Our story (and how it can influence yours for the better)
Breathe was born from burnout. Mine.
Hi, my name is Jacqui.
Health and wellbeing are two of our greatest assets. But what happens when stress robs us of both and starts to negatively impact our sense of self, relationships and our work?
Two years ago that was me. Burnout consumed me slowly and at the time I didn’t even have the words, or the knowledge, to accurately describe or understand what I was going through. Insomnia, weight loss, constant fatigue, irritability, a lack of efficacy, and a hacking cough that wouldn’t leave me. That was how me and my stress showed up.
Fast forward to today and I’ve relearned a whole new way of being. A holistic approach to overall health integrating exercise, nutrition, sleep, connection and mindset. Mindfulness has underpinned my journey and helped to empower my choices, improve my relationships, build my resilience, and reinstate my vitality for life.
It hasn’t been easy. Change never is. And it takes time. It also takes a huge support crew in your corner – the right support crew.
The impact of burnout on the global economy is estimated to cost £255 billion each year (World Economic Forum) but burnout IS preventable. Join our like-minded resilience community to recognise your proximity to burnout, mitigate the impacts of stress, and learn how to respond skilfully and mindfully to life’s challenges.
We premise everything we do around the values of empathy, empowerment, respect, and community. Allow us to be your support crew and get you back to living your best life!
Welcome to Breathe.
Jacqui Edmiston
Founder
Find your inner camel, live your inner calm
Camels symbolise in a humpy, resourceful and sometimes surprising nutshell, what we at Breathe are all about. Resilience.
Physically and mentally camels are some of the most resilient animals on the planet, and so are humans. They sometimes just need a little support in finding the resilience needed for life’s inevitable challenges. That’s why Breathe exists and why you’ll hear us regularly bringing things back to the humble camel.
Take the camel’s hump...
Contrary to popular misconception, their humps don’t store water but fat - which they draw upon as a source of energy when no other food sources are available. The iconic hump then, serves as both a sign of the importance of the right nutrition in building resilience, a reminder of the myths we tell ourselves, and the importance of reframing that inner dialogue if we are to achieve overall mental fitness.
We’re not suggesting you need to learn to drink 40 gallons of water in one go, but we are saying that when it comes to building up the mental and physical reserves needed to not only survive, but thrive, through difficult times, then a camel’s hump is as good a metaphor as any mountain.
And breathe…
As our name suggests, breathing is a core part of what we teach. It is the foundation of mindfulness and where our journey towards resilience begins. It turns out that camels breathe a bit differently too. Their nostrils close between every two breaths to prevent sand and dust entering their noses. It is a core part of what enables them to survive the harsh environment they inhabit. You can see where we’re going…
Born to move
Camels roam the desert for days on end and can run at speeds of up to 40 miles an hour. They are champions for movement and are especially adapted to do so because their two toes spread when they touch the ground preventing them from sinking. They are a lesson in how to keep your head above the sand. The camel can become your life raft for those moments when you feel like you are drowning.
Sleep and Social Support
Camels sleep for up to six hours a night and are known to provide warmth to humans by leaning towards them when they sleep. As such, they demonstrate the importance of sleep and of connection.
As intelligent and emotional animals (even more so than horses), they form close bonds with each other - often roaming the desert with up to 30 other camels - and with humans. And despite their reputation for ‘spitting’, this is a form of self defence in otherwise peaceful creatures who rarely exhibit aggression. They are, in mindset, an oasis of calm.
So while finding your inner camel may not have meant much until now, we believe it could become the most meaningful thing you ever do for yourself (and for those around you).
#findyourinnercamel #liveyourinnercalm
Our Resilience Coaches
Rachel Austen
Charlotte Housden
Rachel Austen
Hi, my name is Rachel. I’m a chartered occupational psychologist and work as a coach and business consultant. Over the past 16 years, I’ve been fortunate to coach hundreds of people, working in a wide range of industries, from many cultures.
I specialise in helping people develop self awareness using personality and other psychometric too
Hi, my name is Rachel. I’m a chartered occupational psychologist and work as a coach and business consultant. Over the past 16 years, I’ve been fortunate to coach hundreds of people, working in a wide range of industries, from many cultures.
I specialise in helping people develop self awareness using personality and other psychometric tools. Over the past 6 years, driven from my own experience of burnout, I’ve been focusing on resilience coaching. I developed a science-backed tool called AURA which helps people recognise the warning signs of burnout so they can put in place personalised strategies to prevent the detrimental effects this can have on one’s wellbeing and relationships. We build on the insights from AURA within our coaching sessions to formulate a focused personal action plan.
I draw on my personal experiences together with evidence based tools, grounded in positive psychology, cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness to help people learn how to deal well with whatever life brings, learning how to thrive not just survive.
Niki Parker
Charlotte Housden
Rachel Austen
Hello. My name is Niki. I am a coach and a communications consultant. For the last 25 years, I have worked with a variety of NGOs, UN organisations and private sector companies including most recently, running the GLF Leadership Coaching programme for the World Economic Forum and being an in-house coach at the ICRC.
I have been lucky enoug
Hello. My name is Niki. I am a coach and a communications consultant. For the last 25 years, I have worked with a variety of NGOs, UN organisations and private sector companies including most recently, running the GLF Leadership Coaching programme for the World Economic Forum and being an in-house coach at the ICRC.
I have been lucky enough to live and work in many different countries, which has given me the opportunity to learn and practice the art of living out of my comfort zone and being adaptable and resilient in many different situations, cultures and big life changes. I’ve not always got this right however, and have had my own version of a burnout (which was one of the hardest, but best things that I have experienced) before learning how to prioritise my own self care and resilience.
I am a holistic coach and big believer in the mind-body-spirit connection. In moments of deep change, its not just about whats happening in your head but also how your body (especially your gut) is reacting and where those emotions are being held. My coaching style is intuitive, empathetic yet challenging. I specialise in life transitions and with those experiencing professional and personal burnouts who want to address change in a sustainable way. I coach in English and French.
I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) from the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), a trained Retirement Coach through Retirement Options, and certified in a large number of professional leadership assessment and development tools. I am also a yoga teacher, a qualified massage therapist and an NLP practitioner.
I am passionate about yoga, open water swimming (I have even started cold water swimming this year!), psychology, writing and hiking. Oh, and I eat at least one piece of chocolate a day :-)
Charlotte Housden
Charlotte Housden
Charlotte Housden
Hi I'm Charlotte and I've been working as an Occupational Psychologist, coach and in leadership development since the 1990s. I'm also a photographer and writer, interested in society and the sustainability of working life.
In the past I found it hard to balance the different aspects of myself as work always took centre stage. For years I
Hi I'm Charlotte and I've been working as an Occupational Psychologist, coach and in leadership development since the 1990s. I'm also a photographer and writer, interested in society and the sustainability of working life.
In the past I found it hard to balance the different aspects of myself as work always took centre stage. For years I worked in a global consulting firm - stress levels were high and working hours very long. Throw in a lot of travel and it's definitely not a recipe for wellness!
I'm in a great place now as I've trained as a stress management and transitions coach and I'm a certified mediator. I've recently been coaching senior leaders in the UK's National Health Service and have been faculty on the Leadership Academy Nye Bevan programme and for Point of Care Foundation. I'm also a member of the Change Maker Group and run assessment centres for members of the UK parliament.
I like to help people bring together the different parts of their life, to identify and focus their energies on what is essential to them and ensure they can pace themselves for the journey. I'm an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, member of the Division of Occupational Psychology, Special Group in Coaching Psychology, Association of Business Psychologists and International Society for Coaching Psychology. I hold Level A and B in Occupational Testing and am also a certified member of the Health and Care Professions Council.
I'm excited to currently be integrating my creative side with my coaching/psychology, as I'm interviewing 100 people going through life and career transitions. I'm writing a blog about how they learn to cope and then go on to thrive in their transitions. To sustain my own mental and physical fitness I like to bake bread, meditate, run and practice yoga. Not as much as I'd like, but the ambition is always there!