Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maria Tkacz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Maria, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Harbor Thermaculture was created through my own healing journey. I grew up in a world that often looks for quick fixes instead of asking what’s really going on underneath. As a first-generation Polish-American with close to no family in the states, I spent every summer in Poland as a kid. I saw how differently people live there—more connected to the land, ancestors’ traditions, natural remedies, and always talking about their physical health with one another. The feeling of being between two worlds stuck with me even when back in Chicago.

During undergrad I studied biological anthropology and psychology alongside pre-med because I wanted to understand why physical and mental health and illness show up so differently depending on where and how we live, and explore how evolution and culture play a part. Even though I had so much privilege with my college experience, I felt a deep ache in myself and in others around me. But I couldn’t shake the question: why does the system work this way when so many people—myself included—are physically, mentally, emotionally struggling?

I grew up thinking working hard and making my family proud would lead to happiness, and linked productivity with self-worth along the way. But chasing a dream that was not mine and getting caught up in hustle culture led me to burnout, chronic stress, and a mood disorder diagnosis I was told would be lifelong. The irony was that it all happened right as I was graduating from college and starting my career in healthcare administration, seeing doctors as a patient in both the U.S. and Poland, and feeling unseen in both places.

A big turning point came two years ago when I hurt my knee and could barely move. I was forced to slow down, and the only thing that helped me feel better was using the sauna and taking cold showers at my gym basically every day for three months. It showed me so much possibility because of how grounded it made me feel during an intensely tough time. The daily hot and cold contrast therapy gave me a new way to process physical and emotional pain, to get in touch with my breath, examine my emotions, and ultimately the clarity and courage to design my life fully in alignment with who I am.

I became fiercely committed to prioritizing the things that make me feel alive: joyful hobbies, exciting experiences, building strength, exercising creativity, and attending community wellness gatherings. Soon after that, I left my corporate career behind and began intentionally designing my life around my values. Now I guide guests through my sauna and cold plunge experiences with the intention of helping them feel more alive by exploring the edges of their comfort zone, which is where our potential for growth lies. I want to shift how we see emotional and physical pain, not as something to avoid, but as a guide. Pain points us to our purpose, and is a portal through which we can step into our sovereignty and power.

Maria, 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?

My name is Maria Tkacz—my last name means “*weaver”* in Polish, which I feel like I’m growing into these days. I grew up on the southwest side of Chicago to Polish immigrant parents, performed with a folk dancing group, and spent most summers road tripping through the U.S. with my parents and in Poland with my large extended family. I founded Polish Club in my school and was also deeply curious about other cultures—what makes us different, and what connects us. I was an ambitious student and competitive swimmer, but I came alive in the summertime, and felt most like myself while traveling, reading books, singing, and being in nature.

I left my corporate career behind after working in healthcare administration for nine years, knowing I needed to focus on my own health and impact community health in my own way. I became obsessed with sauna and cold showers through my knee injury, dove into holotropic breathwork, and devoured books on wellness and self-healing. Travel kept me inspired, too—especially the hammams in Turkey (my husband’s homeland), the purification rituals I experienced in Bali, the various sauna experiences in Finland, and revisiting the vibrant sauna scene in Minneapolis. I knew I wanted to create a version of an accessible thermal community gathering space in Chicago. I wanted Harbor Thermaculture to be mobile, with the dream of anchoring it in unique places closer to nature, like at the lake or river, to offer a real break from city life.

In December 2024, my husband and I picked up our 16-foot barrel sauna from Nomad Sauna in Minneapolis. The large window and wood-fired stove invite guests to connect with the elements, and the two long benches facing one another seat 16 people and encourage group conversation. We began hosting weekly pop-ups along Lake Michigan through the winter that attracted many beginner cold plungers. We also rented the sauna for birthdays and private gatherings almost every weekend, and realized one thing that sets us apart is offering a meaningful alternative to traditional nightlife in the growing sober-curious movement. Being mobile has enabled us to partner with fitness and dance studios, wellness centers, event venues, farmer’s markets, and artists to experiment with different types of group experiences.

I keep nurturing this project by trying new things that bring me joy and grounding, and then find ways to share what resonates during the longer group events. Lately that looks like weaving in art therapy, music, dance, aromatherapy, themes from women’s circles, and my yoga teacher training. Harbor Thermaculture is rooted in sauna and cold plunge, but we also incorporate breathwork, gentle movement, and other practices that promote nervous system health and slower living. My approach blends science, tradition, and creativity to help people get curious about their inner world, play with different approaches to reduce chronic stress and feel more at home in their body.

What I’m most proud of is building something that feels completely aligned with who I am—with the flexibility to evolve as I do—and promote wellness based on my lived experience, by going back to nature and to the basics. I’ve found my voice through building my mobile sauna business to share my wellness journey and address the growing mental health epidemic in my own way. I’ve been leveraging my community events as a vehicle for mental health advocacy by sharing the story behind the business, the mental and emotional benefits of contrast therapy along with the physical, and other basic self-care tips to help guests build more consistency around their wellness. This work is about empowering folks to trust themselves as their own best healer, and having joyful, supportive experiences along the way.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

“We are kept from our goal, not by a set of obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” – Robert Brault

A major lesson I had to unlearn is the belief that if I just push hard enough, I can make anything work. Growing up, I was expected to become a doctor. That clear path signaled security to my family, who grew up in a state of scarcity. Any failure was seen as bad, too risky. It was that cultural lifelong conditioning that put the blinders on me in school, and hindered me from exploring the world of possibilities that were available. I would get big glimmers of that when I explored different ways of living, especially while traveling, so deep down I knew a more aligned path was out there for me.

I worked hard to cultivate a more growth-oriented mindset and tune inward to figure out what’s mine, what’s my family’s, what’s culture’s, and begin to let go of what’s not mine to start intentionally choosing my path forward after largely going with the flow through grad school and my first job. I had reached my mid-twenties, and going with the flow didn’t feel good at all anymore. My mental health symptoms were the most severe at that time, and they were my body’s way of communicating that I was done with people-pleasing and repressing my intuition. Seven years just passed that wake-up call and I have learned so much since then about how to live in alignment, and my mental health kept improving with it.

I know now that there are infinite ways to live a meaningful life, and that you can prioritize your health and still play the long game. I keep learning that when working towards your goals, softening is the way rather than adding more pressure. Yoga, meditation, playing music, making art, breaks from corporate, breaks from tech, and slower living are paradoxically what moved me so much closer to my goals when I was feeling the most lost. I realized the immense value in slowing down to go farther, in order to tune into your quiet inner voice that knows how to steer you and is always there to help with the wayfinding.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The Way of Integrity, Beyond Anxiety – Martha Beck

Daring Greatly, The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown

Art as Therapy – Alain de Botton and John Armstrong

The Tim Ferriss Show – Tim Ferriss

Big Magic – Elizabeth Gilbert

The One Thing – Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

Women Who Run With the Wolves – Clarisa Pinkola Estes

The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

The Rich Roll Podcast – Rich Roll

The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.harborthermaculture.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harborthermaculture
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariatkacz/