The Prymal Podcast

Dr Brian Pennie, neuroscientist and host of the Change Is Possible podcast, and Kellie Fennell, a hugely successful coach, speaker and host of The Kellie Fennell Podcast, explore why some people are able change their lives and circumstances while others simply stay stuck.Learn why awareness comes before change, how to design your environment so you are not relying on willpower, if any of us actually has any agency in the world and why the same choice is not the same choice for everyone.Brian also explores addiction, recovery and conditioning, and Kellie explains avoidance, community, nature and burnout.Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters: 00:00 Holding Two Opposed Ideas At Once03:07 Why Is Changing Your Identity So Hard?06:57 Why Awareness Comes Before Change08:26 How Avoidance Becomes A Pattern13:50 Self-Deception And The Support System18:33 Why Self-Reflection Feels Like An Attack21:28 Is It Getting Easier To Ask For Help?24:54 Doing The Right Things, Same Suffering27:15 Why Everyone Wants The Easy Fix32:49 The Hidden Biology Behind Decisions39:26 Routine Vs Spontaneity: Finding Balance46:00 Managing Expectations And Contentment48:55 Do We Have Less Agency Than We Used To?51:38 Does Everyone Really Have A Choice?54:45 When Does A Choice Stop Being A Choice?57:36 Addiction Or A Trauma Problem?59:07 The Drivers Most People Can't Access1:03:05 Conditioning And The Faulty Framework1:05:48 Why Brian Wouldn't Take It Back1:09:18 Chasing The Details, Missing The Basics1:12:16 Loneliness, Connection And Community1:16:55 Kellie's Story Of Honouring The Deer1:21:47 A Hunting Trip As A Connection Piece1:26:12 The Connection We Have Lost1:29:17 Nature As A Healer, Wherever You Live1:31:07 Giving To Others Vs Fixing Yourself1:34:43 Create, Not Consume: Making Space1:36:53 Growth At All Costs And Burnout1:38:13 Do People Need To Hit Rock Bottom?1:41:06 Create Space To Be Bored

Gary Fox, host of The Entrepreneur Experiment, more than 500 episodes interviewing successful founders, explains why some entrepreneurs quit while others succeed, and why the answer is simpler than most people expect. Learn why founders run out of enthusiasm before they run out of money, whether grit can be learned, and how to tell if you're being gritty or naive. Gary also shares how COVID wiped out his property business, how to ask busy people for advice, and what recording over 500 episodes taught him about outlasting others.00:00 Founders Run Out Of Enthusiasm First00:41 "It Was Me That Was Going To Fail"01:45 Two Buckets, Energy Credits And Systems04:57 Survivorship And The Chaos Of Year One08:00 What Separates Founders Who Make It?10:32 Can Grit Be Learned?15:24 Naive Or Gritty: Persist Or Pivot?21:52 Passion, Delegation, The Messy Middle24:48 What He'd Do Differently In Property29:47 Ask Someone One To Three Steps Ahead34:24 Finding Mentors: Just Get Coffee36:26 Why It's Never Been Easier To Stand Out41:03 Bias To Action And Low-Energy Days43:52 Knowing What You Don't Want48:40 How To Filter Business Advice51:59 Body, Brain And Bandwidth55:54 The Founder Formula1:01:32 Money, Happiness, The Messy Middle1:06:51 Getting Past The PR Version Of A Guest1:08:30 How He Picks Guests1:11:49 The One Lesson From 500 Episodes1:13:40 The Decade Anchor And Comparison1:15:49 Growth Hacks Vs Business Goals1:18:43 The Podcasting Work Nobody Sees1:20:20 What Clipping Did And Didn't Do1:24:56 COVID, Cabins And Buying A Forest1:29:30 How COVID Nearly Killed The Podcast1:31:42 Learning About Yourself Through Others1:34:15 What Founders Should Focus On Next1:38:39 Platforming Irish Founders

Why does life feel like it's flying by, and where do the years actually go? We dig into why time seems to speed up: body clocks, dopamine and the brain's "frame rate", and how our constant scrolling is literally stealing time while distorting our perceptions. The importance of presence to feel more of your life, and how little it feels we're actually 'here' for. We discuss why "I can't switch off" is often running from a feeling and why slowing down feels boring before it feels better, and we don't agree on whether just noticing is enough.Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters:00:00 Why Life Feels Like It's Flying By02:56 Age, Body Clocks And How We Sense Time06:22 Why You Don't Remember What You Scrolled09:53 Dopamine And The Brain's "Frame Rate"12:54 Why Last Week Is A Blur16:50 Why Time Disappears In This Studio17:52 Switching Off, Or Escaping A Feeling?21:20 Needing Intensity To Feel Present24:38 Modern Life And The Loss Of Boredom28:27 From Optimising Time To Slowing Down32:57 Living Against Your Natural Rhythms35:05 The Trap Of Over-Optimising39:50 Why So Few People Are Actually Present44:48 Pulled By The Feed, Pushed By Feelings48:33 What Might Slow Life Down51:57 Your Phone And Getting Minutes Back54:15 Organising Your Day Around Being Human57:51 Death, Turning 40 And Being Here For It59:36 The Grief Of Becoming Present1:04:43 All We Have Is Right Now

Dr Michelle Hone, PhD, a female health and fertility nutritionist, and Dr Sarah Kelly, PhD in clinical exercise physiology, are the co-founders of Herology. They explain what's normal in a menstrual cycle and what isn't, why painful, exhausting periods get dismissed as part of life, and why lifestyle comes before supplements. They also cover athletes who lose their period, how women were left out of research, and how to read a supplement label, along with some insights into their own incredible journey building Herology. Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠00:00 Why Female Health Is Still Misunderstood01:00 A PhD Who Didn't Know Pelvic Floor Therapy Existed03:14 What Women Are Told To Accept05:22 Refusing To Compromise On The Formula09:12 Your Bloods Are Normal, But You Don't Feel Fine11:31 Why Periods Are Still Treated As Shameful14:58 Common Isn't Normal16:09 Women Aren't Small Men: Why Research Left Women Out20:24 Breastfeeding, Kids and Talking Openly About Periods24:18 What Men Need To Understand About The Cycle28:28 From First Period To Menopause: The Common Struggles30:37 A Symptom-Free Cycle Isn't The Goal31:51 Lifestyle First, Supplements Last33:58 Athletes Who Lose Their Period35:49 Your Cycle As A Vital Sign41:18 Pixie Dusting: How Supplements Cut Corners49:14 What Preventive Health Actually Means55:58 How Two Scientists Built Herology58:44 Health and Family Before Business1:03:51 Balance Is Made In Everyday Decisions1:05:14 Why People Only Change After A Crisis1:12:22 The Hardest Part Of Running A Product Business1:17:07 Good Feedback Spreads, Bad Feedback Spreads Like Wildfire1:20:00 Read The Back Of The Pack1:23:39 Trust Your Gut, Build A Bias For Action1:27:21 Why Networking Is Overhyped1:30:15 Closing Thoughts

Fatherhood, masculinity and what it actually takes to be a good man and a good person, with powerlifting coach Ian Grant and Alter Fuel founder Conor O'Keeffe. Three fathers discuss the boundaries we set that our kids never see, what to tell your partner versus what to carry alone, what makes a good person and a good man, agency versus victimhood, why systems beat willpower and much more.Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters:00:00:01 Introductions00:03:42 The Real Question: What Makes A Good Life00:09:19 Standards, Mirrors and Raising Likeable Kids00:19:26 The Walled Garden: Freedom Inside A Boundary You Don't See00:23:30 Teaching A Skill Once, Then Stepping Back00:51:23 Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants00:57:38 What Dan's Parents Got Right, and Overdid01:01:12 Ian On His Absent Father and His Mother's Flip01:08:11 Kids Mimic What You Do, Not What You Say01:17:22 Masculinity In Service Of Something Bigger Than Yourself01:30:30 Would You Tell Your Wife If You Had Cancer?01:34:42 Victim Or Responsible: The Social Media Question01:39:25 Drink Responsibly, Scroll Responsibly01:46:31 Should Kids Be Banned From Social Media02:06:47 The Privilege Of A Hard Start02:09:07 What You Tell Your Partner, and What You Carry Alone02:17:17 The Cease and Desist Letter and the Miscarriage02:27:29 Leave Your Runners By The Bed02:30:17 The Way You Talk To Yourself02:36:18 Closing Reflection and Where To Find Them

Everyone wants peace of mind.But modern life seems to pull us further away from it.Notifications. Distractions. Stress. Pressure. Feeling more overwhelmed, anxious and emotionally exhausted than ever.Buddhist meditation teacher Kadam Adam Starr returns to explore why so many people struggle to slow down, why external success rarely creates lasting happiness, and why caring for your inner life has become one of the most important skills in the modern world.This conversation explores the hidden imbalance between our external achievements and our internal wellbeing, offering a practical framework for cultivating greater peace, resilience and meaning without stepping away from everyday life.Why modern life leaves so many people feeling overwhelmedThe hidden cost of constantly chasing external successWhy your inner life deserves as much attention as your careerSmall daily practices that restore balanceWhy happiness isn’t found by doing moreHow to create more peace without escaping modern lifeWhy meditation complements, not replaces, ordinary lifeThe balance between ambition, achievement and inner wellbeingDan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters:00:00 Introduction02:08 Why Peace Feels So Far Away06:12 Why We're All So Overwhelmed10:47 The Inner Life We Keep Ignoring16:34 Your External Life vs Your Inner Life20:13 The Challenge of Being Human Today25:58 Why Success Doesn't Create Peace31:20 The Problem With Constant Productivity36:48 Building Better Mental Habits42:14 Modern Life Is Moving Too Fast47:40 Why We're Chasing the Wrong Things01:03:12 Restoring Balance Without Leaving Society01:09:54 Small Practices That Change Everything01:16:33 Why This Matters More Than Ever01:22:40 Final Reflections

Success can look perfect from the outside while being driven almost entirely by fear.We explore ambition, uncertainty and the hidden cost of constantly pursuing the next achievement. Brian reflects on building a highly successful business, why scale eventually pulled him away from the work and life he genuinely valued, and how becoming a father changed his definition of success.You’ll learn:How fear can disguise itself as ambitionWhy external success may still leave you disconnectedThe difference between living safely and living honestlyHow parenthood can fundamentally change your prioritiesWhy constant work prevents difficult emotions from catching upHow to create more space, presence and meaning in everyday lifeDan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters: 00:00:00 The Final Episode in the Old Studio00:02:06 Bias Towards Action vs Having Nowhere to Be00:03:52 When Opposite Behaviours Come From the Same Fear00:05:53 Making Decisions Without Complete Certainty00:09:18 Why Fear Stops People From Starting00:13:29 Building a Successful Business You No Longer Want00:16:46 How Becoming a Parent Changes Success00:18:21 When Your Success Is Built Around Fear00:22:57 How Do You Know What You Truly Want?00:25:41 The False Promise of Certainty00:28:41 Why Designing Your Own Life Can Feel Wrong00:30:13 Productivity, Structure and Emotional Avoidance00:32:11 Learning to Live Through Uncertainty00:34:10 The Deathbed Test for Success00:37:18 Using Work to Avoid Difficult Emotions00:40:25 Why Life and Parenthood Feel Like They’re Flying By00:42:12 Creating Space Between Emotion and Reaction00:42:53 Moving Into the New Prymal Studio00:44:22 Fear, Purpose and the Questions Without Answers00:45:51 The Importance of People in Your Corner

Kadam Adam Starr is a Kadampa Buddhist Meditation teacher with nearly 3 decades of experience studying and practicing. Most of us spend our lives trying to change our thoughts.Very few of us ever stop to ask what thoughts actually are.This conversation explores one of the biggest questions in psychology, meditation and human consciousness: what is the mind?Adam explains the relationship between Buddhist psychology and modern Western psychology, why we become trapped inside our thoughts and emotions, and how learning to experience awareness directly can fundamentally change the way we relate to anxiety, anger, stress and suffering.This episode explores how understanding the nature of the mind creates more space, compassion and freedom in everyday life.You’ll learn:• Why you are not your thoughts or emotions• The difference between understanding the mind and experiencing it• How meditation changes your relationship with anxiety and anger• Why outrage is becoming our default emotional state• The connection between neuroscience, psychology and Buddhist wisdom• Practical ways to cultivate greater peace of mindDan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters: 00:00 Introduction00:14 Buddhist Psychology and Western Psychology01:53 What Is the Mind?10:05 A Guided Exercise to Experience Your Mind14:50 Thoughts Are Clouds, Your Mind Is the Sky17:46 Why You Are Not Your Thoughts29:33 Understanding the Mind vs Experiencing It35:53 How Awareness Changes Your Relationship With Anger42:26 Does a Buddhist Still Get Angry?44:12 Can Anger Ever Be Healthy?48:39 How Social Media Trains Us to Be Angry52:46 Looking at Your Phone More Than Your Mind57:18 Is the Mind Different From the Brain?1:04:34 Why You Shouldn’t Identify With Your Brain1:10:42 Creating the Conditions for Peace of Mind1:17:44 The Different Pieces of Mental Health1:19:20 Tara Kadampa Meditation Centre

Brian O’Loughlin is a coach, podcaster, entrepreneur and regular guest on The Prymal Podcast. His work explores psychology, behaviour change and the deeper ideas that shape how people live.This conversation explores several principles that have recently stood out as powerful ways of understanding human behaviour and personal growth.Topics include:• The difference between pain and suffering  • Finite vs infinite games and how people approach life  • Why psychological failure feels harder than physical failure  • The beliefs that quietly shape behaviour  • Awareness as the starting point for change  • Humans living in environments we weren’t built for  • The modern misunderstanding of Stoicism  • Self-actualisation vs self-transcendence  • Why meaning is closely tied to human connectionDan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction00:02:15 Why Certain Ideas Stick With Us00:05:10 Psychological vs Physical Failure00:08:25 Pain vs Suffering00:11:55 Why Humans Avoid Discomfort00:15:40 Finite Games vs Infinite Games00:21:05 Playing the Wrong Game in Life00:26:10 How Beliefs Shape Behaviour00:30:05 Awareness Before Change00:34:40 Humans Living in the Wrong Environment00:39:20 Stoicism and Modern Misinterpretations00:43:30 Escaping Emotion Through Distraction00:47:45 Self-Actualisation vs Self-Transcendence00:51:30 Meaning Through Human Connection00:55:10 Trust, Peace and the Nervous System

Kellie Fennell is a coach, business owner, speaker, parent, and podcast host who has achieved huge success helping others transform their minds and bodies - while quietly burning herself out in the process.You’ll learn about: The productivity trap and performance-based identityWhy behaviour change fails without belief changePain vs sufferingExternal metrics vs internal metricsBurnout at the height of successInternal locus of controlThe role of expectation in happinessHow to create space instead of constant consumptionWhy healing isn’t becoming someone new - it’s remembering who you areThe discussion moves beyond fitness into identity, unlearning inherited beliefs, and giving yourself permission to change.Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chapters:00:00:00 – Pain vs Suffering00:03:45 – Burnout at the Height of Success00:08:10 – Performance Identity and Self-Worth00:12:30 – Why Money Doesn’t Fix Misalignment00:16:00 – The Productivity Trap00:20:45 – External Metrics vs Internal Metrics00:27:40 – The 5 Regrets of the Dying00:37:00 – “You Have 6 Months Left” Thought Experiment00:45:45 – Psychological Safety and Play00:52:30 – Facing 18 Years of Avoided Grief01:06:20 – Healing Isn’t Becoming Someone New01:11:19 – You Can’t Sustain Behaviour Without Belief Change01:16:19 – Stop Consuming, Create Space01:18:51 – Accepting Emotion Instead of Escaping It01:21:36 – The Lamb in the Oven: Unlearning Inherited Beliefs01:23:55 – The Elephant Rope: Breaking Self-Limiting Beliefs01:25:44 – Redefining the Mountain01:32:17 – Giving Yourself Permission to Change01:35:35 – The Power of Retreat and Space