When Your Breath Becomes Your Backbone
Some episodes feel simple on the surface until you realize they are actually about the one thing you never stop doing: breathing. In this conversation on TURTZED, Candice Lazar, a Miami-based coach, shares how breathwork entered her life not through wellness trends, but through a health scare. What began as survival became a practical tool she now teaches for everyday life, not as a cure-all or a vibe, but as something you can actually use in traffic, in anxiety, and in real moments.
A Coaching Path That Started With Getting Sick
Candice did not plan to become a coach. She was working in marketing, watching others build businesses, when everything shifted. She got fired mid-flight, landed, and became seriously ill. Her husband, an ER doctor, suspected an ulcer. Stuck in bed, too sick to read and too unfocused for traditional meditation, she leaned on audio. Guided meditations that included breathwork.
Something clicked. Unlike meditation styles that asked her mind to quiet down, breathwork gave her something to focus on. A rhythm. A task. A way to feel present. She repeated the same breath-based sessions because they worked. She felt better. More grounded. More herself.
The Shift That Changed Everything
Candice explains it simply: we assume the mind controls the body, but breathwork flips that. By changing the body through breath, you can influence what happens in the mind. That connection is what hooked her.
She is clear about what breathwork is and is not. It will not fix everything. It will not cure illness or heal a broken bone. But it can support the systems that influence healing and coping, heart rate, blood pressure, emotional regulation, stress response. That ripple effect can change how you experience a moment quickly.
Why It Resonates
People connect with breathwork because it meets them where they are. Instead of asking the mind to go quiet, it gives attention to something concrete. For those who struggle with traditional meditation, breathwork feels accessible.
It also creates a sense of sovereignty, Candice’s favorite word. Breathwork reminds you that you are not helpless. With a few minutes of intentional breathing, you can downshift your nervous system or energize yourself. No app. No perfect setup. Just a tool you already carry.
Not Just for Calm
Breathwork is not only about relaxation. Slower breathing and longer exhales calm the body. Faster, more forceful breathing can energize it. Candice even describes one technique as panting like a dog, with your mouth closed. It sounds strange, but it works, especially when you want energy without another coffee.
A “Band Aid”, and That’s the Point
Candice calls breathwork a Band Aid, and she means it positively. Band Aids protect wounds and support healing. Breathwork does the same for emotional spikes, nerves before meetings, stress before hard conversations, anxiety in traffic.
You do not need to overhaul your life to use it. There are already spaces, red lights, waiting rooms, transitions between tasks. That is where breathwork fits.
The Message to Carry
Your breath is a fast, accessible way to change how you feel physically and emotionally. It does not replace deeper work, but it gives you enough steadiness to move through the moment while you do it.
Sometimes, that steadiness is everything.
Connect with Candice Lazar
