Taylor Somerville | Breathwork Techniques to Control Stress & Anxiety | Tom Rowland Podcast 922

Taylor Somerville is the founder of Symmetry, a breathwork and stress management company that helps individuals and corporations develop stress management protocols centered on conscious breathing techniques. In this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, Taylor shares how breath becomes the foundation for managing anxiety, taking back control, and creating more time and energy in your life. You'll hear about his work with XPT, his approach to corporate coaching, and why getting outside your comfort zone matters. Taylor reveals specific breathwork techniques that can shift your nervous system, the role of cold plunges and saunas in stress management, and how he helps people save time, energy, and reduce stress. This conversation goes deep into practical tools you can use today.

Building Symmetry: How Breathwork Became a Business

Taylor Somerville didn't just stumble into breathwork—he built an entire company around it. Symmetry emerged from his deep dive into XPT coaching and his recognition that stress management wasn't just a personal practice but something corporations and individuals desperately needed. The way he structured his business model, combining one-on-one coaching with group sessions and corporate programs, reveals a strategic approach to scaling wellness practices. What's particularly interesting is how he positioned breath as the foundation rather than a supplementary practice. The specific protocols he developed, the client results he achieved, and the expansion beyond Memphis into corporate settings all point to something that's working at a fundamental level. Taylor explains the full origin story and business model at the opening of the conversation.

The XPT Connection: Training and Coaching Methodology

Taylor mentions he's done "all the XPT stuff" and still coaches that work through Symmetry—but what does that actually mean for his clients? The XPT methodology combines breathwork with physical challenges, and the way Taylor has integrated it into his Memphis-based practice reveals how these techniques translate from elite performance settings to everyday stress management. He talks about pool workouts as part of the protocol, which creates a specific training environment most people don't have access to. The question becomes how someone without a pool, without a team, without the full XPT setup can still benefit from these principles. Taylor's approach to adapting and expanding this work gives insight into what's essential versus what's supplementary. The discussion of XPT methodology and how it translates to his Symmetry work unfolds throughout the conversation.

Stress, Time, and Energy: The Symmetry Promise

Taylor makes a specific claim that cuts through the usual wellness marketing: his clients save more time, more energy, and experience less stress. That's not just about feeling better—it's about measurable changes in how people function daily. The mechanics behind this claim involve nervous system regulation, which Taylor mentions as a core focus. But the real question is how breathwork creates these outcomes. Most people understand stress reduction, but how does conscious breathing give you back time? How does it generate energy rather than just calming you down? Taylor's work with IT professionals and corporate clients suggests he's developed specific protocols for high-stress, time-compressed environments where traditional wellness approaches fail. The specific methodology for creating time and energy through breathwork is revealed in this section of the conversation.

Cold Plunges, Saunas, and Getting Outside Your Comfort Zone

Taylor doesn't just teach breathing—he advocates for deliberate discomfort through cold plunges and saunas. The combination of these modalities with breathwork creates a specific training effect on the nervous system that breath alone can't achieve. When Taylor talks about "getting outside of your comfort zone," he's not speaking metaphorically. He's describing a systematic approach to stress inoculation that involves controlled exposure to physical challenges. The cold plunge isn't just recovery; it's a tool for building the capacity to maintain control under stress. The sauna isn't just relaxation; it's heat adaptation that carries over into other stress responses. How these pieces fit together with breath as the foundation reveals Taylor's complete system for stress management. Taylor explains the role of cold and heat exposure in his protocols during this segment.

Final Thoughts from Tom

What strikes me most about Taylor's approach is how practical it is. This isn't some mystical wellness practice—it's a systematic method for managing stress that anyone can use. I've seen firsthand how breathwork can shift your state in real time, and Taylor has built an entire business around teaching people that skill.

The combination of breath, cold exposure, and heat creates a training effect that goes beyond just feeling better. It's about building capacity to handle whatever life throws at you. Whether you're dealing with corporate stress, trying to perform better in your pursuits, or just want more control over your daily energy levels, Taylor's methods offer real tools.

What I appreciate is that Taylor doesn't oversell it—he just explains what works and why. The way he's structured Symmetry to help both individuals and companies shows he's figured out how to scale these practices beyond the one-on-one setting. This conversation is packed with actionable insights you can start using immediately. Listen to the whole thing.