Ep.65 Breathwork and Beyond: Elissa Davies on Turning Aviation Stress into Adventurous Living

Unlock the secrets of living a more vibrant and adventurous life with Elissa Davies, a certified breathwork instructor and special mission pilot. Experience her journey from the high-pressure world of aviation to discovering peace and purpose through the power of breathwork. Elissa takes us through her personal transformation, showing how simple breathing techniques can be a powerful tool for managing stress and boosting focus without the need for a yoga mat or rigid routine.

Together, Elissa and I explore the concept of type 2 fun—those thrilling yet challenging activities that become cherished memories. We challenge stereotypes around wellness practices and demonstrate how breathwork can be seamlessly integrated into daily life, offering accessibility and flexibility for anyone, anywhere.

We also highlight the importance of aligning personal values with lifestyle choices, discussing how balancing fun, adventure, and family priorities can help anchor us amidst life's pressures. Discover the transformative potential of nature's own free, portable solution to resetting your nervous system and learn to harness the power of your own breath...

https://www.elissadavies.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissadaviesbreathwork/

Elissa's free guided breathwork audio

Chapters

• 0:00 Change and Adventure With Elisa Davies
• 5:06 Exploring Adventure and Wellness Journeys
• 15:17 Breathwork Transformation and Teaching Opportunities
• 24:02 Prioritizing Balance and Well-Being
• 38:10 Customizing Work-Life Harmony
• 43:11 Adventure Plans and Breathwork Insights

Transcript

Elissa Davies: 0:00

I don't have to quit my job and move to Bali and become a breathwork teacher. I can work part-time and teach part-time and still have time to do the other stuff. It's just about looking at your own life as an individual and deciding like what are the building blocks that are going to work for you?

Zoe Greenhalf: 0:21

Hey there welcome, or welcome back to the Mischief Movement podcast. You hey there. Welcome or welcome back to the Mischief Movement podcast. I'm Zoe, your guide on this journey to shake up the status quo and design a life that truly makes you feel alive. If you've ever felt disconnected, stuck on autopilot or trapped in a life that feels more like a treadmill than an adventure, you're in the right place. I know that change can feel scary. You're in the right place. I know that change can feel scary, so let's turn down the fear and crank up the fierce as we transform your life from the inside out. Whether it's solo episodes packed with actionable advice or interviews with some absolute badass human beings who've dared to defy the norm by living life their way, we're here to inspire, activate, empower and challenge you each week. My mission is simple to help you reawaken your rebel spirit, break free from mediocrity and design a life that's anything but dull. You only get one wildlife, so what are you planning to do with yours? If you're ready to stop settling, start living boldly and create a positive impact along the way, let's dive in and stir up some mischief together. Now buckle up and let's go Hello, hello.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:37

So today we're diving into the art of breathing with Elissa Davies, a certified breathwork instructor who wants to help everyday folks like you and I find calm amidst the chaos. Elissa's journey took her from soaring the skies as a special mission pilot to exploring the depths of breathwork. She's faced high pressure situations at 30,000 feet and discovered that the key to staying grounded lies within our very breath. In this episode, Elissa and I chat about how reconnecting with your breath can be a game changer, offering practical tools to manage stress, boost focus and feel more centered, whether you're navigating the daily grind or just seeking a moment of peace. We also uncover her addiction to type 2 fun and outdoor adventures, the joy and variety to be found in creating a multi-passionate career, and why you don't need a yoga mat or a strict morning routine to be able to implement simple breathing techniques. Well, this week I am joined. I've got to say right now I feel like I feel the pressure by Elissa Davies.

Elissa Davies: 2:44

How was that Perfect? Amazing Nailed it. Yeah, yeah, 10 out of 10.

Zoe Greenhalf: 2:50

Oh, bless you. So, um, elisa, I was aware of you at Camp VC, but we didn't get a chance to really chat. Um, I'd love to ask you right now what your mischief is is.

Elissa Davies: 3:03

So I've been thinking about this today and my mischief is to always be pushing my comfort zone. I very rarely allow myself the peace of just doing things that feel easy and comfortable. I have a have a bit of a habit of searching and seeking out type two fun, those experiences that really well and truly scare me, sometimes when I'm doing them. But afterwards I just think, oh, that was the best. What's type two fun? So it's, you have three types of fun. You have type one which is feels fun whilst you're doing it and is like nice to reflect on, but it's kind of, it's not that exciting, it's very comfortable. You have type two which is feels scary in the moment, but when you reflect on it feels fun and enjoyable and memorable. And then you have type three which is feels scary when you do. It, feels scary reflecting on it, but it makes one hell of a story. So it's yeah, so it's that middle category that I would say. I'm a type two fun addict when it comes to my hobbies.

Zoe Greenhalf: 4:20

Amazing, and so what kind of things do you do then to obtain that fun?

Elissa Davies: 4:25

well, I guess it started when I was in my teens. I was into horse riding and show jumping and that certainly had like elements that were quite challenging and frightening especially as a.

Elissa Davies: 4:37

I think I was 11 when I started. I did that 11 till 15, but in in my early 30s, spin things like cold water swimming, which I know had a big boom during, um covid, but getting into that just before, doing sea swims in the middle of winter, which was, yeah, in most cases not very enjoyable until you get out and then you get hit with that post-cold water high. And things like surfing, which, again, certainly when you're a beginner with a lot of the things that I've done, yeah, that could definitely have its moments, but more recently it's been the motorcycling and specifically off-roading. That's the stuff that I really, uh, I enjoy the majority of the time, but I've definitely had some experiences where I just think what am I doing? Why am I doing this? Yeah, yeah, it's especially when it's really muddy, but, but afterwards I think, oh yeah, do you know, I learned a lot from that? Um.

Elissa Davies: 5:39

And climbing is the other one. Uh, yeah, I've got a bit of a collection of hobbies, but, um, yeah, lots of outdoor climbing, which I would say certainly, like 90% of the routes um, that I've done have felt, yeah, quite terrifying, certainly when we're doing either scrambles or like big multi-pitch where you're um climbing up a mountain, uh, then that, yeah, I've had some moments where I've uh had a mini meltdown and um sort of had to talk myself, talk myself back into uh getting up there again, because you have to sort of get to the, get to the end to be able to walk back down. So, um, but yeah, it's all, it's all good fun it's amazing, like I mean I, I hate climbing.

Zoe Greenhalf: 6:22

Uh, it doesn't, it doesn't. Oh, you know I I'm not ashamed to say that I find it, yeah like too too far out my comfort zone um but the biking stuff, that's pretty cool, for sure.

Elissa Davies: 6:34

I mean climbing. Well, before I met Ed, I had a real I mean, I would say I still do have a real fear of heights or falling, and when I met him I thought he's really into it, he's an instructor, and I thought, okay, I'll give it a go. You know, it was a good date that we did and, yeah, he just had a really good way of sort of helping me, rather than a lot of people see it as this like all or nothing approach. I think when they're doing stuff they're like they have to be sorry.

Elissa Davies: 7:01

I've just got this really bad image now of you guys on a date and him, like you, just like you know, just put your hand here definitely not as saucy as that, but he, he just kind of helped me break it down into these more manageable steps of like okay, you know, sometimes when we're going after our goals, we just see it as like the where we are now and the end result of where we want to be, and we kind of forget that we actually can take all these small steps in the middle.

Elissa Davies: 7:31

And that's how climbing became this like really enjoyable, uh, hobby activity like thing I would, you know, love to be able to do more often, from something that I actually thought climbers are weird people. I'm never going to do that like, why would I want to be climbing up a, climbing up a rock? Whereas now I think, oh, I can't wait to go to North Wales next year because, yeah, because it's just, it is epic, it's so epic. But but I can understand that for some people it is just that bit too far, or or it's just something they're not interested in. Um, but yeah, I do love it. It's, yeah, it is awesome.

Zoe Greenhalf: 8:13

I've had a little. You know, I've had a little nose. Yeah, you do, yeah, and um, obviously I know that you are a breathwork specialist, but I was really intrigued by a comment that you made where you said well, there were two actually. One of you said you don't need a yoga mat, so you're kind of wanting to dispel the myth that you need these kind of perfect conditions for breathwork. And the other one that you said was hi, I'm Elisa and I don't have a morning routine. And I thought, oh, you rebel.

Zoe Greenhalf: 8:47

There were so many people preaching the benefits of a morning routine, not only the benefits, but like if you're, if you don't have a morning routine, like you're doing life you're gonna fail. Yeah, exactly, exactly so you know, there's clearly a bit of a rebellious streak in you, I think yeah, the, the yoga mat with with breath work.

Elissa Davies: 9:08

It's something that I got into a few years ago as a result of being very stressed at work and having a degree of burnout and feeling very anxious and and it was this thing that really anchored me and helped me move through all of that, and so that's what I now do in my work with other people. But I think a lot of people see there are so many barriers to wellness or well-being, those barriers, but putting, I guess, giving people the awareness that you don't need to have a membership, um, access to an app, a yoga mat, a, you know, even a quiet space, like that's the great thing with breath work is ideally, if you can wear some headphones, if you, if you're in a noisy environment, but certainly like you can be in your car driving to work and do a degree of breath control and breath work. When I'm at work in the main office, I'll go and take myself off into a little room and sit on a regular chair, close my eyes and do some breathing for five minutes and that's enough for me to reset myself, to then go out into the rest of the day and whatever's going on. So, yeah, it's, I think a lot of people see a lot of stuff online. That's about all. You need to go to this yoga class or you need to go to this well being event, and I think, yeah, that stuff is great when you've got the opportunity and the time to do that.

Elissa Davies: 10:43

But for most people, I think, particularly at this time of year when everything is very, very busy, that actually having something like that's that's here within you, that you already have access to, that's free, that you can just tap into to give you a moment of grounding, is just such a great thing to have and and to remind people of. And then with the morning routine, I guess yeah, it's funny, yeah, you mentioning that, because I used to be a really big advocate for a morning routine and yeah, certainly, through like things like lockdown and when I was living on my own, having that thing to like get up in the morning, go through this very sort of set practice, to really like have me kind of in the zone before going to work, I did find was a really helpful thing to have. But I found personally, and I'm sure it's the same for other people, that actually I'm part time now and I'm sure it's the same for other people that actually I'm part-time now, so my I tend to fly for two weeks and then I have two weeks where I'm off doing the breathwork side of things, and so my days are so different. Like I'll have one day even in my flying week where I might be in work at 6 30, and then another one I'm in at 8, and then another one I'm in at seven, and and so having a fixed morning routine, as you sort of this sort of traditional format I guess you see people talk about, it, just doesn't necessarily work.

Elissa Davies: 12:12

And I find that I'm one of those people that if I I'll say to myself I'm going to do it, I'm going to do this every single day, and then it will happen like two days in a row and then it stops. And I find that kind of certainly for me that all or nothing approach and the lack of flexibility, it just doesn't work. So I tend to sort of work on OK, I have, like I guess, a couple of non-negotiables in my morning routine, as I get up and make a cup of tea for Ed and bring it in, and then, depending on time, I might go and make a cup of tea for Ed and bring it in um, and then, depending on time, I might go and sit and do some breath work. If not, I'll save that until I have a break at work, um. But yeah, I just tend to sort of have a few things. I'm like okay, as long as I do this today, that's fine.

Elissa Davies: 12:59

You know, if it all fits into the morning, awesome, because I think morning routines do have a lot of uh, a lot of uh power for how they set you up mentally and physically. But also, you know, if you've got kids. Um, a few people that I work with have have kids. So they're like as soon as they're up, they're like straight into that, and actually their morning doesn't begin until nine o'clock where they sit down at their desk. So you know to say to someone like that oh, you have to get up half an hour earlier, like I would never tell someone to sacrifice their sleep because that is the most important thing before everything else no.

Zoe Greenhalf: 13:33

I think that's a really good point about having the non-negotiables and rather than saying it has to happen at this time, every single day which I'm sure can really work for some people.

Zoe Greenhalf: 13:46

But if that's not you and that doesn't suit your lifestyle, it's a lot easier on yourself to be able to say as long as these things happen during the day or even during the week, I must dedicate a little bit of time to this thing. Then that can still kind of set you up for the kind of day or the kind of week that you want to have yeah, it's just finding those like the the thing.

Elissa Davies: 14:11

Certainly, I mean obviously my, my non-negotiable is breath work. But, um, so when I talk to clients about, okay, how can you feed breath work into your day, we talk about creating these air pockets of calm. So when you're in those like transitional moments in your day whether it's you're about to go for lunch, having been at your desk, or you've come back from a walk, or you're finishing work at the end of the day and you're about to close your laptop screen before you then go and pick up the kids it's like using those transitional moments to sit and do do the thing, whether it's breath work or a bit of journaling or just some like just sitting in stillness for a few minutes you know, or going for a walk.

Elissa Davies: 14:53

Whatever it is, using that that time to create the space rather than this. Oh, it has to be. I need to allow myself like 30 minutes to um to do all this stuff in the morning, because, yeah, sometimes it just doesn't work yeah, so how um did you get into the breath work, because I can see that you're super passionate about it so it's kind of giving you some background on my career.

Elissa Davies: 15:17

So I um became a pilot when I was 22, a commercial pilot when I was 22, a commercial pilot when I was 22. And I've been in the same company for 13 and a half years now, which I just still kind of blows my mind, but it's a very can be quite a high pressure job. It's not we don't fly passengers, we do training with the military. So it is subtly different, but it's yeah. It just requires a lot of thinking, a lot of critical decision making and yeah, for years I kind of just, I guess, ticked along as many people do. And then I had a big sort of life shake up after I turned 30, led to me relocating to the south coast and sort of went through this period of, I guess, rediscovering myself, but also that was just before lockdown happened. So I kind of went through, I guess work was, I think I'd sort of been building to this breaking point, I suppose. But COVID kind of gave me this like breather where everything was just we were still flying, but it, but not as often, and then it was coming back. From that I had a period of three or four months towards sort of from, yeah, september through to December. That was just really busy with flying, going, going overseas a lot, which is something we do, but not as often as I was doing. At this time I think I'd had like six weeks away over a three-month period and was feeling homesick and just really anxious. And up till this point I'd sort of never thought of myself, as always been very sort of chilled out and easygoing. But yeah, just got to Christmas and thought, oh, I can't, I just can't deal with this anymore.

Elissa Davies: 17:14

And and it was at that point that I then, um, discovered this app, this breathwork app, and up till then I'd done tried mindfulness, but found it very difficult. I mean, the whole point of it is it's a focus practice and, and it is a practice, it's not something that you know how to do straight away, but it just didn't really like connect with me on on a deeper level. I just, yeah, didn't sort of find any enjoyment from doing it, uh, and then I started using this, this breathwear cap, and was like, oh my God, where, how, how have I only just discovered this stuff? It really like I just felt so physically connected to myself, like in my core, and so grounded, and yeah, it just. It was like the one thing where I could just it it just as soon as I started listening to the guidance and the music, it was like someone just cranked the volume down on my thoughts, because I find I have a very, very busy mind and yeah, this was just, and I think just having that and when I this is what I noticed when I teach um people for the first time is just how quickly you feel the physical benefits and the mental benefits too.

Elissa Davies: 18:30

But from doing a breathing practice, within 30 seconds you can start to to change your mental state. So yeah, it was. Yeah, it's powerful stuff and it and it's so simple as well. Um, but yeah, it was get, I got into that. I was practicing probably three or four times a day, so maybe a little bit to the point of obsession, but but I found it. It just made me feel like myself again.

Elissa Davies: 19:00

Um, and then, yeah, just after doing I don't know if it's about a year a a year or so after doing that, having a regular practice and reading books about it and starting to get a bit more curious about the science behind breath work and that kind of stuff that I then had an opportunity to go and do teacher training with a French guy who's based in London, with a French guy who's based in London, and, yeah, again, that was just a really fun, enjoyable experience, learning a lot more than I actually sort of use day to day, but just exploring different techniques and styles and approaches and the sort of limitless benefits and applications of it. And and that's what then shifted me into sort of looking at okay, how can I give this to other people? Because I found it such a a life-changing, beneficial tool to have, yeah, that I want to be able to offer that to other people as well.

Zoe Greenhalf: 20:07

In case you haven't heard, you can now purchase Mischief Movement merch. It's all done through Teemill, a UK print-on-demand platform offering global delivery, organic cotton and production powered by renewable energy. Not only can you now tell everyone you are a true mischief maker, but if you feel inspired to create your own t-shirts, stickers or mugs, you could also give Teemilll a try, because it's a great way to experiment your ideas and take fast action with low risk. You'll find the links in the show notes, so write yourself a little reminder for later. And let's get back to the episode. That's incredible, um, and have you managed that? Have you found ways to then be able to share that knowledge with people and and help them sort of achieve some kind of transformation through breathwork?

Elissa Davies: 21:06

yeah, so well, Camp VC, which is where we met, was the first place I went to to do like an in-person um sort of set of workshops. So up till that point, uh, I used to be part of a cold water, a women's cold water swimming group with a friend and and would, before we got in the sea, we would sit in and guide through uh, like five, five minutes of breath work. So that was kind of the very first point. But, yeah, going to camp vc and um, yeah, running these workshops to help people learn different techniques that they could apply in the sort of the theme of facing your fears and and helping you like deal with pressure and things like that, which was an amazing experience to be able to teach people face to face and see people walk away with something that they might never come back to again.

Elissa Davies: 21:59

But but, even if there's just a few, that it makes a difference. You know it's, it's, it was worthwhile. But, yeah, otherwise, mainly working in the corporate space, so running workshops with businesses to help them give their staff something that's very practical and tangible and that they can use, whether it's just they're getting 60 minutes of time for themselves to listen to me guide them through breath work or the stuff that goes beyond that, that they can then take out into their day to day experiences. Just to give people those tools so that they can create a little out of office moment without actually having to go out of office or, you know, waiting for that, that elusive holiday, to come along.

Zoe Greenhalf: 22:47

Yeah, for sure, and I can't, I don't feel like I can even have you on without asking you.

Elissa Davies: 22:53

You know, if there's just just one breathing technique that people can learn, yeah, I mean the simplest thing to do is is to just follow your breath, so taking a moment to either close your eyes or not and just follow the breath as it comes in through your nose down into your lungs and back again. But in terms of the one technique which is my favourite technique and probably the one most people have heard of, is box breathing. So you're just working on. It's a box in that you're taking an inhale, you're holding at the top, you're taking an inhale, you're holding at the top, you're taking an exhale and then holding at the bottom. So normally you would breathe in for a count of four, hold for a count of four, breathe out for a count of four and then hold it for a count of four and doing that practice for ideally five minutes. But to be honest, even if you're just doing it for two minutes, it's um, it's really good at helping, like, fully balance your nervous system between the fight and fight or flight side and the rest and relax and just creating a real sense of control and focus between the holds. It's yeah, it's the.

Elissa Davies: 24:02

This is sort of the universal one that I teach pretty much every single person. I don't think there's anyone I wouldn't teach it to because it's so effective. Whether you're looking to get focused before you go into something or whether you're feeling really overwhelmed, it can help you on both sides of that spectrum. So, yeah, box breathing and I can send. You've got a? Um, a little free download recording for people to uh, yeah, have a practice if you don't want to, um sort of self-guide, but um, oh, brilliant.

Zoe Greenhalf: 24:36

I can maybe link that in the show notes yeah, yeah sure, amazing. Um, so when was the last time that you used that technique or another technique? I know you just told me that you'd be breath-wrecked every day, but I mean not as a practice, but more as a. I feel really stressed or really anxious right now and I need it.

Elissa Davies: 24:59

I'm trying to think back to. I feel like I've had such a busy week. Such a busy week I definitely did some when I was heading to go and do something on Thursday to do another talk that I was feeling not anxious for, but just I was on the train and traveling always finds quite hectic, and so, yeah, just whilst I was on my way up from Bournemouth to Leeds, I just took five minutes to close my eyes and just go through some box, breathing to help, even though I was kind of feeling pretty OK and certainly not, you know, not in a state of overwhelm or anything like that, but just creating a pause and some space and silence in my mind just for a few minutes. And it's just such a nice feeling afterwards and certainly before bed. It's definitely a thing I do regularly again, because it just helps kind of tell my mind it's time to wind down for the evening so I can chill out again down for the evening so I can chill out again.

Zoe Greenhalf: 26:09

It's interesting what you were saying about the kind of well-being space feeling a bit sort of um, I would say. Sometimes it feels a bit intimidating like there's all these people with all these techniques and it feels a bit fancy at times. Um, I can understand why for some people that they're be a bit skeptical or apprehensive about entering into, well, anything really. But what would you say to somebody who's like my breath work, you know what? What? What could that actually do for me?

Elissa Davies: 26:38

you've got to try it.

Elissa Davies: 26:39

I think, yeah, I can totally understand like there's so much rhetoric out there about all these weird and wild and wonderful.

Elissa Davies: 26:47

You on a physical level, with your nervous system, your parasympathetic and your sympathetic that just from, even if you sort of sit and take a moment to think about.

Elissa Davies: 27:17

Okay, when I was feeling really calm, what was my breathing like? When I was feeling really anxious or something really scary just happened to me, what was my breathing like when I was feeling really anxious, or something really scary just happened to me. What was my breathing like? And you'll notice, even between those two points, that in one case your breathing would have been very slow and deep and in the other it would have been very fast and shallow, and that's the way your breathing and your nervous system interact with each other. So I would say, just try one minute of some kind of breath control, breath work, whether it is a particular technique like box breathing, or just as simple as breathing in for a count of four or five and breathing out for a count of four or five, and just taking a brief moment at the start and the end to notice how you feel yeah because it like the, the feeling and and and the impact, the benefits that certainly I find them from the people I've worked with.

Elissa Davies: 28:18

It's so tangible that it's very hard to be skeptical with it. But but I can understand. There are certain techniques and, um, there's a style called conscious connected breathing, which is where you're doing a form of sighing for a prolonged period of time that it does have a very tangible effect on your body and you'll get something called tetany, which is like pins and needles in your fingers, but that's more of like. Uh, people tend to use that as a kind of like emotional release technique to help with emotional release, whereas the stuff I work on is more something you would use in a in a short space of time, rather than, say, like, lying down for half an hour.

Elissa Davies: 28:59

So, yeah, I think, as with all these things, it's about giving it a go and then finding what works for you, because there are certain styles that I don't mind, but I'm like, I'm not that bothered about it, but I know I can get the same effect with a different technique that actually I enjoy using more. So, yeah, but I think, being open minded and giving it a go and and yeah, if you are curious, then educating yourself. There's some really interesting books out there and certainly podcasts and even going to a um you can go to. I don't host uh sort of group breathwork classes, but there are people that do to just um. Yeah, just notice how it works.

Zoe Greenhalf: 29:44

Is is yes, there's sort of my, my advice really yeah, um, and thinking about the fact that you've got this flying career, you've got the breath work, you do climbing, you, you're doing this off-road motorbiking as well like, how are you finding it being able to carve out the time to do all those things? Um, is it difficult? Is it easy? Are you being intentional about it? How's it all working out?

Elissa Davies: 30:12

it's it well, I would say it kind of goes through phases, it it's got easier. So I went part-time I'm just coming up to two years now, so going from 100 flying to 50 so that I could focus more time on myself, the things that I enjoy, and my business is part of that. So I know that's obviously a that is a very privileged thing to be able to have that time to open up. But it's, I think, for me because those things, the things like the breath work and the climbing and the motorbikes they're such an important part of what makes me feel content and fun, is such a a core value for me that I find it quite easy to prioritize those things, because that that is what makes me.

Elissa Davies: 31:06

If I, if I notice I'm maybe not feeling great, I'll have a reflection on, okay, how much fun have I actually had recently. And if I look and go, oh, not that much, I'm like that's why, and it because that's just the way, the way my sort of brain and body works is. I need to have those, um, those, yeah, that that time in my diary. But it comes with practice, I think, and a bit of discipline and boundaries to get it to all fit in together. Because, yeah, I mean certainly, if I've been working from home doing breathwork-based business stuff, I have found myself on the odd occasion realizing at the end of the day that I haven't actually been outside and I'm like oh my god, which is you know.

Elissa Davies: 31:51

I would never advocate that for anyone but that's what happens.

Zoe Greenhalf: 31:54

When you just genuinely really love something, yeah, you kind of get sucked in you do, yeah.

Elissa Davies: 31:58

So I have to consciously like set reminders on my phone to to force myself to get up and go outside, because I know that I feel, even though I could do a whole day sitting down and and feel fine, but if I was doing that for six days or whatever in a row I wouldn't. So I know that having those taking the time out to go and get some fresh air and and stuff like that, um, yeah, it's definitely worthwhile having. But I think with all, with all these things, it's you kind of you. You learn as you go whether you'll get. You know how that balance is, whether you've maybe I mean I've definitely had weeks where I've probably prioritized the fun a bit too much over other things and I'm like, okay, can't have fun all the time. I know I wish I could, but, um, I wish I could ride motorbikes off-road every single day, but yeah, I've got to earn money at the same time.

Elissa Davies: 32:51

Yeah, of course, oh yeah, always a work in progress yeah, but no, it's.

Zoe Greenhalf: 32:57

It's so lovely to hear that you, you know, have at least found a way to be able to do all of those things, because I think that's where a lot of people fall down. It's that sense of well, I would love to do this, but I just don't have the time and that's it, and so I can't do it. And, yeah, I think I'm sad about that yeah, I think it's people get.

Elissa Davies: 33:17

You know we were talking about earlier. I think people like you were saying they put themselves into this box and they create these restrictions on themselves based on a set of rules that maybe they got from parents or educators or their friends. That's like, oh well, I have to, because I started this thing, I have to stay in this thing. And I was that person like when I I got into my career of flying straight out of school and I remember when I moved down to the south coast and when I was thinking about going part-time, even though part of it was for my mental health. I remember having a conversation with my parents and getting really upset because I felt like I was going to be disappointing them by going 50%, because they'd supported me so much and I know they were so proud of me and what I was doing and they just said to me they were like Elisa, we just want you to be happy and you know, taking that step to to go for flexible working, to put my time and energy and to put myself out there teaching breath work, like at the time felt super scary and I was like I know I've got the, the, the support of my, my flying job, to to help me out financially. But certainly, like in the six to 12 months leading up to it, I was like, oh God, this feels scary, am I? You know? Is this, this, the right decision? Am I going to change my mind in six months time? Am I going to find it really hard? And you just get to that point where you you just have to go for it and trust that you'll figure stuff out as you go and that you can.

Elissa Davies: 34:53

I think that's, um, something I'd sort of credit myself with as a as a skill is, if I put my mind to something and say I'm going to do it, then it happens, yeah, and and it sometimes the timeline varies, but generally it's like we're off, let's go. You know the bus is leaving. Are you coming with me? Um, and I think that definitely helps. Yeah, when it comes to making big changes, um, I just sort of, yeah, trust that. I'm like, okay, this is where we're going, we'll work it out. If we need to change the plan, we'll change the plan. But yeah, but you know this is I'm going to give this a go, because if I don't, you know who knows?

Zoe Greenhalf: 35:35

I love that because I mean, you made a really good point there. How often do we hold ourselves back, not even because of our own fear. It's more in the stories that we tell ourselves about disappointing other people or that we've already invested so much money in this other career. How could we possibly let that go? But I think there comes a point where you have to say is this genuinely making me happy? And what I love about you know what you've done is you haven't taken the leap and left yourself nothing yeah, you've done it.

Zoe Greenhalf: 36:11

You've done it carefully. Um, yeah, and you know, that's not to say that you don't like flying, it's just to say I like flying and I also like this too, and that's okay. Um, so I'm not even going to ask you whether you just whether you want to continue with one or the other, because you know, as far as I'm concerned, we can have these, these multi-skilled careers and lives, and they can all sort of blend together and that's absolutely fine, and I think, actually, we're probably going to see more and more of that happening as we let go of this older style of living where it's one job for life yeah, I think there's this real and I see this in some people of certain generations that, yeah, that you talk to that, there's this expectation that you have to, like, get into your career in your early 20s and that's the thing you do for the next 40 years.

Elissa Davies: 37:07

You know retirement age is only getting getting older and I really think you know, when you subscribe to that view, you are limiting yourself and and yes, it does that it does give you a degree of comfort, knowing, you know you've always, you've always got this thing, you, you, the likelihood is you'll be very, very good at what you do by the time you're in your um, you know, as you get towards retirement. But actually you're sort of cutting off all these other options. If, um, there's a book I read, uh, when I was in a book club a couple of years ago, called I think it was called the multi-hyphen method yes and yeah which I just thought was such something I'd never considered because I always thought I'm going to be a career pilot, like this is me for life, and then suddenly it was like, actually I don't have to be you know, we talked quite a bit about this like all or nothing, I don't have to quit my job and move to Bali and become a breathwork teacher. I can work part-time and teach part-time and still have time to do the other stuff. I think it's it's just about looking at your own life as an individual and deciding, like, what are the building blocks that are going to work for you?

Elissa Davies: 38:19

And and you know, I've got a mortgage, so taking like I'm in a certain position where there are certain financial risks I can't take and and personally I wouldn't want to take them either. So I've I've adjusted my approach to work for me, whereas for other people they might be in a position where they can quit everything and go and live in a van and travel or move overseas. And there might be someone else who actually they need to stay full time but they're gonna carve out an hour here or there in the evenings to to sort of move into something that they're interested in. I think it's just about finding an approach that works for you and coming back to your own like personal values and rather than getting sort of distracted by what everyone else is doing. But it is hard, you know it's. It's yeah when people say to you like, yeah, you can quit your job and work remotely and not have to worry about all these things. You're like, yeah, but maybe, maybe I can't.

Zoe Greenhalf: 39:19

That's just a bit a step too far for me, you know yeah, yeah, totally, and and I think that's that's such an important point to raise it's it's what works for us at the end of the day and there isn't one, one model. Um no, and you know when you can start to approach life with that sense of it has to work for me in terms of earning the money but balancing that with having the fun um.

Zoe Greenhalf: 39:48

I think if you, if you're willing to go there, it's a total game changer. It changes your life. But I know that for a lot of people it's a really scary thing to do. But, um, I love that one of your values is fun, because it's one of mine as well. What? What are your other values?

Elissa Davies: 40:04

oh, I mean they. I find they've they've definitely changed over the last few years. I found that um fun adventure. They're kind of very core things, but family has definitely become something that um. I've always lived quite far from my family with um work, but in the last few years, uh, although they're thinking about moving again now but my parents are only a couple of roads away and so it's nice to spend more time with them and and with Ed's family as well. That's um become a big part of it, but yeah, it's, it's. I like to keep it quite simple, um to not over complicate things, but yeah, definitely fun always and family, yeah, those are. Those are the two really that just like anchor me the most. I think I love that.

Zoe Greenhalf: 40:53

I have absolutely loved chatting to you about all things breathwork and creating a life that really lights you up um but before I wrap up, what do you think would be your, your one sort of takeaway or one message that you would love to leave the listeners with, if you could only leave them with one sort of thought?

Elissa Davies: 41:16

I think because I'm such a comfort zone pusher, I would say try and do something that feels a little bit uncomfortable. I think it's very easy to stay within the zone of the known and actually there can be some very exciting things that happen when you just explore. You know, I'm not saying go into the full, on far end of the comfort zone where you were, where you're sort of pushing from into your panic place of panic. But but yeah, just trying something new or doing something that maybe you've been telling yourself that you couldn't do, and just say, okay, well, why, why am I saying these things to myself, like what is the barrier there? And maybe I can just move past that and give it a go and see what happens, rather than kind of telling myself before I've even started that I that I can't do this thing. But yeah, just I guess two things yeah, push, push your comfort zone just a little bit, just see what happens and have more fun yes, absolutely advocate the fun yeah, because it's just so important.

Elissa Davies: 42:29

I feel like life can get very serious and yes, yes, and actually just taking a moment to go and run into the sea or to go out into the woods and have a little play, you know, just just bringing in more fun, really, um, because that's what makes us happy and it brings us into the, into the present moment, which is always a good place have you got any fun things lined up for 2025?

Elissa Davies: 42:56

oh yes, um, I'm going to Adventure Bike Rider Festival, which is up at Ragley Hall, if you know oh yes, my neck of the woods, warwickshire yeah and so I went for the first time this year.

Elissa Davies: 43:11

It's a huge. I think they have like 15,000 people. It's a massive um off-road adventure bike festival and they have a 40 kilometer off-road trail that you can go on, which I did this year. But I was super nervous and it's you get a lot of men on big adventure bikes feels very intimidating and I'd only had my license for about my big license for about four months.

Elissa Davies: 43:39

But I'm going back next June, yeah, to do. I'm not teaching there, unfortunately, but I will be riding um. So that's what I'm looking forward to, because it's just going to be. I've got four days, four days there and I'm just going to absolutely rinse the off-road trail and I'm hoping by that point I'm not hoping, I know I'll be moreroad trail and I'm hoping by that point I'm not hoping, I know I'll be much more confident because I've been practicing and, yeah, I know, by that point I'll feel a lot more sort of comfortable and happy. You know, if people want to blast past me, that's fine, but yeah, that is my highlight, I think, at the moment. But, yeah, some other exciting, exciting. There'll definitely be some climbing trips, um, maybe going to Spain for a bit of climbing.

Zoe Greenhalf: 44:25

So yeah, climbing and bikes, that's the two things do you think you're going to be doing any of the festivals next year?

Elissa Davies: 44:32

um, I don't know, I don't know it's, it's my uh boyfriend's 40th next year. So we want to focus our time. We're definitely doing that festival, but we want to focus our time on maybe going to the Pyrenees or some or the Alps or something on the bikes.

Elissa Davies: 44:48

So I think it just depends on the timing yeah but yeah, I mean I'd love to do, I'd love to go and teach at some festivals. I need to have a bit of a um, a sift through to see the ones that uh sort of align with what I want to do the most. But yeah, always happy to take recommendations if there's ones you're like you must do this, yeah, yeah. So we'll see, we'll see. But yeah, 2025 is, I feel like it's going to be an exciting year, lots of yeah, lots of adventure planned fantastic.

Zoe Greenhalf: 45:16

I love to hear about like adventure plans and stuff, yeah, so where can people find out more about you and your breathwork?

Elissa Davies: 45:23

so LinkedIn is my number one place, uh, if you search my name, uh, or if, yeah, if it's in the in the podcast notes, yeah, yeah, that's that's where I like to hang out, because I just find it's a nice chilled out place to be. So, yeah, linkedin, feel free to drop me a follow or a connection and we can chat. I've got a website and then I am on Instagram but I find, yeah, I tend to kind of dip in and out there just because I have to really be precious about where I spend my time, and it's a very easy place to get lost. So, yeah, but I am there, so you might not see very much activity, but I'm sort of lingering in the background.

Elissa Davies: 46:04

So you're a lurker yeah, I used to be a LinkedIn lurker, but now I'm an Instagram lurker yeah oh at least it's been amazing.

Zoe Greenhalf: 46:15

thank you so much yeah likewise. I hope I get to catch up with you in 2025 at some event or another.

Elissa Davies: 46:23

Yeah, well, definitely, yeah, I mean I'm in Bournemouth, but yeah, let me know where you're going to be and I'm sure we can find a little get together of some kind.

Zoe Greenhalf: 46:33

But yeah exciting.

Elissa Davies: 46:34

No thanks for having me, it's been great.

Zoe Greenhalf: 46:37

So, just before we go, here is my little rebellious roundup of the main points. Number one did you know there were three types of fun? Type one is enjoyable and comfortable whilst doing it, but not that exciting. Type two is scary in the moment, but fun and memorable reflecting back on it. And type three is scary at the time and still scary when you look back on it, but it does make for a great story.

Zoe Greenhalf: 46:57

Number two you don't have to approach life with an all-or-nothing approach. Break the big goals into smaller steps that feel manageable. Three you don't have to have a yoga mat or absolute silence to do breath work. It's more about intentionally creating a pause in your day or using those transitional moments between tasks. So don't wait for the perfect conditions to start. You can even try it in your car.

Zoe Greenhalf: 47:20

Four rather than stress yourself over creating the perfect morning routine, an alternative approach could be to have a few non-negotiables, for example, incorporating some movement, weekly meditations or daily journaling. You decide what will work for you and then decide how to integrate those things into your day, week or month. Five you may have tried breathwork or mindfulness or meditation in the past and felt like it didn't work, but there are lots of styles, new apps and techniques to experiment with, so don't be afraid to try again and do it differently. Six box breathing can really help you when you want to regulate your nervous system. Remember, as little as five minutes can help to diffuse stress and overwhelm, and the technique is to breathe in for a count of four seconds, hold for four seconds, breathe out for four and hold for four, and then repeat for as long as you need. Seven if you notice you're not feeling your usual self, ask yourself if you've been making time for the things, people and places that you find fun, because unless we prioritise fun, it does tend to slip off the to-do list.

Zoe Greenhalf: 48:23

Eight trust that if you want to get somewhere, achieve something or make changes in your life, you can figure it out. Everyone is figuring out life as they go along and you are just as capable as the next person. So trust yourself. Number nine it's okay to make adjustments to your life or career to accommodate alternative ideas or incorporate your passions. You could explore going part-time or pivoting completely, but if you feel the nudge to try doing things differently, go for it. You have the power to choose your career path.

Zoe Greenhalf: 48:56

And number 10, try to leave the zone of the known. I've never heard it put like that before, but I love it. Comfort zones are great for building confidence and skills, but if you stretch yourself, that's where you'll experience more growth. That's a wrap on another episode of the Mischief Movement podcast. If today's content stirred something in you, let's keep in touch on Instagram or connect with me on LinkedIn. You can even click the link in the show notes to sign up to my Mischief Mail newsletter, where you'll get exclusive insights on upcoming episodes and your chance to submit questions to future guests. But shh, don't tell anyone, it's our secret. For more info on ways to work with me and some fun free resources, check out the website themischiefmovementcom. Until next time, stay bold, stay rebellious and, of course, keep making mischief. Thank you.