Stoic Wellbeing

In this episode, I am back with my friend Kai Whiting, co-author of the book Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In. 

Kai is a researcher and lecturer in sustainability and Stoicism currently living in Lisbon, Portugal.

If you’re into ancient ruins, you will love the beginning of our interview, where Kai talks about the research he conducted in Pompeii. 

And then we spend a lot of the conversation talking about what it means to be a  citizen of the world, a concept that was very important to the ancient Stoics.

 
 Should we be traveling more or less? Should we adapt to local customs or stick to our guns? 

There aren’t any rigid rules in Stoicism. It’s more about living according to principles.
 
 
 Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

 Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

As a listener of this podcast, you’ve already heard me talk about how the ancient philosophy of Stoicism offers guidance on how we can live the good life in the modern world. How to be less stressed. How to be a better listener. How to be more productive. 

But Stoicism is about more than improving ourselves on an individual level, it’s about improving our communities and being an active member of society. 

“No one is an island,” says today’s guest. That’s actually the title of chapter five of the book he co-authored: Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In. 

I am speaking to Kai Whiting, an English researcher and lecturer in sustainability and Stoicism currently living in Lisbon, Portugal (Update! Kai's moved to England).

Kai and I spoke for several hours — he’s a new bff whom I definitely plan on visiting in real life. 

I loved our conversation and am splitting it up in a few parts. This week we’re focussed on why Kai decided to focus  his book on Stoicism for the common good, and we get into a fascinating discussion on how contemporary cancel culture is a version of exile from ancient times, and how Stoicism offers an antidote to this.

Enjoy.


Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

It’s not super easy for U.S. citizens to get visas to live and work abroad (and the U.S. gov doesn’t make it easy for people to come in either). But millions of Americans have figured out how to create a life overseas, and so can you.

Here’s my cheat sheet of the nine easiest countries to move to from the U.S.

https://www.sarahmikutel.com/countryguide

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Janus is the Roman god of beginnings and endings, transitions and passageways, doorways and duality, amongst several other things. 

And he was one of my favorite sculptures in my town’s art Triennial this year, formally known as the Creative Folkestone Triennial 2021. 

High up on the East Cliff, in a little park overlooking the ocean, stood this massive head of Janus, who’s typically portrayed with two faces, one facing toward the future and the other face looking toward the past. 

That's what this artwork looked like: a gleaming white, massive head of Janus with one face looking toward the harbour and the other face looking back toward the houses on the street.

The sign next to Janus said, “It looks out to sea towards Europe and inland to England, contemplating what connects us as well as what divides us. It is made of plaster and chalk and will gradually degrade and disintegrate, reflecting the gradual erosion of the coastline as well as Folkestone’s history as a fort of England.”

And he did melt away, helped along by vandals, by the time the Triennial ended this month. A pile of white dust and plaster on the green grass. 

Memento mori, as the Stoics would say. We will all end up like Janus. And most of us live with that same duality: One part of us pondering the future, another replaying the past. 

And we’re missing this moment. The present moment.

Let's change that.

❤️

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

“Putting things off is the biggest waste of life,” Seneca says, “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.” Seneca, On the Shortness of Life.

Most of us don’t follow through on our New Year’s Resolutions because we treat them like wishes and not goals. Ideally, if we want to achieve a goal, we map out a plan to achieve it and follow through. Today’s episode is about setting yourself up for success by focusing on your goals.

❤️
 
 Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

 Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

How to cultivate loving kindness during the holiday season (and all year!)

❤️

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

It does not take much to make some people angry. We live in a society where people are quick to take offense. To feel victimized. To be enraged at people with opposing views. Political leaders and certain media outlets stir the pot for their own benefit. 

In my episode on Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, Donald Robertson offered some techniques we can use to manage our anger toward people who hold views that we strongly disagree with.

Today I want to talk to you about becoming more aware of your anger style based on your Enneagram type, and to share more practices you can use to conquer your anger and also to learn from it. And you might learn about your partner or parent’s anger style, as well. 


Because we don’t all experience anger in the same way. 


Some rage while others think they never get angry. But anger is a human emotion that we all experience, and how we experience it depends on several factors, including our Enneagram type, level of mental and emotional wellbeing, and our personal development work.


You'll learn...

• what makes each Enneagram type mad and how they express this
• Stoic techniques any Enneagram type can use to conquer their anger

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Growing up, what were your family’s eating habits? Fruits and vegetables? Canned spaghetti and doughnuts? 

At our house, once in a while we’d have pizza, and maybe once a year for a crazy treat we could pick out a sugary cereal -- Booberry was my fav. But for the most part, we were a junk food-free house.

Fast forward quite a few years, and now when I go home to visit, it’s like I’m entering Candy Land. Brownies, cookies, pies staring me in the face. 

Even though I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, I find these treats hard to resist, and I usually don’t, which is why my clothes felt a little too close for comfort after my last visit.

So, I decided to try the Fresh Start: 21-Day Cleanse created by Simple Green Smoothies co-founder Jen Hansard. This was exactly the reset my body needed. I lost weight, gained a ton of energy, and my mind felt clearer. 

As we begin a new year, I thought you might be interested in a fresh start, as well, so I invited Jen onto the podcast to talk about how to improve your quality of life through clean eating. I also talk about what the Stoics think about eating well to improve your character, mind, body, and spirit.

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Most of our suffering comes from thoughts that we let run wild in our brains. 

We spend a lot of time each day rehashing different conversations and situations in our mind, and we think that we’re just reviewing facts. But we’re not. We’re reflecting on our own points of view, assuming what others think, worrying about the future, and ruminating about the past.

The ancient Stoics understood that our thoughts are nothing more than stories we tell ourselves. 

And modern mental health professionals agree with them that we should challenge the thoughts that pop into our heads and not automatically accept them as reality. 

You might be thinking, “That’s impossible. I have a million thoughts running through my mind. It’s not in my control. I’m anxious. I’m overwhelmed.”

In today’s episode, I’ll coach you on how to use a thought record to manage your mind so you can live a more resilient, calm, joyful, and compassionate life. 

I can’t overstate how essential this work is to your wellbeing. If you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or frustrated that the changes you’re trying to make aren’t sticking, listen to this twice.

I've also created a thought record worksheet for you.

Full show notes can be found at sarahmikutel.com

Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?

Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

New to the Enneagram? Welcome to your introductory class.

At its most basic level, the Enneagram is a framework that says there are nine personality types, and each of the nine types has a different core motivation driving their behavior and beliefs. 

Why do you do the things you do? What motivates you? How do you see the world? How does the world see you? 

We all have a little of every type in us, but one of the types is our core type and it doesn’t change. You might wonder why people of the same personality type might outwardly present as very different. There’s several reasons for that, but a primary one is because they have a different subtype. 

I don’t want to overwhelm you, so today I’ll focus on walking you through the nine types, and we’ll save subtypes and wings and stress and security points and triads and all that other Enneagram magic for another day. Just know that there is a lot of beautiful nuance to the Enneagram and the point is not to box us into a certain type, but to free us from the negative patterns that hold back our type.

Don’t stress if, after listening to this episode, you’re not sure what your type is. It can take months for people to narrow down their type because it's the first time they've given themselves this time for self reflection. 

If you’d like me to guide you through this discovery process, I’d be honored to do an Enneagram typing session with you.

You can book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Have an Enneagram question? Ask me on Insta

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

I've had a travel podcast for several years now called LIVE Without Borders, where I interview women like myself who packed up everything to start a new adventure in another part of the world. 

One of the core values that I talk about is that we will never have this day again — make it matter. It's my softer way of saying 'If you died tomorrow, would you be satisfied with how you lived this day?' 

I knew I didn't invent this way of thinking but I didn't realize that Stoics have been talking about this for thousands of years until I learned about the greatest philosopher king, Marcus Aurelius, who ruled until 180 A.D. 

He said, “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” (Greg Hays translation). 

Marcus wrote down many words of wisdom, and I want to share his story today because he's an ideal example of how we can all live a good life, no matter what obstacles come our way.


I'm joined again by Stoic expert Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, which explains the Stoic philosophy via Marcus' fascinating story. It's my favorite book on Stoicism! Get the audiobook for free if you're new to Audible by signing up for a trial at audibletrial.com/postcard

Visit sarahmikutel.com to get in touch about how we can work one-on-one together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.

Looking for a guide to help you discover your Enneagram personality type? Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsession

Want to connect on Insta? Find me here

Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? 

I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.

Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.