What does it feel like when your body starts moving before your mind has any idea why?

For Mike Maher, the answer came in the basement of a hotel in Poland — lights off, a room full of strangers, thirty rhythmic breaths — and then tears, trembling, and a release he couldn't explain. That single session with Wim Hof lit a fire that eventually became the Take a Deep Breath YouTube channel, one of the largest breathwork communities on the planet, and a decade-long exploration into what breath can actually do for the human nervous system.

In this episode, Alex sits down with Mike for a wide-ranging conversation about breathwork as a complete system — not a single technique, but a full toolkit for nervous system regulation. Together they trace Mike's journey from stressed corporate professional to one of the field's most trusted educators, exploring his RESET framework, what he learned from training breath holds underwater with the world record holder, the 90-day CO2 documentary he's launching, and why the simplest ancestral practices — bare feet on soil, morning light, quiet air — might carry more physiological weight than any sophisticated technique. And along the way, they wander into the territory closest to home for the NI community: the intersection of breathwork and TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) — and what happens when the body starts tremoring during a breath session and you finally stop fighting it. If you've ever wondered how breathwork and TRE relate, or felt both practices pulling toward the same place in the body, this conversation is for you.

Mike Maher is a breathwork coach, educator, and content creator who spent 12 years in the corporate world before a sequence of transformational experiences — a Wim Hof retreat, Tony Robbins events, and walking the Camino de Santiago — set him on a different path. Drawing on a background in video production and storytelling, he built the Take A Deep Breath YouTube channel into one of the largest breathwork platforms in the world, with 300,000+ subscribers and 42 million views. His podcast has featured deep conversations with James Nestor, Patrick McKeown, Dr. Belisa Vranich, and many others at the frontier of breathing, trauma, and performance. He works with clients one-on-one, leads group programs, and teaches a full-spectrum approach that blends functional technique with nervous system science and genuine embodied practice. Mike is also currently a student in the Neurogenic Integration TRE Certification program, deepening his understanding of how neurogenic tremoring and breathwork can work together as complementary pathways to nervous system regulation.

⏱ KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• 00:00 — Welcome & Introductions
• 03:30 — Mike's Origin Story: Steve Jobs, Joe Rogan & the Road to Wim Hof
• 06:00 — The Poland Retreat: Tears, Trembling & an Unexplained Release
• 08:00 — When Wim Hof Was Making the Anxiety Worse
• 11:00 — The Podcast as Education: James Nestor, Patrick McKeown & Learning from the Best
• 13:00 — The RESET Framework: A Full Map of Breathwork in Five Categories
• 19:00 — Mike's Personal Learning Curve: From Oxygen Advantage to Rebirthing in a Hot Tub
• 22:00 — A Full Rebirthing Experience in Glastonbury
• 26:00 — Breath Holds, Willpower & Training with the World Record Holder
• 28:00 — The 90-Day CO2 Therapy Documentary: What Mike Is Testing & Why
• 33:00 — Ancestral Living: Earthing, Light Exposure & Things Too Simple to Ignore
• 40:00 — Discovering Neurogenic Tremoring
• 44:00 — Where Breathwork and TRE

🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Mike Maher / Take A Deep Breath — YouTube, podcast & coaching: https://www.youtube.com/@TakeADeepBreath
• http://www.takeadeepbreath.co

Mary Gitau, a psychologist and suicide prevention specialist based in Nairobi, shares how she's bringing TRE (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) to communities across Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan affected by conflict and war. She discusses her personal healing breakthrough with TRE and how body-based approaches can reach populations where traditional talk therapy cannot—particularly in cultures where men don't openly discuss emotions. This conversation explores the intersection of TRE with Somatic Experiencing, bioenergetics, and EMDR, the critical importance of cultural adaptation, and both the opportunities and challenges of making trauma healing accessible across diverse communities.

In this episode, Mary shares stories of working with Somali and Sudanese men who experienced profound healing through the tremor mechanism, her journey integrating multiple somatic modalities, and practical wisdom on contextualizing TRE for different cultural settings. She also addresses the challenges of people misusing TRE through online videos and her vision for making trauma healing accessible through free group classes at her organization, the Center for Suicide Research and Intervention (CSRI).

Listen to the full episode to hear Mary's inspiring journey bringing body-based trauma healing to East African communities.

Links & Resources Mentioned
Center for Suicide Research and Intervention (CSRI) https://csricentre.org/

Episode Timestamps
00:01 - TRE Training in Kenya with Dr. Berceli
00:04 - Childhood Trauma and Becoming a Psychologist
00:06 - Why Talk Therapy Wasn't Enough for Trauma Clients
00:09 - From Bioenergetics to Trauma Releasing Exercises
00:12 - Personal Breakthrough: Releasing Pelvic Trauma Through TRE
00:18 - First TRE Session with Somali Refugees in Nairobi
00:22 - Working with Men Who Don't Talk About Emotions
00:28 - Integrating Somatic Experiencing and TRE in Practice
00:35 - Cultural Adaptation: Avoiding Exorcism Misconceptions
00:40 - Dangers of Self-Guided TRE from Online Videos
00:45 - Making Trauma Healing Accessible and Affordable
00:47 - Teaching Children and Families TRE at Home
00:48 - Bringing TRE to Conflict Zones in East Africa

In this enlightening episode, host Alex Greene sits down with Dr. Keith Motes, founder of Shaking Medicine and a PhD in quantum physics, to explore the fascinating intersection of science, spirituality, and therapeutic tremoring. Broadcasting from Thailand, Dr. Motes shares his remarkable journey from quantum computing researcher in Australia to becoming a pioneer in teaching neurogenic tremoring. The conversation weaves through multiple lenses—from quantum physics and polyvagal theory to Kundalini yoga, Qigong, and indigenous shamanic practices of the Kalahari Bushmen.

Dr. Motes reveals how his initial discovery of spontaneous movement came through a profound plant medicine experience that catalyzed his departure from academia to pursue full-time somatic healing work. Alex and Keith dive deep into the complementary relationship between psychedelic therapy and tremoring practices, discussing how embodied practitioners can better navigate medicine journeys and integrate trauma release. They explore the power of combining bodywork with neurogenic tremoring, emphasizing the importance of practitioners first embodying the work themselves. This episode offers invaluable insights for TRE practitioners, bodyworkers, and anyone interested in the deeper dimensions of somatic healing and nervous system regulation.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• 00:01:00 Introducing Dr. Keith Motes
• 00:04:00 Physics to Spiritual Practice
• 00:10:00 First DMT Plant Medicine
• 00:13:00 Discovery of Therapeutic Tremoring
• 00:18:00 Developing Shaking Medicine Practice
• 00:23:00 Indigenous and Shamanic Lenses
• 00:26:00 Kalahari Bushmen Shaking Culture
• 00:29:00 Kundalini and Yoga Perspectives
• 00:33:00 Quantum Physics and Vibration
• 00:40:00 Psychedelics and Tremoring Integration
• 00:47:00 MDMA and Trauma Access
• 00:53:00 Bodywork and Touch Facilitation
• 00:58:00 Sensing Energy and Presence
• 01:03:00 Games and Surrender Phases

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Dr. Bradford Keeney - Work with Kalahari Bushmen: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Way-of-the-Bushman/Bradford-Keeney/9781591432050

Shaking Medicine Teacher Training: https://www.shakingmedicine.com/shaking-medicine-teacher-training

Zen Shiatsu Bodywork

Connect with Dr. Keith Motes:

Shaking Medicine website: https://www.shakingmedicine.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shakingmedicine/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shakingmedicinefoundation/

Find us Online:

Red Beard Somatic Therapy:

Instagram: @redbeardsomatictherapy
Facebook: @RedBeardSomaticTherapy