Episode 435 — The 15-Minute Habit That Prevents Attorney Burnout with Leah Lagos
Your heart reveals more about your performance capacity than you think.
In this episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, Michael Mogill sits down with Dr. Leah Lagos, clinical psychologist and performance expert, to explore the science of heart rate variability and how a simple breathing practice can transform cognitive performance, emotional regulation, and long-term resilience. From working with elite athletes on the PGA Tour to coaching world leaders and executives, Dr. Lagos breaks down how resonant frequency breathing changes baseline heart rhythms, prevents cognitive fatigue, and allows high performers to make critical decisions without fear. This conversation will equip you with the physiological tools that separate sustained excellence from burnout.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why heart rate variability is a more reliable indicator of cognitive capacity than most people realize
- How 15 minutes of resonant frequency breathing twice a day can rewire your nervous system
- Why comparing your HRV to others is meaningless and what metrics actually matter for performance
Want to improve your performance? Start with your heart.
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Show Notes:
The game is staying in your top quartile. “You can’t compare your HRV range to someone else’s HRV range. Take a range of your nocturnal HRV for 7 to 10 days, and look for the top 25% of your range. What are you doing on those days that you’re not doing on other days? Repeat them.”
Chronic stress is visible in your HRV. “HRV is a metric that reliably indicates the amount of stress your body is managing and whether you’re giving your body the ability to let go. It’s not just recovery. It’s helping your nervous system regulate.”
The barrier reflex is your performance advantage. “Every resonant breath is strengthening what’s called the barrier reflex and making it more precise. We’re not relaxing you. You can be an F1 driver and accelerate and decelerate with less effort.”
Your prefrontal lobe goes offline without regulation. “The game is to keep the prefrontal lobe active as long as possible. When the prefrontal lobe goes offline, the highest IQ in the room can make an error. HRV is a way to expand your prefrontal lobe bandwidth and activate it.”
Excellence is decreasing variance, not chasing peaks. “I don’t believe in peak performance. Everybody in this world has innate gifts at which they operate at states of excellence. The game is decreasing the variance between those points of excellence.”
Connect with Michael
- Text directly at 404-531-7691
