Leif Bjelland founder of Heroic Breath Cycling Next Level Breathwork Missoula Montana TEDx Talk How I found Freedom beyond Beyond addiction

Meet Leif

I’m Leif Bjelland—breathwork facilitator, TEDx speaker, and founder of Heroic Breath. I help busy people with busy minds find ease, clarity, and self-compassion through sound-driven breathwork journeys.

My background is anything but typical. For nearly two decades, I was known as a master artisan baker—co-founding Le Petit Outre in Montana and earning a James Beard Award nomination. I chased flow through business, snowboarding, and ultra-endurance cycling—including finishing the 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris, the world’s oldest bike race.

But the more I achieved, the more disconnected I felt. I hit burnout. I got sober. And I discovered that the deepest transformation isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about turning inward.

Breathwork became that path. I trained in Neurodynamic (a holotropic-style) modality and experienced first-hand how breath and sound can regulate the nervous system, quiet the mind, and reconnect us to a deeper intelligence within.

Now, I guide others through this work—people who feel overwhelmed, stuck in their heads, or quietly running on empty. Heroic Breath is a journey back to self—one that meets you exactly where you are and helps you breathe into the version of yourself that’s been waiting underneath it all.

Group of cyclists gathered at a gas station during dusk or early evening, some wearing reflective vests and helmets, with their bikes parked nearby.
Leif Bjelland in cycling gear smiling while standing with a mountain bike outside a Valero gas station during dusk. Leif Bjelland
Sign for Roy's Motel and Café with a large red star, situated in a desert landscape with mountains in the background, and a few parked cars nearby. Roys
A man in cycling gear, smiling, standing next to a bicycle at a gas station in a desert landscape with mountains in the background. Leif Bjelland Joshua Tree Vegas 300
Leif Bjelland Joshua Tree Vegas 300 Roys
A person riding a bicycle on a desert road with mountains and blue sky in the background.Leif Bjelland Joshua Tree Vegas 300
A person riding a bicycle on a desert road with mountains and cloudy sky in the backgroundLeif Bjelland Joshua Tree Vegas 300
Man in cycling gear, wearing helmet and sunglasses, standing on a pier near the beach, smiling at camera.
Man with sunglasses taking a selfie at a beach with large rocks and sand dunes in the background.
A man in a yellow jacket and black headband taking a selfie with a large painted statue of a man with a beard, red shirt, and holding an axe, standing next to a giant cow statue. The background shows tall trees.
Four people riding bicycles on a rural hill road in sunny weather, with arid landscape and clear blue sky.
A man in cycling gear standing with a bicycle outside a wooden shop with signs that read "Tobacco and Cigar" and "Dry Goods and Grocery Notions".
A man wearing sunglasses and a pink cycling jersey smiling in front of a rocky landscape with snow-capped mountains and blue sky in the background. Leif Bjelland McKenzie Pass
A man standing with a mountain bike in front of a store called Fitzgerald's Bicycles. Leif Bjellland Barn Fitz 2017
A man wearing a bicycle helmet, sunglasses, and a black cycling jersey smiles in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Leif Bjelland
A man with a mountain biking helmet and bright yellow jacket takes a selfie in front of a large wooden sculpture of Bigfoot in a wooded area. Leif Bjelland west coast California
A black Trek bicycle with a blue water bottle, mounted on a brick wall during a cycling event, with a race number Z036 attached to the handlebars. Leif Bjelland Paris Brest Paris