Brent Beshara spent 24 years in the Canadian military, mainly as a special forces Navy bomb disposal diver. In his words, when he retired on a Friday it was all “pats on the back” and “we’ll get together,” but when Monday came “it was tumbleweeds”.

He had a great career, but the highly stressful and traumatic experiences had left a mark and now his mission was to heal.

Through mindfulness, breath-work, and cold exposure - what he learned through his Wim Hof instructor training - he was able to heal himself; mind and body, and now focuses on passing on what he’s learned to others.

Brent shares how his newfound routine enabled him to reverse his pre-diabetes condition, heal from what he calls a “mental meltdown”, and ultimately save his life. We talk about the physical impacts of this work and the potential societal impacts, which is what he is focused on now through HeadStart - a 2-minute breath-work program for students and staff - that is launching in several Canadian schools this Fall, 2025.

Find Brent Beshara Here:

Website: https://besh.ca

HeadStart: https://besh.ca/headstart

Newfoundland Winter Crew: https://www.facebook.com/groups/324829538112496/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@diverbrent

Find The Akkeri Here:

Website: TheAkkeri.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/theakkeri

Instagram: Instagram.com/the.akkeri

YouTube: YouTube.com/theakkeri

00;00;00;00 - 00;00;23;08

Brent Beshara

For 24 years from the day I served as a Special Forces Navy bomb disposal diver. Had a fantastic career. But that career came at a cost to cost me mentally. It cost me physically. Breathwork and meditation. Those things helped me decompress as we were exposed to these events and emotions and experiences. If we don't process them in the moment, then they get stored in our tissues.

00;00;23;11 - 00;00;33;24

Brent Beshara

By simply controlling our breath, we control. I like reducing the anxiety because we're not. We're no longer to worry about tomorrow. Not fretting about the past for distinct this present moment.

00;00;33;26 - 00;00;56;27

Matt Howlett

You were listening to The Akkeri Podcast, a show about men and masculinities, the challenges that modern men face, and how to chart a better way forward. I'm your host, Matt Howlett, mental health coach and founder of The Akkeri. Brent Beshara spent 24 years in the Canadian military, mainly as a special Forces Navy bomb disposal diver. In his words, when he retired on a Friday, it was all pats on the back and we'll get together.

00;00;57;00 - 00;01;17;01

Matt Howlett

But when monday came, it was tumbleweeds. He had a great career, but the highly stressful and traumatic experiences had left a mark, and now his mission was to heal through mindfulness, breathwork and cold exposure. What he learned through his Wim Hof instructor training, he was able to heal himself, mind and body, and now focuses on passing on what he's learned to others.

00;01;17;03 - 00;01;42;26

Matt Howlett

00;01;42;28 - 00;02;09;17

Matt Howlett

Here's the conversation with Brent Beshara. What I'd love to do to to start, because obviously it's going to be a lot of people who don't know you. And I like to get a call notes version whenever digging into someone's story, like, I know you're in the military and anybody recognizes your name and is going to know a bit of your story, you know, you've got some, content out there on on YouTube and Facebook when you're working on, but give everybody just an idea of of who you are, where you've come from, what you've been into.

00;02;09;19 - 00;02;45;06

Brent Beshara

Yeah. Great question. Great point. Well, firstly, I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. I served in the military, for 24 years. In the day, I served as a special forces Navy bomb disposal diver. Had a fantastic career, but that career came at a cost to cost me mentally. It cost me physically. So, I was on meds for seven years, up until getting, got off those medications through daily commitment to, physical routine, walking, eating better yoga, breathwork, things like that.

00;02;45;08 - 00;03;14;26

Brent Beshara

00;03;15;01 - 00;03;36;13

Brent Beshara

And then I brought that method back. So for me, it's helping out my my tribe, my friends with, mental health. I'm involved with a couple of mental men's mental health groups and mental health groups here in Saint John's, Newfoundland. And, I've also come up with a breathwork program for kids, K to 12, in schools across the province and having great success with it.

00;03;36;13 - 00;03;53;25

Brent Beshara

So that's kind of where I'm at. As my bride says, my bride, Kellyanne says, I'm in the army of love now. So that's my that's my commitment to, to, to life is to, you know, commit to those who are struggling and go where I'm called. And. Yeah. So thanks for having me today. Yeah.

00;03;53;25 - 00;04;00;25

Matt Howlett

Of course, man, we we met up for coffee. And I love what you're doing in the schools and can't wait to see that launch. You said that's going to start this fall.

00;04;00;27 - 00;04;21;00

Brent Beshara

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I mean one school now I've got 4 or 6 teachers now, ready to apply it, this fall and there'll be more schools because now that the teachers are back in school getting ready for the new season, now I can, start hitting up the principals, because here in Newfoundland, it's the principals that are the gateway or the gatekeepers to the, curriculum.

00;04;21;00 - 00;04;37;14

Brent Beshara

So those are the ones I need to contact with. And everyone I've met so far has given me two thumbs up. So this is like my baby diary. Chief always says, Brant, don't bring me, don't bring me a problem. Bring me a solution. And and this is the solution. I've been working on this since November last year.

00;04;37;17 - 00;05;05;11

Brent Beshara

To, curate this program to make it as simple and as effective as possible. And it's simply a daily commitment to, two minute breathwork routine, because right now she's in school. Her anger, apathy, anxiety, violence and teacher burnout, while a commitment, the reason why those issues exist because it's a it's from disconnection. And so through a daily commitment of a breathwork routine, we reconnect to ourself to understand our impact upon others.

00;05;05;11 - 00;05;07;29

Brent Beshara

And so that's, that's that's the solution.

00;05;07;29 - 00;05;23;25

Matt Howlett

And yeah, I want to dig into a bit more of the background first. So we'll backtrack and then we'll, we'll get into the breathwork because I, I again I find that, not just interesting, but I love the fact that that's going to be something that's taught in schools, because one of the things that I've always thought about when it comes K to 12 is missing.

00;05;24;02 - 00;05;38;29

Matt Howlett

That at least I felt from my experience, is that, emotional regulation just toggles that side of life. And that's exactly what you're digging into. But don't tell everybody a little bit about your military experience. So you just mentioned Navy. Is it only Navy?

00;05;39;01 - 00;06;01;16

Brent Beshara

00;06;01;17 - 00;06;08;00

Brent Beshara

Okay. And during those those 18 years, I served five years in our commando unit, the Joint Task Force two in Ottawa.

00;06;08;02 - 00;06;13;11

Matt Howlett

Okay. What would that look like exactly? A joint task force in Ottawa. Is that more officer position or.

00;06;13;17 - 00;06;34;24

Brent Beshara

No. No, it's, commando unit. Okay. Like the, seals down in the States, like a Delta unit. So highly specialized, highly specialized, very unique military training to, you know, safely rescue the hostages or whatever direct action needs to be involved, overseas or domestic, mostly overseas.

00;06;34;26 - 00;06;39;02

Matt Howlett

So it was mostly the bomb work. That's for.

00;06;39;02 - 00;06;39;21

Brent Beshara

Myself.

00;06;39;24 - 00;06;46;04

Matt Howlett

Yeah, that's about as good as I can describe it. D tell me a little bit more about that. What does that look like? Like what did you do day in, day out?

00;06;46;06 - 00;07;29;27

Brent Beshara

Well, you well, all clearance divers, there's four trades in the military that have bomb training. There's engineers, ammo techs, and, another Air Force trainee. I can't remember who that is. And, then the US in the Navy is clean divers, and so, we're all clearance dives are trained on, explosive work, but there's a qualification called bomb bomb disposal operator in which we're, we we're that we're we're able to dispose because as a clearance divers, we're capable of disposing of sea mines and torpedoes and other aircraft munitions and land munitions and such like that, like land mines and such.

00;07;29;27 - 00;07;56;02

Brent Beshara

But for IEDs, improvised explosive devices, that's where we become that bomb disposal operator. And we take that training as well. And, so the game has always changed this thing. We were trained by British operators in Northern Ireland, but now that we're deployed overseas, to Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., etc., then, the game has changed. The, the, the, the devices are way more complex now.

00;07;56;02 - 00;08;16;18

Brent Beshara

Way more, subtle, way more effective. So you got to stay up on the game and, you know, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes with the bug, sometimes where the windshield, that kind of thing. So as a bomb tech domestically, you know, in Victoria, because that was the closest bomb tech to the unit.

00;08;16;20 - 00;08;40;15

Brent Beshara

At one point in time. I had the most bomb calls in one year. And that can range anything from something suspicious to homemade pipe bombs to, you know, improvised or, pyrotechnics or suspicious package, things like that. So, you know, that's it. It's it's a young man's sport, a young person's sport, I should say no. And that I found it very thrilling and exciting.

00;08;40;15 - 00;08;43;19

Brent Beshara

It was dangerous, you know, etc..

00;08;43;19 - 00;08;48;14

Matt Howlett

Was there training there, to support you emotionally?

00;08;48;17 - 00;08;49;08

Brent Beshara

Oh, no.

00;08;49;10 - 00;08;52;29

Matt Howlett

Like, how do you even manage that? Because that sounds insanely stressful.

00;08;53;02 - 00;09;13;18

Brent Beshara

Oh, yeah, it is, but usually you just go back. Well, back when I was in, I don't know what it's like now. I hope it's better. But at that time you just go back to the mess. Our drinking place and just drink. Really, I, you know, I complained at the time of pain in my chest, shortness of breath, being responsible in people's lives, dealing with high explosives on a daily basis.

00;09;13;20 - 00;09;39;27

Brent Beshara

And, they didn't give me any tips or tools or tricks. They just gave me pills. And because that's all. That's the only solution. They had at the time. So, but now, you know, now that I'm out the there's way more knowledge now of what's going on and how to do debriefs and decompress. Right? I believe that the people serving overseas go to like a, a two week decompression.

00;09;39;27 - 00;09;56;14

Brent Beshara

Don't quote me on any of this. I've been out since I was seven, so I know nothing, right? I'm a techno hippie now. Yeah, but, but they're well aware that we can't just leave the battlefield. And then 25 hours later, be at home, right? Right. So you have to have some form of decompression.

00;09;56;16 - 00;10;04;17

Matt Howlett

What was the timeframe again? You said you've been out since oh seven because you said it's like a young man's game. So when did you start?

00;10;04;20 - 00;10;06;01

Brent Beshara

In 83.

00;10;06;03 - 00;10;14;22

Matt Howlett

So you were in it from 83, 207. And were you in like bomb technician related field pretty much the entire time?

00;10;14;25 - 00;10;19;03

Brent Beshara

Most of it, yeah, of course. Tips for tips was on tech.

00;10;19;05 - 00;10;31;26

Matt Howlett

Wow. Yeah. So I mean, you're not just worried about your your own safety, but you're you yet your your team with you when you were part of the commandos, you got guys there. You're tight with their families and then obviously the general public, I mean.

00;10;31;29 - 00;10;33;21

Brent Beshara

Yeah. And the security.

00;10;33;23 - 00;10;34;15

Matt Howlett

Man. Yeah.

00;10;34;17 - 00;10;48;13

Brent Beshara

Yeah. Your team plus also the and the people keeping your safety, you know, at least the fire department or Army unit overseas protecting you while you do do the job. Yeah. And you see and safety to infrastructure, buildings and such. Right.

00;10;48;13 - 00;10;56;12

Matt Howlett

Of course. But you said Navy diver, but you also mentioned, when you're talking about Victoria, like pipe bombs and the, like, stats on land as well.

00;10;56;14 - 00;11;22;12

Brent Beshara

Yeah, yeah. So as a bomb, check your, you know, with, as a Navy diver, we were kind of fortunate that we have access to also the water and the land. So as, as a, as a clear stab, we're also responsible for air and land and sea munitions. So it could be anything from, jet fired rockets to land mines, torpedoes, anything in the arsenal of munitions.

00;11;22;14 - 00;11;31;20

Brent Beshara

Plus, then you have to take into account if those munitions have been booby trapped. Right. It might not just be a rocket, or it might not just be a landmine. It might be booby trap. Right.

00;11;31;23 - 00;11;37;04

Matt Howlett

Are you able to actually share, like the rough details of a story? Is there one that comes to mind?

00;11;37;05 - 00;11;55;23

Brent Beshara

Well, not really, I'd rather not get into it. Okay. Sorry, I don't look back. I'm not one to look back other than just that, you know, there is. Yeah, there's it's just it's it's tough. It's a tough it's a tough racket. You know, being in the military or a first responder police officer firefighter. You know it's a it's a tough racket.

00;11;55;23 - 00;12;30;14

Brent Beshara

So I that's why I'm really involved in helping, people out and to overcome the, the stresses, the traumas of that. And for me, the one most important thing that helped me heal and deal and process that stuff was the daily commitment to breathwork and meditation, learning yoga. Those things helped me decompress because the issues are in our tissues when we're exposed to these events and emotions and experiences, if we don't process them in the moment, then they get stored in our tissues only to be processed, you know, later, either in this life for the next.

00;12;30;16 - 00;12;58;12

Brent Beshara

So we need to, I find for myself. But again, I'm not telling anybody to do anything other than if we have been exposed to trauma. That can be anything from childhood trauma. Again, as a first responder, please, her medic firefighter, you know, I've had many I've lost many friends now in the in the military and in the police force that due to suicide, just unable to handle the traumas of of that life, of the exposure to those situations.

00;12;58;12 - 00;13;22;18

Brent Beshara

And so I found for myself that daily commitment to a walk, getting outside in nature, the breathwork routine, learning to meditate, learning to process, you know, the unprocessed stuff because you, for example, you, you retire on a Friday, right? And it's all pats on the back. Yeah, we're going to hook up. But on the Monday, man, it's tumbleweeds because they still got a job to do.

00;13;22;21 - 00;13;48;13

Brent Beshara

Right. But meanwhile you're now you're just a dumb city. You're doing whatever you're doing. But luckily for me, I had, I had invented the strongest knife tip in the world. I call it the best wedge. So I had a commitment to that, that career as a knife maker. Right. So I committed to that. But I also I took basically three months off and just went online to figure what I was about and what I was interested and committed to opportunity for a second career, basically.

00;13;48;16 - 00;14;07;13

Brent Beshara

And so I went online and I but I studied everybody. I studied Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Ron McDonald, Deepak Chopra, Einstein, Confucius, Emerson, Thoreau, Lao Tzu, Lipton, Raiden, Campbell, Wim Hof, Joe Rogan, Oprah and I found that basically they're all saying the same thing, that what we put out to the world is what we get back, that, what we focus on, we attract.

00;14;07;13 - 00;14;24;22

Brent Beshara

If it is to be. It's up to me that if I do nothing, nothing happens. Right? But I studied everybody. I studied all the seafood, Sufi swamis, sages, mages, magi, medicine, mad medicine, women preachers, Parsons. You know, just all these wizards, warlocks and witches. I just thought.

00;14;24;25 - 00;14;26;26

Matt Howlett

That you have to be able to ride them off so smooth.

00;14;26;26 - 00;14;43;03

Brent Beshara

Yeah, yeah. And I just found great information everywhere. For me, it was the application. Because the military gives you a daily application of when to wake up, what to wear, where to go, what to do, when to come home, when to wake up, what to wear, where to go, what to do, when to come home. Rinse, lather, repeat for 24 years.

00;14;43;03 - 00;15;00;10

Brent Beshara

So you really don't really have to think. But you're all I found. I was hyper focused forward because you're always having to worry about what's going to happen next, what could happen next, what could go right, what could go wrong. If there's one, there's two. If there's two, there's three. So you're always in this hyper focused forward mindset all the time.

00;15;00;10 - 00;15;20;26

Brent Beshara

And it's taken me years to the program from that continuous hyper focused forwardness. So yeah, you're kind of not really present at the time, nor are you really processing those experiences, events and emotions. In the on the job because you don't have time but you go to the mess. So what that kickstarted.

00;15;21;03 - 00;15;38;24

Matt Howlett

Yeah. What kickstarted that process for you. So you said you'd retired like, you know, on a Friday you get out on Monday and it's tumbleweeds. But how did you realize that you actually needed to do this work? Like, was it actually what you said earlier? Like, you watch Joe Rogan one day just by chance and it was Wim Hof, you know, nice man that.

00;15;38;25 - 00;15;42;10

Matt Howlett

Yeah. Yeah, that's actually the genesis of it all.

00;15;42;13 - 00;16;03;19

Brent Beshara

That that was a part of the Genesis. O'Doherty you know, for me, I have been speaking in school since I was six. Okay. I really enjoyed that telling my story. So for me, it was that daily application. So, I found I became a student again, a scientist, an explorer and a philosopher. And so I'm looking up all these books.

00;16;03;19 - 00;16;21;07

Brent Beshara

I've got thousands and thousands of books now, and, maybe a few thousand. And the point is, though, is that I for me, I would read a whole book to see what that cat did. What was their application? How did they apply this great knowledge? Right. Because if we don't apply it, it's not going to happen. It's one thing to know it.

00;16;21;09 - 00;16;31;24

Brent Beshara

But if we don't do do it and it can't happen, right? So for me it was that daily application. So I just kept applying what those, people were saying.

00;16;31;26 - 00;16;39;20

Matt Howlett

So you were studying with, with Wim Hof, right? You so you went to a training course? Something like that. Can you tell me about that?

00;16;39;22 - 00;16;59;18

Brent Beshara

Yeah. And fabulous. First one was, serendipitously, I was we had already booked our trip to Ontario and to mainland, out to Victoria and back. And the one weekend that I was in Toronto because I got an email from, because I'm on the Wim Hof email list and they said, hey, Wim Hof world tour, Tokyo, London, Buenos Aires, all that stuff.

00;16;59;21 - 00;17;20;11

Brent Beshara

And then I and I see, oh, come into Canada and then Vancouver in Toronto. So I checked the dates the same weekend. I'm one hour north of Toronto. Women's running a one day workshop, so I go to that one day workshop. I meet the second Wim Hof instructor in Canada, Steve Billy. And so I asked him what was that experience like?

00;17;20;11 - 00;17;38;22

Brent Beshara

He goes, it was life changing, says Brant. You should really go. So I gave it some thought that following, September, September was I went to Amsterdam, to his farm and did part one of the instructors. And then the following January in Poland, we go to his farm in Poland and do part two of the, training.

00;17;38;22 - 00;18;12;26

Brent Beshara

And what was very cool, because I'm a kind of a highly motivated human being, is that in on parts one and two? I met 49 other highly motivated human beings. It was the most energetic group. There's a picture on my screensaver right now of of the course, and it was just so, amazing to meet 49 highly motivated people like yoga instructors, coaches, etc., etc. and they were everyone was so after eight days and in Poland, like it's a very emotional you got to shed your stuff and you're, you're an instructor in the method.

00;18;12;26 - 00;18;30;20

Brent Beshara

So you're, you're branding Wim Hof material. Right. And so you commit like we're doing Monster Daily Breathwork, we're doing epic cold exposure. It was profound. It was a profound, super life changing experience and in which I, I1I revered today.

00;18;30;21 - 00;18;42;10

Matt Howlett

Yeah. Can you give me the specifics of that. Like what's the before and after you said life changing experience like for you personally, what was it like before practicing this method and what is it like now?

00;18;42;12 - 00;19;06;14

Brent Beshara

Well, I can give you some mathematics on that. While clinically it was, again, prediabetes, right from my doctor. Right. Prediabetes. And she's had a practice for 20 years, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of patients. Clients, if you will. But I'm the only person in her on her client list, after all. Maybe a few thousand people that have been diagnosed with prediabetes.

00;19;06;16 - 00;19;30;18

Brent Beshara

I'm the only one in her practice that has reversed prediabetes. And I just had like blood analysis here last week. And the person there said, I've got the happy blood of an 18 year old cheerleader right. So that's for me, super life changing, going from prediabetes to now having the happy blood of a 18 year old cheerleader.

00;19;30;20 - 00;19;36;05

Matt Howlett

I've never heard blood described as happiest and not like to a cheerleader. Yeah, but yeah, yeah.

00;19;36;05 - 00;19;37;08

Brent Beshara

And that's what he says. It was good.

00;19;37;08 - 00;19;38;26

Matt Howlett

For you is good.

00;19;38;28 - 00;19;44;10

Brent Beshara

It's right. And if it can work for me, it can work for other people. But it just takes a little commitment.

00;19;44;12 - 00;19;56;25

Matt Howlett

Yeah. Tell me you have the body with you, the stress and the anxiety. Like, obviously you you talked a little bit about the military, you know, that that didn't go away overnight. So this definitely played a role in that. Sure. What did that.

00;19;56;28 - 00;20;24;06

Brent Beshara

And so well you're exposed to grievous trauma. You're exposed to horrible, horrible things. And for me as a bomb tech, all you study is incidences where people have died, right? You know? Yeah. I witnessed a car bomb in Cyprus. We were doing. We're in recce platoon, and we're up in the helicopter. And I witnessed a car bomb in which six people were vaporized instantly.

00;20;24;09 - 00;20;47;26

Brent Beshara

Right? Yeah. So you've got to live with that stuff. And then. So again, for me, as a bomb tech, but also first responders, firefighters and police, you know, they're going into situations that are completely horrible and grievous. And, so, yeah, it does take with you still I still that I'm still starting out the, the belfry with my bats and squirrels and such.

00;20;47;26 - 00;21;05;05

Brent Beshara

So, you know, it's a commitment. I work on it every day and, you know, some days on the bug, some days I'm the windshield, you know, but, it's always there. And you can feel that that tension, I feel it. And so it's a daily commitment, and I commit to the cold exposure. I swim every day. I go, and I swim year round.

00;21;05;05 - 00;21;25;20

Brent Beshara

00;21;25;20 - 00;21;48;04

Brent Beshara

And so it's a great way for us to embrace winter, right. And makes winter goes by so quick. So I'm very excited to have the snow and ice come again. But that's that. It's, and that's living with it. You know, I don't know if you ever like, I've lost dear friends, I've lost dear family. And, that stuff, that's that's it.

00;21;48;04 - 00;21;58;17

Brent Beshara

It's, it's tough, but, you know, that's why I commit to this daily practice. Because it alleviates and helps dissipate the the anxiety, the paranoia, the, the grief.

00;21;58;22 - 00;22;21;01

Matt Howlett

Yeah. There's got to be an element of, What? My mind is blanking on the right word, but satisfaction is going to have to do for now when you are taking on that mentoring role and stepping in to help another human process what you've processed. Yeah. What has that been like, as I guess the title as well.

00;22;21;04 - 00;22;23;09

Matt Howlett

Well, Wim Hof, instructor, is that correct?

00;22;23;09 - 00;22;46;17

Brent Beshara

Yeah. Former former Wim Hof. And you have to recertify. It's like a franchise, so you have to recertify your qualifications. So, I, I love it, I love instructing, I kind of have a talent for it. I love doing it. I love being able to present complex situations, recognize the patterns in them and render them down and deliver that content to, to people.

00;22;46;17 - 00;23;16;05

Brent Beshara

So, like, I run workshops, you know, I ran, I call them coffee talks. I ran 22 weeks of, just introduction to this material. Wednesday night, 7 to 9. I'm planning on doing it again, through the natural via downtown here. Okay. When? Wednesday night, 7 to 9. Just because it helps. It helps people understand that they don't need to be a victim of themselves or a victim of their, experiences.

00;23;16;07 - 00;23;21;29

Brent Beshara

It's because I found that it's not what happens to us that matters. It's how we choose to respond to it that does.

00;23;22;01 - 00;23;40;29

Matt Howlett

Yeah. Right. So talk a little bit more about that. How does this help people take more control? Like what was the words that you just used. Like what exactly goes on in a person's body. Like what do you what do you see with the people that you work with? They're coming in, you know, with anxiety, with with stress and sleep headaches.

00;23;41;06 - 00;23;43;02

Matt Howlett

What is it exactly?

00;23;43;04 - 00;24;14;03

Brent Beshara

Well, sometimes I do one on work. One on one work, but I don't charge for it because I don't. I don't have clients. I make friends, right. But I like to do group workshops. Where through breath and movement, we understand the connection to ourselves, because really, it ultimately comes down. Our vexations or disgruntled ness, comes through a disconnection that ultimately it comes down to a thought, which a thought is simply a picture we have in our mind and that we're believing to be true in the present moment.

00;24;14;06 - 00;24;43;13

Brent Beshara

So, like Doctor Phil says, how's that working out for you? Right? Yeah. And like Jesus says, do you believe? Do you believe in a higher power? Ultimately, I, from my experience, is where the higher power to believe in ourselves, in our capacity to step up to our own plate, to personally be accountable through our choices that our accountabilities for our actions to be accountable to ourselves and through that accountability, that integrity, that authorship, that ownership.

00;24;43;16 - 00;25;08;00

Brent Beshara

We then, see that our role, our role in this experience in the past. Right. How do we own that is one thing. And then through staying present because tomorrow hasn't happened yet. Tomorrow is simply a concept. The past isn't happening now. So for me, it's a game of again, this is what works for me. Might not work for everybody.

00;25;08;00 - 00;25;28;15

Brent Beshara

Don't take my word for it, right? It's just my best guess. The best. Right? So the point is, if I know if it can work for me, it can work for other people. And so that's all I just share, is my story and the tips, tricks and tools, skills and drills that I learned from from that. You know, I don't, I'm not I'm just a cat.

00;25;28;22 - 00;25;35;02

Brent Beshara

Just a dude that's had some life experiences and figured some stuff out and that that worked for me. So I just share that stuff. What?

00;25;35;06 - 00;25;54;27

Matt Howlett

Yeah, but to your credit, though, there is a lot of science behind why you're talking about, like, you know, you're it makes me think of of mindfulness. I have not practiced breathwork. I mean, I wouldn't call what I've done breathwork at least, like, you know, becoming more aware of how I feel in the moment, like, you know, box breaths, like that type of.

00;25;55;00 - 00;26;20;20

Matt Howlett

That's very basic in and one I know of breathwork, you know, I've never studied like you have. But what I do know that the science says that when you are more aware of yourself in the present moment, more aware of your experience, more aware of your emotions like that lowers your blood pressure, like lowers your stress levels in the moment when you can simply become more aware of how it is that you're feeling, what your experience is in the moment.

00;26;20;20 - 00;26;41;15

Matt Howlett

And one of the things that I've loved about that, that practice of simply trying to live more in the present is that I can be myself in stressful situations. So I used to find that I would leave a stressful situation, you know, years ago, and I would think of what I wish I had said or how I wish I had reacted right.

00;26;41;18 - 00;27;02;14

Matt Howlett

But now because of this practice, because I can enter a more stressful situation and be myself and be mindful and be present, I'm not acting in a way that I'm not proud of. I'm not speaking in a way that I'm not proud of. I speak and act, what I would say, in alignment with who it is that I am.

00;27;02;19 - 00;27;20;00

Matt Howlett

You know what I mean? Sometimes. Absolutely. Yeah. Well, we act right. We we we react to whatever's going on around us. And it's not always in line with our values. It's not always in line with who we are and who we want to be, who are becoming. But yeah, I mean, there's a lot of science behind what you're saying.

00;27;20;02 - 00;27;31;07

Matt Howlett

Like you've read, The Body Keeps the Score. We talked about that, I think when we when met. Right. Yeah. That that thing right there alone is, I'd say, enough proof for the impact of what you're talking about.

00;27;31;10 - 00;27;53;24

Brent Beshara

Oh, absolutely. And to add to that, presence. Presence, staying in this, this gospel moment of presence, because this is the moment of creation. This is the moment that the, the creator, has provided for us. And so the sitting is an archery term, and that simply means we're missing the point to sin is missing the point. So if we're.

00;27;53;27 - 00;27;55;03

Matt Howlett

To miss the mark.

00;27;55;05 - 00;28;14;29

Brent Beshara

Missed the mark missing. So if we're stuck in the future, we're in anxiety about what's happening or got fear. Don't worry. Lack and scarcity about the future or the past, which is guilt. We're basically sinning because we're not staying present to the moment of creation, right? We can be upstairs in the belfry with the bats and the squirrels, right?

00;28;15;00 - 00;28;33;12

Brent Beshara

They love company. As I found out. So I've learned to just. All right. Thanks so much, guys. Thanks for all the, information, but now I need to close the the attic door and just stay here. Present heart based and stay present to the moment of what is, like you said, being able to represent myself with authenticity in the moment.

00;28;33;13 - 00;28;58;00

Brent Beshara

And I find that really, by commanding presence through the power of breath, by, you know, when we command our breath, when we control our breath, we control our life. So simply. Slogans I found through the nose and longer outs in 2 or 3 breaths, you've switched over to the parasympathetic side to rest and digest. If we're on the feeding breathe site or fight plate, that is sorry I played side, then we're you know, we're always we're always aware.

00;28;58;00 - 00;29;21;23

Brent Beshara

We're always, you know, in that state of fight flight. But simply through three breaths we can move over to the parasympathetic side to rest and digest. So then that's simply through. So when I find I have to give a talk or a meeting someone or something is important, I'll just slow it down. Like you don't even know that I've been breathing slowly here to slow myself down, stay in the moment, stay present.

00;29;21;25 - 00;29;37;18

Brent Beshara

And so that's the power of it is by simply controlling our breath, we control. I like reducing the anxiety because we're not. We're no longer worrying about tomorrow, not fretting about the past. We're just going to this present moment, able to articulate to our fellow humans. Yeah.

00;29;37;21 - 00;29;53;28

Matt Howlett

Focusing on what we can control in the moment rather than being angry and worried about the past, you know, repeating itself or living in the future and being anxious, talk to me about the program that you've put together, because this is probably, I mean, I hope this is going to be exciting for a lot of people who hear this.

00;29;53;28 - 00;29;58;29

Matt Howlett

And the parents involved at the schools that you're going to be working with. But yeah, just outline that for me.

00;29;59;02 - 00;30;15;09

Brent Beshara

Well, thanks for asking. I'm very proud of it. I'm very excited and very enthusiastic about it. I was just working on it before we got online together. So it's called the and I don't it's not my program. It's that program. It was given to me. I was in a moment on a beach, in a quiet moment of stillness.

00;30;15;09 - 00;30;35;04

Brent Beshara

I've been asking these questions. How do we create world peace? Like the Dalai Lama says, if we teach every eight year old to meditate, we'll solve, world violence in a generation. I don't want to wait a generation. Like, like Herbert Hoover says, our children are our greatest natural resource. And right now, kids, instead of going outside and playing, they're going to get their medications right.

00;30;35;04 - 00;30;54;02

Brent Beshara

I find that so super, super sad. So I've been asking great questions that when we ask her questions, we get great answers. And so, it was given to me and it just I got a job sitting on the beach one day and went, oh my gosh, that's it. That's the solution I've been looking for. And what it is, is simply a two minute breathwork program based on the box breath.

00;30;54;02 - 00;31;15;27

Brent Beshara

And if you look up the box breath on the Google, it's, it's used by US special forces and Canadian special forces and so simply in for four hold for four ultra four hold for four. And you just simply rinse lather repeat. Two minutes is is all we need to do to move over to the parasympathetic side and simply that's what we use in the WIMP half method.

00;31;15;27 - 00;31;36;19

Brent Beshara

Stand in the ice. It's only two minutes because it was 3 or 4 or five minutes. That's too long. And that's starting to impact the curriculum. And if it were, if it was one minute that's too short and people wouldn't buy into it. But two minutes is totally enough, too. Okay. Again, to the program. So like we said earlier, anger, anxiety, apathy, violence and teacher burnout are the main issues in school right now.

00;31;36;21 - 00;32;02;08

Brent Beshara

And a simple commitment to, a daily breathwork routine will allow us to, dissipate and delineate those those issues to create more connection to ourselves, to understand our impact upon others. Right. And, I had I got some case examples. I've got two teachers now. One in Alberta, one in Ontario. They started in just before, school, closed last this last season.

00;32;02;10 - 00;32;21;03

Brent Beshara

And, they're both special needs teachers. And they both said they started on Monday. And by Thursday it was a different classroom. I have another teacher, Joanne, here in, CVS, conception Bay South. And, she was burnt out. She, she stopped by and she says, I'm done. I'm not I can't say I've been teaching for 18 years.

00;32;21;06 - 00;32;45;20

Brent Beshara

I can't teach anymore. I'm burnt out. I said, well, try this breathwork program. She started on Tuesday and she's a great 15 turned by Thursday. Again, it was a different classroom. And the Great five are asking, can we do that again? Okay. The one principle, my first principle, here Holy cross, when I presented the program to him, you talked with his guidance counselor and they both said, I wish I had known this when I was six.

00;32;45;22 - 00;33;08;29

Brent Beshara

00;33;09;02 - 00;33;28;13

Brent Beshara

They come back and they can only, disseminate that one classroom at a time, whereas the Head Start program is down over the the PA. Right. So homeroom is, let's say 5:00 or 8:00 in the morning. Boom, boom. 805. All right, everybody, put your feet flat on the floor. Put your hands on the desk. Sit up. Right. Close your eyes if you want to.

00;33;28;13 - 00;33;53;29

Brent Beshara

And then we just do the breath for simply two minutes. And, with that, one of the cool things that happens with that is the classroom becomes a safe space after a commitment to that kind of routine, because a lot of kids don't have safe spaces, right? They go home to this disgruntled, dysfunctional family and, they don't have a safe space, but at the classroom then becomes a safe space, which is one of the neat, benefits of this program.

00;33;54;01 - 00;34;11;29

Brent Beshara

And it's done over the whole P.A. so the whole school does it. Right. So there's that kind of circle rest. Yeah, it's reciprocity. And it's so simple. So it doesn't impact the curriculum. It gives everybody, like all I want is the kids just to have a break, you know. You know what mornings are like. It's get your coat, get your bag.

00;34;12;02 - 00;34;38;29

Brent Beshara

Come on. It's pajama day. Let's go, go, go. Right. And they do that for 12 years, man. Whereas I just want them to have everybody and students and staff. Teachers are one of the most important people we have. Just to give everybody a Texas time out just to have a a breath. And then it's a tool that they can take home if they, you know, if they're confronted with whatever situation, they have a tool to, you know, access their emotional awareness to help reregulate their emotions.

00;34;38;29 - 00;34;53;20

Brent Beshara

And then the ripple effect is that will transcend into the family. Maybe. Mom, dad. Hey, do you want to try this out where everybody can get some emotional regulation, some emotional awareness, and I'm not stopping here. Newsflash. I'm taking it's Canada wide.

00;34;53;22 - 00;35;00;12

Matt Howlett

But this is like a trial kind of set up right here. Right? Like get your get your base results. Get like some testimonials.

00;35;00;18 - 00;35;11;26

Brent Beshara

Well I don't I know I know everyone wants to do the trial. I just want them to do it because it works. And that's, you know, every all the everyone I've met so far. Well, we need to do a trial. No we don't, we just need to do it.

00;35;11;29 - 00;35;22;09

Matt Howlett

That's just using the language of a trial. I totally understand where you come from. You just want to do it. But I mean, obviously there are processes structured, you know, systems in place for, you know, K to 12.

00;35;22;09 - 00;35;44;18

Brent Beshara

Yeah. Well yeah. So the, the way I look at it there's K to 12. And so 7 to 12, those are basically the humans that they're going to be. And this will help some of them you know. But this k to six this is the harvest. This is the kids that will only know emotional regulation emotional awareness that they'll take that knowledge and they'll just do it in grade seven, grade eight right now.

00;35;44;18 - 00;36;04;14

Brent Beshara

So within five years I actually call it a different human program. Right. Because that's what because we're living in very turbulent trying times. And so what we need to do is create, children that are going to take care of us, that have that emotional regulation and awareness, adaptability to be able to adapt to the changing occurrences. Yeah, right.

00;36;04;21 - 00;36;14;04

Brent Beshara

So I find it very important because our children are simply our greatest natural resource. And if you don't give them the tips, tricks and tools, we're really shooting ourselves in the foot.

00;36;14;06 - 00;36;34;18

Matt Howlett

Yeah. When you're talking about that, I keep hearing the term resilience in my head. And I never really like that. I never really liked when I heard, leader, any type of leaders say, well, our children are resilient. Like, okay. Yeah, yeah, they are like their brains are moldable. And like you said, like when they get in, like junior high and so on, we become the adults.

00;36;34;18 - 00;36;56;25

Matt Howlett

That role pretty much. No, we're going to be for the rest of life. You know, we don't change a whole lot apparently. But, you know, I've never really liked it to say that. Well, children are resilient. It doesn't matter really what they go through that they'll they'll be okay. Like, you know, I'm a child of divorce and like, you know, maybe some children grew up without a father or without a mother or like, they lost someone tragically.

00;36;56;25 - 00;37;16;00

Matt Howlett

Whatever the case is, whatever the trauma might be for the child, you can say that they're resilient, but I would much rather do what you're doing. Give them the, the the tools, the ability to be proactive, you know, does that make sense to you? You know, resiliency to me at least feels like I can react to a situation.

00;37;16;03 - 00;37;34;09

Matt Howlett

But what you're doing is you're teaching them to be proactive, to walk into the start of their class day. As simple as that is, and take a moment to be present. Take a moment to be mindful. Take a moment to figure out where they're at. And then, you know, be proactive about that day and how they feel. You're smiling that makes sense to you.

00;37;34;09 - 00;37;34;19

Matt Howlett

Okay.

00;37;34;21 - 00;37;38;07

Brent Beshara

Oh, you're preaching to the choir.

00;37;38;09 - 00;37;48;20

Matt Howlett

Well, yeah, I love that too, man, because I really do believe what you mentioned earlier about like, I think it was a Dalai Lama quote, you know, was it teach, a child to meditate.

00;37;48;22 - 00;37;52;23

Brent Beshara

Teach every eight year old to meditate or solve world violence in a generation?

00;37;52;27 - 00;38;23;24

Matt Howlett

Yeah. Because I think if you if you dig into that, obviously that's very simplistic, right. That statement alone maybe on its own that's not enough. But if you get into the reasons why we meditate, get into the reasons why, you know, you're encouraging this breathwork program, then it's all about understanding where we're at, understanding how to process emotions and understanding maybe even what it is, or where our values are at and what it is that's helpful to focus on and to stay away from.

00;38;23;26 - 00;38;47;27

Matt Howlett

As I was even having this conversation with, with my wife, just last night, I get so fired up sometimes with what's going on in the world, especially right now, because it's just all about greed and all about power. And it's it's never about love. It's never about, empathy. It's never about understanding each other and making the world a better place, as cliche as that is.

00;38;47;27 - 00;39;09;11

Matt Howlett

Right. But that's what we're here for, right? That's what we have the opportunity to do. And then again, last night I saw some videos, from some, religious leaders. Of all the people that I could see this from talking about how empathy is. Oh, God, what was the term they used? I can't remember the term exactly.

00;39;09;11 - 00;39;27;01

Matt Howlett

Is is not coming into my brain right now, but basically saying that it's negative, basically saying that it's not helpful and that empathy. Yeah. Because they were saying you have to these are the guys that are going to be preaching like, you know, stoicism for men, right? Because it was a couple of dudes and leaders of this one church in the States.

00;39;27;03 - 00;39;47;08

Matt Howlett

But I just thought, how sickening is that, like to to push humanity away from empathy. That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Empathy doesn't necessarily mean that I'm going to jump in and feel exactly what you feel and be, you know, depressed or sad or anxious or whatever. It means that I can understand you, right? It means that I can yeah, I can feel a little bit of it.

00;39;47;08 - 00;40;00;00

Matt Howlett

I can get it. I can connect with my own experience of that emotion. Right. So that that kind of stuff for me, I mean, I love what you're doing and I hope it's ridiculously successful. I don't see why it won't be the honest, but.

00;40;00;06 - 00;40;21;21

Brent Beshara

I feel it's it's a no brainer. I feel it's it writes itself. And when you see those children so calm, cool and collected and certain about who they are, will, will create a different society within a short period of time. And that's and I just feel like I get goosebumps whenever I talk about it. I'm so motivated.

00;40;21;23 - 00;40;43;06

Brent Beshara

I might while I'm, I'm only stopping at the island like Vancouver Island. Right. So I'm taking this across Canada. I've got now two teachers in Quebec over this past couple of weeks, I've gotten in touch with. I just finished today the the French version. So on my website. Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've uploaded the, the French audio.

00;40;43;09 - 00;40;50;00

Brent Beshara

I have to convert the, the text all over the French as well, but the audio is there, so it can be now played in French schools.

00;40;50;01 - 00;40;53;05

Matt Howlett

Okay. Okay.

00;40;53;07 - 00;41;17;06

Brent Beshara

Yeah. The head start and, the cool part is to do it for a whole school because that whole school will create that understanding and empathy for themselves and then others, you know, and that's to me that that's the most important thing is to give our children the tools to be resilient and adaptive to today's daily, the occurrences that are happening on a daily basis.

00;41;17;07 - 00;41;27;20

Matt Howlett

Yeah. And again, for my audience specifically, like this is not a, a gendered problem. This is a human problem, right? This is a.

00;41;27;20 - 00;41;28;09

Brent Beshara

Species.

00;41;28;09 - 00;42;05;18

Matt Howlett

Yeah, yeah. Like understanding yourself, unrest, knowing your emotions, knowing how to properly feel and process them and regulate them. It's not. It's traditionally understood. I supposed to be more feminine, but it's not something that men should shy away from. It's something you should dig into because it's all about self-knowledge. That's for me, that has been the the main benefit of my experience of going through therapy, of journaling, of meditating, of all of this work to not just process, what I've been through process my past, but to understand myself better, to know what I like to know, what I don't like.

00;42;05;18 - 00;42;11;06

Matt Howlett

You know, to know what lights me up. Right? And how to get more of that in my life. I mean.

00;42;11;08 - 00;42;13;15

Brent Beshara

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.

00;42;13;15 - 00;42;19;16

Matt Howlett

So what's next for you with Head Start? Yeah, it's it's kicking off this fall in a couple schools.

00;42;19;19 - 00;42;46;28

Brent Beshara

Yeah. And, well that's it now, now once that again, like you said, those trials. Yeah. And I just start to carpet bombing, Newfoundland. And I know every principal because the principals are the the gatekeepers to the curriculum. And like, I'm, I'm going to attack this. Like, that's one thing I love is that the military gave me, the skills and drills to be focused, to be hyper focused and aware and to be able to make a plan and then commit to that plan.

00;42;46;28 - 00;43;13;08

Brent Beshara

And I've I've got all the skill set now in the world to be hyper, hyper effective in whatever I do. Right. You know, so now this this is the, the deployment of it at a provincial level. And then as I do, I'm going to be going across across Canada. Man. And then once that principal says to his other principal, oh my gosh, we started on a Monday and by Thursday it was a different school.

00;43;13;10 - 00;43;15;01

Brent Beshara

Yeah. Goosebumps.

00;43;15;03 - 00;43;19;15

Matt Howlett

Yeah man. Let's carpet bomb Canada with both mindfulness and the head.

00;43;19;15 - 00;43;22;07

Brent Beshara

Start with love.

00;43;22;09 - 00;43;31;12

Matt Howlett

I love him and I really mean that. I hope that comes across as genuine because I think that is life changing. And society changing.

00;43;31;14 - 00;43;33;11

Brent Beshara

Absolutely, absolutely.

00;43;33;14 - 00;43;46;16

Matt Howlett

Yeah. Well, where can people go to find you? You mentioned the website, so best. Okay. SHK forward slash head start for the program. Yeah. It's on social as well. Like you've got content on YouTube. You know.

00;43;46;23 - 00;44;09;25

Brent Beshara

I've got the Facebook page. You can also I'm on Facebook also. There's the new plan Winter crew on Facebook. If one's interested in the cold exposure. Okay. It's free. It's non dogmatic. Everybody gets cold the same. But with the proper mindset and breath work, you're able to sustain yourself. Like I can hold my. I can sustain myself in the pond for icy pond for easily 30 minutes.

00;44;09;27 - 00;44;11;17

Matt Howlett

What do you mean sustain yourself? Like just.

00;44;11;17 - 00;44;13;21

Brent Beshara

Like sitting in the water up to my neck, actually.

00;44;13;22 - 00;44;15;04

Matt Howlett

Enjoying it.

00;44;15;06 - 00;44;42;17

Brent Beshara

Yeah. And it's again, it's simply the, controlling our breath, staying focused on the breath, not focusing on the pain or any other issues in our brain, but simply focusing on the breath work. So that's a distinct daily application. When we find ourselves stressed out, just return back to the breath, right? When we're in meditation, if we find ourselves drifting off, I always say thank you for the awareness that I've become aware of my thoughts and just return to the breath.

00;44;42;20 - 00;45;00;07

Brent Beshara

I try to meditate every day if I can, so I sometimes I go weeks and months without meditating, but then when I start to feel that disconnection, I return back to it. And within one two days, I'm right back in the saddle again. So, you know, I've been meditating this past week because head starts, a high it.

00;45;00;08 - 00;45;03;01

Brent Beshara

What's my only priority right now? Sure. Yeah.

00;45;03;05 - 00;45;05;05

Matt Howlett

Well, man, I'm out of here.

00;45;05;07 - 00;45;11;06

Brent Beshara

What's the pardon after that, then I'm working on homework because I don't think kids need homework. They need to get outside and play.

00;45;11;09 - 00;45;29;06

Matt Howlett

Yeah, I don't get a head start. Yeah, it's our first. That might be a tougher one to take down. Well, man, I I'm looking forward to hearing the stories because we're. What, August 21st, have this conversation and, it's going to be starting like, right away. September. Yeah. Yeah, this couple weeks. Very cool.

00;45;29;08 - 00;45;31;25

Brent Beshara

All right. Well, thanks so much that really enjoyed our conversation.

00;45;31;25 - 00;45;38;23

Matt Howlett

Yeah. I appreciate your time, man. And, I'm looking forward to hearing, what comes out of the next couple of weeks of, head Start.

00;45;38;25 - 00;45;39;10

Brent Beshara

Thank you, sir.

00;45;39;12 - 00;45;49;02

Matt Howlett

All right, man, we'll see you. Take care. Bye bye. Thank you for listening. I hope you found some value in this episode. If you have. Be sure to share the podcast with a.

00;45;49;02 - 00;45;59;12

Unknown

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