The Daily Stoic
Episodes
Finding Purpose In An Abandoned Ghost Town | Brent Underwood
30 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks with American entrepreneur and ghost town miner Brent Underwood. They discuss identifying and following your path, the history of Cerro Gor...
Don’t Worry What They Tell Themselves When You’re Away | There is Philosophy in Everything
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired...
It’s Better Than A Grave And A Hearse | Ask Daily Stoic
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired prod...
You're On Your Own, Kid
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired...
Finding Enough, Getting Sober, and Improving Your Life | Sam Parr PT 2
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Parr is the founder of The Hustle, which is one of the fastest-growing media companies in the country, and Hustle Con - a one-day conference that ...
How To Make Zero Progress | Jocko Willink Reads Ego Is The Enemy
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get a copy of Brent Underwood's new book from the Painted Porch Bookshop: Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of...
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once | Say No To The Need to Impress
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired prod...
How Emerson Can Change Your Life
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, we're happy to bring you two excerpts from Lessons From An American Stoic: How Emerson Can Change Your Lif...
Balancing Purpose and Profit | Sam Parr PT 1
23 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Parr is the founder of The Hustle, which is one of the fastest-growing media companies in the country, and Hustle Con - a one-day conference that ...
Which Approach Will You Take? | The Sign Of True Education
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired...
This Choice Can Change Everything | Ask Daily Stoic
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get a copy of Brent Underwood's new book from the Painted Porch Bookshop: Ghost Town Living: Mining for Purpose and Chasing Dreams at the Edge of Deat...
Solve The Problem First
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yeah, it’s frustrating. Yeah, it was preventable. Yeah, you told them it was preventable, you warned them what would happen. They didn’t listen an...
How to be an Honorable Leader and Combat Imposter Syndrome | Admiral Bill McRaven
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with Admiral Bill McRaven about the nature of being a Stoic, imposter syndrome when being a leader, and how resilience is sometimes enduri...
You Can’t Change What Happened, But… | 13 Ways A Stoic Challenges Themselves Every Day
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With a business partner, some investors, and his life savings, Brent Underwood bought the abandoned mining turned ghost town, Cerro Gordo, in 2018.The...
Do This While You Can | The Portable Retreat
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s funny, over here at Daily Stoic, we do these challenges throughout the year (maybe you’ve joined one before). On the one hand, this name is p...
It's Time To Get Clean | Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
17 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan talks with Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball Team in which he focuses on the timeless wisdom...
Seasonality and Understanding Pseudo-Productivity | Cal Newport PT 2
16 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan continues his conversation with computer science professor and bestselling author, Cal Newport. They discuss how to be indispensable in your pers...
Every Day Is A Chance For This | The Present Is All We Possess
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
That was the purpose behind Stoicism, behind the journaling, and the reading, and studying of this philosophy, behind the Daily Stoic Spring Forward C...
Don’t Rush Through This | Ask DS
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca makes the point, however, that what we are really rushing towards—with all deliberate speed—is death. That’s what he means when he says t...
You Gotta Be Able To Do This
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius was, of course, an incredible man. He endured more than most people. He had more power than most people—and wore it more lightly. He...
Slow Productivity and Anticipating Consequences | Cal Newport PT 1
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the first half of this two-part conversation, Ryan talks with computer science professor and bestselling author, Cal Newport. They discuss the faca...
You Don't Want To See This | The Stoic Guide To Freedom And Power (From Epictetus)
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
That obnoxious person. That contractor who ripped you off. That slow driver. That overly enthusiastic exercise instructor. That brusk receptionist. Th...
Everybody Is Doing Their Job | Think About It From The Other Person's Perspective
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
That obnoxious person. That contractor who ripped you off. That slow driver. That overly enthusiastic exercise instructor. That brusk receptionist. Th...
Are You Spending This Wisely? | Lives Of The Stoics ( Antipater the Ethicist )
10 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today is that day many dread—the day the clocks spring forward. Yes, in the middle of the night, you lost an hour that you’ll never get back. An h...
Changing the World with Civility and the Core of Stoicism | Alexandra Hudson
09 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with author Alexandra Hudson about how to navigate pragmatic situations through civility, unbundling the mental framework of people, her n...
Everybody Wants To Rule The World | Don't Unintentionally Hand Over Your Freedom
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For as long as there have been groups of people, people have wanted to be in charge of those people. For as long as there have been armies, people hav...
You Aren’t Killing Time. Time Is Killing You | Ryan Holiday Answers On Ego And Mentorship
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca reminded himself that death is not this thing in the future, but something that is happening now. It is always happening. It is the ticking han...
Can You See This In It?
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca was exiled to what he felt was a rock in the middle of the ocean. He hated it. He thought it was torture. And of course, it was unfair that he ...
Why Reflection is a Super Power | Lt Colonel Mike Erwin
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Holiday is joined by Lt Colonel Mike Erwin. Together they discuss the central practice of journaling and reflection, how wisdom and discipline is...
Do Not Miss This Reminder | This Single Word Will Give You Back Your Life
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Spring is the most beautiful of the seasons. Suddenly, after a dreary winter, the colors come back. The birds are out. The days last longer. The breez...
No One is Self-Made | What Expensive Things Cost
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius opens Meditations reflecting upon what he has learned from various influential individuals in his life. It’s titled “Debts and Les...
How To Remain Calm | 9 Tips From The Stoics
03 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan reminds us How To Remain Calm When The Rest Of The World Is Freaking Out: 9 Tips From...
Robert Greene and Ryan Holiday on Ego and Power | LIVE in LA
02 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This discussion between Ryan Holiday and Robert Greene took place in September of 2023 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Ryan ...
Are You Too Much Of A Coward? | Where Philosophy Begins
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s good that you’re tough. It’s good that you’re a fighter—maybe even trained in wrestling, as so many of the Stoics were. It’s good tha...
Whatever You Call It, Steer Clear | Ask DS
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius called it a few different things. His translators varied even more in their interpretations. Gregory Hays used the word “imperializa...
You Can Always Possess This
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This tradition of warrior Stoics continued up through and past Admiral Stockdale, who would test Epictetus’s doctrines in the prison camps of Vietna...
Why Humans are Wired for Status, Not Happiness | Morgan Housel PT 2
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan continues his conversation with Morgan Housel, they discuss the power of storytelling, how humans are wired for status and not happiness, his lat...
It’s Producing Something Good | 20 Inspiring Moments Of Stoicism
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The regular person in us is frustrated by all this. But the Stoic in us knows that this is leading us, teaching us, shaping us. Seneca said that misfo...
Stop Expecting This | Cultivate Indifference
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At this point, you should have a pretty good understanding of human nature. That’s why we read history after all (and if you don’t, we suggest thi...
Reading And Learning From The Stoics | Austin Central Library
25 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s weekend episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan talks with over 150 employees from Austin Central Library during their staff develo...
The Curse Of Success | Morgan Housel PT 1
24 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with author Morgan Housel in the first of a two-part conversation to discuss his near death experience as a teenager, the ephemeral and po...
You Don’t Get a Choice | Circumstances Have No care For Our Feelings
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Certainly, Marcus Aurelius would have related to the sentiment. Floods. Plagues. Wars. A troubled son. Personal health issues. “Haven’t I given en...
When The World Got Still | Ask DS
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It was anxiety inducing and scary, but there was also a stillness in it. Because you were forced, against your will, to truly practice Stoicism. Not j...
Remind Yourself Of This
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It doesn’t always feel like it. Not when you’re regularly screwing up. Not when you keep losing your temper, not when you’re not as patient as y...
Why Stoicism is Having a Modern Resurgence | Mick Mulroy (PT 2)
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with Mick Mulroy in the first of a two-part conversation about the simplicity of Stoicism but the difficulties people have in practicing t...
You Ain’t Got Time | 10 Habits That Made Marcus Aurelius Great
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
People are out of their minds and always have been. You get the sense in Seneca’s writings that Rome drove him crazy. You see the same in Epictetus’...
We Can Find The Gift In It | Reduce Wants, Increase Happiness
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We wrote an email over at Daily Dad (please subscribe if you haven’t!) recently which notes Robert F. Kennedy’s troubled childhood in the troubled...
Preparation Makes You Brave | Courage is Calling
18 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s weekend episode of the Daily Stoic podcast, Ryan reads a chapter from his book Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors The Brave. This ex...
Mick Mulroy on the Beauty of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and the Collective Need For Philosophy
17 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan speaks with Mick Mulroy in the first of a two-part conversation about the simplicity of Stoicism but the difficulties people have in practicing t...
They Felt This Weight | Don't Make Things Harder Than They Need To Be
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy for academics and critics to dismiss the Stoics as depressing or dark. They’re not wrong, exactly, because it’s true: There are some d...
Do This. It’s Enough. | Ask Ds
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As John Adams (detailed in David McCullough’s amazing biography) wrote in his own old age, “You are not singular in your suspicions that you know ...
Get Narrow Before Life Does
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s interesting that these three great Stoics spent their final moments not as lone wolves but as friends, as fathers, as people who loved their fe...
Colin Elliott On The Art Of Navigating Lessons From History To The Modern World
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with economic and social historian Colin Elliott. They delve into the complexities surrounding ...
Don’t Let It Change You | How To Actually Be Happier In 2024 (According to the Stoics)
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
So eventually a group of corrupt Romans contrived to have Cato assigned to a posting in Cyprus, a veritable hotbed of misdeeds and sin. It was a place...
You Are An Artist (Whether You Know It Or Not) | Watch Over Your Perceptions
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maybe you don’t see yourself as an artist, just like Socrates didn’t see himself as an athlete, but maybe you are. According to Mikel Jollett, the...
How To Plan Your Day Like Marcus Aurelius
11 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan reminds us How To Plan Your Day Like Marcus Aurelius by the way of voice actor Michael Rei...
Author Evelyn McDonnell On Joan Didion’s Life and Legacy (Pt 2)
10 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan continues his conversation with writer, academic and associate professor of journalism, Evelyn McDonn...
You Don’t Want To Rule The World | You Don't Have To Have An Opinion
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We talked about this recently, but ruling the world is not great. The evidence bears this out. In Lives of the Stoics, we tell the story of a haunting...
Either Way, This Is Not The Answer | Ask DS
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Then there is the stuff that does harm the community—a corrupt politician who tries to overthrow the rule of law, discrimination, violence, pollutio...
This is Why You Can’t Try To Avoid Criticism
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody wants to be criticized. It doesn’t feel good when people judge what you’ve done. We want the right people to like us, we want all people to...
Author Evelyn McDonnell On Joan Didion’s Life and Legacy (Pt 1)
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with writer, academic and associate professor of journalism, Evelyn McDonnell. Together they di...
You Can Have This Joy | The Stoic Art Of Stillness (12 Keys)
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Look, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if in their opinion, that’s what Stoicism is in their view—God bless them. But the facts just ...
Try Not To Be So Slow | Suspend Your Opinions
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the early years, there was an excuse. Nero was just a teenager when Seneca started tutoring him. The boy was timid and coddled. He had experienced ...
An Empire Exhausted
04 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan pulls an excerpt from Colin Elliott's latest book, POX ROMANA: THE PLAGUE THAT SHOOK THE R...
Dr. Michael Gervais On The Extension Of Stoicism In Modern Times (Pt 2)
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan continues his conversation with one of the world's top high-performance psychologists and leading exp...
This Is Why You Shouldn’t Be Jealous | A Proper Frame Of Mind
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine the jealousy that they must have felt. Hadrian was gifting the purple—the job of the emperor—to a teenager he wasn’t even related to. In...
Until You Get There, Try This | Ask DS
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Maybe towards the end, it’s possible to get to that level. Maybe after a lifetime of study and practice, a Stoic can come to not just understand but...
Dr. Michael Gervais on Not Caring What People Think and the Future of Stoicism (Pt 1)
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan is joined by Dr. Michael Gervais, one of the world’s top high-performance psychologists and leading...
Surrender But Don’t Give Yourself Away
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The fact of life is that we’re going to get tossed around by forces outside our control. Never forget fortunes’ habit of behaving exactly as she p...
Follow Your Arrow | 7 Stoic Keys To Being A Great Leader (Ryan Holiday Speaks To The U.S. Military)
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
They were different. Some of them were downright weird. Cleanthes made quite a spectacle of himself in Athens, a philosopher who did manual labor for ...
Everything Is A Kind Of Dying | A Little Better Every Day
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius knew this, but he didn’t let it get him down. In fact, he found some reassurance in it. “When we cease from activity, or follow a ...
How To Be A Leader | Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers
28 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As one of history’s most important biographers and essayists, Plutarch studied deeply the traits of great Greek and Roman leaders to identify just w...
Adam Nicolson On The Rule Of Philosophy & Greek Mythology
27 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with English author Adam Nicolson on greek mythology, real meaning of the oceans, travel, the g...
You Have To Look This Way | Focus On The Present Moment
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the muck and mire of daily life, it’s easy to get frustrated with people. It’s easy to prioritize the wrong things, to lose perspective. It’s...
If You Want To Be Happy Do This | Ask Ds
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Stoics talk about a lot of things. But they don’t speak that much about happiness. Is that because they were too tough or too resigned to their ...
Keep Your Head Out Of The Clouds
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The image of the philosopher is typically that of an academic, one preoccupied with big, theoretical ideas. You know, the kind of brilliant but absent...
Tim Ferriss On Generosity And Dealing With Difficult People (Pt 2)
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with author and early-stage technology investor/advisor Tim Ferriss on the essence of Stoicism,...
Somebody Lit From Within | 10 Stoic Habits To Practice In 2024
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Agrippinus once told another philosopher that while everyone else wanted to blend in, he was content to stand out—to ‘be the red thread’ in the ...
You Have To Be Able To Deal With This | A Little Better Every Day
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Emotions are a part of being human. They’re a part of us. They’re hardwired in. So it’s a mistake to think that Stoicism is about the suppressio...
5 Ways That Ego Holds Us Back And Unlocking Human Potential
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks Unlocking Human Potential, and Conquering your ego with YPO West Michigan and YPO Go...
Tim Ferriss on Making Better Decisions and Solving Problems (Pt 1)
20 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with author and early-stage technology investor/advisor Tim Ferriss on the essence of Stoicism,...
It’s Cheap To Be Dead | Wherever You Go, There Your Choice Is
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you consider the insane amounts of money that some people feel the need to accumulate, when you see their estates, when you see them pinch every ...
Regulation First, Happiness Second | Ask DS
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We talked recently about a piece of advice from the therapist and children expert Dr. Becky Kennedy (she has a great book called Good Inside and was a...
You’re Always Where You Leave Yourself
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It feels like it will make a difference, that long awaited trip. That exciting new job that will keep you very busy, make you very rich. That pioneeri...
Chip Conley on Finding Contentment and Embracing Our Achievements
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with successful hospitality entrepreneur and bestselling author Chip Conley on boutique hotels ...
Which Way To Forgiveness? | Stoic Advice For Living Longer And Happier
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a story as old as it gets. Marcus Aurelius felt it when Cassius attempted his coup. Maybe he felt it with his step brother Lucius Verus. Epicte...
You Can Do Better Now | The Wake Up
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The business failure. The blown meeting. The marriage that fell apart. These things didn’t go the way you wanted. It’s frustrating and painful. It...
The Obstacle Is The Way | The Discipline of Perception
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Obstacle Is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whateve...
Kermit Roosevelt III on Theodore Roosevelt And Cultural Movements (PT 2)
13 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with American author, lawyer, and legal scholar Kermit Roosevelt III on Honoring and ...
You Must Practice This | The One Path To Serenity
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s just not true. The Stoics were not magically stronger, wiser, more mentally tough than you. In fact, they were exactly the same as you. They fe...
What Part Will You Play? | Ask DS
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Even the people who obstruct us, who fight against progress are playing a role. Certainly every historical period has had those people, so why should ...
Do This To Get That
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a sense, this is also the secret to happiness. No one can give us step-by-step instructions for achieving happiness—not even the Stoics. But they...
Kermit Roosevelt III on Theodore Roosevelt and the Collapse of Honor (PT 1)
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with American author, lawyer, and legal scholar Kermit Roosevelt III on Honoring and doing what...
You Can’t Make Them Appreciate It |The Most Important Thing You Can Do Every Day
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You do a lot. You try hard. You hold yourself to high standards—higher anyway, than most people. You’re not exactly a reincarnation of Cato but st...
It’s a Beautiful Tradition | The Sphere Of Choice
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Some time around the year 141 CE, Junius Rusticus gave Marcus Aurelius a gift. “The remembrances of Epictetus,” as Marcus would refer most gr...
Coping With Grief: 10 Timeless Strategies From Ancient Philosophy
07 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In today's weekend episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan presents an excerpt touching on grief and the 10 timeless strategies read by voice actor M...
Christina Pazsitzky, Tom Segura, Whitney Cummings, Drew Michael, Pete Holmes, and Katherine Blanford on Comedy and Philosophy
06 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features clips from some of the best interviews throughout 2023. This year, we had a handful of great comedians come onto the podcas...
Do This Every Day | Clarify Your Intentions
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The pages were a safe space. A place away from the intrigues of court. A place away from war and death and pestilence. A place to process his stress, ...
The Thing We Never Want To Do | Ask DS
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We know what Seneca thought of Alexander the Great. We know what he thought of Marius. We know what he thought of entitled and gluttonous Romans. We h...
If You Want It To Take Hold In Your Mind…
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius read Epictetus…a lot. We know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost every page has some direct quote or allusion to Epicte...