The journey from neuroscience to breathwork has taught me that our bodies hold wisdom our minds cannot easily access. This work is about creating the conditions to listen.
About
Dr. Cathy Scanlon
Neuroscientist Turned Breathwork Specialist
From Lab to Life: A Journey of Coming Home
For over a decade, I lived what looked like a successful life. PhD in neuroscience, prestigious university position, 30+ published research papers, recognition in my field. By certain external measures, I had "made it."
Yet something essential was missing.
10 years ago, I made the huge and terrifying decision to quit my successful career as a Research Scientist. Despite many years of hard work and achievements, I felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and disconnected. A persistent voice inside asked, 'Is this it? Is this how the rest of my life is going to feel?'
I finally took the leap, trusting my gut that a net would appear—and it did, actually several nets!
The Pattern Repeats
Alas, leaving academia didn't immediately solve everything. I became Technical Director of a great company in London, and the same patterns emerged. Always wanting to impress, keep clients happy, never say no - I exhausted myself again, disconnected from my own needs and authentic self.
It was becoming clear: the problem wasn't the job. It was my relationship with myself.
Intrigued by the intuition that had guided me out of academia, I began seeking ways to connect with and amplify that inner knowing. After years of self-development, therapy, coaching and spiritual exploration, I discovered active breathwork in Costa Rica in 2017.
The Breakthrough
In just 30 minutes of breathing, I could access that quiet, intuitive voice that had been trying to guide me for years!
The first few sessions, I sobbed my way through them. I had no idea where the emotion was coming from—life was "good" at the time. But I was carrying so much tension, so many "shoulds", "have tos" and years of self-criticism and the exhausting pattern of living for others' approval.
Breathwork finally helped me understand my patterns and finally start to let go.
The Deep Dive
I spent a year in Costa Rica studying transformational breathwork, then moved to New York where I trained extensively with David Elliott in New York, California, and New Mexico. This wasn't just learning a breathing technique, it was discovering a completely different way of being in relationship with myself.
Active breathwork quiets our busy minds and connects us to our body's wisdom. Through this practice, I found my true calling: helping others discover their own intuitive knowing.
The Transformation
As I continued this work, something remarkable happened. I began making decisions not just from logic, but from a deeper knowing that emerged when I could quiet my analytical mind and listen to my embodied wisdom. Now I understand: we need both. Logic helps us navigate how to get somewhere. But our embodied wisdom tells us where we actually want to go.
I started saying 'no' more, and it felt good! I was connecting with my inner power and finally starting trusting myself.
Why This Work Matters
My journey from the neuroscience lab to breathwork practice isn't just a career change, it's a lived example of the transformation I now guide others through.
I work primarily with people who, like my former self, have been successful by external standards but feel disconnected from their authentic selves. Whether you're navigating a career transition, returning to yourself after years of caregiving, or simply sensing there's more authentic expression waiting to emerge, this work meets you exactly where you are.
My Approach: Science Meets Soul
My scientific background isn't something I left behind, it's integral to how I approach this work. I understand the neuroscience of what happens during active breathwork: how the continuous, rhythmic breathing pattern creates physiological changes that allow access to different states of consciousness.
But I also know from lived experience that the real magic happens when we trust the body's intelligence to guide us toward what we need most.
In our sessions together, we begin by exploring what's present in your life - where you feel stuck, unclear, or disconnected. Through guided dialogue and the transformative power of active breathwork, we create space for your own inner wisdom to emerge.
The Practice: Active Breathwork
The specific technique I guide you through is active breathwork - a dynamic, rhythmic breathing practice that temporarily quiets the analytical mind and opens access to deeper layers of consciousness.
This isn't quite meditation, or a simple method to relax. It's an active practice that can be cathartic, transformative, and often intense. People experience emotional releases, profound insights, or simply a deep sense of coming home to themselves.
Unlike many breathwork approaches, this method uses a 3-part breathing technique with deep inhalations, creating the physiological shifts that allow for such profound inner work.
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My Training & Background
Academic Foundation:
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PhD in Computational Neuroscience
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10+ years as academic research scientist in psychiatry and neurology
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30+ peer-reviewed research papers published internationally
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PGCert Teaching in Higher Education
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Degree in Electronic Engineering
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Executive Coaching, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge
Breathwork Training:
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Extensive training with David Elliott in New York, California, and New Mexico (2018-2019)
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Year-long immersion in Transformational Breathwork in Costa Rica (2017)
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Certified breathwork facilitator
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Advanced breathwork practitioner training with Dan Brule
Current Development:
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Advanced training in therapeutic coaching approaches. Currently studying Internal Family Systems (IFS) for coaches with founder Richard Schwartz
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Ongoing study in somatic approaches to transformation
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Specialised work with life transitions and authentic living
Who This Work Serves
This practice attracts people ready for genuine transformation, not quick fixes. My clients typically:
Feel successful "on paper" but sense something deeper is missing
Are questioning their life's direction or facing major transitions
Make decisions primarily from logic but sense their body holds important wisdom
Are tired of managing stress and want to understand what it's trying to communicate
Feel ready for deep inner work, not just surface-level coping strategies
Want to move beyond people-pleasing to authentic self-expression
A Final Note
This work continues to transform my own life. I still use active breathwork to navigate decisions, process emotions, and stay aligned to what matters most to me. When stress arises, I've learned to ask: "What is this trying to tell me?", rather than immediately trying to make it go away.
The practice has taught me that our bodies are constantly communicating with us, we just need to create the conditions to listen.
If you're feeling called to explore what your own body might be trying to tell you, I'd be honored to be your guide on this journey home to yourself.
This video was recorded during an event with Women in Research in Ireland and talks about Cathy’s journey from academic researcher to Breathwork Coach and how breathwork can help connect us to our authentic truth.
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