Last updated on January 21st, 2023
A while back we covered five of the most useful, practical philosophy, podcasts in the pod-o-sphere, but to get more specific we need to cover useful podcasts for the stoic philosopher to help them hone their craft.
Afterall, like anything else, there aren’t really any shortcuts to mastery, so practice makes… well, not perfect, but helps with the journey towards inner peace, tranquilly, and success.
Which begs the question.
The stoic philosopher is anyone, professional or everyday person who wishes to better themselves and gain a sense of self mastery through the regular practice of stoic philosophy. In short, anyone can be the stoic philosopher.
Some of the most famous stoics came from all walks of life. Epictetus, was born a slave in the Roman Empire, and went on to become one the most ardent practitioners of stoicism.
Marcus Aurelius on the other hand, was, at one time, a Roman emperor. So, you see it can run the gamut as to who the stoic philosopher is.
Modern stoicism, can be less academic and more actionable for the average person. That was the mission of The Daily Stoic (Ryan Holiday, 2016) with his book and associated podcasts.
So if we know who the stoic philosopher was and can be…
Modern stoic philosophy is based on a set of precepts that help create self mastery, and move one’s life in a positive direction. It’s not a religion, but a set of principles for daily living.
There are no punishments for getting it wrong other than you may not feel so great and could develop less than ideal habits.
One of the most famous stoic philosophy quotes comes from Meditations (Marcus Aurelius, 2008):
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
And to be clear, that’s from the 2008 translation, he didn’t write it in 2008. So, the crux of the philosophy is to create better thoughts. Create better thoughts and you’ll create better habits. Better habits get you better results, and better results get you more peace of mind.
Sounds like a pretty good deal, but the catch? The stoic philosopher must put those ideas into practice. Which, is where this list of podcasts comes in.
As we know by now, podcasts are a great way to visit ideas in depth, and without everyone around you necessarily knowing what you’re listening to. It’s an individual practice for the thoughts inside an individual mind.
So let’s get into what these stoic philosophers were trying to share with us through the modern advent of the podcast.
Now, I admit, “best” is something of a loaded, subjective term. Especially when it comes to philosophy. Considering the whole field hasn’t agreed on a definition of “truth,” in the last couple thousand years, your mileage may vary.
But these are some of our favorite podcasts. Some of which are more academic or instructive than others. Some are focused on putting the practice into action without the listener having to know the basis of the underlying philosophy.
Both approaches have a ton of merit and both have tremendous value. So take what you like and apply it to your own life to be the stoic philosopher for the modern age.
I absolutely love the fusion of ideas through different artistic mediums. I mean you can pick up a lot from old stoicism books, but having the same ideas expressed through a new art form is an absolute delight.
It’s about accessibility.
In this podcast, hosted by Dramos, stoic ideas are seen through the lens of hip hop lyrics. It shows how much has changed from the time of ancient Greece, and just how little has changed simultaneously.
This is a podcast we are going to do a spotlight on in the future. Without question. I can’t wait to see more of what they produce.
You can’t have a list of stoic philosophy podcasts without talking about Ryan Holiday and what he’s done for the general awareness of the practice.
At this point, if you’re not aware of the podcast, as someone who majored in philosophy, I’m bummed out, but that’s okay. You can go subscribe right now.
The format of the show is easy to digest. Every day there is a new lesson to ponder, so I like to do this right after I get up, while the coffee is brewing. Something like that, because, generally, they are less than 10 minutes in length.
Perfect for a bite sized lesson of early stoa, middle stoa, or late stoa. Throw in some other greek philosophy for good measure, and you’ve got something to bring down your anxiety and get you out of daily stressors.
There are also Q&A shows that allow listeners of the show to submit their questions and interviews with modern stoic philosophers, or just some interesting people discussing their practice.
It’s where I’d start if I knew nothing about stoicism and wanted to dip my toes in the water.
Think there have been some hard times lately?
Over 200 episodes and counting this podcast features host (and philosopher) Chris Schembra facilitating discussions that blend ancient (or classic) philosophy with science to help people find gratitude when it seems like everything around them sucks.
And for the past several years it has seemed like everything around us has sucked. It is messing with our collective psyche. Finding gratitude even when everything seems awful helps restore balance. It’s a very interesting concept and there are now hundreds of episodes to explore.
As an aside, this podcast sprang out of his best selling book of the same name. It was a fantastic read before bed and coupled nicely with starting the day with a dose of Ryan Holliday.
Subscribe and start the journey.
Remember in the intro when I said that stoicism beliefs are more about the practice and the journey than the destination?
Well that’s what this podcast is about. Rather than being directly instructive, hosts Kevin and Florian have discussions about how to navigate the waters of life.
It turns out there’s more commonality in our problems than we think. Trying to find your way in the world today takes everything you got… wait, where have I heard that. But that’s what you have to do.
So this is a very entertaining and thought provoking look at being a better person in a stressful, rapidly changing world, where it seems like every day you wake up to some more bad news.
This is, without a doubt, one to put on your podcast app of choice.
Sometimes the stoic philosopher needs some more academic direction.
This podcast is designed to ease the listener into stoic philosophy, even if they’ve never really heard of it before. The show is now well over 100 episodes, so there is something worth listening to whenever you have the time.
The format of the show is usually host Tanner leading us, the listeners, through a particular mediation from Marcus Aurelius or quote from something like the Discourses of Epictetus (Epictetus, 1535), and then having a short discussion on that quote. It makes the episodes roughly 15 minutes in length, so, like the Daily Stoic, it is pretty easy to fit into even the busiest schedule.
There are also longer episodes, around and hour, that are a discussion with an author discussing their book, but the guests are always relevant to the show.
If you’re just starting out, this is an engaging host with an entertaining and informative outlook on specific chunks of the stoic philosophy.
Well worth a listen if you’re trying to learn the nuts and bolts.
People don’t like change. An object at rest tends to want to stay at rest. The problem is that to halt change, one would need to control every variable in the universe, and let’s say to do so would be, at best, a stretch.
Thus when we resist change, when we don’t actively adapt, and control only what we can control, it creates an enormous amount of stress and angst. This podcast sets out to alleviate that stress. To mute that angst. To get the listener comfortable with change.
Sarah Mikutel has created a self-help podcast that uses personality trait tools and stoic philosophy to get people to actually change their lives.
The approach is soft, anecdotal, backed up with facts, is very listenable. Episodes are about a half hour long and focus on mastering emotions, effecting change, and setting goals that can be kept. In short, putting stoicism into practice.
It is always good to know the philosophy, but to put it into action makes you the stoic philosopher you want to be.
This is another great example of a podcast focused on making real life changes through the implementation of stoic principles. It is a weekly meditation that’s fairly short, around 10 minutes, that is great for kickstarting your day.
From meditations on cognitive dissonance, reframing our beliefs, and how to be more self-confident, these bite sized meditations are designed to get the listener unstuck. To get them moving their lives in a positive direction.
And who can’t benefit from 10 minutes like that?
The show also features the occasional interview in addition to the meditation. Those shows are interesting because getting an outside perspective always benefits inward reflection.
At this point there are more than 230 episodes, so take a listen and maybe move your life forward a bit in 2023. After all, it’s all about showing up and pushing through our personal challenges with what we can control.
This is a new podcast, having only released three episodes thus far, but they’ve come out of the gate storming.
I think of myself as young, but I’m, what’s the term… old. I’m one of those geriatric millennials that were a fad a while back. So it warms my old heart to see the next generation picking up the torch and doing so forcefully.
See, my generation spans analog and digital. We listened to cassettes and were the first generation really on the internet. Starting with AOL for crying out loud. We enjoyed a time when life was a little slower. You weren’t constantly bombarded with your phone pinging you. You could plan to show up somewhere and everyone would have to be on the same page.
Gen Z isn’t like that. They grew up (and are growing up) in an entirely digital age. They were born into the constant bombardment of distraction.
So to see Wren and Mateo practice a “new wave of contemporary stoicism” is exciting. You can bet your bottom bitcoin I’m subscribed to this one.
What I really love about the Strong Stoic is that host Brandon Tumblin is practicing philosophy. He’s taking on hard questions and pondering them. Wrestling with them. Struggling with them.
That’s an admirable trait and it makes his podcast accessible to the average listener looking to get into stoic philosophy.
Recently he had a response, from a philosophical perspective, of Ye praising Hitler. It was one of the most interesting episodes of his show thus far.
The latest series, as of this writing, is Brandon struggling with the concept of grace through a stoic lens. It’s a fascinating, and dense, look at a topic that doesn’t get enough attention outside of strictly religious circles where that concept is, well, not always applied in the most authentic way.
There are some one off episodes on the subject worth mentioning. These single episodes are a great place to start if you have no idea where to begin.
Dan Harris was an anchor on Good Morning America and a field reporter who had done quite a bit of work during the war on terror. He saw some things. As a result, he started self medicating, and eventually had a full blown panic attack on live TV.
He’s been very open about this which has been great for the mental health community. Eventually he started the ten percent happier project that morphed into an entire movement. So, he left ABC to work on it.
In this episode, he has on Nancy Sherman to discuss how stoicism is so much more than contemporary life hacks and it deserves a lot more reverence than it may be currently getting.
Fascinating look at another excellent perspective on this ancient wisdom.
On episode #497 (wow), Donald Robertson, a historian of stoicism takes a deep dive into Marcus Aurelius, and has some pretty unorthodox views to share.
Because he’s a historian, Donald takes a different perspective on the philosophy as well as the man. Which is a refreshing change of pace.
We’re used to hearing about what Marcus believed, but not necessarily how he got there. Did he plagiarize some work? Maybe. Did he take psychedelics on occasion? Perhaps. Was emperor Nero really that batty?
But he also talks about how the stoics would approach certain problems. Like how Marcus learned to deal with the fame of being emperor. Sometimes that sort of thing will go to your head (see Nero above).
It’s a very well done interview and discussion of something we all thought we knew. It’s nice to get new perspectives.
Memento mori. Right? Life is all about finding meaning and purpose, but we are so often distracted and bombarded by distraction. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find the signal in the noise, and it is stressing us out.
Like Marcus learning to deal with fame, we can apply the same principles to what is plaguing our lives on a daily basis. Hopefully these podcasts will help to find the signal of our purpose within the noise of our everyday lives.
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