I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately learning about the power of breath. You might wonder: what do breathwork and business development have to do with one another? Surprisingly, a lot.
While the connection may seem metaphorical, I view it as deeply practical too. At a surface level, breathing and business development are essential functions we relegate to autopilot. Both benefit from intentional attention. And both, when optimized, create a foundation for everything else we want to build in our lives and careers.
Through my studies of breathwork, there are several distinct parallels that continue to surface.
1. We’re All Breathing, But Are We Breathing Well?
Breathing is something we do twenty-four hours a day. In fact, most people breathe roughly 25,000 times per day. Yet research shows that approximately 50-70% of adults engage in dysfunctional breathing patterns—shallow chest breathing rather than full diaphragmatic breathing. This chronic shallow breathing contributes to stress, reduces oxygen intake, and diminishes energy and focus.
Here’s the business development parallel: we’re all doing business development. Whether consciously or not, we’re having conversations with clients, prospects, and colleagues. We’re building (or attempting to build) relationships. We’re creating (or striving to create) moments of connection to deepen our business ties.
Yet most professionals approach BD the way they approach breathing. They leave a vital function on autopilot, without significant thought, strategy, or intention. And just as dysfunctional breathing deteriorates our physical and mental health, dysfunctional BD erodes our revenue, our growth, and our ability to fully serve the clients who need us most.
The people who thrive in life and in business often make a conscious decision to be present, aware of the importance of these functions, and conscious of how “autopilot” mode impacts their overall progress.
2. Small Changes Require Intention and Discipline, But They Transform Everything
In studying the power of our breath, I’ve learned that the changes required to optimize your breathing are remarkably simple: shift from mouth breathing to nose breathing. Slow your breath. Extend your exhale. Practice presence with each inhale.
None of these changes are complex. None are overwhelming. But all of them require intention and discipline. You cannot accidentally breathe better. It takes commitment to notice your breath, to pause, and to choose differently.
The same is true for business development.
The changes that transform BD results don’t have to be comprehensive or complicated – focus on small, simple shifts in behavior and mindset. That can look like the following:
Pause before conversations. Before walking into a client meeting, a networking event, or even a phone call, take a five-minute planning pause. Get clear on your objective. What do you want this conversation to accomplish? What might you need to ask or discover? What can you communicate to spark a new or different connection? What do you want to be able to do after the conversation? This simple practice—this pause—shifts your mindset from autopilot to intention.
Listen to others breathe. In conversations, notice when energy shifts. Notice when someone leans in or pulls back. Notice the rhythm of your own words and theirs. This presence and attention to subtle signals open doors that transactional conversations never will.
Create rhythm in your BD practice. Just as a consistent breathing practice compounds over time, consistent BD practices compound. A proactive outreach or touch a day. A strategic lunch once a month. A note sent to a key relationship every quarter. These small, rhythmic practices, maintained with discipline, create momentum that sporadic effort never can.
3. Resistance Creates Constraint; Surrender Creates Flow
When we resist our breath, we physically hold tension in our chest and shoulders, we constrain our capacity. Thus, we reduce the oxygen available to our body and brain. We counteract that by softening. Releasing. Allowing.
In business development, we can similarly be constrained by our own resistance:
- Resistance to vulnerability (I can’t let them see I don’t have all the answers);
- Resistance to asking (I shouldn’t ask for referrals; they’ll think I’m self-serving);
- Resistance to follow-up (I don’t want to be a bother);
- Resistance to authenticity (I need to present a polished, perfect version of myself);
Resistance constrains the very relationships that could fuel growth.
What happens if we soften that resistance? If we let ourselves be more fully human in client conversations? Do we ask authentic questions out of genuine curiosity rather than agenda? How can we show up as ourselves rather than a performance? We first create the conditions for real connection and trust.
4. Awareness Comes First; Change Follows
You cannot change what is beyond your consciousness. Breathwork begins with awareness. Placing a hand on your chest. Noticing where you hold tension. Observing your patterns without judgment. From that awareness, change becomes possible.
Business development is the same. Most professionals haven’t truly examined their BD approach. They don’t have clarity on:
- How they naturally build relationships (their BD style)
- Where they’re creating friction or missed opportunities
- What patterns are serving them and which are holding them back
This is why we developed the six selling styles framework at GrowthPlay. It’s a tool for building awareness around how you naturally operate as a business developer. Are you an Activator, energizing others into motion? An Advocate, championing clients’ needs? An Alliance Builder, creating connection and trust with people who can refer or sell you in? An Educator, building credibility through knowledge? An Integrator, aligning a combined set of your firm’s resources for cross-selling? An Inventor, creating innovative solutions?
When you know and understand your style, and when you see it clearly, you can lean into your strengths. You can also see where you might be creating blind spots, where you might need to partner with someone whose style complements yours.
Build your awareness first. Change follows.
5. Present-Moment Awareness is Vital
You cannot breathe yesterday’s breath or tomorrow’s breath. You can only breathe this one. The power of breathwork lies entirely in presence, and in being fully available to this inhale, this exhale, this moment.
Business development demands the same presence.
When you’re in a conversation with a client or prospect, are you truly there? Or are you:
- Planning what you’ll say next?
- Thinking about the last meeting or the next one?
- Worrying about whether they like you?
- Mentally rehearsing your pitch?
When we are not fully in the present moment, others feel it. They experience us as distracted, self-focused, or inauthentic. But when we bring our full presence—when we listen to understand rather than to respond, when we’re genuinely curious about their world, when we allow the conversation to unfold rather than force it authentic relationship building deepens.
The Practice
The parallels between breath and business development run deep because they both point to the same truth: excellence requires intention.
You cannot excel at business development by accident. You cannot build a sustainable, thriving practice through willpower alone, or strategy alone, or hustle alone. You need the integration of clarity (knowing your objective), presence (showing up fully in conversations), practice (consistent effort over time), and authenticity (leading with who you truly are).
So, here’s my challenge: try the pause. Before your next client conversation, before your next networking moment, before your next chance to build a meaningful relationship, pause. Take five conscious breaths. Get clear on your intention. And then step into the conversation fully present and available.
That’s where real business gets built.
What parallels have you noticed between your personal health and wellness practices and your business development approach? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.