Hello, I’m Erin Kay.
In 2007, I began a mindful breathing and meditation practice in response to a TMJ disorder that left me with debilitating jaw pain and partial hearing loss—symptoms that were deeply rooted in stress. What started as a personal attempt to heal physical discomfort quickly became a path of transformation. That path has led me to dedicate my life’s work to understanding the nervous system, practicing mindfulness, and exploring a wide range of breathwork modalities that support emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
But before I found breath, I spent over two decades searching for ways to escape myself.
From a young age, I battled anxiety, depression, and self-destructive behaviors. I longed to feel different—to be different—and I tried everything: self-help books, therapy, dieting, meditation, extreme exercise. While each offered temporary relief, none reached the root of my suffering. I kept cycling through pain, stuck in unconscious patterns, unable to access or express what I was truly feeling.
Childhood trauma taught me that it was dangerous to feel, let alone speak. I was shamed for my emotions. In the silence, I learned to numb—to drink my feelings, just like those around me. I became a master of shutting down: no one came in, nothing got out. It was safe that way.
Then, in 2012, I hit rock bottom.
That collapse became my awakening.
Through the principles of recovery, I began to peel back layers of anger, sadness, and fear. I came face-to-face with the painful truth: I wasn’t just reacting to the world—I was recreating my own suffering. I was the one holding the walls in place. And it was time to tear them down.
The Journey of Awakening
After years of searching outside myself, I turned inward and asked the question that changed everything: What’s happening underneath?
In the fall of 2013, I enrolled in the Awakenings program at Inspiration Consciousness School. It was there I began to feel—truly feel—without fear. I learned to experience emotion without shame, to sense my body without guilt, and to connect with parts of myself I had long buried. My guiding intention was simple but profound: to find self-love.
Through conscious breathwork and emotional excavation, I met the shadows I once ran from. I uncovered trauma stored deep in my nervous system, explored self-sabotaging patterns, and confronted the mental stories that kept me small. Breath by breath, I began to rise.
This journey wasn’t easy—it was a sacred reckoning. A 72-hour solo vision quest became the turning point. It was raw, uncomfortable, and transformative: a blur of tears, surrender, ego dissolution, and a thousand whispered prayers. And in that liminal space between breakdown and breakthrough, a vision emerged.
A Breath of Wellness was born.
At first, it was just a whisper—an idea scribbled on a napkin, a quiet website built on hope. Then, in 2015, after losing my corporate job, I took the leap. I turned my pain into purpose and began sharing the gift of breathwork and integrative coaching with others—people like me who were ready to come home to themselves.
What I discovered wasn’t just a method for healing—it was a movement. A path. A breath at a time.
Education and Experience
Part 3: Education and Experience
For over a decade, I built a career in corporate human resources—11 years of navigating policies, people, and performance. But in 2015, that chapter came to an abrupt end when I was fired. Yes, fired—and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
I had ignored my intuition for far too long, remaining in an unhealthy work environment that mirrored old patterns of self-abandonment. Losing that job didn’t break me—it liberated me. That summer became the portal into a new way of living and leading.
The final five years of my HR career had already shifted. I was coaching employees and executives on emotional wellness, happiness at work, and how to achieve balance without burnout. It was clear my true calling wasn’t in policy—it was in people.
In 2014, I enrolled in a master’s program to strengthen my skills and bring language to the work I was already doing. I earned my Master of Arts in Health & Wellness Coaching from the Maryland University of Integrative Health in April 2017.
From there, I deepened into the world of breathwork and embodied transformation:
April 2018: I completed a 22-day immersive training at Baja BioSana and was certified as a Breath Therapist through Breath Mastery
November 2018: After five years of inner work and a two-year apprenticeship, I became a Certified Psycho-Spiritual Facilitator (Integrative Breathwork Practitioner) through Inspiration Consciousness School
These certifications are accredited by the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance and the International Breathwork Foundation.
My learning never stops. I continue to study, practice, and evolve—through continuing education, daily breath and mindset work, and my own healing journey. I’ve logged over a decade of mindfulness and meditation, five years of monthly Integrative Breathwork sessions, and countless hours of personal growth.
In 2020, I took my practice to the mat and enrolled in the RYT-200 yoga teacher training with True Moon Yoga—bringing together breath, body, and spirit as one integrative path.
My Corporate career as a human resources professional of 11 years, ended in 2015 when I was fired. That’s right I was fired. And it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was scared to trust my intuition and stayed in an abusive employment relationship way too long! I was gifted a way out. That summer would change my life forever. The latter 5 years of that career, I shared my experience and time coaching staff and management to develop happiness, emotional health and balanced productivity at work. In 2014 I enrolled in a masters program to develop a fine tuned skill-set in Life Coaching. I earned a Master of Arts degree in April 2017 in Health & Wellness Coaching from Maryland University of Integrative Health.
I journeyed for 22 days in intense breath immersion at Baja BioSana Practitioner Program and was Certified as a Breath Therapist through Breath Mastery in April of 2018. After 5 years of intense inner work and a 2 year Apprenticeship program at Inspiration Consciousness School, I was Certified as a Psycho-Spiritual Facilitator aka Integrative Breathwork Practitioner in November of 2018.
My certifications are accredited by the training standards of the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance and the International Breathwork Foundation. I continue to study and empower my mindset through ongoing education. I am enrolled in the RYT-200 course at True Moon Yoga and will begin my training fall of 2020.
My personal practice includes over 10 years of mindfulness and meditation, 5 years of monthly Integrative Breathwork Sessions and daily breath and mindset work.