Jonny Miller

Founder and Coach at Nervous System Mastery

Creator of the Nervous System Mastery program used by tech leaders, known for his feather-brick-dump truck burnout model, his insight that the body has 4x more afferent neurons (body-to-brain) than efferent (brain-to-body) making bottom-up interventions more powerful than top-down thinking, and using breathwork to change physiological state.

The Org Builder The Craftsperson

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 15%

Execution & Craft 20%

Data & Experimentation 20%

Growth & Distribution 10%

Team & Leadership 70%

User Empathy & Research 50%

Key Themes

feather-brick-dump truck burnout model bottom-up versus top-down stress management breathwork for physiological state change afferent neurons outnumber efferent 4 to 1 personal tragedy as catalyst for growth nervous system regulation for leaders

Episode Summary

Jonny Miller introduces his Nervous System Mastery approach to burnout prevention and leadership performance, built on the insight that the body has 4x more afferent neurons (body-to-brain) than efferent ones, making bottom-up interventions like breathwork far more powerful than top-down cognitive strategies. He shares his feather-brick-dump truck model for recognizing burnout signals before they become catastrophic, and argues that the quality of leadership is directly proportional to nervous system regulation.

Leadership Principles

→ Burnout follows a feather-brick-dump truck pattern — the body sends feather-light signals first, then bricks, and if you ignore those, a dump truck hits you
→ Bottom-up interventions (breathwork, movement, cold exposure) are more powerful than top-down thinking because the body has 4x more afferent neurons sending signals to the brain than the other way around
→ You cannot think your way out of a dysregulated nervous system — the body keeps the score, and you must work with it directly

Notable Quotes

"Your body sends feather-light signals first. Then it sends bricks. And if you ignore those, a dump truck hits you. That's the burnout pattern."
— On his feather-brick-dump truck model for understanding burnout progression

"The body has four times more afferent neurons — sending signals from body to brain — than efferent neurons going the other way. That's why bottom-up interventions like breathwork are so much more powerful than trying to think your way out."
— On the neuroscience behind why body-based interventions outperform cognitive ones

"You cannot think your way out of a dysregulated nervous system. The body keeps the score and you have to work with it directly."
— On why traditional advice to just think positively fails

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