Why Deep Breaths Might Be Making You Worse (Ft Patrick McKeown)
Sun Feb 08 2026
What if mental clarity, emotional regulation, and better sleep weren’t about adding another practice—but undoing a hidden one?
In this conversation, Patrick McKeown reveals how chronic over-breathing quietly drives anxiety, rumination, poor sleep, and brain fog. Drawing from decades of research and lived experience, he explains why breathing less (not more) can improve oxygen delivery, blood flow to the brain, and nervous system balance.
This episode challenges modern breathwork myths and offers practical, science-backed ways to retrain your breathing for everyday life.
Show Partners:
Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip SaunasPersonal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life
Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne
Timestamps:
00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?”
01:20 — Living out of the head vs. living life
03:10 — How stress, sleep, and breathing patterns intersect
05:00 — Discovering breath as a path to presence
07:40 — Why The Power of Now actually worked
10:15 — Walking away from the corporate world
12:30 — The origins of the Buteyko Method
14:40 — Why breathing more air can reduce oxygen delivery
17:10 — Nasal breathing and brain function
19:50 — Rumination, CO₂, and cerebral blood flow
22:30 — Why slow breathing isn’t always good breathing
25:10 — Everyday breathing vs. breathwork sessions
28:00 — Practical exercise: calming the nervous system
32:10 — Clearing a blocked nose naturally
36:40 — Breathing for performance and public speaking
41:30 — How to retrain your breath throughout the day
46:00 — Measuring progress: the BOLT score & breath mastery
50:10 — Final reflections on calm, clarity, and control
*
Special props 👇
Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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What if mental clarity, emotional regulation, and better sleep weren’t about adding another practice—but undoing a hidden one? In this conversation, Patrick McKeown reveals how chronic over-breathing quietly drives anxiety, rumination, poor sleep, and brain fog. Drawing from decades of research and lived experience, he explains why breathing less (not more) can improve oxygen delivery, blood flow to the brain, and nervous system balance. This episode challenges modern breathwork myths and offers practical, science-backed ways to retrain your breathing for everyday life. Show Partners: Get your MENTAL FITNESS BLUEPRINT here! A special thanks to our mental fitness + sweat partner Sip SaunasPersonal Socrates: Better Question, Better Life Connect with Marc: https://konect.to/marcchampagne Timestamps: 00:00 — The question that opens every interview: “Who are you?” 01:20 — Living out of the head vs. living life 03:10 — How stress, sleep, and breathing patterns intersect 05:00 — Discovering breath as a path to presence 07:40 — Why The Power of Now actually worked 10:15 — Walking away from the corporate world 12:30 — The origins of the Buteyko Method 14:40 — Why breathing more air can reduce oxygen delivery 17:10 — Nasal breathing and brain function 19:50 — Rumination, CO₂, and cerebral blood flow 22:30 — Why slow breathing isn’t always good breathing 25:10 — Everyday breathing vs. breathwork sessions 28:00 — Practical exercise: calming the nervous system 32:10 — Clearing a blocked nose naturally 36:40 — Breathing for performance and public speaking 41:30 — How to retrain your breath throughout the day 46:00 — Measuring progress: the BOLT score & breath mastery 50:10 — Final reflections on calm, clarity, and control * Special props 👇 Music: Clouds - Joakim Karud See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.