Bree Heaney - Freediving as a gateway to overcoming fear

SustainabilityPodcastWellnessOceanTravel

12 Apr

Advanced certified freediver Bree Heaney has a simple yet emblematic life motto; Hunt, gather, grow and craft. This mantra is what propelled her into the daring world of freediving and other seemingly risky adventures. Many of her peers think freediving is a dangerous pastime, yet for Bree choosing an activity involving calculated risk, and a need to be entirely present and connected to herself and her environment, is effectively what saved her from living a life crippled by fear.

Bree divulges that after experiencing severe anxiety as a child, then a few ‘failures’ as a teenager, adventuring in the wilderness was the catalyst that gave her the confidence she needed to move through those fears. It also gave her courage to break through society’s preconceived idea of what a successful life looks like for a female (working hard, earning money, getting married, having kids etc.), and now she lives on her own terms.

Once she started spending more time in the ocean, she started to care more, and as you’ll hear, she is a fantastic role model when it comes to living a sustainable lifestyle. As a self proclaimed shark advocate, we also talk about shark encounters and what life under the big blue can offer a curious human. We learn that one must be humble and prepared, when entering into Mother Nature's underwater realm. She explains the importance and power of breathwork and letting go of the ego, as there is a huge element of surrender involved with freediving. To finesse her underwater breathing skills she trains under the watchful eye of the reputable Nam Baldwin, who has coached the likes of world surfing champions Steph Gilmore and Mick Fanning. Bree has also learnt to dive and hunt underwater from one of the most successful freediving women in the world, Kimi Werner (aka Kimi Swimmy).

My chat with Bree will hopefully give you the courage to go out and try something new, and also be #MovedByNature.