Pressure that can breathe

The body reads evaluation as threat. Coaching names the signs — dry mouth, hurry, blankness — and pairs them with a ritual: longer exhale, feet on the floor, a first ugly sentence. You are training a start, not a personality transplant.

Recall a performance moment. Write the body cues. Design a 60-second pre-start: exhale, stance, first ugly line. Run it once as rehearsal.