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Listen "Ryan Duey’s Motorcycle Crash in Thailand Jumpstarted His Entrepreneurial Journey!"
Episode Synopsis
Ryan Duey calls a head on motorcycle accident in Thailand his “greatest gift”.
This near death experience catapulted Ryan into a journey of self inquiry, leading him to the jungles of the Amazon, the inside of a float tank, and a commitment to entrepreneurship in the Health and Wellness industry.
He is the owner of Capitol Floats and Co-founder of Plunge. He shares a common passion for cold plunging,
floating, and building win-win relationships with his business partner, Michael Garrett.
Their mission is to make cold plunging as common as coffee.
Brett Gilliland 0:52
Welcome to the Circuit of Success. I’m your host, Brett Gilliland, and today I’ve got Ryan Duey with me, Ryan, what’s up, man?
Ryan Duey 1:00
Just hanging out at HQ here in Sacramento, California and excited to dive in with you. I love it. Man. You are the co founder of cold plunge. and founder of capital floats, man, it’s it’s amazing. That cold plunge. I watched you guys on Instagram and social media and what you guys have done. We originally connected April 6 of 2021. And I think you said a lifetime has happened since then. Man, yeah. When you said that I was like April 2021. We were.
Man, I think we were doing some of our first like, quote unquote, celebrity drop offs.
You know, from, from a facility standpoint, we’ve moved into, like three different facilities since then, just like scaling up in size wise. So it’s like, I’m like, wow, we were in this, you know, little 3000 square foot facility back then.
Companies really
grown up a lot in a lot of different ways. We were still very young. But yeah, really, in that last year and a half. It’s been it’s been a wild ride. And we you know, went on Shark Tank since then. I mean, it’s been a lot.
Brett Gilliland 2:07
Yeah, that’s awesome, man. So how did that go? So talk to us about that. Before we go there. Let’s talk about plunge and what your company is and what you guys are about. I mean, I think you need to be under a rock right now, if people didn’t know at least what this cold plunge was or the ice bath or the Wim Hof Method, right. I mean, this stuff’s everywhere, but you guys, in my opinion, have taken it to a whole other level and what you guys have what your product is, it’s amazing. Tell us a little bit about that. And we’ll dive into all this other stuff.
Ryan Duey 2:36
Yeah, so us as a company, we launched September of 2020 out of my co founders garage.
You know, just start building a few emails some of our other customer base we started delivering those hand units in Northern California and then the company’s just kind of grown like I was talking about earlier. We we build assemble, manufacture cold plunges. We ship them all over the world, mostly servicing in the United States.
But yeah, man, Cold is having its moment. Like it’s, you know, Wim Hof definitely paved the way in making this a much more credible thing, not just some crazy person thing.
And what’s cool is like, this isn’t that radical of it’s like, people will get in cold water for millennia. You know, this is like a very, like, human, human thing. And now it’s just technologies met some kind of ancient, it’s like a new, you know, ancient ancient modality with a new technology. And that’s what we put together. And it’s so cold to have and it’s mobile, where people are people are using it, people are checking it out.
And I think what’s happening is, it’s hit a point where, yes, you have the Dr. Andrew Haberman, it’s the Rhonda Patrick’s that are doing, you know, have done and done some studies, some research is coming out obviously what Wims done, but now more people are doing it and the actual like, like benefits are coming out firsthand.
Like people aren’t seeing the documentary of some one person doing it, their neighbors done it and their neighbor saying dude, I’m doing this thing. And they’re sharing their benefits and that you know, it’s radical. The benefits that happen. I go through our reviews all the time. It’s like we get these reviews every day. And I’m like they blow my mind. They literally blow my mind into like, the impact that cold water is having on people’s lives of, you know, whether it’s disease or ailments they’re facing or just more of like a mental health like, making people be a better human like a more happier, vibrant human.
Brett Gilliland 4:31
And what why is that? Do you think so? I mean, if those that haven’t it, let me just kind of paint this picture. I’ve done this numerous times. I’m terrible at it. It absolutely is, horrific. It’s painful. Let me back up. It’s not painful. It’s uncomfortable. And, but man every time I’ve done it and I get out, it’s like this euphoric feeling right that you have.
us through I’m getting, I’m getting an A, in your example a tub a cold plunge waters can be anywhere from what 33-60 degrees, whatever it is people like and prefer, you’re gonna, I’d probably recommend starting a little warmer and back in your way and i’m assuming you agree with that.
So I would say so imagine yourself getting in his bathtub full of ice or just really, really cold water, and not being able to breathe for a while walk us through that, because I will tell you, not to name drop here, but this is a pretty well known name.
I was talking to Joe Buck. And he said of all the things that he has, getting into an ice bath like this, is the one thing he does that he actually feels different. When he gets out of it.
Right, which I think is that’s a pretty big testimonial is to say that I feel different.
Because you may not feel different after you work out you may not feel different if you take that vitamin or whatever it may be. But he said I feel different.
So what do you, what do you, what do you think about that?
Ryan Duey 5:57
I completely agree. I think it’s it’s one of the most unique modalities that you can get that
mood, energetic, hormonal, chemical change in two to three minutes. You know, it’s like, you could do deep breath work, you know, if you want to go in and do some heavy breath work, you could feel different after but you’re exerting a lot of energy.
That’s a totally, not everyone’s doing that, you know, workout. I feel better after a workout, if I go do a hard workout for 45 minutes to an hour.
But again, I’m 45 minutes to an hour, I’m actively moving my body, it’s like, uh, you know, there’s a lot of work that goes into it, a cold plunge is one of those I gotta do is get in it.
Like you said, it’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, and you have to be uncomfortable for the period of time that you’re doing it.
But you just got to get at it. You know, I’m not asking you to swing a kettlebell, I’m not asking you to go boxing, I’m not asking you to do the craziest breathwork you’ve ever done. It’s just you just got to get in there and find some level of, of comfort in the discomfort.
And I think that’s so I think, to your original question. I think it’s such a quick shift, you go from one state to the other. You’re getting this massive dump of adrenaline into the body. But you’re learning to kind of control it, you’re getting like, you’re it’s, you know, when adrenaline fires up, your body fires up, you you all your circuits turn on like you, you were in a fight you would turn on. And that’s how it is.
But this is like in a very controlled environment. So you get this complete light up of the whole circuitry in your body. And your dopamine is just rushing in, and you go in and then but you just lay there and you get it and then you come out and every single time you get this, you are on a euphoric mountain like that’s, that doesn’t stop I’ve been doing I’ve been cold plunging every day for two years.
Brett Gilliland 7:48
Does it get easier?
Ryan Duey 7:50
No, it like..
Brett Gilliland 7:52
He’s like, No!
Ryan Duey 7:53
It does. It does in the sense that, you know, just like any habit that starts to get formed, you just build better consistency with it.
My, my excuses. I still make excuses every day. And they are just a little less strong. You know, I can see the I can see through them a little bit more. So
you know, in the temp, I still adjust the temp here and there like I was down to 43 and I actually just updated about a week ago to 45 and I’m kind of, I play with my temps a little and kind of where I’m at, I feel a little, a lot on the plate right now, a little stressed out.
And so I’m like, kind of play with my stress levels because it is a stressor. It is something you want to be mindful of what’s your, but it’s one of those healthy stressors again, you know, like Huberman talks about and some of these,
it’s like adrenaline’s actually, like if we can control our adrenaline that’s actually like really, the major input for a high immune system. But it’s like, you know, you get a lot of people that are running on high red all the time, and then they go on to vacation and they get sick, it’s like well, they don’t have really have a balance of the parasympathetic and the sympathetic, it’s ultimately a nervous system that their body is in one or the other, but you kind of need a dance between the two and cold plunging is that activation that allows you to get a really intense get in that sympathetic state.
But it will teach you to breathe and calm your breath down lower your heart rate in a very intense environment. And you do that enough the body starts to adapt to stressful situations.
Brett Gilliland 9:23
So talk to us about the science benefit behind it obviously you’re I don’t think you are I’m not a doctor, you’re not a doctor but there’s plenty of science around it. You know, I wear a whoop every day. The whoops, you got ice bath is one of the exercises, if you will, that you can add and so you can see what your heart rates doing, what it’s doing for your stressors your body but, but for our listeners, what’s the science behind this that, even if they don’t, say I’m not gonna go out and buy a cold plunge like the actual tub thing, but I’ve got a bathtub at home.
This near death experience catapulted Ryan into a journey of self inquiry, leading him to the jungles of the Amazon, the inside of a float tank, and a commitment to entrepreneurship in the Health and Wellness industry.
He is the owner of Capitol Floats and Co-founder of Plunge. He shares a common passion for cold plunging,
floating, and building win-win relationships with his business partner, Michael Garrett.
Their mission is to make cold plunging as common as coffee.
Brett Gilliland 0:52
Welcome to the Circuit of Success. I’m your host, Brett Gilliland, and today I’ve got Ryan Duey with me, Ryan, what’s up, man?
Ryan Duey 1:00
Just hanging out at HQ here in Sacramento, California and excited to dive in with you. I love it. Man. You are the co founder of cold plunge. and founder of capital floats, man, it’s it’s amazing. That cold plunge. I watched you guys on Instagram and social media and what you guys have done. We originally connected April 6 of 2021. And I think you said a lifetime has happened since then. Man, yeah. When you said that I was like April 2021. We were.
Man, I think we were doing some of our first like, quote unquote, celebrity drop offs.
You know, from, from a facility standpoint, we’ve moved into, like three different facilities since then, just like scaling up in size wise. So it’s like, I’m like, wow, we were in this, you know, little 3000 square foot facility back then.
Companies really
grown up a lot in a lot of different ways. We were still very young. But yeah, really, in that last year and a half. It’s been it’s been a wild ride. And we you know, went on Shark Tank since then. I mean, it’s been a lot.
Brett Gilliland 2:07
Yeah, that’s awesome, man. So how did that go? So talk to us about that. Before we go there. Let’s talk about plunge and what your company is and what you guys are about. I mean, I think you need to be under a rock right now, if people didn’t know at least what this cold plunge was or the ice bath or the Wim Hof Method, right. I mean, this stuff’s everywhere, but you guys, in my opinion, have taken it to a whole other level and what you guys have what your product is, it’s amazing. Tell us a little bit about that. And we’ll dive into all this other stuff.
Ryan Duey 2:36
Yeah, so us as a company, we launched September of 2020 out of my co founders garage.
You know, just start building a few emails some of our other customer base we started delivering those hand units in Northern California and then the company’s just kind of grown like I was talking about earlier. We we build assemble, manufacture cold plunges. We ship them all over the world, mostly servicing in the United States.
But yeah, man, Cold is having its moment. Like it’s, you know, Wim Hof definitely paved the way in making this a much more credible thing, not just some crazy person thing.
And what’s cool is like, this isn’t that radical of it’s like, people will get in cold water for millennia. You know, this is like a very, like, human, human thing. And now it’s just technologies met some kind of ancient, it’s like a new, you know, ancient ancient modality with a new technology. And that’s what we put together. And it’s so cold to have and it’s mobile, where people are people are using it, people are checking it out.
And I think what’s happening is, it’s hit a point where, yes, you have the Dr. Andrew Haberman, it’s the Rhonda Patrick’s that are doing, you know, have done and done some studies, some research is coming out obviously what Wims done, but now more people are doing it and the actual like, like benefits are coming out firsthand.
Like people aren’t seeing the documentary of some one person doing it, their neighbors done it and their neighbor saying dude, I’m doing this thing. And they’re sharing their benefits and that you know, it’s radical. The benefits that happen. I go through our reviews all the time. It’s like we get these reviews every day. And I’m like they blow my mind. They literally blow my mind into like, the impact that cold water is having on people’s lives of, you know, whether it’s disease or ailments they’re facing or just more of like a mental health like, making people be a better human like a more happier, vibrant human.
Brett Gilliland 4:31
And what why is that? Do you think so? I mean, if those that haven’t it, let me just kind of paint this picture. I’ve done this numerous times. I’m terrible at it. It absolutely is, horrific. It’s painful. Let me back up. It’s not painful. It’s uncomfortable. And, but man every time I’ve done it and I get out, it’s like this euphoric feeling right that you have.
us through I’m getting, I’m getting an A, in your example a tub a cold plunge waters can be anywhere from what 33-60 degrees, whatever it is people like and prefer, you’re gonna, I’d probably recommend starting a little warmer and back in your way and i’m assuming you agree with that.
So I would say so imagine yourself getting in his bathtub full of ice or just really, really cold water, and not being able to breathe for a while walk us through that, because I will tell you, not to name drop here, but this is a pretty well known name.
I was talking to Joe Buck. And he said of all the things that he has, getting into an ice bath like this, is the one thing he does that he actually feels different. When he gets out of it.
Right, which I think is that’s a pretty big testimonial is to say that I feel different.
Because you may not feel different after you work out you may not feel different if you take that vitamin or whatever it may be. But he said I feel different.
So what do you, what do you, what do you think about that?
Ryan Duey 5:57
I completely agree. I think it’s it’s one of the most unique modalities that you can get that
mood, energetic, hormonal, chemical change in two to three minutes. You know, it’s like, you could do deep breath work, you know, if you want to go in and do some heavy breath work, you could feel different after but you’re exerting a lot of energy.
That’s a totally, not everyone’s doing that, you know, workout. I feel better after a workout, if I go do a hard workout for 45 minutes to an hour.
But again, I’m 45 minutes to an hour, I’m actively moving my body, it’s like, uh, you know, there’s a lot of work that goes into it, a cold plunge is one of those I gotta do is get in it.
Like you said, it’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, and you have to be uncomfortable for the period of time that you’re doing it.
But you just got to get at it. You know, I’m not asking you to swing a kettlebell, I’m not asking you to go boxing, I’m not asking you to do the craziest breathwork you’ve ever done. It’s just you just got to get in there and find some level of, of comfort in the discomfort.
And I think that’s so I think, to your original question. I think it’s such a quick shift, you go from one state to the other. You’re getting this massive dump of adrenaline into the body. But you’re learning to kind of control it, you’re getting like, you’re it’s, you know, when adrenaline fires up, your body fires up, you you all your circuits turn on like you, you were in a fight you would turn on. And that’s how it is.
But this is like in a very controlled environment. So you get this complete light up of the whole circuitry in your body. And your dopamine is just rushing in, and you go in and then but you just lay there and you get it and then you come out and every single time you get this, you are on a euphoric mountain like that’s, that doesn’t stop I’ve been doing I’ve been cold plunging every day for two years.
Brett Gilliland 7:48
Does it get easier?
Ryan Duey 7:50
No, it like..
Brett Gilliland 7:52
He’s like, No!
Ryan Duey 7:53
It does. It does in the sense that, you know, just like any habit that starts to get formed, you just build better consistency with it.
My, my excuses. I still make excuses every day. And they are just a little less strong. You know, I can see the I can see through them a little bit more. So
you know, in the temp, I still adjust the temp here and there like I was down to 43 and I actually just updated about a week ago to 45 and I’m kind of, I play with my temps a little and kind of where I’m at, I feel a little, a lot on the plate right now, a little stressed out.
And so I’m like, kind of play with my stress levels because it is a stressor. It is something you want to be mindful of what’s your, but it’s one of those healthy stressors again, you know, like Huberman talks about and some of these,
it’s like adrenaline’s actually, like if we can control our adrenaline that’s actually like really, the major input for a high immune system. But it’s like, you know, you get a lot of people that are running on high red all the time, and then they go on to vacation and they get sick, it’s like well, they don’t have really have a balance of the parasympathetic and the sympathetic, it’s ultimately a nervous system that their body is in one or the other, but you kind of need a dance between the two and cold plunging is that activation that allows you to get a really intense get in that sympathetic state.
But it will teach you to breathe and calm your breath down lower your heart rate in a very intense environment. And you do that enough the body starts to adapt to stressful situations.
Brett Gilliland 9:23
So talk to us about the science benefit behind it obviously you’re I don’t think you are I’m not a doctor, you’re not a doctor but there’s plenty of science around it. You know, I wear a whoop every day. The whoops, you got ice bath is one of the exercises, if you will, that you can add and so you can see what your heart rates doing, what it’s doing for your stressors your body but, but for our listeners, what’s the science behind this that, even if they don’t, say I’m not gonna go out and buy a cold plunge like the actual tub thing, but I’ve got a bathtub at home.
In God we trust