Our Team
Taylor Jung
Executive Director
Taylor has always been drawn to the water and harbored childhood dreams of being a mermaid. After the birth of her daughter in 2019, she experienced severe postpartum depression that was compounded by the challenges of navigating motherhood in isolation during a global pandemic. It was during this difficult time that Taylor discovered freediving, falling in love with the sport after her first class. Freediving offered her an ethereal space to quiet her mind and find peace. Most importantly, it empowered her, revealing a mental strength she never knew she possessed. Through freediving, Taylor has discovered an inner resilience she now aspires to share with others struggling with mental health issues.
“When diving you have to consciously acknowledge all the uncomfortable feelings (such as the urge to breathe) and just sit with those feelings. You can’t fight them and you can’t ignore them either. Acknowledging those anxieties and learning to be at peace along with them is such an empowering experience. You’re not letting the anxiety drive your actions, you gain the ability work within uncomfortable spaces.”
bizo Silva
Freediving Program Director
Bizo discovered freediving during a serendipitous trip to Hawaii. While snorkeling, his children were amazed by how long he could stay underwater and asked, "Is that safe?" Curious about snorkeling safety, a quick internet search led Bizo to discover freediving and enroll in his first class. He's been passionate about the sport ever since.
Now an FII (Freediving Instructors International) certified instructor, Freediving Competition Medic, and a Diving and Marine Medicine physician (DiDMM) Bizo views the activity as both therapy and teacher. "For me, freediving is a transformative experience. Each dive is a little death and rebirth, and I emerge with a new appreciation for the sights and colors of the world above water," he says.
Bizo finds great fulfillment in teaching freediving to individuals who can use the techniques for their personal healing journeys and experience the peace he has found in this sport. When not underwater, he works as an Emergency Medicine Physician, spends time with his family, and pursues his goal of breaking the Brazilian freediving world record.
James Jung
Mental Health Program Director
James discovered freediving during his psychiatry residency while grappling with the challenge of integrating his experiences as an Army combat veteran with his new role as a doctor. "There was this constant tension," he recalls, "knowing all of my experience in combat and seeing the darkest parts of humans and myself, and now I was a doctor trying to help people. It wasn't clear to me how these two parts coexisted."
Drawn to freediving for reasons he couldn't initially articulate, James found it transformative both personally and professionally. As a trauma and PTSD specialist, he recognizes the unique benefits freediving offers in recovery:
"Freediving teaches you to calm yourself through breathing exercises in challenging environments. You learn to experience discomfort in your body, finding the balance between tolerance and knowing your limits. It helps you reconnect with your body, understand its signals, and learn to trust it. You learn to let go of some control while maintaining it in a different way. Becoming a better freediver almost always means learning to relax more."
At Inner Depths, James ensures participants have psychological support as they learn to freedive. "We all need support along the way," he says. "Nothing is cooler than being able to dive with someone as they realize what they're capable of and also that they're not alone."
When not freediving, surfing, woodworking, or spending time with his family, James serves as the Director of Psychiatry and Therapy for Zeam Health and Wellness.