About this episode

A live panel discussion featuring authors exploring the intersections of sauna culture, breathwork, and personal growth.

Recorded live before a full audience at Sauna Days 2025, this special episode of Sauna Talk brings together four authors, educators, and lifelong students of human experience for a conversation that moves well beyond sauna itself. Joining me are Garrett Conover, author of Sauna Magic ; Jesse Coomer, author and educator in breathwork and cold exposure; Harvey Martin, author of Breathe, Focus, Excel and Without Words ; and myself, Glenn Auerbach, author of Sauna Build from Start to Finish . Together, we explore the experiences, obsessions, and questions that led each of us to write books and dedicate years of our lives to sharing what we've learned. Our discussion ranges from sauna culture, cold plunging, breathwork, athletics, coaching, and creativity to broader questions about wellness, personal growth, and what it means to live an examined life. We talk about the tension between science and intuition, the limits of protocols and optimization, and why authentic experiences often teach us more than information alone. Along the way, we reflect on how writing changes the writer, how teaching changes the teacher, and how books become snapshots of who we were at a particular moment in…

People in this episode

Host: Glenn Auerbach

Guests: Garrett Conover, Jesse Coomer, Harvey Martin

Topics covered

• sauna culture
• breathwork
• cold exposure
• wellness
• personal growth
• creativity

Keywords

• sauna
• breath
• cold exposure
• wellness
• personal growth
• creativity
• nervous system regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Sauna Magic, Breathe, Focus, Excel, Without Words, Sauna Build from Start to Finish

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