Change is Possible

Dr Brian Pennie
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Biweekly

Change is Possible is a podcast about what it really takes to rebuild your life. Hosted by Dr Brian Pennie, former heroin addict turned neuroscientist, it explores the mechanics of change through raw conversations on addiction, burnout, trauma and identity. More than surface-level motivation, each episode reveals why we get stuck, how the brain drives behaviour, and what it takes to create lasting change. If you’ve ever thought, “I know what to do, so why am I not doing it?” this podcast is for you.

  1. 2d ago

    What Working With the Rich and Famous Taught Him About Suffering | David Cornwell

    Some of the wealthiest people in the world can buy anything they want and still feel completely lost. David Cornwell has worked as a therapist to the rich and famous, and he says their suffering is very familiar. Brian sits down with psychotherapist and meditation teacher David Cornwell for an honest conversation about addiction, identity, the nervous system and what it really takes for change to last. David grew up in Ardglass, a small fishing village in the north of Ireland, working in fish factories from the age of nine. By his late teens there was alcohol, ecstasy, blackouts and a growing sense of being lost. Then, on his way to mass one Sunday at university, he stepped over a man lying unconscious in the street. That moment showed him how disconnected he had become. Soon after, a friend handed him a book on meditation, and the next day he walked into a Buddhist centre and felt, for the first time in years, that he had come home to himself. What followed was 27 years of practice: a solitary retreat in a hut in the Pyrenees, a year living in a teepee in Ibiza, a decade teaching meditation in Istanbul, training in somatic experiencing, study at Oxford, and work at The Balance, a clinic known for treating some of the world's most famous and powerful people. Brian and David explore why trauma can show up as freeze and dissociation as well as fight and flight, how the nervous system learns to settle itself again, and why recovery is less about stopping a behaviour and more about a shift in identity. David shares the one question he asks every client on day one, why so many men are waiting for a doctor to give them permission to stop drinking, and his concern about young people using cocaine at weekends. Brian also opens up about his own recovery, and how David gave him language for what changed in him in detox: a gut feeling, a quiet knowing, and a body that went from enemy to friend. This is a conversation about meaning, about the simple things we forget, and about the original meaning of mindfulness: to remember. 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 David. 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 Introduction 0:34 A fishing village childhood and a young man who felt lost 4:12 The moment David walked past someone in need 13:54 How freeze and dissociation made meditation feel safe 20:46 The road through Thailand, Ibiza and Istanbul 25:11 How the nervous system learns to release stress 41:20 Oxford, The Balance and sitting with the super rich 54:22 Why everything rests on the tip of intention 59:54 Recovery as a shift in who you are 1:07:10 What needs to change beneath the behaviour for it to last 1:19:26 Mindfulness as the practice of remembering 1:26:43 The power of breathing well, and where to find David Spotify themes: Addiction and recovery, mindfulness, trauma and the nervous system, meaning and identity, men's mental health, wealth and happiness, meditation, breathing

  2. Oct 20

    The Phone Call That Saved My Darkest Day | Síle Seoige

    At 32 Síle Seoige was diagnosed with cancer, but the hardest moment of her life came a year later, when she lay on her bed unable to move. Brian sits down with Síle, broadcaster and host of the Ready to Be Real podcast, for an honest conversation about loss, vulnerability, empathy and what it really takes to find yourself again. Still under care for cancer, Síle went through the end of a long relationship and lost a radio job she loved, all at once. On her lowest morning, a friend rang and talked her down the stairs, step by step, to make a cup of tea. Then he asked the question she didn't want to hear: "Okay, what are you gonna do about it?" That question led her to a yoga therapy class where she cried at the back of the room, and into four years of deep, difficult inner work that taught her to finally like the person she was. Brian and Síle explore why pride kept her from vulnerability for so long, why sound and chant became her way into meditation, and how she holds the weight of being a deeply empathetic person. She speaks openly about her awakening to injustice in the world, why she believes self care was always meant to lead to collective care, and what she has learned from well over 200 conversations on her own podcast. There are lighter moments too: her gardening era at 47, moving home to Galway to live by the sea, and the sticky notes all over her house that she credits with helping her through two unmedicated births (with "radish sandwich" as the safe word she never needed). This is a conversation about hitting the floor, getting back up one step at a time, and being the friend who picks up the phone. 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 Coonect with Síle 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 hardest year wasn't the cancer 3:29 A friend's call on the darkest morning 6:15 Finding refuge in a yoga class 8:06 Letting go of pride and embracing vulnerability 11:52 Four years of turning inward 18:22 Finding peace through sound and chant 22:16 Being ready to be real, and Hala's story 26:46 Living with deep empathy 35:17 Why self care was always meant to be collective care 51:36 A belief that the soul is infinite 57:53 How motherhood rewired her 1:05:47 Admitting you're not okay Spotify themes: Resilience, vulnerability, cancer, heartbreak, identity, empathy, yoga, meditation, spirituality, motherhood, community, mental health

  3. Oct 13

    23 Years in Psychiatric Care, a Lifetime of Being Unheard | Breda O’Toole

    All Breda O'Toole ever wanted was someone to talk to. Instead, she was given Valium, 29 electric shock treatments and 23 years of psychiatric care. Brian sits down with Breda O'Toole, author of Unseen: A Memoir of Trauma, Ireland's Psychiatric System and a Lifetime Spent Healing, for an honest conversation about childhood trauma, loneliness, misdiagnosis and the long road back to herself. Breda grew up the eldest of seven, in a home shaped by her father's unprocessed war trauma and alcoholism, where children were to be seen and not heard. At 15 she entered a convent where silence was the rule. When she finally asked for help in her twenties, nobody asked what had happened to her. She was prescribed Valium, which led to a ten year addiction, and was later strapped into a straitjacket for 11 days. It was there, in the middle of it all, that she discovered a part of herself that could never be destroyed. Brian and Breda explore how loneliness can be the deepest wound of all, why safety matters so much for healing, and what happened when a single phone call told her to take back control of her life. She shares how she weaned herself off every medication and stayed medication free for 30 years, how writing her book brought up decades of suppressed anger, and how she is now facing multiple myeloma with faith, acceptance and a resilience she first built as a child. There are moments of real tenderness here too: a nurse who visited every day at 4pm, a father who carried her out of a hospital ward, and a reunion with two college friends 55 years later. This is a conversation about being seen, about the strength that lives inside all of us, and about Breda's simple message: be kind, be kind, be kind. 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 Why Breda called her memoir Unseen 5:36 Growing up seen and not heard 11:51 From a frightening home to a silent convent 18:15 Asking for someone to talk to and being given Valium 22:25 The long road through Valium withdrawal 28:00 Finding the part of her that could never be destroyed 34:11 The day a room of doctors finally listened 40:02 Misdiagnosis and the call to take back control 47:11 Thirty years free of medication, then a new diagnosis 52:07 How suffering led her to her real self and to faith 61:18 Learning she is not alone 68:24 Why kindness matters more than we knowSpotify themes: Trauma and healing, mental health, addiction recovery, resilience, loneliness, faith and spirituality, Irish memoir, being seen and heard, unsee

  4. Oct 6

    Not Much Time, But Enough Time: Iain Ward, the King of Chemo, on Terminal Cancer and Finding His Mission

    At 30, Iain Ward was told he had terminal brain cancer and around five years to live. Within 24 hours, he had a new life goal. Brian sits down with Iain, known to nearly 17 million followers as the King of Chemo, for an honest and often very funny conversation about mortality, purpose and what it really takes to keep going when nothing seems to be working. Iain only found his tumour by chance, through a scan for a paid medical trial he'd signed up to for a bit of easy money. What followed was an awake craniotomy, radiotherapy, and a prognosis that would floor most people. But Iain didn't have a spiritual awakening or an ego death. Instead, he treated the diagnosis like a deadline for an assignment: not that much time, but enough time. He looked up the most money ever raised by running a marathon, and set out to break a charity world record without asking anyone to donate, by growing his social media and giving the advertising money to cancer research. Brian and Iain explore why some people meet devastating news with logic rather than collapse, the "we'll see" philosophy of life's ups and downs, and why Iain believes being playful is not the same as being immature. Iain opens up about the low point after the TikTok Awards, when a huge physical challenge, a carefully planned speech and months of effort seemed to lead to nothing, and the simple thing that brought him back: working out in his back garden. They also talk about drive and rest, finding your calling when you've never felt like you had one, and why not creating something is a way of denying the world what you could have given it. This is a conversation about living with a deadline, choosing your response, and finding meaning in the time you have. 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 life split into before and after 3:27 What it's like to be awake for your own brain surgery 7:02 Living with a five year prognosis, and the lucky scan that found it 17:31 Why there was no ego death, only a plan 24:37 Treating a diagnosis like a deadline 28:25 The other self and the courage to be playful again 41:18 Turning social media into a charity world record attempt 47:41 Learning to say "we'll see" to life's ups and downs 50:06 When all the effort leads to nothing 57:57 The simple practice that pulled him back up 1:09:09 Finding your calling when you've never felt you had one 1:14:49 An open invitation to companies who want to help

  5. Sep 29 ·  Bonus

    Bite-sized: Gabor Mate | Addiction Is Not a Choice — It’s a Response to Pain

    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.

  6. Sep 22

    Keith Barry Read My Mind, Then Revealed What Nearly Broke Him

    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

  7. Sep 8

    8 of the 10 Men Who Got Sober With Me Are Dead | Willa White

    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

  8. Aug 4 ·  Bonus

    Bite-sized: The Biggest Lie You Tell Yourself About Money

    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.

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About

Change is Possible is a podcast about what it really takes to rebuild your life. Hosted by Dr Brian Pennie, former heroin addict turned neuroscientist, it explores the mechanics of change through raw conversations on addiction, burnout, trauma and identity. More than surface-level motivation, each episode reveals why we get stuck, how the brain drives behaviour, and what it takes to create lasting change. If you’ve ever thought, “I know what to do, so why am I not doing it?” this podcast is for you.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr Brian Pennie
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dr Brian Pennie
  • Show Website
    Change is Possible

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