We recently connected with Christiaan McPherson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Christiaan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I moved to NYC when I was 17 with about $1200 in my pocket, a job at a bookstore and only a place to stay for week. I did not know anyone; I just knew it was the place I wanted to be. I took a leap of faith and was filled with naive optimism. I struggled the first year, couch surfing, trying to make enough money to survive. I never knew where I was going to live from day to day or if I was going to eat, but I knew I didn’t want to be anywhere else, and failure was not an option. I soon gained ground and called it home for 28 years. I have taken many leaps of faith since that time and every time I’m afraid to move forward I remember, if I can do that at 17, this is easy.
Christiaan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always been a spiritually oriented person abd wanted to help people and provide service in some way or another. I worked in PR & Marketing, Entertainment and Fashion and as much as I enjoyed these field, I felt it was a little superficial and I wanted to do more. I started delving deeper into different spiritual practices and modalities becoming a reiki master in the Usui tradition, learning about smart drugs and supplements, and playing with different biohacking techniques. I started floating to manage a lot of joint pain and anxiety I didn’t realize at the time I was struggling with. I just knew my body hurt and I was not very happy. Through Floating, NLP, Ice baths, nutrition, exercise, and sound light therapy I started to feel some relief. I learned how to turn the clock back and get younger looking and feeling instead of older. I found things that were working, and I wanted to share them. I also started learning about the very complex and beautiful art of tea. Going to Tea conferences and talking to tea growers and industry professional around the globe, I dipped my toe into the huge wonderful rich world of tea and I will be a lifetime student.
I am proud to pour my experince and passion into H2Oasis and work hard to bring in new and exciting experinces for our comunity.
H2Oasis is a Float Center & Tea House in Northeastern Oklahoma’s, that is the largest float center in the state. We offer a variety of services within our center: tea house and oxygen bars, floatation therapy sessions, massage services, light sound therapy and more.
We designed our float rooms to maximize customers comfort and provide an unforgettable experience. Every room is sound and light-proofed to create the perfect relaxation environment. We offer beautiful round float pools/tanks that can be used for singles or couple floating. We are proud to be a Floataway Center of Excellence, having the same float tanks as Laureate Institute for Brain Research. We have four float rooms: 1) our Tranquility Pod, a cozy egg-shaped pod with electronic door, 2) & 3) our 8-foot round Floatarounds (beautiful, round pools with 8-foot ceilings) and 4) our 8-foot round open, round pool (great for those with mobility issues or anxiety/claustrophobia).
What really sets us apart, is the quality of our float pools/tanks. Our premium float tanks operate with ultra clean water quality using UV and Peroxide disinfection/sanitization. Our round float pools each contain 1,323 pounds of Epsom salt dissolved in 317 gallons of water, eleven inches deep, and heated to 93.5 degrees. We also provide a relaxation room that can be utilized after your float experience to prolong the post-floating glow. Order a pot of tea before your float and it will be waiting for you in the Relaxation Room after your float where you can keep your post-float glow going.
The Tea house has more than 65 premium teas, traditional treats and snacks with a large range of Vegan and Gluten free options. We have one of the few providers of Kava in the state as well as Hop Water and beautifully crafted Chocolate elixirs from Kakawa out of New Mexico. Our house specialty drinks are packed with antioxidants and nutrients that will give you a boost throughout the day. Our tea house is designed to come in and relax and unwind and guests are welcome to come in anytime weather they are here for a service or just a beverage and some quiet.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries was incredibly inspirational to me. His ideas riley on “validated learning,” rapid scientific experimentation, as well as several counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want.
I have skimmed though about 20 business and start up book this year but this one stuck out and I have read it several times.
My other favorite book of the year is The World Tea Encyclopedia: Second Edition Hardcover –
by Will Battle.
This book is exceptionally thought out, beautiful and informative. It simplifies the navigation of tea taste characteristics and drinking rituals. This is a must have for anyone interested in or going into the business of tea.
Last but no least
Lifespan
Why We Age―and Why We Don’t Have To
By David A. Sinclair PhD, Matthew D. LaPlante
It explores emerging technologies and simple lifestyle changes—such as intermittent fasting, cold exposure, exercising with the right intensity, and eating less meat—that have been shown to help us live younger and healthier for longer.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I came from a very toxic work background where people would humiliate each other, step on one another to succeed and just use fear and cruelty as a weapon to keep ahead. You had to be aggressive and form firm boundaries to succeed. It was difficult for me to unlearn the behavior that kept me alive for years. The world is a very different place today and looking back my bosses were extremely abusive, but it was so normal nobody questioned it. I have really had to learn to soften my tone and be conscious about how my energy affect those around me even if it is with just a look. I run a center for healing but I’m also a human being and I get frustrated. Negativity is not a luxury that I can indulge in, as it affects the space and the moral of everyone within it. Teaching myself t be calm in stressful situations has been an amazing and difficult journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://h2oasisfloatcenter.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/h2oasistulsa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/h2oasisfloatcenter/
- Twitter: discontinued
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4X3o2IsJwh8zE0J3zJDYcw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/h2oasis-float-center-and-tea-house-tulsa
Image Credits
Phots by Josh New, Jason Wallace