Movement, Breath, Sleep & Resilience with Dr. Arianne Missimer Artwork

Movement Podcast

Human movement is complex, fascinating, and affects us all. Our hosts, Gray Cook and Dr. Lee Burton, have dedicated their lives to understanding movement and have trained thousands of fitness and healthcare professionals worldwide with their holistic philosophy and approach. Listen as they discuss topics, speak with other industry experts, answer questions & give practical advice on how you can optimize the human body to be the best it can be.

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Movement Podcast

Movement, Breath, Sleep & Resilience with Dr. Arianne Missimer

October 08, 2026 • Gray Cook and Dr. Lee Burton • Season 7 • Episode 108

0:00 | 1:11:17

In this episode of the Movement Podcast, Gray Cook and Lee Burton sit down with Dr. Arianne Missimer, founder of The Movement Paradigm, to talk about movement, resilience, nervous system regulation, airway, sleep, functional medicine, and what it really means to treat the whole person.

Arianne’s story begins with a deep appreciation for movement and health after losing her brother to cancer. That experience helped shape her mission to help people stop taking their health and movement for granted. Later, after her own diagnosis with stage 3 liposarcoma, she adopted the motto “Challenge Accepted” and competed on American Ninja Warrior just months after treatment.

That personal and professional journey led her to build an integrative model of care that brings together movement, nutrition, physical therapy, functional medicine, nervous system regulation, and root cause thinking.

Gray, Lee, and Arianne discuss why health is not a hack, why resilience is not just about calming down, and why so many people need a better framework for understanding stress, recovery, breathing, sleep, pain, and movement.

They also explore the role of the vagus nerve, heart rate variability, chronic inflammation, airway screening, sleep apnea, broken sleep, and why movement professionals should understand when a client or patient may need a bigger team around them.

Topics include:
• Dr. Arianne Missimer’s background and personal health journey
• Why movement and health should never be taken for granted
• Resilience as adaptability, not just relaxation
• Nervous system regulation and chronic burnout
• Functional medicine, holistic physical therapy, and root cause care
• Why “health is not a hack”
• The vagus nerve and the gut-brain connection
• HRV, breathing, tone, and feedback loops
• How airway issues can affect sleep, recovery, pain, and movement
• Simple airway screening concepts
• Why sleep apnea and broken sleep are often overlooked
• The connection between inflammation, recovery, and musculoskeletal pain
• What comes after a reset
• Building capacity from surviving to thriving
• Team-based care and when to refer
• Why movement is freedom
• Health span, walking speed, and independence
• Helping patients build awareness without overwhelming them

The key takeaway: better health is not about chasing one magic solution. It is about understanding the person in front of you, identifying the biggest opportunity for change, and creating a realistic path that helps them move better, recover better, and live with more freedom.

Join Dr. Arianne Missimer at the FMS Summit
https://www.performbetter.com/2027-FMS-Summit-January-29-30-2027/

Learn more about The Movement Paradigm:
https://themovementparadigm.com/

Learn more about Functional Movement Systems:
https://www.functionalmovement.com/

Functional Movement Systems

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