creator

Hi I’m Jaclyn. I’m a mom of a 6 year old, a 4 year old, and a mostly misbehaved Blue Heeler. I’ve been an ICU nurse for 10 years. 15 years ago, when I was a foreign exchange student, I had a magical sauna experience in a Sauna Dorf near Aachen, Germany. My host grandmother, host mom, host sister who was 7 at the time, and I packed up for an evening and went to a sauna village featuring multiple different indoor and outdoor saunas, different pools, and several relaxing in between spaces. Everyone there was completely naked and completely unfazed. People of all ages were in community with one another and reaping all sorts of health benefits. As an 18 year old who hadn’t spend much time out of the Midwest I was 😯 Since then, sauna has been an interest of mine - gym saunas primarily because that’s what I’ve had access to. It’s when Covid came and my life became unrecognizable to me for a host of different reasons that I also lost my sauna practice. UNTIL….I joined a cohort through @cedarandstonesauna of folks from all different backgrounds interested in sauna and interested in sharing sauna with others. This group taught me so much and got my gears turning like wild. That’s been over a year ago and in that time frame my mind has been racing about what this all means. I purchased a @sweattents to solidify a sauna practice of my own. I’ve shared it with a few close friends but I think there’s more to it. I’ve felt the call to help people from a young age. Maybe that’s why I became a nurse. The cracks that were in the American healthcare system prior to the pandemic that have now become much more evident and severe make me feel like I’m not always helping people when I’m at work. Rather than trying (like hell iykyk) to save people from sickness, I feel much more inclined to lead people towards wellness. The opportunity to share the history and culture of sauna with others who may reap alllll of the health benefits of sauna and also form a community around doing so would be such an honor to me. I want my kids to see my passion and drive and to watch me turn my idea and dream into a reality.

Vermont Valley, this little place I call home, has given me so much in the last 7 years. Nestled between Madison and the Driftless region of Wisconsin, it has given me endless miles of hiking, native prairie plants galore, Wisconsin River sunsets, creekside hangs, neighborhood happy hours, and most of all friendships and connections that I hope last a lifetime. I’ve kindled my community here and I hope KINDLED gets to show others some of that. The mobile nature of KINDLED will allow folks to enjoy curated sauna sessions in Black Earth, Mazomanie, Cross Plains, Spring Green, Madison and hopefully many places in between.