NOTE FROM TED: Please do not look to this talk as a substitute for mental health advice. This talk only represents the speaker's personal views and understanding of spirituality, addiction, and breathwork. Several claims lack sufficient scientific support. We've flagged this talk because it falls outside the content guidelines TED gives TEDx organizers. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdfStruggling with #midlife #burnout or #addiction? This talk reveals how surrender, breath, and flow states can transform escapism into personal freedom. Leif Bjelland shares his journey through alcohol addiction, ultra cycling, and breathwork, offering a practical roadmap for emotional healing and reconnection to self. Discover how turning inward—rather than running away—can unlock clarity, resilience, and joy.The Heroic Breathwork experience blends Neurodynamic breathing with immersive sound journeys to help participants release stress, interrupt trauma patterns, and reconnect with their inner compass. Rooted in Leif’s passion for physics, cosmology, metaphysics, and somatic science, the work bridges the rational and the mystical—offering grounded practices that support real transformation. Leif Bjelland is the founder of Heroic Breathwork and the visionary behind Transcend Today, an online platform devoted to helping people access clarity, resilience, and emotional freedom through the breath. Formerly the founder of the nationally recognized Le Petit Outre bakery in Montana, Leif spent two decades building a life around craft and community—earning a Micro Business of Montana and James Beard Award nomination along the way. After stepping away from business, a new path unfolded. His transformation began through ultra-endurance cycling and Transcendental Meditation, and deepened during the weeks he spent at his mother’s ICU bedside, witnessing her drift in and out of consciousness. That experience sparked a lifelong inquiry into consciousness and the true nature of reality. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx