Shona Reflections 2026 by Noah Devereux

Last month we held our first official Strive Collective gathering, on the West Coast of Scotland.  

The intention was to help our members completely disconnect, reset and super-charge the rest of their year through digital detox, eating clean, sauna and cold plunge in the sea, silent hikes in nature, journalling and setting intentions for the year ahead, and most importantly, deep transformational breathwork, with the legendary Rob Rea.

I knew it was going to leave me feeling great, but I had no idea how profound an impact it would have on my life.

For those who know me, expressing vulnerability is not a core strength of mine.. but here goes:

From time-to-time, since 2008(!), I have had struggles with breathing. It started whilst at University where I was doing my best to be a smoker, because everyone else was, but it couldn’t have been less me, and deep down I knew it.

The breathing issue became enough of a problem that I went to the doctor, had scans and endless tests. Essentially there was absolutely nothing wrong with my physiology.

Turns out it was entirely psychological issue, called “Fantom Air Hunger”. I’m sure many people will recognise the sensation it feels like you aren’t getting enough air in on the inhale and it almost kicks of a mini-panic attack, and the harder you work to get a good breath in, the more elusive they become.

Essentially it was my body’s way of telling me I was being an idiot and that I needed to stop poisoning myself immediately, but probably more importantly that I was living an inauthentic version of myself.

During one of Rob’s transformational breathwork sessions, it hit me like a train that it was time to let go of fear. Fear of not being able to breath properly but also fear of not living the life that I want to live. It was as simple as that.

So now, if I catch one of those (unsatisfying) breaths, instead of allowing my brain to kick off a mini-panic and think I need to make up for it on the next breath, by getting a big efficient one in, I just simply let go and know it simply doesn’t matter that I didn’t get a perfect breath. And low and behold, the next one is completely normal again. It is amazing how quickly I have rewired the relationship between my nervous system, physiology, and subconscious.

Breathwork is a new feature of Strive, and based on the feedback we got from everyone who attended, is definitely going to be something we do a lot more of.

The Strive Collective has changed so many lives, in so many different ways… I just wasn’t expecting this one to happen for me. But it’s got me even more excited for what the future holds.