Send a text

Is Your Nervous System Sabotaging Your Success? How to Regulate Stress, Stop Self-Sabotage & Perform at Your Best

In this Dream Nation Breakfast Club episode of The Journey Podcast, host Josh Valentin explains how common entrepreneurial struggles like procrastination, perfectionism, burnout, overthinking, fear of rejection, and even fear of success may be driven by nervous system survival responses rather than character flaws. He breaks down how the brain prioritizes safety over success, how the amygdala and neuroception can interpret visibility and risk as threats, and why the body can override logic even when you know what to do. Josh shares regulation and healing approaches including box breathing, EMDR, tapping, vagal toning, and somatic experiencing, along with practical “life hacks” like posture shifts, humming/singing to stimulate the vagus nerve, movement and walking to discharge stress, and avoiding checking your phone first thing in the morning to prevent cortisol spikes. He connects chronic stress to reduced focus and performance, emphasizes holistic wellbeing for entrepreneurship, and encourages viewers to teach their nervous system that growth is safe. Josh also offers complimentary coaching sessions via a Calendly link (or DM “coach”) and invites questions about his five-day one-on-one challenge (DM “challenge”), then closes with a community challenge to protect emotional wellbeing and manage stress intentionally.

00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup
01:10 Mindset vs Nervous System
01:55 Survival Brain Explained
03:31 Trauma and Amygdala Alarms
05:48 Safety Questions and Rejection
08:55 Logic vs Instinct Responses
10:26 Perfectionism and Justifications
12:52 Somatics and Healing Tools
13:34 Coaching Offer and Resources
15:17 Breathwork and EMDR Basics
18:47 Vagus Nerve and Stress Health
24:39 Somatic Experiencing and Triad
28:49 Stop Self Fulfilling Labels
29:16 Posture Shifts Your State
30:33 Stress Brain and Gut Link
33:20 Trauma and Stuck Energy
35:09 Teach Safety for Growth
39:49 Humming and Vagus Calm
41:46 Regulation Beats Hustle
47:40 Move to Discharge Stress
49:47 Phone Free Mornings
51:48 Protect Your Emotional Home
56:40 Final Blessing and Coaching

Support the show