Just Breathe: Stress Management for Business Leaders

As businesses scale, the need for effective stress management often grows in tandem. 

Culture gets harder to manage, communication frays, and leadership gaps become painfully visible. 

But according to Dave Gieselman, Founder of Limitless Flow Breathwork, the solution isn’t always a better process or more efficient system. 

Sometimes, it’s simply learning how to breathe.

In this episode of B2B Business Class, host Robb Conlon talks with Dave about his journey from addiction to executive coaching, and how physiological regulation, rather than productivity hacks, is the secret weapon for sustainable leadership.

From Chaos to Clarity: An Unlikely Path to Executive Coaching

Before he was guiding business leaders through burnout, Dave was living on the streets of Los Angeles, cooking in Michelin-starred kitchens by day and navigating the chaos of addiction by night.

“There’s a ton of drinking and drug abuse in those environments. It’s just how people manage stress. I flamed out on drug abuse and alcohol in my early twenties. I got sober in 1999,” Dave shared. “I was completely homeless, working in two nice places but literally living on the streets.”

His recovery wasn’t driven by a single breakthrough but by small daily habits, like breathwork, journaling, cold plunges, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, that grounded him.

“ It wasn't a long vision,” Dave said. “It was, ‘How do I get through today? How do I get through this week?’ Some things worked and some things didn't. I found a rhythm, a sort of cycle, and a series of protocols that worked really well for me.” 

Over time, those habits evolved into a coaching philosophy that now supports business owners across the country.

Breathing Room: Why Nervous System Regulation Beats Hustle Culture

Dave emphasized that most business problems aren’t operational but emotional. 

More specifically, they're the byproduct of dysregulated nervous systems. 

“Most business problems are not actually business problems. They are personal problems that are infecting your business,” Dave suggested.

His philosophy? Teach leaders how to down-regulate their stress response before making decisions.

“When we are in our stressed state, we lose access to our neocortex in our frontal lobe. Our amygdala is running the show,” Dave explained. “Until you can lower the stress level, you won't have access to the part of your brain that is going to solve the problem.”

“You Can’t Have a $100M Business Until You’re a $100M Business Owner”

One of Dave’s most memorable insights is this simple idea: the mindset of your current role won't scale to your future one.

"You have to grow into the next thing before you can have the next thing. You gotta be able to carry it before you can have it," he said.

For business leaders feeling stuck, his advice is clear: change the room. 

“Be the dumbest guy in the room who snuck in just under the radar. Surround yourself with people who are doing it the way you want to be doing it.”

How Stress Becomes the Silent Saboteur of Scaling Businesses

So what is the root cause of poor decision-making, toxic work environments, and burnout? According to Dave, it's fear. Not only does fear directly impact individuals, but it also bleeds into the organization.

“Every time I get into a situation with a business leader or a team, I'm going to ask the same question: ‘What are the biggest fears that are driving this team?’”

Whether it's a founder terrified of losing control or a middle manager afraid of failing their team, these invisible narratives shape behavior.

“Look, when the shit hits the fan, human beings look for the calmest person in the room,” Dave argued. “That's who you want to be as a leader.”

Creating Calm in the Middle: Advice for Leadership at Every Level

When companies scale quickly, middle managers often feel the most pressure. 

That’s why Dave teaches practical breathing techniques to help them de-escalate conflict and regain clarity.

“Just putting in an interrupt, even if it doesn't drop all the way out, can change everything,” Dave noted. “Say, ‘Awesome. I totally hear that. Do me a favor. Let's just take three deep breaths together.’”

Dave encourages leadership teams to adopt a culture that rewards regulation over reactivity. 

His approach to leadership isn’t built on traditional business theory. It’s built on neuroscience, lived experience, and the powerful idea that transformation begins with one breath. 

“Until you can calm down, you can't stop telling yourself the fear-based story. Once you do, you can start addressing the real issue.”

For more insights from Dave Gieselman, you can listen to this episode of B2B Business Class on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.