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. 4d ago

    The Eating Disorder Expert Who Recovered After 22 Years and Why Ozempic Scares Her - Cara O'Loughlin

    It's Not About the Food. A Life Coach Who Spent 22 Years in an Eating Disorder Explains What It's Really About. On the night her mum died, Cara O'Loughlin was 15 years old. That same night, she picked up her first eating disorder behaviour. What followed was 22 years of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, exercise addiction, a stroke at 29, osteoporosis, infertility warnings, and eventually, full recovery. Today, Cara is a life coach specialising in eating disorder recovery, a yoga teacher, and one of the clearest and most credible voices on why these patterns start and what it actually takes to break them. This is one of the most important episodes Made in Chaos has ever recorded. What we get into: Why eating disorders are never about food, and what they're really aboutThe genetic predisposition, the personality traits, and the trigger that sets it offThe physical toll most people never see: bone density, fertility, heart, thyroid, strokeWhy Cara was at her sickest when she looked her healthiestWhat Ryan's own experience with weight cutting in MMA revealed about disordered eating in sportThe HALT framework, and why overwhelm was always Cara's triggerOrthorexia: the unhealthy obsession with eating healthily that nobody is diagnosing yetWhy 98% of diets fail, and the set point theory that explains everythingOzempic: who it's for, who it isn't, and what Cara is seeing in her clientsHow to raise children with a healthy relationship with food without ever mentioning weightThe division of responsibility, and why finishing your dinner is doing more harm than you thinkMen and eating disorders: Bigorexia, gym obsession and the conversation nobody is havingWhat someone struggling right now needs to hear, and where to get helpRyan 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

    1h 40m

  2. Jun 3

    Why I Refused to Let Two Life-Threatening Illnesses Break Me - Dec Pierce

    A Brain Haemorrhage. Then Breast Cancer. Same Man. Two Years Apart. Dec Pierce Gets Completely Honest. Most people know Dec Pierce as the voice of Block Rockin' Beats — the man who brought thousands together through music, through lockdown, through the nights they'll never forget. But behind the energy and the stage presence, the last three years of Dec's life have been extraordinary in the worst possible way. In 2023, Dec suffered a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage mid-run in Ringsend. In 2025, he was diagnosed with breast cancer — a condition so rare in men it accounts for just 1% of all cases. Two life-threatening illnesses in two years, in a man who doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, exercises, eats well and does everything right. Ryan sits down with Dec for one of the most important men's health conversations Made in Chaos has ever had. What we get into: Growing up as a quiet, bullied kid and how music became his alter egoRecording his own pretend radio shows at 8 years old from a ghetto blasterDutch courage, a garden shed in Ballybrack and how pirate radio changed his lifeWhy dance music and nostalgia connect with people on a deeper level than almost anything elseStarting Block Rockin' Beats at his lowest professional point — and doing it for free for six monthsHow the birth of his daughter Ava removed every roadblock and fear of failure overnightThe bomb that went off in his head mid-run — and the sliding doors moment that saved his lifeWhat a subarachnoid haemorrhage actually does to the body, and the long road backThe lump he found in New York in the shower — and almost let sit thereThe phone call he got on the first day of his holiday in SpainWhy men don't check themselves — and why that silence costs livesThe youngest male diagnosis his specialist had ever made — and the earliest detectionTelling his 9-year-old daughter about the mastectomy scarThe nights when catastrophic thinking takes over — and how he got through themWhat two life-threatening illnesses gave him that nothing else couldRyan 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 have turned adversity into something worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

    1h 27m

  3. May 27

    Imposter Syndrome, Self-Sabotage & Why Getting Uncomfortable Is the Only Way - Dr. Brian Pennie

    He Was Addicted to Heroin for 15 Years. Now He Has a PhD in Neuroscience. The Same Brain Did Both. Brian Pennie started using heroin at 16. By 20 he was chronically addicted, every single day for 15 years. He held down a job, sold drugs to fund his habit, and accumulated 50 grand in debt to dealers and money lenders. He had a violent seizure from benzo withdrawal, nearly died, and hit a moment of complete surrender in a hospital on a trolley at 35 years old. What happened next is one of the most extraordinary personal transformations Ryan has ever had on Made in Chaos. Brian went to detox, discovered the human mind, met a doctor who told him he had a sharp brain, and four years later was teaching in Trinity College. He now has a PhD in neuroscience and lectures across Ireland and the world on addiction, trauma, habits and change. What we get into: The operation as a baby with no anaesthetic, and the trauma he didn't know he was carryingWhy heroin felt like "the anaesthetic I never got as a baby"Why the choice theory of addiction is wrong, and what actually drives people to substancesThe difference between Brian and his best mate who got addicted: two traumatised people in the same groupThe ABC habit loop, why tackling the behaviour is completely the wrong starting pointWhy the opposite of addiction is awareness, not sobrietyThe eagle in the chicken coop, and why most people die thinking they're something they're notWhy your brain doesn't care about your happiness, it only cares about avoiding pain and chasing pleasureImposter syndrome reframed: it's not a warning sign, it's a compass pointing toward growthSelf-deception, limiting beliefs and building a wall of evidence instead of self-beliefWhy motivation is b******t, and what actually changes behaviourSocial media, AI and the terrifying perfect storm quietly destroying our ability to thinkWhat Brian would say to someone who feels completely stuck right nowRyan 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

    1h 33m

  4. May 20

    I Knew I Had Cancer Before The Doctors Told Me - Carly Mahady

    She Knew Before the Doctors Did. Carly Mahady on Cancer, Being Dismissed & Why Pity Never Saved Anyone. At 16, Carly Mahady found a lump and was told she was fine. At 22, she noticed something else, and this time the doctors listened. What followed was a diagnosis of secretory carcinoma, a cancer so rare only 0.02% of people in the world have it, a mastectomy scheduled for her 25th birthday, chemotherapy during COVID, and a fight that most people never saw the full picture of. In this episode, Ryan sits down with Carly for one of the most honest, funniest and most unexpectedly deep conversations Made in Chaos has ever had, about identity, illness, ADHD, avoidance and what it really means to come back as yourself. What we get into: Noticing a lump at 16 and being completely dismissed by her GPHow she decoded the body language of medical staff before they said a wordThe man in the suit — how she figured out the waiting room system before anyone told herBeing diagnosed with secretory carcinoma: 0.02% of the world, no clear playbookScheduling her mastectomy on her 25th birthday and why she insistedWhen the cancer spread to her lymph nodes — the second blowChemotherapy during COVID and finding genuine joy on the wardWhether suppressed emotion and carried resentment caused her cancer — and why she believes it didPity vs results: you can have one, but you can't have bothADHD, object permanence, protective pessimism and being violently avoidant of herselfWhy she stopped talking about her cancer online — and what people misunderstood about thatTrauma porn, oversharing and finding the right delivery for a story that's still yoursRyan 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 wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

    1h 29m

  5. May 13

    Recession, Paralysis & 90 Grand in Debt. - How Niall McMahon Survived It All

    Less Than 1% Chance of Walking Again. Three Doctors. Three Hammer Blows. One Decision to Never Give Up. Niall McMahon opened Alfie's on South William Street in Dublin in 2008, the same year the recession began. He survived debt, pandemics, rising costs and 18 years of one of the toughest industries in the world. Then, in November 2023, a blood vessel in his spine burst without warning. Within days, he was paralysed. In this episode, Ryan sits down with Niall for one of the most powerful conversations Made in Chaos has ever had, two men who've been through near-identical journeys comparing notes on paralysis, recovery, mindset and what it really takes to come back from the unthinkable. What we get into: Growing up in the restaurant business, his parents built Joelle's from a trucker caféOpening Alfie's the day before his 30th birthday during the worst recession in living memory90 grand in debt with nothing in his pocket, and the walk on Bray beach that changed everythingThe Japanese TV show that saved his menu and his businessThe cavernoma, the blood vessel he was born with that nobody knew was thereThree consultants, three hammer blows: wheelchair for life, less than 1% chance, permanent bladder damageThe moment he lifted his knee 2 inches and said goodbye to the Bentley wheelchairPat, the roommate who gave him everything and was dead 4 months laterThe hill, the biscuits and the last day at the NRHWhy the doctors who deliver bad news need to think about how they deliver itWhat both Ryan and Niall believe is the real difference between people who come back and those who don'tRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. He rebuilt his life from the ground up. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've faced real adversity and come out with wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis 🖊️ Sponsored by The Ink Factory, Temple Bar — Ireland's highest rated tattoo studio. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

    1h 40m

  6. May 6

    Why 80% of Irish Workers Are Sleep-Deprived And What to Actually Do About It - Tom Coleman

    You Don't Have a Sleep Problem — You Have a Boundary Problem. Ireland's Leading Sleep Expert Explains Everything. 80% of Irish workers are sleep-deprived on any given day. And the solution isn't a supplement, a sleep tracker, or blue light glasses. Tom Coleman — Ireland's leading sleep expert, who has worked with Olympic athletes, global corporations, and shift workers — joins Ryan to dismantle everything you think you know about sleep. What we get into: Why you don't have a sleep problem — you have a boundary problemThe racing mind: the one thing almost every poor sleeper has in commonWhat alcohol is actually doing to your sleep cycles (it's worse than you think)Melatonin — hormone or supplement, and why getting it wrong can backfireThe sleep aid sitting on pharmacy shelves that's linked to long-term dementia riskMagnesium bisglycinate vs citrate — and which one actually helps sleepDeep sleep vs light sleep vs REM — the biggest myths debunkedYour brain cleans itself every night — and what happens when it can'tSleep trackers: why they're only 60% accurate and why you shouldn't let them dictate your moodWhat waking up at 3am is actually telling you — and the counterintuitive strategy that worksShift workers: the hidden health crisis affecting 20% of the Irish workforceHow sleep deprivation destroys relationships — including what newborns do to couplesWhat Tom has seen inside Coca-Cola, eBay and Pfizer behind closed doorsRyan 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 with over 5,000 five star Google reviews. theinkfactory.ie | @theinkfactory

    1h 33m

  7. Apr 29

    Overnight DJ Success, Grief & The Pressure Men Don't Talk About - Robbie G (Belters Only)

    From a Bedroom in Dublin to the World's Biggest Stages — Robbie G on Success, Grief & What It Really Costs. Robbie G is one half of Belters Only, Ireland's most successful DJ duo, diamond-certified at home, platinum across the world, and now playing stages from New York to Tokyo. But this episode isn't just about the highs. Ryan sits down with Robbie for one of the most honest conversations Made in Chaos has ever had, about going from bedroom producer to global artist overnight, about what it's really like inside the major label machine, about playing the 3Arena months after losing his ma, and about what happens when the thing you love starts to feel like a burden. What we get into: Growing up in a musical family — his grandad was touring America with a showband in the Joe Dolan eraHow remixing Boyz II Men on Bended Knee led to a Universal LA deal at 17The passport story — and how he missed his invite to ManhattanWhy Ireland had no scene when he started — and how that's completely changedDublin's nightclub crisis and the fight to extend licensing lawsGoing from two young fellas with a dream to Polydor Records in London overnightImposter syndrome, the pressure of follow-up hits, and the reality of major label lifeWhy talent alone no longer gets you anywhere in the attention economyBurnout, grief and playing the 3Arena in the same year he lost his maWhy he's only now starting to understand what rest actually meansRyan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. He rebuilt his life through sheer determination. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests who've faced real adversity and come out the other side with something worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis Brought to you by Irelands Best Tattoo Studio: The Ink Factory

    1h 35m

  8. Apr 22

    Why You Do Things You Know Are Bad for You: A Behavioural Scientist Explains - Jason Lear

    Why Do You Keep Doing Things You Know Are Bad for You? A Behavioural Scientist Explains.Most people think they're in control of their decisions. They're not, and the science proves it. Ryan sits down with Jason Lear, behavioural analyst and organiser of TEDxBlackMountain, for one of the most thought-provoking episodes of Made in Chaos yet. Jason breaks down the hidden patterns driving human behaviour in sport, business, leadership, addiction, and everyday life, and explains why most attempts to change fail before they even begin. What we get into: Why humans are fundamentally irrational and what that means for your decisionsWhat gets tolerated becomes the standard, and why it destroys teams and businessesThe Rosenthal experiment: how your expectations literally change other people's outcomesSocial media as a slot machine, and the behavioural engineering behind the scrollWhy ultra-processed food and your phone were built on the same addiction scienceThe EAST Framework: the proven system for actually changing behaviourWhy people repeat behaviours that clearly ruin their livesWhat truly separates people who change from those who stay stuckTEDx: what makes an idea worth sharing and worth rememberingThinking fast slowly, the elite skill that separates great performers under pressure Ryan Curtis is a former Irish MMA fighter who was paralysed from the neck down and told he would never walk again. He defied every odd and rebuilt his life from the ground up. Made in Chaos exists to platform guests with hard-earned wisdom worth sharing. Follow: @madeinchaospod | @chaoscurtis

    1h 32m
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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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