Nick Sweeney: The Breathwork Practice That Rebuilt His Body, Identity and Nervous System

Your doctor's prognosis was final: you'll never walk normally again and your career is over. But what if you could rewrite that recovery with the one tool you already carry with you, your breath?

Nick Sweeney is the co-founder of Coherence and creator of the Vortex Method, but before any of that he was a Division 1 cross-country skier who couldn't walk for 10 months after a COVID-era injury. We talk about how he clawed his way out through daily breathwork done from bed, rebuilt enough to place top 20 nationally at Olympic trials, and walked away from the athlete identity to coach breathwork full-time.

You are not your label, and the way back isn't always a treatment or a specialist. Sometimes it's the one tool you already carry with you.

What we explore:

- Breathwork for injury recovery: how Nick healed after 10 months unable to walk

- Athletic identity loss: why it hurts more than the injury, and how to rebuild

- Nervous system regulation: guarding your mind against the algorithm

- Daily breathwork habit: why 5 minutes beats one long session

- Overcoming comparison: the "timeline" reframe that breaks the loop

Chapters:

00:00 Gen Z Olympic Skier Nick Sweeney's Backstory

03:58 How He Healed a Career Ending Injury With Breathwork