A few weeks ago, I walked into a strategy session with a senior team. They were all smart, capable people who genuinely liked each other. Perfect, right?

I could feel tension in the room as soon as I walked through the door.

Everyone was smiling, but nobody was breathing. Their shoulders were tight. Their legs were crossed away from each other. One guy had his arms folded so hard, I thought his biceps might cramp. ^😂

Before we even started talking about goals or roles or KPIs, I had them stand up and take three breaths together. You could hear the shift. A little laughter and a couple of deep sighs. Then I knew we were ready to start.

What Actually Happened There

It’s called co-regulation. When humans share space, their nervous systems start syncing up. If one person in the room is bracing, the rest of the room can feel it. (This is true at work and it’s also true at home or wherever else you might be!) If one person slows down and grounds, others start to follow. You don’t have to say a word. 

That’s why teams who practice regulation together build real trust faster. 

Because no one feels safe with a leader who’s constantly scrambling, or a teammate who shuts down. No one collaborates well when their body’s in fight-or-flight.

Many studies show that just a few minutes of slow, intentional breathing can significantly lower stress levels and calm the nervous system. [source]

A 3 Minute Reset to Try in Your Next Meeting

Here’s a quick, simple practice you can lead at the start of any team meeting.

1. Have everyone put both feet flat on the floor.
2. Sit up without straining. Shoulders down.
3. Phones away. Hands resting gently. 
4. Invite them to take one slow breath in through the nose, and a long, slow breath out through the mouth.
5. Repeat 2 more times.

That’s it.

No one has to “get it right.” You’re setting the tone, and you’re going to notice the room soften. People leaning back. Eyes lifting. It changes the meeting before you even start.

If you’d like a little support leading this, that’s where I come in. Book a live session and I’ll walk you through it.

What This Unlocks in Performance

In one recent session, I had a team pause before we jumped into the strategy. There wasn’t a big speech or crazy exercise — I just asked them to stand up, feel their feet on the ground, and take a few slow breaths together.

You could feel the room let go.

One VP told me afterward, “I didn’t realize how much tension I was carrying till I let it go.”

That’s when the real work started. The rest of the session felt less like a grind and more like a team actually showing up together.

When a team feels safe in their bodies, everything works better.

• Communication is clearer (less second guessing)
• Conflict becomes productive instead of personal
• Ideas flow faster, and get acted on quicker
• And (best of all) burnout slows down

Regulation and alignment makes your people more resilient, reliable, and ready to lead. That’s some ROI I can get behind!

Why This Builds More Trust Than Most Workshops

Mindset work has its place, for sure. But most teams don’t need another slide deck on values or a two-hour talk on psychological safety. 

They need to feel safe… and that starts in your nervous system, not in your head.

A lot of well-meaning workshops fall flat because they stay in the intellectual zone. We already spend too much time there! Leaders walk away with insights, but no integration. The calendar’s still full, the pressure’s still on, and nothing really changes. And of course, that means the body is staying in “go-go-go” mode.

When a team regulates together you get something different. Even if it’s just for three minutes. In a study of 51 three-person groups, higher physiological synchrony (measured via heart-interbeat intervals) between team members predicted greater perceived group cohesion and improved coordinated performance. [source] Wild, right?

Ready to Try This With Your Team?

You just need to start with where trust actually lives — in the body. If you’re a team lead, try the quick reset in your next meeting. If you want deeper support, book a team session with me.

We’ll breathe together, move together, and build the kind of alignment that actually lasts. You’ll feel the shift… and so will they.