#16 - Do Your Greatest Work: Philip McKernan on Living Your Greatest Life
Today’s guest is BraveCastle Founder Philip McKernan
High external success, low internal alignment. Philip helps driven people name their real fears, tell the truth they’ve been avoiding, and make courageous choices so success actually feels satisfying.
In today’s conversation Philip McKernan explores why many top performers feel empty at the summit and how to bridge the gap between achievement and fulfilment. He shares raw stories—from washing abandoned seniors in India to leading “brave adventures” in the Himalayas—showing how service and discomfort surface our deepest truths. We dig into fear (“sit down and have dinner with it”), the difference between success and satisfaction, and the cost of avoiding the conversation that matters most. Philip also unpacks One Last Talk—a framework for speaking your truth to free yourself and help others.
You will learn how to identify “old fear” versus convenient, intellectual excuses; a simple way to spot misalignment between your goals and your deeper needs; why courageous service experiences can catalyze clarity; how to reframe public-speaking fear as fear of not being loved; and how to craft your own One Last Talk to unlock action and connection.
You will discover that most fear is old, recycled, and loses its grip when you name it—and that speaking a hard personal truth (to one person or many) is often the shortest path from achievement to genuine fullfilment.
Philip’s approach replaces avoidance with one clarifying conversation and one honest act—so your work, relationships, and energy align again.
Key take aways:
Fear is old; invite it to dinner.
Success ≠ satisfaction; pursue alignment.
Service and discomfort reveal truth.
Name the one avoided conversation.
“Sit down and have dinner with fear.”
Today’s Expert Guest - BraveCastle Founder Philip McKernan
Philip McKernan is an Irish author, filmmaker, and keynote speaker known for an unapologetic, truth-first approach to helping entrepreneurs, leaders, and athletes find alignment. He founded the One Last Talk platform and created the documentary Give & Grow; his work centers on SoulSet™—connecting people to the work they were put here to do and the gifts that impact others.
Philip goes beyond tactics to the emotional root: he uses service-oriented expeditions, “brave adventures,” and the One Last Talk process to surface personal truth—then turns that into clear decisions and deeper relationships. The frame is simple and demanding: this talk is about you, but not for you; it’s for the person who needs to hear it.
Follow Philip McKernan on Instagram & Linked In.
Check out his website.
Explore his book.
One Last Talk: If you were about to leave this planet, what would you say, and who would you say it to?
This shocking and provocative question is at the core of the remarkable and inspiring book, One Last Talk: Why Your Truth Matters And How To Deliver It. This book emerged from the speaking series designed to help people discover their truth, and then speak it out loud, developed by renowned coach Philip McKernan.
In this book, McKernan goes beyond the event, and dives into what it means to discover your truth and speak it, why people should do this, and then deeply explains exactly how this can be done. If you feel living more authentically could allow you to have a greater impact on others, or you can’t find the words to speak your truth as boldly as you know you need to, this is the book for you.
Make no mistake, the path McKernan lays out is simple, but not easy, because your greatest gift lies next to your deepest wounds.
This podcast contains advice and information relating to health and wellness. It should be used to supplement rather than replace the advice of your doctor or another trained health professional. If you know or suspect that you have a health problem, seek your physician’s advice before embarking on any medical program or treatment. All efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this podcast / interview / article as of the date of publication. The author and publisher disclaim liability for any medical or other outcomes that may occur as a result of applying the methods suggested in this material.
