Welcome to the Embodied podcast! I’m Kathy Covington, and today I’m joined by Mark Worster, a Marine veteran, registered nurse, former tech CEO, and breathwork facilitator. Mark and I dive into how early-life “hidden vows” that form in those first seven years, when we’re like little sponges in a theta-like, hypnotic state, can shape the patterns that follow us through life. Mark shares his own story of believing he was unlovable, a belief that fueled his success but also led to repeated relationship struggles and even depression that didn’t respond to treatment.

We talk about the difference between implicit (felt) memory and explicit memory, and how breathwork, or consciously working with our breath, can help us shift our nervous system and access what’s beneath the surface. Mark walks us through holotropic and rebirthing-style breathwork, the science behind it, like what happens to CO2 levels, the prefrontal cortex, and the limbic system, and why safety and knowing your limits are so important. He also shares simple tools for regulation, such as slowing your exhale or trying a “one-minute breath,” and we touch on why set and setting matter so much in psychedelic work. We wrap up with the reminder that each of us is whole, complete, and perfect, and we’ll let you know how to connect with both Mark and me.

00:00 Science Meets Soul Intro

00:55 Meet Mark Worster

03:48 Hidden Vows Unlovable

05:16 Why First Seven Years

07:36 Ego Safety Patterns

11:31 Implicit Memory Science

14:31 Breathwork Defined

15:51 Nervous System Breath

20:15 Holotropic Origins

23:57 Rebirthing Birth Imprints

26:33 Breathwork Journey Story

27:23 Physiology Altered States

30:14 Beyond Separation Identity

31:31 First Breathwork Session

32:17 Letting Go and Dropping In

33:58 Grief Release Story

35:27 Safety and Contraindications

36:47 Breathwork vs Psychedelics

37:46 Breathwork for Pilates

40:44 Parasympathetic Exhale Key

41:45 Coherence and Breath Styles

43:55 Dysregulated Nervous System

46:21 One Minute Breath Reset

48:13 Qero Healing Meets Medicine

50:40 Psychedelics Set and Setting

53:43 Apps and How to Find Mark

55:58 Final Takeaway and Wrap Up

About Today's Guest

Mark Worster is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former Inc. 500 tech CEO, and past President of EO Boston who now serves as a work-life coach, blending his business acumen with healthcare insights, breathwork, and plant medicine to help entrepreneurs conquer burnout and unlock radical joy.

Connect with Mark Worcester

• Website: https://www.nurse-mark.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficialnursemark/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markworster