The Via Stoica Podcast — A Stoic Way of Life

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Joelle Samaha , founder of PhiloLife, for an open and deeply personal conversation about healing, philosophy of life, and what it means to live in alignment. Joelle shares her journey into philosophy, wellbeing, and integrative health, shaped by teaching, research, anxiety, loss, and lived experience. We...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, where we explore how Stoic wisdom helps us navigate modern life. In this episode, we reflect on Epictetus’ reminder: “In a similar way, you too should remind yourself that what you love is mortal, that what you love is not your own. It is granted to you for the present while and not irrevocably, not forever, but like a fig or a bunch of grapes in the appointed se...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, I’m joined by Jason Nelson , author of A Balm for Your Soul: Six Seeds for Happiness , for a calm and honest conversation about happiness, burnout, and what it really takes to live well. Jason shares his journey from corporate life in London to a slower, more intentional way of living, shaped by reflection, practice, and...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we look at a passage by Marcus Aurelius from Meditations , Book 5.3, where he reminds himself how to act in the face of criticism and doubt: “If an action or utterance is appropriate, then it’s appropriate for you. Don’t be put off by other people’s comments and criticism. If it’s right to say or do it, then it’s the righ...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore why self compassion matters if we want to make real progress. Stoicism is demanding, and it can easily turn into a quiet kind of perfectionism, where every mistake feels like failure. But the Stoics were never asking us to be finished, they were asking us to keep training. Marcus Aurelius begins his reflections...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the Podcast on Stoicism. Where we take a moment to slow down and reflect on what the Stoics can teach us about living with reason and restraint. In this episode, we turn to Seneca and a striking passage from On Anger , Book 3, section 3: “So tell me, will someone call a man sane who, as if caught up in a tempest, does not walk, but is driven along and takes as hi...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore why the idea of the Stoic lone wolf is a myth. While modern culture often praises isolation and radical self reliance as strength, the Stoics understood human beings as deeply social by nature. Solitude can restore us, but cutting ourselves off from others slowly erodes purpose and direction. Marcus Aurelius ca...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this week's Stoic Quotes episode, we look at Epictetus, Discourses , Book 4, Chapter 4, recorded by Arrian. He writes: “But it is a much finer thing to be happy, to have a peaceful and undisturbed mind, to have what concerns you depend on nobody but yourself.” At first glance, this can sound like withdrawal from the world, but Epic...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore what it really means to build a strong relationship, not from modern ideals of romance or constant happiness, but from a Stoic understanding of character, responsibility, and shared life. Relationships matter deeply in everyday life, yet they often become a source of anxiety, pressure, and confusion. The Stoics...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. This is another Stoic Quotes edition, where we reflect on a single passage and its meaning for everyday life. In this episode, we turn to Marcus Aurelius and a note from Meditations 10.37: “Learn to ask of all actions, ‘Why are they doing that?’ Starting with your own.” In another translation, he adds: “What is his point of reference here...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore why New Year’s can feel strangely heavy, even when it’s meant to be a celebration. For many people, it becomes a moment of judgment, comparison, and pressure, a symbolic “turning point” that makes unfinished business feel louder than usual. The Stoics offer a calmer way to approach it, not as a magical reset, b...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this Stoic Quotes edition, we reflect on Seneca’s On Anger , Book III, where he reports Aristotle’s concern that, without anger, the mind becomes “indifferent to great endeavors.” Seneca, Dialogues and Essays, On Anger, 3 Seneca introduces this idea to question it. For the Stoics, anger is not a source of strength but a disturbance of...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore a theme that quietly weighs on many people during this time of year: navigating the holidays alone. While the holiday season is often portrayed as a time of togetherness, joy, and celebration, it can also amplify feelings of loneliness, pressure, and comparison. The Stoics approached these moments differently,...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this Stoic Quotes episode, we turn to Epictetus and one of the most important passages from the Handbook (Enchiridion), 1 . Epictetus writes: “Practice then from the start to say to every harsh impression, ‘You are an impression and not at all the things you appear to be.’ Then examine it and test it by these rules … whether it has to...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism In this episode of The Via Stoica Podcast, I sit down with Eric Weiner, celebrated author, philosophical traveler, and former NPR foreign correspondent, to explore how philosophy, travel, and character shape a meaningful life. Known for The Socrates Express and The Geography of Bliss, Eric brings a mix of humor, honesty, and depth to the c...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In today’s Stoic Quotes edition, we explore a powerful passage from Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.16 : “Why is it so hard when things go against you? If it is imposed by nature, accept it gladly and stop fighting. And if not, work out what your own nature requires and aim at that… None of us is forbidden to pursue our own good.” Marcus...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore what it truly means to socialize like a Stoic in a world shaped by screens, quick fixes, and the rising tide of loneliness. Many believe confidence comes from external aids like alcohol or status, yet the Stoics approached human connection from a far deeper place. This conversation invites you to pause and reco...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore a powerful line from Seneca’s On Anger (Book 3.5): “The first essential is not to become angry; the second, to cease being angry; the third, to cure anger in others.” Seneca calls anger a form of “momentary madness,” a state that pulls us away from clarity and keeps us from making the right moral choice. We wal...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In today’s episode, we explore a simple but powerful December practice: returning to a few meaningful books as a way to reflect, reset, and prepare for the year ahead. This is a time when many people think about change, but the Stoics approached renewal differently. For them, reflection wasn’t about waiting for January 1st, it was about u...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In today’s Stoic Quotes episode, we explore a powerful teaching from Epictetus taken from the Handbook (Enchiridion), Section 4, a short, concentrated guide to Stoic practice. “ When you are about to undertake some action, remind yourself what sort of action it is. ” Epictetus, Handbook, 4 This simple instruction contains a profound Stoic...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore the roots of Stoic thought through Donald Robertson’s new book, How to Think Like Socrates . Instead of beginning with Marcus Aurelius, we step back to the source, to a philosopher who shaped the very way the Stoics learned to think. Socrates invites us to examine our beliefs, question our assumptions, and appr...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In today’s Stoic Quotes episode, we explore a powerful reflection from Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.1, a reminder of responsibility, harmony, and our place within the larger human community: “No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative or hate him. We were born to work together, like feet, hands, and eyes; l...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this special episode, we dive into one of the most important and most misunderstood topics in the entire Stoic tradition: the nature of emotion . Today, I’m joined by Margaret Graver , the Aaron Lawrence Professor of Classics at Dartmouth College, and one of the world’s leading scholars on ancient Stoicism. Her book Stoicism and Emotio...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. Today’s episode reflects on a line from Seneca’s Consolation to Helvia , written while he was exiled on the island of Corsica. In this letter to his mother, he tries to steady her grief, and perhaps his own, with a reminder of what truly satisfies the human spirit: “Greed is satisfied by nothing, but nature finds satisfaction even in scan...

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this episode, we explore what it truly means to be a friend and to have one. We often say “a friend in need is a friend indeed,” but the Stoics invite us to look deeper. What makes a friendship good ? When does it help us grow in virtue, and when does it distract us from it? Drawing on the insights of Seneca, Epictetus, and even Aristo...