A serious injury in 2019 led Layne O’Donnell down a path of rehabilitation and bed rest. The then 20-year-old had broken her back in three places but, being self-employed and having little access to insurance for health practitioners, O’Donnell went in search of a more holistic practice to complement her recovery—sauna and cold plunging. “I want[ed] to turn this really bad thing that happened to me into something really good,” says the now 27-year-old founder, who also overcame a learning disability in her early youth. Using some of the funds from the post-injury lawsuit and racking up $75,000 in credit card debt, the burgeoning entrepreneur opened Plunge Wellness, the first sauna and cold plunge facility in Squamish. Not only is she building a growing business and running a third space for other health-conscious individuals, O’Donnell is proving that neurodiversity (she didn’t learn to read until the fifth grade) can be a superpower, not a setback, when it comes to entrepreneurship.
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Without the backing of a business loan, O’Donnell racked up high-interest credit cards to get her idea off the ground—and had them all paid down within the first 10 months of business. The spot also expanded its offerings to include space for yoga, pilates and recovery classes and a retail feature for locally made products. Now on track to see $250,000 in revenue in her second year, the owner and operator has finally brought on an employee to help run the business, as well as acquiring a mobile sauna that acts as an extension to the studio operations (and can also be rented out for group and corporate events).
Who’s your role model?
“My role models are Sarah and Bryan Baeumler—Canadian husband-and-wife business owners who take on huge projects and do an incredible job while juggling family life and multiple TV shows.”
See the full list of our 2026 30 Under 30 winners here.
