Brian Pennie is an author, speaker, PhD candidate, university lecturer, and life-change strategist. His life used to be very different, however. On October 8 2013, he experienced his first day clean after 15 years of chronic heroin addiction.
Addiction nearly killed him, but on that fateful day in October, he received a gift. Call it what you will: a perspective shift, an awakening, or simply dumb luck — that’s not important – what matters, is that it completely changed the course of his life.
In what seemed like an instant, the world seemed to glow. Colours were more colourful. Sounds were more cheerful. Things that were once hollow were now full of depth. He felt more alive than ever before and he hasn't looked back since.
He says:
"Captivated by this sudden change, I started to question why I felt so alive. I didn’t see it at first, but then it hit me. It had tortured me my entire life. The voices in my head, the stories that I spun myself – the ones that drove my anxiety and, in turn, my addiction – they were gone. For as long as I could remember, thinking had consumed me – my mind racing about what I thought needed to do – but the voices were silent and my anxiety was gone. The race was over and my new life had begun."
Some key points from the interview:
-How addiction had him early on, but he could not see it.
-How his addiction forced him to lead a double life.
-How he catches himself if he becomes anxious or thinks negative thoughts.
-how he is "Schizophrenically Normal"
-How he studied a load of self help, and the revelations that came.
-How, after his awakening he had a desire to help others.
-How the "Words we speak become the world we live in"
Hosted by Madeleine Black, the show will share stories of all the amazing people Madeleine has met on her own journey as an author/speaker and these stories will heal, motivate, inspire and bring hope when they share their wisdom and knowledge with her.
She really believes in the power that comes when we share our stories, that in fact we are not story tellers but story healers. Tune in to discover what helped them to stay unbroken and together we will discover that none of us are broken beyond repair.
You can find out more about Madeleine, her story and her memoir, Unbroken, from her website: https://madeleineblack.co.uk/
Watch edited highlights on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/c/MadeleineBlackUnbroken
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Watch Short Vlog Versions on our You Tube Channel HERE