The Shower Effect: Why You Have Your Best Ideas When You're Not Trying
How Breathwork Can Create "Aha!" Moments on Demand
Get High on Your Own Supply
Of oxygen, that is.
Join me May 1 for a free live breathwork journey to reset your energy and unlock your next big ideas.
There’s a replay, so sign up even if you can’t make it… but do your best because breathwork is next level when it’s live.
Speaking of big ideas — ever notice how your best ideas don’t show up when you're willing them into existence?
Instead, they sneak up on you in the shower. On a walk. Right as you’re drifting off to sleep.
That’s not just coincidence—it’s neuroscience.
Your nervous system is actually wired to generate insights and connect creative dots. But here’s the kicker: it only happens when you give it the right conditions.
And (SHOCKER!) most people, most of the time, aren’t giving it the right conditions.
The Problem with “Doing Mode”
Most people spend their days in a nonstop swirl of activity—email, meetings, multitasking, family activities, rinse, repeat. (What day is it again?)
This keeps your body in a low-key state of stress and your brain stuck in “doing mode.” That’s your sympathetic nervous system—aka your fight-or-flight system—running the show.
When you’re stressed or rushed, your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain responsible for planning, creativity, and decision-making) gets tight. Narrow.
Useful if you’re outrunning danger.
Not so much if you’re trying to come up with your next brilliant idea.
Imagine trying to brainstorm with someone hovering over your shoulder shouting, “Well? Got anything genius yet?”
Spoiler alert: You won’t.
Meet Your Brain’s Idea Factory
Here’s where things get interesting.
Your brain has something called the Default Mode Network (DMN). It kicks on when you're not actively focused on anything—like when you're daydreaming, walking, or letting your mind wander.
And the DMN is really good at:
Making unexpected connections
Solving problems in weird, wonderful ways
Generating eureka moments that seem to come out of nowhere
This is your brain’s internal idea factory. But it only activates when you step away from the hustle.
So... Where Does Breathwork Fit In?
I’m glad you asked 😅
Breathwork is one of, if not THE, quickest ways to shift your nervous system from “doing” to “being.”
When you slow and deepen your breath, you signal safety to your body. Your parasympathetic nervous system takes control. That’s your rest-and-digest mode, your thank-God-I’m-not-under-attack mode, and it’s where creativity thrives.
There are multiple ways you can get to this state, and different breathing techniques offer different experiences. There’s a technique called Conscious Connected Breathing which is one of the quickest and most intense ways to:
Calm your overactive prefrontal cortex
Quiet the mental noise that blocks fresh thinking
Create the space for your DMN to do its best work
And yes, it actually works.
Join Me and Go From Stuck to Sparked
I’ve seen it again and again in live sessions: someone shows up feeling foggy, scattered, stuck, or just generally malaise-y. By the end of the journey, they’re buzzing with clarity, fresh perspective, or an unexpected idea that feels exactly right.
It’s not magic. It’s just giving your brain the space—and breath—it needs to do what it already knows how to do.
If your best ideas already happen in the shower (where you’re relaxed, breathing fully, and not trying so hard)… just imagine what could come through during a full breathwork session designed specifically to support creativity and innovation.
Join me May 1 for a free guided journey where we’ll use breath to shift your state, unlock your insight, and clear whatever’s been getting in your way. (There’s a replay if you can’t make it live.)
Because your brain is already wired for brilliance. Your breath is just the key that unlocks it.
Last Gasp
"The mind is like the wind and the body like the sand: if you want to see how the wind is blowing, you can look at the sand." — Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
Agree and it works! I often have some of my most creative and insightful ideas as I’m falling asleep. Part of that is reaching a meditative state, in part focused on calming my breathing. I keep a note pad and pen on the bedside table so I don’t have to go back on a device. If it’s a longer complicated idea, I record a voice note and transcribe it the next day.