Q&A: Jamie Janko on how the nervous system shapes stress, recovery, and the ability to change

Before founding ReWild Breathwork, Jamie Janko spent 12 years in Major League Baseball, where she witnessed firsthand what chronic stress does to the body. That experience led her to study with breath scientists, trauma educators, and indigenous wisdom keepers, shaping an approach to nervous system health that’s both evidence-based and embodied.

Through her work, Janko has noticed something most people overlook: how much the nervous system affects consistency. The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve, connects the brain to the heart, lungs, and digestive system. When it’s dysregulated, even simple routines can feel impossible.

In this Q&A, Janko explains what nervous system health actually means and the practices that rebuild capacity.

Cold plunges, humming exercises, and supplements all claim to target the vagus nerve. What does vagus nerve health actually mean?

JJ: Vagus nerve health isn’t about activating a nerve with one specific trick, it’s about how flexible your nervous system is in real life. A healthy system can meet stress, feel emotions, take action, and then recover. Many popular “vagus hacks” create short-term sensation or relief, but they don’t always build that long-term adaptability. What’s often missing is consistency, pacing, and learning how to work with the body over time rather than trying to override it.

How does the vagus nerve actually influence things like digestion, mood, and stress response?

JJ: One of my favorite things about the vagus nerve is that about 80% of its fibers send information from the body up to the brain, not the other way around. That means the brain is constantly listening to signals from the heart, lungs, and digestive organs to understand whether the body feels safe or stressed. The vagus nerve connects to many vital systems, including digestion, heart rate, breathing, and emotional regulation. When these signals are supportive, mood is steadier, digestion works better, and stress resolves more easily. When they’re strained, people may feel anxious or disconnected.

What does nervous system dysregulation look like in everyday life?

JJ: It can show up in a lot of different ways. Some people feel tense, exhausted, stuck in this cycle of pushing really hard and then crashing. Others experience the opposite—they feel flat, disconnected, shut down, like they just can’t access motivation at all.

You might notice poor sleep, trouble focusing, digestive issues, irritability, or that wired-but-tired feeling where your body’s exhausted but your mind won’t stop.

One of the clearest signs I see is when someone says, “I know what I should be doing, but I just can’t stick with it.” And they think it’s a motivation problem or that they’re lazy, but it’s almost never that. It’s usually a nervous system capacity issue. When your body is under chronic stress, your brain literally shifts resources away from long-term planning and habit formation and toward short-term survival. Until the nervous system has enough safety and energy, even good habits can feel exhausting or impossible to maintain. So supporting the nervous system first is what makes consistency possible again.

You’ve said nervous system regulation is the foundation for sustainable change. What does that actually look like, and where should someone start?

JJ: First, I think it helps to reframe what we even mean by regulation. A lot of people think nervous system regulation means being calm all the time, but that’s not realistic—and honestly, it’s not even healthy. Regulation is really about flexibility. It’s the ability to meet stress, feel your emotions, take action, and then actually recover.

The most supportive place to start, especially if you’re dealing with chronic stress, is by doing less, more consistently. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but instead of adding another habit to “fix” yourself, just focus on one small practice that helps your body recover. Maybe it’s prioritizing sleep, or creating a short wind-down routine, or taking a few minutes each day to slow your breath—like gently lengthening your exhale.

When the nervous system starts to feel safer and less overloaded, healthier habits become so much easier to build and maintain. You’re not fighting against your physiology anymore. Over time, that flexibility is what makes real change possible.

What’s one practice someone could try if they’re stuck in a stress response and can’t seem to calm down?

JJ: If you feel stuck in a stress response, a simple place to start is by slowing down your exhale. So breathing in gently through your nose for about four counts, and then exhaling for six to eight.

If breathing feels too hard or too subtle, adding sound or movement can really help. Try a soft hum on the exhale, or even just gently shake out your arms and legs. This gives the nervous system a physical outlet for that stress.

The goal isn’t to calm down instantly. It’s really just to help your body release some of that charge and create a little more space. Sustainable change isn’t about doing more, but about creating the conditions that make consistency in your body possible.