November 26, 2025 • 62 mins
Today on The Mark Haney Show, we sit down with Ryan Duey — Co-Founder & CEO of Plunge — the Sacramento-built wellness company that went from a garage prototype during COVID to one of the fastest-growing cold-plunge and sauna brands in the world.
In this episode, Ryan walks us through:
🔥 The float-tank experience that changed his life
🔥 How COVID shut everything down — and sparked the idea for Plunge
🔥 The $10 domain decision that put them on the map
🔥 The influencer wave that followed: Aubrey Marcus, Huberman, Rich Roll, Tony Hawk
🔥 Building a 150,000 sq. ft. manufacturing operation in Sacramento
🔥 Cold-plunge science, sauna benefits, and the future of wellness tech
🔥 Why urgency beats a perfect business plan
Plunge is now a global wellness hardware and software brand serving homes, gyms, hotels, and health facilities around the world. And it all started with two entrepreneurs, a garage, and a crazy idea.
If you’re an entrepreneur, maker, or wellness enthusiast — this is a must-listen.
—
Connect with Plunge:
Website: https://plunge.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plunge/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecoldplunge
YouTube: @Plunge
Connect with Ryan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanaduey/
Chapters:
00:30 – Welcome & Introduction
01:22 – Sacramento Roots & Early Journey
02:26 – Discovering Float Tanks
05:22 – Building Capitol Floats
08:34 – Meeting Co-Founder Michael Garrett
10:22 – COVID Shutdown Sparks a New Idea
13:10 – Launching Plunge & ColdPlunge.com
16:22 – Aubrey Marcus & the Influencer Breakthrough
20:27 – Scaling the Product Line (Cold + Sauna)
24:16 – Growing to 120 Employees & Two Facilities
30:17 – Operational Challenges & Cash Flow Lessons
36:12 – Culture, Team, and Sacramento Talent
40:03 – The Future of Contrast Therapy & Plunge’s Vision
51:36 – Cold & Heat Science Explained
58:14 – Biggest Entrepreneurial Lesson Learned
01:01:32 – Closing Thoughts
#Plunge #ColdPlunge #ColdExposure #Sauna #ContrastTherapy #HealthAndWellness #WellnessTech #Biohacking #Longevity #Recovery #WimHof #AndrewHuberman #AubreyMarcus #Entrepreneurship #StartupStory #FounderInterview #SacramentoBusiness #BackyardAdvantage #MarkHaneyShow #WellnessLifestyle #MentalHealth #FitnessRecovery #IceBath #WellnessTrends #BusinessGrowth #SuccessStories
______________________________________________________________
If this episode inspires you to be part of the movement, and you believe, like me, that entrepreneurs are the answer to our future, message me so we can join forces to support building truly great companies in our region.
-
Subscribe to my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCom_...
-
Mark Haney is a serial entrepreneur that has experience growing companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He is currently the CEO and founder of HaneyBiz
-
Instagram: http://instagram.com/themarkhaney
Facebook: www.facebook.com/themarkhaney
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markehaney
Website: http://haneybiz.com
Audio Boom: https://audioboom.com/channels/5005273
Twitter: http://twitter.com/themarkhaney
-
This video includes personal knowledge, experiences, and opinions about Angel Investing by seasoned angel investors. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. Nothing in this video constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement.
#thebackyardadvantage #themarkhaneyshow #entrepreneur
#PowerOfWith #SacramentoEntrepreneur #Sacramento
#SacramentoSmallBusiness #SmallBusiness #GrowthFactory #Investor
#Podcast
In this episode, Ryan walks us through:
🔥 The float-tank experience that changed his life
🔥 How COVID shut everything down — and sparked the idea for Plunge
🔥 The $10 domain decision that put them on the map
🔥 The influencer wave that followed: Aubrey Marcus, Huberman, Rich Roll, Tony Hawk
🔥 Building a 150,000 sq. ft. manufacturing operation in Sacramento
🔥 Cold-plunge science, sauna benefits, and the future of wellness tech
🔥 Why urgency beats a perfect business plan
Plunge is now a global wellness hardware and software brand serving homes, gyms, hotels, and health facilities around the world. And it all started with two entrepreneurs, a garage, and a crazy idea.
If you’re an entrepreneur, maker, or wellness enthusiast — this is a must-listen.
—
Connect with Plunge:
Website: https://plunge.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plunge/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecoldplunge
YouTube: @Plunge
Connect with Ryan:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanaduey/
Chapters:
00:30 – Welcome & Introduction
01:22 – Sacramento Roots & Early Journey
02:26 – Discovering Float Tanks
05:22 – Building Capitol Floats
08:34 – Meeting Co-Founder Michael Garrett
10:22 – COVID Shutdown Sparks a New Idea
13:10 – Launching Plunge & ColdPlunge.com
16:22 – Aubrey Marcus & the Influencer Breakthrough
20:27 – Scaling the Product Line (Cold + Sauna)
24:16 – Growing to 120 Employees & Two Facilities
30:17 – Operational Challenges & Cash Flow Lessons
36:12 – Culture, Team, and Sacramento Talent
40:03 – The Future of Contrast Therapy & Plunge’s Vision
51:36 – Cold & Heat Science Explained
58:14 – Biggest Entrepreneurial Lesson Learned
01:01:32 – Closing Thoughts
#Plunge #ColdPlunge #ColdExposure #Sauna #ContrastTherapy #HealthAndWellness #WellnessTech #Biohacking #Longevity #Recovery #WimHof #AndrewHuberman #AubreyMarcus #Entrepreneurship #StartupStory #FounderInterview #SacramentoBusiness #BackyardAdvantage #MarkHaneyShow #WellnessLifestyle #MentalHealth #FitnessRecovery #IceBath #WellnessTrends #BusinessGrowth #SuccessStories
______________________________________________________________
If this episode inspires you to be part of the movement, and you believe, like me, that entrepreneurs are the answer to our future, message me so we can join forces to support building truly great companies in our region.
-
Subscribe to my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCom_...
-
Mark Haney is a serial entrepreneur that has experience growing companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He is currently the CEO and founder of HaneyBiz
-
Instagram: http://instagram.com/themarkhaney
Facebook: www.facebook.com/themarkhaney
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markehaney
Website: http://haneybiz.com
Audio Boom: https://audioboom.com/channels/5005273
Twitter: http://twitter.com/themarkhaney
-
This video includes personal knowledge, experiences, and opinions about Angel Investing by seasoned angel investors. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. Nothing in this video constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement.
#thebackyardadvantage #themarkhaneyshow #entrepreneur
#PowerOfWith #SacramentoEntrepreneur #Sacramento
#SacramentoSmallBusiness #SmallBusiness #GrowthFactory #Investor
#Podcast
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.