Part 1 of 3 with Dr. Shane Kokoszka, DC. Dianna Kokoszka's son is a Doctor of Chiropractic with more than two decades in practice, and after the two of them ran a book club on her book Becoming More, readers asked for the deeper science. This is it. In the first of three conversations, Shane maps the three states your nervous system can be in, explains why a stressed brain struggles to learn anything new, leads a box-breathing exercise you can do along with him, and makes the case that your brain can rewire at any age. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4JqdhjYztuQ About Dr. Shane Kokoszka, DC Dr. Shane Kokoszka, DC, is a Doctor of Chiropractic and chiropractic rehabilitation specialist who founded Health Restoration Inc., a multidisciplinary longevity and wellness clinic in Arvada, Colorado, in the Denver metro area. Licensed in Colorado and in practice for more than twenty years, he built the clinic around a blended model of chiropractic care, physical rehabilitation, acupuncture, massage therapy, functional wellness, and newer device-based therapies. Patients describe a doctor who takes time to explain what is happening in the body. This is his third appearance on Becoming More, after 2025 conversations on stress and on metabolism. What You'll Hear 0:18 Intro: the book club that started this series, and why you can't get to better until you get to different 2:26 The polyvagal chart: freeze, fight or flight, or social engagement 2:55 The vagus nerve, your second brain, and the caveman brain in 2026 4:46 Fight or flight versus freeze: dissociation, and why pain thresholds go up 6:27 Survival mode in real estate: piling up work to avoid feeling 8:09 Prefrontal cortex offline: cortisol, neuroplasticity, and neural pruning 9:45 How to get out of fight or flight: engage the vagus nerve, real versus imagined 11:48 Box breathing: in for 4, hold 4, out 4, hold 4 (do it with him) 13:00 Dianna's bee trick: 19 prolotherapy shots and choosing to be the hero 14:26 86 billion neurons: fire together, wire together, and the kinesin glue 17:28 Rewire your brain at any age: repetition, affirmations, winner or loser 20:25 Inner Circle: you become who you hang out with, and a preview of Part 2 Lines Worth Rewinding "There's no difference between how our brains worked then and how our brains work now." "You're so stressed out that how is your brain supposed to change to learn a new habit? That's where the challenge lies." "The brain doesn't know the difference between something real going on in your life right now and something imagined." "Your future is shaped by the habits you repeat, not the goals you set." "Your brain doesn't discern good from bad, up from down, positive from negative. It just says, you said glue this together. I'm going to glue it together." "We become like the people we hang out with." Dianna Kokoszka Try the Box Breathing Feet flat on the floor, hands on the desk, eyes closed. Breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for four, and stay empty for four. Repeat three or four times. Notice whether you feel an urgent need to breathe on the empty hold; that urgency is fight or flight trying to kick back in, and as it fades your nervous system is settling. A 2023 Stanford trial found that five minutes a day of this pattern improved mood over a month, and that a long-exhale pattern tested even stronger. Small evidence, zero cost, and it fits in the car before an appointment. Part 1 of 3 Part 2 airs Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central on the Becoming More YouTube channel and right here on the podcast feed: stress, and the polyvagal state of social engagement. Watch Part 2 Part 3 airs Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM Central: identity, thought addiction, and goals as vehicles for transformation. Watch Part 3 Choose the Room You Grow In Dianna started the Inner Circle for the exact problem this episode names: people who want to become great need people around them who challenge them, teach them, and speak abundance. See how it works at diannak.com/mentorship. Then tell Dianna what you want more of. The three-minute survey at diannak.com/survey shapes what she teaches next and comes with a free chapter of Becoming More, Chapter 18 on energy. Connect With Dr. Shane Kokoszka Health Restoration Inc.: health-colorado.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shane-kokoszka-32a16b1a Instagram: @healthrestorationinc Facebook: facebook.com/healthrestorationinc Follow Becoming More YouTube: @BecomingMoreDiannaK Instagram: @dianna.kokoszka Facebook: facebook.com/diannakokoszka LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/diannakokoszka The Becoming More book: book.diannak.com More from Dianna: diannakokoszka.com Shane's earlier episodes: How to Stop Being Stressed All the Time and The Truth About Losing Weight Which state are you in right now: freeze, fight or flight, or social engagement? Name it, take one box breath, and send this episode to the person you want in your room. BE BOLD.