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Ep. 66: From Choiceless to Conscious How Breathwork Breaks Unconscious Patterns with Anthony Abbagnano
The Self Investment Project with Kathy Washburn | Emotional Wellness, Midlife Reinvention & Reclaiming Your Authentic Self
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Ep. 66 - From Choiceless to Conscious How Breathwork Breaks Unconscious Patterns with Anthony Abbagnano
2:03
Introduction and Guest Welcome
3:46
Discussing the Book: Outer Chaos Inner Calm
5:33
The Power of Storytelling and Personal History
12:27
Understanding Trauma and the Choiceless Mindset
16:29
The Importance of Breath and Spiritual Connection
28:45
Agency and Presence in Life
33:34
Practical Applications and Real-Life Examples
35:32
Inner Chaos to Outer Calm
35:55
The Power of Feminine Energy
37:44
Redirecting Energy with Intention
41:00
Understanding Resistance
46:13
The Two Chair Exercise
52:15
The Breath as a Tool for Mindfulness
57:16
A Life-Altering Realization
1:00:33
Breathwork and Community
The Self Investment Project with Kathy Washburn | Emotional Wellness, Midlife Reinvention & Reclaiming Your Authentic Self
Ep. 66: From Choiceless to Conscious How Breathwork Breaks Unconscious Patterns with Anthony Abbagnano
Jan 30, 2026
Season 4
Episode 66
Kathy Washburn
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What if each inhale is your first act of agency—and each exhale a rehearsal for letting go? Author and founder of Alchemy of Breath, Anthony Abbagnano, joins Kathy to show how breathwork shifts us from a choiceless, trauma-driven loop into creative, conscious choice. You’ll learn a simple “10-breath” practice for hot moments (at work or at home), why resistance is an informant not an enemy, and how presence turns outer chaos into inner calm.
In this episode, Kathy and Anthony discuss:
- Trauma, the amygdala, and the “choiceless mindset” (fight/flight/freeze)
- Breath as spiritual channel and daily, always-available regulation tool
- The 10-Breath practice for conflict: co-regulation, eye contact, and reset
- Agency vs. reactivity: reclaiming authorship and presence
- Resistance as data: dialoguing with it rather than battling it
- Practical rituals: beginning again after stillness; bringing breath into teams, relationships, and tough rooms
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