When your brain breaks… what do you rebuild first?

Dan MacQueen was 28. Sharp. Ambitious. Living his dream life in London. Then came the headaches. One minute, he was riding the Tube to work. The next? Total darkness. A cyst on his brain. A surgery gone wrong. A coma. He couldn't walk, talk, or even smile when he woke up.

This is the story of how one man fought back from the brink—and discovered a mindset that can't be broken.

Summary: In this riveting episode, Dan MacQueen walks us through the day his life changed forever—a sudden brain hemorrhage, four weeks in a coma, and a fight to reclaim basic functions most take for granted.

But Dan didn't stop at recovery. He rewired his mindset. From strapping on a splint with unbearable pain to walking the chaotic streets of South London, he reframed every struggle into strength. His story is a blueprint for resilience, built one painful, purposeful step at a time.

Hats covered:
• Hat 1: The Soul
• Hat 2: The Athlete
• Hat 3: The Servant
• Hat 4: The Entrepreneur
• Hat 7: The Seeker

Key Takeaways

🎩 1: Resilience is built by keeping promises to yourself, especially when no one's watching
🎩 2: Your brain needs recovery routines as much as your body
🎩 3: Identity rebuilds one tiny risk at a time (say goodbye to the bathmat)
🎩 4: Adversity can be your compass, not just your setback
🎩 1: It’s not “Why me?”...it’s “Try me”
🎩 7: Faith in the process grows stronger with every step taken, blind

👤 Guest Bio:

 Dan MacQueen is a resilience speaker and mindset coach who defied the odds after a life-threatening brain hemorrhage left him unable to walk, talk, or smile. Today, he inspires others to rewrite their limits, find power in perspective, and build mental toughness through daily choices.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:02 – Dan’s life before the hemorrhage: Europe, love, and tech
00:50 – Sudden blindness on the Tube
01:20 – Misdiagnosis and emergency brain surgery
02:10 – Waking from a coma, unable to walk or speak
03:00 – The painful process of physical rehab
03:45 – Lessons from the floor: mindset in action
04:30 – Relearning to walk on South London’s busiest streets
05:00 – The 3 horsemen of motivation
05:50 – Second brain surgery and emotional collapse
06:30 – Refusing to surrender to despair
07:15 – Routines, cold showers, and the power of self-discipline
08:00 – The moment the bathmat became a turning point
08:40 – Why the cane got left behind
09:20 – Daily habits that transformed his mental game
10:00 – Who he had to stop being—and who he became

Actionables:

• Track one small promise to yourself for 30 days
• Ask: Where am I lying to myself in the name of “comfort”?
• Challenge yourself with a discomfort ritual—cold showers, early wakeups, or exercise

Quotes:

• “The worst place to walk became the best, because if I can walk here, I can walk anywhere.”
• “Discipline isn’t about motivation. It’s about doing the thing anyway.”
• “I kept the promise. I wasn’t the next one out of the sauna.”
• “This didn’t happen to me... it created me.”

🔗 Links:

• Dan MacQueen’s Website
• Follow Dan on LinkedIn
• Instagram: @macqueendan

If you’ve ever doubted your strength... if you're one hard moment away from quitting—this episode is your proof: your mindset is your superpower.

Subscribe, share, and let’s keep growing together.