When Liam Beville was 18, a stolen car mounted a curb in Limerick and crushed both his legs.
Doctors told him he’d never walk again.

But Liam didn’t just walk — he deadlifted 285 kg to become a Guinness World Record holder, and 310 kg at 75 kg bodyweight to become one of Ireland’s greatest lifters of all time.

This episode is about defying prognosis, rewriting identity, and proving that mindset is stronger than muscle.

💥 In This Episode

Sam Penny sits down with Irish powerlifter Liam Beville to explore:

• Growing up in a tough Limerick household surrounded by disability — and learning resilience early.
• The 1983 accident that shattered his legs and the long battle back from the edge.
• How walking to the gym on crutches became the first step to greatness.
• Competing against able-bodied athletes — and why he refused to accept the label “disabled”.
• The mental cost of chasing perfection and the darkness of depression.
• Discovering hypnosis and mindset training to control anxiety and rediscover love for the sport.
• Breaking four world records across four weight divisions — and holding them all simultaneously.
• Becoming the oldest and lightest man ever to hold the Guinness World Record for heaviest disabled deadlift.
• What “strength” really means after six decades of pain, purpose, and perspective.

🧠 Key Lessons

• Labels limit you. Don’t let anyone define what’s possible for you.
• Sit with pain. Whether physical or emotional, resisting it gives it power.
• Control the controllables. Focus on what’s within your reach — and forget the rest.
• Success and failure are imposters. Treat both the same, as Rudyard Kipling wrote in If.
• Never too late. At 60, Liam’s still training to break his own world record — proving you’re never too old to start again.

🗣️ Memorable Quotes

💪 The Brave Five

Liam reveals:

1. His most unexpected lesson from recovery.
2. What he felt when holding the Guinness certificate.
3. The truth about friendship and why being a people-pleaser nearly broke him.
4. The mindset that’s kept him competing into his 60s.
5. The one thing he wants every listener to remember: “Control what you can and forget the rest.”

🎯 Why You Should Listen

If you’ve ever felt broken, too old, too tired, or too far gone — this story will wake something up inside you.
It’s not about lifting weights.
It’s about lifting yourself.

This short, punchy episode isn’t a checklist—it’s a rally. Drawing on John Williamson’s story of hitting rock bottom twice and rebuilding with discipline and quiet courage, Sam lays out the mindset that makes weekends count. With echoes from history—Mawson on the ice, Violet Jessop returning to sea, Farnsworth sketching TV from ploughed rows, Hubert Wilkins under polar ice, Jessica Watson one knot at a time—this is the lift you take into Saturday to move your real work forward.

What You’ll Hear

• Courage as a calendar entry, not a mood
• Why structure beats story when things feel messy
• Making fear smaller than the next step
• The power of subtraction—closing the wrong things to let the right things live
• Borrowing belief: “You can take more load than that”

Anchor Quotes

• “Even though I’m afraid of failing again, I will keep turning up anyway.”
• “Courage is a calendar entry, not a mood.”
• “Make fear smaller than the next step.”
• “Subtraction can be growth.”
• “You can take more load than that.”

Timeline

• 00:00 – Why this isn’t tactics—it’s a reminder you carry into the weekend
• 01:00 – What John really taught us: breath, structure, consistency
• 03:00 – History’s quiet cousins: Mawson, Jessop, Farnsworth, Wilkins, Watson
• 04:40 – What this weekend is for: momentum over perfection
• 05:30 – The lines to carry with you into Monday

Why It Matters

Weekends are where your future sneaks in. When the inbox goes quiet, your real work taps you on the shoulder. This episode helps you choose courage over comfort and progress over perfection—so by Sunday night you feel earned pride, not regret.

Light Reflection Prompts

• Where can I choose structure over story this weekend?
• What’s one fear I can make smaller than the next step?
• What can I subtract so the important thing can breathe?

Listen

• Apple Podcasts: https://sampenny.com/applepodcasts

• Spotify: https://sampenny.com/spotify

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/3SBQAPV4_xc?si=yjyfuU15J90X8_xf

Explore the Guest Hub

Show notes, quotes and links: https://sampenny.com/john-williamson

Credits

Host: Sam Penny
Series: Why’d You Think You Could Do That?

The phone buzzes. It’s the bank. Payroll is due tomorrow and the numbers don’t add up. Most people would call that rock bottom — but for John Williamson, it was just one of many.

John built Construct Health into a 40-person physiotherapy and occupational health business, lost it all (twice), and somehow found the strength to start again. Through bankruptcy scares, sleepless nights, and the crushing weight of leadership, he discovered that courage isn’t about climbing mountains — it’s about standing your ground when everything in you wants to quit.

In this conversation, Sam and John unpack what it really takes to survive as a founder — not the glory, but the grit. From his darkest moments to his rebirth through ultra-endurance running and boxing, John’s story is a masterclass in resilience, self-discipline, and redefining success on your own terms.

🧭 In This Episode

• The early ambition and purpose that drove John into physiotherapy and business ownership
• The rise and near-collapse of Construct Health during the mining boom and bust
• What it really feels like to tell your staff you can’t pay them — and why he never missed payroll
• How daily habits, structure, and breathwork kept him alive when everything fell apart
• Lessons from an unexpected mentor: the former Scheduling Secretary to a US President
• Why discipline and cashflow awareness beat ego every time
• Finding peace (and pain) through ultra-marathons and stepping into a boxing ring
• The emotional cost of selling your life’s work — and what’s next with Col Ferret Holdings
• Why sometimes, “You can take more load than that” is exactly the advice you need

🧱 Key Quotes

⚡️ The Brave Moment

John’s moment of truth came standing on an airport tarmac, $8,000 over his overdraft, with payroll due in two days. Panic set in — but instead of breaking, he built new habits, found mentorship, and clawed his way back to solvency. That single decision — to keep showing up — reshaped not just his business, but who he became.

🥊 The Lesson

Rock bottom isn’t failure. It’s feedback.
It’s where you decide who you’re going to be next.

🌍 Connect with John Williamson

• LinkedIn: John Williamson
  (search “John Williamson Construct Health” — not the singer!)
• Website: unventured.life
  (launching soon)
  Unventured Life helps business owners and executives apply the principles of challenge and adventure to leadership and personal growth.