NSP:313 Tactical Breathing for Spearing and Life | Cindy Yang

Reset Breathing, Equalisation Fixes & Ocean Glide: Cindy Yang on Spearfishing, Freediving and Mindset. What happens when a Taiwanese-born Californian firefighter, underwater photographer, and freediving coach moves to Australia for love and brings two decades of ocean wisdom with her? Cindy Yang of Ocean Glide joins Shrek for a wide-ranging conversation that covers her extraordinary life arc — from a hyperactive kid in Taipei who'd never seen the ocean, to chasing abalone on the Northern California coast, to becoming one of the few female firefighters in her station, to eventually leaving her dream career to chase a different kind of depth. Along the way, they dig into practical gold: Cindy's seasickness microdosing protocol, a deep dive into sinus anatomy and why surgery isn't always the answer, her natural wetsuit lube (and exactly how to use it), and the episode's standout gem — the RESET acronym, a breathwork framework drawn from firefighting and freediving that you can use mid-dive, mid-panic, or mid-argument with your kids to snap yourself back into calm, clear decision-making. If you've ever struggled with EQ, stress underwater, or just want to feel more in control in and out of the water, this one's for you. Important Times 00:02:00 — Listener tip from Matt: using coconut oil drops for ear lubrication and near-effortless equalisation, plus a 50/50 vinegar-alcohol rinse for ear hygiene after heavy diving 00:06:00 — PNG spearfishing charter announcement: Shrek and Tim McDonald taking 12 divers to Bali, September 12–20, $7,500 — intermediate-plus, 12m+ divers only 00:07:00 — Cindy Yang intro: free diving coach, underwater photographer, founder of Ocean Glide 00:13:00 — Cindy's origin story: growing up in Taipei, ADHD energy with nowhere to go, parents applying for a US green card when she was born and it coming through 12 years later 00:14:00 — Arriving in California at 12 with zero English, landing in a school with no other Asian students — how adversity sharpened her observation skills 00:19:00 — UC Davis, wildlife conservation biology, and why veterinary school didn't happen 00:20:00 — The moment spearfishing clicked: watching abalone divers emerge from the ocean at Mendocino and immediately joining them in a surf suit with goggles 00:23:00 — Career pivot to firefighting: what it was like being a small Asian woman in a male-dominated American fire station post-9/11, imposter syndrome, and how team culture eventually won out 00:30:00 — Spearfishing