Rachel Lee on Ice Baths, Breathwork, and Rethinking Resilience

Today’s blog post was inspired by a recent episode of The Great Connect podcast, where The Human Array founder Carrie Allen sat down with Rachel Lee, founder of Ice Bath Boston & Breath, to explore the profound impact of cold immersion and breathwork on mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.

In that conversation, Rachel shared how a single plunge in Mexico became the catalyst for a radical shift in her life—helping her move through depression and anxiety, and ultimately reduce her medications from four prescriptions to one in just three months.

What began as an experiment quickly became a daily practice, opening a path to strength, resilience, and calm that she now helps others discover for themselves.

Fear as an Invitation

For many, the thought of stepping into icy water is enough to trigger a racing heart and a firm no, thanks. But Rachel reframes fear not as a stop sign, but as a doorway.

I believe fear is truly an invitation into something that could be really right for you—that could have a large impact on your life. —Rachel Lee

When we meet fear with curiosity, we discover that it often points to the very experiences that can catalyze our growth. Whether it’s the shock of cold water or the challenge of slowing down to breathe...

Leaning into fear allows us to access resilience that was there all along.

The Foundation of Safety

Before we can stretch our limits, we need a baseline of trust—in ourselves, in our environment, and in the process.

Our nervous systems are wired to scan for danger, and when they don’t feel secure, growth becomes nearly impossible. Whether it’s stepping into an ice bath or facing uncertainty in daily life, safety is what allows us to meet life's challenges instead of shutting down.

Safety is a prerequisite to success. —Rachel Lee

Creating safety isn’t about eliminating all risk—it’s about cultivating conditions that allow us to stay present even when things feel uncomfortable. This might mean preparing the body through breath, ensuring the environment is supportive, or practicing self-awareness so we know our limits.

When safety is established, the body no longer needs to brace against life. Instead, it learns to move with what’s happening—building resilience not through resistance, but through adaptability.

Breath and the Body’s Stress Response

Breath is the bridge between body and mind. The way we breathe directly shapes how we experience stress, safety, and presence.

Fast breath, fast mind. A lot of people [struggle to] slow their breathing. This [modern] world takes us so far from our present body. —Rachel Lee

When stress hits, the body tends to clench, brace, and bind—an automatic defense against perceived threat. But intentional breathwork interrupts that pattern, teaching the nervous system that it doesn’t have to live in fight-or-flight.

Rachel’s AIR Method helps people rewire their stress response by pairing cold exposure with conscious breathing—building resilience not by avoiding stress, but by transforming how the body relates to it.

The Cost of Normalizing Stress

One of Rachel’s greatest concerns is how many people live under constant stress and believe it’s normal.

We live in a world where the ground is constantly quaking, and people are made to believe that they should just continue on—like that's just the way things are going to be. —Rachel Lee

When stress becomes background noise, we stop noticing how much it takes from us.

Chronic tension becomes the baseline, leaving little space for joy, presence, or connection. Her work calls us to interrupt that cycle—and to remember that living in perpetual bracing is not the only way.

Ice Baths for High Achievers and Women in Perimenopause

Cold exposure and breathwork are particularly powerful for those under constant pressure: high achievers, corporate leaders, and even women navigating the shifts of perimenopause.

For high performers, these practices provide tools to regulate the nervous system, restore focus, and release accumulated tension.

For women in perimenopause, they can ease the intensity of hormonal transitions by bringing balance back to both body and mind.

Resilience, in this sense, isn’t about powering through. It’s about adaptive coping—meeting challenge with intentional practice, so that stress becomes a teacher rather than a thief.

Coming Home Through the Body

Rachel’s story is a reminder that healing doesn’t always come from more thinking, analyzing, or striving. Sometimes it begins in the body—in the courage to step into cold water, in the discipline to slow the breath, in the willingness to feel discomfort and discover what’s on the other side.

I experienced a sense of inner strength, calm, and relaxation—of self-confidence and self-worth. I basically got out feeling like The Hulk, both mentally and physically. —Rachel Lee

The invitation is simple: when we meet our bodies with presence, they reveal resilience we didn’t know we had.

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Connect with Rachel

Rachel Lee is the founder of Ice Bath Boston & Breath, and the creator of the AIR Method, a unique approach to building resilience through cold immersion and conscious breathing.

Her science-backed, structured experiences strengthen the nervous system, restore calm and clarity, and guide high achievers and leaders beyond survival mode into a capacity to thrive—in work, home, and life.

Explore Rachel’s offerings and connect with her directly inside The Human Array—the world's first Holistic Health Hub.

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More to Explore

🎧 Listen to Rachel’s Spotlight interview on The Great Connect Podcast or watch the live recording on YouTube.

⚡ Explore Rachel’s profile and offerings inside The Human Array.

🧭 Take our free 5-min quiz to find the right next step for your unique wellness journey.

🗓️ Book a complimentary Wellbeing Consult to help you find clarity on your next steps for wellbeing.

🖥️ Explore The Human Array's Holistic Health Hub (it's free!) and find the trusted resources, education, practitioners, and tools you've been seeking.

📲 Follow along with us on Instagram:

• The Great Connect Podcast

• The Human Array

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