Hosted by Maroon 5's founding drummer, therapist, author, and mental health advocate Ryan Dusick, Harder to Breathe is a podcast with honest and vulnerable conversations about the challenges we face and how to work through them.
Each week, Ryan shares his stories and tools for moving past anxiety while also interviewing leading entertainers, musicians, athletes, and entrepreneurs to discuss how they too manage their demons.
Recent Episodes 
A Deep Dive into the Mind of a Pro Athlete: with William Trubridge
William holds 18 World Records in Free Diving, a sport in which an individual dives straight down into the depths of the ocean… for as long and as deep as is physically possible. It requires an incredible amount of both mental and physical strength to perform such a feat, and for William, holding off intrusive thoughts and anxiety is truly a matter of life and death.
As you might imagine, having such an incredible skill set and resume has given William a unique understanding of the human mind. The conversation dives into some deep territory, including navigating black-outs and unsuccessful dives, as well as fostering the ability to truly separate our human fears from our human instincts.
It’s perhaps the most pure form of harnessing mental energy, and bridging the gap between the body and the mind is what the “Harder to Breathe” Podcast is all about. It’s not often we have the chance to speak with a world-record holding athlete, and it’s a fascinating conversation that absolutely lives up to the hype.
VIDEO TIME CODES
0:00:00 Introduction & Mixing Things Up
0:03:42 Duck’s Self-Described “Ticks”
0:05:09 Ryan’s Self-Described “Ticks”
0:08:06 Today’s Guest: William Trubridge
0:12:00 William Trubridge Joins the Podcast & Speaks on his “Freediving” Origins
0:15:45 Choosing to Make Diving Competitive
0:17:59 The “Blood Shift” & Changing Physiology Underwater
0:19:44 Learning to Maintain Composure
0:23:13 Anxiety in a Life & Death Situation vs. Everyday Anxiety
0:25:50 Unsuccessful Dives & Blacking Out
0:29:45 Consciousness Beyond Our Own Thoughts
0:31:51 Listening to Instinct and Not Fear
0:36:47 The Effects of Water Pressure at Depth
0:38:55 Exposing Himself to Narcosis
0:39:43 Outdated Evolutionary Tools for Human Survival
0:42:49 Reprogramming your Subconscious
0:47:25 The Polyvagal Theory
0:53:07 Your Free Tool: The “3 Second Gap”
0:57:40 Becoming More Calm Through Diving
0:59:45 Fighting Off Hyper-Vigilance
1:08:46 William’s Coaching & Conservation Programs
1:11:12 Wrap Up & Conclusion
More About William Trubridge:
Official Website: https://www.williamtrubridge.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willtrubridge/
“The Mental Immune System” Program: https://www.mentalimmunesystem.com
Ready to Dive Deeper?:
https://www.ryandusick.com/
BenBella Books Author Page - https://benbellabooks.com/authors/dusick-ryan/
Amazon Book Page - https://www.amazon.com/Harder-Breathe-Memoir-Finding-Recovery/dp/1637742339/
WWSG Speaker Page - https://wwsg.com/speakers/ryan-dusick/
Psychology Today Therapist Profile - https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/937599
Stay Up to Date on the Podcast: @hardertobreathepodcast
Follow Ryan on Social Media:
IG - @ryan_michael_dusick
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-dusick-ma-amft-26460894/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ryan.m.dusick
Facebook Author Page - https://www.facebook.com/RyanMichaelDusick/
X / Twitter - @DusickRyan
Follow Duck on Social Media:
IG - @Newyorkduck
X / Twitter - @DuckMaillard
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About the Host
As the former founder of Maroon 5, Ryan had an amazing start to his music career that changed his life. But the stress of being that high of a performer started to break him down to the point that he had to walk away from his dream life. It was at the bottom that he realized that he had to change and through treatment, he began to rebuild his life one brick at a time. Ryan embraced his life experience and decided to become a therapist where he now specializes in helping high performers under enormous stress manage it and stay on a solid path.