Enhancing Resilience by Listening to Your Mind and Body through Breathwork and Cold Exposure with Leah Scott

How can you increase your mental and physical resilience so that you can choose your responses to the day-to-day pressures as well as navigate life's changes?

While physical health is crucial, it's equally important to prioritize mental well-being. On this episode of the Listening Superpower Podcast, we welcome Leah Scott, a Wim Hof Method instructor, an accredited Snowy Mountains guide and a mother of two. Leah shares her wealth of expertise on building mental and physical resilience with tools that help us become present while also learning how to listen to our body and mind. Leah is on a mission to inspire people to see beyond their perceived physical and mental limitations and improve their health and wellbeing. From her base in Australia, Leah regularly plunges into the icy waters of the Thredbo River, taking advantage of the power of cold exposure. In this episode, she shares how this ritual has helped her conquer her own battle against stress, anxiety, and depression, emphasizing the importance of listening to one's body, emotions, and thoughts. Leah has been featured in publications such as Vogue, Marie Claire, and Body & Soul, and has even created the world's first Wim Hof Method retreat for women. Her unique perspective shines through as she shares practical tips and insights on enhancing personal growth, building resilience, and fostering meaningful connections with oneself and others. Join us as Leah shares her story and teaches us how to better understand and connect with our inner selves.

"Get to know yourself, get to know your thoughts. And I mean listen to your thoughts. Because you can choose your response to your thoughts. Get to know your emotions; understand your feelings, your sensations, how your body works, your nervous system as a whole. Observe yourself, examine yourself and your situations. And I guarantee that you will start evolving and start to align with your purpose." – Leah Scott

Listening SUPERPOWER Notes: 01:10 – The very first time that Leah noticed the power of listening: Going on a seeking journey that led her to her 'second life' 05:30 – As an athlete, Leah discusses the difference between listening to her body before and after her 'second life' 07:46 – On understanding her mind and body: Leah shares how Wim Hof and his method helped her take care of her physical and mental health 10:23 – Explaining the science behind the breathwork and cold water exposure 18:46 – 'Just to know who I am': How present-day Leah defines and understands resilience now 22:52 – What Leah pays attention to when working with other people and groups: "I look at them at a very micro level" 27:56 – Observe in order to be of help: How Leah works with different types of people and how they manage themselves. 36:54 – What's brilliant about these tools? It never gets into anything that one can't handle! 38:40 – Leah discusses how these practices have been male-dominated in the past, while talking about the benefits of these tools not only for men, but also important for women 42:11 – If you're someone with cold hands and feet, rheumatoid, arthritis, and/or sore joints, try this tip!

Key Takeaways:

"If I get into the river now or the ice baths, my heartbeat just flutters. We start to get control of stress. We're using this short-term stress to help us then deal with long-term stress." - Leah Scott "It's when you've been through the darkest parts of your life and really gotten to know your tools so well, that you can see how to help people…from the observations." - Leah Scott "My best advice to those out there would be to do the breath work, have the ice baths, calm your inner world down, know your inner world; that starts to reflect the outer world." - Leah Scott "When we can connect to ourselves, we then connect to everybody else around us. It just starts with us." - Leah Scott "Retreats are so great for corporate people…because they get to connect with their colleagues."- Leah Scott

Notes/Mentions:

• Wim Hof: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/
• Viktor Frankl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl

Connect with Leah Scott:

• Website: https://www.leahscott.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahscottie/

Connect with Raquel Ark:

• www.listeningalchemy.com
• Mobile: + 491732340722
• contact@listeningalchemy.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquel-ark-b2067613/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listening_alchemy/?hl=en
• Podcast email: listeningsuperpower@gmail.com