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 connection

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:15 Why Certain Ideas Stick With Us

00:05:10 Psychological vs Physical Failure

00:08:25 Pain vs Suffering

00:11:55 Why Humans Avoid Discomfort

00:15:40 Finite Games vs Infinite Games

00:21:05 Playing the Wrong Game in Life

00:26:10 How Beliefs Shape Behaviour

00:30:05 Awareness Before Change

00:34:40 Humans Living in the Wrong Environment

00:39:20 Stoicism and Modern Misinterpretations

00:43:30 Escaping Emotion Through Distraction

00:47:45 Self-Actualisation vs Self-Transcendence

00:51:30 Meaning Through Human Connection

00:55:10 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 identity

• Why behaviour change fails without belief change

• Pain vs suffering

• External metrics vs internal metrics

• Burnout at the height of success

• Internal locus of control

• The role of expectation in happiness

• How to create space instead of constant consumption

• Why healing isn’t becoming someone new - it’s remembering who you are

The 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/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

00:00:00 – Pain vs Suffering

00:03:45 – Burnout at the Height of Success

00:08:10 – Performance Identity and Self-Worth

00:12:30 – Why Money Doesn’t Fix Misalignment

00:16:00 – The Productivity Trap

00:20:45 – External Metrics vs Internal Metrics

00:27:40 – The 5 Regrets of the Dying

00:37:00 – “You Have 6 Months Left” Thought Experiment

00:45:45 – Psychological Safety and Play

00:52:30 – Facing 18 Years of Avoided Grief

01:06:20 – Healing Isn’t Becoming Someone New

01:11:19 – You Can’t Sustain Behaviour Without Belief Change

01:16:19 – Stop Consuming, Create Space

01:18:51 – Accepting Emotion Instead of Escaping It

01:21:36 – The Lamb in the Oven: Unlearning Inherited Beliefs

01:23:55 – The Elephant Rope: Breaking Self-Limiting Beliefs

01:25:44 – Redefining the Mountain

01:32:17 – Giving Yourself Permission to Change

01:35:35 – The Power of Retreat and Space

Truth is messy, and most people confuse belief with fact. That’s why online discourse feels like everyone is fighting for “objective reality” when we’re all operating from different conditioning, experiences, and algorithms.

This episode explores the difference between subjective truth and objective truth, why “my truth” can become a defence mechanism, and how to stop outsourcing responsibility for how you feel.

Covering ego, fear, victimhood, echo chambers, and why the real work isn’t “finding truth” - it’s letting go of distortion so you can respond with more calm, clarity, and compassion.

If you’ve ever felt reactive, cynical, or exhausted by culture wars and certainty, this one will help you see what’s actually going on under the surface.

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

00:00:00 Intro - calm year, why “truth” matters

00:00:34 Truth vs perception - why everyone thinks their view is objective

00:06:03 Death as “objective truth” and why meaning is still subjective

00:07:28 The real win - becoming less reactive to other people’s beliefs

00:12:26 The eulogy exercise - denial of death and “cope”

00:14:33 “My truth” - honest expression vs unchallengeable shield

00:20:32 Buddhism, psychedelics, and the “golden nugget” under conditioning

00:22:23 “My expression of the truth” - a better way to speak

00:25:11 Responsibility vs victimhood - owning what you express

00:26:21 The tell - “live this way so I feel safe”

00:28:46 Echo chambers and algorithm-shaped reality

00:31:16 Love, validation, and codependency as truth substitutes

00:36:08 Why most people agree on most things - nuance dies online

00:39:36 Fatherhood as a rite of passage for truth and accountability

00:46:48 “Tell the truth” - why truth is the adventure

00:48:24 Integration - notice the trigger, take responsibility, choose response

Most people don’t build businesses to serve, they build them to be seen. And eventually that validation runs out.

Phil Graham has coached 12,000+ business owners and disrupted industries. In this conversation he breaks down the real difference between founders who last and founders who quit - emotional resilience, decision velocity, and building a mission that’s bigger than your need for approval.

He explains 'the Ferrari trap', why marketing and sales is a moral responsibility if you genuinely help people, and how to design a lifestyle business that gives you authority, freedom and profitability - so you can actually live life on your terms.

Key topics:

• Mission over validation (and why validation always runs out)

• Emotional resilience as the founder advantage

• Fear as fuel vs fear as a crippler

• Decision velocity and course correction

• Risk: upside, downside, recoverability

• Lifestyle business vs enterprise

• Marketing/sales as responsibility, don’t be the best kept secret

• Fatherhood, standards, and “am I worth modelling?”

  
  

  Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  Chapters:
  00:00:26 Emotional resilience and why founders fail
  00:01:35 Vision bigger than yourself and holding risk
  00:06:49 Emotional triggers, identity, and regulation
  00:07:40 Detaching from judgement and approval
  00:11:14 Fear, uncertainty, and meaning
  00:12:00 Mission as fuel, not motivation
  00:18:08 Validation vs mission, the Ferrari trap
  00:31:16 Solitude, self-trust, build a company with yourself
  00:36:27 Marketing and sales as moral responsibility
  00:41:47 Decision velocity, stop “thinking about it”
  00:43:07 Risk filter: upside, downside, recoverability
  00:49:52 Lifestyle business vs enterprise, choose the game
  00:58:13 Fatherhood: “am I worth modelling?”
  01:06:01 Fear as fuel vs fear as crippler
  01:20:30 Phil’s journey, what’s next
  01:24:11 Authority, freedom, profitability - living on your terms

Ryan Curtis experienced a terrible training accident that ended his professional MMA career and threatened to leave him completely paralysed.

In this powerful conversation, we explore the mindset that helped him recover against the odds, rebuild his identity, and find meaning in the middle of chaos.

Ryan explains why nothing about him is “special”, why mindset is trainable, and why sitting with your own thoughts might be the most important skill you ever develop.

We discuss:

• How resilience is built long before hardship arrives

• Why most people misunderstand failure

• The emotional engine behind discipline

• Why presence matters more than happiness

• How to stop living an unconscious life

• The role of identity, values and fatherhood

• Why gratitude is a practical tool, not a cliché

• The truth about success, external validation and social media

• How to build a life you’re proud of, one decision at a time

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Key topics: resilience, mindset, identity, fatherhood, purpose, self-reflection, discipline, values, personal growth, presence, gratitude, unconscious living, mental strength.

00:00:00 – Why inspiration fades

00:05:10 – Building a stronger mind

00:12:40 – Lessons from losing

00:19:30 – Who you choose to be

00:26:20 – The pull of social media

00:33:45 – Living on autopilot

00:40:50 – Facing hard truths

00:48:25 – Strength in community

01:00:00 – Defining your values

01:06:10 – Sitting with yourself

01:14:40 – Presence over happiness

01:23:20 – When life stops you

01:31:15 – The trap of wanting more

01:38:40 – Fatherhood and meaning

01:46:50 – Owning your imperfections

01:53:40 – What failure shows you

01:57:10 – Made In Chaos

Most of us think we need more discipline, motivation, or structure.

But in reality, we need something far simpler - to slow down.

Brian O'Loughlin explores the deeper lessons behind the Prymal 60 challenge and uncovers a more honest truth about change:

You can’t create transformation from a dysregulated, overwhelmed, overstimulated state.

You don’t think your way into clarity - you feel your way there.

This episode dives into:

• Nervous system regulation as the foundation for growth

• Why slowing down reveals the truth you’ve been avoiding

• The hidden warning signs of burnout

• How “containers” help us confront unconscious patterns

• Why presence is more transformative than productivity

• Why challenges often fail unless they create internal space

• The relationship between emotion, behaviour, and identity

• How to reconnect with yourself through simple daily practices

  
  

If you’ve been stuck in cycles of overwhelm, distraction, stress, or self-sabotage, this conversation will feel like an exhale.

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

0:00:00 – You Can’t Change Until You Slow Down

0:03:18 – The Real Purpose of Prymal 60

0:08:45 – Nervous System Overload & Hidden Burnout

0:14:32 – How Disconnection Becomes the Default

0:20:28 – Containers: Why Structure Creates Safety

0:26:41 – The Sludge Above the Gold (Emotional Truth)

0:33:15 – Walking, Breathwork & Simple Regulation

0:38:52 – Presence vs Productivity

0:44:09 – Emotional Awareness vs Intellectual Understanding

0:50:34 – The Body Always Knows First

0:56:12 – Burnout as a Bodily Realisation

1:02:25 – Why Change Feels Impossible When You’re Dysregulated

1:09:08 – Permission, Vulnerability & Male Friendship

1:14:26 – What We Actually Learned from Prymal 60

1:20:57 – Integrating These Lessons Going Forward

Key topics: nervous system, burnout, slowing down, emotional awareness, personal growth, presence, self-regulation, Prymal 60, behaviour change, trauma, embodiment, mindfulness, self-awareness, reflection, transformation, accountability, unconscious patterns.

Real growth begins with awareness, but awareness alone doesn’t create change or growth.

The difference between staying stuck and moving forward lies in what you do next.

Mark O’Reilly is an ICF accredited coach with an MSc in Mental Health and Mental Skills, an MSc in Work and Organisational Psychology, and Professional Diplomas in Strategy, Development & Innovation, Leadership & Management and Sport Psychology.

We explore how great coaching helps people develop awareness, turn clarity into progress, the link between awareness, accountability, and action, the real distinction between coaching and therapy, and how to design change that lasts.

You’ll learn:

• - How coaching turns awareness into measurable progress

• - The difference between therapy and coaching (and when each applies)

• - Why accountability creates momentum

• - How to build awareness you can actually use

• - Simple tools to create change that sticks

  - How to learn the skill of taking more action

  - How to break narratives you hold and nurture more self belief

  - How solid coaching principles apply across so many areas from sport to relationships to business

And much more!

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

0:00:00 – Building Awareness & Taking Action

0:05:02 – What Coaching Really Is (and Isn’t)

0:11:40 – Awareness as the Foundation of Change

0:18:28 – Coaching vs Therapy – Knowing the Difference

0:25:44 – Accountability – Turning Clarity into Progress

0:33:22 – Why Awareness Without Action Keeps You Stuck

0:40:09 – Designing Change That Actually Works

0:47:51 – Coaching in Practice – Lessons from Real Clients

0:55:38 – Habits, Reflection, and Momentum

1:03:06 – Building a Framework for Ongoing Growth

1:10:44 – Awareness as a Lifelong Skill

"You can't think your way into changing. You have to move."

Key Topics: coaching, awareness, accountability, action, personal growth, behaviour change, therapy vs coaching, mindset, clarity, self-improvement, Mark O’Reilly, Prymal Podcast, performance, progress, leadership, transformation.

Most of us get motivation wrong, we chase quick highs instead of building real systems.

High Performance Coach Adam Ward breaks down the myths around motivation and explain how to build health, discipline, and longevity that actually last.

It's not about aesthetics or hype, it’s about energy, consistency, and building a life that works.

The goal should be HEALTH.

You’ll learn:

• The most common motivation myths that keep people stuck

• Why discipline beats willpower every time

• How to create a training system that fits your real life

• What longevity really means (and how to measure it)

• The connection between energy, health, and purpose

• How to stay consistent when life gets messy

Dan: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thedancampion⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE copy of 20 Books and Podcasts to Change Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/prymal/bookspodcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

0:00:00 - Intro – Motivation Myths & Longevity

0:04:12 - Why Motivation Doesn’t Last

0:09:40 - Discipline vs Motivation – The Real Difference

0:16:02 - How to Build Systems That Stick

0:22:47 - The Longevity Mindset – Training for Life

0:29:21 - Why Energy Is the Ultimate Metric

0:36:05 - Recovery and Rest as Performance Tools

0:42:50 - Avoiding Comparison & The Social Media Trap

0:49:35 - How to Stay Consistent When Life Gets Busy

0:56:11 - Health, Family & Showing Up for What Matters

1:03:03 - Closing Reflections – Longevity That Lasts

Key topics: Adam Ward, Prymal Podcast, motivation myths, longevity, discipline, consistency, habits, performance, wellness, healthspan, motivation vs discipline, training for life, lifestyle design, balance, recovery, energy, sustainable fitness.