In 2017, Breath & Exposure founder, Josh Hildebrand, was struggling with PTSD and depression from his time in the Marines. As a combat veteran who saw multiple deployments overseas, and as a St. Louis City Fireman, he struggled with his mental health and sleep habits. For six years, the struggle continued.

After reading Russell Brand’s ‘Recovery’, he began practicing different modalities of mindfulness. Brand mentioned cold therapy throughout the book, which sparked Hildebrand’s interest. While at a climbing gym in Austin, Texas, he tried cryotherapy for the first time. It had an immediate effect on his PTSD and depression symptoms. For the first time in years, he slept soundly through the night.

“As soon as I found cryotherapy, I was able to get out of my head and into my body,” Josh recently told Dane McCrary, owner and operator of All Day Photography“I was immediately hooked.”

That session in Austin changed the trajectory of his life. He began a deep dive into all things cold exposure and breath-related. Josh went on to earn his XPT Coach certification in Houston’s Mechanix Gym from Master XPT Coach, Justin Singer. After, he completed the XPT Performance Breathing Coach certification. With two XPT certifications under his belt, he studied the Art of Breath from Brian Mackenzie, working toward the goal of doing ice baths on his own. His goal was clear: Josh wanted to start spreading the cold therapy movement to become a ripple in the pond for healing and nervous system regulation.

He currently resides with his family in St. Louis, Missouri and attributes his mindfulness, cold, and breath practices to becoming a better husband, father, fireman, and coach.