Podcasts about Stoic

You're tired. You're frustrated. You can't focus. You're busy all the time, but somehow it feels like nothing's actually getting done. And that only makes it worse. More anxious. More scattered. More unsure. In today's episode, Ryan shares Stoic strategies to help you reset, refocus, and realign so you can get more done and feel better doing it.2 DAYS LEFT

You'll never get to live what has been lived again. So why are you rushing? 2 DAYS LEFT

Failure. That's life. Then what?

Let go of beliefs…let go of worries. Shed what's unnecessary. Clear away what's holding us down.

Ready to write off 2026 already because it didn't start perfectly? In this episode, Ryan talks about why the Stoics would say that impulse is not just unhelpful, it's arrogant. Writing off today, this week, or this year assumes you'll always have another chance later. The Stoics remind us the move is to get back to the work right now.

How should a Stoic deal with bullies? What do you do when someone you love drives you crazy? And how do you stick to your principles when it costs you money? Ryan answers some big questions in this episode.Ryan Holiday is coming to a city near you! Grab tickets here | https://www.dailystoiclive.com/

In the span of three days, Ryan found himself in a series of situations that were exciting, surreal, and a little terrifying. The kind of moments where the Stoic ideas suddenly get put to the test.SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

Some mornings you don't need calm — you need to wake up. This 5-minute Stoic practice is built for the mornings when your body is out of bed but your mind hasn't followed.You'll move through five rounds of power breathing to flood your system with energy, then a short visualisation of yourself moving through the day ahead with purpose and presence. No easing in. No extended relaxation. Just a sharp, deliberate start.The anchor is a line from Seneca: we don't lack time — we waste it. This practice makes sure you don't waste the first five minutes.Stand if you can. Press play before your phone gets a chance to set the tone.For best results, use this on sluggish mornings for 30 days. It works fastest when it becomes the thing you reach for before caffeine.

Think of how you spent the last week. Were those seven days as efficient or productive as they could be?

Without change, we stagnate. Our minds grow complacent, ignorant to new ideas. Our bodies grow weak from disuse. We remain stuck.

Jake Schroeder—former frontman of OP Gone Bad, national anthem singer for the Colorado Avalanche, and executive director of the Denver Police Activities League—now runs the D-Day Leadership Academy, bringing inner-city youth to Normandy, France to learn leadership through the stories of World War II.After concussions, insurance costs, and political shifts dismantled his youth sports programs serving 4,000 kids a year, Jake pivoted. Inspired by the WWII veterans he'd been bringing back to Omaha Beach and Utah Beach since 2011, he transformed his nonprofit into a Normandy-based leadership program built on five pillars drawn from D-Day: leading from the front, total commitment to mission, chaos, preparation, and empathy. In this conversation, he and host Christian Taylor—director of the award-winning documentary The Girl Who Wore Freedom—explore what success really means when the money isn't there but the mission keeps growing.What You'll Learn:What does the D-Day Leadership Academy teach kids in Normandy?How do you pivot a nonprofit when your core programs collapse?What did WWII veterans say about people recreating on Normandy's beaches?How do you define success when your documentary or nonprofit isn't financially profitable?What are John Elway's three rules for running a successful charity event?How does Stoic philosophy help when you're facing failure in filmmaking or leadership?What documentary films should you watch? Elway to Marino, Miracle: The Boys of '80, Cold War on IceTimestamps:00:00 Introduction03:07 How Christian and Jake met in Normandy, France04:56 The Girl Who Wore Freedom documentary connection06:19 Following up on failure: Epic Bill and redefining success09:00 OP Gone Bad band years: when the road is worth it12:16 Stoicism and choosing your response to hardship15:06 Virginia Beach at night: perspective and insignificance17:16 Documentary filmmaking relationships that last a lifetime18:36 Denver Police Activities League: origin and mission22:00 Starting inner-city hockey with the Colorado Avalanche23:56 Youth sports crisis: specialization, concussions, and insurance27:12 The pivot: shutting down programs and reimagining the mission28:04 How the Normandy leadership program began (2015)30:16 What the D-Day Leadership Academy program looks like today33:31 Five pillars of D-Day leadership: empathy, chaos, preparation36:04 Expanding to adult leadership retreats in Normandy42:45 Normandy tours: culinary, yoga, couples, and classical concerts45:13 The Girl Who Wore Freedom guided tour and charity auction47:55 What WWII veterans said about children playing on Utah Beach49:49 Message to documentary filmmakers: your film matters51:53 John Elway's elevator advice on charity events55:58 DocuVue Déjà Vu: Elway to Marino, Miracle: The Boys of '80, Cold War on IceAbout Jake Schroeder:Jake Schroeder is a fourth-generation Colorado native, former frontman of the funk-rock band OP Gone Bad, and sang the national anthem for the Colorado Avalanche (NHL) over 1,000 times across 25 years. He began volunteering with the Denver Police Activities League in 1999, became executive director in 2014, and transformed the organization into the D-Day Leadership Academy—a nonprofit that brings inner-city youth, police officers, and combat veterans to Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, France to learn leadership through the stories of D-Day, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, and the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. He lives in Golden, Colorado with his partner Brooke Ferguson, principal flutist of the Colorado Symphony. Website: Home | D-Day Leadership AcademyIf you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a review!VIRGIL FILMS LINKS:Home (New)Virgil Films (@VirgilFilms) on XVirgil Films and EntertainmentVirgil Films (@virgilfilms) • Instagram profile

Most people remember exactly where they were the week of March 11, 2020. Life suddenly stopped. The world went quiet. And for a brief moment, everything about our routines, priorities, and pace of life was thrown into question. Six years later, the world is loud and fast again. But the real question is: what were we supposed to learn from the moment when everything slowed down?In this episode, Ryan talks with award-winning author Chloe Dalton about the strange stillness of those early pandemic months and how one unexpected encounter with a wild hare during lockdown completely changed the way she thought about time, work, and the life she was building. Later in the episode, novelist Susan Straight joins the conversation to reflect on why it's important that we don't rush to forget that time and what remembering the pandemic can still teach us.

There is beauty and peace in noticing. The world is filled with things to see and hear.

You will get knocked off course. You will fall off the wagon. You will get out of sorts. That's unavoidable. What matters is how quickly you return.SPECIAL OFFER | Go to dailystoic.com/spring and enter code DSPOD20 at checkout to get 20% off the Spring Forward Challenge! Challenge yourself to spring forward and become the person you aspire to be. The Spring Forward Challenge starts March 20, 2026.

Start here: If you want to build a consistent Stoic practice — not just listen to one — I made a free 7-day challenge. One short audio lesson per day, one practice to try. No fluff. stoicchallenge.co---You form hundreds of opinions a day. About the news, about your colleagues, about the person in front of you in the queue. They feel automatic — like seeing. But they're not observations. They're tiny laws you're writing inside your own skull. And then you have to enforce them.Marcus Aurelius buried one of his best lines in Book Six of the Meditations: "It is in your power to have no opinion about a thing — and not to be disturbed in your soul." In this episode I unpack what that actually means in practice — not suppressing your reactions, but noticing the gap between an impression and a judgment, and choosing not to legislate.You'll walk away with one question to ask yourself this week when an opinion forms: Does this need legislating?

How I Built a Life I'm Grateful For — Via Stoica PodcastWhat does it actually take to build a life you're grateful for, and where do you even begin? In this episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, Benny shares his personal journey from a life that no longer felt his own to one built around freedom, simplicity, and a philosophy that holds.Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. Each episode, we bring Stoic philosophy out of the books and into real life, not as theory, but as a practice for building self-awareness, clarity, and a life that feels genuinely yours.Change rarely happens all at once. It begins with a moment of honest reckoning, a clear vision of what actually matters, and the willingness to make small, deliberate decisions over time. In this episode, we trace that process through the lens of Stoic philosophy, from understanding your values and rethinking your relationship with money, to letting go of what doesn't belong to who you want to be. The Stoics remind us that the examined life is not a luxury. It is the starting point for everything.If you've been waiting for the right moment to start living more intentionally, this episode is an honest account of what that path can look like.Support the show

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze welcomes acclaimed children's book author and retired philosophy professor Claudia Mills to discuss her hilarious, heartfelt new middle grade novel, Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom.Claudia shares how her decades of teaching philosophy finally collided with her lifelong passion for children's literature—and how a girl with a very big name, a very big personality, and a very beloved dog became the perfect vessel for bringing Socrates, Plato, and Epictetus to young readers.From writing one hour a day with an hourglass to championing the humanities at a time when they're under siege, Claudia reveals why wisdom truly belongs to everybody, how she crafted a character who genuinely needs philosophy rather than just stumbling upon it, and why Epictetus—a formerly enslaved Stoic philosopher—might be the most relevant thinker for an eleven-year-old living today. Whether you're a parent of a kid who's been called "too much," an educator looking to bring critical thinking into the classroom through story, or a reader who has ever felt like they're living their own Greek tragedy, this conversation is a warm and wise celebration of seekers everywhere.Read the transcript on ⁠The Children's Book Review (coming soon)⁠.Highlights:Dinner with a Philosopher: Why Claudia would invite Epictetus over Socrates or Plato—and what that reveals about the heart of the bookThe Hourglass Method: How writing exactly one hour a day—timed with an actual hourglass—has powered 60+ books over decades, and why stopping is just as important as startingA Character Who Really Needs the Wisdom: Why Callie's high emotional stakes—lose the philosophy, lose the dog—made her the ideal guide through big philosophical questionsAncient Ideas, Modern Kids: How the Ring of Gyges, Socratic ignorance, and Epictetus's two-bucket theory of control translate naturally into an eleven-year-old's very real problemsThe Philosophy Club: Why Claudia designed an adult mediator into the story—and how even the most reluctant seekers end up finding their way inSTEAMH, Not STEAM: Claudia's passionate case for putting the humanities back at the center of education—and why philosophy is the original critical thinking courseA Love Letter to Seekers: What a Kirkus review got exactly right, and why the community of people asking hard questions might be the most powerful community of allNotable Quotes:"True wisdom is learning how to live well." —Claudia Mills"Philosophers are the grownups who keep on asking the questions the other grownups have stopped asking." —Claudia MillsBooks Mentioned:Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom by Claudia Mills: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠The Lost Language by Claudia Mills: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠The Last Apple Tree by Claudia Mills: ⁠Amazon⁠ or ⁠Bookshop.org⁠About Claudia Mills:Claudia Mills is the author of more than 60 books for young readers, including the After-School Superstars chapter book series and the middle grade novels The Lost Language and The Last Apple Tree. A professor emerita of philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder, she brings a philosopher's love of big questions and a lifelong reader's ear for language to every book she writes. Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Visit https://www.claudiamillsauthor.com/Download the Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom Discussion Guide here.Credits:Host: Bianca SchulzeGuest: Claudia MillsAudio Editor: Kelly RinkProducer: Bianca Schulze

We should think about where we have made our happiness conditional on this or that achievement, on this or that identity which lies outside our control.SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

Join Prokoptôn, a private community of dedicated practicing Stoics working together to improve. Learn more at https://skool.com/prokopton -- In this episode, I explore Marcus Aurelius' Meditations 6.27 and what it teaches us about anger. Marcus reminds us that when people do wrong, they do so because they believe their actions are beneficial or appropriate. Our task, therefore, is not to react with anger but to teach, explain, and correct with patience. That idea opens the door to a deeper question: what is anger actually for? Some modern thinkers claim anger is necessary for progress, even suggesting that it fuels social change. I disagree. Anger is not a driver of wise action. It is a signal. Anger alerts us that something has happened which does not accord with our expectations, values, or understanding. That is its only real utility. Once the signal appears, the work begins. We must translate that signal into usable information by asking questions: What happened? Why did it happen? What assumptions am I making? Could I be mistaken? This process turns anger into data. The signal draws our attention to an impression. Rational questioning extracts information from it. And our willingness to revise our own assumptions ensures that we do not simply act on emotional certainty. Seneca makes the Stoic position clear in On Anger: anger itself contributes nothing useful to action. Virtue never requires the assistance of vice. Anger is not a helpful fuel for moral progress. It is a destabilizing force that clouds judgment and pushes us toward impulsive decisions. The goal, then, is not to eliminate anger entirely, since it is part of our human psychology. The goal is to refuse to act while under its influence. Socrates captures this beautifully when he tells a servant, “I would strike you, were I not angry.” His point is simple. If the desire to punish someone appears at the same moment as anger, we cannot trust that the desire is rational. The wise response is to pause until calm judgment returns. This is the Stoic discipline in practice. Anger may signal that something is wrong. But only reason can determine what should be done about it. Listening on Spotify? Leave a comment! Share your thoughts. -- I am a public philosopher, it is my only job. I am enabled to do this job, in large part, thanks to support from my listeners and readers. You can support my work, keep it independent and online, at ⁠https://stoicismpod.com/members⁠ Looking for more Stoic content? Consider my 3x/week newsletter "Stoic Brekkie": ⁠https://stoicbrekkie.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After their conversation for The Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan gave Jordan Klepper, comedian, writer, and correspondent on The Daily Show, a few book recommendations at The Painted Porch.Follow Jordan on Instagram @JordanKlepper and check out his upcoming live show dates on his website https://www.officialjordanklepper.com/

Do your emotions ever get the best of you? Someone says one thing and it ruins your whole day. A small frustration turns into a big deal. Travel anxiety spirals. Jealousy or irritation shows up before you even realize it. In this episode, you will learn the complete Stoic playbook for mastering your emotions so they don't end up mastering you.SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

When does belonging start to matter more than being right? In Part 2 of Ryan's conversation with Jordan Klepper, they dive into how mob thinking takes over, how cultural permission shifts what feels acceptable, why people double down even when the facts are clear, and how leaders shape the tone of an entire country.Jordan Klepper is a comedian, writer, and correspondent on The Daily Show. You can follow him on Instagram @JordanKlepper and check out his upcoming live show dates on his website https://www.officialjordanklepper.com/

Even though we can't control time or slow it down, even though we can't control external forces and external events—we can control ourselves, so we can control how we use our time. SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

This is the first Stoic Friday, an ongoing series on the featuring the Stoic philosophy. In this episode, we focus on a key passage from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. Aurelius reminds us to remove external distractions. In this episode, I explore why this simple concept is so essential to well being and to being the best version of you.

Get your reps in…because none of us have any idea what life has in store for us in the future.SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

This is a project I did for youtube. This was done over multiple videos. I clipped it all together here to share it with you. This is a break down of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Disclaimer: We are not professionals. This podcast is opinioned based and from life experience. This is for entertainment purposes only. Opinions helped by our guests may not reflect our own. But we love a good conversation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/2-be-better--5828421/support.

️ Grab the 5-day INFP tutorial and join 5,000+ people getting rare weekly insights → http://geekpsychology.com/infp-5day▶️ Ready to go deeper? Check out the Evolve Community at http://evolve.geekpsychology.comI cried too much at my wedding.At least, that's what my ESTP friend told me. Friends and family from different decades, different continents. My wife's family from Japan. Mine from the States. I was overwhelmed. Happy. Present.And I cried.For years before that, I thought something was fundamentally wrong with me. I was slow at Subway when I was 16. My boss made sure I knew it. I was called Eeyore in math class. In basketball, I missed a shot in practice and someone yelled at me. So I quit everything. All the sports, Boy Scouts, every club.I became smaller because I thought I was broken.Then I found out I was an INFP.And for the first time, it made sense. The sensitivity wasn't a defect. The slowness wasn't failure. The depth, the overthinking, the emotional abundance... it wasn't wrong. It was just wiring.But here's what I see happening now: people discover their type, feel that same relief I did, and then immediately start hating it again. They read the descriptions online and decide "sensitive" means "weak." They see "idealist" and hear "unrealistic." They take the thing that finally explained them and turn it into another reason to feel broken.I tried that too. I spent years trying to be cold. Stoic. Efficient. Emotionless. And I felt horrible.It wasn't until I stopped fighting my wiring that things changed. I let myself be vulnerable. Emotional. Aware. I cried at my wedding and didn't apologize for it.Your sensitivity isn't weakness. It's the reason you can sit with someone in pain when everyone else has left. Your slowness isn't failure. It's you making sure your actions reflect who you actually want to be.So ask yourself: has hating your personality type actually helped you? Or has it just made you smaller again?You finally found the explanation. Don't turn it into another weapon against yourself.00:00 Why INFPs Immediately Hate Their Type03:07 The Pattern That Makes You Feel Broken05:16 What If Your 'Flaws' Are Actually Superpowers?09:11 Are You Playing the Wrong Game?11:58 The Times Your Sensitivity Actually Saved You13:22 Why You Started Criticizing Yourself15:59 The Exhaustion of Fighting Your Wiring18:38 What If You Spent 10 Years Being Someone Else?21:44 You're Not That Identity Label23:27 Has Hating Yourself Ever Actually Helped?

It's been a long winter. But now? Now you can feel something is in the air.

What do you do when someone says something you completely disagree with or something that sounds totally detached from reality? Jordan Klepper, correspondent and host at The Daily Show, is known for walking into political rallies and calmly interviewing the most passionate people in the crowd. In this episode, he sits down with Ryan to explain why arguing almost never works, how silence can be more powerful than a comeback, and what most of us misunderstand about why people believe what they believe.Jordan Klepper is a comedian, writer, and correspondent on The Daily Show. You can follow him on Instagram @JordanKlepper and check out his upcoming live show dates on his website https://www.officialjordanklepper.com/

We plan to do it. We mean to do it. We just tell ourselves that we'll do it tomorrow. The problem, as the Stoics remind us, is that we don't control tomorrow.

Join Prokoptôn, a private community of dedicated practicing Stoics working together to improve. Learn more at https://skool.com/prokopton -- Support my work for as little as $1 a month: https://stoicismpod.com/members -- Subscribe to my Stoic Brekkie newsletter: https://stoicbrekkie.com -- I pull heavily from Leonidas Konstantakos' "Stoicism and Just War Theory" doctoral dissertation in this episode. I encourage you to download it and read it yourself: ⁠https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/record/13724⁠ -- In this episode, I take up a difficult question: can war ever be just in Stoicism? Not justified. Not strategically useful. Not legal. But truly just — meaning virtuous and right. I begin by setting aside the two dominant modern frameworks for thinking about war: utilitarianism and deontology. Utilitarianism evaluates war based on consequences. If enough good results from it, the war can be defended. Deontology evaluates war based on rules. Some actions are always wrong, regardless of outcomes. Stoicism does neither. Using the firebombing of Dresden and the ticking time bomb scenario, I explain how the Stoic approach shifts the focus away from body counts and legal rules and onto character. For the Stoic, external outcomes — even death and destruction — are morally indifferent. What matters is the internal condition of the agents making decisions. Are they acting from justice, courage, and wisdom? Or from fear, ambition, pride, or the desire to dominate? Drawing on Cicero's On Duties and later Stoic interpretation, I outline the core criteria: right intention, proper authority, discrimination, and war as a last resort aimed at peace. A war undertaken from a corrupted value structure — where victory is treated as a good in itself — reflects vice. A war undertaken from rational concern for preserving the cosmopolis, after all other paths have been exhausted, may be just. I also address torture and why the Stoic rejects it, not because of rule-following or cost-benefit calculations, but because it corrupts the agent. It reflects disordered judgment and a failure of oikeiôsis — a failure to recognize another rational being as part of the same moral community. Stoicism is not rule-based. It is character-based. I then turn to the present. We cannot fully know the internal motives of national leaders. We can only infer. War may be just or unjust depending on the reasoning behind it. That reasoning is ultimately visible only to the agent and their daimon — their inner rational faculty. Finally, I bring the question home. Most of us are not heads of state. But the Stoic framework for just war is simply Stoic ethics scaled up. The same question applies in everyday conflict: am I acting from virtue, or from ego and fear? The work of the prokoptôn is constant self-examination, especially when stakes are high. War can be just in Stoicism. But only if it is conducted by people whose souls are ordered toward peace, whose intentions are clean, and whose reason has honestly left them no alternative. Listening on Spotify? Leave a comment! Share your thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are you living for? — Via Stoica PodcastWhat are you actually living for, and have you ever stopped long enough to ask? In this episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, we sit with one of the most important questions a person can face, and explore what Stoic philosophy has to offer when the answer isn't clear.Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. Each episode, we bring Stoic philosophy out of the books and into real life, not as theory, but as a practice for building self-awareness, clarity, and a life that feels genuinely yours.Most of us are living on a track we didn't consciously choose. Society sets the milestones. Social media distorts the comparison. And somewhere in the noise, the question of personal values gets buried under the need to keep up. Stoicism offers a different starting point: the examined life. The goal isn't accumulation or status, it's eudaimonia, the cultivation of good character and a sound inner life. When we understand what we're actually living for, the small daily decisions begin to align with who we are. That's where real change happens.If you've been feeling the gap between how you're living and how you want to live, this episode is a quiet invitation to close it, one honest question at a time.Read the related article: https://viastoica.com/what-am-i-living-for/Support the show

Haven't you been wrong before? Haven't you done stuff that in retrospect seems dumb or weird? Of course you have.

Travis Chappell solo-hosts this episode of Travis Makes Money, sharing hard-won life lessons from his own journey as a creator, entrepreneur, and podcast coach. He breaks down mindset traps that keep people stuck—like perfectionism, negativity bias, and emotional reactivity—and offers practical tools for building resilience, happiness, and momentum in both life and business. Through stories, analogies, and real-life examples (including a tense pickup basketball game), Travis gives listeners concrete ways to rewire their thinking for long-term success and peace of mind. On this episode we talk about: Why “done is better than perfect” and how perfectionism turns into procrastination The importance of shipping imperfect work to get real-world feedback How to hardwire happiness by revisiting positive moments and strengthening neural pathways Using gratitude and visualization to combat negativity bias and anxiety Stoic principles: external events vs. your perception and reaction Practical strategies to pause before reacting and respond in ways that serve your goals Top 3 Takeaways Done beats perfect every time. Waiting for perfection keeps you from ever launching the book, product, or podcast that will actually teach you what needs to improve. You can train your brain toward happiness. By intensifying and revisiting moments of joy and gratitude, you widen the mental “paths” that make it easier to access positive emotional states. Events aren't the problem—your reaction is. Your long-term happiness is tied less to what happens and more to the way you choose to interpret and respond, especially in emotionally charged moments. Notable Quotes “Done is better than perfect, because perfectionism is just procrastination in disguise.” “The ability to be happy or grateful in the absence of reasons to be is a superpower.” “External events are not the problem. It's your perception of them that's the problem.” Connect with Travis Chappell: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/traviscchappell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell Other: https://travischappell.com Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency. Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform. Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meditating on death isn't depressing, it's clarifying. In this episode, Ryan explains how the Stoic practice of Memento Mori will sharpen your priorities, push you to stop wasting time, and remind you to live with character now, not later.

What if true contentment isn't about achieving happiness, but about discovering a deeper source of strength that sustains us through every season of life? This powerful message takes us into Philippians 4:11-13, where Paul reveals a secret that transforms our understanding of satisfaction. We learn that contentment isn't something we're born with—it's something we must learn, and it can't be self-taught through willpower or positive thinking alone. Paul hijacks the ancient Stoic philosophy of self-sufficiency to redefine what it means to be truly content. The famous verse 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' isn't a motivational slogan for achievement—it's about endurance, about being hooked up to an intravenous supply of Christ's strength that sustains us whether we're well-fed or hungry, in plenty or in want. We discover that contentment is not a feeling but a focus, allowing us to grieve our disappointments while still trusting God, to experience pain while still depending on Christ. The story of Horatio Spafford, who wrote 'It Is Well With My Soul' after losing his four daughters in a shipwreck, illustrates how we can choose Christ-contentment over self-contentment even in our darkest moments. This abundant life Jesus promises means experiencing peace that transcends our understanding, a supernatural contentment that doesn't make sense but changes us from the inside out.

The greatness of Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius was not perfection but progress. They were imperfect men committed to self-discipline and self-correction. Today's episode explores how Antoninus shaped Marcus through steady example and daily discipline, and what their lives reveal about the kind of character a person chooses to build.

Power doesn't wait for the perfect person to raise their hand. Someone will wield it. Someone always does.

Is this what we're here for? To be the passions' slave? To be the plaything of emotions and impulses? It can't be!

What if it only took five minutes each morning to feel more in control of your life? In this conversation, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee shares the three daily questions he uses to stay grounded in alignment, contentment, and control.

Despite my best efforts to prune the doom and gloom from my feed, the algorithm still serves me plenty of worst-case, "out there" scenarios regarding AI. No doubt many are concerned and perhaps discouraged by this fluff. So, how do you embrace the new stuff in a way that is useful and exciting? This week, I'm giving you three recommendations for AI-powered tools that will improve your business in ways you may not have considered. Key Takeaways Still "doom and gloom" in my feed despite my best efforts (If it bleeds it leads) "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle" - Ecclesiastes 11:6 "We suffer more in imagination than in reality," a principle from Stoic philosopher Seneca Anxiety is high (the news of the day) AI is changing the marketplace regardless of how you feel about it The repetitive work is drying up AI is *not* 100% reliable...and it may never be Are you a technological optimist? The three fastest, easiest, and most profitable ways to use AI in your business 1: AI Powered scheduling and coordinating 2: Automate followup and customer care 3: AI enhanced offers and sales copy What Ray is using (not affiliate links) Use Motion AI Scheduling Membership.io Kajabi Links AI Summit - This upcoming virtual summit features some of the most respected and successful entrepreneurs on the planet. This is your chance to hear the real-world stories about how AI is being used to help grow their empires. Get the Full Lineup and Your Free Ticket Today! How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, and give us a rating and review. Make sure you put your real name and website in the text of the review itself. We will definitely mention you on this show. Questions or comments? Connect with Ray on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit Ray's community on Facebook – This is a friendly group of writers, entrepreneurs, and coaches who share ideas and helpful advice.

How do you hold a country together when it's tearing itself apart? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to talk about Abraham Lincoln's self-education, his emotional discipline, and how he managed anger, ego, and public pressure without losing himself.Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning presidential historian and bestselling author. Her latest #1 New York Times bestseller, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, is being adapted into a feature film, while her earlier works, Team of Rivals, The Bully Pulpit, and No Ordinary Time, have won some of the nation's highest literary honors and inspired leaders worldwide. She has served as a White House Fellow to President Lyndon Johnson, produced acclaimed docuseries for the HISTORY Channel, and earned countless awards for her contributions to history and leadership.Doris has a new book out called The Leadership Journey: How Four Kids Became Presidents in which she shares the different childhood experiences of Abraham Lincoln. Theodore Roosevelt. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Lyndon B. Johnson, and how they each found their way to the presidency.

People are the way they are. They will always be this way. We don't control that.

The past is gone, and no amount of calculation will bring it back or make it fair. What we do have is agency right now.

We have a duty. Our nature—justice—demands something from us. It demands that we get up, get after it, and wear ourselves down doing it.

Life is a lot. It moves fast. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by what to do, what not to do, and whether you're even focusing on the right things. In today's episode, Ryan shares simple Stoic rules to live by that can help you live with more clarity, purpose, and steadiness right now.

If you think history is boring, irrelevant, or just not your "thing", this episode is for you. In today's episode, Ryan sits down with Kenny Curtis, host of the new podcast History Snacks, to make the case for history. They discuss why history isn't about memorizing dates or dusty textbooks, but a superpower that gives you perspective, clarity, and calm.

It's discouraging. It's distracting. All the stuff that's happening in the world. But you know what you can't do? You can't give up your work, your freedom of thought, your freedom of choice pre-emptively.

We should pride ourselves on our ability to put up with these people, to be able to be nice to people who are not nice, to be able to turn the other cheek and not be made bitter and cynical.

The Stoics knew that wanting less increases gratitude, just as wanting more obliterates it. "Freedom isn't secured by filling up on your heart's desire but by removing your desire." - Epictetus