Change is Possible

About Change is Possible

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.

Publisher

Dr Brian Pennie

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Apr 2025

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

32 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026

   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 (https://www.turasnua.ie/), 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 (https://www.turasnua.ie/) Connect with Brian ⬛ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE access to Brian’s online courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://brian-pennie-pd.kit.com/a3bff3f22a) ⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonus-Time/dp/B0882N4Y4G/) ⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/brianpennie78/) ⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-pennie/) 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

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   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 (https://youtu.be/7h2P0_4twAI?si=H5TQ5ScHZn5iPyAw), available now on Change Is Possible.

3. 

   22 Sept 2026

   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 (https://keithbarry.com/). Season 3 of Change Is Possible is proudly supported by ⁠Turas Nua⁠ (https://www.turasnua.ie/), 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 (https://www.turasnua.ie/) Connect with Brian ⬛ Get ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FREE access to Brian’s online courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://brian-pennie-pd.kit.com/a3bff3f22a) ⬛ Buy Brian’s memoir, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bonus Time⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonus-Time/dp/B0882N4Y4G/) ⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/brianpennie78/) ⬛ Follow Brian on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-pennie/) 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

Who has been a guest on Change is Possible

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jack Kavanagh
• Professor Anna Lembke
• Dr Anna Lembke
• Dermot Whelan
• Laura Dowling

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

40 ratings