The Daily Stoic
Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures
For centuries, all sorts of people—generals and politicians, athletes and coaches, writers and leaders—have looked to the teachings of Stoicism to help guide their lives. Each day, author and speaker Ryan Holiday brings you a new lesson about life, inspired by the thoughts and writings of great Stoic thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and Seneca the Younger. Daily Stoic Podcast also features Q+As with listeners and interviews with notable figures from sports, academia, politics, and more. Learn more at DailyStoic.com.Support the podcast and go deeper with Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content (coming soon): dailystoic.com/premium
Episodes
Mentioned books
99 snips
Mar 28, 2026 • 48min
Arthur Brooks’ Ultimate Philosophy Masterclass (PT. 2)
Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and bestselling author on happiness and meaning, dives into what Epicurus, Buddha, Camus, Tolstoy, and Viktor Frankl got right and wrong about a good life. He explores attachment, worship, moral aspiration, intellectual humility, absurd struggle, liberty, community, and suffering as part of a meaningful life.
31 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 7min
Are You Willing To Be Cut Off? | Say No To The Need To Impress
A sharp look at courage when your values cost you status, access, or belonging. It explores where to draw the line when self-respect is on the line. The conversation also takes aim at approval seeking, social media vanity, and the urge to show off unfinished work. A thoughtful push toward discipline, integrity, and letting actions speak.
143 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 36min
Arthur Brooks’ Ultimate Philosophy Masterclass (PT. 1)
Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and happiness researcher, dives into a fast-moving philosophy masterclass. He explores why wisdom needs many schools of thought, from Socratic humility and Plato’s cave to Cynic attacks on status and Nietzsche’s challenge to inherited meaning. The conversation also touches on Aristotle, change, and the surprising role of suffering in a flourishing life.
21 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 2min
It Takes Much Longer Than You Think (Or Want)
A meditation on why the best things in life take painfully long. Military career bottlenecks, Marcus Aurelius waiting for his turn, and the tension between ambition and reality all take center stage. It also explores how long delays can become a kind of apprenticeship.
34 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 16min
There Will Always Be People Who Don’t Get It | Hasan Minhaj Tests Ryan Holiday’s Stoic Knowledge
Hasan Minhaj, comedian and Patriot Act creator, joins for a lively chat on Stoicism in chaotic times. They kick off with a philosopher-or-Kanye quiz. Then they get into why Stoicism can feel like a missing guide for living well, why people return to it during upheaval, and how “broicism” twists it into selfish self-optimization.
100 snips
Mar 24, 2026 • 18min
It’s Not Supposed To Go Down Easy | This 10 Minute Habit Will Change Your Life
A tough look at amor fati sets the tone. Then comes a surprisingly compelling case for walking through airports, cities, or anywhere at all. The conversation circles around movement, discomfort, creativity, mental clarity, and the long tradition of thinkers finding perspective one step at a time.
21 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 7min
This Is The Only Thing You Get to Choose | There Is Philosophy In Everything
A reflection on fate, exhaustion, and the one thing still under your control. It explores how philosophy shows up in work, family, love, politics, and everyday frustrations. Socrates, Epictetus, and Plutarch appear as examples of ideas tested through action, not theory.
39 snips
Mar 22, 2026 • 14min
BONUS | Charles Duhigg's Reading List (From Ryan Holiday)
Charles Duhigg, journalist and bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators, joins a lively chat about must-read books, lost literary gems, and surprising picks on history, Texas, and Los Angeles. They also get into bookstore design, unusual bestsellers, writing research-heavy books, and what makes big ideas feel irresistible.
42 snips
Mar 22, 2026 • 15min
You’re Not as Powerful as You Think (Seneca)
Seneca turns power upside down and asks who is really free. The conversation explores cruelty, status, and the way luxury degrades everyone involved. It also looks at fortune’s reversals, the fragility of rank, and how greed, lust, ambition, and fear can become their own chains.
172 snips
Mar 21, 2026 • 35min
The Stoic Secrets Great Leaders Use | Daniel Coyle
Daniel Coyle, journalist and bestselling author on culture and performance, explores why great leaders rely less on control and more on connection. He gets into coaching at the top, leading through experimentation, and how Marcus Aurelius learned through mentors. They also touch on vulnerability, second chances, and why isolated leaders make worse decisions.
