Why'd You Think You Could Do That?

What makes an ordinary person attempt extraordinary things?

In this episode of Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, Sam Penny sits down with adventurer, filmmaker and Chartered Accountant Ian Evans. Ian has spent decades pushing beyond conventional limits, from climbing some of the world's highest mountains and cycling across Australia to skiing 900 kilometres to the South Pole at nearly 60 years of age.

But Ian's story isn't about records, fame or elite athleticism.

It's about curiosity, resilience and discovering what happens when you stop asking "Can I?" and start asking "Why not?"

Ian shares the lessons learned from mountaineering disasters, solo expeditions, rebuilding his life after losing almost everything, and creating the Elora Adventure Film Festival, a festival designed to inspire ordinary people to pursue extraordinary lives.

If you've ever felt the pull of adventure, wondered whether you're capable of more, or needed a reminder that it's never too late to start, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends. 

In This Episode

•  Growing up in England and the early signs of a lifelong explorer 
•  Why Ian left school early and became a Chartered Accountant 
•  The childhood fascination with Shackleton, Scott and Antarctica 
•  Climbing Kilimanjaro and discovering a passion for adventure 
•  Pursuing the Seven Summits and lessons from high-altitude mountaineering 
•  Facing death, risk and fear on some of the world's toughest mountains 
•  The terrifying fall on Mount Elbrus that changed everything 
•  Cycling solo across Australia and crossing the Nullarbor 
•  Why solitude can be one of life's greatest teachers 
•  The power of stepping outside your comfort zone 
•  Skiing to the South Pole at nearly 60 years old 
•  The hidden mental cost of extreme expeditions 
•  Losing his marriage, career and nearly his life within 60 days 
•  Rebuilding from rock bottom using a simple whiteboard 
•  Creating the Elora Adventure Film Festival 
•  How storytelling inspires ordinary people to do extraordinary things 
•  Why adventure has nothing to do with age 
•  The difference between quitting and moving on 
•  What bravery really means 

Memorable Quotes

"The more you're outside your comfort zone, the richer your life will be."

"Anything's possible. You don't have to be talented. You just have to work on it."

"The best expedition is the next one.""It's never too late. It's only too late if you decide it is."

About Ian Evans

Ian Evans is a Canadian adventurer, speaker, filmmaker and former Chartered Accountant who has spent decades pursuing ambitious expeditions around the world.

His adventures have included climbing major peaks across multiple continents, cycling across Australia, skiing to the South Pole, flying aircraft, and producing the documentary Lunatic, which chronicles his Antarctic journey.

Today, Ian channels his passion for exploration into the Elora Adventure Film Festival, where he showcases inspiring stories of ordinary people achieving extraordinary things and encourages audiences to embrace adventure in their own lives.

Resources & Links

Ian Evans

•  Website: ianevans.ca 
•  Elora Adventure Film Festival: eloraadventurefilmfestival.ca 

Listen If You Want To Learn

•  How to build confidence through action 
•  Why adventure is accessible to ordinary people 
•  How to overcome fear and self-doubt 
•  The role of discomfort in personal growth 
•  What extreme expeditions teach about life and business 
•  How storytelling can spark life-changing decisions 
•  Why it's never too late to pursue a bold dream 

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who needs a reminder that their next adventure might be closer than they think.

Centuries ago, young men in Celtic villages proved their strength and identity not in gyms but by lifting stones older than memory — rites of passage where pride, community, culture, and strength were one.

That tradition vanished… until David Keohan rediscovered it.

In this conversation, David reveals how the ancient Irish stones — some untouched for generations — are reawakening national pride, reconnecting people with ancestry, and giving young men and women a pathway back to meaningful challenge.

From kettlebell world champion to cultural archaeologist of strength, David’s story shows how one person with a spark of curiosity can ignite a global movement.

📌 Based on our conversation recording — source: 

🔥 Key Episode Themes

• Reviving ancient rites of passage — what lifting stones meant in Irish villages for thousands of years
• COVID as the unlikely catalyst that led to the rediscovery of a forgotten strength culture
• Ireland's lost cultural roots — and how colonialism wiped many of them from memory
• Why people weep when they lift these stones
• The moment David lifted Ireland’s most sacred stone — and a crowd sang him into history
• How stone lifting is now spreading worldwide, including Australia and the USA
• The powerful message for young people craving purpose and meaning

🏋️ Who is David Keohan?

• Two-time World Champion in kettlebell sport
• Founder of the movement restoring Ireland’s stone-lifting traditions
• Cultural advocate working with archaeologists, historians and local communities
• Creator of the documentary Made of Stone
• Currently writing a book on the history, mythology and revival of stone lifting

📍Episode Chapters

TimeChapter00:00 | The myth, the stones, and the revival begins
07:00 | From overweight dad to world champion
10:00 | The pandemic and a spark in the garden
14:00 | Lifting the legendary Fianna Stone in Scotland
18:00 | First discovery on the Aran Islands
26:00 | The moment that brought an entire island to tears
39:00 | Ancient strength on mountaintops
46:00 | What villages gain when stones are rediscovered
53:00 | A movement that’s now circling the world
59:00 | Why young people are craving real challenge
1:05:00 | A call to action: “Don’t overthink it — just start”

🎧 Listen + Watch

📸 Featured Stone Locations in This Episode

• Inis Mór — Mór na Port Véal an Dúin
• The Seafin Stone, County Derry
• Wakes & Harvest stones in County Clare
• …and many more emerging from the earth once again

🧭 Connect with David Keohan

Instagram: @indianastones
Documentary: Made of Stone – RTE (global release pending)

🚀 Ready to Find (and Lift) Your Impossible?

David reclaimed a national tradition.

You have your own stone to lift.

If you’re a business owner who wants to build a company that runs without you — and one day sells for a life-changing exit — let’s work together.

👉 Work with Sam 1-on-1
https://sampenny.com/action

Or explore all coaching & programs:
 https://sampenny.com

Let’s make your impossible… inevitable.

What drives someone to cycle across Africa, through Siberia, over Australia’s wildest tracks, and into the remote corners of the Himalayas — not for glory, but for change?

In this episode, Sam Penny sits down with Dr Kate Leeming, global explorer, educator, and the powerhouse behind Breaking the Cycle. With over 100,000 km of cycling expeditions across every continent, Kate shares how she uses extreme endurance journeys to shine a light on poverty, resilience, education, and environmental justice.

Together, they dive into:

🚴 Kate’s early spark for exploration and sport
 🌍 Her most transformative expeditions — from the Canning Stock Route to the Skeleton Coast
 🧭 What it means to have a “North Star” mission
 📚 How she brings global stories into classrooms through immersive education
 💡 The mindset that helps her turn adversity into impact
 ✨ Why true adventure isn’t about conquering — it’s about connecting

Kate isn’t just an explorer — she’s a builder of bridges between cultures, communities, and classrooms. Her stories remind us that no matter the terrain, purpose can carry us further than fear.

🔗 Connect with Dr Kate Leeming

🌐 Website: breakingthecycle.education

📸 Instagram: @leeming_kate

📘 Book: Out There and Back
🎥 Watch her films, access school resources, and follow her next expedition

💬 Loved this episode? Share it with someone who’s ready to choose the uphill path.

🧭 Follow Sam Penny on Instagram @90dayswithsam
and visit sampenny.com
for more episodes of Why’d You Think You Could Do That?

When Liam Beville was 18, a stolen car mounted a curb in Limerick and crushed both his legs.
 Doctors told him he’d never walk again.

But Liam didn’t just walk — he deadlifted 285 kg to become a Guinness World Record holder, and 310 kg at 75 kg bodyweight to become one of Ireland’s greatest lifters of all time.

This episode is about defying prognosis, rewriting identity, and proving that mindset is stronger than muscle.

💥 In This Episode

Sam Penny sits down with Irish powerlifter Liam Beville to explore:

• Growing up in a tough Limerick household surrounded by disability — and learning resilience early.
• The 1983 accident that shattered his legs and the long battle back from the edge.
• How walking to the gym on crutches became the first step to greatness.
• Competing against able-bodied athletes — and why he refused to accept the label “disabled”.
• The mental cost of chasing perfection and the darkness of depression.
• Discovering hypnosis and mindset training to control anxiety and rediscover love for the sport.
• Breaking four world records across four weight divisions — and holding them all simultaneously.
• Becoming the oldest and lightest man ever to hold the Guinness World Record for heaviest disabled deadlift.
• What “strength” really means after six decades of pain, purpose, and perspective.

🧠 Key Lessons

• Labels limit you. Don’t let anyone define what’s possible for you.
• Sit with pain. Whether physical or emotional, resisting it gives it power.
• Control the controllables. Focus on what’s within your reach — and forget the rest.
• Success and failure are imposters. Treat both the same, as Rudyard Kipling wrote in If.
• Never too late. At 60, Liam’s still training to break his own world record — proving you’re never too old to start again.

🗣️ Memorable Quotes

💪 The Brave Five

Liam reveals:

1. His most unexpected lesson from recovery.
2. What he felt when holding the Guinness certificate.
3. The truth about friendship and why being a people-pleaser nearly broke him.
4. The mindset that’s kept him competing into his 60s.
5. The one thing he wants every listener to remember: “Control what you can and forget the rest.”

🎯 Why You Should Listen

If you’ve ever felt broken, too old, too tired, or too far gone — this story will wake something up inside you.
 It’s not about lifting weights.
 It’s about lifting yourself.

This short, punchy episode isn’t a checklist—it’s a rally. Drawing on John Williamson’s story of hitting rock bottom twice and rebuilding with discipline and quiet courage, Sam lays out the mindset that makes weekends count. With echoes from history—Mawson on the ice, Violet Jessop returning to sea, Farnsworth sketching TV from ploughed rows, Hubert Wilkins under polar ice, Jessica Watson one knot at a time—this is the lift you take into Saturday to move your real work forward.

What You’ll Hear

• Courage as a calendar entry, not a mood
• Why structure beats story when things feel messy
• Making fear smaller than the next step
• The power of subtraction—closing the wrong things to let the right things live
• Borrowing belief: “You can take more load than that”

Anchor Quotes

• “Even though I’m afraid of failing again, I will keep turning up anyway.”
• “Courage is a calendar entry, not a mood.”
• “Make fear smaller than the next step.”
• “Subtraction can be growth.”
• “You can take more load than that.”

Timeline

• 00:00 – Why this isn’t tactics—it’s a reminder you carry into the weekend
• 01:00 – What John really taught us: breath, structure, consistency
• 03:00 – History’s quiet cousins: Mawson, Jessop, Farnsworth, Wilkins, Watson
• 04:40 – What this weekend is for: momentum over perfection
• 05:30 – The lines to carry with you into Monday

Why It Matters

Weekends are where your future sneaks in. When the inbox goes quiet, your real work taps you on the shoulder. This episode helps you choose courage over comfort and progress over perfection—so by Sunday night you feel earned pride, not regret.

Light Reflection Prompts

• Where can I choose structure over story this weekend?
• What’s one fear I can make smaller than the next step?
• What can I subtract so the important thing can breathe?

Listen

• Apple Podcasts: https://sampenny.com/applepodcasts

• Spotify: https://sampenny.com/spotify

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/3SBQAPV4_xc?si=yjyfuU15J90X8_xf

Explore the Guest Hub

Show notes, quotes and links: https://sampenny.com/john-williamson

Credits

Host: Sam Penny
 Series: Why’d You Think You Could Do That?

The phone buzzes. It’s the bank. Payroll is due tomorrow and the numbers don’t add up. Most people would call that rock bottom — but for John Williamson, it was just one of many.

John built Construct Health into a 40-person physiotherapy and occupational health business, lost it all (twice), and somehow found the strength to start again. Through bankruptcy scares, sleepless nights, and the crushing weight of leadership, he discovered that courage isn’t about climbing mountains — it’s about standing your ground when everything in you wants to quit.

In this conversation, Sam and John unpack what it really takes to survive as a founder — not the glory, but the grit. From his darkest moments to his rebirth through ultra-endurance running and boxing, John’s story is a masterclass in resilience, self-discipline, and redefining success on your own terms.

🧭 In This Episode

• The early ambition and purpose that drove John into physiotherapy and business ownership
• The rise and near-collapse of Construct Health during the mining boom and bust
• What it really feels like to tell your staff you can’t pay them — and why he never missed payroll
• How daily habits, structure, and breathwork kept him alive when everything fell apart
• Lessons from an unexpected mentor: the former Scheduling Secretary to a US President
• Why discipline and cashflow awareness beat ego every time
• Finding peace (and pain) through ultra-marathons and stepping into a boxing ring
• The emotional cost of selling your life’s work — and what’s next with Col Ferret Holdings
• Why sometimes, “You can take more load than that” is exactly the advice you need

🧱 Key Quotes

⚡️ The Brave Moment

John’s moment of truth came standing on an airport tarmac, $8,000 over his overdraft, with payroll due in two days. Panic set in — but instead of breaking, he built new habits, found mentorship, and clawed his way back to solvency. That single decision — to keep showing up — reshaped not just his business, but who he became.

🥊 The Lesson

Rock bottom isn’t failure. It’s feedback.
 It’s where you decide who you’re going to be next.

🌍 Connect with John Williamson

• LinkedIn: John Williamson
  (search “John Williamson Construct Health” — not the singer!)
• Website: unventured.life
  (launching soon)
  Unventured Life helps business owners and executives apply the principles of challenge and adventure to leadership and personal growth.

Founder and physio John Williamson built Construct Health to 40 staff, then faced the silent panic of overdrafts, payroll, and responsibility. Instead of quitting, he rebuilt through discipline, breathwork, a rolling 18-month cashflow, a 100 km ultra, and a bout under stadium lights. This short episode guides listeners to name their Spark, confront their Struggle, and claim a Breakthrough by “turning up anyway.”

Key Moments

• Spark: “I want to build something of my own. I’m going to help people heal.” Launching Construct Health during the GFC; early growth across clinics and mine sites.
• Struggle: Banking app shock — $8,000 over with payroll due in 48 hours; carrying the weight of 40 livelihoods; 4 a.m. runs and boxing to quiet the noise.
• Breakthrough: “Even though I’m afraid of failing again, I will keep turning up anyway.” Precision cashflow, mentor advice — “You can take more load than that” — 100 km ultra, and stepping into the ring.
• What it means: Courage as consistency; rock bottom as a decision point, not an ending.

Listener Prompts (Fill-in-the-Blanks)

• Spark: I want to ________ . I am going to ________ .
  e.g., I want to build something that matters. I am going to start before I feel ready.
• Struggle: I am afraid that ________ .
  e.g., I am afraid that I’ve taken on too much / people will lose faith / if I stop pushing it’ll all collapse.
• Breakthrough: Even though I am afraid of ________ , I will ________ anyway.
  e.g., …failing again, I will take the next step anyway / …being judged, I will keep showing up anyway.

Memorable Quotes

• “It wasn’t the money that nearly broke me. It was the responsibility.”
• “Even though I’m afraid of failing again, I will keep turning up anyway.”
• “You can take more load than that.”

Why It Matters

This episode reframes resilience as a daily practice: breath before reaction, structure over panic, and a single next step taken repeatedly. It’s a toolkit for founders and leaders when the spreadsheet doesn’t match the story.

Links

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3SBQAPV4_xc?si=yjyfuU15J90X8_xf

• Apple Podcasts: https://sampenny.com/applepodcasts

• Spotify: https://sampenny.com/spotify

• Guest Hub: /john-williamson

Credits

Host: Sam Penny. Series: Why’d You Think You Could Do That?

In this week’s Action episode of Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, host Sam Penny takes inspiration from one of the sharpest minds in modern feminism — Kathy Lette — the woman who turned outrage into comedy, sexism into satire, and shame into storytelling.

At just 17, Kathy co-wrote Puberty Blues, a book so raw and real it was banned from schools — but instead of backing down, she doubled down, using wit as her weapon and laughter as her form of protest. Across her career, she’s proved that humour can dismantle hypocrisy faster than fury ever could.

This episode is your invitation to take that same fearless approach and apply it in your own life. Because bravery doesn’t just happen in the extremes — it happens in everyday conversations, in workplaces, boardrooms, and dinner tables where the easy thing would be to stay silent.

Sam challenges you to complete one sentence:

Maybe it’s calling out a double standard. Maybe it’s sharing your true opinion in a meeting. Or maybe it’s finally admitting what you really want. Whatever it is, say it — with honesty, with kindness, and, if you can, with humour.

Because as Kathy reminds us, laughter doesn’t diminish truth; it makes it digestible. It opens hearts that anger closes. And when you use it with courage, it turns confrontation into connection.

This is your week to speak up anyway — to say the thing that scares you most, to turn your own fear into fuel, and to be part of a ripple effect that starts with one brave conversation.

Tune in, take the challenge, and discover why sometimes, bravery doesn’t roar — it giggles, it winks, and it writes a banned book.

At just 17, Kathy Lette co-wrote Puberty Blues — a brutally honest, hilarious and taboo-shattering take on Australian surf culture that shocked a nation, scandalised parents, and became a cult classic. Rather than apologising, she leaned in. From Puberty Blues to How to Kill Your Husband, Mad Cows and The Boy Who Fell to Earth, Kathy has made a career out of turning taboo into comedy and pain into punchlines.

In this episode, Kathy joins Sam Penny to talk about:

• How she went from a rebellious teenager to an international bestselling author
• What Puberty Blues revealed about sexism, shame, and surf culture
• Why humour is her sharpest weapon in the fight for equality
• How raising an autistic son transformed her understanding of love, difference, and bravery
• Why women must stop apologising and start saying yes to the impossible

It’s cheeky. It’s sharp. And it’s classic Kathy — part stand-up, part masterclass in rebellion, and completely unapologetic.

💬 Key Quotes

🧩 Themes Explored

• Rebellion through humour: How satire can change culture.
• Feminism with a wink: Making gender politics laugh-out-loud funny.
• Motherhood & autism: What her son Jules taught her about compassion and courage.
• From scandal to empowerment: Lessons from surviving the spotlight.
• Bravery: Saying what others won’t — and doing it with wit.

🔥 The Brave Moment

When Kathy’s son Jules was diagnosed with autism, she says it was the hardest — and most defining — chapter of her life.

📚 Kathy’s Books Mentioned

• Puberty Blues
• Girls’ Night Out
• How to Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints)
• HRT: Husband Replacement Therapy
• The Boy Who Fell to Earth
• The Revenge Club

🧭 Where to Find Kathy

📖 kathylette.com

 📸 Instagram @kathylette

🐦 Twitter @kathylette

💡 Takeaway

Bravery doesn’t always mean charging into battle — sometimes it means writing down the truth about your world and refusing to apologise when people tell you to be quiet.

As Kathy says:

At seventeen, Kathy Lette lit a fuse that still burns bright today. She co-wrote Puberty Blues — the raw, funny, and confronting book that cracked open a national conversation about sexism, consent, and what it really meant to grow up female in Australia. It was banned. It was criticised. And it changed everything.

In this episode, host Sam Penny explores Kathy’s Spark, Struggle, and Breakthrough — how she turned outrage into art, pain into punchlines, and laughter into liberation. From fighting censorship in her teens to redefining modern feminism through wit, Kathy’s story is a masterclass in how honesty, courage, and a well-aimed joke can shift culture.

You’ll walk away inspired to speak up, laugh louder, and stop apologising for your truth.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How Puberty Blues became an act of rebellion that redefined Australian feminism
• Why humour is Kathy’s greatest weapon — and how you can use it to tell hard truths
• The difference between being liked and being heard
• What Kathy learned about resilience, motherhood, and bravery from raising her autistic son
• How to find your voice — and keep it — even when the world pushes back

Reflection Prompts from the Episode:

• Spark: I want to… / I am going to…
• Struggle: I am afraid that…
• Breakthrough: Even though I am afraid of… I will… anyway.

🎧 Listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts — and don’t miss the full interview dropping Thursday.

👉 Watch the full video interview and explore Kathy’s Guest Hub at sampenny.com/kathy-lette