Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Stoic Coffee Break
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akrasia: The Challenge of Knowing vs. Doing | 371 | 23 Mar 2026 | 00:16:19 | |
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 & A episode, and one of the questions was about not taking action. I thought it was a great question, but I wanted to dive in a little deeper into it this week. One of the things that we struggle with is putting things off. We know what we should do, but sometimes we have hard time getting ourselves to do them. Maybe it’s habit that we want to start or one we want to stop. It could be a creative project that we spend a lot of time “researching” but never seem to get started. Maybe it’s a hard conversation that we need to have, but keep putting off. We have good intentions, but even with those good intentions we avoid taking action. What makes it even harder is that we don’t struggle like this with everything. There are things that easily capture our interest and we happily and enthusiastically do them. We’re successful in some areas, so why do we struggle to get started in other areas? In this episode we’re going to dive into why we put things off, and what we can do to get momentum to move us forward. Act 1: The Problem Most people assume that it’s a motivation problem. That we just don’t have enough willpower or discipline to start what we know we should. We beat ourselves up over it, telling ourselves that we’re lazy, not motivated enough, or that we should just try harder. But that framing is simply wrong. This type of framing leads to a shame spiral which makes it even worse. It’s like a double whammy—you don’t accomplish what you want, then you feel even worse for not doing it. To be clear, this is not a character flaw. Getting ourselves to take action is something that isn’t new to our modern era. It’s such a part of human nature that philosophers have been wresting with understanding this for 2500 years. The ancient Greeks had a word for this: akrasia. It roughly translates to acting against your better judgment — knowing the right thing to do and doing something else instead. Or nothing at all. The author Steven Pressfield calls this Resistance—the force that gets in the way when we want to do something that is important to us. I love how he describes it: “Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. It will perjure, fabricate; it will seduce you. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.” Even the philosophers argued about why we failed to act in our own best interest. Socrates believed that a person, with enough knowledge would always choose to do the right thing. Aristotle found this idea troubling because it violated reason—why someone with knowledge still work against themselves? It’s a question that doesn’t have an easy answer. Even Marcus Aurelius, the most powerful man in the world at his time, and a life long student of philosophy still struggled with this. He had to remind himself to get out of bed in the morning: "At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I'm going to do what I was born for?" — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.1 He was fighting some of the same battle we still fight today, and had to talk himself into doing what he knew was the right thing to do. Akrasia doesn't discriminate. It visits everyone. The question is what we do when it shows up. Act 2: The Philosophy The Stoic Diagnosis Here's where the Stoics cut to the chase. They held a position that, at first, sounds almost too clean: if you truly and fully judge an action to be good, you will do it. If you don't do it, that tells you something. It tells you that you don't actually believe what you think you believe. Not fully. Something else is winning underneath the surface — some competing impression or belief that's being treated, in that moment, as more real. So the Stoic diagnosis of procrastination isn't “you're weak.” It's something more precise: you are holding a false impression, and you haven't examined it. That's a different kind of problem. And it requires a different kind of solution. The Hidden Trade-Off Here's what I've come to believe, drawing both on Stoic philosophy and on modern psychology: procrastination is always a hidden trade-off. We're not avoiding the task — we're avoiding the feeling the task brings up. Psychologist Tim Pychyl, who has spent decades researching this, frames procrastination not as a time management failure but as an emotion regulation problem. We put things off to avoid the emotions those things trigger. Fear of failure. Fear of judgment. The discomfort of difficulty. The anxiety of beginning something we're not sure we can finish. And in the moment of avoidance, we make a trade: short-term emotional relief now, for long-term cost later. We choose the comfort of not starting over the discomfort of beginning. And we dress that choice up in rational language: "I'm not ready." "I need more information." "I'll do it when I have more energy." Strip those away and what you usually find underneath is fear. That's the competing belief that's winning. Not laziness. Fear. The Disguises Akrasia is a shape-shifter. It rarely shows up wearing its own face. Here are the most common disguises I've seen—in my clients, in myself, and I suspect, in you. It shows up as perfectionism. We tell ourselves, “I’ll start when I can do it right.” The hidden belief here is that imperfect action is the same as failure—so we protect ourselves from failure by never starting. Sometimes it shows up as over-preparation. Endless research, planning, optimizing—everything except doing. This one is insidious because it feels productive. You're technically working on the thing. But you're circling it instead of landing. It even disguises itself as productive procrastination. You stay busy with smaller, easier tasks so that you feel like you're making progress while the important thing remains untouched. All of these are about waiting—for inspiration, for motivation, for conditions to be right. In Stoic terms, all of these are a failure to examine the impression driving the behavior. Carl Jung, writing from a completely different tradition, captured the same idea: "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." — Carl Jung The false belief driving avoidance is usually unconscious. We don't experience it as a belief — we experience it as reality. As just the way things are. The Stoic practice of examining impressions is, in this sense, the same work as making the unconscious conscious. Seneca even wrote a whole treatise on it called On the Shortness of Life. “Putting things off is the biggest waste of life: it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future. The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow, and loses today. You are arranging what lies in Fortune's control, and abandoning what lies in yours. What are you looking at? To what goal are you straining? The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.” There's a fiction we tell ourselves — that there is a future version of us who will do this. Better rested. More inspired. Less busy. More ready. Shoving everything off to the future and loading all those things onto someone else—our future self. Seneca is saying: that person is not coming. The key to getting things done is not having the right circumstances, not when we’re better or stronger. It’s consistency, now. It’s doing even just one step today rather than waiting until tomorrow. Marcus Aurelius echoed this idea, writing: "Do not act as if you had a thousand years to live... while you have it in your power, while you still may, make yourself good." — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 4.17 This isn't meant to be anxiety-inducing. It's meant to be clarifying. The urgency of life, held clearly, is a gift, not a threat. Act 3 — The Practice This Is Not a Willpower Problem I want to be clear about something before we get into some of the practices you can use. If your approach to procrastination is to grit your teeth and force yourself, that strategy will eventually fail. Not because you're weak. Because willpower treats the symptom, not the cause. You can white-knuckle through the task this time. But the underlying impression — the fear, the false belief — is still there. It will show up again tomorrow, and the day after. The Stoic approach is more surgical: don't override the impression. Examine it. The Core Practice: Examine the Impression When you notice yourself avoiding something, pause. Don't shame yourself for avoiding it — that only makes it worse, and Brené Brown's research on shame confirms what the Stoics already understood: shame doesn't produce change. She wrote: "Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change." Rather motivating us forward, it produces more avoidance. So how can we combat the tendency to shame ourselves for not acting? Instead, we can get curious. Ask yourself: “What am I actually afraid will happen if I start this?” “Is that fear true? Or is it an impression I've accepted without questioning?” “What do I actually believe about this task — not what I say I believe?” Now remember, this is self-investigation, not self-criticism. The Stoic doesn't stand over themselves with a whip. They stand over themselves with a lamp. They look at things objectively, withholding judgment so they can see things as they are. When you find the fear — and you usually will find a fear — you can look at through the lens of the Dichotomy of Control: separate what is in your control from what is not. First off, is the outcome of this task in your control? No. What is under your control is your effort. Your honesty. Your willingness to begin is. Action Precedes Motivation Here's an important reversal that makes a big difference. We have the relationship between action and motivation backwards. We wait to feel ready, and then we'll act. But readiness, motivation, comes from acting — not before it. The Stoics captured this in the concept of kathêkon — appropriate action, taken now, in the present moment. Not when conditions are perfect. Not when we feel inspired. Now. The discipline isn't in feeling ready. It's in beginning anyway. And the remarkable thing is that once you begin — once you take even a small, imperfect step — the emotional resistance usually drops. Not always. But often. Because the task, once you're inside it, is almost never as threatening as the story you built around it. "Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task." — William James The thing you're dreading costs you energy every single day you don't do it. The mental overhead of carrying it. The low-grade guilt. The way it sits in the back of your mind. Starting — even imperfectly — often costs less than continuing to avoid. A Small, Practical Anchor When the task feels overwhelming, when the gap between where you are and where you need to be feels too wide — don't try to cross it in one leap. Just take the next action. Not 'finish the project.' Just: open the document. Send the first message. Make the one call. Set the one thing in motion. "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens." — Epictetus What is in your power, right now, is the next small action. That's all Stoicism asks of you. Not perfection. Not the whole mountain at once. The next step. Remember, those obstacles are the things that teach how to overcome the obstacle. You don’t get better at it by putting it off or avoiding them. You get better by trying, failing, and learning. Then trying again. And again. And the thing is, when you learn how to do something when circumstances aren’t ideal, think how much better you’ll be when you have been slogging away and circumstances do move in your favor. If you can stick to it when it’s hard, then you’ll sail even faster when the wind is in your favor! Act 4: Conclusion The Emotional Courage Reframe I want to bring this home to something that sits at the heart of this podcast, because I think it reframes everything we've talked about today. Addressing akrasia — facing the thing you've been avoiding — isn't about force. It isn't about suppressing the fear and pushing through. That's not Stoicism. Real Stoic practice requires a specific kind of courage. The courage to sit with the feeling you've been avoiding. To look at it directly. To ask what it actually is — not what it's pretending to be. And then to choose to act in spite of it, not in denial of it. That's emotional courage. Not the absence of fear. The willingness to examine it, name it honestly, and move anyway. Over time you’ll see that the discomfort of starting becomes less than the fear of failure. You’ll take action, even in the face of uncertainty. Marcus Aurelius had to do this every morning. Seneca wrote about it constantly. Epictetus built his entire teaching around it. The Stoics weren't people who had transcended difficulty — they were people who had developed a practice for facing it. That distinction matters. Closing Thought There is something you have been putting off. You know what it is. Maybe it's been sitting with you for days, or weeks, or longer. The Stoic invitation today is not to force yourself. It's to get curious. To look at the impression underneath the avoidance and ask whether it's true. To separate what you actually control from what you're afraid of losing control over. And then — when you've looked at it clearly — to take the next small step. Not the whole thing. Just the next step. "Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life." — Seneca The thing you've been putting off doesn't need a better version of you. It needs the version of you that exists right now — willing to begin. ----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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 370 - Q & A: Opinions, Anxiety, Ambition, & Knowing vs. Doing | 15 Mar 2026 | 00:15:02 | |
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 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! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 361 - Ataraxia: The Stoic Skill of Staying Level | 08 Jan 2026 | 00:11:34 | |
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 8 The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 271 - Cultivating Connection: Stoic Insights on Loneliness | 14 Sep 2023 | 00:16:48 | |
Do struggle with loneliness? Have the last few years of lockdowns and isolation been hard on you? Today I want to talk about loneliness, why it’s something that shouldn’t be ignored, and why it’s important for us to reach out and connect to others.“We are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden.”—Seneca The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 270 - Benefit of the Doubt | 06 Sep 2023 | 00:11:55 | |
Do you give others the benefit of the doubt? When other people disappoint you do you cut them some slack? Today I want to talk about why it’s important to give people some grace, and how it can make you happier with yourself.“Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option: to accept this event with humility; to treat this person as they should be treated; to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in.”—Marcus Aurelius The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 269 - Getting Unstuck | 30 Aug 2023 | 00:14:56 | |
Are you stuck in life? Do you feel like you can’t break out of the rut you’re in? Today I want to talk about why we get stuck and offer some ideas of how to get unstuck.“What upsets people is not things themselves, but their judgements about these things.” — Epictetus The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 268 - Creation is the Purpose of Life | 22 Aug 2023 | 00:14:10 | |
What do you think the purpose of life is? Do you ever wonder why we’re here? Today I want to talk about some ideas of what we’re supposed to do with the one life that we have.“Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual." — Arthur Koestler The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 267 - Conquering Victimhood with a Stoic Mindset | 14 Aug 2023 | 00:14:17 | |
Are you a victim? Do you put yourself in the role of a victim rather than owning up to and taking responsibility for yourself? Today I want to talk about why we fall into the role of victim and how we can step up and be responsible for ourselves.“An ignorant person is inclined to blame others for his own misfortune. To blame oneself is proof of progress. But the wise man never has to blame another or himself.”— Epictetus The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 266 - Finding Balance: The Paradox of Pain and Pleasure | 02 Aug 2023 | 00:14:04 | |
Do you think that life should be all pleasure and no pain? This week I want to talk about the balance between pain and pleasure and why if you want more pleasure, you may have to add more pain to your life.“If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please.”—Epictetus The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 265 - The Road to Growth: Why the Journey Matters More Than the Destination | 27 Jul 2023 | 00:12:17 | |
Why do you set goals? Why is it important for you to accomplish those goals? Today I want to talk about why we should try to accomplish goals, even we never achieve them.“Show me someone for whom success is less important than the manner in which it is achieved.”— Epictetus The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 264 - Personal Maintenance | 19 Jul 2023 | 00:13:46 | |
Are you always looking for the lazy solution? Do you try to find “one and done” solutions to the problems in your life? Today I want to talk about how most progress is not just about knowing what to do, but about doing it consistently.“How do you move forward? One step at a time. How do you lose weight? One kilo at a time. How do you write a book? One page at a time. How do you build a relationship? One day at a time. In a world obsessed with speed, never forget things of real worth and value take time.”— Thibaut The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 263 - No Self | 04 Jul 2023 | 00:12:42 | |
“It is not so much what happens to you as how you think about what happens.”― EpictetusDo you think of yourself as a “self”? What if we had no part of us that was an enduring self? How would that change how you acted in the world? Today I want to talk about the idea of how we would view the world different if there was no self. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 262 - The Inverse Law Of Desire | 28 Jun 2023 | 00:11:19 | |
Desire is a contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. — Naval RavikantDo you struggle with getting the things that you want in you life? Are you unhappy because you are unable to achieve the success you want in life? Today I want to talk about an idea call the Inverse Law of Desire, and how it may be keeping you from accomplishing your goals in life. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 360 - Advice for the New Year | 27 Dec 2025 | 00:10:51 | |
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 Aurelius Meditations IV.3 The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 261 - What Others Think | 20 Jun 2023 | 00:14:17 | |
“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” — EpictetusDo you worry about what others think of you? Does it keep you from doing or saying things that you would like do? Today I want to talk about thinking errors and projection and how we can use stoic ideas to clean up our thinking. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 260 - Suffer Well | 13 Jun 2023 | 00:13:39 | |
Do you give up on things because they’re hard? How willing are you to suffer for the things that you truly want in your life? Today I want to talk about how to get what you want, and why it’s important to learn how to suffer well."Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind." — Seneca The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 259 - Enemies | 06 Jun 2023 | 00:10:56 | |
Do you have enemies? Are there people that you don’t like? Are there people who don’t like you? May there is someone who makes your life more difficult? Today I want to talk about the importance of having people in our lives that challenge us.“There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself - an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly.”— Antisthenes The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 258 - Nothing Endures But Change | 01 Jun 2023 | 00:16:45 | |
How do you handle change? Does it overwhelm you? Do you try to ignore it or do you embrace it? Today I want to talk about understanding change and how we can use stoicism to help us through some rocky times.“Nothing endures but change.”— Heraclitus The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 257 - Face Your Fears | 23 May 2023 | 00:11:28 | |
While we wait for life, life passes. —SenecaAre you afraid to take risks? Do you continually play it safe? Are you living a life that is comfortable but unchallenging? Today I want to talk about how we can push ourselves to take more risks and live life more fully. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 256 - Developing Optimism | 16 May 2023 | 00:12:32 | |
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.— Marcus AureliusAre you a pessimist? Do you see the glass as half empty? Do you often get depressed when you think about the state of the world? Today I want to talk about how stoicism can help make you an optimist. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 255 - The WISER Model | 10 May 2023 | 00:07:34 | |
"Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it." — SenecaHow well do you manage your emotions? Do you feel like you’re on top of things or do you feel like you let situations get under your skin? Today I want to talk about a model I came across that can be a useful tool for managing your emotions, and handling situations like a stoic. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 254 - Think Of Yourself As Dead | 02 May 2023 | 00:10:15 | |
"Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly." — Marcus AureliusDoes your past weigh heavy on you? Do you let your past mistakes keep you from making the changes you want in your life? Today I want to talk about how changing our perspective on the past can help us make better choices for the future. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 253 - Digging Deep: Uncovering Your Unconscious Motivations | 25 Apr 2023 | 00:11:44 | |
"No man is free who is not a master of himself." — EpictetusDo you always act the way you want to? Do you struggle to accomplish what you set out to do? Do you find it challenging to make choices that are in line with what you think you want? Today I want to talk about learning to understand why often make choices and do things that don’t line up with that we think we really want. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 252 - Overwhelmed | 18 Apr 2023 | 00:13:42 | |
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”— Marcus AureliusDo you get overwhelmed with the challenges of life? When life gets too stressful do you shut down and bail out? Today I want to talk about why we let things overwhelm us and what can we do to stay on track. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 359 - Who do You Think You Are?: Identity and Self-Belief | 19 Dec 2025 | 00:19:14 | |
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 Tzu The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 251 - Conversation with Brian from the LOTS project | 10 Apr 2023 | 02:11:10 | |
A wide ranging conversation with Brian, the host of the LOTS project. You can find out more information about Brian and living off the grid at https://thelotsproject.com/ The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 250 - When Life Has Other Plans | 04 Apr 2023 | 00:09:02 | |
We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.— EpictetusWhen life throws you curveballs, how do you handle them? Do you freak out? Do you roll with it? Do you look at it as an opportunity or a disaster? Today I want to about how to keep a perspective on life that helps you keep on moving when things don’t go as planned. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 249 - Strong Body for a Strong Mind | 22 Mar 2023 | 00:09:48 | |
Do you take care of your body? To you treat it like a temple? Do you exercise it and strengthen it as much as your mind? Today I want to talk about how important it is to treat your body as good as, if not better than your mindIt is necessary to care for the body, not for its own sake, but because it is the abode of the soul.— Musonius Rufus The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 248 - Interview With Author Crystal Jackson | 13 Mar 2023 | 02:18:02 | |
Life is full of challenges that can knock you down, but the question is, are you going to stay down? As a romance novelist, Crystal Jackson might seem an odd choice for a guest on a podcast about stoicism, but Crystal has seen her fair share of hard knocks, and has some great lesson to share. We talk about how sometimes, the greatest challenges in our lives are also the greatest teachers.You can find more from Crystal here: https://www.crystaljacksonwriter.com/ The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 247 - There Are No Problems, Only Choices | 07 Mar 2023 | 00:11:47 | |
The stoics teach us that our perspective on life is one of the most important things that we can control. It’s our perspective that informs how we approach everything. Today I want to talk about a powerful way to look at the world using stoic principles that can help us become more resilient, and better able to handle stresses in our lives.If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.— Marcus Aurelius The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 246 - What Do You Deserve? | 27 Feb 2023 | 00:11:50 | |
Last weeks podcast got a quite a few responses and questions. Some of them turned into some back and forth discussions about some of the ideas, so I want to dig into them a little deeper into the question of what do we deserve, and why we should be kind to others, even when they are not kind to us. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 245 - Whining or Winning? | 21 Feb 2023 | 00:10:52 | |
Do you think that life is fair? Do you think it’s unfair? Are others “winning” when you are not? Today I want to talk about how fall into a pretty bad way of thinking that reduces our ability to take responsibility for ourselves, and blame our unhappiness on the world outside of us.Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining.— Teddy Roosevelt The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 244 - Interview with John Chancey of Knowledge Brews Supreme | 06 Feb 2023 | 01:34:13 | |
This weeks episode is an interview I did with Dr. John Chancey of the Knowledge Brews Supreme podcast. It was really fun to dive into all kinds of interesting philosophical topics with John. He's sharp, warm, and fun. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed chatting with John. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 243 - All the Feels: How to Ride the Emotional Waves | 01 Feb 2023 | 00:15:30 | |
Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions.— Elizabeth GilbertAre you afraid of your feelings? Do you avoid, numb, or shut down your emotions? How much stress and anxiety do you create trying to avoid uncomfortable emotions? Today I want to talk about the power of emotions, and how to reduce your suffering by feeling your emotions all the way through. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 242 - How to Become Another Person | 24 Jan 2023 | 00:14:11 | |
If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.– SenecaHow would your life be different if you viewed yourself as something you get to create and to become someone you admire? Are you living the life you want to? If you aren’t, how do you create big changes in your life? Today I want to talk about, rather than simply growing and getting better little by little, what if you transformed yourself into something completely different? The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 358 - How to Love Like a Stoic: Loving From Wholeness | 13 Dec 2025 | 00:16:11 | |
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 Aurelius The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 241 - Mind Over Mood: The Stoic Art of Reframing | 16 Jan 2023 | 00:12:34 | |
One of the things we talk about a lot in stoicism is that it’s our perspective on something that causes our distress. So how do we change our perspective on things? Are there tools that we can use to help us view things differently? Today I want to talk about some of the things that get in our way of broadening our perspective, and what tools we can use to help change our perspective.We see what we believe rather than what we see.— Alan WattsIt is not the things themselves that disturb people, but their judgments about these things.— Epictetushttps://stoic.coffee The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 240 - Interview with Trever Yarrish | 09 Jan 2023 | 01:44:30 | |
Trever Yarrish is the owner and founder of Zeal Software and The Hiive co-working space. He is also a good friend and one of my favorite people to chat with about stoicism. He's an avid student of stoicism and brings many of the stoic principles and ideas into his companies as well as his personal life. We sat down and had a chat about life, work, family, and the importance of having a process for managing your mind and emotions. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 239 - Lessons Learned | 03 Jan 2023 | 00:12:42 | |
This year has been an especially rough year for many of us. I can honestly say it has been for me. In this episode, I want to talk about what I have learned over the past year, and ask you about the most important things you have learned.The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.— Marcus Aurelius The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 238 - Show Up | 27 Dec 2022 | 00:09:38 | |
Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. —Marcus AureliusHow do you show up in the world? Are you acting the way that you want to? Are you being the person that you want to? If not, why not? In todays episode, I want to talk about how to live with integrity and be the person you want to be. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 237 - Self Confidence | 20 Dec 2022 | 00:09:32 | |
Self-confidence is not something that can be given to you. It must be earned, through hard work and determination.— AristotleAre you confident person? Do you have faith in yourself as person? Are you comfortable with who you are? Today I want to talk about how we often will self sabotage ourselves not because we don’t have the skill or capacity to do something, but because we let self doubt creep in and stop us from sharing our gifts and talents. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 236 - Nice vs. Kind | 12 Dec 2022 | 00:08:00 | |
Are you a nice person or are you a kind person? Do you know the difference? Today I want to talk about whether it’s better to be nice or kind.Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. — SenecaI few weeks ago, I stumbled on a discussion on twitter of all place about the difference between being nice and being kind. It was an idea that I had never really thought about, so today I want to look at this idea from a stoic perspective. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 235 - interview with Tanner Campbell of Practical Stoicism | 05 Dec 2022 | 00:50:07 | |
A cross post of a chat with Tanner Campbell of the Practical Stoicism podcast. Tanner is warm, smart, and interesting, with a great podcast. If you enjoy my work then you'll probably enjoy his podcast as well. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 234 - Easy Life | 28 Nov 2022 | 00:11:05 | |
It may seem difficult at first but everything is difficult at first.— Miyamoto Musashi.Do you want your life to be easy? Do you complain, get stressed out, or upset when challenges come up in your life? Today I want to talk about why we should not only accept adversity in our lives, but learn to embrace it. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 233 - Anxious Future | 21 Nov 2022 | 00:08:13 | |
Do you feel like the world is in chaos right now? I know that many of us feel like that. Spend a day on social media and easy to find all kinds of things wrong with the world. Is it that the world is truly more chaotic? Are things really falling apart more so than in the past? Today I want to talk about some of the reasons why some many of us feel like the world is in chaos.The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable. —Seneca The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 232 - QTIP | 15 Nov 2022 | 00:09:10 | |
How often do you take what other people say and do personally? How often do you feel like you have to “fix” someone else’s mood? Today I want to talk about emotional responsibility, and how it can lead a stronger sense of self and keep you from getting pulled into other peoples emotional mayhem.Not to display anger or other emotions. To be free of passion and yet full of love.—Marcus Aurelius The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 357 - The Investment of Attention | 05 Dec 2025 | 00:17:32 | |
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.” —Seneca The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 231 - A Model of Thinking | 07 Nov 2022 | 00:10:44 | |
You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.—Marcus AureliusThe stoics teach us that we have control over a few things - our thoughts, our choices, and our actions. In short, our will. So is there a way that we can get better with our thinking, and improve our outcomes? Today I want to talk about a model that can help us be more aware of how our thinking impacts us, and with that awareness, improve our lives. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 230 - Our Human Contract | 02 Nov 2022 | 00:12:55 | |
Is it ever okay to hate someone as a stoic? Is there ever a time to have “righteous anger”? Today I want to talk about anger, hate and violence in our ever more divisive world.Ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hate, and hate leads to violence. This is the equation.— Ibn Rushd The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||
| 229 - Conscious Communication | 24 Oct 2022 | 00:09:54 | |
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.—RumiHow you ever thought about how often we have judgments in our language? Are you even aware of how often we communicate our our opinions and feelings about others? What if we could remove judgments from our language? Today I want to talk about ways that we can make our language more clear, and increase our ability to communicate non-judgmentally with others. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment! My book Stoicism 101 is available! Order here! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. | |||