Breathing Into Life Podcast

Chelcie Gjellum, RDH, CSOM
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

The Breathing Into Life Podcast is for moms and families who want their children to truly thrive—not just survive. This is a space where we understand that common doesn’t mean normal. We talk about mouth breathing, restless sleep, behavior challenges, crooked teeth, and all the connected symptoms that can stem from poor breathing and airway health. Through education and awareness, you’ll begin to understand what’s really going on beneath the surface—and how to support your child with root cause solutions so they can heal and thrive.

  1. 2d ago

    Why I Left Dental Hygiene to Start Over at 19 Years In

    This one's personal. Today I'm telling you the real story of how I got here — not the polished version, the actual one. The break room. The phone call to my husband. The $40,000 with no roadmap. And Sandy, my very first patient, who said something to me that I still think about all the time.If you've ever wondered why I refuse to tell moms to "just wait and see," this episode is the answer. Pour your coffee, settle in — this is the story behind everything else you hear from me.If it resonates, my free webinar goes deeper into the actual work: breathingintolifeco.com/pl/2147652251.

  2. Aug 12

    MyoMinute with Chelcie: 5 Signs Your Child Is a Mouth Breather

    Here are 5 signs your child might be a mouth breather (most parents only ever catch one): 🔹 Mouth open at rest — awake or asleep🔹 Snoring or noisy breathing at night🔹 Dark circles under the eyes🔹 Dry, cracked lips that don't seal🔹 Daytime meltdowns or trouble focusing This is not about blame — it's about awareness. Your child's body is doing its best with what it has. Recognize your child in any of these? 👇 Comment "BREATHE" and I'll send you my free training on what's actually going on and what to do about it. #mouthbreathing #myofunctionaltherapy #childdevelopment #pediatricairway #momsofinstagram #breathingintolife #tongueTie #childsleep #airwayhealth #momswhoknow

  3. Aug 11

    5 Signs Your Child Might Be a Mouth Breather (And What It Means)

    Ever caught your child sleeping with their mouth wide open and wondered if it actually means something? It does — and in this episode, Chelcie walks you through the 5 signs that your child might be a mouth breather, and why almost nobody connects the dots between these signs until it's pointed out to them.Whether you're folding laundry, driving carpool, or just have five minutes to yourself, this episode will help you start noticing what your child's body has been telling you all along.Chelcie covers snoring, dark circles, dry lips, daytime behavior, and more — practical, real signs you can check tonight.If any of this feels familiar, Chelcie's free webinar is the natural next step: breathingintolifeco.com/pl/2147652251.It's the same conversation, just with a little more room to breathe.

  4. Aug 5

    MyoMinute with Chelcie: The Hidden Link Between Sleep, Behavior, and Learning

    Back to school with an empty tank. 🎒 Not from too little sleep. From sleep that never restored them. Here's what's actually happening: If your child snores, mouth breathes, or wakes up tired no matter how many hours they slept — their airway is pulling them out of deep sleep all night long. Partial obstruction. Extra effort to breathe. Oxygen dips they don't even feel. They wake up with a depleted brain. Lower working memory. Less impulse control. Less capacity for frustration. Less ability to shift focus. Then we ask them to sit still, regulate, and learn for six hours straight. When they can't — we call it a behavior problem. An attention problem. We start the ADHD conversation. Almost nobody asks the one question that actually matters: How does this child breathe at night? 🫁 If your child is struggling this school year — the airway deserves a seat at that table. Comment READY and I'll send you the link to my free webinar. This is where we start. #mouthbreathing #sleepdisorderedbreathing #airwayhealth #myofunctionaltherapy #pediatricsleep

  5. Aug 5

    Is Your Child Struggling at School? The Real Reason Might Be How They Breathe at Night

    Mama, if your child is heading into a new school year and you already know focus and behavior are going to be a battle — this episode is going to give you a completely new lens. Today Chelcie is connecting dots that almost nobody in your child's school or pediatric team is connecting: the link between how your child breathes at night and how their brain performs during the day. She covers what actually happens in the brain during disrupted sleep, what mouth breathing is doing to oxygen delivery in the classroom, what sleep-disordered breathing looks like from a teacher's perspective, and why the airway is almost never part of the ADHD or learning difficulty conversation — even though it should be. This is not about replacing the support your child already has. It is about adding the piece that nobody has offered yet. Listen in — then head to the free webinar at breathingintolifeco.com/pl/2147652251 to learn exactly what to look for and what to do next.

  6. Jul 29

    MyoMinute with Chelcie: The New Palatal Expansion Study Every Parent Needs to Know

    Palatal expansion is not enough.And this study proves it — word for word. "Integrating myofunctional therapy with RPE is significantly more effective than structural correction alone for restoring nasal breathing." Read that again. Not "helpful." Not "a nice add-on." Significantly more effective. Here's what that means for your kid. Expansion widens the palate. That's it. That's the whole job. It doesn't retrain the tongue. It doesn't fix the mouth breathing habit. It doesn't touch the muscle pattern that's actually driving the problem. And here's the part that gets me every time… That muscle pattern? The low tongue, the open mouth, the mouth breathing? That's usually what caused the narrow palate in the first place.So if we widen the palate and never retrain the muscle, we're treating the result. Not the cause. That's why relapse happens. That's why some kids finish expansion and still aren't sleeping through the night. Still congested. Still mouth breathing. If your child is about to start expansion — ask about pairing it with myofunctional therapy from day one. Not "if it doesn't work." Not later. If they already have an expander — it is not too late to start now. I built a free training that walks you through exactly what to ask and what to look for, before, during, and after expansion. Comment BREATHE and I'll send it to you. 📚 Source: Buonanno E, Jubani J, Schirripa M, et al. Effect of myofunctional therapy associated with rapid palatal expansion on the restoration of nasal breathing in pediatric patients. Annali di Stomatologia. 2026;17(2):293-300.

  7. Jul 28

    The Study Every Parent Doing Palatal Expansion Needs to See

    Mama, if your child is doing palatal expansion (or about to start), I need you to hear this one. There's a study that just came out comparing expansion alone to expansion paired with myofunctional therapy — and the results aren't close. Pairing the two isn't "a nice bonus." It's significantly more effective at actually restoring nasal breathing. Not helpful. Significantly more effective. Here's why that matters. Expansion widens the palate — that's its whole job. But it doesn't touch the tongue posture, the mouth breathing habit, or the muscle pattern that's usually running the show. And here's the part that gets me every time: that same muscle pattern — low tongue, open mouth, chronic mouth breathing — is often what narrowed the palate to begin with. So if we widen it and never retrain the muscle underneath, we're treating the result, not the cause. That's exactly why some kids finish expansion and are still congested, still restless at night, still mouth breathing. In this episode I'm walking you through: What this study actually found, in plain language Why expansion and myofunctional therapy need to happen together, not sequentially What to ask your orthodontist or dentist before expansion starts What to do if your child already has an expander (spoiler: it's not too late) If this is the first time you're hearing the term "myofunctional therapy," don't worry — I break it all down so it makes sense, no clinical degree required. And if you want the full walkthrough of exactly what to ask and what to look for before, during, and after expansion, I built a free training for that too — you'll find the link in the show notes, or head to breathingintolifeco.com/pl/2147652251. Press play, and let's get into it. Source: Buonanno E, Jubani J, Schirripa M, et al. Effect of myofunctional therapy associated with rapid palatal expansion on the restoration of nasal breathing in pediatric patients. Annali di Stomatologia. 2026;17(2):293-300.

  8. Jul 22

    MyoMinute with Chelcie: What Really Happens During an Assessment

    What actually happens during a myofunctional therapy assessment? For many parents, the assessment is the most intimidating part of the process because they don't know what to expect. The truth is, this isn't about putting your child through a series of tests or trying to "pass" or "fail." It's about understanding the complete picture. Long before you walk through the door, we begin connecting the dots through your child's history. Feeding challenges as an infant, restless sleep, speech concerns, crowded teeth, mouth breathing, behavior changes. These often aren't isolated problems. They're pieces of the same story. During the assessment, I evaluate the structures and functions that influence how your child breathes, sleeps, swallows, and develops. That includes the palate, bite, tongue posture, tongue function, breathing patterns, lip posture, jaw posture, and more. Most importantly, I take the time to explain everything in language that makes sense. You'll leave understanding what I'm seeing, why it matters, and what the next step should be. Sometimes that means myofunctional therapy. Sometimes it means another provider should be involved first. And sometimes it means your child is doing well and therapy isn't needed. My goal is never to recommend treatment that isn't necessary. My goal is to give you clarity and a plan based on what your child's body is telling us. If you're wondering whether myofunctional therapy is the right next step, my free webinar is the best place to begin. Watch my FREE webinar: breathingintolifeco.com/pl/2147652251 🌐 Website: breathingintolifeco.com About Chelcie: Chelcie Gjellum is a myofunctional therapist and CEO of Breathing Into Life Myofunctional Therapy. She helps children and families address the root causes of mouth breathing, sleep disruption, tongue dysfunction, and oral development through a whole-child approach.

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About

The Breathing Into Life Podcast is for moms and families who want their children to truly thrive—not just survive. This is a space where we understand that common doesn’t mean normal. We talk about mouth breathing, restless sleep, behavior challenges, crooked teeth, and all the connected symptoms that can stem from poor breathing and airway health. Through education and awareness, you’ll begin to understand what’s really going on beneath the surface—and how to support your child with root cause solutions so they can heal and thrive.

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