Why Loss Lives in Your Body (and How to Release It) | Kurtis Lee Thomas | EP 491 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 11, 2026 · 1H 2M

Why Loss Lives in Your Body (and How to Release It) | Kurtis Lee Thomas | EP 491

from Grief 2 Growth · host Brian D. Smith

We tend to think of grief as something we feel — a heaviness in the heart, a fog in the mind. But what if grief is also something we store, physically, in the body? And what if the breath you take without thinking could be the very thing that sets it free?In this episode, I talk with Kurtis Lee Thomas — the "Man from the Stars" — about a path to healing that didn't begin in a wellness studio, but in suffering. A five-year stomach condition no doctor could diagnose. The loss of his brother to gun violence. A 2 a.m. encounter with a medium at a gas station that cracked his worldview wide open.What Kurtis found on the other side of that pain is a practice he calls humanity's original medicine. We explore why talk therapy can only reach so far, what actually happens when the breath quiets the mind's inner critic, and why grief in particular responds to this work like almost nothing else.If you've done all the "right" things and still feel something stuck inside you, this conversation offers a different doorway — and a lot of hope.About Kurtis Lee ThomasKurtis Lee Thomas is the founder of the global wellness movement Breathwork Detox and Chairman of the Just Breathe Foundation, which has partnered with Nike, NASA, and others to bring mental health solutions to those who need them most. A #1 best-selling author and corporate mindfulness trainer, his work has been featured on the Today Show and Bloomberg, and he was voted the #1 employee well-being provider of 2023. He's the author of Breathwork Detox: How to Thrive in the Age of Anxiety and The World Is Yours: The Secrets Behind The Secret.Connect with Kurtis:Website: https://breathworkdetox.com Instagram: @manfromthestars Foundation: https://justbreathe.org Books: Breathwork Detox: How to Thrive in the Age of Anxiety and The World Is Yours: The Secrets Behind The SecretWhat We CoverWhy grief lives in the body — and the specific place the emotion of loss gets storedWhat really happens in a breathwork session, and why roughly 60% of people end up cryingThe mystery illness that no test could explain — and what finally moved itThe science of "transient hypofrontality": how breath quiets the inner critic and opens up clarityWhy breathwork has no barriers to entry, unlike meditation and yogaThe TED Talk that got banned for calling breathwork "the original medicine"Starseeds, light workers, and the sense that something is shifting in our worldLetting go to let in: the airplane-runway secret behind grief, manifesting, and freedomLet's Continue the ConversationWhat resonated with you in this episode? Have you ever felt grief show up in your body — in your chest, your shoulders, your gut? I'd love to hear your experience.Head over to the article for this episode at https://grief2growth.substack.com, where you can comment and connect with me and other listeners.If you're wondering where you are in your own grief, take the free Grief Check-In at https://grief2growth.com/check-in — it's not a test, just a gentle way to understand how grief is showing up for you right now.You've been listening. You're doing the work. But there's still this feeling that you're circling the same place.Maybe you've thought about working with me one-on-one. Maybe something's held you back. I get that. And I want you to know there's still a place for you.All of it, pay what you want. You decide what it's worth. Nobody gets turned away because of money.https://grief2g The International Association for Near-Death Studies or IANDS will host its annual conference at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue.  The event features an all-star lineup of keynotes like Proof of Heaven Author Eben Alexander, MD, and Dying to Be Me Author Anita Moorjani. I Early bird registration rates are available through July 15. Visit IANDS.org to register The International Association for Near-Death Studies or IANDS will host its annual conference at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue.  The event features an all-star lineup of keynotes like Proof of Heaven Author Eben Alexander, MD, and Dying to Be Me Author Anita Moorjani. I Early bird registration rates are available through July 15.  Visit IANDS.org to register Want to go deeper? My Substack is where I share solo essays on grief, consciousness, and continuing bonds — thoughts that don't always make it into the podcast. It's also home to a community of listeners who get it, because they're living it too. Free to subscribe. Find it at substack.com/grief2growth.Support the show🧑🏿‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Join me on Substack- connect with others and me 👛 Subscribe to Grief 2 Growth Premium (bonus episodes)📰 Get A Free Gift📅 Book A Complimentary Discovery Call📈 Leave A ReviewThanks so much for your support

We tend to think of grief as something we feel — a heaviness in the heart, a fog in the mind. But what if grief is also something we store, physically, in the body? And what if the breath you take without thinking could be the very thing that sets it free? In this episode, I talk with Kurtis Lee Thomas — the "Man from the Stars" — about a path to healing that didn't begin in a wellness studio, but in suffering. A five-year stomach condition no doctor could diagnose. The loss of his brother to...

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Why Loss Lives in Your Body (and How to Release It) | Kurtis Lee Thomas | EP 491

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This episode was published on June 11, 2026.

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We tend to think of grief as something we feel — a heaviness in the heart, a fog in the mind. But what if grief is also something we store, physically, in the body? And what if the breath you take without thinking could be the very thing that sets...

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