From Drug Smuggler to Healer: How Nick Brewer Created Primal Moves

Mark Hyman

Sep 10, 2025

Episode description

On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I sit down with Nick Brewer, founder of Primal Moves—a method born from his own healing journey. Once a pro skier turned drug smuggler, he spent ten years in prison, including four in solitary, where he discovered the power of breath and movement to rebuild his body and mind.

I had the chance to try Nick’s class myself, and I was struck by how powerful such simple movements can be. I’m excited to share that experience with you. You can watch the full conversation on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[YOUTUBE THUMBNAIL]

We discuss:

• How to spot when your nervous system is stuck—and steps to restore balance

• Why talk therapy alone can’t release trauma in the body

• How group movement triggers natural feel-good brain chemistry

• Why we feel cut off from our bodies and how to reconnect

Healing starts in the body. By working through stress and pain, we gain the strength and energy to show up fully in life. My hope is that this conversation encourages you to explore these practices and see what they unlock for you.

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Mindsip insights from this episode:

Discover freedom as a state of mind beyond physical circumstances

After a complete mental breakdown in prison, the founder experienced euphoric happiness, realizing that freedom is a state of mind independent of physical circumstances.

#happiness

#mind

Release trauma through somatic movement

Deep emotional and mental trauma can be released somatically through physical movement, which proved more effective than talk therapy when in isolation.

#healing

#trauma

Incorporate quadrupedal movement to enhance spinal health

Quadrupedal (on all fours), non-linear bodyweight movement can restabilize joints and the spine without creating the stressful levers that cause injury.

#exercise

#joints

Access guided mat-based sessions on Primal Moves online platform

The Primal Moves system is available online at primalmoves.com, offering guided, mat-based sessions that can be done in a small space.

#exercise

Activate stem cell healing through primal movement

Primal Moves creates micro-trauma in the body, which gives stem cells a job to do, activating the body's natural healing and rejuvenation processes.

#regeneration

#stem-cell

Prioritize whole foods over supplements for optimal health

He avoids taking supplements, believing that sourcing exceptionally high-quality, grass-fed, grass-finished animal products provides all the necessary nutrients for optimal health.

#supplement

#whole-food

Challenge comfort in pain to pursue healing

There is often a fear around getting well because many people are comfortable and accustomed to living in a state of physical or emotional pain.

#mental-health

#pain

Adopt an 80% carnivore diet to reduce inflammation and brain fog

The founder eats an 80% carnivore diet and avoids most vegetables, as he observed through self-experimentation that they caused him inflammation and brain fog.