Change is Possible

“If you died tomorrow, success wouldn’t be your career… it would be the people you made scrambled eggs for.” Those are the words of Angela Scanlon, Irish broadcaster and author known for hosting shows on the BBC and RTÉ. In this honest, reflective conversation, we unpack drive, ambition, ADHD, fear of death, and the quiet moments that end up defining a life. From chasing “best in class” in every area, to burning out on shiny achievements, this bonus episode explores how success evolves — and why relationships, presence, and joy might matter more than productivity ever could.
We talk about:
The dark side of relentless drive
Why opening “7 tabs” in life leads to exhaustion
ADHD, over-functioning, and self-compassion
Fear of death — and fear of regret
A near-death experience that changed everything
Practical tools to stay close to joy and time (weekly reminders, yearly planners, sacred holidays)
🎧 If you’re questioning hustle culture, redefining success, or trying to live more intentionally — this episode is for you. Because success isn’t what you achieve — it’s how you live, who you love, and what you don’t postpone.
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Chapters
00:00 – What does success mean now? Redefining ambition after burnout and destructive drive
01:10 – The double-edged sword of being “driven” Resilience, relentlessness, and learning when to stop
02:30 – Chasing shiny lights vs valuing solid foundations Why success can make you devalue what actually feeds you
03:55 – “Best in class” thinking & opening 7 tabs inlife Self-criticism, comparison, and impossible expectations
05:30 – The scrambled eggs moment (and why it hit so deep) Legacy, relationships, and what really matters when you’re gone
07:05 – Fear of death vs fear of regret Why imagining your deathbed now changes how you live
08:40 – Near-death experiences & losing fear of dying Freedom, clarity, and choosing life differently
09:50 – Time awareness, joy & choosing how you live Weekly reminders, sacred holidays, and “joyriding” through life

Success redefined, what is success, hustle culture burnout, fear of death podcast, ADHD and ambition, redefining success podcast, joy vs productivity, near death experience, living with intention, personal development podcast, meaning of success today

Most of us don’t discover who we really are until life pushes us to the edge. In this solo episode, Brian reflects on some of the most powerful insights from recent podcast guests, exploring what they reveal about growth, resilience, addiction, social media, human connection, and the nature of change. We discuss the “other self” — the hidden part of us that emerges through adversity — and why discomfort is often the gateway to awareness, strength, and compassion. Drawing on conversations with guests such as Jack Kavanagh, Georgie Crawford, Professor Anna Lembke, Brian McDermott, Niall Breslin, and others, this episode explores why modern life makes it harder to sit with ourselves, and how phones, dopamine, and constant comfort can disconnect us from meaning. Brian also unpacks addiction as a solution to pain rather than a moral failing, how to support loved ones without enabling, the role of self-belief and action, and why creating space for rest, gratitude, and kindness is essential in today’s world.

This episode is for anyone feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, stuck in habits, or searching for deeper purpose — and for those who want to understand how challenge can become fuel for growth.

Topics include:
● The “other self” and post-traumatic growth
● Why comfort can weaken resilience
● Addiction, dopamine, and avoidance
● Social media, division, and attention economics
● How to help a loved one in addiction
● Imposter syndrome and self-belief
● Nervous system regulation and breathwork
● Connection, rest, gratitude, and kindness

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: ⁠The Kyne Foundation
Imagine having a sponsor whose only interest is creating positive ripple effects of change around the world. I first met Jacqueline and David Kyne from the Kyne Foundation when they introduced me to Dr Gabor Mate in 2024, an incredible “pinch myself” moment in my own life. With a focus on nurturing youth wellbeing and empowering education, The Kyne Foundation's belief is simple: kindness is powerful, practical, and worth paying forward. Over the next few episodes, we’ll be sharing weekly challenges inspired by their work and ethos: small actions create big ripples. Our simple ask? Be kind to yourself, to others, and to your community. Because kindness is contagious.

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction & episode overview
01:20 – Finding the “other self” through adversity
04:40 – What trauma, illness, and loss can teach us
07:20 – Comfort culture and why modern life avoids discomfort
10:00 – Phones, dopamine, and emotional avoidance
12:30 – Beyond resilience: using challenge as fuel for growth
15:10 – Imposter syndrome and leaning into discomfort
17:40 – Social media, division, and attention economics
21:10 – Addiction explained: avoidance, escape, and dopamine
24:30 – Addiction as a solution, not the problem
27:10 – How to help a loved one: listening, boundaries, action
30:20 – Self-belief, action, and regulating the nervous system
33:20 – Creating space for connection, rest, and presence
35:40 – Gratitude, kindness, and the neurobiology of wellbeing
37:20 – Final reflections & closing message

Keywords / Tags:
Change Is Possible podcast, finding your other self, post-traumatic growth, addiction recovery, dopamine addiction, social media addiction, resilience psychology, nervous system regulation, gratitude neuroscience, compassion in addiction, modern mental health, self-belief psychology.

From social media to addictive foods and substances, our modern world is flooded with dopamine addictions. How do we break free? Dr Anna Lembke is Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is the author of the New York Times best-selling book: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. 

In this conversation, Dr Lembke joins Brian to discuss how our phones have become the modern hypodermic needle, the neuroscience of addiction, how dopamine drives compulsive behaviours, and why change is possible for every single person — even in extreme cases. She also explains why dopamine resets are essential, and how abstinence, therapy, medication, and community support work together to rewire the brain. Anna and Brian also explore why people relapse, whether someone can ever be “fully recovered,” how co-dependency sabotages healing, and what families can actually do to help a loved one struggling with addiction. The episode also tackles youth mental health, the impact of phones and online content on developing brains, and Anna’s powerful advice for parents, teens, and anyone trying to make positive change. If you’re interested in mental health, addiction recovery, dopamine, phone addiction, or personal transformation, this episode is a must-watch.

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: The Kyne Foundation
Imagine having a sponsor whose only interest is creating positive ripple effects of change around the world. I first met Jacqueline and David Kyne from the Kyne Foundation when they introduced me to Dr Gabor Mate in 2024, an incredible “pinch myself” moment in my own life. With a focus on nurturing youth wellbeing and empowering education, The Kyne Foundation's belief is simple: kindness is powerful, practical, and worth paying forward. Over the next few episodes, we’ll be sharing weekly challenges inspired by their work and ethos: small actions create big ripples. Our simple ask? Go be kind to yourself, to others, and your community. Because kindness is contagious.

Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction: Why Change Is Possible
01:12 – Jacob’s Story: Extreme Porn & Tech Addiction
05:08 – How Technology Supercharges Dopamine & Addiction
07:42 – The Neuroscience: Dopamine, Tolerance & Craving
10:55 – Rock Bottom: Despair, Consequences & Suicidal Thought
13:30 – The Road to Recovery: Abstinence & Resetting the Brain
16:45 – Self-Binding Strategies: Removing Triggers & Tools
19:18 – Medication & SSRIs: When Biology Helps Recovery
21:55 – Understanding Addiction Through the Biopsychosocial Model
25:28 – Little Addictions: Phones, Alcohol, Food & Everyday Dopamine
28:40 – Why 30 Days of Abstinence Changes Everything
31:05 – When Recovery Takes Longer: 90 Days, 12 Months & Beyond
34:20 – Addiction + Mental Health: Treating Both or Risk Relapse
37:10 – Is Recovery Possible for Everyone? Anna’s Honest View
40:15 – Why Addiction Is a Real Brain Disease
42:40 – Helping Loved Ones: Facilitating Safe Consequences
45:55 – Codependency & Enabling: The Hidden Addiction Behind Addiction
49:10 – Identity, Awareness & Whether “Recovered” Is Really Possible
52:25 – Values, Triggers & Why Relapse Happens
54:30 – Why Change Is So Hard: Uncertainty & the Human Brain
56:45 – Advice for Young People: Phones, Porn, Social Media & Dopamine
59:00 – Final Thoughts & Closing Message

Do you ever put on a brave front while feeling stressed, wrecked, and broken inside? That was Dermot Whelan. On the surface, he was thriving — a TV show, a hit radio gig, and a rising stand-up career — but behind it all, he was anxious, exhausted, sleepless, and struggling with self-belief. Alcohol became his go-to coping tool until a panic attack and a drunken fall forced him to change. He had heard about meditation, decided to give it a shot, and has never looked back! In this episode, Dermot opens up about how anxiety shaped his early life, why performers chase the “flow state,” and how alcohol became an unhealthy comfort. With humour and practical wisdom, he shares how he rebuilt his nervous system, reconnected with his values, embraced silence, and started following his gut instinct toward change. If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or burned out, this conversation is packed with simple, grounded insights to manage stress, break unhelpful habits, make clearer decisions, and finally get unstuck.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome & Introductions
01:12 – Dermot’s lowest moment: the fall, concussion & the wake-up call
05:04 – Exhaustion, drinking culture & risky behaviour in Ireland
08:40 – Anxiety without awareness: recognising it only in hindsight
11:58 – Turning points, shame & the fear of being judged
15:46 – Alcohol programming, generational patterns & why we reach for numbing
19:33 – Addiction as a temporary solution: reframing judgment
23:27 – Finding space: noticing breath, gaps & the nervous system
26:55 – The recurring golf-ball dream & discovering “pockets of space”
30:42 – Performers, anxiety & chasing the flow state
34:14 – People-pleasing, responsibility & becoming the mood-setter
38:28 – Leaving Irish radio after 20 years: fear, risk & identity
42:15 – Catastrophic thinking: journaling the inner critic
45:58 – Recklessness, childhood patterns & family beliefs
49:21 – Life changes, side hustles & starting small
52:47 – The Indiana Jones moment: how to know when to jump
56:18 – Busy & wrecked: how busyness becomes avoidance
59:33 – The power of silence: why insights show up in the shower or car
1:03:09 – Values changing over time: realigning your inner compass
1:06:44 – Updating your “inner platoon”: communicating new values to yourself
1:10:12 – Inner peace, energy & recognising friction in your life
1:13:28 – Creating space to ask “What do I want now?”
1:16:22 – Final reflections & closing messages

Follow Dermot: Dermot Whelan is a broadcaster and meditation teacher who was, for more than two decades, co-host of Today FM’s breakfast show, Dermot & Dave. He retired from radio in 2023 to commit fully to his wellness brand, Mind Full, with its live shows, podcast and book of the same name.
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⁠LinkedIn⁠

Change is Possible with Brian Pennie:
⬛ Get FREE access to ⁠⁠⁠Brian’s online courses ⁠⁠⁠
⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠
⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠
⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠

Sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠The Kyne Foundation⁠⁠⁠
Imagine having a sponsor whose only interest is creating positive ripple effects of change around the world. I first met Jacqueline and David Kyne from the Kyne Foundation when they introduced me to Dr Gabor Mate in 2024, an incredible “pinch myself” moment in my own life. With a focus on nurturing youth wellbeing and empowering education, The Kyne Foundation's belief is simple: kindness is powerful, practical, and worth paying forward. Over the next few episodes, we’ll be sharing weekly challenges inspired by their work and ethos: small actions create big ripples. Our simple ask? Go be kind to yourself, to others, and your community. Because kindness is contagious.

At 20 years old, Jack broke his neck diving into shallow water and instantly became quadriplegic, leaving him with 15% muscle function. In this raw conversation, Jack reveals how he rebuilt himself mentally, spiritually and physically, how he navigated grief, guilt, depression, identity collapse, and how he discovered his “other self”. From helplessness in a hospital corridor to skiing mountains and hand-biking 100km Misogi challenges, we unpack the exact mindset and tools he used to rebuild his life. We also discuss mental resilience, nervous system regulation, finding purpose again after trauma, why stories are “sticky”, how to choose different perspectives, the role of challenge and adventure, and asking “Why NOT me?” This episode is a masterclass in human change. If you’ve ever felt stuck, trapped, or broke, this episode will change how you see your life forever.

👉 Topics include: Change is possible, grief, identity shift, quadriplegic recovery, stoicism, nervous system, Misogi challenge, resilience, bonus time, neuroscience, mindset shift, perspective change, meaning rebuilding.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Change Is Possible intro
02:05 – The accident that changed everything
06:32 – ICU, ventilators + facing death alone
11:10 – The guilt that hurt more than the physical injury
15:50 – Understanding grief (the real messy version, not the 5-step meme)
20:38 – “Different levels, different devils” — trauma keeps evolving
26:44 – The moment of hopelessness that broke him in rehab
31:55 – The Other Self — the version of you that only pressure reveals
36:20 – Stoicism, mindfulness, breathing, Buddhism, Frankl
40:55 – Rebuilding a life from zero / adaptive identity
46:12 – The Misogi 100KM challenge (and battery dying at the end
)51:49 – Why physically choosing difficulty matters
56:22 – “Why NOT me?” — the single question that shifted everything
1:01:40 – Making adventure + meaning non-negotiables again
1:06:55 – How YOU start creating change in your life
1:11:20 – Closing message: you get one shot — live like it

Follow Jack: As a Pharmacist, Speaker and Facilitator, Jack is passionate about the value of health & wellbeing as drivers for business performance, coupled with cultivating diverse & inclusive environments where people belong and are valued.
Instagram
LinkedIn

Change is Possible with Brian Pennie:
⬛ Get FREE access to ⁠⁠Brian’s online courses ⁠⁠
⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠
⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠

Sponsors: ⁠⁠The Kyne Foundation⁠⁠
Imagine having a sponsor whose only interest is creating positive ripple effects of change around the world. I first met Jacqueline and David Kyne from the Kyne Foundation when they introduced me to Dr Gabor Mate in 2024, an incredible “pinch myself” moment in my own life. With a focus on nurturing youth wellbeing and empowering education, The Kyne Foundation's belief is simple: kindness is powerful, practical, and worth paying forward. Over the next few episodes, we’ll be sharing weekly challenges inspired by their work and ethos: small actions create big ripples. Our simple ask? Go be kind to yourself, to others, and your community. Because kindness is contagious.