Ep. 15: Rewire Your Nervous System: Breathwork, Body Programming & the Path to Powerful Living

Welcome to the Embodied podcast! I’m Kathy Covington, and today I’m joined by Mark Worster, a Marine veteran, registered nurse, former tech CEO, and breathwork facilitator. Mark and I dive into how early-life “hidden vows” that form in those first seven years, when we’re like little sponges in a theta-like, hypnotic state, can shape the patterns that follow us through life. Mark shares his own story of believing he was unlovable, a belief that fueled his success but also led to repeated relationship struggles and even depression that didn’t respond to treatment.We talk about the difference between implicit (felt) memory and explicit memory, and how breathwork, or consciously working with our breath, can help us shift our nervous system and access what’s beneath the surface. Mark walks us through holotropic and rebirthing-style breathwork, the science behind it, like what happens to CO2 levels, the prefrontal cortex, and the limbic system, and why safety and knowing your limits are so important. He also shares simple tools for regulation, such as slowing your exhale or trying a “one-minute breath,” and we touch on why set and setting matter so much in psychedelic work. We wrap up with the reminder that each of us is whole, complete, and perfect, and we’ll let you know how to connect with both Mark and me.00:00 Science Meets Soul Intro00:55 Meet Mark Worster03:48 Hidden Vows Unlovable05:16 Why First Seven Years07:36 Ego Safety Patterns11:31 Implicit Memory Science14:31 Breathwork Defined15:51 Nervous System Breath20:15 Holotropic Origins23:57 Rebirthing Birth Imprints26:33 Breathwork Journey Story27:23 Physiology Altered States30:14 Beyond Separation Identity31:31 First Breathwork Session32:17 Letting Go and Dropping In33:58 Grief Release Story35:27 Safety and Contraindications36:47 Breathwork vs Psychedelics37:46 Breathwork for Pilates40:44 Parasympathetic Exhale Key41:45 Coherence and Breath Styles43:55 Dysregulated Nervous System46:21 One Minute Breath Reset48:13 Qero Healing Meets Medicine50:40 Psychedelics Set and Setting53:43 Apps and How to Find Mark55:58 Final Takeaway and Wrap UpAbout Today's GuestMark Worster is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former Inc. 500 tech CEO, and past President of EO Boston who now serves as a work-life coach, blending his business acumen with healthcare insights, breathwork, and plant medicine to help entrepreneurs conquer burnout and unlock radical joy.Connect with Mark WorcesterWebsite: https://www.nurse-mark.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficialnursemark/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markworster