I liked my life. I had a career that kept me traveling, a full calendar, people I cared about, and plenty I wanted to do. I liked being productive, and I liked knowing I could handle a lot.
What I didn't see was how much effort it was taking to keep all of it going. My body was tired, my patience was shorter, and my brain was usually somewhere ahead of me—thinking about what needed to happen next, what I hadn't finished, or what else I could fit in.
Then came a Monday morning when I couldn't get out of bed. I had pushed myself to the point where I simply had nothing left.
And yet, I still hadn't thought of myself as someone who was struggling. I was functioning. I was getting things done. I had just assumed this was what it took to have the kind of life I wanted.
I started breathwork because I needed a different way to deal with the stress I was carrying. Changing the way I breathed changed how I felt. But with a little space from all that mental noise, I also started noticing things I hadn't before.
I started questioning some of the things I thought I “should” be doing. I started noticing what I was taking on and asking myself whether I actually wanted to keep doing it that way.
That experience changed the way I think about what it means to help someone create change.
I could handle a lot. That didn't mean I should.
Hi! I’m Stacey Cauvin.
ICF-Certified Coach · SOMA Breath® Instructor · 20+ Years of Corporate Experience
Sometimes we need a place to stop long enough to hear what we're actually thinking. To get some distance from all the noise. To notice something we hadn't noticed before. Or simply to consider whether there's another way to look at what's going on.
That's the kind of space I wanted to create with Breathe & Refuel.
It's something I've come to believe not only because of my own experience, but because of what I've seen throughout my career. In corporate environments and later in the public sector working with mental and physical health programs, I saw versions of the same thing again and again: capable people carrying a lot and getting very good at pushing through.
I recognized myself in them.
“I wanted to help women create enough space to hear themselves.”
If you're here, chances are you're pretty good at handling things too.
But maybe you're overwhelmed by everything competing for your attention. Maybe your brain never seems to shut off. Or maybe you're starting to realize that just because you can keep handling everything doesn't mean you want to keep feeling this way.
I understand that too.
“I spent years proving how much I could handle. Eventually, I became more interested in how I wanted to live.”
Client Experience
"The session settled a tension I hadn't realized was still running. Its effects lasted through the evening, and into the next morning."
That's when you have something to work with.
You don't have to wait until you have 20 minutes and a quiet room.
Sometimes it's a few intentional breaths in the middle of your day. Sometimes it's making time for a longer practice.
“I felt calmer and more at ease. I just didn't expect it.”
