April 9, 2025 • 37 mins
Are you curious about how plunging into icy waters could transform your mental clarity and stress resilience? Join us as we dive into the invigorating world of cold immersion therapy with Kris Rice, the visionary behind Chillpod. Discover how Kris turned her initial skepticism into a thriving venture aimed at empowering high-achieving women like herself. From a humble horse trough to a sophisticated Chillpod, Kris shares her journey and the science behind the cold. Learn how this practice can recalibrate your nervous system, boost dopamine levels, and even improve your overall well-being. Whether you're a seasoned cold therapy enthusiast or a curious newcomer, Kris offers practical tips to ease into the chill. Ready to plunge into a world of mental reset and happiness? Tune in and explore the cold with an open mind!
Kris' Bio
Kris Rice is the Founder & CEO of ChillPod, a luxury cold immersion system designed to elevate cold therapy into a ritual of renewal. While fully focused on advocating for her daughter’s mental wellness, she discovered cold plunging—and in just two minutes a day, everything changed. What started as a personal experiment turned into a mission to help others reset their nervous system, build resilience, and transform their energy through simple, science-backed practices that actually fit into real life.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kris Rice (00:01):
This is the EWN Podcast Network.
Cathy Worthington (00:14):
Welcome to late boomers, our podcast guide
to creating your third act withstyle, power, and impact. Hi.
I'm Kathy Worthington.
Merry Elkins (00:24):
And I'm Mary Elkins. Join us as we bring you
conversations withentrepreneurs, entertainers, and
people with vision who aremaking a difference in the
world.
Cathy Worthington (00:34):
Everyone has a story, and we'll take you
along for the ride on eachinterview, recounting the
journey our guests have taken toget where they are, inspiring
you to create your own path tosuccess. Let's get started.
Hi. I'm Kathy Worthington. Welcome to the
(00:54):
latest edition of late boomers.Today, we boomers are welcoming
an incredible guest who isredefining the way we think
about stress recovery and peakperformance.
Merry Elkins (01:05):
And I'm Mary Elkins. Chris Rice is the
founder and CEO of Chillpod, astate of the art cold immersion
system designed to help highachieving women reset their
nervous system, boost energy,and reclaim their mental
well-being in just two minutes aday. Welcome, Chris. I can't
wait to hear about this.
Kris Rice (01:26):
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
Cathy Worthington (01:28):
It's a new subject for us. So thanks
Kris Rice (01:31):
for even more fun.
Cathy Worthington (01:33):
Yeah. Please tell us the backstory about how
you started and how you findyourself in the place you're in
today.
Kris Rice (01:39):
Sure. Happy to. So, was just telling you ladies
before we hit record that thespoiler alert is that I also
hate cold water. So, like, let'sjust preface with that of I
didn't I'm not one of thosepeople that was, like, yearning
to go jump in the cold. That wasnot the story.
So, I am a mom to two younggirls. They're roughly teenagers
(02:02):
now. And when my younger one wasa toddler, she had a lot of
mental health struggles. And soI stepped into the role of
really advocating and trying tofind solutions for her mental
well-being. And along the pathof supporting her and finding,
you know, creative differentways to support her and feeling
(02:24):
better, I really was able torecognize my own struggle of
anxiety, perfectionism, justtrying to hold it all together
and reaching a breaking point.
And so in really realizing thatand kind of having her as a
mirror, I realized I needed todo my own self discovery and
what could help me feel betterday to day. So Mhmm. I came into
(02:48):
it with a pretty curious mindsetjust what could be out there,
what could I try, and I reallywant a more natural approach. I
tried meditation, movement, allof these things that are
wonderful and I still love tothis day. But the reality was I
was building all these practicesthat took a very long time to be
able to fit into my day.
(03:10):
You know, if meditation takes ahalf an hour and then I still
need to go for a walk and I needto do all of these things, it
Mhmm. Adds up and I just wasfeeling buried by my solutions
again. And so it was from thatplace that one of my dear
friends kind of kept poking atthe idea of, Chris, I really
think you should try coldplunging. Like, I think it's
(03:32):
gonna hit home for you. I reallythink it's gonna support you.
And I was like, no. Literally,no. It just sounds terrible. I
don't wanna do it. No.
Thank you. And so I said thatfor a couple of months and she
stuck on it. She was like, hey.I've been doing it for a while.
I genuinely think you shouldjust try it.
(03:53):
And so from that point, I waslike, alright. Fine. I'm just
gonna give it a go. I mightcompletely hate it, but maybe
it's the thing that has beenmissing for me. So I secretly
bought a horse trough.
I put it in my backyard. Westarted making our own ice, and
the reality is from that firstplunge, it really was like the
(04:16):
reset that my body needed. Andso from that point forward, it
started this whole trajectory oftrying to help more women
understand the benefits of goingin, understanding how you can
feel.
Merry Elkins (04:31):
How it changed. Talk tell us how it changed
other women and changed yourlife.
Kris Rice (04:36):
Yeah. For sure. So for myself, when I first started
plunging, what I noticed was theincrease in my dopamine. So I
would get out and I waslegitimately just smiling. And I
was like, okay.
That's not like usual.
Merry Elkins (04:53):
How long did
you stay in and how cold was
Kris Rice (04:56):
Good question. So when I first did it, I it was
straight up horse horse water.It was hose water. So, it was
just it was early spring, so thehose water was probably in the
mid fifties, something likethat. So it was cold, but it
wasn't as intense as I can donow.
(05:18):
So, when I did that, I wanted tostay in for one song, and my one
song was, like, two and a halfminutes. I ended up staying in
for seven minutes.
Cathy Worthington (05:28):
Wow.
Kris Rice (05:30):
Yeah. But it wasn't super cold. When you hear 55,
you think that's, like,intensely cold. You might be
surprised. Like, if you turnedyour shower cold, that would be
about equal.
So it's not frigid, but I willalways say it's not about how
long you can do it, how cold youcan do it. Like, that just felt
(05:50):
right to me in that moment. NowI'm able to do a a colder
temperature, but I do it for ashorter amount of time. There's
no way I can do seven minutes inwhat I do now.
Merry Elkins (05:59):
How cold?
Kris Rice (06:01):
I do about forty six. So now now I upgraded. We have
the chiller that I can actuallysay what temperature versus,
like, my little boxes of icethat I would put in there. So
Cathy Worthington (06:14):
Oh, wow. Yeah.
Merry Elkins (06:16):
So in
Kris Rice (06:16):
the beginning, that was really what I noticed was I
just felt happier. Just feltbetter. Happier. Happy year is
good. Like and especially Ifyou've been underwater for a
long time, I guess, punintended, like, if you've been
buried by stress and anxiety fora long time to just not even
(06:37):
know why you're smiling, but tofeel good is a really good
relief.
So that was what I noticedfirst.
Cathy Worthington (06:44):
What really finally made you try it? Just
your girlfriend urging urging,or did you read about it? Did
you know someone that hadchanged?
Kris Rice (06:53):
Good question. It definitely am, like, a curious
person who will listen to thepodcast. I'll, you know, read
the books. I'll do all thebackstory to kinda help myself
understand it. And then she'sjust a trusted girlfriend.
So I was like, she knows me, Andif she's saying it works, I can
trust her. Like, she's not gonnalead me in the wrong direction.
(07:15):
So I kinda had the science andthe research behind it, but then
also a trusted person saying,just try it. You know? And I
think it was when I finally letgo of, like, the perfectionism
of what it had to look like tosay, okay.
Like, it can be this ugly littletrough in my backyard, but it
gives me an opportunity to tryit, and I don't have to be
(07:38):
committed to it. If I hate it,I'm out a hundred bucks. Like,
at the end of the day, that'sit. So, I think that it was the
combination of those two things,but having somebody that knew me
and kinda knows how I am and howI function to say that was
meaningful to me.
Merry Elkins (07:56):
So That's nice. Would you I have two questions
here for you that are brewing inmy head.
Kris Rice (08:02):
Yeah.
Merry Elkins (08:05):
Could do you think starting with cold showers might
be a good way? And do you getinto a hot shower first and then
turn on the cold, or you justturn on the cold? And
Kris Rice (08:16):
Yeah. It's a great question. And I think that's a
wonderful place to start. Ireally do because it is pretty
accessible. Everyone has accessto a shower of some sort.
And even if you're in a warmclimate, the water can go cold
enough that you're gonna get thefeeling of it. And when you do
it, to get the most benefit, youwould wanna be hot for your,
(08:39):
like, normal shower, and then atthe end, you turn it cold. So
full transparency, I thinkthat's harder. So you're cozy
and warm from your shower. Youfeel good.
You're relaxed. And then youturn it cold and half your body
is getting cold and the otherhalf is still warm. So I'm not
(08:59):
trying to discourage anyone fromit. I think it's a great place
to start. And I say that justbecause if you go and do it and
you're like, oh my gosh.
This is torture. I hate it. Justknow there's other ways to
explore it. That's not the onlyway.
Cathy Worthington (09:14):
Okay. Yeah. Because I used to always turn
the water cold because they tellyou to do that for your hair if
you're washing your hair.
Merry Elkins (09:21):
I do that too.
Cathy Worthington (09:23):
Pores, but I could I I got to a point where I
hated it, and I know I don't doit anymore.
Kris Rice (09:27):
Me too. I did it, like, five times.
Cathy Worthington (09:29):
Take a cold shower.
Kris Rice (09:31):
No. I would rather try
Cathy Worthington (09:34):
to climb into cold water than to shower with
it.
Kris Rice (09:38):
And then other thing you could try too is, you know,
if if the cold shower ismiserable, which I 100% get, you
could also just do one bodypart. So you could have a bowl
of water with ice in it if youwanted to, and you could sink
your hands in that, you couldsink your feet, you can even do
your face if you wanted to justfor ten seconds. And then you
(10:01):
could, you know, obviously withyour hands or something, could
maybe explore doing that alittle bit longer, but it's not
to be discounted. It's still aversion of cold therapy and you
can try it and see if maybe thatis a way to ease you into other
ways too.
Merry Elkins (10:16):
Well, let me ask you another question that I've
had brewing in my brain. Whatare the well, you are now an
expert on it, but what do theother experts say why cold
therapy is so effective formental wellness? And Mhmm. What
what have you learned?
Kris Rice (10:35):
Yeah. That's a great question. I think the main
reason that it's so effectivefor our mental wellness is
because it resets our nervoussystem. So you probably are
aware, but I'll do like a quicklittle overview of so your
nervous system has two ways ofprocessing. It's either in rest
and digest, it's calm andrelaxed like we probably are
(10:56):
right now, or it's in fight orflight.
It's preparing for somethingbad. It's ready to, like, send
you in the other direction. Sothe power of cold plunging is
that you're intentionallyputting your body into fight or
flight, but only for a reallyshort time. So where we could
like for myself, I was in fightor flight for years and I had no
(11:18):
idea until I got out of it andcould recognize the difference.
But if you're doing that act ofactually putting yourself
intentionally into fight orflight, knowing there's an end
point and then allowing yourbody to recover from that.
That's why you have so muchbetter resilience to stress,
it's why you're able to clearout that mental brain fog,
(11:40):
things like that because yourbody is learning how to really
process and respond to stressdifferently.
Merry Elkins (11:48):
Yeah.
Cathy Worthington (11:49):
I have a friend that does it and he says
it actually gets rid of jointpain for like most of the day.
Kris Rice (11:56):
Most of the day in the joints. Yeah. It's powerful
for inflammation. If that'ssomething that you struggle
with, it's it's a great thing toexplore and just try and see if
it can can help. And that youtouched on a really great point
too is the benefits that youget, it's pretty amazing to me
(12:17):
because few things can you dothe hard thing and you
immediately feel different.
You know, if you work out, youmight feel a little bit
different, but your body doesn'ttransform in that one time where
this you instantly feeldifferent and better, but then
it also trickles down slowly. Sowhere a lot of things you'll
(12:38):
have spikes of those hormonechanges, this is like a slow
release afterwards. So whenyou're talking about
inflammation, I can see why thatwould last, you know, for most
of the day if you're able to dothat in the morning. It probably
just slowly builds back over theday, and then you may do it
again tomorrow.
Merry Elkins (12:56):
Does it affect your metabolism?
Kris Rice (12:58):
Yeah. It definitely speeds up your metabolism too.
So Yeah.
Cathy Worthington (13:02):
It's like it's good for weight loss.
Right?
Kris Rice (13:04):
It is. Yep. It definitely speeds up your
metabolism, and it helps yougain more, lean muscle mass too.
Merry Elkins (13:12):
Oh. Oh. Good for older people.
Kris Rice (13:14):
Good for everyone.
Cathy Worthington (13:17):
Yeah. Yeah. Do you think cold therapy is
more transformative for mentalor physical well-being?
Kris Rice (13:24):
Oh, that's such a good question. I think it
depends on the person. So Ithink it is a really personal
practice where one person's bodyis gonna respond to it
differently than another one is.I can say for myself, I
definitely the mental benefitswere far and above the physical.
But then, like, I look at myhusband and he's had a ton of
(13:46):
physical changes from that.
He would have chronic back pain,and it was all stress related.
So if he goes and plunges now,it's gone. He's like, I used to
have to do all these things totry and alleviate it. He's like,
okay. I'll go hop in.
I'll come back out, and I alwaysfeel better. So it's really
personal to what you kind ofhave going on in your body, but
(14:07):
I think everybody will have amix of both to some degree too.
Mhmm.
Merry Elkins (14:11):
So you do it in the morning?
Kris Rice (14:13):
I do. I do it in the morning. My hack is that I do it
go I go from pajamas to myswimsuit because if I go to
clothes, it never happens. SoYeah. That's that's my hack.
I realized it the other day.
Cathy Worthington (14:27):
Yeah. People I know that do it, they go
straight to the pool or whateverthey're plunging in, like,
without yeah. Right from thebed.
Kris Rice (14:36):
Yeah. Yeah. It it's kinda the easiest way to do it.
You're, like, you're setting upyour day. You've done maybe the
hardest thing you're gonna taxyour body with that day, and
then, you know, it's impactinghow you show up through the rest
of the day.
So the morning is a great timeboth for that as well as just
reinforcing your circadianrhythm, reminding your body it's
(14:59):
time to get up and get going forthe day, all that. You're well
aware of it.
Cathy Worthington (15:05):
If you if you manage to get outside in the
cold air Yep. Because most of uswould be doing it outside. Yeah.
But I know I know you've gotalternative stuff you're gonna
tell us about Yeah. In a fewminutes.
Merry Elkins (15:17):
Bathtub too.
Kris Rice (15:18):
Absolutely. You could totally you could fill a bathtub
just with cold water. Somepeople will do, you know, bags
of ice or make your own ice andthrow it in there too. There's
lots of ways to do it. And it'sfunny when you said the cold
water or the cold air outside,it made me think, maybe I'm just
crazy, but I actually think it'seasier to do in the cold weather
(15:41):
because your body acclimates inthat little bit of time.
And so, like, from my walk fromthe door to my plunge, I'm able
to I mean, I'm in my swimsuit.It's, like, 40 some degrees. You
kinda get used to it a littlebit, so it lessens the blow.
When it's actually really nicein the summer, I think it's
harder because you've got supernice weather, you've got
(16:02):
sunshine on you, and then you'regoing in the cold. Right.
I think it's harder.
Merry Elkins (16:06):
Oh, much harder. Yeah. I can only imagine.
Cathy Worthington (16:10):
Yeah. So
Merry Elkins (16:10):
what do you think most people get wrong about cold
plunging, which I think we bothgot wrong before we started to
talk to you?
Kris Rice (16:18):
Yeah. Oh, I think that the number one thing people
get wrong is focusing so much onthe distaste for the cold. So
there is not a person I talk tothat their first response is
not, I hate cold water. I'm notdoing it. I hate it.
And it's just not about hatingthe cold water. It's about
(16:39):
realizing what's on the otherside of it and how you could
actually feel. Because if youcan transform how you feel and
how you think in two minutes,like, isn't there isn't that
worth a try?
Merry Elkins (16:54):
Two minutes. That's it. It is. It is.
Kris Rice (16:57):
And worst case, you do hate it and you don't feel
different, but I have yet to seeor talk to anyone that doesn't
feel at least a littledifferent. You at least get an
energy boost. You at least havesome little experience that
you're like, makes me curious.Maybe I'll try it again.
Merry Elkins (17:15):
And so if you're feeling a little down, you get
into the cold water andimmediately it readjusts your
mental Yeah. State?
Kris Rice (17:24):
Yeah. I mean, I maybe it sounds wild, but I always
picture it. I literally feel theshift go from my feet to my
head, and it's like it justalmost like an electric
electricity kind of feel whereit, like, just washes that out
and I can feel my head andeverything just clearing and
resetting. And there's nothingelse that I do where I feel that
(17:47):
kind of immediate shift.
Cathy Worthington (17:51):
Well, you created a company called
Chillpod, and you had women inmind for this. So what did you
identified something missing inthe market, but tell us about
the equipment and how youdeveloped this and what it is.
Kris Rice (18:06):
Yeah. Absolutely. So, I mean, as I was sitting, it all
was born from sitting in mylittle horse trough. And as I
sat in there and was like, I Ijust have to help more women
experience this, and there issuch a big barrier to entry. So
I kept I would go in there andthen I would think about if I
(18:26):
could have this be better, whatwould that be?
If I could make this truly for ahuman experience for women to
feel confident and, like,curious about getting in there
versus so resistant, what wouldthat be? And so I had all these
ideas in mind. I got alignedwith an incredible product
(18:48):
design company and they took allof my many ideas and made it
into a real life design. And itis beautiful and spectacular,
and the things I love most aboutit is number one, it is made for
the human body. It's made totake an uncomfortable experience
and have you feel safe and held.
(19:09):
And what that looks like is itactually has a chair inside of
it. So it's like a lounge chairliterally inside of the plunge.
So when you sit, your arms aresupported, your body's supported
and held, and most of all, it'seasy. So when I had the horse
trough, it would probably shockyou how much time and energy I
(19:31):
spent making ice and trying tofigure out how to get it colder
and how to keep the water cleanand all of these things. So for
me, that was a big part of we'reall busy.
We have limited time. If you'releaning into something like
this, you're probably, you know,needing a quick way to make sure
that this is, like, taken careof for you. And so that's where
(19:52):
I came from with that too, thatit's clean. It's you know
exactly what temperature it is,all of that good stuff.
Cathy Worthington (19:58):
How much space does it take up?
Kris Rice (20:00):
Ah, that was another thing that I took into account
too. So if you imagine a lot ofthe cold plunges, they're really
long and rectangular. Right? Sothey take I
Merry Elkins (20:09):
don't know.
Kris Rice (20:11):
They're really big. Seen one. I
Merry Elkins (20:12):
haven't either.
Kris Rice (20:14):
You can imagine, basically, like, two bathtubs.
They're very long. So, if youfind one that is, that style
that'll have a chiller with itand all of the purifications
done for you, They just getreally sizable. And so in my
opinion, like, few people haveall of this extra space in their
(20:34):
backyard or in their garage orwherever they wanna put it. So
we flipped it on its head, andwe made it this cute little
stand up pod that is not a wholelot bigger than your body so
that it doesn't take this hugefootprint to be able to have it
in your space.
And it's beautiful and helps youfeel good about it. Like, it
(20:55):
makes you want to go to itversus feeling like you have to
go in your Rubbermaid trough.Like, not that fun.
Cathy Worthington (21:00):
How do you climb in?
Kris Rice (21:03):
How does
Merry Elkins (21:03):
that work?
Kris Rice (21:04):
You just do two steps and you climb over.
Cathy Worthington (21:07):
Oh. And and getting out is relatively easy
for people.
Kris Rice (21:12):
Yep. Yep. There's a little there's a little armrest
even, but honestly, you'd besurprised by the time you do the
two steps and you step on theseat where you would actually,
where you'll sit on, it's notvery far.
Merry Elkins (21:24):
And and you don't have to fill it every time?
Kris Rice (21:27):
Mhmm. Exactly. So it keeps it has a filter to keep
the water clean, and that's partof the efficiency. I'm an
Oregonian, so, like,sustainability is in my heart.
And so I always wanna try andfind ways to, you know, use less
water, use less resources, allof that.
And so, yeah, the water, if youhave it in your home, can be
(21:48):
used for easily two to fourweeks, and it'll be clean and
perfectly fine for you to use.
Cathy Worthington (21:54):
That's good because I would never waste all
the water that goes into
Merry Elkins (21:57):
a bathtub. Right.
Kris Rice (21:58):
I know. I know. It kinda breaks your heart when you
do that. And on again, like, thegreen in me also hooks up the
hose and then actually waters myplants with the old water. You
can do that too.
Merry Elkins (22:10):
Oh, that's great. Good. I I might try it tomorrow
morning in the bathtub.
Kris Rice (22:15):
You should. I hope you do. I tell me if you do. I
wanna know how it goes.
Merry Elkins (22:20):
I might just try it with my feet too.
Cathy Worthington (22:23):
Yes. Do you keep yours outside or in the
house?
Kris Rice (22:27):
Mine is outside just because of my space. That's
where it works. But you couldabsolutely have it inside. And I
can imagine, you know, if youhave especially, like, an
especially, like, an area thatyou live in that has really wide
temperature swings, having it inyour garage or having it in if
you had room in a master bath orsomething like that, it might be
(22:49):
nice to have it inside, butworks either way. Oh, great.
Merry Elkins (22:53):
Do you have any more advice for those of us who
might be really scared to trythis or or who really hates the
cold?
Kris Rice (23:03):
I'm my number one piece of advice is just to
figure out, like, what your whyis. If you are feeling stuck and
you're just not sure how tochange and feel differently,
imagine, like, if somebody waveda magic wand and what those
things would be that you werelike, that would be incredible.
I maybe can't even imagine that,and that's meaningful. So if you
(23:27):
hold on to what your personalwhy is, you're inherently gonna
connect with that when you're inthere, and that's going you have
those reasons for, you know, thethoughts that come up for a
reason. So I think the more youcan make it personal to you and
what are those things that youwish that you could change, you
know, even just as simple assleeping better or, you know,
(23:48):
being able to work out and feelstronger or whatever those
pieces are that would bemeaningful to you, hold on to
those and watch what happens asyou do it because you will start
connecting with those.
Merry Elkins (24:03):
Did you keep a journal about how you felt and
how you changed?
Kris Rice (24:07):
I sure wish I had. That would have been a great
idea.
Cathy Worthington (24:12):
Oh, so we should advise people to try that
if they're gonna try the new.Yeah.
Kris Rice (24:17):
That would be amazing.
Cathy Worthington (24:18):
Honestly, because
Kris Rice (24:19):
I was thinking that as I was saying it because I was
kinda making, like, a writinggesture that I think it would be
awesome if you wrote down yourwhy. What are those things that
you're like, oh my gosh. I can'teven imagine that. And then to
look back a year later or sometime period down the road and
you're like, oh my goodness.Look at that.
Maybe I'm not even there, butI'm on the way to that. I can
(24:41):
tell. So I think that'smeaningful. I'm a huge fan of
journaling or writing thingsdown because even if you don't
remember doing it or you don'tremember the things you wrote
down, there is intention indoing that.
Cathy Worthington (24:55):
Oh, right. Well, we know that you've tried
a lot of wellness practices, andyou've kind of touched on this
already, but why why did coldtherapy stand out for you?
Merry Elkins (25:05):
Oh.
Cathy Worthington (25:06):
Was it just because it came at you more? The
your friend was pushing it?
Kris Rice (25:11):
Think I think the reason change? I think it's the
transformation. It it's the waythat you can feel so
differently. Literally, thesecond you get in there, you
start to feel different. And soI think it's that paired with
the minimal amount of time.
Both of those are reallyimpactful for me. Having young
(25:33):
kids, working full time, all ofthose things, like, it's really
it feels amazing to be, like, ona day where maybe that's the one
thing I get to, maybe that's myone self care practice to
instead of being like, oh, Ionly had two minutes to be
reminded that two minutes isenough, that two minutes was all
(25:53):
I needed that day and I reallyfeel good about that. I think
that that's why I love it somuch. That paired with feeling
better fast, you kinda can'tbeat it.
Merry Elkins (26:04):
Yeah. Would you recommend at all doing it at
night or does it create too muchenergy?
Kris Rice (26:09):
So I can I have a couple opinions about that? For
me personally, it definitelymakes too much energy. I had a
few people recommend it and saythey never slept better. I'm
know, singing its praises, so Itried it. And that was not true
for me.
I was very energized. I was notable to get a good night's
(26:30):
sleep. But like all things,like, maybe for you or someone
else, that would be your exactright timing. So I would
recommend trying it in themorning, seeing how that goes.
And then if you're like, that'snot really winding me up.
It's making me feel relaxed.Then by all means, try it at
night. See if that lands foryou.
Merry Elkins (26:49):
Alluding back to the question that Kathy asked
you. You said and what you saidearlier that your husband does
it too. Mhmm. What kind of notto get personal, but did you see
a lot of change in him?
Kris Rice (27:01):
I really did. He
Cathy Worthington (27:03):
And in the relationship. Curious.
Kris Rice (27:05):
What was that?
Merry Elkins (27:06):
And in the relationship.
Kris Rice (27:08):
Yeah. Great question. So where I had so many of the
mental shifts, he definitely hadphysical shifts fast. He had
been on a little bit of a weightloss journey anyways, and I
think that honestly, as I lookback, I think it made him feel
stronger in his own body to gostart trying things physically
(27:29):
that he didn't want to do orfelt just unsure where to start
before, like lifting weights. Soover the course of him cold
plunging more consistently, hestarted lifting weights for the
first time, and then he starteddoing it more and more
consistently.
And now that's just a part ofhis practice. And for the
longest time, that was notsomething that he was drawn to.
(27:53):
And I just think there's forboth of us and for our
relationship, I think thatrecognition that you're doing
something really hardintentionally and you're showing
up and doing those difficultthings, I just think that is
meaningful and plays out in alot of ways that aren't even
tangible or you wouldn't evenrealize they're connected. But I
(28:14):
just think there's a threadthere where that that sense of
resilience and trust that youcan make it through really
difficult circumstances are thatreally is it's pretty amazing to
see that play out.
Merry Elkins (28:28):
Mhmm. Well, so what do you think the biggest
mindset shift is that peopleneed to make about cold
plunging?
Kris Rice (28:36):
I think it's the well, I I think it's two things.
One would be feeling like it'sall or nothing. Like, either I
am going in super cold water andI'm staying in there for
multiple minutes or I'm not coldplunging at all. Like, realize
that there's lots of ways toplay with that. You know,
whether that is playing withyour temperature range, the
(28:58):
amount of time you're in there,all of that stuff.
I think that is the main thing.Like, it doesn't have to look
one way. You can definitely makeit your own. And then also the
thought that you're ever goingto be like, I love cold water. I
love this.
Like, it's not gonna happen. Istill most mornings get up and
(29:20):
think, maybe I won't do ittoday.
Merry Elkins (29:23):
Do you do it every day?
Kris Rice (29:25):
Then I do it. I do it almost every day. And, you know,
to the ditching perfectionism, Idon't do it every day. So I
probably do it four or fivetimes. Today, I didn't.
I was like, you know what? I'mgood today. I've done it three
days in a row. I'm gonna give mybody a little rest, and I'll go
back tomorrow. So I think justditching that idea that you
think you're ever going to fullyembrace and love the cold, it's
(29:49):
okay not to love it.
I don't love it either. I lovebeing warm. And so, you know,
set that aside. That is what itis, and you don't have to try
and solve that. Again, think tothe other side of the water and
what that could be.
Cathy Worthington (30:03):
When someone's just starting out,
would you take an iPhone and putthe timer for two minutes? Or
how's the best way or pick asong that plays for two minutes
or what?
Kris Rice (30:13):
I would do that. I would, as much as you can, tap
into your five senses. So ifyou're outside, I personally
like to close my eyes, butthat's just me. You it's really
nice to, like, look around andsee the trees or have the sun on
your face or whatever that is.So give yourself a visual, And
then I think sound is a hugepiece.
(30:34):
So, I've kinda jostled aroundbetween liking music or I also
really love, like, a shortlittle mantra that I'll listen
to. I really like GabbyBernstein, so I'll listen to
hers for two and a half minutes.But to your point, pick
something that's, like, doable.And even if it's a song you
(30:54):
love, know that you can make ittill the chorus and then get
out, and that's fine. And thenthat's almost a great marker of
success too.
When you finally make it for thefull song, you're like, oh my
gosh. I did it. It's great.
Merry Elkins (31:07):
That's great. That's great.
Cathy Worthington (31:10):
Yeah. So you wanna kinda maybe start slow or
start with a limited number ofseconds, let's say Mhmm. And
build up
Kris Rice (31:19):
to two minutes. I would I would start max? It
really it's very personal, but Ifeel like two to three minutes
is a really good high range. Sowhen you think about cold
exposure, it can be anythingfrom 40 degrees to 60 degrees.
So that's a really wide range.
(31:40):
So if I was starting, I wouldalways tell somebody start as
close to 60 and do it forfifteen seconds. Maybe then you
do it for thirty seconds andjust really tune into what your
body is saying. If your feet arefeet and hands are the most
sensitive. So if your feet arefeeling like, discomfort to the
(32:01):
bone, get out. Like, listen toyour body's cues on that, and
you will know when to get out.
And I think that's another thingthat is so powerful. We're
listening to our intuition.We're listening to our body's
guidance. And, again, that'sthroughout the whole day then.
So you've done that once in avery hard setting.
Now you're gonna listen to thatdifferently through the day.
Cathy Worthington (32:23):
Yeah. Maybe it's not gonna be so noisy. Your
body isn't gonna be talking toyou so much.
Kris Rice (32:29):
Because you're listening more intuitively. You
know? You've already done that.So first and foremost, always
listen to what your body issaying or whether that's in the
water or out. If you get out andagain, say your feet are really
cold, like, can't warm them upfor hours, that's a good sign to
be like, nope.
Went too far that time. How do Idial that back and try it in a
(32:52):
different way another time?
Cathy Worthington (32:54):
Maybe not so freezing cold.
Merry Elkins (32:56):
Yeah. Yeah.
Kris Rice (32:57):
Always temperature is a good one to play with.
Merry Elkins (33:00):
Well, does the water feel like it gets warmer
ever? Like, when you're in aswimming pool and you move
around, it gets warmer.
Kris Rice (33:06):
Yeah. A little bit. You know what's funny? It's the
opposite. So if you stay still,you get little pockets of warm
around you.
So or if you lean againstsomething, if there's a back or
something to it and you leanagainst that, you get a little
warm pocket. And then if youmove, you're like, oh, man. So
it I do think the intensity isin the beginning, and then the
(33:28):
more that you can kinda justcenter your body, remind
yourself you're safe, you'regonna be okay, then that sort of
I think the water just feels alittle more tolerable.
Cathy Worthington (33:39):
Wow. So, Chris, I know you have a message
for our listeners. If someonelistening is struggling with
stress or burnout, what's onething they can do today to feel
better?
Kris Rice (33:54):
I really think just try one of the things that we've
talked about whether that is,you know, submerging your hands
in cold water for ten seconds ordoing your feet or maybe you end
with a cold shower, trysomething. Like, we all hate the
cold. Just think about what thatcould be and how you could feel
differently and just be open towhat that could look like for
(34:17):
you. So I would just encourage,like, kinda ditching what those
expectations you've had are andjust coming into it with a fresh
mind and seeing what what itcould be.
Merry Elkins (34:27):
That's such a good Chris. Yeah.
Cathy Worthington (34:29):
Yes. Good takeaway.
Merry Elkins (34:31):
Great takeaway. Thank you. I'm gonna I am gonna
try it tomorrow even if it'sjust turning the cold on in the
shower.
Kris Rice (34:38):
And any amount of time counts. That's the whole
thing. Like, celebrate your winsin doing that. If you turn it
cold for five seconds, it's fiveseconds you didn't do the time
before. So really, like, it'sokay.
Like, have compassion foryourself. It's not easy.
Cathy Worthington (34:53):
We all beat ourselves up when we don't do it
Kris Rice (34:56):
for the place. Mhmm.
Merry Elkins (34:57):
We do. Too much. Way too much. Yeah. Well, thank
you, Chris.
That was truly enlightening, andI won't say chilling because it
was warming.
Kris Rice (35:08):
Well, thank you. This was a very fun conversation. I'm
so glad that we got to have ittoday.
Merry Elkins (35:13):
Oh, us too. And our guest today on late boomers
has been Chris Rice. She's thefounder and CEO of Chillpod. And
you can go to thethechillpod.com for more
information. And, Chris, isthere anything else or any other
place you'd like to recommendour audience go?
Kris Rice (35:30):
Yeah. Definitely. I've got two spots that you can
go. So if you are intoInstagram, you can follow me if
you're curious about, like, myfounder journey, how to see how
I cold plunge in real life. It'skind of like behind the scenes.
You can follow me at Chris RiceWellness, and it's Chris with a
k. Also, you can follow thechillpod. So it's the
(35:53):
chillpod.co, and that's actuallythe same for the site too. So,
.c0 is where you can go checkthat out and same thing on
Instagram. So we'll give youlots of science behind it.
You'll get some sneak peeks onthe product and just to be able
to have a really great andempowering community that also
is curious.
Merry Elkins (36:13):
Great. Thank you.
Cathy Worthington (36:14):
Thank you. Thank our listeners for
listening to us, and pleasesubscribe to our YouTube channel
for the late boomers podcast.And take us along in the car and
know let us know if we inspiredyou to take action. Please
follow us on Instagram at I amKathy Worthington and at I am
Mary Elkinson at late boomers.Next week, we will be talking to
(36:36):
Marty Strong, a former NavySEAL, who will let us know how
to see change as an opportunity.
Thanks so much, boomers fans,and thanks again to Chris Rice.
Kris Rice (36:47):
Thank you.
Cathy Worthington (36:59):
Thank you for joining us on late Boomers, the
podcast that is your guide tocreating a third act with style,
power, and impact. Please visitour website and get in touch
with us at lateboomers.biz. Ifyou would like to listen to or
download other episodes of lateboomers, go to
ewnpodcastnetwork.com.
Merry Elkins (37:20):
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple
Podcast, and most other majorpodcast sites. We hope you make
use of the wisdom you've gainedhere and that you enjoy a
successful third act with yourown style, power, and impact.
This is the EWN Podcast Network.
Cathy Worthington (00:14):
Welcome to late boomers, our podcast guide
to creating your third act withstyle, power, and impact. Hi.
I'm Kathy Worthington.
Merry Elkins (00:24):
And I'm Mary Elkins. Join us as we bring you
conversations withentrepreneurs, entertainers, and
people with vision who aremaking a difference in the
world.
Cathy Worthington (00:34):
Everyone has a story, and we'll take you
along for the ride on eachinterview, recounting the
journey our guests have taken toget where they are, inspiring
you to create your own path tosuccess. Let's get started.
Hi. I'm Kathy Worthington. Welcome to the
(00:54):
latest edition of late boomers.Today, we boomers are welcoming
an incredible guest who isredefining the way we think
about stress recovery and peakperformance.
Merry Elkins (01:05):
And I'm Mary Elkins. Chris Rice is the
founder and CEO of Chillpod, astate of the art cold immersion
system designed to help highachieving women reset their
nervous system, boost energy,and reclaim their mental
well-being in just two minutes aday. Welcome, Chris. I can't
wait to hear about this.
Kris Rice (01:26):
Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
Cathy Worthington (01:28):
It's a new subject for us. So thanks
Kris Rice (01:31):
for even more fun.
Cathy Worthington (01:33):
Yeah. Please tell us the backstory about how
you started and how you findyourself in the place you're in
today.
Kris Rice (01:39):
Sure. Happy to. So, was just telling you ladies
before we hit record that thespoiler alert is that I also
hate cold water. So, like, let'sjust preface with that of I
didn't I'm not one of thosepeople that was, like, yearning
to go jump in the cold. That wasnot the story.
So, I am a mom to two younggirls. They're roughly teenagers
(02:02):
now. And when my younger one wasa toddler, she had a lot of
mental health struggles. And soI stepped into the role of
really advocating and trying tofind solutions for her mental
well-being. And along the pathof supporting her and finding,
you know, creative differentways to support her and feeling
(02:24):
better, I really was able torecognize my own struggle of
anxiety, perfectionism, justtrying to hold it all together
and reaching a breaking point.
And so in really realizing thatand kind of having her as a
mirror, I realized I needed todo my own self discovery and
what could help me feel betterday to day. So Mhmm. I came into
(02:48):
it with a pretty curious mindsetjust what could be out there,
what could I try, and I reallywant a more natural approach. I
tried meditation, movement, allof these things that are
wonderful and I still love tothis day. But the reality was I
was building all these practicesthat took a very long time to be
able to fit into my day.
(03:10):
You know, if meditation takes ahalf an hour and then I still
need to go for a walk and I needto do all of these things, it
Mhmm. Adds up and I just wasfeeling buried by my solutions
again. And so it was from thatplace that one of my dear
friends kind of kept poking atthe idea of, Chris, I really
think you should try coldplunging. Like, I think it's
(03:32):
gonna hit home for you. I reallythink it's gonna support you.
And I was like, no. Literally,no. It just sounds terrible. I
don't wanna do it. No.
Thank you. And so I said thatfor a couple of months and she
stuck on it. She was like, hey.I've been doing it for a while.
I genuinely think you shouldjust try it.
(03:53):
And so from that point, I waslike, alright. Fine. I'm just
gonna give it a go. I mightcompletely hate it, but maybe
it's the thing that has beenmissing for me. So I secretly
bought a horse trough.
I put it in my backyard. Westarted making our own ice, and
the reality is from that firstplunge, it really was like the
(04:16):
reset that my body needed. Andso from that point forward, it
started this whole trajectory oftrying to help more women
understand the benefits of goingin, understanding how you can
feel.
Merry Elkins (04:31):
How it changed. Talk tell us how it changed
other women and changed yourlife.
Kris Rice (04:36):
Yeah. For sure. So for myself, when I first started
plunging, what I noticed was theincrease in my dopamine. So I
would get out and I waslegitimately just smiling. And I
was like, okay.
That's not like usual.
Merry Elkins (04:53):
How long did
you stay in and how cold was
Kris Rice (04:56):
Good question. So when I first did it, I it was
straight up horse horse water.It was hose water. So, it was
just it was early spring, so thehose water was probably in the
mid fifties, something likethat. So it was cold, but it
wasn't as intense as I can donow.
(05:18):
So, when I did that, I wanted tostay in for one song, and my one
song was, like, two and a halfminutes. I ended up staying in
for seven minutes.
Cathy Worthington (05:28):
Wow.
Kris Rice (05:30):
Yeah. But it wasn't super cold. When you hear 55,
you think that's, like,intensely cold. You might be
surprised. Like, if you turnedyour shower cold, that would be
about equal.
So it's not frigid, but I willalways say it's not about how
long you can do it, how cold youcan do it. Like, that just felt
(05:50):
right to me in that moment. NowI'm able to do a a colder
temperature, but I do it for ashorter amount of time. There's
no way I can do seven minutes inwhat I do now.
Merry Elkins (05:59):
How cold?
Kris Rice (06:01):
I do about forty six. So now now I upgraded. We have
the chiller that I can actuallysay what temperature versus,
like, my little boxes of icethat I would put in there. So
Cathy Worthington (06:14):
Oh, wow. Yeah.
Merry Elkins (06:16):
So in
Kris Rice (06:16):
the beginning, that was really what I noticed was I
just felt happier. Just feltbetter. Happier. Happy year is
good. Like and especially Ifyou've been underwater for a
long time, I guess, punintended, like, if you've been
buried by stress and anxiety fora long time to just not even
(06:37):
know why you're smiling, but tofeel good is a really good
relief.
So that was what I noticedfirst.
Cathy Worthington (06:44):
What really finally made you try it? Just
your girlfriend urging urging,or did you read about it? Did
you know someone that hadchanged?
Kris Rice (06:53):
Good question. It definitely am, like, a curious
person who will listen to thepodcast. I'll, you know, read
the books. I'll do all thebackstory to kinda help myself
understand it. And then she'sjust a trusted girlfriend.
So I was like, she knows me, Andif she's saying it works, I can
trust her. Like, she's not gonnalead me in the wrong direction.
(07:15):
So I kinda had the science andthe research behind it, but then
also a trusted person saying,just try it. You know? And I
think it was when I finally letgo of, like, the perfectionism
of what it had to look like tosay, okay.
Like, it can be this ugly littletrough in my backyard, but it
gives me an opportunity to tryit, and I don't have to be
(07:38):
committed to it. If I hate it,I'm out a hundred bucks. Like,
at the end of the day, that'sit. So, I think that it was the
combination of those two things,but having somebody that knew me
and kinda knows how I am and howI function to say that was
meaningful to me.
Merry Elkins (07:56):
So That's nice. Would you I have two questions
here for you that are brewing inmy head.
Kris Rice (08:02):
Yeah.
Merry Elkins (08:05):
Could do you think starting with cold showers might
be a good way? And do you getinto a hot shower first and then
turn on the cold, or you justturn on the cold? And
Kris Rice (08:16):
Yeah. It's a great question. And I think that's a
wonderful place to start. Ireally do because it is pretty
accessible. Everyone has accessto a shower of some sort.
And even if you're in a warmclimate, the water can go cold
enough that you're gonna get thefeeling of it. And when you do
it, to get the most benefit, youwould wanna be hot for your,
(08:39):
like, normal shower, and then atthe end, you turn it cold. So
full transparency, I thinkthat's harder. So you're cozy
and warm from your shower. Youfeel good.
You're relaxed. And then youturn it cold and half your body
is getting cold and the otherhalf is still warm. So I'm not
(08:59):
trying to discourage anyone fromit. I think it's a great place
to start. And I say that justbecause if you go and do it and
you're like, oh my gosh.
This is torture. I hate it. Justknow there's other ways to
explore it. That's not the onlyway.
Cathy Worthington (09:14):
Okay. Yeah. Because I used to always turn
the water cold because they tellyou to do that for your hair if
you're washing your hair.
Merry Elkins (09:21):
I do that too.
Cathy Worthington (09:23):
Pores, but I could I I got to a point where I
hated it, and I know I don't doit anymore.
Kris Rice (09:27):
Me too. I did it, like, five times.
Cathy Worthington (09:29):
Take a cold shower.
Kris Rice (09:31):
No. I would rather try
Cathy Worthington (09:34):
to climb into cold water than to shower with
it.
Kris Rice (09:38):
And then other thing you could try too is, you know,
if if the cold shower ismiserable, which I 100% get, you
could also just do one bodypart. So you could have a bowl
of water with ice in it if youwanted to, and you could sink
your hands in that, you couldsink your feet, you can even do
your face if you wanted to justfor ten seconds. And then you
(10:01):
could, you know, obviously withyour hands or something, could
maybe explore doing that alittle bit longer, but it's not
to be discounted. It's still aversion of cold therapy and you
can try it and see if maybe thatis a way to ease you into other
ways too.
Merry Elkins (10:16):
Well, let me ask you another question that I've
had brewing in my brain. Whatare the well, you are now an
expert on it, but what do theother experts say why cold
therapy is so effective formental wellness? And Mhmm. What
what have you learned?
Kris Rice (10:35):
Yeah. That's a great question. I think the main
reason that it's so effectivefor our mental wellness is
because it resets our nervoussystem. So you probably are
aware, but I'll do like a quicklittle overview of so your
nervous system has two ways ofprocessing. It's either in rest
and digest, it's calm andrelaxed like we probably are
(10:56):
right now, or it's in fight orflight.
It's preparing for somethingbad. It's ready to, like, send
you in the other direction. Sothe power of cold plunging is
that you're intentionallyputting your body into fight or
flight, but only for a reallyshort time. So where we could
like for myself, I was in fightor flight for years and I had no
(11:18):
idea until I got out of it andcould recognize the difference.
But if you're doing that act ofactually putting yourself
intentionally into fight orflight, knowing there's an end
point and then allowing yourbody to recover from that.
That's why you have so muchbetter resilience to stress,
it's why you're able to clearout that mental brain fog,
(11:40):
things like that because yourbody is learning how to really
process and respond to stressdifferently.
Merry Elkins (11:48):
Yeah.
Cathy Worthington (11:49):
I have a friend that does it and he says
it actually gets rid of jointpain for like most of the day.
Kris Rice (11:56):
Most of the day in the joints. Yeah. It's powerful
for inflammation. If that'ssomething that you struggle
with, it's it's a great thing toexplore and just try and see if
it can can help. And that youtouched on a really great point
too is the benefits that youget, it's pretty amazing to me
(12:17):
because few things can you dothe hard thing and you
immediately feel different.
You know, if you work out, youmight feel a little bit
different, but your body doesn'ttransform in that one time where
this you instantly feeldifferent and better, but then
it also trickles down slowly. Sowhere a lot of things you'll
(12:38):
have spikes of those hormonechanges, this is like a slow
release afterwards. So whenyou're talking about
inflammation, I can see why thatwould last, you know, for most
of the day if you're able to dothat in the morning. It probably
just slowly builds back over theday, and then you may do it
again tomorrow.
Merry Elkins (12:56):
Does it affect your metabolism?
Kris Rice (12:58):
Yeah. It definitely speeds up your metabolism too.
So Yeah.
Cathy Worthington (13:02):
It's like it's good for weight loss.
Right?
Kris Rice (13:04):
It is. Yep. It definitely speeds up your
metabolism, and it helps yougain more, lean muscle mass too.
Merry Elkins (13:12):
Oh. Oh. Good for older people.
Kris Rice (13:14):
Good for everyone.
Cathy Worthington (13:17):
Yeah. Yeah. Do you think cold therapy is
more transformative for mentalor physical well-being?
Kris Rice (13:24):
Oh, that's such a good question. I think it
depends on the person. So Ithink it is a really personal
practice where one person's bodyis gonna respond to it
differently than another one is.I can say for myself, I
definitely the mental benefitswere far and above the physical.
But then, like, I look at myhusband and he's had a ton of
(13:46):
physical changes from that.
He would have chronic back pain,and it was all stress related.
So if he goes and plunges now,it's gone. He's like, I used to
have to do all these things totry and alleviate it. He's like,
okay. I'll go hop in.
I'll come back out, and I alwaysfeel better. So it's really
personal to what you kind ofhave going on in your body, but
(14:07):
I think everybody will have amix of both to some degree too.
Mhmm.
Merry Elkins (14:11):
So you do it in the morning?
Kris Rice (14:13):
I do. I do it in the morning. My hack is that I do it
go I go from pajamas to myswimsuit because if I go to
clothes, it never happens. SoYeah. That's that's my hack.
I realized it the other day.
Cathy Worthington (14:27):
Yeah. People I know that do it, they go
straight to the pool or whateverthey're plunging in, like,
without yeah. Right from thebed.
Kris Rice (14:36):
Yeah. Yeah. It it's kinda the easiest way to do it.
You're, like, you're setting upyour day. You've done maybe the
hardest thing you're gonna taxyour body with that day, and
then, you know, it's impactinghow you show up through the rest
of the day.
So the morning is a great timeboth for that as well as just
reinforcing your circadianrhythm, reminding your body it's
(14:59):
time to get up and get going forthe day, all that. You're well
aware of it.
Cathy Worthington (15:05):
If you if you manage to get outside in the
cold air Yep. Because most of uswould be doing it outside. Yeah.
But I know I know you've gotalternative stuff you're gonna
tell us about Yeah. In a fewminutes.
Merry Elkins (15:17):
Bathtub too.
Kris Rice (15:18):
Absolutely. You could totally you could fill a bathtub
just with cold water. Somepeople will do, you know, bags
of ice or make your own ice andthrow it in there too. There's
lots of ways to do it. And it'sfunny when you said the cold
water or the cold air outside,it made me think, maybe I'm just
crazy, but I actually think it'seasier to do in the cold weather
(15:41):
because your body acclimates inthat little bit of time.
And so, like, from my walk fromthe door to my plunge, I'm able
to I mean, I'm in my swimsuit.It's, like, 40 some degrees. You
kinda get used to it a littlebit, so it lessens the blow.
When it's actually really nicein the summer, I think it's
harder because you've got supernice weather, you've got
(16:02):
sunshine on you, and then you'regoing in the cold. Right.
I think it's harder.
Merry Elkins (16:06):
Oh, much harder. Yeah. I can only imagine.
Cathy Worthington (16:10):
Yeah. So
Merry Elkins (16:10):
what do you think most people get wrong about cold
plunging, which I think we bothgot wrong before we started to
talk to you?
Kris Rice (16:18):
Yeah. Oh, I think that the number one thing people
get wrong is focusing so much onthe distaste for the cold. So
there is not a person I talk tothat their first response is
not, I hate cold water. I'm notdoing it. I hate it.
And it's just not about hatingthe cold water. It's about
(16:39):
realizing what's on the otherside of it and how you could
actually feel. Because if youcan transform how you feel and
how you think in two minutes,like, isn't there isn't that
worth a try?
Merry Elkins (16:54):
Two minutes. That's it. It is. It is.
Kris Rice (16:57):
And worst case, you do hate it and you don't feel
different, but I have yet to seeor talk to anyone that doesn't
feel at least a littledifferent. You at least get an
energy boost. You at least havesome little experience that
you're like, makes me curious.Maybe I'll try it again.
Merry Elkins (17:15):
And so if you're feeling a little down, you get
into the cold water andimmediately it readjusts your
mental Yeah. State?
Kris Rice (17:24):
Yeah. I mean, I maybe it sounds wild, but I always
picture it. I literally feel theshift go from my feet to my
head, and it's like it justalmost like an electric
electricity kind of feel whereit, like, just washes that out
and I can feel my head andeverything just clearing and
resetting. And there's nothingelse that I do where I feel that
(17:47):
kind of immediate shift.
Cathy Worthington (17:51):
Well, you created a company called
Chillpod, and you had women inmind for this. So what did you
identified something missing inthe market, but tell us about
the equipment and how youdeveloped this and what it is.
Kris Rice (18:06):
Yeah. Absolutely. So, I mean, as I was sitting, it all
was born from sitting in mylittle horse trough. And as I
sat in there and was like, I Ijust have to help more women
experience this, and there issuch a big barrier to entry. So
I kept I would go in there andthen I would think about if I
(18:26):
could have this be better, whatwould that be?
If I could make this truly for ahuman experience for women to
feel confident and, like,curious about getting in there
versus so resistant, what wouldthat be? And so I had all these
ideas in mind. I got alignedwith an incredible product
(18:48):
design company and they took allof my many ideas and made it
into a real life design. And itis beautiful and spectacular,
and the things I love most aboutit is number one, it is made for
the human body. It's made totake an uncomfortable experience
and have you feel safe and held.
(19:09):
And what that looks like is itactually has a chair inside of
it. So it's like a lounge chairliterally inside of the plunge.
So when you sit, your arms aresupported, your body's supported
and held, and most of all, it'seasy. So when I had the horse
trough, it would probably shockyou how much time and energy I
(19:31):
spent making ice and trying tofigure out how to get it colder
and how to keep the water cleanand all of these things. So for
me, that was a big part of we'reall busy.
We have limited time. If you'releaning into something like
this, you're probably, you know,needing a quick way to make sure
that this is, like, taken careof for you. And so that's where
(19:52):
I came from with that too, thatit's clean. It's you know
exactly what temperature it is,all of that good stuff.
Cathy Worthington (19:58):
How much space does it take up?
Kris Rice (20:00):
Ah, that was another thing that I took into account
too. So if you imagine a lot ofthe cold plunges, they're really
long and rectangular. Right? Sothey take I
Merry Elkins (20:09):
don't know.
Kris Rice (20:11):
They're really big. Seen one. I
Merry Elkins (20:12):
haven't either.
Kris Rice (20:14):
You can imagine, basically, like, two bathtubs.
They're very long. So, if youfind one that is, that style
that'll have a chiller with itand all of the purifications
done for you, They just getreally sizable. And so in my
opinion, like, few people haveall of this extra space in their
(20:34):
backyard or in their garage orwherever they wanna put it. So
we flipped it on its head, andwe made it this cute little
stand up pod that is not a wholelot bigger than your body so
that it doesn't take this hugefootprint to be able to have it
in your space.
And it's beautiful and helps youfeel good about it. Like, it
(20:55):
makes you want to go to itversus feeling like you have to
go in your Rubbermaid trough.Like, not that fun.
Cathy Worthington (21:00):
How do you climb in?
Kris Rice (21:03):
How does
Merry Elkins (21:03):
that work?
Kris Rice (21:04):
You just do two steps and you climb over.
Cathy Worthington (21:07):
Oh. And and getting out is relatively easy
for people.
Kris Rice (21:12):
Yep. Yep. There's a little there's a little armrest
even, but honestly, you'd besurprised by the time you do the
two steps and you step on theseat where you would actually,
where you'll sit on, it's notvery far.
Merry Elkins (21:24):
And and you don't have to fill it every time?
Kris Rice (21:27):
Mhmm. Exactly. So it keeps it has a filter to keep
the water clean, and that's partof the efficiency. I'm an
Oregonian, so, like,sustainability is in my heart.
And so I always wanna try andfind ways to, you know, use less
water, use less resources, allof that.
And so, yeah, the water, if youhave it in your home, can be
(21:48):
used for easily two to fourweeks, and it'll be clean and
perfectly fine for you to use.
Cathy Worthington (21:54):
That's good because I would never waste all
the water that goes into
Merry Elkins (21:57):
a bathtub. Right.
Kris Rice (21:58):
I know. I know. It kinda breaks your heart when you
do that. And on again, like, thegreen in me also hooks up the
hose and then actually waters myplants with the old water. You
can do that too.
Merry Elkins (22:10):
Oh, that's great. Good. I I might try it tomorrow
morning in the bathtub.
Kris Rice (22:15):
You should. I hope you do. I tell me if you do. I
wanna know how it goes.
Merry Elkins (22:20):
I might just try it with my feet too.
Cathy Worthington (22:23):
Yes. Do you keep yours outside or in the
house?
Kris Rice (22:27):
Mine is outside just because of my space. That's
where it works. But you couldabsolutely have it inside. And I
can imagine, you know, if youhave especially, like, an
especially, like, an area thatyou live in that has really wide
temperature swings, having it inyour garage or having it in if
you had room in a master bath orsomething like that, it might be
(22:49):
nice to have it inside, butworks either way. Oh, great.
Merry Elkins (22:53):
Do you have any more advice for those of us who
might be really scared to trythis or or who really hates the
cold?
Kris Rice (23:03):
I'm my number one piece of advice is just to
figure out, like, what your whyis. If you are feeling stuck and
you're just not sure how tochange and feel differently,
imagine, like, if somebody waveda magic wand and what those
things would be that you werelike, that would be incredible.
I maybe can't even imagine that,and that's meaningful. So if you
(23:27):
hold on to what your personalwhy is, you're inherently gonna
connect with that when you're inthere, and that's going you have
those reasons for, you know, thethoughts that come up for a
reason. So I think the more youcan make it personal to you and
what are those things that youwish that you could change, you
know, even just as simple assleeping better or, you know,
(23:48):
being able to work out and feelstronger or whatever those
pieces are that would bemeaningful to you, hold on to
those and watch what happens asyou do it because you will start
connecting with those.
Merry Elkins (24:03):
Did you keep a journal about how you felt and
how you changed?
Kris Rice (24:07):
I sure wish I had. That would have been a great
idea.
Cathy Worthington (24:12):
Oh, so we should advise people to try that
if they're gonna try the new.Yeah.
Kris Rice (24:17):
That would be amazing.
Cathy Worthington (24:18):
Honestly, because
Kris Rice (24:19):
I was thinking that as I was saying it because I was
kinda making, like, a writinggesture that I think it would be
awesome if you wrote down yourwhy. What are those things that
you're like, oh my gosh. I can'teven imagine that. And then to
look back a year later or sometime period down the road and
you're like, oh my goodness.Look at that.
Maybe I'm not even there, butI'm on the way to that. I can
(24:41):
tell. So I think that'smeaningful. I'm a huge fan of
journaling or writing thingsdown because even if you don't
remember doing it or you don'tremember the things you wrote
down, there is intention indoing that.
Cathy Worthington (24:55):
Oh, right. Well, we know that you've tried
a lot of wellness practices, andyou've kind of touched on this
already, but why why did coldtherapy stand out for you?
Merry Elkins (25:05):
Oh.
Cathy Worthington (25:06):
Was it just because it came at you more? The
your friend was pushing it?
Kris Rice (25:11):
Think I think the reason change? I think it's the
transformation. It it's the waythat you can feel so
differently. Literally, thesecond you get in there, you
start to feel different. And soI think it's that paired with
the minimal amount of time.
Both of those are reallyimpactful for me. Having young
(25:33):
kids, working full time, all ofthose things, like, it's really
it feels amazing to be, like, ona day where maybe that's the one
thing I get to, maybe that's myone self care practice to
instead of being like, oh, Ionly had two minutes to be
reminded that two minutes isenough, that two minutes was all
(25:53):
I needed that day and I reallyfeel good about that. I think
that that's why I love it somuch. That paired with feeling
better fast, you kinda can'tbeat it.
Merry Elkins (26:04):
Yeah. Would you recommend at all doing it at
night or does it create too muchenergy?
Kris Rice (26:09):
So I can I have a couple opinions about that? For
me personally, it definitelymakes too much energy. I had a
few people recommend it and saythey never slept better. I'm
know, singing its praises, so Itried it. And that was not true
for me.
I was very energized. I was notable to get a good night's
(26:30):
sleep. But like all things,like, maybe for you or someone
else, that would be your exactright timing. So I would
recommend trying it in themorning, seeing how that goes.
And then if you're like, that'snot really winding me up.
It's making me feel relaxed.Then by all means, try it at
night. See if that lands foryou.
Merry Elkins (26:49):
Alluding back to the question that Kathy asked
you. You said and what you saidearlier that your husband does
it too. Mhmm. What kind of notto get personal, but did you see
a lot of change in him?
Kris Rice (27:01):
I really did. He
Cathy Worthington (27:03):
And in the relationship. Curious.
Kris Rice (27:05):
What was that?
Merry Elkins (27:06):
And in the relationship.
Kris Rice (27:08):
Yeah. Great question. So where I had so many of the
mental shifts, he definitely hadphysical shifts fast. He had
been on a little bit of a weightloss journey anyways, and I
think that honestly, as I lookback, I think it made him feel
stronger in his own body to gostart trying things physically
(27:29):
that he didn't want to do orfelt just unsure where to start
before, like lifting weights. Soover the course of him cold
plunging more consistently, hestarted lifting weights for the
first time, and then he starteddoing it more and more
consistently.
And now that's just a part ofhis practice. And for the
longest time, that was notsomething that he was drawn to.
(27:53):
And I just think there's forboth of us and for our
relationship, I think thatrecognition that you're doing
something really hardintentionally and you're showing
up and doing those difficultthings, I just think that is
meaningful and plays out in alot of ways that aren't even
tangible or you wouldn't evenrealize they're connected. But I
(28:14):
just think there's a threadthere where that that sense of
resilience and trust that youcan make it through really
difficult circumstances are thatreally is it's pretty amazing to
see that play out.
Merry Elkins (28:28):
Mhmm. Well, so what do you think the biggest
mindset shift is that peopleneed to make about cold
plunging?
Kris Rice (28:36):
I think it's the well, I I think it's two things.
One would be feeling like it'sall or nothing. Like, either I
am going in super cold water andI'm staying in there for
multiple minutes or I'm not coldplunging at all. Like, realize
that there's lots of ways toplay with that. You know,
whether that is playing withyour temperature range, the
(28:58):
amount of time you're in there,all of that stuff.
I think that is the main thing.Like, it doesn't have to look
one way. You can definitely makeit your own. And then also the
thought that you're ever goingto be like, I love cold water. I
love this.
Like, it's not gonna happen. Istill most mornings get up and
(29:20):
think, maybe I won't do ittoday.
Merry Elkins (29:23):
Do you do it every day?
Kris Rice (29:25):
Then I do it. I do it almost every day. And, you know,
to the ditching perfectionism, Idon't do it every day. So I
probably do it four or fivetimes. Today, I didn't.
I was like, you know what? I'mgood today. I've done it three
days in a row. I'm gonna give mybody a little rest, and I'll go
back tomorrow. So I think justditching that idea that you
think you're ever going to fullyembrace and love the cold, it's
(29:49):
okay not to love it.
I don't love it either. I lovebeing warm. And so, you know,
set that aside. That is what itis, and you don't have to try
and solve that. Again, think tothe other side of the water and
what that could be.
Cathy Worthington (30:03):
When someone's just starting out,
would you take an iPhone and putthe timer for two minutes? Or
how's the best way or pick asong that plays for two minutes
or what?
Kris Rice (30:13):
I would do that. I would, as much as you can, tap
into your five senses. So ifyou're outside, I personally
like to close my eyes, butthat's just me. You it's really
nice to, like, look around andsee the trees or have the sun on
your face or whatever that is.So give yourself a visual, And
then I think sound is a hugepiece.
(30:34):
So, I've kinda jostled aroundbetween liking music or I also
really love, like, a shortlittle mantra that I'll listen
to. I really like GabbyBernstein, so I'll listen to
hers for two and a half minutes.But to your point, pick
something that's, like, doable.And even if it's a song you
(30:54):
love, know that you can make ittill the chorus and then get
out, and that's fine. And thenthat's almost a great marker of
success too.
When you finally make it for thefull song, you're like, oh my
gosh. I did it. It's great.
Merry Elkins (31:07):
That's great. That's great.
Cathy Worthington (31:10):
Yeah. So you wanna kinda maybe start slow or
start with a limited number ofseconds, let's say Mhmm. And
build up
Kris Rice (31:19):
to two minutes. I would I would start max? It
really it's very personal, but Ifeel like two to three minutes
is a really good high range. Sowhen you think about cold
exposure, it can be anythingfrom 40 degrees to 60 degrees.
So that's a really wide range.
(31:40):
So if I was starting, I wouldalways tell somebody start as
close to 60 and do it forfifteen seconds. Maybe then you
do it for thirty seconds andjust really tune into what your
body is saying. If your feet arefeet and hands are the most
sensitive. So if your feet arefeeling like, discomfort to the
(32:01):
bone, get out. Like, listen toyour body's cues on that, and
you will know when to get out.
And I think that's another thingthat is so powerful. We're
listening to our intuition.We're listening to our body's
guidance. And, again, that'sthroughout the whole day then.
So you've done that once in avery hard setting.
Now you're gonna listen to thatdifferently through the day.
Cathy Worthington (32:23):
Yeah. Maybe it's not gonna be so noisy. Your
body isn't gonna be talking toyou so much.
Kris Rice (32:29):
Because you're listening more intuitively. You
know? You've already done that.So first and foremost, always
listen to what your body issaying or whether that's in the
water or out. If you get out andagain, say your feet are really
cold, like, can't warm them upfor hours, that's a good sign to
be like, nope.
Went too far that time. How do Idial that back and try it in a
(32:52):
different way another time?
Cathy Worthington (32:54):
Maybe not so freezing cold.
Merry Elkins (32:56):
Yeah. Yeah.
Kris Rice (32:57):
Always temperature is a good one to play with.
Merry Elkins (33:00):
Well, does the water feel like it gets warmer
ever? Like, when you're in aswimming pool and you move
around, it gets warmer.
Kris Rice (33:06):
Yeah. A little bit. You know what's funny? It's the
opposite. So if you stay still,you get little pockets of warm
around you.
So or if you lean againstsomething, if there's a back or
something to it and you leanagainst that, you get a little
warm pocket. And then if youmove, you're like, oh, man. So
it I do think the intensity isin the beginning, and then the
(33:28):
more that you can kinda justcenter your body, remind
yourself you're safe, you'regonna be okay, then that sort of
I think the water just feels alittle more tolerable.
Cathy Worthington (33:39):
Wow. So, Chris, I know you have a message
for our listeners. If someonelistening is struggling with
stress or burnout, what's onething they can do today to feel
better?
Kris Rice (33:54):
I really think just try one of the things that we've
talked about whether that is,you know, submerging your hands
in cold water for ten seconds ordoing your feet or maybe you end
with a cold shower, trysomething. Like, we all hate the
cold. Just think about what thatcould be and how you could feel
differently and just be open towhat that could look like for
(34:17):
you. So I would just encourage,like, kinda ditching what those
expectations you've had are andjust coming into it with a fresh
mind and seeing what what itcould be.
Merry Elkins (34:27):
That's such a good Chris. Yeah.
Cathy Worthington (34:29):
Yes. Good takeaway.
Merry Elkins (34:31):
Great takeaway. Thank you. I'm gonna I am gonna
try it tomorrow even if it'sjust turning the cold on in the
shower.
Kris Rice (34:38):
And any amount of time counts. That's the whole
thing. Like, celebrate your winsin doing that. If you turn it
cold for five seconds, it's fiveseconds you didn't do the time
before. So really, like, it'sokay.
Like, have compassion foryourself. It's not easy.
Cathy Worthington (34:53):
We all beat ourselves up when we don't do it
Kris Rice (34:56):
for the place. Mhmm.
Merry Elkins (34:57):
We do. Too much. Way too much. Yeah. Well, thank
you, Chris.
That was truly enlightening, andI won't say chilling because it
was warming.
Kris Rice (35:08):
Well, thank you. This was a very fun conversation. I'm
so glad that we got to have ittoday.
Merry Elkins (35:13):
Oh, us too. And our guest today on late boomers
has been Chris Rice. She's thefounder and CEO of Chillpod. And
you can go to thethechillpod.com for more
information. And, Chris, isthere anything else or any other
place you'd like to recommendour audience go?
Kris Rice (35:30):
Yeah. Definitely. I've got two spots that you can
go. So if you are intoInstagram, you can follow me if
you're curious about, like, myfounder journey, how to see how
I cold plunge in real life. It'skind of like behind the scenes.
You can follow me at Chris RiceWellness, and it's Chris with a
k. Also, you can follow thechillpod. So it's the
(35:53):
chillpod.co, and that's actuallythe same for the site too. So,
.c0 is where you can go checkthat out and same thing on
Instagram. So we'll give youlots of science behind it.
You'll get some sneak peeks onthe product and just to be able
to have a really great andempowering community that also
is curious.
Merry Elkins (36:13):
Great. Thank you.
Cathy Worthington (36:14):
Thank you. Thank our listeners for
listening to us, and pleasesubscribe to our YouTube channel
for the late boomers podcast.And take us along in the car and
know let us know if we inspiredyou to take action. Please
follow us on Instagram at I amKathy Worthington and at I am
Mary Elkinson at late boomers.Next week, we will be talking to
(36:36):
Marty Strong, a former NavySEAL, who will let us know how
to see change as an opportunity.
Thanks so much, boomers fans,and thanks again to Chris Rice.
Kris Rice (36:47):
Thank you.
Cathy Worthington (36:59):
Thank you for joining us on late Boomers, the
podcast that is your guide tocreating a third act with style,
power, and impact. Please visitour website and get in touch
with us at lateboomers.biz. Ifyou would like to listen to or
download other episodes of lateboomers, go to
ewnpodcastnetwork.com.
Merry Elkins (37:20):
This podcast is also available on Spotify, Apple
Podcast, and most other majorpodcast sites. We hope you make
use of the wisdom you've gainedhere and that you enjoy a
successful third act with yourown style, power, and impact.
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