The Daily Stoic

Let’s focus on getting better. Let’s get serious about stuff we’ve put off. Let’s lend a helping hand. Let’s “fight to be the person philosophy tried to make us,” as Marcus Aurelius said.

Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

📕 The Daily Stoic eBook is on sale for $2.99! Grab yours now at dailystoic.com/discount

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👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

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You do not control the year ahead. You do control how you meet it. In this episode, Ryan walks through the Stoic framework for becoming better in the year ahead built around courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom.

Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

🎥 Watch this episode on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV9mLzyDrK8

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

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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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The end of the year has a way of reminding us that nothing lasts forever. In today’s episode, you will hear a deep dive into the Stoic practice of Memento Mori, the reminder that you could leave life at any moment. Not as something dark or depressing, but as a way to sharpen your focus on what actually matters.

You will hear conversations with psychologists, grief experts, and artists who have all confronted mortality in very real ways. From near death moments and personal loss to ancient Stoic wisdom that still holds up today, this reminder helps make you more present, more patient, and more intentional with your time.

🎙️ Listen to the full episodes:

• Think About Death. Science Says You’ll Be Happier. | Dr. Laurie Santos
• David Kessler on Finding Meaning in Grief and Practicing the Art of Memento Mori
• EGO, DEATH, FAME: Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe

📚 Books Mentioned: 

• Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm
• Finding Meaning and the Finding Meaning Workbook by David Kessler 
• Just Beyond The Light by Randy Blythe 
• Dark Days by Randy Blythe

🪙 We have a collection of items in the Daily Stoic store to help you in your own memento mori practice, check them out here: https://store.dailystoic.com/

👉 Dr. Laurie Santos is an expert on the science of happiness and the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy.  Listen to Dr. Laurie’s podcast, The Happiness Lab, where she shares the latest scientific research on what it means to be truly happy. 

Check out more of Dr. Laurie’s work at DrLaurieSantos.com and follow her Instagram @LaurieSantosOfficial, X @LaurieSantos, and on YouTube and TikTok @DrLaurieSantos

👉 David Kessler, a grief and loss expert. David co-authored two books with Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, including On Grief and Grieving and after experiencing the death of his son, he updated her 5 stages of grief with a 6th stage: meaning. 

Follow David Kessler on Instagram and X | @IAmDavidKessler 

👉 Randy Blythe is the lead singer of Lamb of God.

Follow Randy on Instagram and X @DRandallBlythe and check out his Substack

No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

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

✉️ 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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Ryan was recently a guest on Shilo Brooks’ podcast, Old School, to talk about a book that’s meant a lot to him over the years, Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer. They discuss why this quiet Southern novel, set in postwar New Orleans, remains so resonant and what it reveals about meaning, distraction, and the universal search for purpose.

Catch the rest of the episode by checking out Old School with Shilo Brooks on Youtube, Apple, or Spotify

📚 Grab a copy of The Moviegoer by Walker Percy at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

👉 Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.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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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a bad year. You picked up some bad habits. You let some good habits slip. You wasted time on stuff that didn’t matter. But just because that’s true doesn’t mean things have to continue that way.

👉 Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

📚 Books Ryan gave Mark:

• Die With Zero 
• Range 
• Going Infinite 
• Montaigne
• Pontius Pilate 
• Conundrum 
• The Daily Drucker

🎥 Watch Ryan give Mark book recommendations at The Painted Porch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR-j9QxyQdc

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.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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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remarkably, Jesus and Seneca lived nearly parallel lives, with many sources suggesting they were born in the same year. Even more striking are the overlaps in their teachings. This Christmas morning, it’s worth reflecting on the shared wisdom of these extraordinary lives.

Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

🎟️ Come see Ryan Holiday LIVE: https://www.dailystoiclive.com/

• San Diego, CA - February 5, 2026 
• Phoenix, AZ - February 27, 2026

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new 

👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

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

📱 Follow us:  Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To the Stoics, virtue was a way of life. Not something we are, but something we do. So what would a year look like if you actually practiced this?

Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

👉 Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

🎙️ Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

✉️ 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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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Virtue is not a theory. It is something you practice. In the moments where you could overreact. In the moments where quitting would be easier. In the moments where doing the right thing costs you something.

In this episode, Ryan explores the four Stoic virtues through conversations with people who actually live them. You’ll hear from a fighter pilot who shows courage under pressure, a marathon runner disciplined in daily practice, a historian who reframes justice as action, and Ryan himself on treating wisdom as a lifelong pursuit.

📚 Get a signed copy of each of the books in the Stoic Virtues Series: Courage is Calling, Discipline is Destiny, Right Thing Right Now, and Wisdom Takes Work

🎥 Watch the full episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

• Silence the 5 Inner Critics DESTROYING Your Confidence | Combat Fighter Pilot Michelle Curran
• CEO of The Atlantic Nick Thompson on Stoic Lessons From Success
• Why Do We Hate Our Jobs? The Truth About Success, Work, & Impact | Rutger Bregman
• How To Avoid Destroying Your Mind | Billy Oppenheimer & Ryan Holiday

👉 Michelle “MACE” Curran is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot with nearly 2,000 hours of F-16 flying time. She flew combat missions in Afghanistan and honed her skills across the globe, becoming the second woman in history to serve as the Lead Solo Pilot for the Thunderbirds, the Air Force’s elite demonstration team.

📚 Check out Michelle’s book The Flipside: How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower

Follow Michelle on Instagram @Mace_Curran and learn more about her work at https://macecurran.com/

👉 Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, an American magazine founded in 1857. He has long been a competitive runner; in 2021, he set the American record for men 45+ in the 50K race.

📚 Check out Nick’s new book The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports

Follow Nick on Instagram and X @NXThompson

👉 Rutger Bregman is a Dutch historian and author. In 2024, Rutger co-founded The School for Moral Ambition, a non-profit organization inspired by his latest book, Moral Ambition. The initiative helps people to take the step toward an impactful career.

📚 Check out Rutger's book Moral Ambition

Follow Rutger on Instagram and X | @RutgerBregman

👉 Billy Oppenheimer is Ryan Holiday’s research assistant and the writer behind the newsletter, Six at 6 on Sunday. To read more of his work, check out his website billyoppenheimer.com.

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium | https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge

🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

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

📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Procrastination isn’t saving you…it’s only adding interest to the bill you’re going to have to pay eventually.

Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

👉 Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

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

📱 Follow us:  Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's bonus episode, Ryan and Dr. Rangan Chatterjee talk about why New Year’s resolutions usually fall apart and what actually works instead. They discuss why changing behavior is so hard, the key to making real change, and how most of us focus on the habit itself without understanding what it’s really doing for us. 

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is a physician, author, TV presenter and podcast host of  Feel Better Live More where he talks with leading health experts who offer easy health life-hacks, expert advice and debunk common health myths. Check out Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s latest book Make Change That Lasts.

You can follow him on Instagram @DrChatterjee, on X @Dr.ChatterjeeUK, and on YouTube @DrChatterjeeRangan

🎥 Watch Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s FULL episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMg8KgzD8DM

Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

👉 Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new

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

📱 Follow us:  Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.