Podcast Summary: Breathwork For A Better Workday with Zsombor Szabo

Podcast: The Anxious Achiever
Host: Morra Aarons-Mele
Guest: Zsombor Szabo
Date: January 15, 2026
Episode Link: The Anxious Achiever

Overview

This episode explores the transformative power of breathwork for managing anxiety and stress in the workplace. Host Morra Aarons-Mele sits down with Zsombor Szabo, a former software sales executive turned breathwork teacher, to discuss practical breathing tools for cultivating balance, focus, and emotional regulation at work. The episode features guided breathwork exercises, relatable stories, actionable advice, and reflections on building healthy habits that support mental health and productivity.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Breathwork Matters at Work

• The Workplace Anxiety Cycle:
  • Many professionals, including both Morra and Zsombor, experience chronic stress and “upregulated” nervous systems at work, impacting well-being and performance.
  • Zsombor draws parallels between workplace stress and the fight-or-flight response:
    "The answer relates to the tiger that I mentioned a minute ago... people easily go into this unconscious stress spiral." (13:11)
• Autonomic Nervous System 101:
  • The body has two main states: Sympathetic (fight or flight, "gas pedal") and Parasympathetic (rest and reset, "brake pedal").
  • Chronic workplace stress keeps us overly sympathetic, depleting energy and risking burnout.
    "We are supposed to be in the parasympathetic nervous state... but being in the fight or flight state... results in long term chronic diseases." (12:16)

2. Accessible, Science-Backed Tools

• Breathing is a doorway to self-regulation:
  • Breath is the only autonomic function we can control; by doing so, we can impact mood, clarity, and resilience.
  • Reference to James Nestor's book "Breath":
    "By actually breathing in a certain way, you can hack into your autonomic nervous system." (15:54)
• Physiological vs. Mindfulness Meditation:
  • Breathwork has a tangible, physiological effect and is often easier to access for diverse populations compared to classic meditation.
  • It's especially effective for those who find "mind-stilling" meditation frustrating.
    "With breathwork you are really told what to do... it's more physiological than psychological." (42:20)

Guided Exercises & Practical Takeaways

1. Physiological Sigh (03:58–08:25)

• How to:
  • Place one hand on chest, one on belly.
  • Inhale deeply through the belly, then a sip into the chest.
  • Long, slow exhale through the mouth (like fogging a mirror).
• Purpose: Resets the nervous system, releases tension, helps return to baseline.
• Host’s Experience:
  "That was hard for me... very tight... in my stomach, my chest." (08:25–08:36)

2. Box Breathing (22:49–27:37)

• How to:
  • Inhale for 4 seconds.
  • Hold for 4 seconds.
  • Exhale for 4 seconds.
  • Hold for 4 seconds.
• Purpose:
  • Brings alertness and calm; ideal for workday focus without over-relaxing.
  • Regulates heart rate, aids presence and energy.
• Host’s Experience:
  “That was great. Yeah, that was much easier. It was fun when I could pick up the beat and time my exhale or my inhale with the beat.” (27:37)

3. Circular (Upregulating) Breathing (53:46–65:53)

• How to:
  • Quick, powerful inhales and exhales without a pause (30 cycles).
  • Then breath hold on empty lungs, repeat cycles, breath hold on full lungs.
  • Intense sensations (lightheadedness, tingling) are normal.
• Purpose:
  • Trains stress tolerance—“intentional stress” prepares the system to handle workplace or life stress more reflectively.
  • Zsombor: “When you get used to it... your nervous system will be much better at responding to that stress and adapting to it... and avoid you being reactive and maybe overly emotional.” (51:46)
• Host’s Reaction:
  “That was too hard for me. Like I couldn’t do it.” (65:53)
• Zsombor’s Advice:
  “Don’t be afraid from it. Try to do it every now and then...In your regular work environment, do the slow breathing, do the chill inhales, the box breathing... The other stuff is more for training yourself.” (69:35)

Building Lasting Habits & Overcoming Barriers

• Start Simple; Build Gradually (Baby Steps):
  • 2–3 minutes several times per day.
    "Just three, four minutes in the morning...try that for two, three days, your body learns really quickly. Your diaphragm is a muscle...it has muscle memory." (10:17)
• Making Breathwork a Habit:
  • Morra and Zsombor discuss that habit formation isn’t always linear.
  • For some, deliberate repetition is hard; for others (especially the neurodivergent), breathwork can become “muscle memory.”
    "For me at least...it's at a deeper level...muscle memory so that I am so in tune now with my breath." (38:29)
• Practical Tips:
  • Set a 15-minute timer while working as a reminder to pause and breathe deeply (45:49).
  • Practice identifying your natural breathing pattern as a “body mirror” for stress levels (44:04).

Memorable Quotes

• On the universality of breathwork:
  “There is no age group or no audience that couldn't benefit from this... what I want to accomplish with balance is bringing breathwork to as many environments as possible.” (36:29)
• On listening:
  “When your mind is racing all day... You’re not in the state where you can listen to them truly... I do a two minute, very simple breathing exercise... I can be a lot more present.” (32:52–35:27)
• On stress as acceleration:
  “The power of stress, the goodness of stress, is that it’s truly meant to be like an acceleration that then eases off and returns back to a neutral state.” (14:14)
• On breath as a signal and mirror:
  “Breathing is a very good mirror... If you close your eyes and all you do is observe your natural breathing patterns...that gives you a very good self-reflection of how you are doing.” (44:04)
• On over-breathing:
  “Most adult humans take about 15–16 breaths per minute just in a regular state...whereas the healthy breathing rate is about 5–6 per minute.” (67:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction to Guest and Today’s Theme: 02:00–03:10
• Physiological Sigh Demonstration and Debrief: 03:58–10:01
• Why Breath at Work? Autonomic Nervous System Explained: 11:08–15:17
• James Nestor/Breath Hacking Discussion: 15:19–16:37
• Box Breathing Demonstration: 22:49–27:49
• Personal Journey: Software Sales to Breathwork Teacher: 29:16–31:36
• Breathwork and Real Listening at Work: 32:52–35:27
• Making Breathwork a Habit (including for neurodivergent listeners): 37:39–38:29
• Physiological vs. Mindfulness Meditation; Accessibility: 42:20–43:48
• Breathwork for Stressful Work Activities (While Emailing/Zooming): 45:49–48:37
• Circular/Upregulating Breathing Exercise and Decompression: 53:46–65:53
• Why Train with Stressful Breathing? Paradox Explained: 48:59–52:25
• Closing: Advice for Those Who Find It Difficult: 68:59–71:17

Episode Tone and Closing Thoughts

Throughout, the tone is empathetic, practical, occasionally humorous, and gently challenging, with Zsombor offering reassurance for those who struggle (“don’t be afraid from it”), and Morra modeling vulnerability (“that was too hard for me”). The episode emphasizes that breathwork is both accessible and powerful: a no-cost, universally available tool for self-regulation and workplace well-being.

Final Note:
This episode is an interactive, grounded invitation to try new ways of managing stress and cultivating agency—one breath at a time.