How I stopped freaking out, while hiring for startups worth £10–£40 million.

No pills.

Just a nervous system demanding a reset.

Picture this…

I’m scrambling to hire engineers for three London startups, simultaneously.
Valuations?

Somewhere between £10 million and “please don’t implode this.”

Founders pace.

They Slack me like caffeinated squirrels.

And I’m running on fumes.

Meanwhile...

I’m logging courtroom hours.
Grieving.
Not sleeping.

Then the panic attacks hit, 3pm. Daily.

• My chest clenches.
• Vision warps.
• Heart tries to detonate from my ribcage.
• Brain slams the gas…
• Body yanks the brake. Brutal.

Doctors offer pills.
But I don’t want numb. I want real me, minus the chest-rattling chaos.

What saved me?

Six Seconds Breathing.

– Inhale through your nose for six.
– Exhale through your mouth for six.
– Smile. Even a fake “I’m good” grin tricks your brain.

Do it for two minutes. Ten rounds.

Here’s what shifts:

🔹 Your body stands down.
🔹 Cortisol crashes like a bad soufflé.
🔹 Brainwaves drop from DEFCON 1 to “maybe I’ll make tea.”

Your brain’s redlining.
This breathing pulls back the throttle.
The engine purrs instead of screams.

And then…
Clarity.

You stop counting.
Stop pretending.
You actually lead.

I use it before interviews.
After tough founder calls.
Outside courtrooms when my gut flips like a gymnast.

No pill gives what two minutes of breathwork delivers:

A sliver of peace.
A flicker of control.
Actual oxygen.

If you lead through chaos, try it.
Two minutes. No guru. No zen cave.
No one even notices.

And if you’ve cracked your reboot code...

Drop it below.

Burnout punishes leaders.

We need sharper tools than “just suck it up.”

📌 Ever wanted to pick my brain even just for 15 minutes? Now you can 
https://www.hubble.social/jamespeters