Susan Britton MCCICF Award-Winning Coach Educator, Neuroscience-Informed ICF/SHRM Coach Training, INSEAD Executive Masters in Change, Advocate for Evolutionary Shift from “Red Zone” to “Blue Zone” for Leaders, Coaches & Fellow Humans

Brain Friendly Coaching: Hormesis

Name: Brain Friendly Coaching: Hormesis
Uploaded: 2026-03-11T05:00:24+00:00
Duration: 1 min 19 s
Channel: Susan Britton MCC
Description: In this brief coaching segment, Speaker A introduces the concept of hormesis – the practice of exposing oneself to brief, intense stressors that would be…

11 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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1:19

In this brief coaching segment, Speaker A introduces the concept of hormesis – the practice of exposing oneself to brief, intense stressors that would be harmful if sustained, in order to build physiological and psychological resilience. The speaker lists common hormetic activities such as ice baths, sauna sessions, and vigorous exercise, framing them as intentional challenges that signal the brain to adapt and result in post‑stress feelings of pride, relaxation, or improved mood. Emphasizing the relevance of hormesis amid uncertainty and unfamiliar situations, the speaker invites listeners to share their favorite hormetic practices. A personal anecdote follows, describing a demanding breathing exercise performed at 3:45 am, which, despite being uncomfortable and causing twitching, leaves the speaker feeling markedly better afterward. The segment underscores hormesis as a practical tool for managing stress, cortisol, and emotional turbulence.

Chapters

Hormesis basically is when you do something that if you did it for a long period of time, it would be dangerous. But if you do it for a short period of time as a way to kind of like pay attention system, we're going to do something hard here. Um, think ice baths, think, uh, a sauna, think, um, um, exercise, right? At the end of the day, if there's trauma and you've got to go to the gym to get rid of that cortisol, And it may not be fun to think about going to the gym, but it's anything that you tell your brain, this is gonna be hard, I'm gonna do it for a short time, and I know I'm gonna feel proud, better, relaxed, whatever afterwards. So hormesis is an interesting concept, especially as we're facing uncertainty, unknowns, unwanted, unfamiliar. Anybody have a, a favorite hormetic activity? I learned about a new breathing exercise And man, it is not easy. And I do it first thing in the morning. I did it this morning, even getting up at 3:45. And I want to tell you, that is not pleasant. I mean, you get to the point where you're sort of just twitching and you repeat that cycle 3 times. Boy, after I do it though, I feel so much better. So those are, are examples of hormetic activities.