What if the constant pressure to improve yourself is reinforcing the anxiety you are trying to escape?
In this episode of the Longevity & Lifestyle Podcast, Claudia welcomes Jamie Clements, breathwork facilitator, speaker, educator, and founder of The Breath Space.
Jamie shares how anxiety, depression, and panic attacks led him away from a high-performing career in finance and technology and toward a deeper exploration of breath, nervous system health, consciousness, and human potential.
He explains how breathing influences the autonomic nervous system, why dysfunctional breathing can reinforce stress and anxiety, and how simple changes in breathing speed, depth, and rhythm can shift how we feel and perform.
They also explore carbon dioxide tolerance, nasal breathing, breath holding, sleep apnea, altered states of consciousness, trauma-aware breathwork, and the risks of practicing deeper techniques without the right preparation or facilitator.
This conversation also challenges the modern obsession with optimization. Jamie explains why high performers often find rest uncomfortable, how achievement can become tied to self-worth, and why slowing down may be one of the most powerful ways to improve creativity, energy, and performance.
IN THIS EPISODE
• How anxiety and panic attacks led Jamie to breathwork
• Why the breath directly influences the nervous system
• Signs that you may be breathing dysfunctionally
• Why carbon dioxide is essential for oxygen delivery
• How breath holding may build stress resilience
• Nasal breathing, mouth breathing, and cognitive health
• Box breathing, extended exhales, and the physiological sigh
• How breathwork can create altered states of consciousness
• Trauma, emotional release, and breathwork safety
• Why high performers struggle to rest
• The link between achievement and self-worth
• Why you do not need fixing
• How slowing down can improve productivity
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
03:44 Jamie’s experience with anxiety and panic attacks
06:15 Losing his job and discovering a different path
09:26 Why we underestimate the power of breathing
12:15 Ancient breathwork traditions
15:43 How breathing controls the nervous system
18:06 Using breath to change your internal state
19:33 CO2 tolerance and stress resilience
24:58 Signs you may be breathing incorrectly
27:39 The three levels of breathwork
31:13 Trauma release and breathwork safety
33:54 What an altered-state breathwork session feels like
38:29 Why high performers struggle to slow down
41:43 Purpose, ambition, and self-worth
43:24 Creating work-life harmony
48:57 The Breath Space
50:33 Why you do not need fixing
ABOUT JAMIE CLEMENTS
Jamie Clements is a breathwork facilitator, speaker, educator, and founder of The Breath Space. His work brings together functional breathing, neuroscience, psychology, trauma-aware practice, ancient wisdom, and nervous system regulation.
Through retreats, workshops, courses, and corporate experiences, Jamie helps people move from anxiety, burnout, and disconnection toward greater awareness, resilience, and meaning.
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Please share this episode with someone who feels overwhelmed, chronically stressed, or unable to slow down.
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