The Daily Stoic

In the past, character wasn’t just admired, it was expected. People demanded integrity, and even fought duels over questions of honor. But today, does character still matter?

General McChrystal is a retired United States Army general best known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command in the mid-2000s. He established a consultancy firm, McChrystal Group, in 2011 and advises senior executives at multinational corporations on navigating complex change and building stronger teams.

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📚 You can grab signed copies of On Character: Choices That Define A Life by General McChrystal at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

🎥 Watch General McChrystal's interview on The Daily Stoic Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_pBw1clQ8s

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Audio excerpted courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from ON CHARCTER by General Stanley McChrystal, read by General Stanley McChrystal. © 2025 McChrystal Group LLC, ℗ 2025 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.

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In honor of Taylor Swift's new album The Life of a Showgirl, Ryan shares the surprising Stoic lessons hidden in her music and career. 

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Moral challenges have existed throughout history, and we all handle them in our own way. In today’s Part 2 episode, Ryan continues his conversation with former NBA player turned psychologist John Amaechi. They discuss the ethical dilemmas that have endured for 2,000 years, the role of compromise, and the complexity of loyalty and sacrifice.

John Amaechi is an English psychologist, consultant and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Penn State Nittany Lions, and professional basketball in the NBA for the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, and Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Since retiring from basketball, John got his PhD in psychology and has worked as a psychologist and consultant, establishing his company Amaechi Performance Systems.

Follow John on X @JohnAmaechi and on Instagram @JohnAmaechiOBE

 📚 Grab a signed copy of It’s Not Magic by John Amaechi at The Painted Porch

🎙️ Listen to Ryan's solo episode You Are What You Won't Do For Money on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

👉 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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Self-awareness is not something you just magically get. It’s something, like any form of wisdom, that you have to work at.

📖 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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View the ENTIRE list of books mentioned in this video here: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/collections/joe-rogan-picks

Listen to Ryan and Joe's conversation on The Joe Rogan Experience: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VbGyix7GOozgg8sry2Tmr

👉 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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No one can take away what you’ve learned. No one can make you forget philosophy. 

📖 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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We are how we treat the vulnerable. We are how we treat people who can’t do much for us anymore. We are who we take care of.

📖 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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✉️ 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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How much is your word worth? For former NBA player turned psychologist John Amaechi, the answer is $17 million. In this episode, John and Ryan unpack why he walked away from that payday, why integrity is his ultimate non-negotiable, why your job should never define you, and more. 

John Amaechi is an English psychologist, consultant and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Penn State Nittany Lions, and professional basketball in the NBA for the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, and Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Since retiring from basketball, John got his PhD in psychology and has worked as a psychologist and consultant, establishing his company Amaechi Performance Systems.

Follow John on X @JohnAmaechi and on Instagram @JohnAmaechiOBE

 📚 Grab a signed copy of It’s Not Magic by John Amaechi at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

🎙️ Listen to Ryan's solo episode You Are What You Won't Do For Money on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

📖 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/

🎙️ 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

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You said you were going to take care of it. You said it would be done by the deadline. You set aside the time. You had every intention of doing it. But what happened?

📚 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

📖 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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📓 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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As Seneca says, the path to wisdom is acquiring one thing a day. Wisdom takes work.

📖 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/

🎙️ 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

🏛 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.