Lindsay MacPhee enters the dark, sensory deprivation tank to get cozy with her intuition. She experiences discomfort, sits with her thoughts, and starts to make sense of what she’s feeling and why. Floating is a way to enhance her meditation practice, to be able to feel her body, get a sense for her physical awareness and listen.
You would think that it would be easy to make time for floating when it’s your job, but Lindsay is only human. As the owner and founder of The Floatation Centre, she finds herself getting stressed out with the business and lives with the constant to-do list running through her head — as a typical entrepreneur does. But since May, Lindsay has made it a personal goal and priority to float at least once a week.
“I’m actually showing up, even if I don’t want to be there, because floating isn’t a task. You don’t have to do it, you want to do it to be your best self,” says Lindsay. This is Lindsay’s goal and the centre’s purpose: “To provide a springboard for happiness and elevated levels of consciousness.” Lindsay aims for everyone around her to feel calm, loved, and to enter her judgement-free centre with ease.
But The Floatation Centre wasn’t her original “plan,” nor did Lindsay come from a business background. It was going to take work.
“When I wanted to open the business, the ‘big bank’ wouldn’t even look at me. I had too many student loans for the amount that I needed to startup to be available to me.” Lindsay says that from there it was an easy decision. “I remembered having such good memories of Credit Union Atlantic. When I was a kid I had one of those booklets from their children's banking program that you got stamped each time you put money into your savings account” CUA is a member-owned business that is committed to helping local entrepreneurs in strengthening their financial health and keeping the power in the people.
CUA believed in Lindsay, and understood that she found happiness in helping her local community just as they do. With their help, Lindsay left her nine-to-five environmental engineer job to elevate her own quality of life, and enable those around her to do the same.
Lindsay’s first CUA accounts manager was with her every step of the way, and made the whole transition and process seem effortless. “He had experience with the C.E.E.D (Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development) program and did all of the paperwork for me,” she says. Now, almost three years later, her current accounts manager frequently checks in with her, and continues to nominate The Floatation Centre for local awards.
“He and his wife even came into float before their wedding just to relax and unwind, and they are still active floaters. It feels like I’m working with friends and less like a transaction,” Lindsay says about her ongoing relationship with CUA.
With their help, Lindsay was able to expand just after her first year of business, and continues to expand with her recent addition to the company with her “Compassion Float Program.” This program pays it forward, and provides the chance to nominate someone for a month of free floats, and for them to continue to receive 50% off for the rest of their lives. Lindsay understands that so many people could benefit from the floatation tanks but may be financially limited. This is the kind of freedom that Lindsay maintains with her business: in being able to run it in her own way, and by following her own roadmap.
“I’m so proud of the kinds of people that we’ve attracted, and we have 19 people currently working directly with us. I really want to celebrate that connection.” Lindsay’s heart-led mission stretches out to her team, who she’s able to empower and celebrate. Lindsay says it feels good to be able to do this kind of work with people that she trusts, where she’s finally able to take some time for herself, breathe, and maybe even float.
This content has been developed and paid for by CUA, without involvement from The Coast’s editorial department.