How the Stoics Can Make You A Better Leader
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Stoics have many lessons to share about leadership. From Marcus Aurelius' reflections on hi...
Susan Straight on the Power of Story
23 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks to professor and author Susan Straight about their first encounter at the University of ...
There Are Only Hard Decisions
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Wouldn’t it be nice if everything was simple and straightforward? That’s what we’d like to ...
You Get Bad Breaks… and Good Ones | A Morning Ritual
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“In the year 41 CE, Seneca was banished by the emperor Claudius for supposedly sleeping with Julia...
Mike Duncan On Using the Past to Guide the Future
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to author and historian Mike Duncan (History of Rome podcast) abou...
All The Rest Is Commentary
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“It’s a famous story, one we’ve told before. Hillel was asked to explain the Torah. ‘Love th...
Wake Up, You’re Fever Dreaming
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“You want it. You want it badly. The promotion. To win that higher office. To get called up. To bu...
You Are Dying Every Day | The Wake Up
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“It’s easy to see death as this thing that lies off in the distant future. Even those of us who ...
Stoicism's Simple Secret To Being Happier
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s podcast, Ryan discusses how he has used Stoic principles to find happiness and stillnes...
Cal Newport On the Art of Time Blocking
16 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to “Deep Work” author and computer scientist Cal Newport about ...
You Still Have Time Pt II
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“We talked a while back about one of the most inspiring lessons of Seneca’s life—that’s it’...
Don’t Just Settle For a Shortcut, Do The Work | Peace Is In Staying the Course
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“When things are scary, when we’re overwhelmed, when we’re struggling, it’s tempting to look...
You Are Not Too Busy To Read
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“We get it. You’re busy. You have kids. You have a job—maybe two. You have these things you ar...
Economist Emily Oster On Rationality and Risk
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan has a wide-ranging conversation with professor and economist Emily Oster....
There Is No Reason Not To Follow Your Heart
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Steve Jobs was more interested in Buddhism than he was Stoicism. He may not have been, at least a...
What If This Made You Stronger? | The Sphere of Choice
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“It wouldn’t be wonderful if it weren’t true. But it is: “Anyone who proposes to do good mus...
The Incredible Stoicism of James Stockdale: Prisoner At War
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“On September 9, 1965, Admiral James Stockdale’s A-4 Skyhawk jet was shot down in Vietnam. He wa...
Historian Thomas Ricks on Stoicism and the Founders
09 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with author and journalist Thomas Ricks about his new book, First Principles, the import...
Here’s What You Can Do With Those Long Odds
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“To face long odds, to face what others call an “impossibility”—some people can handle this ...
You Can Find Peace
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“There’s a chapter in Epictetus’ Discourses entirely about forlornness (or solitude, depending...
Jay Shetty On How to Think Like a Monk
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s podcast Ryan talks to influencer and author Jay Shetty about his former life as a monk,...
What This Philosophy Is Here For
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“You’ve got problems. We all do. Maybe you’re having a difficult time in your relationship. Or...
It’s About Infusing It Into Your DNA
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Marcus Aurelius read Epictetus… a lot. We know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost ...
What Have You Managed to Get Done? | Whats Up to Us, What's Not Up to Us
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“It’s been a strange year, hasn’t it? Our days have been disrupted. Our lifestyles changed. Pl...
Who was Marcus Aurelius? The Life Of The Stoic Emperor
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus’s "Meditations" is perhaps the only document of its kind ever made. It is the pri...
Shaka Smart, Buzz Williams, Manu Ginóbili, Pau Gasol, Dominique Dawes, and Danica Patrick On Sports and Stoicism
02 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews about sports in 2020. Ryan talks t...
Things Are Won at the Beginning
01 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Here we are at the beginning of a new year. On the one hand, today is just a day, no different th...
Now Is the Time
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“We all have vices. We all have flaws. We all have things we know we want to change. What happens?...
This We Must Avoid
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“When he was young, Seneca experimented with vegetarianism. It was a fad at the time—considered ...
Jessica Lahey, Angel Parham, Brett McKay, and Dr. Harvey Karp On Parenting and Stoicism
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews about parenting in 2020. Ryan talk...
How Much Longer Are You Going To Wait?
29 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“We all know professional procrastinators. You know, those people who constantly put stuff off. Wh...
You Can’t Freeze Up | Turn Words Into Works
28 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Where this goes and what will happen is impossible to ascertain. The only certainty over the next...
These 3 Books Changed My Life Completely
27 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan discusses the 3 books that completely changed his life. Listen to find ou...
Matthew McConaughey, Pete Holmes, Martellus Bennett, and George Raveling on How to Be a Modern Leader
26 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews in 2020. Ryan talks to Matthew McC...
This is the Tradition We Hail From
25 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“2,000 years ago today there was a woman who went into labor in a province of the Roman Empire, sh...
What Matters is the Response
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“It was a dark day exactly 244 years ago. Christmas was here, at one of of the darkest times in th...
Cal Newport, Jocko Willink, Tim Ferriss, and Robert Greene on Life During a Pandemic
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews in 2020. Ryan talks to Cal Newport...
Always Give Credit to Something Greater
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“It’s almost a cliché at this point. A reporter walks into the locker room of a victorious team...
If You Want to Look Better, Do This
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Epictetus said that the root of beauty was beautiful choices. He was talking less of physical bea...
You Have To Be Ready | Stake Your Claim
21 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“In his 91st Letter, Seneca tells Lucilius about his friend Liberalis who is “in some distress a...
5 More of the Most Stoic Moments in History
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan discusses 5 of the most Stoic moments in history with examples from Agrip...
The National’s Matt Berninger On Ego, Collaboration, and Slowing Down
19 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to the lead singer of indie rock band The National about the false ...
The Better You Get, The Less You Care…
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Whether it’s a great athlete or a great comedian, the truth is the same. The better they get, t...
We Are All In This Together
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“One of the strangest pejoratives that has come up in this new divisive political era is the idea ...
This Is What You Have Been Working For
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“A quarterback can spend thousands of hours in the gym, watching footage, and working on their thr...
UFC Fighter Michelle Waterson On Training the Mind and the Body
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to champion MMA fighter Michelle Waterson about the philosophy of b...
You Have to Be Willing to Change
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“We’ve been this way for a while. We are set in our ways. We’ve always had a short fuse. We’...
Yes, This is Unfair, Yet... | Keep the Rhythm
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You didn’t cause the pandemic. You might have even been one of the people who was vocal abou...
Death and the View From Above — An Excerpt from Don Robertson’s “How to Think Like a Roman Emperor”
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan features another clip from the audiobook of Donald Robertson’s 2019 boo...
Ramit Sethi on How to Live the Rich Life
12 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to his longtime friend, author and financial expert Ramit Sethi. Fr...
A Leader Must Be a Reader
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"A leader will be forced into countless situations that they have never been in before. Trying,...
Greatness Should Be Put Up For Display
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Go stand in front of the Jefferson Monument in D.C. on an early morning, watch the sun rise th...
Author Connor Towne O’Neill On the Battle to Shape History
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan talks to a fellow Southern transplant, writer Conor Towne O’Neill. They...
This Is the Power You Have
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Life is hard. We face insurmountable odds with so many problems. We get bad news. We mess up. ...
Each of Us Has a Job to Do
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Today, we find ourselves in the teeth of a global pandemic, one with a mortality rate close to...
How Do You Not See This? | Be Stingy With Time
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You consider yourself a programmatic thinker, a political realist, a student of history, a rig...
Temporary Madness — An Excerpt from Don Robertson’s “How to Think Like a Roman Emperor”
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan features a clip from the audiobook of Donald Robertson’s 2019 book How ...
Pop Star Camila Cabello On Stoicism, Creativity and Success
05 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan talks with Camila Cabello on training your mind to work for you, finding ...
You Think You’re So Powerful
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You’re smart. You’re experienced. You’ve made a bunch of money. You have a few prestigio...
Who You Spend Time With Matters
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We’d like to think we are above being influenced by others, but of course that’s not true....
It’s Not If You’re Reading, But WHAT You’re Reading
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Reading is an indisputable good. How could it not be? It’s hard to criticize anyone who takes the ...
ESPN's Wright Thompson On What Makes Us Great… And Human
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with writer Wright Thompson about what drives an author to cover a topic, the similarity...
Who Will You Look For?
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you look out at the world right now, what you’ll see at first glance is a pretty terrible pictu...
Look for the Smooth Handle | Balance the Books of Life Daily
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1811, a 68-year-old Thomas Jefferson sat down to try to put down some advice that he could pass a...
7 Things the Stoics Can Teach Us in 2020
29 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Ryan discusses 7 lessons we can all learn from the Stoics that are especial...
Tech Investor Joe Lonsdale On How Philosophy Makes You Better at Business
28 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with entrepreneur and investor Joe Lonsdale about the intersections of business and phil...
This Is Our Duty
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"That nice, warm feeling you have right now? That fullness? From the food you stuffed yourself ...
Now, More Than Ever, You Have To Find This
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"On this day of American Thanksgiving, we’re supposed to make time to give thanks, to activel...
Filmmaker Daniel Lombroso on How To Stay Sane Amidst Radicalization
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks to director and journalist Daniel Lombroso about social media and the ways that people ca...
The Right Amount Is Key
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"If you’re not on guard, you’ll find yourself falling victim to the urge for just one more ...
Anger Is a Kind of Madness
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"They didn’t have the studies to back it up, but they knew.Anger makes you dumber. It makes y...
Love Them as You Love Yourself | Practice Letting Go
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Other people. Ugh.They are all the things Marcus Aurelius said, and more: Dishonest. Arrogant....
Rich Roll and Ryan Reflect on Stoicism (Live Talks LA)
22 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features an interview of Ryan conducted by yesterday’s guest Rich Roll about Rya...
Rich Roll - Ultra-Endurance Athlete On How to Be Healthy
21 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan talks with athlete and wellness advocate Rich Roll about how our leadersh...
How Will You Account for This Time?
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When Ebola was first spreading, the news would run fascinating stories about the habits of the...
This Is What Echoes in Eternity
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s ironic that today we celebrate the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, because the e...
Mike Herrera, Punk Rock Stalwart (MxPx, Goldfinger), On 30 Years On and Off the Road
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan speaks with singer Mike Herrera, founder of the punk band MxPx. They talk...
These Are Habits to Avoid
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Because of how Stoicism survives to us—mostly in the form of scraps and fragments and letter...
How To Have a Great Day. Every Day.
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"A lot can happen to ruin your day. You could wake up to a freak storm, or roads gnarled with t...
You Can’t Predict the Future, But You Can Predict This | Judge Yourself, Not Others
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Few saw the pandemic coming. But certainly the woefully inadequate response, at all levels, wa...
The Leadership Secrets of Marcus Aurelius
15 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Ryan talks about the virtues that Marcus Aurelius brought to his position as Emp...
Matthew McConaughey On Winning the Role of Life
14 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ryan speaks with Academy Award-winning actor and producer Matthew McConaughey ...
What Matters and What Doesn’t
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s almost surreal to think about the things we were thinking about not long ago. How could...
It’s Not Much, But It Adds Up
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Don’t think of wisdom as something you get via epiphany or even a couple years of graduate s...
Converting a Stoicism Skeptic with Novelist Amy Shearn
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks with author Amy Shearn about her own journey with Stoicism, how she and Ryan both wrestle...
You Must Meet It All the Same
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We have good days. We have bad days. We will have, as Seneca experiences, moments of heartbrea...
Ignore It. It Doesn’t Matter.
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"'“A trifle consoles us,' Blaise Pascal wrote, 'because a trifle upsets us.&ap...
We Can't Just Do This. (Or Can We?) | The Real Power You Have
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Sometimes it can feel—especially lately—that we are, to use the novelist James Salter’s ...
The Art of Journaling
08 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Ryan goes in-depth into journaling, describing the benefits of journaling, how t...
Tank Sinatra - Meme King on how How Comedy Helps You Live
07 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks with Instagram star Tank Sinatra about his unique approach to comedy, the best way to use...
Here’s How to See Life
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Most people see life as a kind of a race. They want to win. They want to get somewhere. They w...
So, It’s Been a Rough Year?
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"This has probably not been the year you expected. Few of us went into 2020 expecting an impeac...
Megha Rajagopalan On Using History to Understand Modern Authoritarianism
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks with Megha Rajagopalan, a world correspondent for BuzzFeed News, about her reporting in C...
The Arc Is Long… But It Bends This Way
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When you look at a map of the world from a distance, everything seems smooth. The more you zoo...
Life Will Go On. What’s Your Plan?
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Today is a day that Americans, as well as interested observers around the world, have been ant...
We Can’t Let Anything Rattle Us/Accepting What Is
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan tells the story of Athenodorus versus the ghost, and reads today's weekly meditation about...
This Thing Predicts Everything
01 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s Sunday edition of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks about the one thing that predicts...
Edward Ball, Southern Writer, on the Ghosts of Our Collective Past
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks with writer Edward Ball about what has animated the racism of the past and present, the d...
Which Kind Will You Be?
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There are two types of people in this world: The kind whose success makes them better and the ...
An Honest Dollar Is an Impressive Thing
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s not the quantity that we should care about. Something earnestly made and sold for a fai...