We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alisha Norris. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alisha below.

Alisha, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

There was this moment I didn’t know what I was doing with my life anymore and took a completely different leap! I decided to get my Breathwork Facilitator Certification. This was 6 years ago when most people were not familiar with Breathwork. I didn’t realize the inner work I would have to do when I signed up…woof. This was a 7 month long certification training program. For the first two months, the focus is on showing up for yourself. Before learning how to hold space for others, you have the opportunity to deepen your own self-awareness, healing, and relationship with the breath. I think until then I didn’t know how to love myself. I slowly learned that I am worthy simply because I exist.
That lesson has been incredibly important for me, and it’s one I feel called to share with others. We showed up every day, did the Breathwork, dug deep, and talked through all the personal stuff that inevitably surfaced with our mentors. There was never judgement. I felt safe.
I was the first one to raise my hand on our very first zoom call when the Facilitator asked- “Who doesn’t feel fully worthy to be here but still showed up?” I was putting all my time and effort into trying to fix others and prove my worth by being busy. The Breathwork sessions we got to attend alone brought up sadness, worthy wounds and past trauma. I stayed the course. I cried a lot, got frustrated with myself often AND I learned a lot. It taught me that it was okay to trust and love myself without expectation or “doing”.

Alisha, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello there! I’m Alisha, an imperfect human out here feeling and experiencing this world. I’m also a trauma informed Breathwork Coach! I lost my job during the pandemic and had to pivot. While I believed in therapy, I had a judgement around coaches. One day while endlessly scrolling during pandemic I came across an Energy Healing and Breathwork Coach, also named Alesha (McNeill). Something in my gut told me to reach out. She ended up becoming my coach for the next two years, helping me heal parts of my past and reconnect with my heart. She also introduced me to Breathwork. I rolled my eyes the first time she asked me to try Breathwork and said, “Oh breathing ha!” When I came out of that first Breathwork session with her, I couldn’t fully explain what had happened—but I knew something had shifted. I felt cracked open in the best way: emotional, lighter, and freer, as though I had been carrying a weight for years and finally set it down.
As I continued to practice Breathwork with Alesha it began to shift my inner world so much that I wanted to share it with others. I wanted them to know there was this beautiful tool already within us that could help us- shift our state, regulate our emotions, help our immunity and drive, give us energy, ground us AND connect with our true intuition. I mean, sometimes DMT has been know to release in Breathwork! That’s when I signed up for the 7 month Breathwork certification to become a Breathwork Facilitator and eventually create Embodied Breath Coaching.

Discipline/Routine/Craft: Naturally, Breathwork helps create clarity and supports a more intentional, caring routine. I started to journal (even 5 mins a day) and it wasn’t organized, just thoughts and feelings on a page. I started to practice presence and more Breathwork. I invite you (the reader) to feel your feet on the ground now, see where you are and take a deep breath into the belly, and let it go! Repeat if desired.
It’s almost like a “mental gym”, you not only experience the emotional benefits, but often become healthier overall. I found what works for me, which I’ve been doing since I got certified 6 years ago- Get up, say thank you for the day, do 3-5 minutes of Breathwork, sit outside and journal. I do not look at my phone or attempt to do anything else beforehand. This sets up my nervous system and well being for the day. It’s also helpful when conflict/stress arises. Sometimes, all I need is a song I love and a few intentional breaths to help me reset and come back to myself. I encourage you, the reader, to find what routine works for you:)

Problems YOU solve- I’m here to guide and make sure you have access to safety in a session. You know, anyone can do Breathwork, that’s the power of you and God’s gift. What makes my Breathwork offerings unique is that they come from the heart. I guide from that place, invite you to connect with your own heart, and create space for what unfolds from there. Heck, I’m already crying writing this. The ultimate goal is love—to help you return to it within yourself, feel more connected to the world around you, and release the layers of heaviness you’ve been carrying. Also receiving JOY. We all deserve JOY!!
I conduct my sessions with a theme or asking you what you need-whether it’s self love, confidence, grounding, or releasing the anxiety. Sometimes we carry what is not ours to carry. Then I build a playlist with a certain BPM journey and pick a breath pattern best suited for your session. Afterwards, there is space to share anything that came up with me or in community. This is to help you get clear, focus and learn more about the parts of yourself and where they show up.

Offers/Services:

I offer one-on-one Breathwork Sessions, sometimes I include energy work (also a certified Energy Healing Coach). You can email AlishaNorris@gmail.com for more.

I also offer an Online Breathwork Community Tuesday evenings -5pm PST/ 8pm EST. Often wellness can be less affordable. I created the Breathwork Support Circle so it’s accessible to anyone, anywhere. Three other trained Breathwork facilitators and I rotate each week, offering a one-hour Breathwork session over Zoom. There is space to share in the community before and after the session, as well as access to email us with any questions or shares. It’s been over a year now, and we’ve built a beautiful, supportive community. Recently, we’ve welcomed many people who are completely new to Breathwork, which has brought fresh energy and curiosity into the circle. It’s $45 to try out the month and drop in or $30 if you commit to every month/subscription. You can always find registration information on my home page- Online Events- https://www.embodiedbreathcoaching.com/ or https://linktr.ee/alishanorris.

For those who experience angst, I created the Sunday Reset Ritual—a four-week, self-paced online program. If the Sunday Scaries tend to creep in and leave you feeling overwhelmed or scattered, this may be exactly what you need. It can help you quiet the mental noise, reconnect with your body, and support a more regulated, grounded nervous system as you move into the week ahead.
It includes
-A weekly Recorded Meditation or Breathwork Session
-A Journaling worksheet to reflect and bring clarity
-A Weekly Challenge
-Extra Resources from therapists to grief groups
You can keep it forever and come back to it. I’m so proud of this program, just launched last month!

If you are looking for Workplace Wellness and Breathwork, I also have that covered. You can learn more about what that looks like here or message me directly- https://www.embodiedbreathcoaching.com/services-1

You can also find more if you search Alisha Norris on Insight Timer!

I’m in Austin,TX always offering a variety of In-Person classes/workshops as well. I’ve collaborated this year with Craft and Yap for Vision Board and Breathwork events, as well as intimate Women’s Groups.
At the moment I’m in the works on a location for a Breathwork Class for Self love & Grounding. Keep an eye on my website!

I also co-host the Austin Community and Self Improvement Meetup with my buddy, Ben Rubin. Everyone is welcome. It’s not Breathwork but we meetup and offer deeper conversational prompts within the group to connect and share! It will be our 2 year anniversary of the Meetup in June 2026. Join us for the next one- https://www.meetup.com/austin-community-and-self-improvement/

What am I most proud of? I think learning to love me fully. This doesn’t mean I don’t judge myself sometimes. All this has come from my teachers/mentors and Breathwork itself. Sometimes I receive ideas in a session or just release built up emotions.
I’m proud that I’ve learned how to feel all my emotions and not collapse as much into looping untrue thoughts and to share that with you.
I’m proud that I chose a 7 month training for Breathwork because it forced me to take a look at ME and step up…and become a Badass Breathwork Facilitator!
I’m proud of the spaces I’ve created and held for people.
I’m proud that I’ve reminded myself and others of all that is within us.

I want you to know… that you don’t have to try Breathwork until you are ready. I mean I haven’t tried pickleball yet and people keep telling me how amazing it is. Do things in your own time.
I want you to know that when you are ready, it’s here. I suggest to try a private or group session with a trained facilitator. We took a whole month in my Breathwork certification to learn about trauma response and safety. Be safe. You are caring for all parts of yourself that can come up in a session.
I want you to know that you will never be judged in a Breathwork session I offer. There is no expectation, no right, no wrong. If you want to come and breathe naturally or even take a nap, great, it’s what your body needs.
I want to you to know you can also experience bliss in Breathwork sessions and that you deserve that.
I want you to know…you are worthy, just by being here on this earth.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that my worth doesn’t come from helping or trying to fix others. Be responsible for yourself and your gifts. Lead by example. I spent much of my past relationships trying to help or fix the other person, and somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I put their needs ahead of my own, worked tirelessly to support everyone around me, and rarely asked for the space or support I needed. I tried so hard to make things work that I often forgot to check in with myself. When I started to choose me and just show up, I felt better. And it was NOT easy. Even when I began giving Breathwork -I would get frustrated that not everyone saw how life changing it could be. We all do things in our own time, when it’s meant to be. There’s no skipping the lessons.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I WOULD YES! And I’d chose it sooner haha, if that was in the cards. I spent my life working in restaurants (everyone should have to do this), trying to get into acting and create side projects. Nothing ever felt like it fully fit, and you know what I mean. Breathwork gave me LIFE!!! It opened me to deeper healing and connection, and most importantly, sparked a passion for sharing it with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.embodiedbreathcoaching.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alishadn/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alisha.norris.94
• Other: https://linktr.ee/alishanorris

Image Credits
My mom and friends!