Othership Co-Founder & CEO Robbie Bent on a $20M Startup Failure, Addiction Recovery, and Creating a "Trojan Horse" for Emotional Healing

The Failure Factor

Robbie Bent is the co-founder of Othership—a multi-million dollar wellness movement centered around sauna, breathwork, cold plunge, and emotional connection. After a devastating startup failure left him broke and struggling with addiction, what began as backyard ice bath experiments during COVID evolved into one of the most innovative wellness concepts today. In this raw conversation, Robbie shares how his darkest moments led to discovering somatic practices that not only saved his life but inspired a business helping thousands heal together.

Robbie and Megan explore why traditional therapy often falls short, how Othership became a "Trojan Horse" for emotional processing, and why the real transformation happens not in the sauna or ice bath—but in the vulnerable sharing that follows. Beyond the emotional insights, Robbie gets tactical about scaling brick-and-mortar businesses, dealing with copycats, founder mode versus delegation, and the profound loneliness of building something meaningful while trying to be a present father and husband.

This conversation reveals why the future of wellness isn't about optimizing alone; it's about witnessing each other's humanity—and healing in community.

Topics & Takeaways

• What Othership is and why it’s more than sauna and ice baths

• The emotional regulation crisis and the new wave of wellness

• How hot/cold contrast therapy is a Trojan horse for emotional healing

• The science behind breathwork, group sharing, and co-regulation

• Why Robbie believes emotional health is “where fitness was in 2009”

• The story behind Othership’s founders and their radically intentional space design

• Building emotional safety in a luxury-meets-humility environment

• From addiction and startup failure to healing and service

• How Robbie overcame shame, scarcity, and perfectionism

• The power of vulnerability and the healing force of group connection

• What makes Othership polarizing—and why that’s the point

• Cult-like brand love, social wellness, and the death of shame

• How Robbie manages competition, fear, and founder pressure

• Why success is about how deeply you impact someone, not how many

The Failure Factor Podcast was brought to you by Off The Field Coaching. Explore working with one of our coaches at http://offthefieldcoaching.com

Hosted by Megan Bruneau: therapist, executive coach, speaker, Forbes contributor, and host of The Failure Factor. For more info, visit https://meganbruneau.com

Follow Othership 🌐 https://www.othership.us 📱 IG: https://www.instagram.com/othership/

Follow Robbie 📱 IG: http://instagram.com/robbiebent/ 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbiebent/

Follow Megan 📱 IG: https://www.instagram.com/meganjbruneau 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-j-bruneau-m-a-rcc

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Themes: entrepreneurship, emotional wellness, nervous system regulation, addiction recovery, startup failure, breathwork, cold plunge, sauna therapy, somatic healing, emotional health, mental health, loneliness epidemic, founder vulnerability, spirituality, conscious leadership, startup resilience, community building, trauma healing, modern rituals, behavioral change, boutique wellness, sharing circles, healing shame