How to get out of survival mode

How to get out of survival mode

Most people don’t even realize they’re stuck in survival mode—until their body starts breaking down.

That was the case for Tom Cronin, a former finance executive turned meditation teacher, speaker, author, and producer of The Portal documentary.

Tom spent 26 years in high-stakes finance. On paper, he had everything: success, wealth, global deals.

But underneath? He was running on fumes: panic attacks. Insomnia. Depression.

His nervous system was so overloaded he couldn’t sleep for more than a few hours at a time.

Eventually, it all collapsed.

And that breakdown became the start of his real transformation.

Today, Tom also runs Zen Academy—a business mentorship platform helping spiritual leaders and conscious entrepreneurs build sustainable impact.

In our conversation, he shares how he healed his nervous system, rebuilt his life from the inside out, and made a meaningful career pivot—without blowing up his responsibilities..

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We talk about:

• The science behind burnout and how to reverse it

• The surprising way meditation affects your nervous system (and why most people never feel the benefits)

• How to tune into the inner signals most people ignore

• And how spiritual people can start charging for their work—without guilt
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Watch the episode here

This is for anyone who’s been holding it together on the outside while quietly breaking down on the inside.

If you’ve been feeling foggy, disconnected, or stuck in stress mode… this episode is for you.

To your growth,

Light

P.S. As I mentioned last week, I’ve got an announcement:
We’re officially merging everything under The Spiritual Perspective umbrella. That means I’ll still be doing interviews (now called Spiritual Perspective Conversations), but I’ll be retiring The Light Watkins Show name.

Next week’s episode will be the final one under that title—and it’ll be a solo episode where I go deeper into why this shift is happening and what’s next.

Going forward, you can expect two new episodes of The Spiritual Perspective each week: one on Mondays and one on Thursdays.
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My passions include keynote speaking, leading meditation retreats, hosting my podcast, and writing self-help books, like Travel Light, Knowing Where to Look, Bliss More, and The Inner Gym. I’ve also got a thriving online community with fun challenges and masterclasses for becoming the best version of you. You can see more about me at lightwatkins.com or follow my journey on Instagram.