Jonny Miller, founder of Nervous System Mastery and host of the Curious Humans podcast, dives deep into the transformative power of nervous system regulation. He shares his journey through grief and psychedelics, highlighting the importance of emotional fluidity and creating a safe space for healing. The conversation explores how high performers can shift from burnout to creativity and the significant role of relational health in this process. Jonny also discusses practical tools for self-regulation, blending insightful anecdotes with evidence-based practices.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Grief Led To Psychedelic Turning Point
Jonny Miller's grief after losing his fiancée led him to ayahuasca which cracked open his emotional world.
That first ceremony began a 2–3 year period of deep inner exploration and nervous system work.
insights INSIGHT
Three Pillars Of Nervous System Mastery
Nervous system mastery rests on three pillars: interoception, capacity, and emotional fluidity.
These skills expand agency and allow deeper, safer psychedelic work when trained beforehand.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Build Safety With Interoception And Breath
Practice interoception by tracking bodily signs of safety and arousal to build an inner compass.
Use bottom-up practices like extended exhales and diaphragmatic breathing to down-regulate before journeys.
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In this episode of The Psychedelic Podcast, Paul F. Austin speaks with Jonny Miller, founder of Nervous System Mastery and host of the Curious Humans podcast.
Jonny shares how the loss of his fiancée led him into grief work, psychedelics, and the study of stress physiology. Their conversation explores the three pillars of nervous system mastery—interoception, capacity, and emotional fluidity—and how these skills can prepare and support deeper psychedelic experiences. Jonny also reflects on the risks of hypoarousal and dissociation in psychedelic and breathwork practices, the role of relational health in nervous system regulation, and how high performers can shift from burnout-driven “dirty fuel” toward cleaner sources of creativity and joy.
Jonny Miller is the founder of Nervous System Mastery, a five-week experiential training that helps high performers cultivate calm, resilience, and embodied aliveness. His approach blends evidence-based protocols with practices drawn from breathwork, meditation, and stress physiology. Jonny also co-created the Stateshift App and designed the Calm Cards Deck, practical tools for daily nervous system regulation. Jonny hosts the Curious Humans podcast, where he explores themes of resilience, embodiment, and curiosity with leading thinkers. His work centers on making nervous system literacy accessible for both personal growth and psychedelic preparation.
Highlights: • How grief and loss opened Jonny to psychedelics • The three pillars of nervous system mastery • Safety as the foundation for psychedelic depth • Breath as a brake or accelerator in journeys • Why he separates psychedelics from intense breathwork • Mapping different medicines to nervous system skills • The risks of shutdown and dissociation in high doses • Re-regulating after destabilizing psychedelic experiences • Relational health as nervous system nourishment • Shifting from burnout to clean energy in leadership
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