🏁 Axios Finish Line: Take the plunge!

Plus: Resolution sneak peek | Wednesday, January 04, 2023

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Wells Fargo   Axios Finish Line By Mike Allen, Erica Pandey and Jim VandeHei ·Jan 04, 2023 Jan 04, 2023 Welcome back! Smart Brevity™ count: 360 words ... 1½ mins.     1 big thing: How ideas form in icy water The ice bath studio at Remedy Place in New York. Photo: Benjamin Holtrop/Remedy Place   Feel like you're in a creative rut? Try taking an icy plunge. Why it matters: Forget fancy client dinners or conversations over cocktails. The cool new place to network is ice baths. Case in point: Ross Mackay, CEO of plant-based chicken company Daring Foods, is a member at Remedy Place, a new wellness center in Manhattan that features ice baths. He told The New York Times' Alyson Krueger that he and fellow executives loosened themselves up to talk about turnover at their company by taking a six-minute, teeth-chattering, bone-rattling plunge into ice-cold water. After that, conversation flowed. Mackay isn't alone. "The amount of meetings is actually absurd, considering this is a spa," Remedy Place's founder Jonathan Leary told the Times. 🔭 Zoom out: Those who swear by cold-water plunges say the practice boosts mood — and even seems to do away with anxiety. Though the research on whether cold water showers, plunges and swims can actually affect mental health is still in the early stages, immersing yourself in icy water does release stress hormones, which can leave you feeling more awake, The Times reports. Some studies say the cold water can also trigger an increase in dopamine levels, which elevates mood. 🥊 Reality check: Plunging into icy water comes with its risks. It's a shock to your body and staying in those temperatures for too long — around 30 minutes or more — can cause hypothermia, per the Times. Experts recommend consulting a doctor before trying it out.     A message from Wells Fargo The key to future fintech platforms: banks     A wave of open banking legislation is allowing banks to become more collaborative, an essential step forward in banking. An example: Wells Fargo's Multi-X Innovation Challenge winner, HomeZada, built a platform to help consumers manage, maintain, protect and improve their homes. Learn more.     🎆 Resolution sneak peek Thank you to those who have already sent us your 2023 resolutions! Keep 'em coming to finishline@axios.com. Here's one that caught our attention for its brilliant Smart Brevity: "I discovered success comes when there are only three resolutions and that each must be expressed in five words or less, no exceptions," Finish Line reader Barbara R. writes from D.C.  "For 2023: Talk less; listen more ... Perform in-person good deed daily ... Write publishable words daily."  "I am currently writing a children's book. I have done the initial research, so now is the year to accomplish this specific task." Good luck, Barbara!   Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.   Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox.   Follow Axios on social media: