Breathe better, perform better: why breathwork belongs in the boardroom
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Our founder, Melissa Thom, recently joined John Darval on BBC Radio Bristol to talk about something that affects every professional, every single day; and yet most of us have never been taught to do it properly.
It’s not a skill you’ll find on a CV or covered in leadership training or MBA programmes. And yet it underpins every presentation you give, every difficult conversation you navigate, every moment of pressure you face at work.
We’re talking about breath.
When Melissa sat down with John on BBC Radio Bristol, the conversation began in an unexpected place: burnout. Because that’s where Melissa’s own journey with breathwork truly began. Not in a wellness studio, but in the middle of a high-pressure startup life: two children, a growing business, a transatlantic move, and the kind of relentless pace that so many professionals will recognise instantly.
“We only focus on the end result,” she told John. “We don’t think about what happens when you actually achieve those things.” That moment of honest reflection, and the burnout that prompted it, sent Melissa on an intensive two-year journey, studying with some of the world’s leading breathwork experts. She emerged as an Advanced Breathwork Practitioner and with a clear mission: to take what she’d learned, apply it to her craft of voice and speech communication, and make it genuinely useful for her clients.
Why does breathwork matter for business professionals?
One of the most striking things Melissa shared with John was just how many of us are walking around in a chronic state of stress without even realising it. The nervous system is upregulated, primed for threat, and the breath becomes shallow and fast.
“A lot of my clients will come to a session, and I’ll say: you’re not breathing optimally,” she explained. “They’re so overloaded and overwhelmed and in this constant state of fight or flight.” This isn’t just a wellness concern. It directly impacts performance.
When we’re in fight-or-flight mode, our capacity for clear thinking, communication, and decision-making is compromised. The very things that matter most in a professional context. But here’s what Melissa is clear about: the solution isn’t to step away from the pressure. It’s to develop the awareness and the tools to manage your state within it. And that’s something breath work does exceptionally well.
Awareness, then regulation
In her conversation with John, Melissa outlined the foundation of her approach at BRAVA: two interconnected stages that she works on with global clients.
The first is awareness: simply learning to notice what’s happening in your body and your breath in any given moment. Are you upregulated (stressed, tense, shallow breathing) or downregulated (lower energy, disengaged)? Most people, she says, have never been taught to make that distinction.
The second is regulation: using specific, science-backed breath techniques to deliberately shift your state. And this is where it becomes particularly powerful for professionals. As Melissa explained to John, regulation isn’t just about calming down. Sometimes you need to bring your energy up before a big presentation. Sometimes you need to bring it down before a difficult conversation. Breath gives you the tools to do both.
What makes this so compelling in a business context is its simplicity. “We don’t need a phone, we don’t need an app, we don’t need a screen,” Melissa told John. These are tools you can use anywhere, in any moment, without anyone knowing you’re doing it. They can be learned in minutes and used for a lifetime, and for many, can lead to real and lasting personal and professional transformation.
Who is this for?
During the interview, Melissa talked about the breadth of people she works with: CEOs, philanthropists, parents, senior leaders and of course, voice actors and performers. Because stress affects us all, and learning how to manage it is key.
At BRAVA, we bring breathwork into our corporate programmes as part of a wider focus on voice, communication, and performance. Because the way you breathe shapes the way you sound, the way you carry yourself, and ultimately, the way you lead. It’s not a soft skill. It’s a foundational one.
You can listen to the full interview below.
If Melissa’s conversation with John has sparked your curiosity, we’d love to talk. Whether you’re looking to support your team’s performance and wellbeing, or you’re a voice professional looking to deepen your practice, breathwork is a remarkable place to start.
Drop us a line at info@brava.uk.com for a chat.
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