The Daily Stoic

“It’s easy not to feel blessed. We look readily for what we don’t have rather than what we do. We see people who are taller, who look better, who have more and feel deprived. Why couldn’t I have been born rich? Why couldn’t my company have gotten that contract? Why can’t I play in the NFL? ” Ryan discusses why your perception of your life defines your true wealth, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. *...

Ryan speaks to Gabrielle Reece about how the Stoics valued hard work, the stillness that is required to accurately observe ourselves, how to properly maintain healthy relationships and find enough for yourself, and more.  Gabrielle Reece is a professional volleyball player and author of the New York Times bestseller My Foot Is Too Big for the Glass Slipper . She is also an executive member of Lair...

“There were not many good emperors in Rome. There have not been many good kings since. In fact, there haven’t been many good leaders ever—there is something about power that seems to bring out the worst in people. It seems to be a light which destroys the moths that are drawn to it.” Ryan discusses why your character is defined by what you do, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. The Boy Who Would Be K...

“ No man is an island. We’ve taken the line from the John Donne poem and turned it into a common expression, but we’ve missed the point. It’s not simply that we can’t exist by ourselves. It’s much deeper than that.” Ryan explains why we must recognize that we are all a part of the whole, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal , on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. This episode is...

On today’s podcast, Ryan discusses 7 strategies that can help you develop a highly effective journaling habit. Almost 2000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius stole time away from his incredibly busy life full of obligations to write in his journal. By some incredible stroke of luck, that journal survives to us today. And though it is full of countless pieces of wisdom and important lessons to us, perhaps...

Ryan speaks to psychologist Dr. Jonathan Fader about how difficult mental preparation and training can help lead to peak performance, the unseen value of time and developing a method for clear decision making, creating a routine to create and retain gains, and more.  Dr. Jonathan Fader is a licensed clinical and performance psychologist best known for working with professional athletes in the MLB...

“We have so many strong opinions. Especially about things we don’t like. We don’t like it, and we want you to know that we don’t like it—that musician, that politician, that restaurant, the way that so-and-so talks.” Ryan discusses the importance of having the ability to stick to your own path, on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a rev...

“What is the point of reading? ’To me,’ Fran Lebowitz tells Martin Scorsese in the new ‘Pretend It's A City’ docuseries, ‘[reading] is just a way of being immensely rich. This may be the reason I never cared about money. Because as soon as you can read, you are incredibly rich.’” Ryan  explains why reading is the key to a rich life, and reads The Daily Stoic ’s entry of the day, on today’s Da...

“It was on this day 1841 years ago that Marcus Aurelius came to the end. It had been an incredible life, as we’ve talked about. From an ordinary kid to the ruler of the world, this boy who would be king, had made the absolute best of the hand he had been dealt. He hadn’t been corrupted by power, but shared it. He hadn’t been made bitter by adversity but great because of it. Even the plague--which...

On today’s podcast, Ryan talks to musician Nita Strauss about their mutual love of Iron Maiden, how she uses Stoicism to approach life as a female musician, how she has had to pivot due to the pandemic, and more.  Nita Strauss is a musician and is the current touring guitarist for Alice Cooper. She was the first female signature artist to sign a deal with Ibanez guitars and was also ranked No. 1 o...

“It’s been a year, as unbelievable as that is to write. Time has dragged. It has flown by. On March 14, 2020 , almost exactly one year ago, we sent out an email about the rising threat of COVID-19 and its relation to the timeless dictum of Stoicism: We weren’t going to be able to control what had happened, but we could control how we responded .” Ryan discusses the past year and asks you to reflec...

“A little while back we talked about the bold stroke —inspired by the Stoics—which struck down Julius Caesar and his reign on the Ides of March. This moment has always been judged ambiguously by historians. Yes, Caesar was a tyrant… but did the ends justify the means? And what were the ends? Were they successful? Were things better or worse?” Ryan explains why you must think it all the way through...

Today’s episode features another excerpt from Jeffrey Beneker’s How To Be A Leader: An Ancient Guide to Wise Leadership . How To Be A Leader is a modern translation and collection of essays about successful leadership from the ancient biographer Plutarch. Jeff Beneker is a Professor of Classics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. His primary research interest is in Greco-Roman biography and...

Ryan speaks to his friend and fellow author Steven Pressfield about battling resistance and becoming who you were meant to be, the triumph of good over evil and ultimately love, his new novel A Man At Arms , and more.  Steven Pressfield is the author of several critically acclaimed books including Gates of Fire , an epic novel about the battle of Thermopylae, and The War of Art , a guide to unlock...

“It’s impossible to overstate the terror and uncertainty that swarmed Marcus’ life. Just while writing Meditations , Rome fought a war against the Parthians that lasted five years. The River Tiber had one of the worst floods in history, destroying homes and livestock, and delivering a famine. Eventually victorious against the Parthians, celebrations were short-lived because returning soldiers brou...

“They screwed you over. Hurt your career. They disrespected you. They blew it. They did...whatever. Now, you want your revenge. You want them to suffer as you suffered. You want them to know, to feel, the same thing that you’re feeling. The Stoics talk about justice, so that’s OK, right? They shouldn’t be able to get away with this!” Ryan explains why you cannot dwell what is done to you, even if...

On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to his collaborator and illustrator for his new book The Boy Who Would Be King about the process of creating the art for the book, imposing discipline on yourself, how he was impacted by Marcus Aurelius’ story, and more.  Victor Juhasz is an artist and illustrator whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, and Esquire Magazine, and more. He has illustr...

“So much happens in life. There is so much happening. Forget macro events—there are dogs that get sick in the middle of the night. There are trips that need to be made to the store. There are unpleasant conversations to have. Bills that somebody has to pay. Dishes to be done. Hard decisions to make.” Ryan discusses why a Stoic leans into responsibility and adversity instead of avoiding it, and lau...

“You can’t find a single page in Meditations where you get the sense that Marcus was attuned to his extraordinariness. There’s nothing about a legendary moment of courage on the battlefield. Nothing about a remarkable imparting of wisdom to a young politician at the perfect time. Nothing about a spectacular display of patience in the courtroom.” Ryan discusses the Stoic’s formula for greatness, an...

“It would be wonderful we were aligned on this. It would be nice if the world was your ally, that it was green lights all the way—for your diet, for your sobriety, for the path to virtue. But it isn’t.” Ryan discusses the individual battle that we all face, and reads this week’s meditation from The Daily Stoic Journal , on today’s Daily Stoic Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Athleti...

Procrastination is something we all have to struggle with. It can be so tempting to put off a daunting task indefinitely. On today’s episode, Ryan talks about how Stoicism has helped him overcome procrastination, be more productive, and have more free time.  Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IdMDhrkxts&t=38s   This episode is brought to you by LMNT , the maker of electroly...

On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to writer Allie Esiri about the Stoic’s infatuation with ancient poetry, how to read and find insight in poetry, how the greatest writing communicates to us on a subliminal level, and more.  Allie Esiri is a writer and former actress in stage, film, and television. She has released several poetry anthologies including 2020’s, Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year ,...

“Success made Marcus Aurelius better. It seems to have made Seneca worse. Marcus turned to philosophy in his twenties, was first selected for the throne as a teenager, and fully inherited the throne at age 40. Despite the truism that absolute power corrupts absolutely, he somehow managed to not only maintain his philosophical principles from the throne, but seems to have taken the opportunity to b...

“It’s hard not to read about Cato’s life and not be struck by how often the man stood alone. He stood alone as Quaestor, as he reformed Rome’s treasury. He was the sole voice willing to say “No” when people wanted to spend money the empire didn’t have.” Ryan talks about the importance of living by principles and respecting others who do the same, and reads The Daily Stoic ’s entry of the day, on t...

Ryan speaks to author Ron Lieber about the key Stoic virtue of temperance, how money can be a great tool for teaching, how parents and kids should approach college and gap years, and more. Ron Lieber is a bestselling author of several books and has been a New York Times  columnist since 2008. His newest book The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision...