Sarah Laurie
Take a breath, Founder
Take a Breath works closely with researchers, scientists and practitioners to ensure the work we offer is clinically sound.
Neuroscientist
Otago, NZ
Dr Olivia Harrison is a neuroscientist interested in mental health, with a specific focus on anxiety.
Her research is focused on the communication between the brain and body, and how this can go awry to perpetuate a loop of anxiety –> symptoms –> more anxiety.
Olivia is based in the Department of Psychology at the University of Otago, and she runs a research group with ~20 postgraduate students.
The group uses techniques such as brain scanning and breathing experiments to measure the brain’s processing of body signals, and their current projects seek to understand how strategies such as exercise may help to manage anxiety symptoms through improving this communication.
Their goal is to help patients, clinicians, friends and whānau to better understand and manage anxiety.
Breathing Physician
Stanford, USA
Neema Moraveji headed up Stanford University’s Calm Lab, which developed the first activity tracker for mental health – measuring state of mind and breathing. His work has been covered in the NY Times, WSJ, NPR, and others. Moraveji’s research at The Calm Lab led him to commercialise their findings. His work now enables clinicians, researchers, and patients to improve care and quality of life using long-term and high-adherence respiratory force monitoring coupled with predictive analytics and human-in-the-loop clinical oversight.
Neema’s team conducts the research that leads to the design & validation of respiratory products, novel datasets that train our predictive models, peer-review publications, sensor validation, and regulatory approval.
Neuroscientist
Berkeley, USA
Daniela Kaufer is lead scientist at The Kaufer Lab. The Kaufer Lab is a neuroscience research lab at the University of California, Berkeley.
Under the umbrella of stress and blood-brain barrier research, The Kaufer Lab has a diverse array of projects focused on stress, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s and aging.
Kaufer’s work investigates molecular events that underlie brain plasticity and deterioration in the face of stress and neurological insults, bridging the gap between physiological effects and the molecular and cellular events that underlie them, and has identified novel mechanisms through which stress affects the brain.
She also holds appointments in the Stem Cell Center and the Neuroscience Institute.
Daniela’s work was instrumental in the early stages of Take a Breath, providing clinical input on how stress affects the brain, as well as review of the Take a Breath resources and material.
Founder
Take a Breath
Sarah Laurie founded Take a Breath in 2019 after pressing pause on a 20-year career as a best-selling author and speaker in the wellness space.
Disillusioned by poor health statistics, she began a mission to better understand anxiety – the world’s fastest growing mental health issue.
After four years spent working with scientists, cell biologists, breathing physicians and industry experts from around the world, a single proposition emerged – the pace and pressure of the 21st century has shifted our breathing from our tummy to our chest, and this has systematically changed our state.
“ I firmly believe that every person needs to learn that the way we breathe, directly impacts the level of stress and anxiety we experience. It seems so simple, however, breathing properly is an intricate and complex mechanism that directly impacts human health.”
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