Case Study: The New Boardroom
Client: Toronto CPG Founder Community
Category: Wellness, Performance, Network
Client: Toronto CPG Founder Community
Category: Wellness, Performance, Network
Overview:
Most business happens in predictable places: fluorescent-lit boardrooms, busy coffee shops, or behind the safety of a Zoom screen.
While those spaces serve a purpose, they rarely foster depth. You bring your "work self" to a boardroom. You bring your armor.
Recently, I’ve been hosting a different kind of gathering for Toronto’s CPG founder community: Sauna Sessions.
The Philosophy of Heat
There is something democratizing about a sauna. You cannot hide in 90-degree heat. There are no slide decks, no pitch voices, and no power suits.
When you strip away the environment of "the grind," the conversation shifts immediately. We stop talking about top-line revenue and start talking about the reality of running a business: the burnout, the supply chain nightmares, the resilience required to keep going, and the wins that actually matter.
It is networking decongested.
The Tribe
This isn't just any group. The attendees are largely founders in the "better-for-you" health food space, leaders who understand that building a healthy brand has to start with a healthy founder.
This isn't just any group. The attendees are largely founders in the "better-for-you" health food space, leaders who understand that building a healthy brand has to start with a healthy founder.
It was an honor to share the heat and hold space with some of the city's sharpest operators. We had veterans like Suzie Yorke (Founder of Love Good Fats) sharing insights alongside community anchors like Judy Chang Wong (Y-Space), who seems to be the connective tissue of the entire Toronto ecosystem.
The conversation flowed between innovators like Julia Kirouac (Nud Fud) and Johnathan Bonnell (Wholly Veggie), alongside brand builders and purpose-driven leaders like Santiago Stacey, Richa Gupta (Good Food For Good), and Mizuki W.
Embracing the Shock (The Cold Dip)
We don't just stay in the comfort zone. A key part of the ritual is the contrast, the cold plunge.
There is a perfect metaphor for entrepreneurship in watching someone voluntarily step into freezing water. It is shocking, it requires immediate control of your nervous system, and the clarity you feel on the other side is unmatched. (Watching Suzie crush the cold dip is proof that resilience is a transferable skill).
The Takeaway
We need more of these "third spaces" in business.
Environments designed for human beings, not just "human resources."
We need more of these "third spaces" in business.
Environments designed for human beings, not just "human resources."
Business is a marathon. If we don't take the time to sweat it out, reset our nervous systems, and connect openly with peers who understand the journey, we won't last the distance.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do for your business is step away from the desk and into the heat.
The Brief:
Create a high-trust environment for peer-to-peer mentorship.
Integrate wellness (Heat/Cold) with business strategy.
Foster a "Tribe" mentality among Toronto's CPG leaders.
Integrate wellness (Heat/Cold) with business strategy.
Foster a "Tribe" mentality among Toronto's CPG leaders.
Mindset | Skillset | Toolset:
Mindset: Resilience is a transferable skill. (How you do anything is how you do everything).
Skillset: Facilitation, Environment Design, Network Weaving.
Toolset: The Sauna, The Cold Plunge, The Breath.
Skillset: Facilitation, Environment Design, Network Weaving.
Toolset: The Sauna, The Cold Plunge, The Breath.
The Results:
Connection: Deepened ties between early-stage founders and industry veterans.