going to meet your friend there, and actually it's just social time, but you get this amazing two for one of something that's really healthy and good for you, and you're able to connect with your friend. And I think for breath work too, we make it so fun with amazing music and yeah, it's a theme in both our spaces and our app just to to make it feel fun, make it feel playful. Yeah, like I'm morning dance party. It is wellness and it's not necessarily thought of like that, but it really is part of your practice. So yeah, I think making it feel fun, not forcing yourself to do something that you actually don't want to do, but just to do something fun. But but to follow up with that, you invested so much into making this available for everyone. I'd like to know your thoughts like do you think that we need this as a society?

25:00 >> I think we can see the transformation that happens. I think even at the inward garage like when we were facilitating there, you would see people come in and they felt tight. They weren't really talking. They >> felt like really nervous. Of course, you don't know what you're getting yourself into, especially in this random garage. But yeah, I think we I don't want to speak too generally, but I think as a society, we are feeling a little bit stressed and overwhelmed, and that's what the the data is showing.

25:33 >> And we really want to make these quick, fun, intentional experiences where yeah, you show up and you're feeling tight. And then I would just watch someone go through the experience, do the ice bath, come out, and all of a sudden they're glowing. They're talking to everyone. They're so happy. They've met all these new friends. It was just It's so special to watch every time. And I know, yeah, our team feels the same. It's such a wonderful place to experience that firsthand. It feels really, really good.

26:04 And so, yeah, you just you feel you really do feel like you're you're helping people in this modern age to feel better quickly. And so, that's such a nice thing. It doesn't require a lot of effort, a lot of time. You can just go drop in, enjoy a nice sauna, the ice bath. I mean, yeah, there's not too many people that love the feeling in there. And so don't worry if you're like, >> you know, sometimes I don't look forward to it, but then I know you start to like associate the after feeling instead of the during feeling. So you know >> how amazing you're going to feel after.

26:40 >> Yeah, that's so that's so true because it's the experience, it's the sauna, it's the meditation, it's the the feeling after when you leave, you get addicted to it. Sitting in the in the in the ice cold water for two minutes wasn't fun, right? But the benefits that you reap from it are so incredible. So it's all worth it and there's so many different choices for journeys that you can go on. It's like it's so fun to experience them and you leave feeling a bit better.

27:07 >> Yeah. It's so nice. I think just leaving feeling better than you came. I mean yeah that's the goal. >> So we're coming to the end of this podcast. Like is there anything that you feel that you would like to say? You >> can do it. Like you really can. You can do it. You can do it. A I love you. Thank you for doing this and your purpose shines through in everything that you do. And you almost stopped. I mean, the pandemic came and you pushed through and you just you did it. And and we're so grateful to have something like othership out there to to help transform us and heal us. My podcast is all about transformation and helping our listeners find ways to heal. So, thank you. Thank you. Well, thank you so much for having me and I would love to offer, you know, at least three months pre of the breath work app in the show notes.

27:57 So, I would love to offer that for your >> Okay, sure. That's amazing. Listeners, did you just hear that? Okay. You're awesome, Emily. Okay. So, we'll definitely link that in the show notes. All right. Until next time. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed our interview today, please share and like it. And if you have a unique story of how you are creatively engaging with our world, I can help you share it in a multitude of different ways.

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