Change is Possible

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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
⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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
⬛ 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 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