What if the thing that breaks your heart… is what saves your life?

In this raw and soul-stirring episode, Holly Joy McCabe welcomes former professional footballer Mark O’Brien for one of the most powerful conversations we’ve ever aired on Brain Body Speak.

At 16, Mark was told he needed open-heart surgery or he would die. He came back against all odds — only to face the same surgery again 11 years later. But what followed wasn’t just physical recovery. It was identity collapse, debilitating panic, and a deep reckoning with purpose, presence, and who we become when everything we’ve built falls away.

• What it means to lose your identity and start again
• How trauma and medical challenges live in the nervous system
• Panic attacks, PTSD, and high-functioning suppression
• The invisible grief of chronic illness
• Why community is often the missing piece in healing
• How to rewire your mindset when your life no longer makes sense

Mark’s story is more than resilience. It’s a reminder that you’re not broken — you’re just dysregulated.

If you’ve ever felt lost, exhausted, or like you’re being asked to become someone new... this one’s for you.

Ready to go deeper? Listen now.

Connect with Mark O’Brien:

• Instagram:⁠ @mobrien1992

  
  

Connect with Holly Joy McCabe:

• Website:⁠ brainbodyspeak.com ⁠

• Instagram:⁠ @brainbodyspeak ⁠

• YouTube:⁠ Holly Joy McCabe's Channel ⁠

  
  

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