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The Daily Stoic

Daily Stoic | Wonderywondery.com

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.

Listen to The Daily Stoic on the Wondery App or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-daily-stoic/ now. 

Episodes

Can You Do It Even When You Don’t Want To? | Cultivate Indifference

Can you do it even when it's hard? Even when you don't want to? Even when you think maybe that you can't? Looking to make real, lasting change in your life? Check out The Daily Stoic Course: Habits for Success, Habits for Happiness : https://store.dailystoic.com Get Habits for Success, Habits for Happiness & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life 📕 Grab a signed copy of Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday  🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoi...

Feb 18, 20258 minEp 2445Transcript available on Metacast

This Is What It Takes To Lead | The Enemy of Happiness

As Truman also said, not all readers are leaders, but there is nothing better to start you on the path to leadership than reading great books. 📚 Check out The Painted Porch for your next book: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/ 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic ! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoi...

Feb 17, 20258 minEp 2443Transcript available on Metacast

BONUS: How Abraham Lincoln Proved The Obstacle Is the Way

This President’s Day, learn how Abraham Lincoln turned every challenge into an opportunity to grow. From personal loss to political failure, each setback made him wiser, tougher, and more empathetic leader. 🎥 Watch 5 Parenting Lessons From Abraham Lincoln on the Daily Dad YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtw5SjfMyfw 📕 Pick up a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagr...

Feb 17, 202517 minEp 2444Transcript available on Metacast

Socrates vs. The Thirty Tyrants | Philosophy in an Age of Fear

The Thirty Tyrants were a ruthless group that crushed anyone who opposed them. Socrates had personal ties to some of its leaders but refused to take part in their brutal actions. Yet, his silence in the face of their regime would later come back to haunt him when he was put on trial. Today's audiobook excerpt is from How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World by Donald Robertson. 📚 Pick up copies of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor and How To Think Lik...

Feb 16, 202530 minEp 2434Transcript available on Metacast

Josh Brolin on Embracing Life’s Messiness With Stoicism (PT. 2)

In today’s Part 2 episode, Josh Brolin and Ryan talk about shedding the ‘young talent’ image, the transformative power of gratitude, and the evolving journey of parenting through life’s different phases. Josh Brolin's breakout role was in The Goonies (1985), and after a hiatus from Hollywood, he made a powerful comeback in No Country for Old Men (2007). He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dan White in the biopic Milk (2008). Brolin is also known...

Feb 15, 202542 minEp 2431Transcript available on Metacast

This Is Always The Answer | Robert Greene's 6 Stoic Concepts For A Fulfilling Life

It’s not that the Stoics had no temper or no fear or no moments where their life felt unfulfilled. It’s that they controlled those emotions and replaced them with love.  🪙 Get your own Amor fati medallion , as a reminder to treat each and every moment—no matter how challenging—as something to be embraced, not avoided. So that like oxygen to a fire, obstacles and adversity become fuel for your potential Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📚 Pick up your next favorite Robert Green...

Feb 14, 202513 minEp 2440Transcript available on Metacast

This Is A Choice You’re Making | Ask Daily Stoic

We think if we just make enough money, we won't have to worry anymore. We think if we just become powerful enough, we'll be free from feeling pushed around. Of course, it never works out that way. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at http...

Feb 13, 202513 minEp 2439Transcript available on Metacast

Josh Brolin on Embracing Life’s Messiness With Stoicism (PT. 1)

Josh Brolin joins Ryan to talk about the childhood trauma that shaped him, the cathartic process of writing his memoir , and how confronting his past became a form of personal healing. Josh also shares how Stoicism has profoundly influenced his outlook on life, helping him navigate adversity, build resilience, and embrace the messiness of life.  Josh Brolin's breakout role was in The Goonies (1985), and after a hiatus from Hollywood, he made a powerful comeback in No Country for Old Men (20...

Feb 12, 202545 minEp 2429Transcript available on Metacast

Don’t Put Things Off

Life has a way stripping all our reasons bare, of humbling our plans and assumptions. 🪙 Designed with the intention of carrying them in your pocket, our Memento Mori Medallion is a literal and inescapable reminder that “you could leave life right now.” Check it out at https://store.dailystoic.com/ 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast ...

Feb 12, 20253 minEp 2437Transcript available on Metacast

To The End They Remain | Watch Over Your Perceptions

We never met Marcus Aurelius or listened to Epictetus lecture. And yet, do they not feel real to us? Do they not still inspire and speak to us? 📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living : https://store.dailystoic.com/ Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover : https://store.dailystoic.com/ 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoi...

Feb 11, 20259 minEp 2436Transcript available on Metacast

This Is The Purpose of Desire | Anger Is Bad Fuel

The Stoics warned us about this endless cycle, not to condemn desire entirely, but to remind us that fulfillment doesn’t come from acquisition. The things we think will complete us rarely do. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic ! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 💡 Take the first step towards a calmer future by signing up for the course: Taming Your Temper: The 11 Day Stoic Guide to Controlling Your Anger at the Daily Stoic Stor...

Feb 10, 20258 minEp 2435Transcript available on Metacast

Redesign Your Life With This | Ryan Holiday Live in Sydney, Australia

Join Ryan Holiday for an in-depth dive into Stoic wisdom, delivered to a packed audience at Sydney Town Hall in Australia. 🎥 Watch this talk on YouTube here 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic i...

Feb 09, 20251 hr 10 minEp 2426Transcript available on Metacast

Steve Magness on Winning The Inside Game

In his work as a performance expert, Steve Magness has discovered that to truly reach the highest level in any field, it’s the mental game that matters most. Steve joins Ryan today to discuss intrinsic motivation, the difference between confidence and ego, and the psychological impact of performance expectations. Steve Magness is a world-renowned expert on performance and author of Win the Inside Game: How to Move from Surviving to Thriving, and Free Yourself Up to Perform . His writing has appe...

Feb 08, 20251 hr 3 minEp 2425Transcript available on Metacast

Two Words To Lead And Live By | How To Be A Man (Lessons From The Stoics)

The most important thing displayed in Andy Reid’s his office is not a trophy. Instead, it’s a simple 3x5 index card—now decades old—with a remarkable subdued message: “Don’t judge.”  🏈 Check out Ryan's interview with NFL Legend Tony Gonzalez : https://youtu.be/-oBWywBbJKA 🎥 Watch  Ryan’s speech to the Browns here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3STjOKmuJhc 👉 If you liked this episode, check these videos out on the Daily Stoic YouTube Channel : 11 Stoic Principles Every Athlete...

Feb 07, 202529 minEp 2433Transcript available on Metacast

You Make This For Yourself | Ask Daily Stoic

Perhaps you feel a bit like Marcus Aurelius did when he wrote in Meditations , “I was once a fortunate man but at some point fortune abandoned me.” 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired bo...

Feb 06, 202513 minEp 2432Transcript available on Metacast

Alexi Pappas on Ditching Goals and Her Strategy For Maximizing Mentorship

It’s easy to assume an Olympian would be all about external achievements, but Alexi Pappas has redefined what success means to her by letting go of goals altogether. Alexi joins Ryan to talk about falling in love with the process vs. achieving a goal, simplifying life’s decisions, and how losing her mom led her to seek mentorship everywhere.  Alexi Pappas is an Olympic athlete, filmmaker, author of Bravey , and podcast host of Mentor Buffet . Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, ...

Feb 05, 20251 hr 3 minEp 2421Transcript available on Metacast

What Did You Think You Would See?

The reason it makes you upset is because you expect it to be otherwise. Because you let it surprise you. Because you take it personally. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medall...

Feb 05, 20252 minEp 2430Transcript available on Metacast

We Are Better For This | On Being Invincible

We’d prefer to be less hemmed in, to have more freedom, to have fewer rules. But we are made better for the constraints of life.  Today's entry in The Daily Stoic : On Being Invincible 📔 The Obstacle Is the Way leather bound edition: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📕 Get a signed, numbered first-edition of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic ! Check it out at th...

Feb 04, 20257 minEp 2428Transcript available on Metacast

Don’t Let It Turn You Upside Down | Suspend Your Opinions

We have to remind ourselves, as Marcus Aurelius did, that no matter what other people do (or what other people get away with), our job is to be good.  📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living : https://store.dailystoic.com/ Protect your Daily Stoic Journal from the wear and tear of everyday use with the Leather Cover : https://store.dailystoic.com/ 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.c...

Feb 03, 20258 minEp 2427Transcript available on Metacast

Grow A Coaching Tree

By supporting, encouraging, and influencing others, our efforts can live on. What matters is that we are the candle that lights another, which in turn lights another. 🎥 Watch Rupi Kaur's interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SkjF4ZWoCA 📕 Grab a signed copy of Right Thing, Right Now by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📚 You can get signed copies of Rupi’s 10th Anniversary Edition of milk and honey, the original milk and honey, the sun and her flowers, and homebody ...

Feb 02, 202512 minEp 2417Transcript available on Metacast

Matthew McConaughey LIVE at The Painted Porch

How does Matthew McConaughey deal with difficult people? What’s his approach to dealing with life’s red lights? And what advice does he offer to someone considering a major career change? In a live conversation at The Painted Porch, McConaughey answers these questions and more, while also clearing up some confusion on his viral tuna salad recipe.  Matthew McConaughey has starred in Interstellar , A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, Dallas Buyers Club, and more . McConaughey also works ...

Feb 01, 202556 minEp 2416Transcript available on Metacast

Does It Measure Up? | Philosophy As Medicine Of The Soul

You want to achieve. You want to leave your mark on the universe. You want to conquer the world. 🎥 Watch 9 Stoic Lessons From Iron Maiden on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPCjKWz8dI Since we received such great feedback from the launch of 2025's New Year New You Challenge , we decided to RE-OPEN the challenge for February. Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today to sign up. 📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic ! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Stor...

Jan 31, 20259 minEp 2423Transcript available on Metacast

BONUS: Finding Stillness Amidst The Chaos | Ryan and Samantha Holiday

While in Vancouver, mom of four asked Ryan - "How do I achieve stillness while being a parent and juggling everything in my business?" In today's bonus episode, Ryan and his wife Samantha are sharing their different answers to this question, breaking down what stillness means to them and how they work to cultivate it in day to day life. Check out The Daily Dad Podcast for more episodes like this! 🎙️ Listen to The Daily Dad on Apple Podcasts and Spotify ✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad ema...

Jan 31, 202514 minEp 2424Transcript available on Metacast

The Time Is Now | Ask Daily Stoic

Marcus Aurelius didn’t always make the right choices. Neither will we. The important thing is what we do after we come to this realization, after we realize we’ve put something off for too long. Since we received such great feedback from the launch of 2025's New Year New You Challenge , we decided to RE-OPEN the challenge for February. Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today to sign up. 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top...

Jan 30, 202515 minEp 2422Transcript available on Metacast

Have You Tried Asking For This?

Don’t wish for things to be a certain way, Epictetus says, but wish for them to be as they are.  🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast 🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these ...

Jan 29, 20252 minEp 2420Transcript available on Metacast

Matthew McConaughey on Family, Fame, and Livin' Authentically

How has Matthew McConaughey managed to keep his priorities straight while living in the spotlight? In today’s episode, he opens up about balancing family life with acting, treating life’s choices as experiments, and focusing on creating a lasting impact rather than chasing quick wins. Matthew McConaughey has an impressive Hollywood resume, including Interstellar , A Time to Kill, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Dallas Buyers Club. McConaughey also works as a producer and spokesperson, and is the be...

Jan 29, 20251 hr 6 minEp 2412Transcript available on Metacast

We Forget These Heroes | How To Organize Your Life Like A Stoic Philosopher

Cato defying Caesar. Rutilius Rufus going into exile. Marcus Aurelius on the battlefield.These were great and daring deeds of course. Lesser known of course, are the deeds of the Stoic women. 📚 Books Mentioned:  Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday | https://store.dailystoic.com/ The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon | https://www.thepaintedporch.com The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson | https://www.thepaintedporch.com 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https://...

Jan 28, 202524 minEp 2419Transcript available on Metacast

You Need This Trait To Live Your Best Life | Focus On The Present Moment

We have to be willing to question. We have to be willing to try new things…or we’ll never get better. Since we received such great feedback from the launch of 2025's New Year New You Challenge , we decided to RE-OPEN the challenge for February. Head over to dailystoic.com/challenge today to sign up. 📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living : https://store.dailystoic.com/ 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram : https...

Jan 27, 20259 minEp 2418Transcript available on Metacast

Seneca on Master and Slave

In this letter, Seneca is arguing against the treatment of slaves and uses slavery as a metaphor to illustrate how we allow things to control us and the importance of freeing ourselves. Today’s episode is an excerpt from The Tao Of Seneca produced by Tim Ferriss’ Audio. Get the free PDF at tim.blog/seneca 🎙️ Listen to other letters from Seneca: Seneca on Despising Death Seneca on Conquering the Conqueror Seneca on Philosophy and Friendship Seneca on Practicing What You Preach Seneca on The Reas...

Jan 26, 202516 minEp 2407Transcript available on Metacast

Dr. Fauci on How Diseases Have Shaped the Course of History

Diseases have defined eras, from the Antonine Plague during Marcus Aurelius’ reign to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Fauci, a public health leader and advisor to seven Presidents, talks with Ryan about the importance of social responsibility, his influential contributions during the HIV/AIDS crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, and the growing politicization of public health. Dr. Anthony Fauci is a physician-scientist and immunologist, former NIAID Director, chief medical advisor to the president fr...

Jan 25, 202559 minEp 2406Transcript available on Metacast
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