Show Notes
“Don’t ever assume what somebody else is thinking and get furious. Half the time we don’t even know what’s going on inside our own brains.” On the latest episode of the Oxygen Advantage® podcast Patrick talks with former Hollyoaks star and current yogi, hypotherapist and life coach, Gemma Merna. Despite enjoying a very successful eight-year career with popular TV soap Hollyoaks, Gemma Merna faced many issues with stress and anxiety from a young age that were only worsened when under the pressure of the bright lights of fame. Towards the end of her time on the soap, personal loss and not dealing with the resulting trauma would lead Gemma to exiting the role. However, her choice to leave would be the first of many steps on a journey of learning and self-improvement. Finding comfort and even therapy in yoga practice, Gemma was able to start dealing with her anxieties and started making small steps to pursue a new career in health. Those steps included learning hypnotherapy, and of course, discovering the importance of breathing to help calm and focus the mind. This self-improvement journey would eventually lead to Gemma establishing Mind and Wellness with a goal to “give individuals the tools to discover themselves again”. By learning to be patient with herself and by “retraining” her brain with positive improvements, hypnotherapy, breathing to down regulate and of course yoga, Gemma admits she is now living the life she wants to live. This podcast is a personal and informative look, through the lens of Gemma’s experience, at how we can all better our circumstances if we take the pressure off ourselves and work to improve our physical and mental health. To learn more about what Gemma does or to book a course, visit https://mindandwellness.co.uk/. Try the free Oxygen Advantage® Breathing App, available now. 📱 Android Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oxygen.advantage 📱 Apple store: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/oxygen-advantage/id1589260950 🔗 CONNECT WITH Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage®) 💻 Website - https://oxygenadvantage.com/ 🎙Podcast - https://oxygenadvantage.com/podcasts/ 📹 YouTube Channel -https://www.youtube.com/c/OxygenAdvantage 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oxygenadvantage/?hl=en 📱 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theoxygenadvantage/ 💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxygenadvantage 🐥 Twitter - https://twitter.com/oxygenadvantage?lang=en
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Patrick McKeown sits down with Dr. Tim Hughes, an anaesthetist, advanced breathwork instructor, and co-founder of The Breath Doctors. Tim uses breathing to calm patients before surgery and himself before he walks through the hospital doors. A conversation about performing under real pressure—and how something as simple as breath can be the difference.
Patrick McKeown and James Nestor meet face-to-face for the first time to discuss the science of breathing, functional breathing methods, and how nasal breathing transforms sleep, health, and well-being. After years of correspondence—Zoom calls, Instagram Lives, emails, voice notes—they finally sit down together. What was meant to be one episode ran long. They kept talking well into dinner.
What if the key to running further, calmer, and healthier wasn't in your legs — but in your nose? In this episode, Patrick McKeown sits down with Dr. Bill Hang: orthodontist, airway pioneer, and marathon runner approaching his 80th birthday. After hearing Patrick speak 15 years ago, Bill made two decisions that changed his life — taping his mouth at night and running with his lips sealed. He's since run the Boston Marathon multiple times breathing entirely through his nose, including once with his mouth taped the whole way. But this conversation goes far beyond running. Dr. Hang shares why he walked away from traditional extraction orthodontics, how forward jaw development can transform a child's airway, and what every parent should know before agreeing to have their child's teeth removed.
Consistently Good, Not Occasionally Perfect: Nutrition, Habits & Breathing with Scott Baptie In this episode, Patrick McKeown sits down with nutritionist, author, and recipe creator Scott Baptie to explore simple, realistic nutrition, sustainable weight loss, and how breathing became the “missing piece” in Scott’s own health routine. They cover: Why simplicity and accessibility matter more than perfection in nutrition The real role of protein for satiety, recovery, and weight loss Why you can’t spot-reduce belly fat (and what actually works) The truth about supplements, including creatine and protein powder How habits and small steps beat short-term extreme diets The impact of sleep, stress, alcohol, and social media on food choices Scott’s personal experience with nasal breathing, mouth taping, VO₂ max gains, and Patrick’s work Work–life balance, outsourcing, and building a lifestyle you can actually sustain Whether you’re an athlete, a busy parent, or just trying to feel and perform better, this conversation gives you practical, down‑to‑earth strategies you can start applying today. ⏱ Timestamps / Chapters 0:00 – Intro: Who is Scott Baptie? 0:36 – Scott’s journey: from blog to nutrition career & fitness modeling 3:06 – Simplicity and accessibility in nutrition: the food hierarchy 6:33 – Why protein matters: appetite, recovery & weight loss 9:02 – Creatine, whey, and which supplements are actually worth it 11:49 – Belly fat, spot reduction myth & realistic fat loss expectations 16:06 – Scales vs how you feel: better ways to track progress 16:33 – Water, hydration & simple practical guidelines 18:27 – Finding your passion and evolving a career in nutrition 22:15 – Work–life balance, productivity & “work less, make more” 25:10 – Alcohol, moderation & individual differences in habits 28:17 – How breathing changed Scott’s health and performance 32:50 – VO₂ max, nasal breathing, mouth taping & tracking sleep 34:35 – Was switching to nasal breathing hard at the start? 36:10 – Mouth tape, beards & practical tweaks for better sleep 36:44 – Habits: why “consistently good” beats “occasionally perfect” 39:57 – Making change easy: what to eat more of, less of & how to do it 41:21 – Meal prep, slow cookers & freezer strategies for busy lives 42:27 – Tiredness, cravings & how poor sleep derails nutrition 44:37 – Sleep as a pillar: hygiene, environment & tracking 45:35 – Social media, attention, and protecting your mental bandwidth 47:50 – Generational shifts: who’s going to the gym now? 50:38 – Scott’s books, where to find him & free gift
Discover how modern life is radically reshaping the way we breathe. In this in‑depth conversation, Patrick McKeown (Oxygen Advantage) and Tom Myers (Anatomy Trains) explore the hidden links between our environment, posture, jaws, emotions, and breathing patterns. You’ll learn: - Why we’ve “made a zoo and now live in it” – and how tech, sitting, and urban living drive anxiety and dysfunctional breathing - How our genes, lifestyle, and domestication have literally narrowed our faces, jaws, and airways - The crucial difference between nasal vs mouth breathing for sleep, concentration, child development, and long‑term health - What the diaphragm really does (beyond the usual “belly breathing” story) and how tensegrity explains rib cage mechanics - Why so many children mouth breathe, snore, and struggle with attention – and what can be done to help them early - Practical, anatomy‑based insights into opening the nose, improving airway function, and restoring more natural breathing patterns If you’re interested in breathing, sleep, posture, airway health, fascia, or human performance, this episode offers a rare blend of deep anatomy and practical breathing wisdom. Chapters: 0:00 Intro & Tom Myers’ background 3:30 “We made a zoo and now we live in it” – modern life & anxiety 6:40 Genes, laziness, and why our world lets us stop moving 8:10 Domestication, shrinking jaws & narrowing airways 10:00 Mouth breathing, sleep apnea & childhood development 15:00 Conscious vs unconscious breathing, sea mammals & humans 20:00 Tensegrity, rib cage mechanics & the diaphragm as a piston 31:00 Nasal vs mouth breathing, palate shape & deviated septum 40:00 Non‑surgical ways to help open the airway 45:00 Where breathing education needs to go next #OxygenAdvantage #PatrickMcKeown #TomMyers #AnatomyTrains #Breathing #Breathwork #NasalBreathing #MouthBreathing #SleepApnea #AirwayHealth #Posture #Anxiety #Fascia #Diaphragm #HumanPerformance #FunctionalBreathing #HolisticHealth #buteykobreathing #buteykomethod