A New Year, An Energy Shift

Hey Friend,

Every new year carries a different energy. This one feels louder. Clearer. More awake.

Something is happening collectively right now. People are questioning old patterns, listening to their bodies, and realizing that the way they have been living is no longer sustainable. The world is changing, and so are we.

Before Breath by Design ever existed, before retreats and events and headphones and full rooms, I was a high school teacher. I coached cheer and soccer, and at the end of every season, I hosted an end-of-year party. I would read off every athlete’s wins, growth, and moments of expansion. Not trophies, not scores, but who they became. I always ended by sharing my wish for them as they stepped into their next chapter.

That ritual mattered.

Because growth is easy to forget when you are already onto the next version of yourself. This year, I felt called to do the same thing again. Not for a team, but for a community. This blog is a behind-the-scenes look at client care inside Breath by Design. It is a window into the quiet moments, the private messages, the follow-up calls, the tears after sessions, and the lives that shifted when someone finally chose themselves.

What You Don’t Always See

Most people see the events, the reels, the sold-out rooms. What you do not see are the conversations before and after. The nervous system education. The safety checks. The integration. The pacing.

We see people at their most vulnerable. We hear the stories they have never said out loud. We watch the moment when something clicks, and they realize their body is not broken; it has been protecting them.

This year, we witnessed profound change.

The Wins We Witnessed This Year

These wins did not happen overnight. They happened breath by breath. Session by session. In rooms where the person next to you may have been smiling on the outside while quietly moving through the hardest season of their life.

There is something sacred about watching the caterpillar-to-butterfly process up close. It is messy. It is nonlinear. It is vulnerable. And it is one of the greatest honors of this work.

We are here for every stage.

Whether you are in the pit of darkness. Whether you are pulling yourself out and need support. Whether you are not in crisis but feel the quiet nudge that something needs to change.

This is what we witnessed this year.

Here are just some of the moments that still take my breath away. Shared with love, respect, and deep gratitude for every client who trusted us.

Physical and Nervous System Regulation Wins
• Clients lowering blood pressure and resting heart rate through consistent breathwork and regulation practices
• Clients coming off anxiety and blood pressure medications under medical supervision after months of embodied work
• Clients sleeping through the night for the first time in years
• Clients experiencing relief from chronic stress-related headaches, jaw tension, and digestive issues
• Clients learning how to regulate instead of dissociate
• Clients recognizing trauma responses and no longer identifying themselves as broken
• Clients feeling safe in their body for the first time

Emotional and Relational Wins
• Clients leaving relationships that were emotionally unsafe or misaligned
• Clients setting boundaries for the first time without guilt
• Clients choosing separation or divorce with clarity instead of fear
• Clients repairing relationships from a regulated place
• Clients reconnecting with partners after learning how to co-regulate
• Clients healing their relationship with their body and self-worth
• Clients releasing the shame they had carried for decades

Life Direction and Purpose Wins
• Clients starting businesses they had been putting off for years
• Clients leaving corporate jobs that were draining their nervous system
• Clients stepping into leadership roles they once felt unworthy of
• Clients booking retreats and completely changing the trajectory of their lives
• Clients returning from retreat grounded, clear, and embodied
• Clients trusting their intuition again
• Clients learning how to rest without shame
• Clients choosing peace without apology

And so many more.

What We See Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes, we do not just facilitate sessions. We prepare bodies. We support integration. We check in after. We hold space before, during, and long after the experience ends. We support clients through pre and post plant medicine integration sessions. We hold private breathwork sessions for those who need safety and personalization. We offer therapy sessions for deeper clinical support. We facilitate small group sessions for those craving connection. We create corporate sessions for teams carrying stress they never talk about.

We also build rooms. Rooms where community forms. Where vendors step into their purpose. Where facilitators grow. Where small businesses take their first brave step forward. This is what it looks like to build a lasting community. Brick by brick. Breath by breath.

The Truth About Breathwork

Breathwork does not fix you. It reminds you. It reminds your nervous system that it is allowed to feel safe. It gives your body a new reference point. From there, decisions change naturally. Not from force, but from clarity. This is why we are so intentional about how this work is held. Nervous system care is not about intensity. It is about safety, pacing, and integration.

A Personal Moment

Near the end of this year, I was driving alone when a familiar song came on. It was Rascal Flatts, My Wish. I had not heard it in a long time, but suddenly it felt like it was playing directly for this community.
Before you read this next part, I invite you to pause.

Turn on the song My Wish by Rascal Flatts.

Let it play while you read the lyrics.

The lyrics reminded me of every client I have sat across from, every breath I have witnessed, every brave decision made from a regulated place.

My Wish For You

My wish for you this year is not hustle. Not perfection. Not doing.

My wish is that you listen to your body. That you trust the quiet nudges. That you choose regulation over reaction. That you remember who you were before survival took over.

May you feel safe in your own body. May you make decisions from alignment, not fear. May you build a life that your nervous system can actually live inside.

Thank you for letting us walk alongside you.

This is only the beginning.

We are here to walk with you. To support your growth. To hold space for your expansion.

If you feel the pull to start the business you have been dreaming about. If you feel called to deepen your healing. If you want to be part of a community that values safety, integrity, and embodiment.

Let us support you. This is how movements are built. Together. The teacher and coach in me never left. It only expanded. I am still watching growth. Still naming wins. Still reminding people of who they are becoming when they forget. Thank you for trusting us this year. For trusting this work. For trusting your body.

My wish will always be to see you thrive.

With so much love,
Dr. Rachel Sims & Mama Lisa
Breath by Design