Made In Chaos with Ryan Curtis

Ryan Curtis
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Made In Chaos is a podcast about resilience, mental toughness, and rebuilding your life after everything collapses. Hosted by former MMA fighter Ryan Curtis, who survived a catastrophic training accident that left him paralysed from the neck down, this show explores what it really takes to recover - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Each episode digs into adversity, discipline, identity, trauma, growth, recovery, and personal development, sharing lessons that help you create lasting change and a stronger future.

  1. 15h ago

    He Built a Property Empire Without Owning a Single Property - Adam McEnroe

    He Grew Up in the Flats Obsessed With Money. Now He Runs 55 Properties Across Four Countries — Without Owning a Single One. Adam McEnroe grew up in Dolphin's Barn, obsessed with money from the age of four — selling toys off the step, hustling card games, always looking for the next way up. What he didn't have was anyone around him who'd built real success, or the belief that someone from his area could. This episode is the story of how he built one anyway. Ryan sits down with Adam for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about money, mindset, business and the reality behind the highlight reel. What we get into: Growing up money-obsessed in the flats, and what poverty really looked likeWhy "the poorer the area, the bigger the brand" — and the trap of going broke to look richThe boss and mentor who gave him one-on-one business lessons and changed everythingHow he discovered the rent-to-rent Airbnb model everyone laughed atThe day he found out he was having a son and his mam had cancer — and why it lit the fireBuilding the business from Dubai, the early losses, and getting scammed out of thousandsAirbnb and the housing crisis: genuine cause or easy scapegoat?Why he believes most people buy houses for the wrong reasonsThe reality of business nobody sees: the losses, the pressure, the day-to-day grindEndurance, hardship and why not everyone is cut out for businessTaking accountability, ego, and what religion taught him about handling hard timesRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

  2. Aug 12

    Chats in the Flats Creator Richie Power on Showing the Real Working-Class Dublin

    People Are Quick to Judge the Flats. Very Few Ever Stop to Listen. Richie Power Is Changing That. Richie Power grew up in the Liberties and created Chats in the Flats — the Instagram page showcasing a side of working-class Dublin that rarely makes the headlines: the humour, the talent, the grief, the pride and the sense of community behind the concrete. In a media landscape built on clicks and the worst-case story, Richie set out to show the everyday people instead. Ryan sits down with him for a warm, wide-ranging conversation about community, identity, the power of the mind and the Dublin we're at risk of losing. What we get into: Growing up in the Liberties and only realising later how different it wasWhy he built Chats in the Flats one authentic take at a time, against the hook-and-chop grain of social mediaHow the local credit union helped him get it off the groundWhy the media only seems to notice the flats when something bad happensThe accent as identity — and why he'll pronounce his words but never change how he speaksOld Dublin, and the fear that we're losing it block by blockWhy he keeps his focus local — self, family, community — before anything elseThe doctor's throwaway comment that changed how Richie's guest on the show, Ryan, thinks about the mind foreverHis late mother's words: "Let yesterday's news get you through this journey. Don't let this journey ruin yesterday's news"Why being Irish, and being proud of where you're from, is a kind of superpowerRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis | and Chats in the Flats on Instagram 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

  3. Aug 5

    One of Ireland's Best ADHD Therapists on Anxiety, Overthinking & the Emotional Mind - Enda Murphy

    Why Do You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns Even When You Desperately Want to Change? One of Ireland's Best-Known CBT Therapists Explains. Most people think their problems are stress, anger, anxiety, bad habits or overthinking. But what if a lot of the chaos in your life is coming from patterns you don't even realise you're repeating? Enda Murphy is a psychotherapist, author and one of Ireland's best-known CBT therapists. He's spent decades helping people understand the emotional mind — why we react the way we do, why we avoid uncomfortable feelings, why we sabotage ourselves, and why so many people get stuck in the same cycles even when they want out. Ryan sits down with Enda for a genuinely eye-opening conversation about how the mind actually works. What we get into: Why the way you describe yourself is almost never who you really areADHD, neurodivergence, and why Enda calls it a difference, not a disorderHow the emotional mind works, and why your feelings aren't factsWhy you keep repeating patterns you consciously hateThe real reason people avoid uncomfortable feelingsWhy trying to force happiness often backfiresWhat anxiety actually is, and how to relate to it differentlyHow to actually break a cycle instead of white-knuckling itWhy self-awareness is the starting point for real changePractical ways to interrupt the patterns running your lifeRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis This conversation is for information and reflection, not a substitute for professional support. If you're struggling, help is available in Ireland — Samaritans are free, 24/7, on 116 123, or text About It on 50808. 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

  4. Jul 29

    A Working-Class Poet on Masculinity, the Manosphere & What a Man Actually Is - Emmet O'Brien

    A Working-Class Poet Who Can Perform for Thousands But Struggles to Say How He Feels. Emmett O'Brien on Grief, Masculinity & Finding a Voice. Emmett O'Brien is a poet, actor and storyteller from Cabra who's built a reputation for putting into words what so many people feel but never quite know how to say. He started writing at 13, after a 14-year-old friend was killed in a hit-and-run and a counsellor suggested he find a way to express it. What began as rap became spoken word, and it's carried him from ten people in a basement to stages across the world. Ryan sits down with Emmett for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about creativity, class, masculinity and mental health. What we get into: Growing up in Cabra and why he was the "outlandish" kidStarting to write at 13 to deal with the death of his friendHow rap became spoken word, and the artists who shaped himThe working-class accent as identity, and being paid to write but not to speakWhy he can perform for thousands but can't talk about his own feelingsThe one-man play about hitting rock bottom that nobody knew was about himGrief, his ma's passing, and the moment his emotions finally opened upMasculinity, the manosphere, and what a man actually isWhy it's good men capable of violence, who choose not to use it, who matterImposter syndrome, Damien Dempsey, Kelly Harrington and self-doubtCalculated luck, the 10,000 hours, and why sacrifice is the whole gameSurrounding yourself with genuine people, not yes-menRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis If anything in this episode resonates with you, support is available in Ireland. Samaritans are free and available 24/7 on 116 123, and Text About It can be reached by texting 50808. 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar, Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

  5. Jul 22

    Why You Can’t Buy a House & What The Housing Crisis In Ireland Is Really About - Ray Cooke

    He Built One of Ireland's Best-Known Estate Agencies, Lost Almost Everything in the Crash, and Came Back. Ray Cooke on Housing, Money & Sacrifice. Whether you're trying to buy your first home, stuck renting, investing, or you're just convinced the whole system is broken, you have an opinion on the housing market. Ray Cooke has watched it all from the inside. He built one of Ireland's most recognisable estate agency brands, survived the 2008 crash when he couldn't afford to feed himself, and has seen firsthand how policy, interest rates and supply shape thousands of lives. Ryan sits down with Ray for an honest, no-spin conversation that goes well beyond house prices. What we get into: Growing up in Rathcoole, dyslexia, and why hard work became his "superpower"Working in the pub at 11 and the money habit that shaped everythingSetting up his business in 2005, then watching the 2008 crash nearly destroy itViewing one house 82 times before it sold, and living on beans on toastThe bank manager who ripped up his business plan three times and saved himWhy 2008 won't happen again, and how lending has completely changedThe truth about estate agents, ghost bidding and why they get so much abuseWhether the housing crisis is really the agents' fault, or the government'sHis honest, blunt take on sacrifice, saving and getting on the ladderWhat he'd change first if he woke up as housing ministerHow to build wealth starting with 20 grandThe biggest money mistake ordinary people make without realisingRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

  6. Jul 15

    Philly McMahon: The Dublin GAA Legend Who’d Rather Talk About His Community Than His Medals

    One of the Greatest to Ever Wear the Dublin Jersey — But This Isn't About Football. Philly McMahon on Ballymun, His Brother, and What Really Shaped Him. Philly McMahon is considered one of the greatest Gaelic footballers to ever play for Dublin. But behind the medals and the All-Ireland titles is a far more interesting story: growing up in working-class Ballymun, losing his brother John to addiction, becoming a father, and spending his life trying to understand what really drives people from communities like his. Ryan sits down with Philly for a wide-ranging, honest conversation that goes nowhere near a highlight reel. What we get into: Growing up in the Ballymun flats and the community that shaped himHow systemic decisions, not just individual choices, ghettoised whole areasThe hero's journey, slaying the dragon, and why hardship is where the growth isThe story of the footballer he transformed by sending him to feed the homelessLosing his brother John to addiction, and what his mother taught him about love and connectionWhy "tough love" often isn't the answer, and what actually helps someone strugglingFashion, identity and status in working-class communitiesParenting: how much hardship to pass on, and how much to protect them fromWhy our prisons are full of people from a handful of postcodes, and what that says about classAdverse childhood experiences and how much of our lives trace back to childhoodWhat Philly hopes people remember about him, and why it isn't footballRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

  7. Jul 8

    His Mother Was Homeless and Addicted, Now He Saves People on the Same Streets - Brandon O’Connor

    He's 23 and Has Spent Years on Dublin's Streets Helping the Homeless — Not Because It's His Job, But Because He Chose To. Everyone has walked past someone sleeping rough. Most of us glance, wonder, and keep walking. Brandon O'Connor spends his nights sitting beside those people — hearing their stories and watching addiction, trauma, kindness and hope all exist on the same street. Brandon founded Dublin Homeless Awareness at just 16, as a transition year school project. Years later, his team run first-aid patrols, missing-person searches, river-safety patrols and mental health interventions across the city. In this episode, Ryan sits down with him for an honest, eye-opening conversation about what really happens on Dublin's streets — and what needs to change. What we get into: Why most people develop addictions after becoming homeless, not beforeHow Dublin Homeless Awareness started as a school project and grew into a frontline serviceThe reality of night patrols: overdoses, mental health crises and river rescuesThe systemic gaps that leave people with nowhere to goWhy homelessness can happen to almost anyone — including nurses, guards and charity workersBrandon's own story: growing up with a mother who was homeless and addictedWhat frontline work does to your own mental health, and how the team protects each otherThe small acts of kindness that people never forgetWhat every one of us can do differently when we walk past someone sleeping roughRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis To support or report a concern, find Dublin Homeless Awareness on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

  8. Jul 1

    Kenny Egan: I Won Olympic Silver, Then Hit Rock Bottom in Two Years

    He Won Olympic Silver in Beijing. Two Years Later He Hit Rock Bottom. Kenny Egan on Winning, Addiction & Finding Himself Again. Kenny Egan has one of the greatest stories in Irish sport, a ten-time senior champion, the only man ever to win ten consecutive senior titles, and an Olympic silver medallist in Beijing 2008. But once the gloves came off and the homecoming faded, Kenny faced a very different fight. Ryan sits down with Kenny for one of the most honest and important conversations Made in Chaos has had, about what happens when the biggest win of your life doesn't fix everything, the loss of identity that followed, the two-year spiral into addiction, and the long road into recovery that he now values more than any medal. What we get into: ​Growing up one of five brothers in Clondalkin and how boxing found him​Losing three All-Ireland finals in a row and nearly quitting at 13​The coach who told him he was a "2 out of 10", and how that rebuilt him​Gary Keegan drawing a line on the gym floor and changing Irish boxing forever​Beijing 2008, five near-flawless fights and an Olympic silver medal​Why winning the medal sent him from zero to rock bottom in two years​The loss of identity: "Who am I now?"​Walking away from a 10-year professional contract while in active addiction​The night his mam walked into a pub and said "Come home, son"​The day he got sober, 12th of August 2010, and never looked back​Becoming a psychotherapist and what real purpose looks like now​Why his sobriety means more to him than any Olympic medal​His upcoming charity fight for the Irish Cancer Society in memory of his late motherRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've turned adversity into hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar, Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

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Made In Chaos is a podcast about resilience, mental toughness, and rebuilding your life after everything collapses. Hosted by former MMA fighter Ryan Curtis, who survived a catastrophic training accident that left him paralysed from the neck down, this show explores what it really takes to recover - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Each episode digs into adversity, discipline, identity, trauma, growth, recovery, and personal development, sharing lessons that help you create lasting change and a stronger future.

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