Art of the Float
363 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 14 ratingsArt of the Float is a podcast about float tanks and float centers. It's hosted by three float center owners who discuss their experiences and knowledge to help others looking to start their own business.
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Episodes
170: Is That Stealing?
December 13, 2019 07:45 - 36 minutes - 44.8 MBIf it’s on the internet, it must be yours for the taking, right? And since we’re one big, happy loving float family, we always share and play nice, yes? Well, maybe not. After a discussion was posted in the Float Collective about the sharing/borrowing/stealing of content, the Art of the Float crew is diving into the great debate to share their ideas about what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s a little right, but maybe not, and what’s probably always cool. Since Dylan and Kim have unique perspec...
169: Holiday Promotions
December 05, 2019 17:00 - 39 minutes - 49 MBHap-, Hap-, Hap-, Happy Holidays, to you! The crew is back to dish about how the holiday season is kicking off. With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday/Sunday (is that really a thing, Gloria?!), and Cyber Monday in the rearview mirror, Dylan, Drew, Gloria, and Kim talk about the sales they’re doing… or not doing and why. Is it better to create FOMO (fear of missing out) with shorter timeframes to capture deals? Or continue that chill, floaty vibe with a longer sale that doesn’t rush anyone...
168: State of the Industry Report with Juliet Mylan
October 16, 2019 11:00 - 44 minutes - 46.8 MBIn this episode, Juliet Mylan, Supreme Float Historian from Float Tank Solutions, joins the crew to hash out the nitty gritty details about the 2019 State of the Float Industry Report that was just released. Juliet dishes out some humility and some words of wisdom about taking the survey data with a 50-pound bag of Epsom salt. You’ll hear a little behind the scenes info about what didn’t make the report and why, as well as some hopes and dreams for the future industry reports. Sponsors Float ...
167: Post-Float Conference Discussion 2019
October 10, 2019 18:00 - 48 minutes - 57 MBThe hype is real… and long lasting. The crew is still buzzing from all things FloatCon2019. You’ll hear their takes on the venue, format, and favorite speakers, as well as the most important part of the Float Con experience. Woven throughout are stories of burnout, leaning on each other, finding inspiration, sharing struggles, learning, and operating on minimal sleep… all while soaking in the latest floaty research. Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Floataway (https://floataway.com)
166: Float Conference 2019 Hype!
September 25, 2019 17:00 - 37 minutes - 41.7 MBThe gang talk with Graham Talley (Float Tank Solutions, Float On) about the Float Conference this weekend! It's a fun loose episode that captures the excitment and love for the float conference. Join us in the fun! Please take the time to fill out our Float Tank Review Survey! It takes 4-5 minutes to fill out, you'll recieve 11 float photos as thanks, and you can find it right here (https://forms.gle/KN44RQgN9MVbKpcz8)! Sponsors Float Helm (https://floathelm.com) Floataway (https://floataway....
165: To Membership or Not to Membership
September 19, 2019 21:00 - 50 minutes - 59.7 MBShould you have a membership? Just one option? An annual option? None at all? Secret memberships? Shareable or not? There are more membership options than granules of salt in a float tank, so we’re here to help you sift through them all. Keep your notebook handy because this episode is loaded with ideas. Since The Float Shoppe has been open for 8 years, Dylan has some strong feelings about why membership is a must-have for his business, but Drew is contemplating ditching the membership model ...
164: Employee Scheduling
September 12, 2019 20:00 - 46 minutes - 53.7 MBBecause the world of managing employees is so complex, we’re taking an episode to dive into employee scheduling. If you’ve ever wondered about the best ways to schedule your team, you’ll want to tune in. We dive into the need to recognize when employees will perform at their best, the need for anchors and consistency in processes, how to pinpoint when a mid-shifter should come in and leave, and different strategies for who does what when the tanks are full. While scheduling sounds pretty stra...
163: Employee Training
September 04, 2019 18:15 - 52 minutes - 61.2 MBContinuing in our Employee series, this episode skims the surface of the glamourous world of employee training. The crew starts by dropping some stats on how many employees they’ve ever trained across their careers (spoiler: 5 to 10,000+), so you know they’ll have some varied view points and lots of tidbits to share. You’ll get to hear about timelines for each center owner’s training programs, how to start an employee on Day 1, different delivery methods for training, and when to “check yo’ p...
162: Employee Turnover
August 27, 2019 19:00 - 44 minutes - 53.3 MBIt’s inevitable that if you hire employees, at some point, someone will say goodbye - willingly or not. You can hire the right people, train and treat them well, but still have to end the working relationship. In this episode, the team talks about practical tips, like asking for a longer notice before an employee leaves, and inspirational concepts, like always appreciating the importance of each individual employee. We’ll leave you with tips for red flags, creating a paper trail, knowing “whe...
161: Employee Retention
August 15, 2019 18:00 - 43 minutes - 50.8 MBIn this episode, we continue diving into employee issues as the crew dishes on all things employee retention. You’ll hear stories about how one host thinks spending less time at his center led to an increase in employee turnover, while another hashes out the differences in turnover issues across multiple locations and between full-timers versus part-timers. We’ll dabble on employee benefits, and dive into why it’s important to engage, empower, and motivate your team members to be more than ju...
160: Hiring & Internships
August 08, 2019 12:00 - 47 minutes - 62.7 MBIt’s a bit of a catch 22…. You need help, but you’re too busy to find it and you’re not really sure exactly what to look for in the perfect float employee. Sound familiar? In this episode, you’ll hear four different perspectives as Dylan, Gloria, Drew, and Kim share their employee structure, including how they include interns. You’ll hear big differences in the way Kim and Gloria manage their internship programs, and a bit about how Dylan’s experience went in the past. The crew talks about d...
159: Float Conference Updates with Graham and Ashkahn
August 01, 2019 11:15 - 1 hour - 77.9 MBDylan steps into social media land to share his strategy for social media, specifically using Buffer to help his Instagram game. He shares how he’s creating a consistent brand on his account… and Gloria chimes in with how she breaks those very same rules, but she does create consistency in the types of posts she creates routinely. Grab your Vanilla Ice, baby! Grashkahn is back with a brand new edition… of the Float Con! Graham and Ashkahn of Float On and Float Tank Solutions join us to break ...
158: Groupon
July 27, 2019 12:00 - 57 minutes - 69.5 MBGrab your adult beverage of choice, put the kids to bed, meditate for a minute, and take a few deep breaths. In this episode, we’re talking about one of the most passionate topics in the float community… GROUPON. (Insert daunting theme music here…) Drew dug up a bit of research about the history of Groupon, and he sets the stage with a little foundational knowledge about how the company came to be what it is today. Gloria flips the coin to share her experiences of watching the company’s evolu...
157: We're Back Baby!
July 17, 2019 06:00 - 33 minutes - 54.2 MBVolume 2 is officially here! Volume 1 of Art of the Float ran for about three years, so we’re delighted to come back from a little break with a fresh take on the podcast. As we dive into this new year and a new take, we also have some new voices on the show! Drew Kane, owner of New Hampshire Float Therapy is a new host, who came into floating much the same way as Dylan. (Thanks, Joe Rogan!) Drew’s start comes full circle because he’s been a loyal listener of Art of the Float since his start, ...
156: Farewell 2018
December 13, 2018 05:00 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBWe take a moment to reflect on the past three years of the Art of the Float podcast, and say farewell to 2018. And we welcome the new for 2019: revisiting old topics to inject new knowledge, a new co-host, some tweaks to the format, and yes, a new theme song. Stay tuned for Season 2!
155: Float Marketplace - Unplugged Float Essentials
November 08, 2018 14:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBKevin Rose from Unplugged Float Essentials joins us to continue our Float Marketplace series this week. Kevin shares his story about how he got started in the float world, as a Joe Rogan fan, and how he’s hoping to own his own center soon. In the meantime, he has started developing an essential oil, epsom salt, water-soluble CBD bath soak to start building brand awareness in his area, and to serve other float centers looking for a complementary retail product. Unplugged blends include unscent...
154: Float Marketplace - Float Scents
November 01, 2018 10:00 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBTim Warshaw, owner of Float Scents, joins us this week to continue our “Float Marketplace” series. Tim has been managing a center for several years, during after an evening of floaty musings over beers with Stephen Johnson, Tim mentioned the idea of introducing aromatherapy into the float experience. After exploring several ideas, Tim eventually landed on the concept of a lip balm. He talks about the process he went through to research his idea and test a few concepts before deciding to make...
153: Float Marketplace - Mandala Float
October 27, 2018 20:00 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MBLuke Krueger, owner of Mandala Float Systems joined us this week to talk about his experiences in the industry. Luke started with a tank in his home before opening his own center (Deep, located in South Dakota), where he built his own tanks. He lives by the notion of “you either do it or you don’t”, so he went all in and started manufacturing open float tanks for others, as well as creating Ninja fans for tanks and cabins, and later Spout fans for pods - and these fans seem to have a cult fol...
152: Float Marketplace: RewardMore
October 18, 2018 19:00 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBThis week we kick off a new special on art of the float we're calling Float Marketplace. For the rest of the year we are going to feature float center owners who discovered a problem within the industry and created a solution with a new product for the float industry. This week we feature Kane Mantyla of RewardMore who's designed a holistic "membership" plan that is low risk for clients and high reward for both clients and float centers.
151: 2 Months Open! A Check-in W/Dana of Float North
October 04, 2018 20:00 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBThis week, Dylan visited Dana Highfill at her center that’s been open for two months. She talks about her experience over the first couple of months, including starting with employees, why’s running the shop solo now, and how she’s toed the line of burnout. She provides a great reality check about the daily nuances of running a center and all the little things that add up to take a lot of time, really pushing the need for time management skills. You’ll hear her perspective on transitioning fr...
150: Floating & inflammation with guest Flux
September 27, 2018 17:00 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBIf you missed the Float Conference this year, you missed a fascinating presentation by MC Flux, but fear not! He’s here with us to talk about his research at the Float Clinic and Research Center, where he has been working with Dr. Feinstein. His thesis work explores the intersection of basic molecular neuroscience and mental health treatment. This ever-creative individual even designed today's show cover image!
149: Does your Float Center Need a Dress Code?
September 20, 2018 18:00 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBCalling all fashion police! This week, Amy and Dylan are diving into the world of fashion, well, float fashion at least. Should employees wear a specific uniform? Show their personalities? Flash some logo wear? Amy talks about the intriguing reason why she keeps a pretty loose grasp on dress code at her centers, including one particular team member who loves to let his toes be center stage. Dylan obviously doesn’t live in the south, because he thinks those toes should always be covered. (And...
148: Float Center As An Event Space
September 13, 2018 17:00 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBKim Hannan recently posted a question in the Float Collective, asking others how they handle hosting events and workshops in their float centers, so we invited her to join the show to discuss the topic in person.
147: Justin Feinstein Introduces the Float Research Collective LIVE!
August 30, 2018 16:00 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBThe Float Conference offers a variety of free sessions on Friday before the big event. One of those such sessions was Justin Feinstein’s discussion about the Float Research Collective, a way for commercial float centers across the globe to get involved in formal studies relating to floatation therapy. This conversation started at the Rise Float Gathering in St. Louis in April, and since then, Justin has been looking for ways to leverage the industry in order to grow the reach of what’s possib...
146: Float Conference 2018 in Review... And Looking Forward
August 23, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBDrew Kane, Kim Hannan, and Dan Larsen join Amy and Dylan this episode to recap the experience of the 2018 Float Conference. Each guest this week has a different perspective, from not-yet-open to only recently open, to “veterans” of the float world, and all experiences for attending the conference. Revisiting the Friday activities, Kim shares some of her takeaways from the marketing forums, Drew and Dan talk about what they learned at Justin Feinstein’s talk about how we can all work together ...
145: The Last Float Conference - With Ashkahn
August 15, 2018 15:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MB145: The Last Float Conference - With Ashkahn by Art of the Float
144: Franchising a Float Center w/Beth Jones
August 09, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 72.7 MBBeth Jones is on the show this week to talk about her experiences in opening a float center (and continuing on to franchise) in North Carolina and battling through the strict request from the local health department. After just two years of being open, Beth started working towards franchising her operation after being approached by several interested parties. At Float Spa X, she’s challenging the status quo for how most franchises recruit and establish themselves as a successful venture. If y...
143: Float North is Opening! w/ Dana Highfill
August 02, 2018 17:00 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBThis week, Dana Highfill joins the crew to give an update on Float North, the latest center preparing to open in the Portland area. Dana recently hosted an Open House to invite the public out to see her space and learn about floating. She shares how she handled the event itself, and the highs and lows that came immediately after. Her grand opening is just a few days away, and she’s mostly ready.
142: Amy Grimes Is Back!
July 26, 2018 16:00 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBShe’s back! Amy Grimes, our beloved co-host is back from a little leave spent opening her second location in Tennessee. She recaps the challenges of her opening, including going several months past their target date, being over budget, getting through challenging inspections, strained relationships, an unreliable and unethical contractor, and learning and taking over new modalities. Easy peasy stuff, yes? She shares the lessons they learned and how they survived all of the stress of nearly hi...
141: Mindfulness Battles Burnout w/Danielle Savory
July 19, 2018 06:00 - 56 minutes - 51.9 MBDanielle Savory, a certified life coach and mindfulness teacher, joins us in this episode to share wisdom about avoiding burnout and reducing stress as a small business owner.
140: Q&A - Where to start when starting your business, heater and pumps
July 12, 2018 03:00 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBIt’s Q&A time! This episode veers away from our traditional model of having a guest or a specific topic, and instead, we’re diving in to answer questions we’ve received from the community. You’ll hear about how to start building the vision and business plan for a new center, how to pick an effective heater to warm up a tank overnight, and what to look for in a pump for a DIY tank. Dylan describes the evolution of his photography for the Patreon photos he releases each month, and the intention...
139: Alternative Waking States w/ Richard Bonk
June 28, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBWe’re excited to have Richard Bonk join us this week! Richard started floating through his work with Tom Fine where they began float research many years ago. Through a practice of floating and transcendental meditation (TM), Richard began to explore “alternate waking states” that felt at times like lucid dreams or out-of-body experiences while in an alert, awake state. Find full show notes at https://wp.me/p3DUt1-Hz
138: Live with the FTA and Float Community!
June 21, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 93.7 MBThis week is a wild one… we opened up an invitation to the float community to join us for a conversation with and about the Float Tank Association (FTA). Kevin Johnson, Shoshana Leibner, and Glenn and Lee Perry (all FTA board members) join the crew and several float center owners to have an earnest conversation about the state of the organization.
137: The Graham & Ashkahn Episode!
June 14, 2018 03:45 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBIt’s a float podcaster party! Graham and Ashkahn from Float Tank Solutions/Float On/The Float Conference join us this week. With Dylan, they discuss the current hot topic of the Float Tank Association (FTA) and the need for the organization. They’ve been on the road, attending different health department events to discuss float tank water sanitation with the health inspectors and experts across several states. They hold nothing back as they hit another favorite topic: Groupon. They talk about...
136: Altruistic Business Practices with Hilary Sedovic
June 07, 2018 06:00 - 54 minutes - 50.5 MBHilary Sedovic of Float STL joins the podcast to discuss how we can as float centers bring floating to those who might not otherwise be able to float due to income, lack of awareness etc. Please fill out her survey here!: https://goo.gl/forms/Bn4cXgYSBy1hUPeh2
135: LIBR Anorexia Research with Dr. Sahib Khalsa
May 31, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBAs if we didn’t love the Laureate Institute for Brain Research enough for their work with floating and anxiety, Dr. Sahib Khalsa joins us today to talk about yet another study they’re completing - float therapy with anorexia treatment. Dr. Sahib’s is currently running a second study with participants who have anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder with a very high mortality rate.
134: Float For Maps Campaign
May 24, 2018 17:00 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBRyan Duey from Capitol Floats in Sacramento joins the crew this week to discuss an exciting research project for MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. It’s a non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana.
133: What does the FTA do for ME?
May 17, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 64.9 MBShoshana Leibner joins todays episode to discuss the history of the FTA and what it is doing today to help individuals and the industry as a whole. Find full show notes here: https://wp.me/p3DUt1-Gz
132: Rise 2018 Review
May 10, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 82.1 MBThis week, Dylan and Brian share their experiences from the Rise Float Gathering in St. Louis last month. The beauty of the event is the intimacy and intentionally small number of participants, where everyone has a chance to spend time together. The environment felt welcoming and fluid, with a heart-centered vibe. The revisit how the roundtable discussion flowed, and how great it was to hear from so many individuals on a specific topic, all the while realizing there is no right or wrong answe...
130: Rise Roundtable - Client Intros
April 26, 2018 17:00 - 1 hour - 65.1 MBDylan, Jeremy Jacob & Kim Hannan host a roundtable discussion live from the Rise Float Gathering! What's the best way to give an introduction? How much information is too much? How best can we make our clients feel comfortable and at home? Tune in to hear from your float community!
129: Planning A Float Center
April 19, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour - 71.7 MBAmy and Dylan share tips about decisions you should make during the construction phase that will have a lasting impact on the day-to-day operations later, from plumbing to heating and cooling your rooms… and why you need rugs. They discuss the experience needed in order to tune into the details of a project, beyond just opening your own center, and how to find a balance between keeping an eye on the budget and spending money for the long-run. Get full show notes here: https://wp.me/p3DUt1-G1
128: Float Alchemy is Open! (somewhat)
April 12, 2018 16:00 - 1 hour - 75.6 MB128: Float Alchemy is Open! (somewhat) by Art of the Float
127: Bek of Weeded Warrior joins the Float Shoppe
April 05, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBSince she was last on the show, Bek has moved to Portland and now works at The Float Shoppe with Dylan. In addition to some personal decisions, she wanted to continue to grow the project, and some of the culture in Australia doesn’t support their vision for incorporating cannabis as a treatment method. She shares how floating has helped her, and how she struggled at times to get in the tank. Find full show notes here: https://wp.me/p3DUt1-FQ
126: Rise 2.0 W/ Kevin McCulloch
March 29, 2018 08:00 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBKevin McCulloch joins the show to talk about the Rise Float Gathering's second year and what the float industry has to look forward to!
125: Franchising & Sex Positive Marketing w/ Marilyn Olmsted
March 22, 2018 20:00 - 1 hour - 61.5 MBNote: This week, we talk about some adult themes, so if your kiddos are around, you might want to hold off on listening until later. Marilyn Olmsted, the first franchisee of Urban Float, joins the crew this week. Marilyn was previously a tax consultant in an accounting firm, and she explains why she chose a franchise model and how she sees her role in the business. She has a unique view of what she brings to the business and why she loves having competition. find full show notes at https://wp...
124: Buying A Float Center w/ Angela Mcallister
March 15, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 77.2 MBThis week, Angela Mcallister joins us to talk about purchasing an existing float center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She was an avid floater at the center for a couple of years, and stepped in to purchase it when the owner decided to sell.
123: Opening a Float Center: Setting Expectations
March 08, 2018 17:00 - 1 hour - 85.4 MBThis week, we invited a guest host to join us as we talk about expectations of how things go when opening a float center. Kim Hannan of Sukhino Float Center in New Albany, Indiana, is in the early stages of this process, and since Amy is close-ish to opening her second location, they both have current experiences with this topic. (Kim also writes the show notes found at artofthefloat.com, so she admits it’s a bit bizarre to write about herself in third person here…) In exciting news, the Art ...
122: Couples Floating with Debra Worthington
March 01, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour - 70.5 MBThis week’s guest is Debra Worthington, owner of H2Oasis in Tulsa, located near the LIBR facility. She shares details about her choice for float tanks, flooring, and walls. Debra is on the show to talk about couples floating, and she admits that she wasn’t always a fan of the idea. Now, one out of four floats at her center is a pair of individuals instead of a single client. She even has a successful couples’ membership. Debra talks about the merits of floating together, and the reasons her c...
121: FB Live QA - FRP, CBD & Claustrophobic Potentiality
February 22, 2018 06:00 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBThe audience asked questions about, and the team discussed FRP (hot topic!), the biggest challenges they face in running a float center, crafting responses for the, “I’m claustrophobic” concern that comes up so frequently, and a reflection on the construction phase.
120: Guest Justin Feinstein Discusses His Research Study
February 15, 2018 05:00 - 1 hour - 84 MBThis week’s guest likely needs no introduction, as most float centers know of him and have been anxiously awaiting the publication of his latest study. Justin Feinstein from the Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) has just released the results of a five-year clinical study about the effects of floatation therapy on individuals with anxiety and depression.