The Dr. Hyman Show

Episode Summary: "From Drug Smuggler to Healer: How Nick Brewer Created Primal Moves"

Date: September 10, 2025
Host: Dr. Mark Hyman
Guest: Nick Brewer, Founder of Primal Moves

Episode Overview

This episode of The Dr. Hyman Show delves into the transformational journey of Nick Brewer, who went from being a pro athlete to drug smuggler, spending ten years (four in solitary) in an Argentinian prison, to emerging as a renowned somatic movement facilitator and founder of Primal Moves. Nick and Dr. Hyman discuss the roots of chronic pain, trauma, disconnection from the body, and the healing power of movement and somatic practice. The conversation offers both a gripping story of personal redemption and a practical, science-based approach to regaining health, freedom, and physical vitality.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Nick Brewer's Background & Transformation

• Early Life & Injuries:

  • Nick was a pro skier, sustaining severe spinal injuries in his teens and early twenties (fractures at L3, L4, T7, and T9).
  • These injuries, combined with a self-destructive streak, led to involvement in drug trafficking.

• Prison & Isolation:

  • Arrested in South America, he served ten years in Argentinian prison, four in total isolation:
    • "Of those 10 years that I spent in prison, I spent four years in isolation." (06:05)
  • Used the time to develop a deep yoga and movement practice as a means of surviving both physical pain and mental anguish.

• Breakdown and Somatic Release:

  • Nick describes a turning point—“ego death”—that led to emotional and psychological healing:
    • "That looked like a baby crying on the floor, sobbing for about two weeks, Completely broken and shaking." (14:03)
    • Movement and breathwork catalyzed the release of stuck trauma and emotional pain.

• Rehabilitation through Movement:

  • Rejected surgery in favor of embodied practices to stabilize joints and heal his back.
  • Developed the Primal Moves system, focusing on nonlinear, quadrupedal, bodyweight movement patterned after animal motion—accessible, multidirectional, low-leverage, and joint-friendly.

The Power of Movement as Medicine

• Embodied Healing:

  • Both Nick and Dr. Hyman highlight the limitations of "talk therapy" and the unique value of somatic work:
    • "If we just stay in our heads, we'll never get there." – Hyman (18:04)
    • "The only way that I knew was somatic work to release myself of pain, mental, emotional and physical. All I could do was move." – Brewer (18:14)

• Physical and Mental Transformation:

  • Real-world effects are swift:
    • "They come to class once, twice, three times. They get hooked and they're going away happy humans. And they're going away pain free." – Brewer (08:52)
  • Dr. Hyman recounts the instant impact:
    • "In one class, my pain was gone and I was like, holy shit. It's powerful stuff." (04:08)

• Community and Group Practice:

  • The classes cultivate belonging and amplify results:
    • “We have like a big group of people that move together and that's really beautiful and really inspiring. You release oxytocin, you release serotonin and dopamine, you get that happy drug feeling of just moving in a group.” – Brewer (27:37)

Disconnection from the Body—A Modern Epidemic

• Societal Patterns:

  • Dr. Hyman notes widespread bodily disconnection:
    • "So many people don't live in their body. They are disconnected from their body.” (24:41)
  • Modern sedentary lifestyles, technology, and lack of embodied habits contribute to chronic illness and emotional stagnation.

• Reconnecting: The First Step

  • Awareness and simple daily movement are key:
    • "Movement is medicine. It's a healer for the body, it's a healer from the mind." – Brewer (05:03)
    • “You need to shift the perception of your mindset and make movement a lifestyle.” – Brewer (24:53)

The Primal Moves Approach

• Methodology:

  • Nonlinear, quadrupedal bodyweight movement
  • Practices designed for joint restoration, spinal health, cognitive and emotional flexibility
  • Accessible online and in studios; mat-based, no special equipment needed

• Science & Benefits:

  • Promotes muscle and bone density, fluidity in the fascial system, neuronal/non-neuronal intelligence, and stem cell activation:
    • "All the joints are creating what we call micro, micro trauma. Which then gives stem cell a job to actually start healing you again." – Brewer (29:59)
  • Offers cognitive rewiring and supports healing from trauma.

• Accessible Practice:

  • Digital classes available (www.primalmoves.com)
  • "All you need is a mat and a small space. Just roll out your mat, open up your tablet and you get visual." – Brewer (31:04)
  • Studios expanding to major US cities.

Nutrition and Lifestyle Philosophy

• Radically Simple, Ancestral Diet:

  • Nick eats 80% grass-fed red meat, minimal vegetables, some fruit, potatoes, and no supplements (except occasional creatine):
    • “My main meat is red meat and I'm super particular about how I source it... I don't eat many vegetables. I don't eat greens.” – Brewer (33:47)
    • "My bloods are like that of a man 30 years ago... My testosterone is up at a thousand." (35:44)
  • Focus on feeling, not dogma:
    • "Wake up in the morning and I know, how about, how am I feeling, how am I sleeping, how's my recovery, how's my mind, is it foggy?" (35:03)

• Avoids Supplements & Processed Foods:

  • “I avoid supplements at all costs... I literally just source really good foods, train and breathe.” – Brewer (35:59)

Spiritual Freedom and “Getting Free”

• Freedom Is a State of Mind:

  • The biggest prison can be mental and emotional constructs:
    • “I've met so many people that are actually in prison because they're just bound by their thoughts.” – Brewer (15:16)
  • Solitude stripped away distractions, allowed ego death, and opened the way for blissful presence even amid scarcity:
    • "I've understood that blissful state of nothingness, you know, when you absolutely own nothing, have nothing. And you can be blissfully happy. So I have experienced that." – Brewer (16:37)

• Practices, Not Dogma:

  • Primal Moves is stripped of spiritual lineage or belief system:
    • “We don't actually do any spiritual work in there as such. I don't teach a belief system. We're not teaching yoga or Buddhism... My lineage is just practice.” – Brewer (58:34)
  • The invitation is simple:
    • "Show up for yourself once a day and do something, and that will be a bridge into something different." – Brewer (58:03)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “I smashed myself to pieces. I'd gotten into drug trafficking... found myself in South America. I wound up with 10 years in prison... I had a broken body and a broken mind... I heard this voice. It came through and it said that I was going to be a facilitator of movement into people's lives.” – Nick Brewer (00:06)

• “Freedom is actually a state of mind. Because I've met so many people that are actually in prison because they're just bound by their thoughts.” – Nick Brewer (15:16)

• “For me, there's nothing more pleasurable than living in my body. It's the most pleasurable place I can ever be.” – Nick Brewer (32:16)

• “People say, what's the meaning of life? What's the purpose of life? To me, it's getting free.” – Dr. Mark Hyman (62:01)

• “I can see their body language. They're overthinking how to move, and the body actually knows how to move in that direction.” – Nick Brewer (60:49)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Intro & Nick's transformation: 00:02–04:43
• Early injuries & prison experience: 05:03–10:54
• Solitary confinement as spiritual awakening: 10:54–16:26
• Ego death & somatic trauma release: 13:41–17:38
• Somatic practice discussion & science: 27:17–31:29
• Accessible movement: digital, studio options: 31:33–32:16
• Nick’s diet and blood markers: 32:47–35:46
• Prison to freedom – redefining purpose: 40:08–44:20
• Healing trauma/addiction through embodied practice: 44:38–47:54
• Primal Moves practicals & stripping away dogma: 58:34–60:49
• Invitation to embodied living: 61:29–62:27

Actionable Takeaways

• Start by Moving: Even 10–20 minutes of mat-based, nonlinear movement at home can radically impact physical and mental health.
• Listen to the Body: Use internal cues and feelings—hunger, pain, mood, energy—not external gadgets or rigid belief systems.
• Freedom is Within: Chronic pain and emotional rut can be self-imposed prisons—a path to freedom begins with daily embodied practice.
• Join a Community: Group movement amplifies results, fosters support, and triggers powerful neurochemical rewards.
• No Excuses Needed: You don’t need fancy equipment or a belief system: “Just show up. Just do it.”

Resources & Links Mentioned

• Primal Moves Online: primalmoves.com
• Instagram: @primalmovesibiza
• Dr. Hyman's platforms: @drmarkhyman

This episode stands as a powerful testament to the body’s reparative intelligence, the healing power of movement, and the capacity for radical personal transformation—no matter your starting point. If you’re disconnected, living in pain, or stuck mentally/emotionally, Brewer’s journey and the Primal Moves method offer an inspiring, practical roadmap to “getting free.”