Change is Possible

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...

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 rela...

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 hers...

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, thr...

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 , ava...

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...

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 chil...

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...

What if the parts of yourself you judge most harshly were once trying to protect you? In this solo episode, Brian explores why anxiety, addiction, anger, emotional numbness, overachievement and the need for control are not necessarily signs that someone is broken. They can be understandable adaptations to pain, uncertainty, fear and experiences that once made the world feel unsafe. Drawing on his...

You weren’t born believing you weren’t enough. Somewhere along the way, you learned it. In this bite-sized episode, award-winning life coach Tara Rafter explains how childhood experiences, rejection and seemingly small moments can shape the beliefs you carry into adulthood. We explore where limiting beliefs come from, why success alone rarely fixes self-doubt, and how to challenge the internal sto...

What happens when the one thing that gave you identity, purpose and self-worth suddenly disappears? Brian sits down with former European champion, Olympian and broadcaster David Gillick for an honest conversation about life after elite sport, panic attacks, male mental health and learning to ask for help. When David retired, he lost far more than competition. His routine, teammates, income and sen...

Why are so many young men being pulled toward the manosphere? Daragh Fleming explores the loneliness, shame and disconnection behind it, and why men need better spaces to speak honestly about who they are and what they are carrying. A powerful clip from the Change is Possible podcast with Dr Brian Pennie and Daragh Fleming.

What happens when the pain you buried years ago starts speaking through your body, your anxiety, your depression, and your life? Brian sits down with Nicoline Walsh for an honest conversation about trauma, depression, energy healing, self-connection, Reiki, inner safety and the parts of ourselves we often leave behind. Nicoline shares how childhood sexual abuse, hidden pain and high-functioning de...

In this bite-sized episode of Change Is Possible , Dr Gabor Maté explores why modern life keeps us chasing more. More pleasure. More success. More distraction. More consumption. More escape. But beneath that constant striving is a deeper question: What pain are we trying not to feel? Gabor also reflects on addiction, trauma, modern culture, healing, and why the path to change often begins by looki...

What if the biggest risk to your health is not what you feel today, but what you keep ignoring over time? Brian sits down with Dr Paddy Barrett for an honest conversation about heart health, prevention, mortality, behaviour change, sleep, stress, and what it really means to live well. Paddy is a cardiologist, author of Heart: An Owner’s Guide , and a leading voice in preventative health. In this c...

What happens when the person who seems fine is quietly falling apart? Brian sits down with poet and writer Daragh Fleming for an honest conversation about grief, suicide, depression, masculinity, loneliness, and the emotions so many people struggle to express. Daragh opens up about losing his best friend to suicide at 17, the years of emotional numbness that followed, and how writing became a way...

Former MMA fighter Ryan “Chaos” Curtis joins me for one of the most powerful conversations I’ve had on Change is Possible . Ryan grew up in Dublin’s inner city, surrounded by hardship, addiction, violence, and the need to fight for himself from a young age. But when he walked into an MMA gym for the first time, everything changed. He was humbled, beaten up, and somehow left knowing one thing: he w...

Most people think that more money will make them happy. They’re wrong. In this conversation, I sit down with Eoin McGee — Certified Financial Planner™, radio and TV broadcaster, best-selling author, and columnist — to break down the hidden psychology behind money. From why earning more doesn’t make you happier, to the dangerous myths keeping people broke, Eoin reveals why chasing money often leads...

What if the moment you thought you were completely broken was actually the beginning of your healing? Caroline Foran joins me for a deeply honest conversation about anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and what it really takes to heal. Caroline shares the moment she hit rock bottom, believing she was beyond help, and how that experience became the turning point that changed everything. We unpack wh...

Most people secretly believe they’re not enough. In this episode, award-winning life coach Tara Rafter explains why… and how to finally change it. Brian Pennie sits down with Tara Rafter to explore the real psychology of healing, self-belief, trauma, and personal growth. Tara shares her deeply personal story of growing up around addiction and domestic violence, caring for her mother through chroni...

Content warning: this episode includes discussion of suicide. Please take care while listening. If you’re affected by anything raised in this conversation, Samaritans are available free, 24/7, on 116 123. What drives someone toward violence? And what helps them change? In this unfiltered episode of Change Is Possible , Bob Cullen shares the raw reality behind violence, prison, addiction, and recov...

Why do we crave certain foods… even when we know they don’t make us feel good? In this eye-opening conversation, Sophie Morris shares how a life-changing illness at 16 shaped her relationship with health — and led her to expose what’s really happening inside our food system. We explore ultra- processed foods, behaviour change, food marketing psychology and why awareness is the first step to better...

What if addiction isn’t the problem — but the solution to deep emotional pain? In this powerful conversation, renowned physician and trauma expert Dr Gabor Maté joins Dr Brian Pennie to explore the true roots of addiction, healing, and human connection. When Brian shares his lived experience with heroin addiction, Gabor challenges conventional thinking. He explains why addiction is not a disease o...

“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 a...

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 disc...