The Daily Stoic

We should fight, as Marcus Aurelius says, to be the person philosophy tried to make us. In this episode, Ryan shares why deciding to live with virtue can completely transform your life.

What’s the point of achieving success if you’re burned out, lonely, or exhausted? In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Mark Manson (bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k) to talk about how the habits that help you “make it” are usually the same ones that burn you out later. Mark talks about the moment he realized he couldn’t keep living like a maniac, the changes he had to make in his 30s and 40s, and why he no longer trusts himself around certain decisions.Mark Manson is a bestselling author best known for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k. In it, Mark looks at self-improvement not through avoiding problems or always being happy, but rather through improving amidst problems and learning to accept the occasional unhappiness. Grab Mark’s books: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k Journal, and Everything Is F***ked: A Book About Hope, at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/Watch Ryan's episode o

It seems insensitive to even suggest that someone “love” their fate. How are you supposed to love a breakup? Love that you buried someone? Love that you lost your business?

There’s even a famous old saying: Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make angry.

In this bonus episode, Ryan sits down with his friend and collaborator, Joe Byerly, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, writer, and host of From the Green Notebook. The two talk about the overlap between Stoicism and service, the discipline it takes to think clearly, and why wisdom isn’t something you’re born with. Joe Byerly is a recently retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and command of a cavalry squadron in Europe. He’s earned multiple honors, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.In 2013, he founded From the Green Notebook, a platform that helps leaders reflect, grow, and share their experiences. Joe’s passionate about the power of reading, writing, and self-reflection—and he’s the author of The Leader’s 90-Day Notebook and co-author of My Green Notebook: “Know Thyself” Before Changing Jobs.Follow Joe on Instagram @FromTheGreenNotebook and on X @jbyerly81Chec

You don’t have to accept being treated this way. You should stand up. You should speak out. But you know what you shouldn’t do?

At some point, you realize courage isn’t something you are born with, it’s something you build. In this episode, Ryan sits down with bestselling author Cheryl Strayed (Tiny Beautiful Things, Wild) to talk about what it really means to be brave. They discuss how fear and courage always show up together, why you can’t wait to “feel ready,” and the difference between saying you’ll change and actually doing it. Cheryl shares what hiking alone on the Pacific Crest Trail taught her about courage, loss, and starting over. Cheryl Strayed is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film. Her bestselling collection of Dear Sugar columns, Tiny Beautiful Things, was adapted for a Hulu television show and as a play that continues to be staged in theaters nationwide. Strayed's other books are the critically acclaimed novel, Torch, and the bestselling collection Brave Enough, which brings

Was Marcus Aurelius a bad father? How did he not manage to pass his Stoicism—to say nothing of his kindness and sense of responsibility—to his son?

Ulysses S. Grant knew what the Stoics knew—that outside circumstances don’t say anything about us, that it didn’t matter, as Epictetus said, what we bear, only how we bear it. 

What is the "Tortoise Method" and how can it help us build habits for happiness? Look no further than this excerpt from Chapter 9 of the audiobook of Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion: How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift, and Your Own Soul Can Help You Change Your Life  by Jay Heinrichs (last week's guest on The Daily Stoic Podcast!). Jay Heinrichs is a New York Times bestselling author of Thank You For Arguing and is a persuasion and conflict consultant. Middlebury College has named him a Professor of the Practice in Rhetoric and Oratory. Jay has conducted influence strategy and training for clients as varied as Kaiser Permanente, Harvard, the European Speechwriters Association, Southwest Airlines, and NASA. He has overseen the remake and staff recruiting of more than a dozen magazines. Pick up a copy of Jay’s latest book Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion: How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift, and Your Own Soul Can Help You Change Your Life Follow Jay on Instagram @JayHeinrichs and check ou

It takes a trained mind to see wonder and awe in the middle of everyday struggles. In today’s PT. 2 episode, Ryan and persuasion expert Jay Heinrichs dive deeper into discipline, the power of our inner dialogue, and what it really means to have agency. Jay shares the story of having breakfast with the Dalai Lama and how the Stoics, Buddhists, Aristotle, and even Taylor Swift all point to the same truth about how we see and respond to life. Jay Heinrichs is a New York Times bestselling author of Thank You For Arguing and is a persuasion and conflict consultant. Middlebury College has named him a Professor of the Practice in Rhetoric and Oratory. Jay has conducted influence strategy and training for clients as varied as Kaiser Permanente, Harvard, the European Speechwriters Association, Southwest Airlines, and NASA. He has overseen the remake and staff recruiting of more than a dozen magazines. Pick up a copy of Jay’s latest book Aristotle’s Guide to Self-Persuasion: How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift

What’s the point? What is philosophy for?

This is what Stoicism has done throughout history. It’s made people the best they could be.

After their interview, Ryan and Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic and author of The Running Ground, headed into The Painted Porch to talk about their favorite books and swap recommendations.

The Stoics were not passive. They did impressive things. They were impressive people. They were fighters. But you know what? They, like the rest of us, sometimes got carried away, sometimes hung on too long, went after the wrong things. 

You’re not lazy, you’re just losing the debate in your own head. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with Jay Heinrichs, bestselling author of Thank You for Arguing and one of the world’s leading experts on rhetoric and persuasion. Jay has spent decades studying how we influence others, but in this conversation, he flips that lens inward to show how we can use the same tools to influence ourselves.Ryan and Jay talk about the fascinating overlap between Stoicism and rhetoric, how Marcus Aurelius used rhetoric to his advantage, and why self-persuasion might actually be more powerful than raw willpower. They discuss the rhetorical tricks Jay used on himself and what the best tools are for getting unstuck.Jay Heinrichs is a New York Times bestselling author of Thank You For Arguing and is a persuasion and conflict consultant. Middlebury College has named him a Professor of the Practice in Rhetoric and Oratory. Jay has conducted influence strategy and training for clients as varied as Kais

History isn’t something that other people lived through and we get to read about. We all live through history and we all can make it if we choose.

We can avoid being swept up in the newest fad or the oldest con. We can stop reliving the same mistake. 

Will you be ​brave​ or afraid? Selfish or ​selfless​? ​Strong​ or weak? ​Wise​ or stupid? Will you cultivate a good habit or a bad one? Courage or cowardice? The bliss of ignorance or the challenge of a new idea? Stay the same…or grow? The easy way or the right way? Is it easy to make these choices? Of course not.

Running isn’t just good exercise, it’s Stoicism in motion. In part two of Ryan’s conversation with Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, they talk about how running mirrors the daily discipline of Stoic philosophy, the decline of expertise in modern life, the one decision Marcus Aurelius made that changed history, and what the Stoics might have gotten wrong.Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, an American magazine founded in 1857, which earned the top honor for magazines, General Excellence, at the National Magazine Awards in both 2022 and 2023. In his time as CEO, the company has seen record subscriber growth. Before joining The Atlantic, he was the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. He is also a former contributor for CBS News and has previously served as editor. He has long been a competitive runner; in 2021, he set the American record for men 45+ in the 50K race.Check out Nick’s new book The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of SportsFollow Nick on Ins