An Evening with Libby DeLana

Phoenix Books Burlington is excited to host author, model, and fearless cold plunger Libby DeLana to celebrate her new book, Cold Joy! Whether you are an experienced cold plunger or have never so much as dipped a toe in cold water, Libby DeLana will be in conversation with Katharine Montstream to share the joy, struggles, and lessons that can be gained in the practice of cold plunging. 

Come join the discussion, try Libby’s new Cold Joy tea, and return the following morning to put what you learned into practice by doing a guided cold plunge with Libby and The Red Hot Chilly Dippers in Lake Champlain!

Libby DeLana is an executive creative director, writer, and podcast host. She is best known for her teachings and reflections on well-being and self-discovery inspired by her cold plunges and daily walks, which she shares on her Instagram, at @parkhere and @thismorningwalk. She has been featured on The Isolation Journal from Suleika Jaouad, Good Life Project with Jonathan Field,  NPR, the BBC, and she cohosts the This Morning Walk podcast with Alex Elle (NYTimes best selling author of How We Heal), where they interview leaders in spirituality and wellness. She splits her time between Massachusetts and the San Francisco Bay Area. Her first book is DO/Walk Navigate Earth Mind and Spirit. 

Katharine Montstream has been coloring for a living since 1988. She started out making hand made watercolor greeting cards, and in two years she sold over 15,000 - each one individually painted - to shops in New England. The next year, Montstream Studio started printing her images and she and her husband began selling the greeting cards nationwide. She’s had multiple exhibits in Vermont and focuses on her favorite subjects: the lake, mountains, snow, woods, swimming holes and Burlington’s iconic Moran Plant. She is part of The Red Hot Chilly Dippers, a Burlington based group that focuses on bringing people together for cold water experiences - seeking endorphins, adrenaline & joy.

About the book: 

For most of her life, Libby DeLana believed she hated the cold—fear of cold became part of her identity. Then, in the midst of a period of deep personal inquiry, an impromptu dip in icy water cracked something open in her heart, forcing her to reexamine the limiting stories she told herself. If she could learn to love cold, what other beautiful life experiences might await?

In Cold Joy, an all-levels guide to cold plunging, DeLana shares her wisdom and expert guidance on how to create your own cold immersion practice for healing, joy, and self-discovery. It features simple-to-follow practices, personal storytelling, essential safety tips, and fascinating details on the science and history of cold immersion, providing everything you need to experience the tremendous power of cold water—whether dipping in a sea, lake, river, or tub.

POPULAR WELL-BEING TREND: Cold plunging has become a hugely popular trend in wellness, used for healing injuries, improving circulation, and decreasing stress. The #coldplunge hashtag has over 1 billion views on TikTok. DeLana shares her daily “cold plunge shenanigans” with her tens of thousands of Instagram followers and writes and speaks widely on the topic.

FOR EVERY SKILL LEVEL: A petite handbook-sized package filled with inspiring wisdom and step-by-step instructional tips, Cold Joy offers a highly accessible, budget-friendly approach to healing in nature—whether you are an experienced athlete, someone who enjoys wading in the water, or are curious about cold therapy. The practices can be done in a bathtub, cold pools, or natural bodies of water and require no experience. 

A NEW APPROACH: For readers who enjoyed The Wim Hof Method and Blue Mind, DeLana offers a more personal, spiritual approach to the health and fitness practice of cold-water immersion, focusing on what cold can teach us about self-love, confidence, and inner healing. Cold Joy is for readers who love beautiful, mindful, nature-inspired books and tools for personal transformation, such as Libby DeLana’s Do Walk, Nature Meditations Deck, Why We Swim, and Forest Bathing.