Welcome to the Embodied podcast! I’m Kathy Covington, and today I’m joined by Mark Worster, a Marine veteran, registered nurse, former tech CEO, and breathwork facilitator. Mark and I dive into how early-life “hidden vows” that form in those first seven years, when we’re like little sponges in a theta-like, hypnotic state, can shape the patterns that follow us through life. Mark shares his own story of believing he was unlovable, a belief that fueled his success but also led to repeated relationship struggles and even depression that didn’t respond to treatment.
We talk about the difference between implicit (felt) memory and explicit memory, and how breathwork, or consciously working with our breath, can help us shift our nervous system and access what’s beneath the surface. Mark walks us through holotropic and rebirthing-style breathwork, the science behind it, like what happens to CO2 levels, the prefrontal cortex, and the limbic system, and why safety and knowing your limits are so important. He also shares simple tools for regulation, such as slowing your exhale or trying a “one-minute breath,” and we touch on why set and setting matter so much in psychedelic work. We wrap up with the reminder that each of us is whole, complete, and perfect, and we’ll let you know how to connect with both Mark and me.
00:00 Science Meets Soul Intro
00:55 Meet Mark Worster
03:48 Hidden Vows Unlovable
05:16 Why First Seven Years
07:36 Ego Safety Patterns
11:31 Implicit Memory Science
14:31 Breathwork Defined
15:51 Nervous System Breath
20:15 Holotropic Origins
23:57 Rebirthing Birth Imprints
26:33 Breathwork Journey Story
27:23 Physiology Altered States
30:14 Beyond Separation Identity
31:31 First Breathwork Session
32:17 Letting Go and Dropping In
33:58 Grief Release Story
35:27 Safety and Contraindications
36:47 Breathwork vs Psychedelics
37:46 Breathwork for Pilates
40:44 Parasympathetic Exhale Key
41:45 Coherence and Breath Styles
43:55 Dysregulated Nervous System
46:21 One Minute Breath Reset
48:13 Qero Healing Meets Medicine
50:40 Psychedelics Set and Setting
53:43 Apps and How to Find Mark
55:58 Final Takeaway and Wrap Up
About Today's Guest
Mark Worster is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former Inc. 500 tech CEO, and past President of EO Boston who now serves as a work-life coach, blending his business acumen with healthcare insights, breathwork, and plant medicine to help entrepreneurs conquer burnout and unlock radical joy.
Connect with Mark Worcester
- Website: https://www.nurse-mark.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficialnursemark/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markworster
