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Stoic Coffee Break

Erick Cloward·380 episodes

EducationHealthFitnessMentalSocietyCulturePhilosophySolo narrator10-20 minWeeklyStoic philosophyPractical reflectionsBeginner-friendly

"Act on your principles, not your moods." A weekly meditation on how Stoic principles can help you be a better human. https://stoic.coffee Follow us on social media: https://instagram.com/stoic.coffee

Why listen

Stoic Coffee Break gives you short, practical reflections on Stoicism without turning philosophy into homework. Host Erick Cloward takes one everyday struggle, such as fear, burnout, attention, anger, or self-discipline, and works through it in a calm solo essay style with concrete examples. It is a good fit for listeners who want ancient philosophy translated into usable tools for modern emotional life.

Episodes

10 min
May 28, 2026Episode 379
Why Searching for Meaning Is Keeping You Stuck | 379

Marcus Aurelius was the most powerful man on Earth. He had every external condition for a meaningful life — wealth, status, purpose handed to him by birth. And yet, his private journals are full of reminders he had to write to himself just to keep going. Which tells you something important: meaning isn't a thing you find. It's a thing you build. The Problem Do you live a meaningful life? Not "are you successful" or "are you productive" or "are you optimizing your mornings”, but does your life actually feel like it means something? Here's what I've come to believe: Don't try to find the meaning of your life. Do things that bring meaning into your life. It’s a subtle shift, but it leads to a completely different life. Finding the meaning of your life is, honestly, an unanswerable question. Philosophers and thinkers and spiritual teaches have been wrestling with it for millennia. You could spend your whole life searching and never arrive. It's the ultimate question. But doing things that add meaning to your life? That is under your control. That's where you have agency. That's where you can actually act. So why is "what is the meaning of my life?" the wrong question? Because searching for meaning looks outward. You're scanning the horizon for something to reveal itself. A bolt out of the blue, a mountain-top moment, a sudden clarity that finally tells you what you're here for. And while you're waiting for that, you're sitting on the sidelines. Ready to start living once you figure out what your life is for. Which may be never. Seneca cuts right to it. In his Letters to Lucilius he writes: "If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable." It sounds like saying figure out the destination before you set sail. But I’d like to broaden the interpretation. I think he's saying: pick a direction. A direction that matters to you. Start sailing. Because a ship that's moving can be steered. A ship sitting in the harbor waiting for perfect conditions goes nowhere. You don't need the full map. You just need to start. Why It Matters So why does meaning matter so much? Meaning is what makes the suffering in life worth it. When our lives feel meaningless, we feel hopeless, like we're going through the motions with no point to any of it. This is why people who are deeply dissatisfied with their lives can spiral so quickly into depression. They feel like a cog in a machine. A robot. Present but not alive. This is also why money and status are such terrible proxies for a meaningful life. You can hit every external marker — the salary, the promotion, the recognition — and still feel completely empty. We attach meaning to outcomes, when really it lives in the effort. If you're working on something that genuinely matters to you, you do it because

16 min
May 19, 2026Episode 388
Collaborating with Reality: The Stoic Art of Being Present | 378

Far too often we’re never really in the moment. Maybe we’re stuck ruminating in the past over what we wished would have happened, or projecting out into the future our hope of what will happen. Maybe we distract ourselves with our phones, with entertainment, or alcohol or drugs. Anything that can relieve boredom or the discomfort of our present reality. But what if you leaned into that boredom? What if embracing discomfort is the key to really experiencing your life? In this episode I want to about the importance of being present in your own life by working with reality, rather than against it. “Caretake this moment. Immerse yourself in its particulars. Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed. Quit evasions. Stop giving yourself needless trouble. It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.” — Epictetus Sitting With Discomfort The other day I was listening to a conversation on the Ezra Klein Show. He was interviewing Pema Chödrön, a Buddhist nun who has spent decades writing and teaching about how to actually live with uncertainty, discomfort, and pain. If you haven't come across her work, I'd encourage you to look her up. The conversation moved through a lot of territory, but one theme kept surfacing, and it's been sitting with me ever since. Sitting with discomfort. Both emotion and physical discomfort. Not trying to change them. Not trying to fix them or think your way out of them. Just being aware of them, and letting them be part of your experience. Now I know that can sound passive, like you're supposed to suffer quietly and call it wisdom. But that's not what they were talking about. What they were getting at is something more precise: when we resist how we're feeling, we don't reduce the pain. We add to it. We take whatever discomfort is already present and we pile on — the worry, the frustration that we feel this way at all, the disappointment that reality isn't matching what we wanted. We make it worse. Pema talked about how one of here mentors used a phrase that I think is one of the best framings I've heard: collaborating with reality. Collaborating with reality. Not fighting it. Not wishing it were different. Not white-knuckling your way through it while secretly hoping it changes. Collaborating with it. And the moment I heard that, I thought — that's exactly what the Stoics meant when they said we should live according to nature. Same insight, two and a half thousand years apart, from completely different traditions. But here's the dimension I want to explore today, because I think it goes deeper than most conversations about presence and acceptance actually go. We don't just resist painful emotions. We disconnect from them entirely. We go numb to them. And we do the same thing with physical pain. We get so cau

19 min
May 6, 2026Episode 377
The Power of Paradox: The Stoic Art of Holding Two Truths at Once | 377

Can two things be true at the same time? Can you hold two opposing ideas at the same time? Today I want to talk about how learning be be comfortable with opposites can widen your thinking and help you see reality a little more clearly. "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." — Niels Bohr There's a moment most of us know but rarely name. You're sitting with something — a relationship, a decision, a feeling — and two things are true at the same time. You love them, and you're furious with them. You're proud of the life you built, and you wonder if you built the wrong one. You're doing your best, and your best isn't good enough yet. And there's a pull. A real, almost physical pull, to flatten it. To pick one. To call your partner the villain, or to swallow your anger and pretend you're fine. To lock in a judgment and walk away from the discomfort. That pull is the enemy of clear thinking. And today we're going to talk about how to resist it. Today's episode is about paradox — about holding two opposing things in your mind at the same time without collapsing them into a single comfortable lie. It's one of the hardest skills a person can build, and one of the most important. Let's get into it. The Premature Collapse Here's the problem. The human mind hates unresolved tension. It feels like an itch. It feels like something is wrong and needs to be fixed. And so when life hands us a situation where two opposing things are both true, we don't sit with it. We collapse it. We pick a side, fast, before the situation has earned a verdict. I want to give that move a name today, because naming it is half the battle. I'm calling it premature collapse. The moment you flatten a complicated truth into a simple story so you can stop feeling the discomfort of holding both. It's the lazy move. It feels like clarity, but it's actually relief masquerading as clarity. Let me give you the tell. The tell is when AND turns into BUT. ”I love them, but I'm angry.” That sentence cancels one of the two feelings. The ”but” tells your brain, and the person you're talking to, that the anger is the real thing and the love is a footnote. Now try this: ”I love them, and I'm angry.” Same words. Different universe. Now both are true. Now neither cancels the other. Now you're telling yourself the truth instead of editing it down to something easier to carry. That tiny grammatical move, replacing ”but” with ”and”, is one of the most powerful psychological shifts I know. We'll come back to it. I recently celebrated my birthday. For me, birthdays aren’t a huge deal. But this one was a little different. I’m now the same age that my father was when he died. And it got me thinking about our relationship, even though he’s been dead for almost 30 years. For thos

21 min
Apr 28, 2026Episode 376
How Fear Creates the Failure It Fears | 376

Are you motivated by fear? What if that fear is actually at the root of why you’re not getting the results you’re going after? In this week’s episode I want to talk about how to stop fear from sabotaging your best work. “What I advise you to do is, not to be unhappy before the crisis comes; since it may be that the dangers before which you paled as if they were threatening you, will never come upon you; they certainly have not yet come." — Seneca The Problem Let me ask you something that might sound strange. What if the thing pushing you forward — the thing that gets you out of bed, that makes you open the laptop, that keeps you grinding when you'd rather quit — what if that thing is also the thing quietly sabotaging you? I'm talking about fear. And before you push back on me, hear me out. Because fear is sneaky. It dresses up as motivation. It feels like drive or even responsibility. You tell yourself you're being realistic, you're being prepared, you're staying sharp. But underneath the productivity, there's this low hum — what if it doesn't work, what if I can't make it, what if I'm not enough. And you keep moving, partly because you love what you're doing, but partly because the alternative is to sit still with that fear, and that feels unbearable. So we keep moving. And it kind of works. For a while. Look around. The world right now is loud. Politics, economics, AI, climate, the news cycle that won't stop screaming at you. Fear is in the culture. It seeps in whether you want it to or not. And on top of that ambient hum, most of us are carrying our own private version of it. The fear of failing at something we care about. The fear of not being able to pay the bills. The fear of looking foolish. The fear of falling behind. I'll be honest with you. I know this one personally. I run a coaching practice. And there are days when the work I do isn't really driven by let me build something I'm proud of. It's driven by what happens if this doesn't work? How am I going to cover the bills? And I notice it, because the work I do from that place feels different. It feels tighter. more desperate, and less like me. I bring that up not because this episode is about me, but because if you're listening and you recognize that pattern in yourself, the fear that hides behind the hustle, you're not alone, and you're not broken. You're just human, doing what humans do. But here's what I want you to sit with for this episode. Here's the thing the Stoics understood that I think most of us miss. Fear-driven work tends to produce the very failure it's afraid of. When you work from fear, you work small. You hedge and play it safe. You don't take the creative risk, you don't make the bold offer, you don't say the true thing. You optimize for not losing instead of for actually creating. And the work suffers. People can feel it, and it sh

21 min
Apr 21, 2026Episode 375
Before You Book the Therapist, Build the Foundations | 375

Do you need therapy in order to have a good life? What is the difference between therapy and philosophy? Today I want to discuss the differences and how you need to right tools to build a good life. “We should not use philosophy like a herbal remedy, to be discarded when we're through. Rather, we must allow philosophy to remain with us, continually guarding our judgements throughout life, forming part of our daily regimen, like eating a nutritious diet or taking physical exercise.” ― Musonius Rufus A few years ago, a friend of mine called me in crisis. And I mean real crisis — the kind of call where you stop whatever you're doing and you just listen. She was telling me she didn't know if she wanted to keep going. She was exhausted, she was hopeless, she couldn't see a way through. We got her help. Emergency help. Short-term therapy was the right call and I'd make it again every single time. If you're ever in that place, or someone you love is, that's what you do. You get them safe first. But here's the thing that has stayed with me for years. Once she was past the acute crisis, once she was safe, she started to figure out what had brought her to that edge. And you know what it turned out to be? She was working nights. Had been for years. Getting four or five hours of broken sleep during the day. Eating badly. Barely seeing her friends because her schedule didn't line up with anyone else's. She switched to a day schedule. Started sleeping seven, eight hours a night. And within a few weeks she was a different person. Not a little better. Completely different. Like the fog had lifted and she could see her life again. Now, I want to be careful here. I'm not saying everyone in a mental health crisis just needs sleep. I'm not minimizing what she went through or what anyone goes through. What happened to her was real, and getting her into emergency care was essential. But I also can't ignore what actually changed her life. It wasn't a breakthrough in therapy. It wasn't a new medication. It was sleep. A basic human need she hadn't been meeting for months. And that story has sat with me for years because it points at something I think our culture has gotten really confused about. We have started treating therapy as the default answer to almost everything. Feeling anxious? Find a therapist. Feeling sad? Find a therapist. Feeling lost, unmotivated, disconnected, purposeless? Find a therapist. It has become almost a moral obligation. If you're not in therapy, there's a quiet suggestion that maybe you should be. That you're avoiding the work. I read an article recently by Scott Galloway on this, and I want to be clear — he's not the villain of this episode. He's actually pointing at a lot of the same things I'm going to point at today. He talks about the structural issues. Economic instability. Disconnection. The fact that therapy isn't even accessible to huge

10 min
Apr 15, 2026Episode 374
Why You'll Never Reach Your Ideal Self (And Why That's the Point) | 374

Do you have a clear picture of the person you want to become? And what happens when you fall short of that person — not once, but again and again? Today I want to talk about what you should do when you fall short of reaching your ideal self. “Give yourself fully to your endeavors. Decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a worthy goal. The trials you encounter will introduce you to your strengths.” — Epictetus There's a particular kind of disappointment that comes with self-improvement. It's not the disappointment of failing at something you don't care about. It's the sting of seeing exactly who you could be, and watching yourself fall short of it. You know what you're capable of. And when you don't reach that version of yourself, it's easy to wonder if any of the work is worth it. This came up recently in a discussion in my course, Build an Unbreakable Mind. We were talking about how we hold expectations of who we want to become, and what to do when we fall short. It stuck with me. So today I want to go deeper — into the specific traps that hold us back, and how to get out of them. The Greater Man Nietzsche had this idea called the Übermensch — German for "Over Man" or "Greater Man." A lot of people assume it's about domination or superiority. It's not. It's about becoming the best version of yourself. Not incrementally better — genuinely, fundamentally greater. Marcus Aurelius put it more simply: "Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." When you measure yourself against that greater version and come up short, you face a choice. You can do the work to close the gap — or you can quietly lower the bar. And lowering the bar is much easier. You see it everywhere. The person who justifies cutting corners because everyone else does. The one who stays quiet when they should speak up. The one who tells themselves they didn't really want it anyway after they fail to get it. These aren't moral failures so much as they are the path of least resistance. But here's the thing: when you give up and lower your standards, you don't escape the pain. You suffer twice. Once because you saw who you could be, and once because you stopped trying. The Goalposts Always Move Here's something you often don’t realize when you start doing real inner work: the better you get, the further away the finish line looks. You grow. You climb the hill. You reach what you thought was the summit — and from up there, you see a mountain range stretching out behind it. Your old vision of yourself was too small. And now that you can see further, you're disappointed you're not already up there. This is actually a sign of progress. Epictetus said, "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Doing expands what

13 min
Apr 7, 2026Episode 373
The Busy Trap: Seneca on Why You're Optimizing the Wrong Thing | 373

THE PROBLEM Are you too busy? Are you working too hard to be productive with every minute of your time? In today’s episode I want to talk about the perils of over-optimizing your life, and what the Stoics had to say about managing your time. “So, concerning the things we pursue, and for which we vigorously exert ourselves, we owe this consideration – either there is nothing useful in them, or most aren't useful. Some of them are superfluous, while others aren't worth that much. But we don't discern this and see them as free, when they cost us dearly.” — Seneca Here's a question I want you to think about for a moment: When was the last time you did nothing? And I don’t mean meditation with a timer. Not a "recovery walk" you logged on your fitness app. Not a vacation you planned three months in advance and packed with activities. I mean genuinely, unscheduled, purposeless nothing. If that question makes you a little uncomfortable — good. Stay with that discomfort. It's worth paying attention to. We live in a culture that has turned busyness into a virtue. Hustle culture doesn't just govern how we work, it's taken over how we live. We optimize our mornings and time-block our evenings. We have productivity systems for our productivity systems. And somewhere along the way, the pressure to be efficient with every minute stopped being about work and started being about everything. We feel guilty resting, like we're falling behind if we're not growing, improving, achieving. We half-listen to our kids because our brains are already solving tomorrow's problem. We treat our relationships like line items — something to maintain, to check in on, to be efficient with. And the really insidious part? We've gotten very, very good at it. By every external measure, many of us are crushing it. The career is moving. The goals are being achieved. The metrics are trending up. And yet, quietly, underneath all of it, something feels off. Like you're running hard but not sure where you're going. Like you're winning a game you didn't consciously choose to play. That feeling, that discomfort? That's wisdom trying to get your attention. Today I want to talk about what the Stoics, and specifically Seneca, had to say about this. Because he diagnosed this problem two thousand years ago with surgical precision. And his answer isn't what you might expect. THE PHILOSOPHY Seneca was a wealthy, powerful man. Advisor to an emperor. One of the most successful people in Rome. He knew ambition from the inside. And late in his life, he wrote a short essay called De Brevitate Vitae (On the Shortness of Life) that I think is one of the most important things ever written about how we spend our time. He opens without pulling any punches: "It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a great deal of it."</p

15 min
Mar 30, 2026Episode 372
Skeptical, not Cynical: How to Think in an Age of Misinformation | 372

In today’s media environment do you know how to think well? How do you know who to trust? Today we’re going to talk about how Stoicism can help you to think critically about what you consume, and how be skeptical without being cynical. “You become what you give your attention to…If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will.” — Epictetus ACT 1 — THE PROBLEM When was the last time you read a headline and immediately trusted it? Not skeptically clicked through to check — just trusted it? If you're like most people, that moment feels increasingly distant. And honestly? That makes sense. We've been burned. We've shared things that turned out to be wrong. We've watched experts contradict each other. We've seen the same event reported in completely opposite ways by outlets that both claim to be telling the truth. The result is a kind of information exhaustion. A low-grade weariness that comes from not knowing what to believe anymore. And I want to say clearly at the start of this episode: that exhaustion is valid. You're not paranoid. You're not stupid. You're a person who's paying attention in an environment that has made paying attention genuinely difficult. But here's where it gets interesting. Because that exhaustion tends to push us toward one of two wrong responses. The first is blind belief — you find a source that feels right, that speaks your language, that confirms your worldview, and you just... outsource your thinking to it. It's comfortable. It's simple. And it's dangerous. The second is total cynicism — you decide everyone is lying, everything is propaganda, and the only rational response is to trust nothing. It feels like wisdom. It isn't. Here's a distinction I want you to hold onto for this entire episode: Skepticism is a method. Cynicism is an identity. The skeptic says show me. They stay open, ask questions, and update when the evidence changes. The cynic has already decided the answer is "they're all lying" — and that's not a conclusion, that’s surrender. It feels like critical thinking but it's actually the opposite. It's just a different kind of lazy. The Stoics had a lot to say about this. And what they built, two thousand years ago, is one of the most practical frameworks for navigating an information-saturated world that I've ever come across. ACT 2 — THE PHILOSOPHY Impressions and Assent Let's start with Epictetus. Epictetus was a former slave who became one of the most influential philosophers in history. And at the center of his entire teaching was something he called the discipline of assent — in Greek, synkatathesis. The idea is simple but demanding: you don't have to accept every impression that arrives in your mind. In fact, you have a duty not to. Here’s how he

16 min
Mar 23, 2026Episode 371
Akrasia: The Challenge of Knowing vs. Doing | 371

How often do you put things off? Why do you put things off that you know you should do?  Maybe waiting for circumstances to be just right before you make a change? In this week’s episode we’re going to dive a deeper into why put things off, and what you can do to build momentum, and move forward. “It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and it has been given in sufficiently generous measure to allow the accomplishment of the very greatest things if the whole of it is well invested.” ― Seneca Last week I had a Q it will seduce you. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.” Even the philosophers argued about why we

15 min
Mar 15, 2026Episode 370
Q & A: Opinions, Anxiety, Ambition, & Knowing vs. Doing

How do you stop worrying about what others think of you? Is worrying ever useful? Can Stoics be ambitious? How can I actually do what I know I should? In this week's episode I answer some of your questions through the lens of Stoicism. "It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own." — Marcus Aurelius Send us Fan Mail The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Find out more at https://stoic.coffee Watch episodes on YouTube! Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads. Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

15 min
Mar 9, 2026Episode 369
Spend It Like a Millionaire: Why Holding Back Isn't Humility

What if the thing you've been quietly doing your whole life — the thing that feels almost too easy to count — is actually your greatest gift to the world?And what is it costing you to keep holding it back?"If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke."— Brendan FrancisSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

14 min
Feb 28, 2026Episode 368
Finding Your Pace: Stoic Advice for Dealing with Burnout

How do you get back up when too many things in life hit you all at once? How do you get your momentum back when it feels like every step is like wading through molasses? Today I want to talk about how Stoicism and friendship can find your balance and get moving again when life knocks you off your feet. When you have been compelled by circumstances to be disturbed in a manner, quickly return to yourself and do not continue out of tune longer than the compulsion lasts. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations VI.11 Send us Fan Mail The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Find out more at https://stoic.coffee Watch episodes on YouTube! Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads. Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 min
Feb 21, 2026Episode 367
Choosing From the Wreckage: The Stoic Guide to Impossible Decisions

How do you make a decision when all the choices in front of you feel like bad ones? Today I want talk about how Stoicism can help us take action when faced with impossible choices. “What should we have ready at hand in a situation like this? The knowledge of what is mine and what is not mine, what I can and cannot do.”— Epictetus, Discourses I, 1.21Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

14 min
Feb 13, 2026Episode 366
Your Beautiful Life: The Path of Stoic Joy

Is Stoicism all about being strong and serious? Is it too pessimistic and always looking for where things can go wrong, where the next challenge or struggle is? Today I want to talk about the softer side of Stoicism, and how many of the tools the Stoics teach us can actually lead us to joy.“To live happily is an inward power of the soul.” — Marcus AureliusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

25 min
Feb 7, 2026Episode 364
The Test of Power: Why Stoic Virtue Matters in Leadership

Why does virtue matter in leadership? What happens to a community, a city, a country when there is lack of virtue in leadership? In this episode we’re going to discuss power, leadership, and why virtue matters."Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." — Abraham LincolnSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 min
Feb 2, 2026Episode 364
Moral Courage: Standing up to Injustice

Why is it important to resist and stand up against injustice? What happens when we don’t stand up to injustice? Today we'll explore why virtue is necessary, what the Stoics taught about resistance, and how to actually practice moral courage in your daily life."The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.6Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 min
Jan 23, 2026Episode 363
Step Into Greatness: How to Be Your Own Hero

Are you living the life you want? Are you waiting for something to happen to push you into becoming the hero of your own story? In this episode I want to talk about why we fear stepping into greatness, and how you can be your own hero.“Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. The trials we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths...Dig deeply. You possess strengths you might not realize you have. Find the right one. Use it.” — EpictetusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 min
Jan 17, 2026Episode 362
Multi-Perspective Thinking: How to Make Better Decisions in 4 Steps

Do you approach a problem from only one perspective? Are there ways that you could expand your understanding and incorporate different perspectives? Today I want to talk about the power of multi-perspective thinking and how it can help you dig deeper into challenges in your life.“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”—Marcus AureliusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

11 min
Jan 8, 2026Episode 361
Ataraxia: The Stoic Skill of Staying Level

Can you stay calm in the storm? Or do you let your emotions cloud your judgment, leading to poor decisions? Today I want to talk about the Stoic concept of ataraxia and how it can help you be more mentally tough.“Don't hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace.”— Epictetus, Enchiridion 8Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 min
Dec 27, 2025Episode 360
Advice for the New Year

At the end of the year is always a good time to step back and think about the year to come. Maybe you have some goals that you want to accomplish. Maybe get in better shape and eat better or pick up a new skill. But have you thought about what kind of attributes you want in the next year? In this episode I give you some words of advice of how to approach the new year.“Things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; so our perturbations come only from our inner opinions."—Marcus AureliusMeditations IV.3Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

19 min
Dec 19, 2025Episode 359
Who do You Think You Are?: Identity and Self-Belief

What do you believe about yourself? Do you have beliefs that keep from stepping into your true self? Today I want to talk about self-beliefs and how the ideas that we hold about ourselves might just be your biggest obstacle to becoming who you want to be."When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."— Lao TzuSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 min
Dec 13, 2025Episode 358
How to Love Like a Stoic: Loving From Wholeness

Love is the greatest thing in the world. We're all trying to build relationships that enrich our lives. But can Stoicism help us love better? Today I want to talk about how Stoicism can help you be a more loving person."Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart." —Marcus AureliusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

17 min
Dec 5, 2025Episode 357
The Investment of Attention

What do you invest your attention in? Are you investing in things that enrich your life or keep you distracted? Today I want to talk about the importance of attention and what it’s costing you.“You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last.”—SenecaSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

22 min
Nov 26, 2025Episode 356
Q & A: Temperance, Self-Forgiveness, Dealing with Chaos

In this week's episode I answer questions from my listeners. I give my thoughts on practicing temperance in everyday life, practicing self-forgiveness, and how to deal with the chaos in the world.As always, please feel free to let me know of questions or topics you'd like me to answer in future episodes.Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 hr 51 min
Nov 13, 2025Episode 355
On Anger: Interview with Donald Robertson

Anger is a powerful force in the world, but the effects of anger often cause greater harm than the cause of it. Many see anger as a necessary emotion for human survival, but the Stoics warned us against anger, calling it a "temporary madness". In my personal life, anger has been a recurring theme since childhood. I've worked hard to overcome the trauma from childhood, as well as my own anger, having been caught up in that temporary madness more times than I'd like to admit.But is anger necessary? Is anger an emotion or a reaction to something deeper? As we see more and more outrage online and in person, I wanted to talk with Donald Robertson about anger and see if we could open my perspective on  anger, and see if I could get a better understanding of the root of anger, and how we might be able to make the world a little less angry. Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 min
Oct 31, 2025Episode 354
What Would You Do If You Were Valuable?

What do you value in this life? Maybe your home? Your job? Your family? But do you value yourself? Today I want to talk about the importance of self-value and how Stoicism can help you find the treasure within."Do not degrade your own soul; it will soon be out of your power to bring it to honor. The life of each of us is but a moment, and this one is almost finished, and yet you do not respect yourself."— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 3.6Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 hr 6 min
Oct 22, 2025Episode 353
Polyvagal Theory and Stoicism: Interview with Justin Senseri

Have you ever wondered about how your emotional well being is connected to your body? In this week's episode, I interview therapist and host of the Stuck Not Broken podcast, Justin Senseri about polyvagal theory and how it inter-relates to Stoicism. Justin Sunseri is a therapist and coach who thinks the world needs a new understanding of mental health - one that's simplified, easily accessible for anyone, and doesn't rely on abstract psychobabble or woo-woo.You can check out Justin's podcast here: Stuck Not BrokenSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

17 min
Oct 16, 2025Episode 352
Emotional Courage: Masculinity and Stoicism

What does it mean to be a man? How do our perceptions and ideas about masculinity hinder men from living full and happy lives? Today we’re going to dive into how Stoicism can help us develop a more healthy definition of masculinity."We teach boys that being vulnerable is being weak. And then we wonder why men die of loneliness surrounded by people."—Terry RealFeeling Wheel - This is a great interactive app!Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 hr 13 min
Oct 8, 2025Episode 351
From Socrates to CBT: Interview with Dr. Scott Waltman PsyD

This week's episode is an interview with Dr. Scott Waltman PsyD. Dr. Scott Waltman, PsyD, ABPP, is a clinician, international trainer, and practice-based researcher. His interests include evidence-based psychotherapy practice, training, and implementation in systems that provide care to underserved populations. He is president-elect of both the Academy of Cognitive & Behavioral Therapies and  the International Association of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies. He is board certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Waltman, worked as a CBT trainer for one of Dr. Aaron Beck’s CBT implementation teams in the Philadelphia public mental health system. He is a practicing Stoic and the first author of The Stoicism Workbook: How the Wisdom of Socrates Can Help You Build Resilience and Overcome Anything Life Throws at YouI hope you enjoy this interesting conversation!Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

9 min
Oct 1, 2025Episode 350
Stoicism 101 - Virtue: The Sole Good

The Stoics talk a lot about virtue as the sole good. Now what do they mean by virtue and why did they think that it was so important? In this week's episode, I'm reading another chapter from my book, Stoicism 101.“Of things some are good, some are bad, and others are indifferent. The good then are the virtues and the things which partake of the virtues: the bad are the vices, and the things which partake of them; and the indifferent are the things which lie between the virtues and the vices: wealth, health, life, death, pleasure, pain.”—EpictetusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 min
Sep 23, 2025Episode 349
The Meta-Habit: The One Skill For Building Better Habits

Do you have good habits? Do you have some you’d rather get rid of? What if I told you that by developing one key skill, you’ll be able to adopt better habits and let go of unhelpful ones? In this weeks episode we’re going to talk about the one “meta-habit” you need to develop in order to make real changes in your life.The Meta-Habit: The One Skill For Building Better Habits"I will form good habits and become their slave." —Og MandinoSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 min
Sep 16, 2025Episode 348
The Inner Watchdog: Building a Self-Correcting Mind

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a way of thinking that you knew deep down wasn’t serving you? Maybe it was an assumption about someone, a stubborn belief, or an emotional reaction. The good news is that our minds are built for self-correction—if we know how to use them. “If anyone can prove and show to me that I think and act in error, I will gladly change it—for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed.” — Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, 6.21)Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

8 min
Sep 4, 2025Episode 347
Stoicism 101 - Freedom from External Events: Embracing the Power Within

Do you ever feel like life is happening to you, and that you’re at the whim of circumstances? What would it feel like if you could take what life hands you and say, “Thank you sir! May I have another?” In this week’s episode I’m going to be reading another chapter from my book, Stoicism 101, where I write about dealing with external events.“Look within, for within is the wellspring of virtue, which will not cease flowing, if you cease not from digging.”—Marcus AureliusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 hr 12 min
Aug 29, 2025Episode 346
Interview with Louisa Swaden: Speed Racer and Author of the Stoic Rider

Have you ever had put a dream to the side? What if that dream was the key to finding the thing that fulfilled you as a person? In this week's episode I interview author and speed racer, Louisa Swaden, about Stoicism, racing motorcycles, and how it's never too late to chase your dreams.You can find out more about Louisa and her book The Stoic Rider at http://www.existentialbiker.comSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 min
Aug 22, 2025Episode 345
Mental Toughness: The Quiet Strength

Are you mentally tough? Are you able to take what life dishes out and keep smiling? Today I want to talk about mental toughness and how you can develop the right kind of toughness while being flexible to life changes.“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”—SenecaSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

17 min
Aug 13, 2025Episode 344
Languishing: How to Get Unstuck

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck? Like things aren’t going bad but aren’t moving in the right direction either? Today I want to talk about being stuck and what to do to get things moving in the right direction.“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”—Epictetus Discourses, 3.23Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

8 min
Jun 16, 2025Episode 343
Stoicism 101: Seneca the Younger

This week's episode is a chapter from my book, Stoicism 101. It's the chapter about Seneca the Younger, one of the most famous Stoic philosophers and writers.  Seneca is remembered as one of the most popular stoic philosophers, partly because a lot of his writings survived and were passed through antiquity. But how much do you know about Seneca? Well, in this episode, you're going to learn some more about this colorful and interesting man and his lasting influence on stoicism.“Men do not care how nobly they live, but only for how long, although it is within the reach of every man to live nobly, but within no man’s power to live long.”—SenecaSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 hr 34 min
Jun 4, 2025Episode 342
Interview with Derrick Zaworski: Philosophy, Music, & Addiction

This week I dive into philosophy, life, music, and addiction with my friend Derrick Zaworski. Derrick is a music producer and owner of Road Tripping Records. Derrick and I have been friends for several years and we've always enjoyed deep and interesting conversations, so I thought it would be worthwhile to get one of those conversations on record. I hope you enjoy!Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 min
May 26, 2025Episode 341
Future You: How to Bargain with the Future to Become Your Best Self

Do you ever think about your future self? How would your choices in the present change if you took the time to consider those choices would impact future you? Today I want to talk about the power of getting to know the future you.“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” — EpictetusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 min
May 12, 2025Episode 340
Is Free Will Just a Lie We Tell Ourselves?

Do we have free will or are we destined to our fate? Do the Stoics believe that we have free will or are our lives pre-determined? Does is matter? Today I’m going to talk about the Stoic ideas behind free will and fate, and how it does or doesn’t impact our lives. “Lead me, Fate, wherever you will, and I will cheerfully follow. For even if I kick and wail, all the same I must follow.” —CleanthesSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

9 min
May 2, 2025Episode 339
Resistance Training for the Soul: Why the Hard Way Might Be the Right Way

What if I told you that the thing you’re avoiding… is exactly the thing you need most? Today we’re going about why comfort might be the biggest lie we believe, and how leaning into resistance can actually be the path to everything you want.“The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.” ― ConfuciusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 min
Apr 12, 2025Episode 338
Q & A: Am I Stoic Enough?

In this week's episode, I take some time to answer a few questions:- What should I do when someone criticizes me and I know they’re right?- How do I know if I’m actually making progress in my personal growth—or just spinning my wheels?- What would Marcus Aurelius say about social media?- What’s one way I secretly avoid discomfort—even though I talk about embracing it?“Or is it your reputation that's bothering you? But look at how soon we're all forgotten. The abyss of endless time that swallows it all. The emptiness of those applauding hands. The people who praise us; how capricious they are, how arbitrary. And the tiny region it takes place. The whole earth a point in space - and most of it uninhabited.”—Marcus AureliusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 min
Apr 4, 2025Episode 337
Evil Is the Absence of Empathy

Empathy has been called everything from a virtue to a weakness to a sin. But in an age of outrage, is empathy a liability? Or is it the very thing we need to preserve civilization? In this week's episode I talk about the importance of empathy and why we need more, not less empathy in the world.“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.”—SenecaSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 min
Mar 27, 2025Episode 336
Facts and Feelings: The Power of Objectivity

The Stoics place a premium on rationality and objectivity to help manage our emotions. But how do we develop that objectivity? Why should we practice become more objective? In this week’s episode we’re going to dive into those questions and talk about how you can be more objective.“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Stephen R. CoveySend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

14 min
Mar 19, 2025Episode 335
Stay Curious: The Stoic Case for Asking Why

What if your biggest obstacle in life isn’t a lack of knowledge, but something else? What if this one attribute is the one thing that can help you truly excel in life? In this episode, I want discuss what I think is the greatest attribute that any person should have who wants improve themselves and how to develop it.“I’m am neither clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious.” —Albert EinsteinSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

14 min
Mar 13, 2025Episode 334
Serious Joy: A Stoic’s Unexpected Superpower

How often to you spend time worrying about everything that is happening in the world? How can you create more joy into your life? Can a Stoic be happy and joyful? Today I want to talk about Stoicism and joy.“A cheerful disposition and serenity of mind are not the result of luck but of wisdom.” — Seneca(Here's the link to the sunshine video!)Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

15 min
Feb 27, 2025Episode 333
Do Better, Be Better: Maintaining Stoic Virtue in Times of Turmoil

In times of political division, it’s easy to be swept away by anger, resentment, and fear. But what does that accomplish? Does your anger towards those that disagree with you help yourself or the world? In this episode I want to talk about the importance of maintaining your Stoic principles in times of turmoil.“The essence of good and evil consists in the condition of our character. And externals are the means by which our character finds its particular good and evil.”—EpictetusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

59 min
Feb 13, 2025Episode 332
Creating a Stoic Company: Interview with Geoff Roberts from Outseta

Stoicism is a very personal and practical philosophy. But what would a company look like that implemented some of the ideas from Stoic philosophy? In this episode, I interview Geoff Roberts the CEO of Outseta. Many of the operating principles run counterintuitive to the conventional wisdom of how most companies are managed, and they've been quite successful.  While Geoff isn't a deliberate Stoic, Outseta operates incorporates a lot of Stoic ideals which leads to a healthier work culture built on trust, transparency, and working towards the common good of all the employees.Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 min
Feb 5, 2025Episode 331
How We Make Ourselves Unhappy

Are you happy? Do you struggle when life doesn’t go the way you want? Today I want to talk about why we as humans are great at making ourselves unhappy, and some ideas the Stoics gave us to make our lives better. “Man is not disturbed by things, but by the views he takes of them.” — EpictetusSend us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

1 hr 8 min
Jan 31, 2025Episode 330
Emotional Algebra: Interview with Dr. Erik Fisher

This weeks episode is an interview with Dr. Erik Fisher. Erik is the host of the Emotional Algebra podcast, and works with patients and clients to manage their emotions in a way that is very similar to Stoicism. We had a great and wide ranging conversation about emotions, trauma, and how become more emotionally resilient.Send us Fan MailThe Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here!Find out more at https://stoic.coffeeWatch episodes on YouTube!Find me on linkedIn, instagram, or threads.Thanks again for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.