In a new Business Leaders episode, ProfileTree welcomed wellness consultant and Hydro-Ease Founder Vivian McKinnon to the studio to learn more about her work in the field of mental health.
During Vivian’s fascinating interview, she touched on subjects including the aims of her other company, Wellness Consultant NI, which looks at the impact modern life is having on us all.
To learn more about the importance of wellness, in life and in the workplace – check out our full Business Leaders episode below, or read on for the highlights.
From Trauma Recovery to Starting Her Own Business: Vivian’s Story
Vivian treated us to a deeper dive into her personal and group wellness maxim of “health is the goal, wellness is the way to achieve it”.
The visit by Vivian, who opened Ireland’s first flotation centre, meant a chance to better understand the subject of flotation.
She said: “I’ll start off by taking you back: in 1999 I was taken to hospital, they thought I had meningitis so I was taken to the intensive care unit of the Western General in Edinburgh. For two days I was completely out.
“Basically it all came down to my lifestyle choices. As a child I grew up with a parent who was struggling with trauma and addiction. I developed unhelpful coping strategies, so by the time that happened in 1999 I was using cocaine, I was using alcohol, I was using cannabis, I was gambling.”
From this realisation, Vivian knew she had to make serious changes to her life.
“So I had two choices, to keep going the way I was going and end up in a box, or change my life. But the biggest thing I lived with was this inner critic, this inner voice that kept saying ‘why are you doing that?’, ‘you’re so stupid’.”
In a bid to better manage her inner saboteur, Vivian explored multiple coping mechanisms that didn’t help, until she finally tried flotation.
“After being on the wagon and off the wagon, I went for ‘a float’ for the first time. When I went in, it was one of the pod types. Within no time the negative inner critic was silenced. I carried a lot of pain in my body. In the float that day, it was as if I had no body. I had quietness in my head. The first time I had that freedom to connect back to who I was as a person.”
The Benefits of Flotation
Explaining that floatation can be a ‘mental health intervention’, and not just a spa treatment, Vivian was inspired to think creatively about how it could be promoted more fully.
Vivian’s business, Hydro-Ease, appeals to a broad range of people. From those wanting to invest in their wellness, overcome trauma, to even relax the anxieties of children on the spectrum.
In her interview, Vivian also covers why floatation works, her own studies into the science of wellness and the impact of modern life on who we are and how we act.
“Flotation increases creativity. It creates whole brain function, allowing the left and right side of the brain to synchronise and work together. So you can think in a very linear fashion from a creative viewpoint. This is just one of the many benefits to come from floatation.”
For more advice on wellness, flotation as well as fascinating industry insights, watch Vivian’s full Business Leaders interview. If you want to reach out to Vivian directly, you can do so via her business website Hydro-Ease.
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