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The Daily Stoic, page 11
by Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures · English
For centuries, all sorts of people—generals and politicians, athletes and coaches, writers and leaders—have looked to the teachings of Stoicism to help guide their lives. Each day, author and speaker Ryan Holiday brings you a new lesson about life, inspired by the thoughts and writings of great Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca the Younger. Daily Stoic Podcast also features Q+As with listeners and interviews with notable figures from sports, academia, politics, and more. Learn more at DailyStoic.com. Support the podcast and go deeper with Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content (coming soon): dailystoic.com/premium Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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BONUS | Ryan Holiday Responds to Daniel Radcliffe
Ryan Holiday discusses a book about America as an empire, recommending it and using its history to argue that understanding the past clarifies the present and that colonialism/territorial control is…
12 May 2026 · 9m · 2 chaptersNo, This Is The Mission | Kindness Is Always The Right Response
Stoic “mission” adapts when life changes; obstacles become the path (Marcus Aurelius).
12 May 2026 · 8m · 2 chaptersIt Can Change Everything | A Real-Life Example of How to Build a Coaching Tree
How “coaching trees” (mentorship networks) create long-term success; expands “justice” into leaders’ duties to develop others, not just win.
11 May 2026 · 26m · 12 chaptersWe Owe It All To Them | What Marcus Aurelius Learned From His Mother
How Marcus Aurelius’ mother shaped his Stoic character and the purpose of Meditations—improving inner thoughts and character, not just outward behavior.
10 May 2026 · 14m · 3 chapters
Rock Bottom, Recovery, and Starting Over at 40 | Jon Gustin
Jon Gustin’s path to sobriety in his early 20s, how “rock bottom” in 2023 led to sustained recovery, and how Stoicism (especially ego control and inner peace amid chaos) supports staying present as a…
9 May 2026 · 23m · 12 chaptersThe Stoic All the Stoics Admired
A Daily Stoic episode arguing that the Stoics most admired Cato the Younger (95–46 BC) not for writings but for his lived example—especially incorruptibility, disciplined speech, and justice…
8 May 2026 · 30m · 16 chaptersIt Can’t Think About You | How to Be a Better Friend, According to the Stoics
The episode argues that Stoics view friendship as a core part of a good life, and teaches how to be a better friend by applying Stoic judgment, avoiding “fair-weather” ties, and handling friend loss…
7 May 2026 · 15m · 7 chaptersBONUS | 6 Stoic Rules of Arete (Excellence)
“6 Stoic Rules of Arete (Excellence)”—how to live with excellence using Stoic practices: seek discomfort, focus on process, ask for help, reject ego, embrace failure, and treat obstacles as…
7 May 2026 · 3m · 1 chapter
You Think You Want Autonomy. You Don’t. | David Epstein
The episode argues that “autonomy” as freedom from all rules is a trap; constraints provide containment, focus, prioritization, and sustainable creativity—“freedom within a framework.”
6 May 2026 · 20m · 14 chaptersThey’re Not Thinking About You At All
Mental boundaries—how to stop obsessing over people who frustrate you, using the idea that “they’re not thinking about you at all.” Guest backgrounds: No guests are mentioned; this is a solo Daily…
6 May 2026 · 2m · 1 chapterThis is the Part To Love | How a Stoic Deals with Obnoxious People
Stoic “amor fati” and “the obstacle is the way” reframed: you don’t love the tragedy itself; you love yourself in and after it, and you treat obnoxious/dishonest people as opportunities to practice…
5 May 2026 · 16m · 4 chaptersWhen Your Passion Is Master of Your Reason… | We Are a Product of Our Habits
Stoic warnings about passions overriding reason, and how habits shape character and outcomes.
4 May 2026 · 8m · 2 chapters40 Hidden Lessons From Marcus Aurelius' Meditations
Hidden lessons in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations—how to read it beyond surface quotes, using context from his life (Roman empire, exile, plague) and Stoic practices (acceptance, focusing on what’s in…
3 May 2026 · 44m · 24 chapters
What Comes After Surviving the Unthinkable | Kyle Carpenter
Part two of a Daily Stoic conversation on resiliency after “surviving the unthinkable,” using Kyle Carpenter’s Afghanistan grenade survival, Stoic-style courage, and the idea that asking for help is…
2 May 2026 · 41m · 15 chaptersBONUS | Ryan Holiday's Response to Ivanka Trump
Ryan Holiday criticizes Ivanka Trump’s use of Mark Aurelius/stoicism as performative branding, arguing true Stoicism is ethical practice centered on justice and accountability.
1 May 2026 · 5m · 3 chaptersWhat You Need is a Small Crisis | Show, Not Tell, What You Know
Stoic practice “show, not tell” and why small crises/wake-up calls (not only big catastrophes) are opportunities to build virtue; philosophy must be digested and turned into conduct, not just quoted.
1 May 2026 · 10m · 1 chapterWhy Are You Surprised?
Stoic reframing of “surprise” at other people’s predictable bad behavior—bosses, parents, politicians, loud neighbors—and redirecting attention from resentment to character.
30 Apr 2026 · 3m · 2 chapters
The Choice That Kept Dr. Edith Eger Alive In Auschwitz
Dr. Edith Eger’s Holocaust survival and the Stoic-like “choice” of how to think and respond—especially her claim that the greatest prison is mental, not physical.
30 Apr 2026 · 31m · 17 chaptersMarcus Aurelius's Rules for Living a Better Life
A Daily Stoic episode extracting nine practical “rules for living” from Marcus Aurelius, centered on control vs. constraint, virtue, disciplined action, and reframing obstacles.
29 Apr 2026 · 11m · 6 chapters
Kyle Carpenter on Courage, Survival, and What Comes After
Courage as a split-second act and, more importantly, the long endurance afterward; Stoic framing of what’s in your control during recovery and life’s ongoing frustrations.
29 Apr 2026 · 39m · 15 chaptersIt’s Right There. Take It. | Stoic Lessons Hidden in Bruce Springsteen Songs
Stoic lessons drawn from Bruce Springsteen lyrics and related examples—especially using history, protecting time, living fully now, practicing kindness/forgiveness in family, and letting go of petty…
28 Apr 2026 · 13m · 4 chaptersNothing Is As Encouraging As This | The Freedom of Contempt
Stoic self-encouragement and “the freedom of contempt”—reducing the power of luxuries, status, and impressions by describing them bluntly and stripping away “legend.”
27 Apr 2026 · 8m · 3 chaptersThe Most Powerful Lines From Marcus Aurelius
The episode is about using Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations to calm anxiety, cut through irrational fear, and live with discipline and justice.
26 Apr 2026 · 31m · 13 chaptersWhy “Meditations” Needs a New Name—According to William O. Stephens
Ryan and guest William O. Stephens discuss his new Marcus Aurelius biography and a “Meditations Month” deep dive, focusing on whether the work’s title should be “Meditations” (Stephens argues it…
25 Apr 2026 · 34m · 14 chapters