Health Up

What if the reason you burn out on wellness routines isn't a personal failure—it's the system?
This week on HealthUp, Anthony Hartcher explores The Pleasure Principle in a unique AI-generated discussion format. Discover why your nervous system responds better to pleasure than punishment, how to stop over-optimizing your health, and why the practices you enjoy are actually the ones that work best.
A conversation about the wellness trends reshaping how we approach sustainable health—without the guilt.

Stop burning out on wellness routines that feel like punishment. Discover why pleasure is the missing piece in sustainable health, and how your nervous system actually responds to joy over obligation. New research on the over-optimization backlash is changing everything. What if wellness could feel good?
What You'll Learn:
• Why the over-optimization backlash is changing wellness in 2026
• How your nervous system responds differently to obligation vs. pleasure
• Why people who enjoy their wellness routines see better results
• Personalized health: using data without letting it control you • The missing piece in sustainable wellness practices
• 4 practical steps to transform your approach to health

As spring arrives, it's time to realign with nature. In this episode, Anthony breaks down 5 evidence-based principles for springing into wellness: eat seasonal food, increase movement with daylight, optimize sleep in warmer months, prioritize social connection, and maximize outdoor time safely.
Discover how to work with your circadian rhythm instead of against it—whether you're in the northern or southern hemisphere. No extreme diets, no fasting in summer. Just practical seasonal wellness habits.
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A weekend certificate does not make someone trauma-informed. Breathwork practitioner and clinical nutritionist Kathy O returns to Health Up to explain what actually separates a safe breathwork facilitator from an under-trained one — and the questions to ask before you lie down on that mat.

If you've had a breathwork session that left you shaken, dissociated or convinced the whole modality "doesn't work for you," this conversation may reframe it. The problem often isn't the breath. It's the room, the screening and the hours behind the person holding it.

WHAT WE COVER

- The difference between conscious connected breathwork and conscious controlled breathing (box breathing, Wim Hof) — and why the distinction matters for your nervous system
- Rebirthing vs holotropic breathwork: parasympathetic and gentle vs sympathetic and stimulating
- Why healing does not have to be forceful, and how "freeing the breath mechanism" changes how you live, not just how you breathe
- Contraindications, waivers and full disclosure — what a competent practitioner asks you before a session
- Panic breathing and freeze states: why a trauma response can look completely calm from the outside
- Group size and safety — why Kathy caps solo-facilitated groups at 10, and what happens at 50-plus festival sessions
- How to vet a practitioner: training hours, mentorship, recognised schools, the Australian and Global Breathwork Alliances
- Confidence vs arrogance, and why a safe practitioner will never call themselves your healer
- How many sessions before you notice a shift, and why integration matters as much as the breathing

HOW TO CHOOSE A BREATHWORK PRACTITIONER

Ask where they trained, how many hours, and who accredits the school. Ask what happens if you panic. Ask whether they screen for contraindications and medications. A two-day trauma-informed course is not equivalent to a 450-hour program with six months of mentorship — compare the pair.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome back, Kathy O
00:41 From dietetics to breathwork: the backstory
05:33 Finding breathwork through her explant journey
09:03 Rebirthing vs holotropic: two branches of conscious connected breathwork
11:26 Freeing the breath mechanism and why we chest-breathe
14:30 The breath as a bridge between conscious and unconscious
16:21 One-on-one vs group sessions
19:05 Waivers, contraindications and what you may experience
21:27 Panic breathing, freeze and flop, and the polyvagal picture
23:39 Where beginners should actually start
25:00 Credentials, training hours and vetting a school
27:14 Confidence vs arrogance in a facilitator
29:14 Healing can be gentle
32:06 Co-regulation, screams and large-group risk
38:49 How many sessions before you feel a shift
41:07 Why the effects continue after the session ends
43:17 Where to find Kathy O

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Kathy O is a clinical nutritionist, breathwork practitioner and NLP practitioner who blends Eastern and Western approaches. This is her fifth appearance on Health Up — earlier episodes cover gut health, thyroid, burnout and breast implant illness.
Connect with Kathy on Instagram: @kathyo

Hosted by Anthony Hartcher, clinical nutritionist and lifestyle medicine specialist at me&my wellness.

If this episode helped, share it with someone considering their first breathwork session.

Music licensed through Soundstripe.
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Learn how to move mindfully instead of mindlessly. Coach Tyler shares how personalized movement and the mind-body connection can reduce pain, improve mobility, and transform your fitness practice from punishment to self-care. Discover the movement principles physical therapists use—and why the fitness industry may have led you astray.
📍 CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Intro & Welcome
0:30 – Coach Tyler's Story: From Aesthetic Fitness to Pain-Free Movement
2:55 – The Injury That Changed Everything: Rethinking Fitness
5:03 – WeShape Mission: Movement Quality Over Intensity
5:39 – The Mind-Body Connection in Fitness & Nutrition
7:04 – Mindful vs. Mindless Exercise: Why It Matters
27:22 – Practical Shoulder Movement Principles & Demo
28:51 – How to Connect & Work With Coach Tyler
🤝 CONNECT WITH COACH TYLER:
WeShape Programs:
Website: WeShape.com/health-up (exclusive link for Health Up listeners)
Free 2-week trial available
Personalized movement assessment included
Live coaching calls, group programs & retreats
Follow on Social Media:
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook: @WeShape
About Health Up Podcast:
Health Up is a weekly podcast dedicated to empowering listeners with actionable insights on nutrition, lifestyle medicine, movement, and holistic wellbeing. Hosted by clinical nutritionist Anthony Hartcher, each episode features conversations with leading wellness experts