The difference between panic and power comes down to a few simple rules. In today’s episode, Ryan dives into Les Snead’s philosophy on “panic rules” and why it’s stuck with him ever since they first talked. Ryan and Les discuss how these rules help leaders stay calm under pressure, make hard decisions, and mentor the next generation. Then, they wrap up the conversation at The Painted Porch, where Ryan shares some book recommendations with Les and his wife Kara.

Les Snead is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. Snead played tight end for Auburn from 1992-93 and was part of the Tigers’ perfect 11-0 team in 1993. He also earned Southeast Region Academic All-American honors during his college career. Prior to joining the Rams, Snead spent 13 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. 

 📚 Full list of books that Ryan gave to Les and Kara:

Bittersweet by Susan Cain

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Letters to a Young Athlete by Chris Bosh

It’s Better To Be Feared by Seth Wickersham

The Way of the Champion by Paul Rabil

Levels of the Game by John McPhee

Notes to John by Joan Didion

Grit by Angela Duckworth 

The Notebook by Rolland Allen

Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson

Plato and The Tyrant by James Romm

The Second Mountain by David Brooks

Die With Zero by Bill Perkins

From Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks 

On Character by General Stanley McChrystal

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

🎙️ Listen to Les Snead's first episode on The Daily Stoic Podcast

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

👉 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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Whether we're a slave or an emperor, wisdom helps us rise above our limitations. It gives us clarity, it gives us perspective.

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If you’ve ever thought, “What if I had just gone for it?” today's bonus episode is for you.

🎥 Watch the full episode with Daniel Pink here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUdNi9HT1Tk

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

👉 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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We come into existence—by some impossible, unbelievable set of circumstances—and then come out of it. Why? How? No one can say for certain.

🎙️ Listen to Ryan's episode on the Soul Boom Podcast on Apple Podcast & Spotify

🎥 Watch Ryan’s episode on the Soul Boom Podcast with Rainn Wilson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stnG5IGZc4k

🎙️ Listen to Rainn Wilson's episode on The Daily Stoic Podcast | Apple Podcast, Spotify, & YouTube 

📚 Grab a copy of Soul Boom: Why We Need A Spiritual Revolution by Rainn Wilson at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

You can follow Rainn on Instagram @rainnwilson and Twitter @rainnwilson, and on soulboom.com.

Subscribe to Rainn's Substack: https://newsletter.soulboom.com/

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

📖 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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This Stoicism thing—you’ve been practicing it for a while, but how do you know it’s working?

📖 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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As a leader, what do you do when your team is falling apart? Or when success comes faster than you expected? In this episode, Ryan sits down with Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead, the man who helped build a Super Bowl–winning team. They talk about what Les calls his “panic rules,” the principles he leans on when things get chaotic, and how he and coach Sean McVay have learned to play to win instead of not to lose.

Les Snead is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. Snead played tight end for Auburn from 1992-93 and was part of the Tigers’ perfect 11-0 team in 1993. He also earned Southeast Region Academic All-American honors during his college career. Prior to joining the Rams, Snead spent 13 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. 

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

🎙️ Listen to Les Snead's first episode on The Daily Stoic Podcast

👉 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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Those that don’t, or those that think they can go it alone, almost always fail.

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📓 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/

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

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They knew the costs of ego. They knew that happiness was never about externals. Yet they did chase it, didn’t they?

📕 Books Mentioned:

The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday: https://store.dailystoic.com/

Conspiracy by Ryan Holiday: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

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

👉 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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After recording their episode for The Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan took Pete Holmes on the usual post-interview tour of The Painted Porch. Let’s just say Pete had some thoughts about a few of Ryan’s book picks...

Here is the FULL list of books Ryan recommended to Pete: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/collections/pete-holmes

🎥 Prefer video? You can watch this on Ryan’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RyanHolidayOfficial/videos

📖 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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Comedian Pete Holmes is back for Part 2 and in full philosopher mode. He and Ryan dive into success, psychedelics, and why it’s not egotistical to say you’re “one of the greats.” They talk about how to find peace when life feels out of control, why laughter might be the highest form of enlightenment, and what it really means to “make it.”

Pete Holmes is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. He first gained recognition in the early 2010s as a stand-up comic, and also released his first comedy special and worked as a television writer and actor. He is the host of the podcast You Made It Weird, author of Comedy Sex God, and the creator of the HBO show Crashing. 

Follow Pete Holmes on Instagram, X, and YouTube

Watch Ryan's episode on You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn9B-15fV1I

Listen to Pete interview Robert Greene - one of Ryan's favorite podcast episodes! 

🎙️ Listen to Pete’s podcast You Made It Weird on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube

📚 Grab signed copies of Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

👉 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/

📖 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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