The Daily Stoic

The more powerful our tools become, the more important our judgment becomes. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with Jeremy Utley and Henrik Werdelin, hosts of Beyond the Prompt, about what the Stoics can teach us about AI, modern technology, and the skills we can’t afford to outsource.Beyond the Prompt is hosted by Henrik Werdelin, an entrepreneur known for co-founding BarkBox, prehype, and other startups, and Jeremy Utley, a lecturer at Stanford and author of Ideaflow. 

Marcus Aurelius, despite being emperor of Rome, still made time every day to write in his journal, examining his thoughts and actions. He understood that wisdom required ongoing effort—not once, but continually throughout life. 

Seneca and Marcus Aurelius and Cato were all concerned about their declining institutions. But unlike us, as we read about these historical events, they did not know how they would end.

The question for you today (and always) is: what do you pledge your sacred honor to? What are you fighting for?

This is the day to change your life. A new day is in front of us. As Marcus Aurelius reminds us, it’s a tragedy to cling to being the person you’ve always been.

Was Nero really that bad, or has history been telling the same story for 2,000 years without asking who started it? In today’s episode, Ryan looks at the myths, accusations, and contradictions behind Nero’s reputation, and asks whether he was really a monster, a scapegoat, or a warning.

This is your life that sits before you. Time is ticking away.

The Stoics had high standards. They also understood that perfection was not possible.

Empathy is not the opposite of Stoic strength. It’s part of what keeps that strength from becoming coldness. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with Will Guidara, author of Unreasonable Hospitality, about why empathy is one of the most powerful skills a leader can build. They discuss why hospitality is really about making people feel seen, the Stoic idea of slowing down to speed up, the importance of not wasting adversity, and why we should never let someone else’s bad behavior pull us away from the person we want to be.Will Guidara is a restaurateur, speaker, and the author of Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect and the new Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide. He is the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which earned three Michelin stars and was named the number one restaurant in the world.Will’s work on hospitality has been featured in his TED Talk, The Secret Ingredients of Great Hospitality, and his book Unreasonab

Maybe you don’t think it’s making much of a difference. Maybe it’s terrifying and exhausting. Maybe it’s costing you a lot—friends, followers, peace of mind. Still, it is worth doing.

The four virtues serve as a compass for how to act, who to be, and how to respond in any situation.  Have we found anything better?

You think they have everything they could possibly want. But the rich, the powerful? They are actually incredibly jealous people.

In today’s episode, Ryan shares timeless lessons from the ancients on how to ask better questions, think more clearly, and make the most of AI without losing your ability to discern what’s true.

The real test of philosophy is not what it teaches us in quiet moments, but what it demands from us when power, pressure, and ego enter the room. In today’s episode, Ryan talks with Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, about Stoicism, leadership, responsibility, and the dangers of power without introspection. They discuss ego, the crisis facing young men, the loss of shared rituals and institutions, and why philosophy still matters in public life.

Think about what your anxiety costs you. Think about it honestly and painfully. 

What’s left of Stoicism today is, if anything, more robust than it was in the ancient world.

General Jim Mattis has spent his life proving that philosophy is not just for the classroom. In today’s episode, Margaret Hoover interviews General Mattis, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Ryan about why philosophy matters most when things are difficult. They discuss how leaders fall back on their first principles in a crisis, and what Marcus Aurelius, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln can still teach us about courage, citizenship, and character today.

The four Stoic virtues are not supposed to be pursued in isolation. Instead, they come together under the idea of virtue itself.

You thought you were supposed to be doing this. You thought your job was to do that. But then what happened? Life happened. Stuff happened. Other people happened.

In a recent interview, Daniel Radcliffe talked about the book "How To Hide an Empire" which has been one of Ryan's favorite reads lately. Here are some of his takeaways.You can grab a copy of How To Hide an Empire at Ryan's bookstore, The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/