The Burnout Curve: Why High Performers Burn Out Even When They Feel Fine | Performance Coach

This week I'm joined by Rob Rea, human potential coach and breathwork practitioner, and someone who has dedicated his career to helping people access a state of calm, clarity and performance through one of the most powerful tools we all carry with us, our breath.

We explore breathwork, the nervous system, stress regulation and what happens in the body and mind when you finally learn to breathe properly.

Rob Rea is an internationally trained breathwork practitioner and human potential coach with extensive experience across EMEA and APAC. He has been featured in Tatler, The Times and Vogue, and works with business leaders, elite athletes and high performers to help them unlock their potential through breathwork, somatic practices and neuroscience. His RR Method combines functional and transformative breathwork with affective neuroscience, philosophy and physical health to bring clarity, purpose and alignment.

What we explore together:

• Why trying to switch off your thoughts is making things worse — and what to do instead

• How breathwork creates the conditions for genuine rest and recovery

• What SDR is and why it is one of the most powerful tools for stress regulation

• Why rest and stillness are the hardest things for high performers to accept

• How breathwork changes your body's response to stress at a physiological level

Love, Sarah Ann 💛

My book 'Healthy Shouldn't Be This Hard': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Healthy-Shouldnt-Be-This-Hard-ebook/dp/B0G1DHNRV5

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Chapters00:00 Introduction03:00 Why trying to switch off your thoughts makes things worse06:09 What breathwork actually does to your nervous system09:00 The SDR method explained12:06 How breathwork changes your stress response14:54 Rob's personal breathwork practice day to day17:52 Breathing patterns and what yours is telling you21:04 What happens in the body during a breathwork session23:51 Allostatic load and what it means for your health26:56 Why rest feels so hard for high achievers29:57 The difference between relaxation and recovery33:00 Sarah's breathwork experience35:47 How breathwork changes things internally even when nothing changes externally38:59 Music, sound and breathwork42:03 What different people experience during breathwork44:55 Why breathwork is not one size fits all48:09 How to know when to push and when to rest51:08 Why business leaders are the hardest to work with54:02 Moving forward with awareness56:53 How to give yourself permission to do less60:16 What Sarah noticed holding in her body62:55 Learning to sit with stillness66:12 Reframing what rest actually means68:59 What it feels like to let go71:59 Building a breathwork practice that lasts75:08 Physical sensations during breathwork and what they mean77:51 Finding your own capacity80:55 Final reflections on living well and being well