David Mamet is one of the most influential writers of the last half-century, so when he talks about craft, discipline, and courage, it’s worth listening. In this episode, David joins Ryan to talk about acting, writing, Stoicism, and why most people make things far more complicated than they need to be. David breaks down his blunt philosophy on performance and life, why courage matters more than talent, why “just saying the words” is often the hardest part, and the Stoic question he literally engraved on his watch. 

David Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize for Glengarry Glen Ross and first broke through in the 1970s with plays like American Buffalo and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. He’s also written and directed films including House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner, and Heist, and wrote the screenplays for The Verdict and The Untouchables. Most recently, David released the film Henry Johnson and published the novel Some Recollections of St. Ives: A Novel. 

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Be wary whom you go to work for. Moral compromises add up and eventually destroy you.

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📚 Book Mentioned: Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

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We can train. We can prepare. This will not be enough. Because more will be expected of us still, more will be piled onto our plates.

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Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in America. It’s worth taking a minute today to consider one particularly brilliant and inspiring part of King’s approach to civil rights. 

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In today's episode, you’ll hear about 7 traits that the Stoics actually lived by, and why they shaped leaders we’re still learning from 2,000 years later.

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From writing with David Goggins to working alongside Rich Roll, Adam Skolnick’s success didn’t make imposter syndrome disappear. In this episode, Adam opens up to Ryan about his path as a writer, the years of underreported stories and side gigs, how self-doubt still shows up, and the unbelievable true story that inspired his new novel American Tiger.

Adam Skolnick has written about travel, adventure sports, human rights and the environment for outlets like The New York Times, Outside, Lonely Planet, ESPN, BBC, and Men’s Health. He is best known as the ghostwriter and audiobook narrator for David Goggins memoirs Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finished. He is also the author of One Breath - Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human Limits and now his debut novel, American Tiger, is officially out. 

Check out Adam’s new novel American Tiger and follow him on Instagram @AdamSkolnick

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Now is for certain. Later is a lie. It’s only going to get harder the longer you wait.

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What’s the difference between self-awareness and self-consciousness? In today’s bonus episode, Ryan shares an excerpt from his conversation with high-performance expert Steve Magness on how to spot the difference.

🎥 Watch Steve Magness’ FULL interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKhlm3aLREI

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People probably thought Marcus Aurelius was strange. The time he spent alone in his room. The long walks he took by himself. There would be no Meditations without this quiet solitude, but more alarming, there would have been no Marcus Aurelius, either.

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Most productivity advice promises that if you just find the right system, you’ll finally catch up. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Oliver Burkeman who explains why that feeling never arrives and why that is not a personal failure. They discuss the productivity lie that keeps so many people feeling behind every single day, how hustle culture quietly creates anxiety, and why the goal of getting “on top of everything” is impossible. Oliver explains why urgency often makes life worse, not better, how saying no is harder than it should be, and what actually changes when you stop trying to win time and start accepting your limits.

Oliver Burkeman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, and Meditations for Mortals. 

Follow Oliver on Instagram and X @OliverBurkeman

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