The Prymal Podcast

Success can look perfect from the outside while being driven almost entirely by fear.
We explore ambition, uncertainty and the hidden cost of constantly pursuing the next achievement. Brian reflects on building a highly successful business, why scale eventually pulled him away from the work and life he genuinely valued, and how becoming a father changed his definition of success.
You’ll learn:
How fear can disguise itself as ambition
Why external success may still leave you disconnected
The difference between living safely and living honestly
How parenthood can fundamentally change your priorities
Why constant work prevents difficult emotions from catching up
How to create more space, presence and meaning in everyday life

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Final Episode in the Old Studio
00:02:06 Bias Towards Action vs Having Nowhere to Be
00:03:52 When Opposite Behaviours Come From the Same Fear
00:05:53 Making Decisions Without Complete Certainty
00:09:18 Why Fear Stops People From Starting
00:13:29 Building a Successful Business You No Longer Want
00:16:46 How Becoming a Parent Changes Success
00:18:21 When Your Success Is Built Around Fear
00:22:57 How Do You Know What You Truly Want?
00:25:41 The False Promise of Certainty
00:28:41 Why Designing Your Own Life Can Feel Wrong
00:30:13 Productivity, Structure and Emotional Avoidance
00:32:11 Learning to Live Through Uncertainty
00:34:10 The Deathbed Test for Success
00:37:18 Using Work to Avoid Difficult Emotions
00:40:25 Why Life and Parenthood Feel Like They’re Flying By
00:42:12 Creating Space Between Emotion and Reaction
00:42:53 Moving Into the New Prymal Studio
00:44:22 Fear, Purpose and the Questions Without Answers
00:45:51 The Importance of People in Your Corner

Kadam Adam Starr is a Kadampa Buddhist Meditation teacher with nearly 3 decades of experience studying and practicing.
Most of us spend our lives trying to change our thoughts.
Very few of us ever stop to ask what thoughts actually are.
This conversation explores one of the biggest questions in psychology, meditation and human consciousness: what is the mind?
Adam explains the relationship between Buddhist psychology and modern Western psychology, why we become trapped inside our thoughts and emotions, and how learning to experience awareness directly can fundamentally change the way we relate to anxiety, anger, stress and suffering.
This episode explores how understanding the nature of the mind creates more space, compassion and freedom in everyday life.

You’ll learn:
• Why you are not your thoughts or emotions
• The difference between understanding the mind and experiencing it
• How meditation changes your relationship with anxiety and anger
• Why outrage is becoming our default emotional state
• The connection between neuroscience, psychology and Buddhist wisdom
• Practical ways to cultivate greater peace of mind

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:14 Buddhist Psychology and Western Psychology

01:53 What Is the Mind?

10:05 A Guided Exercise to Experience Your Mind

14:50 Thoughts Are Clouds, Your Mind Is the Sky

17:46 Why You Are Not Your Thoughts

29:33 Understanding the Mind vs Experiencing It

35:53 How Awareness Changes Your Relationship With Anger

42:26 Does a Buddhist Still Get Angry?

44:12 Can Anger Ever Be Healthy?

48:39 How Social Media Trains Us to Be Angry

52:46 Looking at Your Phone More Than Your Mind

57:18 Is the Mind Different From the Brain?

1:04:34 Why You Shouldn’t Identify With Your Brain

1:10:42 Creating the Conditions for Peace of Mind

1:17:44 The Different Pieces of Mental Health

1:19:20 Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre

Brian O’Loughlin is a coach, podcaster, entrepreneur and regular guest on The Prymal Podcast. His work explores psychology, behaviour change and the deeper ideas that shape how people live.

This conversation explores several principles that have recently stood out as powerful ways of understanding human behaviour and personal growth.

Topics include:

• The difference between pain and suffering  
• Finite vs infinite games and how people approach life  
• Why psychological failure feels harder than physical failure  
• The beliefs that quietly shape behaviour  
• Awareness as the starting point for change  
• Humans living in environments we weren’t built for  
• The modern misunderstanding of Stoicism  
• Self-actualisation vs self-transcendence  
• Why meaning is closely tied to human connection

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:15 Why Certain Ideas Stick With Us
00:05:10 Psychological vs Physical Failure
00:08:25 Pain vs Suffering
00:11:55 Why Humans Avoid Discomfort
00:15:40 Finite Games vs Infinite Games
00:21:05 Playing the Wrong Game in Life
00:26:10 How Beliefs Shape Behaviour
00:30:05 Awareness Before Change
00:34:40 Humans Living in the Wrong Environment
00:39:20 Stoicism and Modern Misinterpretations
00:43:30 Escaping Emotion Through Distraction
00:47:45 Self-Actualisation vs Self-Transcendence
00:51:30 Meaning Through Human Connection
00:55:10 Trust, Peace and the Nervous System

Kellie Fennell is a coach, business owner, speaker, parent, and podcast host who has achieved huge success helping others transform their minds and bodies - while quietly burning herself out in the process.

You’ll learn about:
The productivity trap and performance-based identity

Why behaviour change fails without belief change

Pain vs suffering

External metrics vs internal metrics

Burnout at the height of success

Internal locus of control

The role of expectation in happiness

How to create space instead of constant consumption

Why healing isn’t becoming someone new - it’s remembering who you are

The discussion moves beyond fitness into identity, unlearning inherited beliefs, and giving yourself permission to change.

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:
00:00:00 – Pain vs Suffering
00:03:45 – Burnout at the Height of Success
00:08:10 – Performance Identity and Self-Worth
00:12:30 – Why Money Doesn’t Fix Misalignment
00:16:00 – The Productivity Trap
00:20:45 – External Metrics vs Internal Metrics
00:27:40 – The 5 Regrets of the Dying
00:37:00 – “You Have 6 Months Left” Thought Experiment
00:45:45 – Psychological Safety and Play
00:52:30 – Facing 18 Years of Avoided Grief
01:06:20 – Healing Isn’t Becoming Someone New
01:11:19 – You Can’t Sustain Behaviour Without Belief Change
01:16:19 – Stop Consuming, Create Space
01:18:51 – Accepting Emotion Instead of Escaping It
01:21:36 – The Lamb in the Oven: Unlearning Inherited Beliefs
01:23:55 – The Elephant Rope: Breaking Self-Limiting Beliefs
01:25:44 – Redefining the Mountain
01:32:17 – Giving Yourself Permission to Change
01:35:35 – The Power of Retreat and Space

Truth is messy, and most people confuse belief with fact. That’s why online discourse feels like everyone is fighting for “objective reality” when we’re all operating from different conditioning, experiences, and algorithms.

This episode explores the difference between subjective truth and objective truth, why “my truth” can become a defence mechanism, and how to stop outsourcing responsibility for how you feel.

Covering ego, fear, victimhood, echo chambers, and why the real work isn’t “finding truth” - it’s letting go of distortion so you can respond with more calm, clarity, and compassion.

If you’ve ever felt reactive, cynical, or exhausted by culture wars and certainty, this one will help you see what’s actually going on under the surface.

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

00:00:00 Intro - calm year, why “truth” matters
00:00:34 Truth vs perception - why everyone thinks their view is objective
00:06:03 Death as “objective truth” and why meaning is still subjective
00:07:28 The real win - becoming less reactive to other people’s beliefs
00:12:26 The eulogy exercise - denial of death and “cope”
00:14:33 “My truth” - honest expression vs unchallengeable shield
00:20:32 Buddhism, psychedelics, and the “golden nugget” under conditioning
00:22:23 “My expression of the truth” - a better way to speak
00:25:11 Responsibility vs victimhood - owning what you express
00:26:21 The tell - “live this way so I feel safe”
00:28:46 Echo chambers and algorithm-shaped reality
00:31:16 Love, validation, and codependency as truth substitutes
00:36:08 Why most people agree on most things - nuance dies online
00:39:36 Fatherhood as a rite of passage for truth and accountability
00:46:48 “Tell the truth” - why truth is the adventure
00:48:24 Integration - notice the trigger, take responsibility, choose response