Laura's Story
Why I Created Breasy
I was 13 years old when I was first prescribed anxiety medication.
At the time, it felt like my only option left. My anxiety around school was becoming unbearable and, despite seeing therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, and life coaches, I still struggled every day. While all of these supports helped, there comes a point where the hardest work has to come from within.
Over the years, I tried multiple medications. I experienced the cycle of slowly going onto them, hoping they would work, only to eventually wean off them again. I practised positive self-talk, the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, took road trips away when life felt overwhelming, and even had a guaranteed ice cream from the servo after every panic attack. But eventually, I started to lose hope.
When I was 17, I lived through the Lismore floods, with two metres of water passing through my home.
Around the same time, I began taking Ritalin, hoping that managing my ADHD might also ease my anxiety. Unfortunately, my medications clashed, and I began experiencing medically induced panic attacks that came without warning.My first happened on a 24-hour flight to Italy.
Returning from Italy they continued to happen and without my dad sitting on the outside couch with me telling me when to breathe in and out for 20 minutes everyday I dont know what I would’ve done without him.Over time I realised if my dad can coach me through breathing that means I'm capable of doing it myself, it just wasn't easy.
Just before turning 18, I decided I had to take my life back.
I committed fully to life coaching, completed two personal-development courses, read countless self-help books, journalled every day, and began filming video diaries to document my progress. I often think about how much time, money, and emotional energy I could have saved if I’d had something simple to guide my breathing, something that could remind me I was safe when my own mind couldn’t.
More importantly, I could have learned much earlier that I was capable of helping myself. Because when we constantly rely on other people to rescue us, we can slowly begin to believe we aren’t capable of standing on our own. Learning to breathe began to change that belief for me.
Three months later, I moved out of home and into my grandparents’ house as another step towards building an independent life.
And somehow, without knowing it, I created the very first Breasy prototype.
It certainly wasn’t glamorous but it worked.
Over the following months, I travelled around Australia for work, carrying that little prototype everywhere I went. It became the one thing that consistently helped me manage my anxiety.
For the first time, controlled breathing didn’t feel confusing or impossible.
It felt guided.
It felt simple.
And it felt accessible.
I knew I couldn’t keep that discovery to myself especially because I understood the fear, panic, and overwhelming sense of doom that anxiety can bring.
If Breasy helps even one person, then I have achieved my goal. But I won't stop there. My mission is to continue creating simple, effective, and accessible support for people experiencing anxiety, stress, panic, and overwhelm because that kind of support is long overdue.
So, from someone who has truly been there:
You are capable.
You are stronger than you think.
And even when anxiety tells you otherwise, you are not alone.
I’m Laura Burton, founder and owner of Breasy Breathing.
And this is only the beginning.
me. Then, on the 28th of January 2024, Breasy was accidentally born. At the time I was working as a sales leader and enjoyed buying mints. One day, while driving and absentmindedly chewing on the mint tin, I accidentally created the very first Breasy prototype.
I travelled around Australia for work over the following months, and that small prototype became the one thing that consistently helped my Anxiety. For the first time, I experienced how powerful controlled breathing could be when it felt guided, simple, and accessible. I realised this was something I needed to share with others, especially as someone who deeply understands the fear, panic, and feeling of impending doom that anxiety can bring.
If Breasy helps even one person, then I have achieved my goal. But I won't stop there. My mission is to continue creating simple, effective, and accessible support for people experiencing anxiety, stress, panic, and overwhelm because that kind of support is long overdue.
From someone who has been there: you are capable, you are stronger than you think, and you are not alone.
- Laura Burton Founder and owner of Breasy Breathing