Entrepreneurship, Athletic Discipline, and Building Atlanta’s Premier Wellness Studio
There are countless parallels between entrepreneurship and sports — one of the main reasons I decided to take the frightening jump from comfort and safety into ambiguity and risk. At Wake Forest, I played for two head coaches during my three years as a starting linebacker. In the NFL, I wore six different helmets, and all but two seasons involved multiple teams in the same year.
Why does that matter?
Because constant change forces intentionality. Head coaches bring new coordinators. Coordinators bring new schemes. New schemes bring new playbooks and terminology. At both the collegiate and professional levels, I had to learn new systems, personnel, and language — sometimes within 24 hours — with my job on the line.
To survive, I developed an idiosyncratic learning system that allowed me to pattern-match quickly and find similarities within differences. Defense is defense. The X’s and O’s don’t change — only what they’re called. Over a decade, I absorbed fragments from each playbook and created a self-reinforcing feedback loop that improved with experience.
That’s exactly how I approach entrepreneurship.
There are countless wellness studios across the country. Just like football, I study the “playbooks” of these businesses — refining what works, rejecting what doesn’t, and adapting ideas to fit our market. That mindset ultimately led to the creation of Do Not Disturb, a restorative wellness and recovery studio in Atlanta focused on intentional, routine-based wellness.
Learning from the Best: A Wellness Study Trip to New York City
This past week, I traveled to New York City — one of the most unique and energetic cities in America. For me, it’s a playground of ideas. It’s also the epicenter of modern wellness culture, home to some of the most forward-thinking recovery studios and health-focused experiences in the world.
Two years ago, I was sitting in a recovery room at S10 Recovery when I decided to finally bring my vision for a wellness studio to life. That vision eventually became Do Not Disturb ATL, now serving Atlanta with private sauna and cold plunge experiences, massage therapy, and contrast therapy.
During this most recent trip, I visited Othership — a sauna and cold plunge concept that has generated enormous attention in the wellness world. Friends had sent me articles, social posts, and firsthand accounts of their experiences, so I needed to experience it myself.
Othership delivered exactly what it promised: a performance-driven, guided sauna and cold plunge class, blending breathwork, music, choreography, aromatherapy, and cold immersion into a high-energy group experience. It was immersive, theatrical, and undeniably well-executed — more akin to a SoulCycle or Barry’s Bootcamp class than a traditional sauna.
And it was brilliant.
What the Sauna Reveals About Wellness
What stood out most wasn’t just the performance — it was the people. In a sauna, you’re forced into the present moment. I noticed individuals who were there strictly for the heat and recovery, uninterested in choreography. I noticed women staying in 39-degree cold plunges just as long — or longer — than men, quietly disproving common cold exposure myths.
This wasn’t about social media. It wasn’t about content creation. It was about people prioritizing their health in the middle of New York City’s chaos.
That experience validated what research continues to show: more people are intentionally investing in wellness, recovery, and longevity.
Why Do Not Disturb Is Different — And Why Atlanta Needed It
While Othership is a world-class group experience, Do Not Disturb is intentionally the inverse.
Our mission is to create a tranquil environment that empowers a community to prioritize wellness and develop sustainable routines. Our vision is to be a cultural leader in wellness and the premier wellness studio in Atlanta.
We do this by offering private contrast therapy rooms that include:
- Dry sauna
- Cold plunge
- Space to slow down and recover without performance pressure
Our private sauna and cold plunge rooms allow both beginners and experienced practitioners to create their own wellness practice every visit. Wellness shouldn’t feel intimidating, performative, or reactive — it should feel accessible, intentional, and restorative.
We designed our Atlanta wellness studio with this philosophy at its core. We even sacrificed over 200 square feet to create a Relax Room, a space designed for decompression, community, and connection — because wellness doesn’t end when you exit the sauna.
At Do Not Disturb, we believe wellness is a routine, not a trend. And in a city as dynamic as Atlanta, we’re building a space where recovery, contrast therapy, massage, and mindfulness coexist — quietly, intentionally, and consistently.
.png)