From Head to Body: How Breathwork Builds Presence, Safety & Self-Trust

Featuring Kerri Spromberg on the Choose On Purpose Podcast, Episode 136

There is a version of you who is capable, driven, thoughtful… & exhausted from living in her head.

You analyze.
You plan.
You overthink.
You carry the invisible weight of everything.

& yet your body has been whispering,
“Come back.”

In Episode 136 of the Choose On Purpose Podcast, I sat down with Kerri Spromberg for a powerful conversation about what it truly means to move from head to body. Not as a trendy wellness concept. Not as a fluffy idea. But as a physiological, practical pathway back to safety, presence, & self-trust.

This conversation is for the woman who feels disconnected, overwhelmed, or stuck in her thoughts.

Because confidence is not built in your mind alone.
It is anchored in your nervous system.

Your Breath Is Your Superpower

At one point in our conversation, Kerri said something that stayed with me:

Your breath is your superpower.

We talk about confidence like it is a mindset shift.
But what if it is a nervous system shift?

When we are stressed, we tighten.
We shrink.
We grip our toes inside our shoes without even realizing it.

Kerri shared how simply spreading your toes while walking can bring you back into your body. That small awareness changes everything. It moves you from racing ahead in your mind to grounding into where your feet actually are.

That is bottom-up processing.
You do not think your way into calm.
You breathe your way into it.

Safety Comes Before Visibility

One of the most powerful threads in our conversation was this truth:

We cannot express ourselves fully if our body does not feel safe.

Kerri intentionally designs her yoga and breathwork experiences to create environments of warmth, clarity, & invitation. She prepares herself before she shows up. She clears her own energy. She creates space without judgment.

Why?

Because healing happens when we feel safe enough to soften.

How many of us try to “work on ourselves” while still gripping the steering wheel of life with tight shoulders & shallow breaths?

We want visibility.
We want impact.
We want confidence.

But if your nervous system is in fight or flight, your body is protecting you. Not sabotaging you.

Confidence begins with regulation.

The Power of the Pause

During the episode, Kerri guided a simple practice:

Inhale for four.
Pause at the top.
Exhale slowly.

Then notice.

Notice your jaw.
Notice your shoulders.
Notice your heart.

That pause is where your power lives.

So often we react from unmet needs.
From stress we carried from four hours ago.
From stories we told ourselves about someone else's tone.

But when you pause & breathe, you return to neutral.
& in neutral, you can choose.

That is self-trust.

Why This Matters for Your Leadership

If you are building a business, leading a family, holding space for others, or simply trying to grow into the woman you know you are becoming, you cannot bypass your body.

Shallow breathing keeps you in survival.
Deep, intentional breath brings you home.

Kerri shared how conscious breathing can:

• Reduce anxiety & stress

• Support emotional regulation

• Improve physical health by lowering chronic stress

• Increase presence & clarity

• Help you access curiosity instead of defensiveness

When you breathe deeply, you stop taking everything personally.
You get curious instead of reactive.
You respond instead of explode.

& that is leadership.

Coming Home to Yourself

One of my favorite moments in our conversation was when Kerri said that at the end of every class she reminds participants:

You can return to this place anytime.

That place of pause.
That place of safety.
That place of breath.

It sounds simple.

& it is.

Simple does not mean insignificant.

Every inhale is an invitation to come home.

Every exhale is a release of what you were never meant to carry.

If You Feel Stuck in Your Head Right Now…

Here is your starting point:

Plant your feet.
Inhale for four.
Pause.
Exhale for eight.

Do it three times.

Then ask yourself,
“What do I actually need in this moment?”

Your body knows.
Your breath will guide you there.

Listen to the Full Conversation

This episode is rich with practical tools, nervous system wisdom, & grounded insights you can apply immediately.

If you are ready to move from thinking about confidence to embodying it…

🎧 Listen to Episode 136: From Head to Body — How Breathwork Builds Presence, Safety & Self-Trust on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

& if you want new episodes delivered straight to your inbox every Tuesday, sign up for the free Confidence Catalyst Weekly Boost. You will receive reflection prompts, encouragement, & tools to help you live on purpose in real time.

You do not have to live in your head.

Your breath is waiting.