What happens when politics becomes performance and politicians become influencers? In today’s Part 2 episode, former Marine and NYT bestselling author Elliot Ackerman joins Ryan to talk about the idea that “everything’s a racket,” the collapse of institutional trust, and why restraint used to define real leadership. They talk about how cancel culture morphed into shamelessness as a superpower, why we might be living in a post-shame society, Ambrose Bierce’s wild literary exit, and why modern media feels more like professional wrestling than journalism.

Elliot Ackerman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels 2054, 2034, Halcyon, Red Dress in Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, as well as the memoirs The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan and Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning. 

Elliot’s books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, among others. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, and a veteran of the Marine Corps and CIA special operations, having served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. 

Be sure to check out Elliot’s latest book, SHEEPDOGS. Apple Studios has actually bought the rights to develop the book as a series with Tom Hanks production company.  

Grab signed copies of Elliot’s books 2054 and 2034 at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

Follow Elliot Ackerman on Instagram and X @elliot.ackerman

🎙️ Listen to Elliot Ackerman’s first time on The Daily Stoic Podcast: Elliot Ackerman on Storytelling and the Cyclical Nature of History

🎥 Head to Ryan Holiday’s YouTube channel to see what books he recommends to guests who come on The Daily Stoic Podcast | https://www.youtube.com/@RyanHolidayOfficial

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The right time to do the hard thing, the courageous thing, the right thing? It’s right now. 

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

📚 The Four Stoic Virtues: Justice, Temperance, Wisdom, Courage, are timeless keys to living your best life. The Daily Stoic is releasing a limited collector’s edition set of all four books signed and numbered, with a title page identifying these books as part of the only printing of this series. PLUS we're including one of the notecards Ryan used while writing the series. Pre-order the Limited Edition Stoic Virtues Series Today! | https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/stoic-virtues

💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Guide) as a personal field guide —part book club, part masterclass, part daily practice. It’s designed to help you not just read the words of Epictetus, but live them—to turn his timeless wisdom into real change in your own life and the lives of those around you. Head to dailystoic.com/epictetuscourse to learn more!

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Guilt is about the past and the past is the one thing we cannot change. All we can do is do better now. 

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

📚 The Four Stoic Virtues: Justice, Temperance, Wisdom, Courage, are timeless keys to living your best life. The Daily Stoic is releasing a limited collector’s edition set of all four books signed and numbered, with a title page identifying these books as part of the only printing of this series. PLUS we're including one of the notecards Ryan used while writing the series. Pre-order the Limited Edition Stoic Virtues Series Today! | https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/stoic-virtues

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Our lives are unpredictable. We are at the mercy of so many forces.

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

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Former Marine turned novelist Elliot Ackerman sits down with Ryan to talk about what discipline really looks like in everyday life. From 100-degree runs to cold plunges and daily writing routines, they discuss what helps them stay steady, focused, and consistent even when it’s hard.

Elliot Ackerman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels 2054, 2034, Halcyon, Red Dress in Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, as well as the memoirs The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan and Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning. 

Elliot’s books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, among others. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, and a veteran of the Marine Corps and CIA special operations, having served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. 

Be sure to check out Elliot’s latest book, SHEEPDOGS. Apple Studios has actually bought the rights to develop the book as a series with Tom Hanks production company.  

Grab signed copies of Elliot’s books 2054 and 2034 at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

Follow Elliot Ackerman on Instagram and X @elliot.ackerman

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast

🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast

✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/

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Education takes time. It takes work. It takes patience. 

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/

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Before, you were scared. Before, you were soft. Before, you were dependent. Before, you were so many things.

📔 Pick up your own leather bound signed edition of The Daily Stoic! Check it out at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast

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✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

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True curiosity demands action. It challenges your assumptions, expands your worldview, and pushes you to do something with what you learn.

📚 The Four Stoic Virtues: Justice, Temperance, Wisdom, Courage, are timeless keys to living your best life. The Daily Stoic is releasing a limited collector’s edition set of all four books signed and numbered, with a title page identifying these books as part of the only printing of this series. PLUS we're including one of the notecards Ryan used while writing the series. Pre-order the Limited Edition Stoic Virtues Series Today! | https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/stoic-virtues

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast

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✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

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If there’s one thing Candace Parker does best, it’s winning. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with basketball legend Candace Parker to talk about championships, pressure, and what it takes to be one of the greats. Candace talks about how being elite changes the way you see the world (and yourself), why winning never really feels like enough, and what happens when your whole identity is built around being the best. She opens up about legacy, ambition, parenting, and why she doesn’t go a year without reading The Alchemist. 

Candace Parker is one of the most influential athletes of all time. After being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, following a champion career at Tennessee, Parker went on to become the first player to earn WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, win three WNBA championship titles, and take home two Olympic gold medals. 

Be sure to grab a copy of Candace’s book: The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions 

Follow Candace on Instagram and X @CandaceParker

📚 Books Mentioned: 

• The Can-Do Mindset: How to Cultivate Resilience, Follow Your Heart, and Fight for Your Passions  by Candace Parker 
• Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday 
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Franklin and Winston by Jon Meacham
• Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Churchill by Sonia Purnell
• What You’re Made For by George Raveling
• The Barn by Wright Thompson
• Race Against Time by Jerry Mitchell
• Taylor Branch Trilogy

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

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✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

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When people show us who they are, we need to believe them.

👉 Find all of the books mentioned in today's episode here: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/collections/10-life-changing-books-from-ryan-holiday

📚 Sign up for Ryan’s free monthly reading list newsletter: https://ryanholiday.net/the-reading-list/

🎥 Watch Why Narcissistic Leaders Always Fail (In The End) on The Daily Stoic YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ4gbvjdIao

🎙️ Listen to Why Narcissistic Leaders Always Fail (In The End) on The Daily Stoic Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-narcissistic-leaders-always-fail-in-the-end/id1430315931?i=1000675355520

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast

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✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

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