Unity Breathwork was founded by Megan in 2018 with the mission to make Connected Breathwork as popular and accessible as yoga. Our offerings include biannual Breathwork retreats, online and in-person guided Breathwork sessions, and a research-based library designed to explore how breathwork works, answer common questions, and provide a comprehensive learning resource on all things breathwork-related.
One of our most impactful initiatives in achieving our mission of bringing breathwork to the world is our international, 400-hour GPBA-certified and trauma-informed Breathwork Training. By training others to become knowledgeable, skilled, and attuned Breathwork Facilitators, we can exponentially expand our outreach and impact.
About the Founder of Unity Breathwork – Megan
Megan is a certified Breathwork Facilitator and Facilitator Teacher Trainer with over 1200 hours of trauma-informed Breathwork training, and 7 years of hands-on experience facilitating breathwork around the world.
Megan also has her reiki 1 and 2 certifications and offers reiki in conjunction with supportive touch in her Breathwork sessions. She has additional certifications as a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (CCht), Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200), and she infuses all of her learnings into her breathwork offerings.
Megan has a passion for exploring the world and all things health-related and a background of working as a holistic wellness writer for 14 years.
“Prior to discovering Breathwork, I embarked on a fifteen-year healing quest, exhaustively exploring every avenue to release trauma and negative subconscious patterns, dismantle the barriers enclosing my heart, and uncover the path to becoming the joyful, contented individual I had always aspired to be.
Although I have great respect for yoga, hypnotherapy, plant medicine, Shamanic healing, nutritional therapy, energy medicine, meditation, EFT, Law of Attraction, life coaching, and everything else that I have studied and utilized on my quest for healing, it was Breathwork that brought about the quickest and most profound healing and transformations. And ever since my very first session where I released a lifetime of suppressed grief and finished the session feeling reborn, I have made it my life’s mission to help bring this incredible self-healing modality to the world”.
Unveiling Megan’s Journey: The Life Story of Unity Breathwork’s Founder
Hello and thank you for taking the time to find out more about me 🙂
Below is a mini-biography. I am sharing the most intimate details of my life in hopes of inspiring those who have tried various paths to healing or self-improvement without achieving their desired results to consider Breathwork. I also wrote this bio for those seeking a Breathwork facilitator or breathwork retreat who want to know more about me before being guided by me. And finally, I am sharing my story for those interested in embarking on a breathwork facilitator training, who would like to get to know me better before starting this life-changing journey together.
My journey to discovering Breathwork 7 years ago in a serendipitous moment in Bali was filled with twists and turns, all of which I am deeply grateful for. Every major challenge I faced contributed to my personal growth and strengthened my capacity to hold space for others from a place of deep understanding, intuition, and compassion.
The Tender Years
Growing up in a fairly typical family setting, as a deeply sensitive middle child, my primary love languages were touch and words of affirmation. Unfortunately, I often felt overlooked and misunderstood and yearned for more physical affection and positive affirmation. I experienced emotional wounding and dysregulation from before my first memories. Even as a baby, I’m told I had trouble sleeping and needed several soothers in my crib to provide me with a sense of safety and comfort.
I became the black sheep of the family and felt deeply unseen and misunderstood. My wonderful mother did the best she could, but with 4 young children and a husband who had to travel all the time for work, she onle had to much to give.
As a trauma-informed facilitator, I have come to understand that trauma is not defined by the event itself but by one’s perception of the event, their ability to cope at the time, and their sense of power or powerlessness. My own deep sensitivity and sense of powerlessness over feeling ignored and pegged as the black sheep in the family led to profound scars.
I buried all of those wounds and numbed myself out the best I could. I don’t remember much about my childhood which is typical for those who experience trauma. Most of my memories are of me crying in my room just hoping for someone to hear me and comfort me.
The Onset of Deeply Harmful Coping Mechanisms
Alcohol Dependence
At the tender age of 12, I stumbled upon alcohol and realized how it could temporarily ease my pain and silence the negative self-talk that criticized me and held me back. With a few sips of liquid courage, I found myself shining brightly and becoming the center of attention, something I deeply craved in my family environment. This marked the beginning of a 20-year journey of depending on alcohol to feel happy, noticed, and loved. However, in reality, all it did was temporarily silence my inner critic and numb out negative feelings, allowing me to express myself more freely.
Eating Disorders
I also developed a very unhealthy relationship with food in my teenage years. For me, it was less about what I saw in the mirror and more about the attention I got when I lost weight and was unhealthily skinny. But you can only restrict your eating for so long before the body retaliates. So my borderline anorexia turned into full-on bulimia in my early twenties. I struggled to overcome the bulimia for 14 years and every day was a battle. Sometimes I’d get it ‘under control’ for an extended period of time but it took a tremendous amount of willpower and life-force energy to fight it off, and eventually, I’d find myself falling back into it. I couldn’t heal from it because I hadn’t yet addressed the root of it. I lived these years in a numbed out state and was unable to feel joy and happiness without the use of alcohol.
In addition to alcohol dependency and disordered eating I also had inflammation which caused a permanently stuffy nose; and chronic fatigue which made daily living a further struggle.
Running Away From My Problems with Nomadic Living
I spent all of my twenties right up until I turned 34 and discovered breathwork trying to escape my inner turmoil by traveling around the world. As soon as my feelings caught up with me, I’d pack my bags and move on to the next place. I was so busy planning my next escape I had no time to actually look inward or feel my feelings – this was the perfect distraction.
My 15-Year Global Healing Quest
Amidst all my travels, I embarked on a 15-year healing quest. My primary goal was to conquer bulimia, but little did I know that what I really needed was to address my childhood wounds and negative self-conscious programming. These were the underlying root issues, with bulimia merely serving as a symptom of deeper struggles.
In those 15 years, I tried seemingly everything to get better. I consulted with countless doctors for help with the chronic fatigue but they all dismissed me. I tried talk therapy and antidepressants for the bulimia. I tried shamanic healing and became a certified holistic nutritionist, hoping that would end my struggle with food. I tried acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, and energy medicine as well.
Upon uncovering the immense potential of the subconscious mind, I dove into an intensive Clinical Hypnotherapy Training with the aspiration of healing both myself and others. Despite my belief in its effectiveness, when it didn’t yield the desired results for me personally, I felt disingenuous offering it to others. I also found myself embarking on a yoga teacher training in India, having never liked yoga and never practiced it before…but I was desperate, and a friend I inspired to be like said it changed her life.
But none of these practices healed me…
Feeding My Inner Child’s Needs with a Narcissist
I then found myself seemingly trapped in an emotionally abusive relationship with a narcissist, all while trying to suppress the bulimic urges and alcohol dependence. My love and passion for this man ran deep. I had grown to rely on his sporadic love bombing, affection, and words of affirmation. My inner child ate it all up, finally receiving what she had always yearned for.
But the bad times outweigh the good by about 100 to 1. I tried to leave him several times over our short relationship but it almost became like a drug I was addicted to and like many in abusive relationships, I continually got sucked back in. Looking back on it now, it’s no surprise I put up with his vilification of me, along with his fits of anger and yelling, as I had subconsciously come to associate those things with love from a young age.
Fortunately, I did eventually realize I could not stay with him because of the extent of the toxicity and had to leave for good, but this realization nearly tore me apart. I reached rock bottom at that point and remember a specific moment when I balled my eyes out in the fetal position on the floor of a boat I recklessly bought during our tumultuous relationship, not knowing how to navigate it or my life. The journey ahead seemed impossible and overwhelming. In that moment of despair, I even considered ending it all and contemplated drinking bleach. Thankfully, I didn’t let those dark, intoxicated thoughts prevail.
The beauty about reaching rock bottom is that the only way from there is up!
My Traumatizing Journey with Ayahuasca
I finally left him and continued my healing quest. I embarked on a week-long ayahuasca and Kambo retreat in Colombia. Sadly, this did not have the desired effect. Instead of finding release and healing, I found myself enduring a hellish 16-hour journey, pleading for it to end. Unlike the usual Ayahuasca session that begins with initial vomiting followed by a reflective inner journey, mine was a chaotic rollercoaster of sensory overload, with relentless vomiting throughout the entire night that seemed never-ending. I even got a clear message from mother Aya that I should not do this medicine again any time soon. When I expressed to the shaman not wanting to do additional ceremonies, he threw my eating disorder in my face and said “Do you want to live the rest of your life in bulimia hell, or take the medicine?”
So with his ultimatum, I continued the retreat and each night I was brought into a vomit-filled hell that lasted 14+ hours. By the end I was so worn down, it took nearly a year for my body to bounce back. I was susceptible to every infection that year and was often fighting more than one off at a time. And my chronic fatigue was nearly debilitating.
That same year, however, I finally discovered what I had been searching for my entire life – Breathwork!
My Breakthrough Discovery & the Modality that Finally Healed Me: Breathwork
I was living in Ubud Bali at the time and a dear friend told me I had to try Breathwork at Radiantly Alive (our favorite yoga studio). She told me it cured her bulimia – so I was obviously sold! Ironically, my least favorite part of my yoga teacher training was the daily pranayama practices. I hated focusing on my breath and I’d find myself just counting the time down, bored and impatient. But I showed up to that Breathwork session with an open mind and a glimmer of hope.
Within the first 12 minutes of that session, I had entered a deep altered state of consciousness. I was transcended back in time to my 2-year-old self and I was just crying out to my mother – ‘Why couldn’t you love me?’ ‘Why couldn’t you touch me?’
I’d like to state here for the record that my mother did love and touch me, and I don’t blame her for anything. These were simply my deeply buried feelings as a young toddler who understandably felt overlooked among three other siblings, and who needed overt affection and validation as a deeply sensitive soul.
In that breathwork session, there was an ‘angel’ helping the facilitator with supportive touch and reiki. And she was by my side as I was whaling and shaking all of these deeply lodged emotions out of my body. I would typically be very self-conscious and would never cry out loud like that in a room of strangers but the breath as medicine had given me exactly what I needed. And having the ‘angel’ offering me all the loving touch and attention I had craved my entire life in those deeply vulnerable moments, completely transformed me.
I was understandably exhausted that night from processing and releasing so much, but the next day I woke up feeling reborn. I no longer cared as much about what others thought of me, I was more confident, and I was able to feel my feelings without the crutch of alcohol.
That Very Day I Decided to Make it My Life’s Mission to Bring Breathwork to the World
I immediately knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to sharing Breathwork with the world and helping it become as popular and accessible as yoga. This profound, life-changing, self-healing practice is too powerful to keep to myself!
Interestingly, a few months before discovering Breathwork, I was working with a Law of Attraction coach, channeling my manifestation energy toward finding my life’s passion. Little did I know, I would discover such a deep and transformative calling—one that nourishes and fulfills me deeply, and one that I absolutely love. I consider myself very fortunate 🙂
I signed up for the same 400-hour breathwork training that my facilitator took right away. For the first time in my life, I was decisive; I didn’t shop around for different schools or worry about the tuition — I knew this was exactly what I had to do!
I Finally Overcame My Battle with Bulimia
The bulimia had already lost its strong grip on me after the first breathwork session, but it was still there tugging on me any time my emotions were out of whack. However, as a part of the training we embarked on weekly group breathwork journeys, and after a couple of months the bulimia just no longer resonated with me. It wasn’t a struggle for the first time in my adult life, to avoid it, I just didn’t want to do it and felt grossed out by the thought of it.
This serves as a testament that attempting to overcome addiction through sheer willpower is exhausting and often ineffective in the long term. Instead, by shifting your vibration and addressing the underlying roots that fuel your addictions or self-sabotaging behaviors, you allow them to naturally dissolve without the struggle – and without the risk of relapse.
I Soaked Up As Much Knowledge As I Could as a Breathwork Facilitator and Also a Writer for 6 Leading International Breathwork Training Schools
Thanks to Breathwork I could now feel my feelings and this meant I not only had much healthier coping mechanisms, but also a higher happiness set point. I spent my first 5 years as a breathwork facilitator not only offering sessions around the world but also writing for 6 other international breathwork facilitator training schools. With a long history as a wellness writer and a newfound obsession and passion for breathwork, this opportunity was a dream come true—to get paid to research and write about my life’s passion. During this period, I acquired a wealth of additional knowledge and was privileged to learn from other leaders and facilitators of breathwork from around the world.
Stepping Into My Power & Discovering Another Passion as a Breathwork Facilitator Teacher
A couple of years ago I segwayed into teaching breathwork and was pleasantly surprised to find that there is something else in this world that I love to do equally as much as facilitating breathwork! I have so much breathwork knowledge and wisdom to share and I love teaching others all about it.
More than that though, teaching is similar to facilitating in that I get to witness people shed what’s no longer serving them, work through limiting beliefs, and step fully into their light and power. The inner journey that our breathwork training guides our students through is profoundly life-changing. Being a witness to the major transformations in my students, holding space for them through inevitable challenges, and seeing them overcome their fears to emerge as extraordinary facilitators by the end of the training, is incredibly fulfilling.
Focusing All of My Energy on Unity Breathwork
A year ago, I decided I has spent enough time helping other breathwork businesses grow and it was time to focus all my heart and energy on my own breathwork business – Unity Breathwork. Now, I am completely self-employed, and research and write for my website, aiming to make it an educational resource for breathers, students, facilitators, and anyone interested in the intricacies and research of breathwork. Alongside offering online and in-person breathwork sessions, I organize biannual breathwork retreats, guest on podcasts to help spread the word about Breathwork, and teach others to become breathwork facilitators.
I work with a diverse range of clients and welcome everyone, regardless of whether they’re deeply spiritual and esoteric, or the biggest skeptic in the world who ‘don’t believe in these things.’ In fact, one of the things I love about breathwork is its accessibility. You don’t need to have a meditative practice, spiritual beliefs, or religious affiliations; as long as you follow the breathing pattern, breathwork will work for you. I embrace all perspectives and ensure that your sessions with me are deeply insightful, uplifting, healing, and potentially life-changing—if your body and psyche are ready.
Trauma & Abuse Recovery
Due to my personal history, my greatest passions lie in abuse and trauma recovery, addiction rehabilitation, and eating disorder support. I possess extensive knowledge in psychology, developmental trauma, birthing trauma, and narcissistic abuse. I am deeply passionate about sharing this knowledge to assist my clients in achieving lasting healing, empowerment, and inner peace – outcomes they truly deserve! Because the breath is the medicine and your inner wisdom is the guide in breathwork, this self-healing modality is beneficial to everyone. The breath will meet you where you are at and take you exactly where you need to go.
If my story resonates with you or has inspired you, I’d love to connect with you and hold space for you to breathe, heal, and transform 💞.
Get in Touch
You can book an online or in-person breathwork session with me here
You can find out more about my upcoming Breathwork retreat in Mexico here
You can find out more about my International, Trauma-Informed, Breathwork Facilitator Training Here.