We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michael Thomas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
To me, success is all about resilience, purpose, and connection—both to others and to yourself. It’s not just about achieving goals or ticking off boxes, but about creating something meaningful and staying committed through the ups and downs.
I’ve learned this firsthand through my journey with Plunsana. When I first started this venture, it wasn’t just about opening a wellness space; it was about creating a place where people could come to heal, grow, and transform their lives in a holistic way. There were countless challenges along the way—navigating finances, building a team, and even moments of self-doubt—but the vision always stayed clear. Every time I hit an obstacle, I reminded myself why I started: to help people tap into their potential, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
One experience that shaped my view on success was when we hosted one of our first cold plunge and breathwork workshops. It was a small group, and I remember thinking, “Will this even work? Will people connect with the space the way I hope they will?” But by the end of the session, I saw something incredible. People weren’t just walking out; they were leaving lighter, more grounded, and genuinely transformed. That was the moment I knew—success isn’t about how many people walk through the door, but about the impact you create. Seeing even one person walk away changed is success.
That moment reinforced that persistence and staying true to your vision is key. You might not always know the outcome, but if you’re driven by a deeper purpose, you’ll keep moving forward, no matter what. Success, to me, is about showing up every day, with intention and heart, and trusting that the impact will follow.
Michael, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Michael Thomas (McAleenan), the founder of Plunsana, a wellness space built around the power of holistic health practices like cold exposure, saunas, breathwork, and community healing. My journey into this world of wellness wasn’t a straight line. Like many people, I started on a very different path but found myself drawn to exploring deeper ways to heal and strengthen both the body and the mind.
I first discovered the transformative effects of cold exposure and breathwork during a tough time in my own life. I was dealing with stress, anxiety, and burnout, and while traditional approaches helped to an extent, they didn’t give me the relief or clarity I was looking for. One day, I tried cold exposure paired with deep breathwork—and everything changed. That moment sparked something in me. It wasn’t just about physical recovery; it felt like a total reset, mentally and spiritually. I became fascinated with these methods and dove deeper into learning the science and benefits behind them. I realized that these techniques, when used consistently, can have profound effects not just on an individual’s health but on their mindset and way of living.
Plunsana was born out of that realization. At our core, we offer a range of services, including guided breathwork sessions, cold plunges, saunas, and red light therapy, all designed to help people reconnect with themselves, reset their nervous systems, and push through both mental and physical boundaries. But more than that, we’re creating a space where people can find community and support—a safe haven where they can come as they are and leave transformed.
What sets us apart is the intentional blend of ancient techniques with modern science. Everything we offer is backed by research on how these modalities improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and boost mental clarity and resilience. For instance, cold exposure can help strengthen the immune system and increase your body’s capacity to handle stress, while breathwork can lower cortisol levels and create a sense of deep calm. We also focus on education, helping our members understand why these techniques work so they can integrate them into their daily lives. It’s not just about coming in for a session; it’s about helping people build practices that stick.
One of the things I’m most proud of is the community we’ve created. At Plunsana, we’re not just about quick fixes or temporary relief. We’re about building long-lasting health and mental resilience. I’ve seen people come in at their lowest points—whether dealing with chronic pain, mental health struggles, or just feeling stuck—and leave transformed. That’s the real power of what we do. We’re helping people unlock their potential and tap into a new way of living, one that’s grounded in mindfulness, resilience, and strength.
To anyone interested in Plunsana, what I want them to know is that this isn’t just a wellness trend. We are building something sustainable, rooted in real science and authentic care. Whether you’re looking for a physical reset, a mental breakthrough, or just a space to breathe and reconnect, Plunsana offers that and more. We’re here to help you not only heal but thrive. And every single person who walks through our doors is welcomed with the same warmth and care that I received when I first found these healing practices for myself.
Have you ever had to pivot?
There was a pivotal moment in my life that came after my divorce. It wasn’t just the end of a marriage; it triggered something deep within me—a core wound I had carried for years, the belief that I wasn’t good enough. Divorce has a way of amplifying all those insecurities you keep buried, and for me, it brought this feeling right to the surface.
I had always been someone who put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed, to live up to certain expectations—whether in business, relationships, or just life in general. But when my marriage fell apart, it felt like confirmation of my worst fear: that I wasn’t enough. It was a deeply painful time, and I remember feeling completely lost, questioning my worth and doubting everything about myself. In that space, it was easy to spiral into a mindset where you feel like nothing you do will ever be good enough.
But as painful as that experience was, it also became the catalyst for one of the most important pivots in my life. Instead of running from that feeling of inadequacy or trying to numb it, I decided to face it head-on. That’s when I began to immerse myself in breathwork, cold exposure, and mindfulness practices—not just as a way to heal physically, but emotionally and mentally. These practices became my way to rebuild myself from the inside out, layer by layer.
Through breathwork, I learned how to sit with those feelings of not being enough, to breathe through the pain, and to release the tension that I had been holding onto for so long. Cold exposure, with its intense discomfort, became a way to train my mind to face difficult emotions without running from them. The process of stepping into the cold, when every fiber of your being is telling you to pull away, mirrored the emotional work I was doing—learning to embrace discomfort rather than avoid it.
This pivot wasn’t just personal—it changed the entire course of my career. I realized that if these practices could help me heal on such a deep level, they could do the same for others. That’s when I really leaned into the idea of Plunsana. I wanted to create a space where people could come to heal not just their bodies, but their minds and spirits, too. A place where they could work through their own feelings of not being enough, of struggling with their identity or purpose, and find a path to healing, just as I had.
What I learned through that experience is that we often think we need to be “fixed” when we feel broken. But sometimes, those cracks are where the real growth happens. It’s through facing those dark parts of ourselves, the wounds we carry, that we find strength we didn’t know we had. And that’s the heart of what Plunsana is about—helping people tap into their resilience, face their fears, and come out stronger on the other side.
That pivot—from feeling like I wasn’t good enough to realizing I had the power to heal myself—changed everything for me. It transformed how I show up in the world and what I want to offer through Plunsana. Because if I could find peace and strength through these practices, I knew others could too. And that’s been my driving force ever since.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
Plunsana actually started as a bit of a “selfish” side hustle that ended up transforming into something much bigger than I ever imagined. It all began in my backyard, offering breathwork and ice baths to a small group of people. At first, it was just a way for me to stay accountable and consistent with my own wellness routine. I was spending a ridiculous amount of money on ice every week, and it wasn’t the most sustainable thing to keep filling and draining these big tubs of water. So, I thought, “Why not invite some friends over, make it a regular thing, and share the costs?”
On Monday and Friday mornings, I’d host these breathwork and cold exposure sessions. At first, it was more about me. I knew how much these practices were helping me—mentally, emotionally, and physically—and I needed the consistency. But as these weekly workshops grew, something incredible started happening. It wasn’t just me feeling the benefits anymore. I began to see the shifts in the people who were coming regularly. They were becoming more resilient, more grounded, and their personal transformations were undeniable.
It wasn’t long before word started spreading beyond just my friends. People were telling their friends, and soon I had strangers reaching out, asking to join. What had started as a way to keep myself on track quickly turned into a growing community. It became clear that this was bigger than just a side hustle to keep myself accountable—it was a powerful tool for helping others tap into their potential, manage stress, and overcome challenges.
The backyard sessions continued to grow, and that’s when I realized this could be something more. People needed a dedicated space for this kind of healing. They were showing up not just for the ice baths and breathwork, but for the sense of community, for the deep inner work, and the personal growth they were experiencing. I knew I needed to scale this up, but in a way that would keep the authenticity and integrity of those early sessions intact.
Key milestones? Well, the first was realizing that what I was offering was changing lives, not just mine, but the people around me. The second was finding a way to move beyond my backyard and create a permanent space where people could come to heal, grow, and experience these modalities. That’s when Plunsana was born—a space where people could experience the same benefits I had found in my own journey.
Looking back, it’s kind of funny how something that started out of a desire to save money on ice and water has evolved into a full-time business, helping people find strength, resilience, and peace. What started as a side hustle truly turned into a mission. I saw how much these practices helped me, and now I get to watch them help others, day in and day out. That’s the beauty of how it all unfolded, naturally and almost unintentionally at first, but with so much purpose behind it now.
