Change is Possible

All Breda O'Toole ever wanted was someone to talk to. Instead, she was given Valium, 29 electric shock treatments and 23 years of psychiatric care.

Brian sits down with Breda O'Toole, author of Unseen: A Memoir of Trauma, Ireland's Psychiatric System and a Lifetime Spent Healing, for an honest conversation about childhood trauma, loneliness, misdiagnosis and the long road back to herself.

Breda grew up the eldest of seven, in a home shaped by her father's unprocessed war trauma and alcoholism, where children were to be seen and not heard. At 15 she entered a convent where silence was the rule. When she finally asked for help in her twenties, nobody asked what had happened to her. She was prescribed Valium, which led to a ten year addiction, and was later strapped into a straitjacket for 11 days. It was there, in the middle of it all, that she discovered a part of herself that could never be destroyed.

Brian and Breda explore how loneliness can be the deepest wound of all, why safety matters so much for healing, and what happened when a single phone call told her to take back control of her life. She shares how she weaned herself off every medication and stayed medication free for 30 years, how writing her book brought up decades of suppressed anger, and how she is now facing multiple myeloma with faith, acceptance and a resilience she first built as a child.

There are moments of real tenderness here too: a nurse who visited every day at 4pm, a father who carried her out of a hospital ward, and a reunion with two college friends 55 years later.

This is a conversation about being seen, about the strength that lives inside all of us, and about Breda's simple message: be kind, be kind, be kind.

Season 3 of Change Is Possible is proudly supported by ⁠⁠Turas Nua⁠⁠, helping people build skills and take the next steps towards employment, because with the right support, change really is possible. Learn more at ⁠⁠ Turas Nua⁠⁠⁠

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Chapters:

0:00 Why Breda called her memoir Unseen

5:36 Growing up seen and not heard

11:51 From a frightening home to a silent convent

18:15 Asking for someone to talk to and being given Valium

22:25 The long road through Valium withdrawal

28:00 Finding the part of her that could never be destroyed

34:11 The day a room of doctors finally listened

40:02 Misdiagnosis and the call to take back control

47:11 Thirty years free of medication, then a new diagnosis

52:07 How suffering led her to her real self and to faith

61:18 Learning she is not alone

68:24 Why kindness matters more than we knowSpotify themes: Trauma and healing, mental health, addiction recovery, resilience, loneliness, faith and spirituality, Irish memoir, being seen and heard, unsee

At 30, Iain Ward was told he had terminal brain cancer and around five years to live. Within 24 hours, he had a new life goal.

Brian sits down with Iain, known to nearly 17 million followers as the King of Chemo, for an honest and often very funny conversation about mortality, purpose and what it really takes to keep going when nothing seems to be working.

Iain only found his tumour by chance, through a scan for a paid medical trial he'd signed up to for a bit of easy money. What followed was an awake craniotomy, radiotherapy, and a prognosis that would floor most people. But Iain didn't have a spiritual awakening or an ego death. Instead, he treated the diagnosis like a deadline for an assignment: not that much time, but enough time. He looked up the most money ever raised by running a marathon, and set out to break a charity world record without asking anyone to donate, by growing his social media and giving the advertising money to cancer research.

Brian and Iain explore why some people meet devastating news with logic rather than collapse, the "we'll see" philosophy of life's ups and downs, and why Iain believes being playful is not the same as being immature. Iain opens up about the low point after the TikTok Awards, when a huge physical challenge, a carefully planned speech and months of effort seemed to lead to nothing, and the simple thing that brought him back: working out in his back garden.

They also talk about drive and rest, finding your calling when you've never felt like you had one, and why not creating something is a way of denying the world what you could have given it.

This is a conversation about living with a deadline, choosing your response, and finding meaning in the time you have.

Season 3 of Change Is Possible is proudly supported by ⁠Turas Nua⁠, helping people build skills and take the next steps towards employment, because with the right support, change really is possible. Learn more at ⁠ Turas Nua⁠⁠

Connect with Brian

⬛ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE access to Brian’s online courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Chapters:

0:00 The moment life split into before and after

3:27 What it's like to be awake for your own brain surgery

7:02 Living with a five year prognosis, and the lucky scan that found it

17:31 Why there was no ego death, only a plan

24:37 Treating a diagnosis like a deadline

28:25 The other self and the courage to be playful again

41:18 Turning social media into a charity world record attempt

47:41 Learning to say "we'll see" to life's ups and downs

50:06 When all the effort leads to nothing

57:57 The simple practice that pulled him back up

1:09:09 Finding your calling when you've never felt you had one

1:14:49 An open invitation to companies who want to help

Dr. Gabor Maté explains why addiction is not simply a choice, but often a response to pain.

In this bite-sized clip from our interview, Gabor challenges the stigma around addiction, explains why we need to ask “why the pain?” instead of “why the addiction?”, and explores why awareness and peace may be the true opposite of addiction.

Taken from our full conversation, Why You Were Never Broken, available now on Change Is Possible.

A head on car crash nearly cost Keith Barry his leg, and the doctors told him he'd limp for the rest of his life.

Brian sits down with mentalist and hypnotist Keith Barry for an honest conversation about loss, control and the power of the subconscious mind. Keith opens up about the 2007 crash that shattered his leg, the self hypnosis he used in the back of the ambulance to get through it, and the three months of brutal rehab that ended with him walking on stage with no limp at all.

He also talks, for the first time publicly, about a bout of depression he went through last year in the aftermath of his father's death, and why he chose to put the medication in a drawer and go back to the tools he teaches everyone else. Brian and Keith explore what it actually means to control your own mind, why Keith deleted his social media and put himself on a permanent news detox, and the seven figure American television deal he walked away from because it didn't sit right with his values.

Along the way, Keith performs a live mind reading demonstration on Brian that leaves them both stunned, and they get into hypnosis, breathwork, grief, why neither of them votes, and the chronic headaches showing up in teenagers everywhere.

This is a conversation about pain, presence, and what it really takes to take back control of your own head.

Connect with Keith.

Season 3 of Change Is Possible is proudly supported by ⁠Turas Nua⁠, helping people build skills and take the next steps towards employment, because with the right support, change really is possible. Learn more at ⁠ Turas Nua⁠⁠

Connect with Brian

⬛ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE access to Brian’s online courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Chapters:

0:00 Intro, and the three losses that shaped who Keith is today

1:52 The head on crash that nearly cost him his leg

6:29 Told he'd limp forever, he booked Vicar Street anyway

12:14 The search for the best physios in Europe, and a brutal session in Liverpool

14:35 Why he's finally speaking about the depression he kept private

20:20 What "super activity mode" looks like, and why he keeps his goals quiet

24:11 Grieving his father through the stage and a nightly seance

32:28 Turning down a seven figure American TV deal

39:18 Learning to control the subconscious mind

45:49 Hypnosis, meditation and breathwork, and how they differ

62:44 A live mind reading moment between Keith and Brian

68:56 Teen headaches, the mental health crisis, and why they both skip the ballot box

Willa White sniffed glue at eight years old to escape the violence in his home, and by the time he finally asked a prison officer for help at 29, eight of the ten men who got sober alongside him were already dead.

Brian sits down with the Irish comedian and playwright for an honest conversation about addiction, prison, grief, and the strange grace of survival. Willa traces his using back to a childhood of generational trauma: a father broken by his own violent upbringing, a home with no safety and no affection, and the moment sniffing glue at eight years old gave him a way to switch it all off. He talks about a suicide attempt in a London psychiatric hospital, being cut down from a window ledge by a stranger, and the prison landing where he finally asked officer Mark Farrell for help, a request that changed the entire direction of his life.

Brian and Willa explore what total abstinence actually means day to day, why so many talented people never get the chance to find out what they're good at, and why Ireland's addiction crisis keeps circling back to poverty, class, and a prison system that still isn't built for rehabilitation. Willa also opens up about a hidden relapse in 2015 (no drink, no drugs, just isolation and a plan to end his life) and how getting back to meetings in Cork pulled him out of it. He speaks with real tenderness about forgiving his father, being present for his death, and losing his sister and, more recently, his mother, in the middle of the biggest year of his career: the year he became the first comedian since Billy Connolly to sell out the Gaiety.

Standout moments include Willa's breakdown of what making amends actually requires, his take on why nobody wants to ask for help until they're desperate, and the small, funny way he keeps his mother's memory alive in his latest sketches.

This is a conversation about how the very worst chapter of your life can become the reason you're still here to tell it.

Season 3 of Change Is Possible is proudly supported by Turas Nua, helping people build skills and take the next steps towards employment, because with the right support, change really is possible. Learn more at Turas Nua⁠

Connect with Brian

⬛ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE access to Brian’s online courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Chapters:

0:00 The moment everything changed

1:46 Why asking for help felt impossible, and choosing total abstinence

5:07 Where it all started: childhood violence and generational trauma

12:06 A window ledge in a London psychiatric hospital

17:41 Getting sober in prison, and the friends who didn't make it

24:12 Finding hope, and the difference between religion andspirituality

29:31 A word from Turas Nua 33:03 The relapse nobody could seecoming

37:15 Grief, his father's past, and making peace at the end

40:02 Ireland's addiction crisis, class, and a system that isn't working

54:29 What forgiveness actually asks of you

1:03:20 Humour as armour: "The Examination" and life on stage

1:07:59 A year of triumph and loss: the Gaiety and losing hismother

1:12:11 What's next: Dead Man Talking, a new podcast, and final thoughts

Many people tell themselves they have more money than they really do, and that if they avoid looking at the problem, it might somehow disappear.

In this bite-sized conversation, financial expert and bestselling author Eoin McGee explains why financial avoidance is so common and why there is no single expense everyone should cut. The better question is whether your spending genuinely adds value to your life.

Eoin also reveals one of the biggest saving mistakes people make: waiting until the end of the month to save whatever is left. Saving isn’t something you’re either “good” or “bad” at - it’s a habit you build gradually.

And if you’re feeling financially trapped, Eoin offers a simple but powerful first step: talk to your best mate. Once you say the problem aloud, it becomes easier to face, share and solve.

Taken from our full conversation, The Psychology of Money and Why We Always Want More, available now on Change Is Possible.

What if the parts of yourself you judge most harshly were once trying to protect you?

In this solo episode, Brian explores why anxiety, addiction, anger, emotional numbness, overachievement and the need for control are not necessarily signs that someone is broken. They can be understandable adaptations to pain, uncertainty, fear and experiences that once made the world feel unsafe.

Drawing on his own journey from anxiety and addiction, Brian explains why destructive behaviours can initially feel like solutions. Addiction may soothe pain. Anger may protect fear. Control may create the illusion of safety. Overachievement may become a way of searching for worth.

But understanding where a pattern came from does not mean remaining trapped inside it. Brian explores the difference between knowledge and genuine self-awareness, why awareness matters most when we are under pressure, and how mindful self-observation can help us notice our thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations before they take control.

He also explains why change is not only a mindset process. It is a nervous-system process. Through breathwork, movement, human connection and small promises kept consistently, we can create evidence that we are safe, capable and able to rely on ourselves.

The episode includes a simple breathing practice, reflections on asking for help, facing uncomfortable truths, having difficult conversations and learning to say no so that we can protect what matters most.

Click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and subscribe for more conversations on transformation, recovery, resilience, and human potential.

Connect with Brian

⬛ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE access to Brian’s online courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Sponsors: Founded by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fabulous Pharmacist, Laura Dowling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I'm delighted to partner with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fabuwellness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a company dedicated to empowering your health with science-led, nature-inspired supplements.

We're also delighted to continue our partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Kyne Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, with whom I'm closely collaborating on a special project that aligns with our joint mission to nurture youth well-being in Ireland.

Chapters

00:00 Why you are not broken

02:20 Understanding anxiety and addiction as adaptations

05:30 The protective role of anger, control and numbness

08:15 The difference between knowledge and self-awareness

14:20 Practising mindful self-observation

17:30 Why lasting change begins in the nervous system

24:00 Regulating through breath and movement

26:30 Human connection as a form of regulation

29:40 Building confidence through evidence

32:05 Keeping small promises and embracing discomfort

35:45 Facing difficult truths and reaching out for help

41:15 Learning to say no to protect what matters most

Keywords: Self-awareness, nervous-system regulation, anxiety, addiction recovery, survival responses, emotional regulation, trauma, breathwork, human connection, self-trust, confidence, boundaries and personal change

You weren’t born believing you weren’t enough. Somewhere along the way, you learned it.

In this bite-sized episode, award-winning life coach Tara Rafter explains how childhood experiences, rejection and seemingly small moments can shape the beliefs you carry into adulthood.

We explore where limiting beliefs come from, why success alone rarely fixes self-doubt, and how to challenge the internal story that keeps holding you back. Tara also unpacks the idea that “someone else held the needle,” the difference between confidence and self-delusion, and why real self-belief must be built on evidence.

You may not have chosen the beliefs you were given, but you can choose whether you continue living by them.

Watch/listen to the full episode here.

What happens when the one thing that gave you identity, purpose and self-worth suddenly disappears?

Brian sits down with former European champion, Olympian and broadcaster David Gillick for an honest conversation about life after elite sport, panic attacks, male mental health and learning to ask for help.

When David retired, he lost far more than competition. His routine, teammates, income and sense of self were suddenly gone. Winning Celebrity MasterChef created the appearance of a successful new beginning, but privately he was struggling with anger, isolation and the question: “Who am I now?”

David shares how Sunday panic attacks finally forced him to seek support, why it took time to find the right counsellor and what Hell Week later revealed about his self-worth.

They also explore how David learned to love running again and why his own setbacks now help him meet athletes with empathy during the most vulnerable moments of their careers.

This is a conversation about losing the person you thought you had to be, finding the courage to ask for help and building an identity beyond achievement.

Click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and subscribe for more conversations on transformation, recovery, resilience, and human potential.

Connect with David on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

Check out David's book: The Race

Connect with Brian

⬛ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE access to Brian’s online courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sponsors: Founded by the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fabulous Pharmacist, Laura Dowling⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I'm delighted to partner with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fabuwellness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a company dedicated to empowering your health with science-led, nature-inspired supplements.

We're also delighted to continue our partnership with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Kyne Foundation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, with whom I'm closely collaborating on a special project that aligns with our joint mission to nurture youth well-being in Ireland.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:35 Losing the identity that elite sport provided

07:20 Grieving a career and becoming trapped in the past

13:10 Injury, retirement and letting go of the Olympic dream

17:10 How MasterChef temporarily filled the void

24:10 Panic attacks and the moment David knew he needed help

28:30 Counselling, acceptance and finding the right support

33:00 Bringing empathy to athletes’ most vulnerable moments

39:15 Redefining success beyond achievement

41:00 Entering Hell Week to test his strength again

48:00 The question “Who are you?” and a lesson in self-worth

54:20 Rediscovering running, peace and purpose

1:05:50 Parenthood, presence and protecting what matters

1:11:30 The Race, gratitude and making peace with the past

Keywords: Identity, life after sport, male mental health, panic attacks, anxiety, counselling, vulnerability, self-worth, career transition, grief, high performance, parenthood, presence, resilience and personal growth

Why are so many young men being pulled toward the manosphere?

Daragh Fleming explores the loneliness, shame and disconnection behind it, and why men need better spaces to speak honestly about who they are and what they are carrying.

A powerful clip from the Change is Possible podcast with Dr Brian Pennie and Daragh Fleming.