The JOY Broadcast – Ep. "Breathing JOY with Louise Mortimer"

Host: Ali Mortimer (The Joy Coach)
Guest: Louise Mortimer (Breathwork Coach)
Date: September 28, 2025

Episode Overview

This heartfelt, accessible episode dives into the transformative power of breathwork—exploring what it is, how it differs from meditation, and why proper breathing can radically improve daily wellbeing. Ali and her guest, Louise Mortimer, bring warmth and authenticity as they discuss breathwork's science, its emotional impact, practical techniques, and what finding your “center” in a stressful world truly means. Listeners leave with clear, actionable strategies and a reminder that joy and calm are only a breath away.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breathwork vs. Meditation

Ali admits to initial confusion between meditation and breathwork, prompting Louise to clarify:

• Breathwork is a functional, structured practice focused on manipulating inhales/exhales and diaphragm use for physiological impact. (03:35)
• Meditation centers on the mind, awareness of thoughts, and dropping into the body—but landing in the body can be tricky (02:13).

Louise (02:13): "With meditation, it’s just about that focus on the mind to have awareness of the thoughts, but dropping into the body...with breathwork, it’s more functional. You’re going through inhales and exhales, counting those breaths, engaging that diaphragm, and slowing everything down to go into coherence with your heart."

2. The Three Pillars of Breathwork (04:00)

Louise explains her breathwork framework:

• Functional (Regulation):
  • Downregulating (stress reduction): Slow, nasal breaths; extends exhale to lower heart rate and stimulate the vagus nerve, shifting into “rest and digest.”
  • Upregulating (energy boost): Faster breathing (like pranayama/Kapalabhati), to sharpen focus and energize.
• Activating:
  • Circular, continuous breath (often through the mouth). This “high ventilation” method shifts brainwaves, unlocking deeper emotions—sometimes triggering joy, gratitude, sadness, or catharsis.

Louise (06:16): "When we breathe like that, it creates a physiological change where the left side of our brain, for thinking, starts to shut down and the feeling, subconscious side opens up. That’s when things come through, both joy and sadness."

3. Practical Breathwork for Busy Women

Identifying her audience as high-achieving, overloaded women, Ali asks for a doable, stress-reducing breathwork technique.

• Louise’s Recommendation (08:23):
  1. Choose a favorite song—any genre.
  2. Play it and just breathe: inhale gently through the nose, exhale for twice as long through the nose—no need to count.
  3. Be “hyper-vigilant” about feeling the breath; let the music guide you.
  4. In just 2-3 minutes, notice shoulders drop and calm return.

Louise (09:03): "If the mind is running off...pull it back into the body. After a little while, you’ll notice your shoulders drop, and you just feel, okay, yeah, that’s fine."

4. Breathwork for Energy & Focus

For moments needing adrenaline (e.g., public speaking):

• Try Kapalabhati/Pranayama: Short, sharp expulsions of breath (“pumping” the diaphragm). Start with 3 sets of 10, building as you strengthen the muscle.

Ali (12:18): "The diaphragm is a muscle, isn't it?...the more you pulse, the stronger it gets. It's just another work of a muscle, right?"
Louise (12:32): "Absolutely...it flattens when it contracts. Letting the belly out is important, but as women, we're conditioned to suck it in—so we need to get past that."

5. Finding Your Center in Chaos

The "roundabout analogy": When life spins fast, coming to your “center” brings stillness and clarity, allowing you to react calmly and authentically.

Ali (15:36): "If you’re on the edge of the roundabout, you’re spinning, but at the center you stand still. That’s your peace—use the breath to come back."

• Women often deny themselves permission to pause; Louise discusses why, and how, breathwork empowers self-connection and autonomy.
• Emotional regulation increases capacity to handle both joy and struggle.

Louise (19:58): "The change in people is just night and day. The care they take of themselves is vastly improved from…breathwork brings you so solidly back to who you are."

6. Making Peace with Emotions—The Guest House Poem

Ali shares Remi’s poem "The Guest House," highlighting the importance of welcoming all emotions, including anger, guilt, sadness, and joy, as visitors with lessons.

• Suppressed emotions lead to burnout—not just physical but emotional and mental exhaustion.
• Breathwork helps process all feelings, expanding capacity for joy and gratitude as well.

Louise (22:24): "When we shut off those emotions to not feel sadness...we also close that window to joy and gratitude."

7. Personal Breathwork Journeys & Community

• Louise shares her own story: from antidepressants and talk therapy to self-healing with daily breath practices and cold water immersion.
• Breathwork, she says, gave her tools for autonomy and brought her from “broken” to empowered.
• She now makes her teaching all about meeting each person as they are.

Louise (25:51): "If I can do it...just someone who didn't want to be here anymore, was depressed, anxious—with the breath—I'm really fixing myself."

• Education = Empowerment: Understanding the "why" behind breathwork brings deeper connection.

8. Addressing Fears, Growth, and Authenticity

• Louise reflects on her biggest fear: being seen. Even as an outgoing trainer, she admits it remains a stretch, especially online.
• Both women discuss the challenge and necessity of embracing all their identities, leading authentically, and being gentle with themselves.

Louise (37:46): "Stop giving yourself such a hard time."
Ali (39:24): "Look at what you have done…that's worth celebrating."

• Fear is always present when pursuing big dreams, but reframing it as a signpost—and a nudge to rise—is key.

9. Inclusivity of Breathwork for All Genders

• Special mention: Louise includes everybody in her breathwork practice, noting how men can benefit from embodied feeling without needing words.

Louise (32:53): "Feel. It doesn't have to have an explanation—a solitary tear can feel like the biggest relief."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ali on Centering (15:36): "The one place you could go was to the center of the roundabout...because at the center you would stop spinning."
• Louise on Permission (17:20): "There is never shame or judgment. Just try and slot it in...start off with a song, then five minutes, then 10. But there’s never shame in where you start."
• Ali on Burnout (21:53): "Burnout…is often not physical. It’s emotional, mental burnout because they're not addressing what's going on inside."
• Louise on Change (25:22): "Could it be that simple?"
• Louise on Fear (37:46): "Stop giving yourself such a hard time."
• Ali on Leadership (46:47): "Which one am I choosing to lead with today? We’re all here…but you’re not leading, frightened Ali. Brilliant Ali’s leading today."

Quick Reference Timestamps

• [02:13] – Breathwork vs. meditation explained
• [03:35] – The science and pillars of breathwork
• [08:23] – 5-minute calming breathwork technique (with music)
• [10:42] – Upregulating breathwork for energy
• [15:36] – "Roundabout" analogy for finding your center
• [20:39] – "The Guest House" poem and emotional acceptance
• [25:51] – Louise’s personal healing journey
• [37:46] – Lessons learned: Stop being hard on yourself
• [39:59] – Joyful day scenario & “lovely lie-in”
• [46:47] – Embracing all identities and choosing which to lead with

Where to Find Louise

• Instagram: the_spxce.uk (the A is an X)
• LinkedIn & Website: Linked in episode notes; open to DMs and questions.

Final Takeaway

Breathwork is both beautifully simple and profoundly transformative. Whether you’re overwhelmed or seeking to unlock more joy, taking even a few minutes—one song—to consciously breathe can shift your day and life.
As Louise says:

"It’s just about coming back to center. And sometimes, the simplest practice is the one that brings you home to yourself." (14:36)