Made In Chaos with Ryan Curtis

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 carrying * Why 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 substances * The difference between Brian and his best mate who got addicted: two traumatised people in the same group * The ABC habit loop, why tackling the behaviour is completely the wrong starting point * Why the opposite of addiction is awareness, not sobriety * The eagle in the chicken coop, and why most people die thinking they're something they're not * Why your brain doesn't care about your happiness, it only cares about avoiding pain and chasing pleasure * Imposter syndrome reframed: it's not a warning sign, it's a compass pointing toward growth * Self-deception, limiting beliefs and building a wall of evidence instead of self-belief * Why motivation is bullshit, and what actually changes behaviour * Social media, AI and the terrifying perfect storm quietly destroying our ability to think * What Brian would say to someone who feels completely stuck right now Ryan 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

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 GP * How she decoded the body language of medical staff before they said a word * The man in the suit — how she figured out the waiting room system before anyone told her * Being diagnosed with secretory carcinoma: 0.02% of the world, no clear playbook * Scheduling her mastectomy on her 25th birthday and why she insisted * When the cancer spread to her lymph nodes — the second blow * Chemotherapy during COVID and finding genuine joy on the ward * Whether suppressed emotion and carried resentment caused her cancer — and why she believes it did * Pity vs results: you can have one, but you can't have both * ADHD, object permanence, protective pessimism and being violently avoidant of herself * Why she stopped talking about her cancer online — and what people misunderstood about that * Trauma porn, oversharing and finding the right delivery for a story that's still yours Ryan 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

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 café * Opening Alfie's the day before his 30th birthday during the worst recession in living memory * 90 grand in debt with nothing in his pocket, and the walk on Bray beach that changed everything * The Japanese TV show that saved his menu and his business * The cavernoma, the blood vessel he was born with that nobody knew was there * Three consultants, three hammer blows: wheelchair for life, less than 1% chance, permanent bladder damage * The moment he lifted his knee 2 inches and said goodbye to the Bentley wheelchair * Pat, the roommate who gave him everything and was dead 4 months later * The hill, the biscuits and the last day at the NRH * Why the doctors who deliver bad news need to think about how they deliver it * What both Ryan and Niall believe is the real difference between people who come back and those who don't Ryan 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

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 problem * The racing mind: the one thing almost every poor sleeper has in common * What alcohol is actually doing to your sleep cycles (it's worse than you think) * Melatonin — hormone or supplement, and why getting it wrong can backfire * The sleep aid sitting on pharmacy shelves that's linked to long-term dementia risk * Magnesium bisglycinate vs citrate — and which one actually helps sleep * Deep sleep vs light sleep vs REM — the biggest myths debunked * Your brain cleans itself every night — and what happens when it can't * Sleep trackers: why they're only 60% accurate and why you shouldn't let them dictate your mood * What waking up at 3am is actually telling you — and the counterintuitive strategy that works * Shift workers: the hidden health crisis affecting 20% of the Irish workforce * How sleep deprivation destroys relationships — including what newborns do to couples * What Tom has seen inside Coca-Cola, eBay and Pfizer behind closed doors Ryan 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

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 era * How remixing Boyz II Men on Bended Knee led to a Universal LA deal at 17 * The passport story — and how he missed his invite to Manhattan * Why Ireland had no scene when he started — and how that's completely changed * Dublin's nightclub crisis and the fight to extend licensing laws * Going from two young fellas with a dream to Polydor Records in London overnight * Imposter syndrome, the pressure of follow-up hits, and the reality of major label life * Why talent alone no longer gets you anywhere in the attention economy * Burnout, grief and playing the 3Arena in the same year he lost his ma * Why he's only now starting to understand what rest actually means Ryan 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