The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:18:50 +0100 https://stoichandbook.co en © 2026 The Stoic Handbook / Jon Brooks yes 2574aa50-97c4-5100-9b97-3d81fe99f7a6 Jon Brooks episodic false You've read the books. You know what Marcus Aurelius would do. But when life gets hard, the philosophy disappears. This podcast is for people who want to close the gap between knowing Stoicism and actually living it. New episodes every Monday.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) stoicism, stoic philosophy, marcus aurelius, epictetus, stoic meditation, anxiety, self improvement, discipline Jon Brooks https://storage.buzzsprout.com/yqkmm8i28opqbfda5oi96remo1fj?.jpg The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks https://stoichandbook.co Why the Relaxed Man Always Wins (with Bas Rutten) Why the Relaxed Man Always Wins (with Bas Rutten) The most feared striker in MMA history spent this conversation talking about calm.

Before his first fight in Japan, Bas Rutten wrote one letter on each fist with a marker: R, for rustig, Dutch for relaxed. He'd found out that morning his opponent was 33 pounds heavier, the round was thirty minutes long, and there were no rules he recognised. Mid-fight he was calm enough to overhear two spectators in the front row discussing a house move, and that was when he noticed the two voices in him. The aggressive one, and the one that kept him still.

He retired without losing any of his last 22 fights and credits the whole run to that discovery.

We talk about why the relaxed fighter beats the aggressive one nine times out of ten, the skin disease and asthma that made him the outcast of his school and which he now calls a blessing, the difference between anger and aggression, the single line that ended his drinking, and where Stoicism and the Catholic faith he returned to line up almost exactly.

He also walks through the practices he runs daily: the pre-fight question "what's the worst thing that can happen?", the friend test for anger, and an evening examination of conscience he has kept for twelve years that Seneca describes almost word for word.

Follow Bas Rutten:
YouTube: youtube.com/user/OfficialBasRutten
Instagram: @basruttenmma
Website: basrutten.com
The O2Trainer, the breathing device he invented: o2trainer.com
His MMA Workout audio, the striking tape I mention my friend Joel wearing out: o2trainer.com/products/bas-rutten-s-mixed-martial-arts-workout-dvd

Companion article and full show notes: stoichandbook.co/bas-rutten-staying-calm

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The most feared striker in MMA history spent this conversation talking about calm.

Before his first fight in Japan, Bas Rutten wrote one letter on each fist with a marker: R, for rustig, Dutch for relaxed. He'd found out that morning his opponent was 33 pounds heavier, the round was thirty minutes long, and there were no rules he recognised. Mid-fight he was calm enough to overhear two spectators in the front row discussing a house move, and that was when he noticed the two voices in him. The aggressive one, and the one that kept him still.

He retired without losing any of his last 22 fights and credits the whole run to that discovery.

We talk about why the relaxed fighter beats the aggressive one nine times out of ten, the skin disease and asthma that made him the outcast of his school and which he now calls a blessing, the difference between anger and aggression, the single line that ended his drinking, and where Stoicism and the Catholic faith he returned to line up almost exactly.

He also walks through the practices he runs daily: the pre-fight question "what's the worst thing that can happen?", the friend test for anger, and an evening examination of conscience he has kept for twelve years that Seneca describes almost word for word.

Follow Bas Rutten:
YouTube: youtube.com/user/OfficialBasRutten
Instagram: @basruttenmma
Website: basrutten.com
The O2Trainer, the breathing device he invented: o2trainer.com
His MMA Workout audio, the striking tape I mention my friend Joel wearing out: o2trainer.com/products/bas-rutten-s-mixed-martial-arts-workout-dvd

Companion article and full show notes: stoichandbook.co/bas-rutten-staying-calm

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19587297 Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0100 6553 full false Are You Using Stoicism to Numb Out? | with Erick Cloward Are You Using Stoicism to Numb Out? | with Erick Cloward Stoicism is meant to help you master your emotions. There's a version of it that just teaches you to avoid them.

In this conversation I joined Erick Cloward on the Stoic Coffee Break to talk about "stoic bypassing" (Jules Evans' term): using the philosophy to suppress hard feelings instead of feeling them. We both grew up learning to push emotions down, so it got personal.

We cover the difference between suppression and reappraisal, alexithymia, why the Let Them Theory is thinner than it looks, how the manosphere funnels every emotion through anger, the case for voluntary discomfort, and a reframe from Epictetus that means you can never lose a first date.

This first aired on Erick's show, the Stoic Coffee Break. Go and follow him.

Erick Cloward / Stoic Coffee Break
Podcast: https://stoic.coffee
Original episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oBAAeiX5x1aMCqoahP3Dv?si=6av80YqGSmeIMG7wdTjGbg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stoic.coffee

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Stoicism is meant to help you master your emotions. There's a version of it that just teaches you to avoid them.

In this conversation I joined Erick Cloward on the Stoic Coffee Break to talk about "stoic bypassing" (Jules Evans' term): using the philosophy to suppress hard feelings instead of feeling them. We both grew up learning to push emotions down, so it got personal.

We cover the difference between suppression and reappraisal, alexithymia, why the Let Them Theory is thinner than it looks, how the manosphere funnels every emotion through anger, the case for voluntary discomfort, and a reframe from Epictetus that means you can never lose a first date.

This first aired on Erick's show, the Stoic Coffee Break. Go and follow him.

Erick Cloward / Stoic Coffee Break
Podcast: https://stoic.coffee
Original episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5oBAAeiX5x1aMCqoahP3Dv?si=6av80YqGSmeIMG7wdTjGbg
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stoic.coffee

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19546840 Sat, 25 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0100 4049 full false Marcus Aurelius Morning Preparation: Stoic Affirmations from the Meditations Marcus Aurelius Morning Preparation: Stoic Affirmations from the Meditations During the 170s of the common era, while ruling an empire and often away from Rome, Marcus Aurelius wrote notes to himself in Greek. What survived is not a public book. It is a private notebook, the Meditations, sentences a man wrote to remind himself how to live.

This is a short morning practice built from eight lines drawn from the Meditations. Some are close to verbatim, others are rendered in modern English to be repeatable in the mouth and the mind. Between each line there is a little silence. At the end, one quiet commitment for the day ahead.

These were notes he wrote to himself. We are not the first to need them.


Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> During the 170s of the common era, while ruling an empire and often away from Rome, Marcus Aurelius wrote notes to himself in Greek. What survived is not a public book. It is a private notebook, the Meditations, sentences a man wrote to remind himself how to live.

This is a short morning practice built from eight lines drawn from the Meditations. Some are close to verbatim, others are rendered in modern English to be repeatable in the mouth and the mind. Between each line there is a little silence. At the end, one quiet commitment for the day ahead.

These were notes he wrote to himself. We are not the first to need them.


Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19406312 Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0100 490 full false Are Stoics Emotionless? Erick Cloward, Author of Stoicism 101 Are Stoics Emotionless? Erick Cloward, Author of Stoicism 101 Are Stoics really emotionless? It is the most common thing people believe about Stoicism, and it puts a lot of people off the one idea that might actually help them.

In this conversation I sit down with Erick Cloward, host of the Stoic Coffee Break podcast and author of Stoicism 101, to take the myth apart. We get into why the word "stoic" came to mean cold and shut down, and why the Stoics actually felt their emotions fully. They just learned to be masters of them rather than ruled by them.

Erick shares the example that makes it click: two people miss the same bus. One shrugs and reads a book, the other is furious. Same event, two reactions. The difference is never the event. It is the judgement you add to it. We also get into amor fati, the view from above, and what it really takes to react less and recover faster.

Try this after listening: next time you react strongly, name the event in plain terms, then name the story you added on top. The gap between them is where the work happens.

Erick's book and podcast: stoic.coffee
 Companion article: https://www.stoichandbook.co/podcast/are-stoics-emotionless/

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Are Stoics really emotionless? It is the most common thing people believe about Stoicism, and it puts a lot of people off the one idea that might actually help them.

In this conversation I sit down with Erick Cloward, host of the Stoic Coffee Break podcast and author of Stoicism 101, to take the myth apart. We get into why the word "stoic" came to mean cold and shut down, and why the Stoics actually felt their emotions fully. They just learned to be masters of them rather than ruled by them.

Erick shares the example that makes it click: two people miss the same bus. One shrugs and reads a book, the other is furious. Same event, two reactions. The difference is never the event. It is the judgement you add to it. We also get into amor fati, the view from above, and what it really takes to react less and recover faster.

Try this after listening: next time you react strongly, name the event in plain terms, then name the story you added on top. The gap between them is where the work happens.

Erick's book and podcast: stoic.coffee
 Companion article: https://www.stoichandbook.co/podcast/are-stoics-emotionless/

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19347913 Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0100 5701 full false Marcus Aurelius Was Terrible at Stoicism Marcus Aurelius Was Terrible at Stoicism Marcus Aurelius is the most quoted philosopher on the internet, and his private journal shows a man who kept failing at the thing he's famous for. He struggled to get out of bed. He needed ten separate strategies to manage his temper. Near the end of his life he wrote, to himself, that he was "far from philosophy."

In this episode I read the passages most Stoicism channels skip. The two getting-out-of-bed debates, four books apart. The brutal self-talk about caring what people think. The procrastination confession. The contradiction of Commodus and the gladiatorial games. And the old distinction that makes sense of all of it: the sage versus the Stoic in training. Marcus knew which one he was.

If you've ever felt like a fraud for relearning the same lesson again and again, this one is for you.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/h1Rm4Cv_aQY

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Marcus Aurelius is the most quoted philosopher on the internet, and his private journal shows a man who kept failing at the thing he's famous for. He struggled to get out of bed. He needed ten separate strategies to manage his temper. Near the end of his life he wrote, to himself, that he was "far from philosophy."

In this episode I read the passages most Stoicism channels skip. The two getting-out-of-bed debates, four books apart. The brutal self-talk about caring what people think. The procrastination confession. The contradiction of Commodus and the gladiatorial games. And the old distinction that makes sense of all of it: the sage versus the Stoic in training. Marcus knew which one he was.

If you've ever felt like a fraud for relearning the same lesson again and again, this one is for you.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/h1Rm4Cv_aQY

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19335609 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0100 743 full false Stoic Morning Practice: Quiet The Inner Critic Stoic Morning Practice: Quiet The Inner Critic You haven't done anything yet, and the voice is already running its commentary. Too slow, too weak, not enough. The day hasn't started and you're already failing in advance. This guided Stoic practice works with the inner critic directly — not to silence it, but to strip it of the authority it doesn't deserve.

You'll practise the Stoic technique of examining your impressions: separating the bare facts from the judgements your mind adds automatically. Drawing on Epictetus's principle that it's not events but our judgements about them that disturb us, and on Marcus Aurelius's habit of asking "what is this thing in itself, stripped of my story?" — you'll learn to recognise the critic's voice as opinion, not fact.

For best results, listen every morning for 30 days. The critic gets quieter when you stop agreeing with it.

For mornings when the issue is letting go of what already happened, try "Stoic Morning Practice: Let Go Of What You Can't Control" — part of the same daily series.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You haven't done anything yet, and the voice is already running its commentary. Too slow, too weak, not enough. The day hasn't started and you're already failing in advance. This guided Stoic practice works with the inner critic directly — not to silence it, but to strip it of the authority it doesn't deserve.

You'll practise the Stoic technique of examining your impressions: separating the bare facts from the judgements your mind adds automatically. Drawing on Epictetus's principle that it's not events but our judgements about them that disturb us, and on Marcus Aurelius's habit of asking "what is this thing in itself, stripped of my story?" — you'll learn to recognise the critic's voice as opinion, not fact.

For best results, listen every morning for 30 days. The critic gets quieter when you stop agreeing with it.

For mornings when the issue is letting go of what already happened, try "Stoic Morning Practice: Let Go Of What You Can't Control" — part of the same daily series.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19330398 Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0100 362 full false Stoic Morning Affirmations: Eight Truths for the Day Ahead (Guided Practice) Stoic Morning Affirmations: Eight Truths for the Day Ahead (Guided Practice) Most morning affirmations ask you to declare a future you wish for. The Stoics did the opposite. They began the day by recollecting what was already true.

This is a short guided practice built from eight lines drawn from Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca. No manifestation, no raising your vibration. Just eight reminders, a little silence between each, a brief rehearsal of one difficulty you expect today, and a single quiet plan to carry into it.

Best listened to first thing, before you open your phone. Find somewhere to settle, and let the day start a little steadier.


Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most morning affirmations ask you to declare a future you wish for. The Stoics did the opposite. They began the day by recollecting what was already true.

This is a short guided practice built from eight lines drawn from Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca. No manifestation, no raising your vibration. Just eight reminders, a little silence between each, a brief rehearsal of one difficulty you expect today, and a single quiet plan to carry into it.

Best listened to first thing, before you open your phone. Find somewhere to settle, and let the day start a little steadier.


Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19300848 Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:00:00 +0100 551 full false The Manosphere Got Stoicism Backwards The Manosphere Got Stoicism Backwards The manosphere has spent years quoting the Stoics to young men. Marcus Aurelius. Epictetus. Seneca. The version they sell, anger as strength, dominance as virtue, emotion as weakness, is the opposite of what those philosophers actually wrote.

In Meditations 11.18, Marcus Aurelius wrote in his private journal that gentleness is more manly than rage. Seneca, in Letter 63, wrote that we may weep but must not wail, and admitted he had been overcome by grief himself. Epictetus, in Discourses 2.10, said the man who turns into a wild beast has lost something essential. Musonius Rufus argued in Lecture IV that virtue is the same in man and woman. Cleanthes, Zeno's successor as head of the Stoic school, wrote a whole treatise on that idea in the 3rd century BCE.

This episode walks through what the original Stoics actually said about being a man, why the manosphere reading gets it backwards, and four traits of the Stoic version of manhood you can test yourself against.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/_CKtK4ajc2M

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The manosphere has spent years quoting the Stoics to young men. Marcus Aurelius. Epictetus. Seneca. The version they sell, anger as strength, dominance as virtue, emotion as weakness, is the opposite of what those philosophers actually wrote.

In Meditations 11.18, Marcus Aurelius wrote in his private journal that gentleness is more manly than rage. Seneca, in Letter 63, wrote that we may weep but must not wail, and admitted he had been overcome by grief himself. Epictetus, in Discourses 2.10, said the man who turns into a wild beast has lost something essential. Musonius Rufus argued in Lecture IV that virtue is the same in man and woman. Cleanthes, Zeno's successor as head of the Stoic school, wrote a whole treatise on that idea in the 3rd century BCE.

This episode walks through what the original Stoics actually said about being a man, why the manosphere reading gets it backwards, and four traits of the Stoic version of manhood you can test yourself against.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/_CKtK4ajc2M

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19215380 Thu, 21 May 2026 10:00:00 +0100 961 full false Overthinking Is Not a Thinking Problem Overthinking Is Not a Thinking Problem Most advice for overthinking points you at the thoughts themselves. Journal them. Replace the negative ones with positive ones. Breathe. Meditate. Run. But what if the thoughts were never the problem?

Epictetus taught that it is not events that disturb us, but our judgements about them. Overthinking is not a volume problem. It is a judgement problem. Somewhere in the loop you added a meaning to something that was otherwise neutral, and that meaning is what keeps you awake.

In this episode I walk through phantasia, the Stoic science of impressions, and three ways to catch the judgement before it spirals: stripping back to the first impression, applying the dichotomy of control to your thoughts, and the rational observer technique.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/-Gwg4NDHkJQ

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most advice for overthinking points you at the thoughts themselves. Journal them. Replace the negative ones with positive ones. Breathe. Meditate. Run. But what if the thoughts were never the problem?

Epictetus taught that it is not events that disturb us, but our judgements about them. Overthinking is not a volume problem. It is a judgement problem. Somewhere in the loop you added a meaning to something that was otherwise neutral, and that meaning is what keeps you awake.

In this episode I walk through phantasia, the Stoic science of impressions, and three ways to catch the judgement before it spirals: stripping back to the first impression, applying the dichotomy of control to your thoughts, and the rational observer technique.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/-Gwg4NDHkJQ

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-19134030 Mon, 11 May 2026 12:00:00 +0100 816 full false The Anxiety Trap: Why Fighting Makes It Worse The Anxiety Trap: Why Fighting Makes It Worse For most of my adult life I had a low-level hypervigilance running in the background. I tried to fight it with books, breathwork, control techniques, willpower. The harder I fought, the worse it got.

In this episode I share the breakthrough that came when I stopped fighting and started welcoming. It is a Stoic and Nietzschean reframe called amor fati, the love of fate, and it changed my relationship with anxiety.

We get into the two layers of suffering and why fighting anxiety creates the second one, what Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus understood about welcoming difficulty, why Nietzsche called amor fati the formula for greatness, the Stoic idea of indifferents and why anxiety is not bad in itself, and a daily practice for treating anxiety as a training partner rather than an enemy.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/cY4AMcWhSko

Sources: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Hays); Epictetus, Discourses and Enchiridion (Hard); Nietzsche, The Gay Science; Donald Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> For most of my adult life I had a low-level hypervigilance running in the background. I tried to fight it with books, breathwork, control techniques, willpower. The harder I fought, the worse it got.

In this episode I share the breakthrough that came when I stopped fighting and started welcoming. It is a Stoic and Nietzschean reframe called amor fati, the love of fate, and it changed my relationship with anxiety.

We get into the two layers of suffering and why fighting anxiety creates the second one, what Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus understood about welcoming difficulty, why Nietzsche called amor fati the formula for greatness, the Stoic idea of indifferents and why anxiety is not bad in itself, and a daily practice for treating anxiety as a training partner rather than an enemy.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/cY4AMcWhSko

Sources: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Hays); Epictetus, Discourses and Enchiridion (Hard); Nietzsche, The Gay Science; Donald Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19133963 Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:00 +0100 767 full false Why the Stoics Never Needed Willpower Why the Stoics Never Needed Willpower You have quit every hard goal for the same reason, and it is not lack of willpower.

The Stoics worked this out 2,000 years ago. Instead of fighting discomfort with more discipline, they asked one question that bypasses the willpower battle entirely. In this episode I walk through the Stoic framework of virtue, vice and the indifferents, and the single question from Epictetus that replaced willpower in my own life, including the 12-pound cut I am on right now.

We get into why discipline is a finite resource and willpower always loses, the Stoic distinction between good, bad and indifferent, the one question that reframes hunger, hard conversations and difficult training, how to turn discomfort into material for character instead of an enemy to defeat, and the preferred indifferents caveat: why the Stoics were not masochists.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/uoAz9VCW0mE

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You have quit every hard goal for the same reason, and it is not lack of willpower.

The Stoics worked this out 2,000 years ago. Instead of fighting discomfort with more discipline, they asked one question that bypasses the willpower battle entirely. In this episode I walk through the Stoic framework of virtue, vice and the indifferents, and the single question from Epictetus that replaced willpower in my own life, including the 12-pound cut I am on right now.

We get into why discipline is a finite resource and willpower always loses, the Stoic distinction between good, bad and indifferent, the one question that reframes hunger, hard conversations and difficult training, how to turn discomfort into material for character instead of an enemy to defeat, and the preferred indifferents caveat: why the Stoics were not masochists.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/uoAz9VCW0mE

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-19005769 Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0100 877 full false Stoic Morning Practice: Stop Dreading Day Before It Starts Stoic Morning Practice: Stop Dreading Day Before It Starts Some mornings the dread arrives before the alarm. A tightness in the chest, a list already forming, a quiet resistance to the day ahead. This guided Stoic practice meets you there, not with forced optimism, but with honest preparation.

You will practise the ancient Stoic technique of premeditatio malorum: facing what you are afraid of before it has power over you. Not to make yourself anxious, but to take the charge out of it. When you name what you are dreading, it shrinks.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Some mornings the dread arrives before the alarm. A tightness in the chest, a list already forming, a quiet resistance to the day ahead. This guided Stoic practice meets you there, not with forced optimism, but with honest preparation.

You will practise the ancient Stoic technique of premeditatio malorum: facing what you are afraid of before it has power over you. Not to make yourself anxious, but to take the charge out of it. When you name what you are dreading, it shrinks.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18994433 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:00:00 +0100 434 full false When the World Feels Unjust (A Stoic Response) When the World Feels Unjust (A Stoic Response) Most people hear focus on what you can control and assume Stoicism means stop caring about everything else. That is not what it means, and it might be one of the most misunderstood ideas in the whole philosophy.

It starts with a line from Marcus Aurelius that most people skip: you can commit injustice by doing nothing. That is not an invitation to detach. It is a call to show up.

In this episode I cover three Stoic approaches for responding to injustice without losing yourself: premeditatio malorum, the pre-rehearsal of what is coming; redirecting anger into one concrete act of kindness; and a daily question, what is within my power right now. Practical Stoicism for anyone who cares about the world and refuses to look away. This one was inspired by a question from a member of The Stoic Vault.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/Vzg67EtqNK8

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most people hear focus on what you can control and assume Stoicism means stop caring about everything else. That is not what it means, and it might be one of the most misunderstood ideas in the whole philosophy.

It starts with a line from Marcus Aurelius that most people skip: you can commit injustice by doing nothing. That is not an invitation to detach. It is a call to show up.

In this episode I cover three Stoic approaches for responding to injustice without losing yourself: premeditatio malorum, the pre-rehearsal of what is coming; redirecting anger into one concrete act of kindness; and a daily question, what is within my power right now. Practical Stoicism for anyone who cares about the world and refuses to look away. This one was inspired by a question from a member of The Stoic Vault.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/Vzg67EtqNK8

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18930409 Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0100 726 full false Discipline Is a Skill, Not a Trait (5 Stoic Moves) Discipline Is a Skill, Not a Trait (5 Stoic Moves) I used to think discipline was a character trait, like height or eye colour. Some people had it. I did not. That story is comfortable, and it is rubbish.

The Stoics did not treat discipline as willpower. They treated it as a set of five trainable skills that get stronger with reps and weaker with neglect. In this episode I walk through each one, using some of the best lines Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca and Musonius Rufus wrote on the subject.

The five moves: decide before the moment arrives, do before you discuss, guard what you let in, train in small frictions, and pause before you react. Each one is something you can practise starting tonight.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> I used to think discipline was a character trait, like height or eye colour. Some people had it. I did not. That story is comfortable, and it is rubbish.

The Stoics did not treat discipline as willpower. They treated it as a set of five trainable skills that get stronger with reps and weaker with neglect. In this episode I walk through each one, using some of the best lines Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, Seneca and Musonius Rufus wrote on the subject.

The five moves: decide before the moment arrives, do before you discuss, guard what you let in, train in small frictions, and pause before you react. Each one is something you can practise starting tonight.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18898620 Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000 863 full false 91% of Goals Fail: A Stoic Philosopher Explained Why 2,000 Years Ago 91% of Goals Fail: A Stoic Philosopher Explained Why 2,000 Years Ago Most resolutions fail because they are built wrong, not because you lack willpower. Epictetus worked out why 2,000 years ago.

In this episode I break down three tests from Stoic philosophy that expose whether your goal is real or just fantasy dressed up with good intentions: Control, Cost and Consistency. Then I take six of the most common resolutions, get fit, save money, get promoted, be happier, quit social media, read more, and show you exactly how each one fails and what the Stoic fix looks like.

At the end there is a simple scoring system you can use right now to test whether your goals will actually stick.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most resolutions fail because they are built wrong, not because you lack willpower. Epictetus worked out why 2,000 years ago.

In this episode I break down three tests from Stoic philosophy that expose whether your goal is real or just fantasy dressed up with good intentions: Control, Cost and Consistency. Then I take six of the most common resolutions, get fit, save money, get promoted, be happier, quit social media, read more, and show you exactly how each one fails and what the Stoic fix looks like.

At the end there is a simple scoring system you can use right now to test whether your goals will actually stick.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18854967 Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0000 1125 stoicism, stoic, epictetus full false Stoic Morning Energy Boost: 5 Minutes To Wake Up Ready Stoic Morning Energy Boost: 5 Minutes To Wake Up Ready Some mornings you do not need calm. You need to wake up. This 5-minute Stoic practice is built for the mornings when your body is out of bed but your mind has not followed.

You will move through five rounds of power breathing to flood your system with energy, then a short visualisation of yourself moving through the day ahead with purpose. No easing in. No extended relaxation. Just a sharp, deliberate start.

The anchor is a line from Seneca: we do not lack time, we waste it. This practice makes sure you do not waste the first five minutes. Stand if you can. Press play before your phone gets a chance to set the tone.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Some mornings you do not need calm. You need to wake up. This 5-minute Stoic practice is built for the mornings when your body is out of bed but your mind has not followed.

You will move through five rounds of power breathing to flood your system with energy, then a short visualisation of yourself moving through the day ahead with purpose. No easing in. No extended relaxation. Just a sharp, deliberate start.

The anchor is a line from Seneca: we do not lack time, we waste it. This practice makes sure you do not waste the first five minutes. Stand if you can. Press play before your phone gets a chance to set the tone.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18846215 Sat, 14 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000 259 full false Your Opinions Aren't Observations, They're Demands Your Opinions Aren't Observations, They're Demands You form hundreds of opinions a day. About the news, about your colleagues, about the person in front of you in the queue. They feel automatic, like seeing. But they are not observations. They are tiny laws you are writing inside your own skull, and then you have to enforce them.

Marcus Aurelius buried one of his best lines in Book Six of the Meditations: it is in your power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in your soul. In this episode I unpack what that means in practice. Not suppressing your reactions, but noticing the gap between an impression and a judgement, and choosing not to legislate.

You will walk away with one question to ask yourself this week when an opinion forms: does this need legislating?

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You form hundreds of opinions a day. About the news, about your colleagues, about the person in front of you in the queue. They feel automatic, like seeing. But they are not observations. They are tiny laws you are writing inside your own skull, and then you have to enforce them.

Marcus Aurelius buried one of his best lines in Book Six of the Meditations: it is in your power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in your soul. In this episode I unpack what that means in practice. Not suppressing your reactions, but noticing the gap between an impression and a judgement, and choosing not to legislate.

You will walk away with one question to ask yourself this week when an opinion forms: does this need legislating?

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18824698 Tue, 10 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000 548 full false "Remove Desire Entirely": What Epictetus Actually Meant "Remove Desire Entirely": What Epictetus Actually Meant You read that line in the Discourses and your mind goes straight to cravings. Appetites. The stuff you are ashamed of. But that is not what Epictetus meant, and the real meaning is more useful than any advice about willpower.

In this episode I break down the Greek word orexis, explain why it has nothing to do with food or your phone, and walk through the three levels most people get stuck on: the demand, the indifference, and the preference with reservation. Only one of them is Stoicism.

I also share a personal story about driving to pick up my son on a difficult morning, and how I caught myself staking my whole peace on outcomes I could not control. It ends with one question to ask yourself the next time a plan falls through.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You read that line in the Discourses and your mind goes straight to cravings. Appetites. The stuff you are ashamed of. But that is not what Epictetus meant, and the real meaning is more useful than any advice about willpower.

In this episode I break down the Greek word orexis, explain why it has nothing to do with food or your phone, and walk through the three levels most people get stuck on: the demand, the indifference, and the preference with reservation. Only one of them is Stoicism.

I also share a personal story about driving to pick up my son on a difficult morning, and how I caught myself staking my whole peace on outcomes I could not control. It ends with one question to ask yourself the next time a plan falls through.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18784280 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000 618 full false Marcus Aurelius Morning Meditation: Face The Day With Stoic Calm Marcus Aurelius Morning Meditation: Face The Day With Stoic Calm You know the feeling. The alarm goes off and the day is already rushing at you. The emails, the conversations you are not ready for, the low-grade dread of what might go wrong.

Marcus Aurelius knew it too. Every morning, before the weight of an empire landed on him, he sat quietly and rehearsed what was coming: the difficult people, the setbacks, the tests of character. Not with anxiety. With calm preparation. And something shifted.

This guided morning meditation follows his method. You will walk through the day ahead with honest curiosity, rehearse your response to the hard moments before they arrive, and choose a single word, one quality, to carry as your anchor when things go sideways. No forced positivity. No wishful thinking. Just the same preparation a Roman emperor used to face each day with steady clarity.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You know the feeling. The alarm goes off and the day is already rushing at you. The emails, the conversations you are not ready for, the low-grade dread of what might go wrong.

Marcus Aurelius knew it too. Every morning, before the weight of an empire landed on him, he sat quietly and rehearsed what was coming: the difficult people, the setbacks, the tests of character. Not with anxiety. With calm preparation. And something shifted.

This guided morning meditation follows his method. You will walk through the day ahead with honest curiosity, rehearse your response to the hard moments before they arrive, and choose a single word, one quality, to carry as your anchor when things go sideways. No forced positivity. No wishful thinking. Just the same preparation a Roman emperor used to face each day with steady clarity.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18760865 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 562 full false Stoic Indifferents Explained: How to Want Without Suffering Stoic Indifferents Explained: How to Want Without Suffering If only virtue is good, why does anything else matter? Why go to the gym, build a career, or plan for the future?

This is the question that confused me for about a year of reading Stoic texts, and the answer is one of the most useful distinctions in the whole philosophy.

In this episode I walk through two ancient Greek concepts, axia eklektike (selective value) and apaxia (disvalue), that explain how Stoics can prefer things without being wrecked by them. You will learn why indifferent does not mean do not care, how to tell the difference between rational preference and emotional attachment, and a simple question you can ask yourself today when anxiety creeps in.

If you have ever wondered how Stoicism avoids becoming cold or directionless, this is the episode.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> If only virtue is good, why does anything else matter? Why go to the gym, build a career, or plan for the future?

This is the question that confused me for about a year of reading Stoic texts, and the answer is one of the most useful distinctions in the whole philosophy.

In this episode I walk through two ancient Greek concepts, axia eklektike (selective value) and apaxia (disvalue), that explain how Stoics can prefer things without being wrecked by them. You will learn why indifferent does not mean do not care, how to tell the difference between rational preference and emotional attachment, and a simple question you can ask yourself today when anxiety creeps in.

If you have ever wondered how Stoicism avoids becoming cold or directionless, this is the episode.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18741456 Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000 604 full false Own What's Yours: The Dichotomy of Control (From The Vault) Own What's Yours: The Dichotomy of Control (From The Vault) This episode is a full lesson from one of the premium courses inside The Stoic Vault, my membership for people who practise Stoicism rather than just read about it.

The lesson comes from the course Stoic Morning Routine: Start Calm and Strong. It covers the dichotomy of control, the single most useful idea in Stoic philosophy, and the one that changes everything when it actually lands.

You will take one real concern from your day and sort it into two columns: what is mine and what is not. Outcomes, other people's reactions, delays, not mine. Preparation, breath, tone, when I choose to begin, mine. Then you will pick one controllable action that matters today and state it clearly. This is not theory. You will feel the difference in the body when you stop carrying what was never yours.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> This episode is a full lesson from one of the premium courses inside The Stoic Vault, my membership for people who practise Stoicism rather than just read about it.

The lesson comes from the course Stoic Morning Routine: Start Calm and Strong. It covers the dichotomy of control, the single most useful idea in Stoic philosophy, and the one that changes everything when it actually lands.

You will take one real concern from your day and sort it into two columns: what is mine and what is not. Outcomes, other people's reactions, delays, not mine. Preparation, breath, tone, when I choose to begin, mine. Then you will pick one controllable action that matters today and state it clearly. This is not theory. You will feel the difference in the body when you stop carrying what was never yours.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18693468 Mon, 16 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000 814 full false The Stoic Vault: What I Built and Why The Stoic Vault: What I Built and Why About two years ago, I hit a wall. I had been teaching Stoicism for years. Writing about it. Making podcasts about it. And I was still losing my temper. Still spiralling over emails. Still lying awake replaying conversations. I knew the philosophy cold, and I could not apply it when it mattered.

That is when I started asking what would actually help me. Not more books. Not more content. Something with structure. Accountability. Personal guidance. A quiet place to train. I could not find it, so I built it.

In this episode I introduce The Stoic Vault, a training ground for people who have read the books but struggle to apply them. I walk through what is inside, who it is for, and how to join.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> About two years ago, I hit a wall. I had been teaching Stoicism for years. Writing about it. Making podcasts about it. And I was still losing my temper. Still spiralling over emails. Still lying awake replaying conversations. I knew the philosophy cold, and I could not apply it when it mattered.

That is when I started asking what would actually help me. Not more books. Not more content. Something with structure. Accountability. Personal guidance. A quiet place to train. I could not find it, so I built it.

In this episode I introduce The Stoic Vault, a training ground for people who have read the books but struggle to apply them. I walk through what is inside, who it is for, and how to join.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18610602 Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000 620 full false What the Stoics Actually Meant by Practice What the Stoics Actually Meant by Practice Epictetus did not write books. He ran a school where students lived for years, practising responses to insults, hardship and loss. Marcus Aurelius wrote the Meditations as a daily training regimen, the same ideas over and over, drilling them into his reflexes. Seneca reviewed his day every single night for decades.

The Stoics were not building a library. They were building a gymnasium for the soul.

Somewhere along the way we forgot this. We turned philosophy into content to consume. We read about the exercises instead of doing them. In this episode I explore what Stoic training actually looked like, why our modern approach would baffle the ancients, and what practice looks like in daily life, not in theory but in the specific exercises you can start today.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Epictetus did not write books. He ran a school where students lived for years, practising responses to insults, hardship and loss. Marcus Aurelius wrote the Meditations as a daily training regimen, the same ideas over and over, drilling them into his reflexes. Seneca reviewed his day every single night for decades.

The Stoics were not building a library. They were building a gymnasium for the soul.

Somewhere along the way we forgot this. We turned philosophy into content to consume. We read about the exercises instead of doing them. In this episode I explore what Stoic training actually looked like, why our modern approach would baffle the ancients, and what practice looks like in daily life, not in theory but in the specific exercises you can start today.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18590236 Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000 755 full false The Gap Between Knowing Stoicism and Living It The Gap Between Knowing Stoicism and Living It A few months ago I was in a conversation that started to go sideways. I could feel the tension rising, the tightening in my chest, my voice getting sharper. I knew exactly what was happening. I have studied this. I have taught this. I know what Marcus Aurelius would say. And in that moment it was like I had never read a word of Stoicism.

If you have spent any time with this philosophy, you have probably had your own version of this. The email lands and you spiral. The criticism stings and you are devastated. Someone cuts you off and you react exactly the way Epictetus said not to. This is the gap between knowing and doing, and it is the central challenge of practising philosophy.

In this episode I explore why the philosophy disappears when we need it most, what Seneca confessed about this exact problem 2,000 years ago, and why more reading is not the answer. The Stoics were not building a library. They were building a gymnasium for the soul.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A few months ago I was in a conversation that started to go sideways. I could feel the tension rising, the tightening in my chest, my voice getting sharper. I knew exactly what was happening. I have studied this. I have taught this. I know what Marcus Aurelius would say. And in that moment it was like I had never read a word of Stoicism.

If you have spent any time with this philosophy, you have probably had your own version of this. The email lands and you spiral. The criticism stings and you are devastated. Someone cuts you off and you react exactly the way Epictetus said not to. This is the gap between knowing and doing, and it is the central challenge of practising philosophy.

In this episode I explore why the philosophy disappears when we need it most, what Seneca confessed about this exact problem 2,000 years ago, and why more reading is not the answer. The Stoics were not building a library. They were building a gymnasium for the soul.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18576705 Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000 684 full false Release the Day: 15-Minute Deep Sleep Body Scan Release the Day: 15-Minute Deep Sleep Body Scan A slow, Yoga Nidra-inspired body scan to help your body soften and your mind go quiet at the end of the day. You will move gently from head to toe, releasing tension as you go, then drift into a calm, spacious stillness that makes it easier to fall asleep.

A quiet Stoic thread runs underneath it: release what you cannot change, and come back to the only place you ever actually rest, this moment.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A slow, Yoga Nidra-inspired body scan to help your body soften and your mind go quiet at the end of the day. You will move gently from head to toe, releasing tension as you go, then drift into a calm, spacious stillness that makes it easier to fall asleep.

A quiet Stoic thread runs underneath it: release what you cannot change, and come back to the only place you ever actually rest, this moment.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18557465 Fri, 23 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000 950 full false The CCTV Thought Experiment: You Are What You Do, Not What You Say The CCTV Thought Experiment: You Are What You Do, Not What You Say Imagine aliens installed a silent CCTV camera over your shoulder for 30 days, then compiled a report on what you actually value, based only on your calendar, your screen time, your purchases, and how you spend your evenings. Would you recognise yourself?

The Stoics put it bluntly: acta non verba. Actions, not words. What you do is what you believe. Everything else is commentary.

In this episode I lay out the Stoic CCTV protocol, a 7-day experiment that pairs old Stoic practice (prosoche, voluntary discomfort, the evening review) with a few modern tools (implementation intentions, friction design) to close the gap between the values you state and the values you live. You will run a simple audit of where your time actually goes, find your alignment score, and rebuild self-trust by keeping one small promise a day.

This is not about motivation. It is about seeing clearly, then changing one thing.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Imagine aliens installed a silent CCTV camera over your shoulder for 30 days, then compiled a report on what you actually value, based only on your calendar, your screen time, your purchases, and how you spend your evenings. Would you recognise yourself?

The Stoics put it bluntly: acta non verba. Actions, not words. What you do is what you believe. Everything else is commentary.

In this episode I lay out the Stoic CCTV protocol, a 7-day experiment that pairs old Stoic practice (prosoche, voluntary discomfort, the evening review) with a few modern tools (implementation intentions, friction design) to close the gap between the values you state and the values you live. You will run a simple audit of where your time actually goes, find your alignment score, and rebuild self-trust by keeping one small promise a day.

This is not about motivation. It is about seeing clearly, then changing one thing.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18545868 Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000 962 full false Morning Gratitude: A 10-Minute Stoic Practice Morning Gratitude: A 10-Minute Stoic Practice Start the day with a short gratitude practice rooted in Stoic thinking. In about ten minutes you will name three gratitudes, shift your attention from what is missing to what is already here, and set yourself up to notice what is going right rather than only what is going wrong.

It draws on Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, who both used this kind of looking to see clearly what they already had before the day's demands took over. Good for mornings when you want to feel steady and grounded before anything else starts.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Start the day with a short gratitude practice rooted in Stoic thinking. In about ten minutes you will name three gratitudes, shift your attention from what is missing to what is already here, and set yourself up to notice what is going right rather than only what is going wrong.

It draws on Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, who both used this kind of looking to see clearly what they already had before the day's demands took over. Good for mornings when you want to feel steady and grounded before anything else starts.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18518029 Fri, 16 Jan 2026 07:00:00 +0000 548 full false Stoic Morning Practice: Let Go of What You Can’t Control Stoic Morning Practice: Let Go of What You Can’t Control Start the day with the most useful Stoic distinction there is: what is up to you, and what is not.

In this 6-minute guided morning practice you will gently name a current worry, notice where it sits in the body, and let go of everything outside your control. Through short teaching, a simple visualisation, and a daily intention, you will practise meeting the day with calm and a clear sense of what is yours to do.

Good for anyone who wakes up with racing thoughts or anxiety about outcomes. Epictetus, made practical. Come back to it daily and it gets easier.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Start the day with the most useful Stoic distinction there is: what is up to you, and what is not.

In this 6-minute guided morning practice you will gently name a current worry, notice where it sits in the body, and let go of everything outside your control. Through short teaching, a simple visualisation, and a daily intention, you will practise meeting the day with calm and a clear sense of what is yours to do.

Good for anyone who wakes up with racing thoughts or anxiety about outcomes. Epictetus, made practical. Come back to it daily and it gets easier.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18370715 Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000 420 full false Psychedelics and Buddhism: Why Peak Experiences Aren't Enough (with Martijn Schirp) Psychedelics and Buddhism: Why Peak Experiences Aren't Enough (with Martijn Schirp) Martijn Schirp and I have known each other for nearly a decade. He first reached out after reading a meditation article I posted on Reddit, a message that ended up changing my life and led to us co-founding HighExistence and running retreats together in Costa Rica.

Since then Martijn has lived several lifetimes. Professional poker player who finished 102nd at the World Series of Poker. A crisis of meaning in Vegas that took him to a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. Then co-founding Synthesis, one of the first legal psilocybin retreat centres in the world, which partnered with Imperial College London and got called the gold standard of psychedelic retreats.

Then it collapsed. In 2023 Synthesis went bankrupt, leaving hundreds of students and staff in limbo. Martijn got physically ill from the stress and spent years recovering, volunteering on a farm in Portugal, working with the soil, reconnecting with his teachers.

Now he is back with something new: Upayosis and A Path Between Worlds, a 12-month program that weaves Buddhist contemplative training with intentional psychedelic practice. It is the first time we have spoken in depth in years, and I was struck by how different he seemed. As he put it: I do not have to seek anymore. I think I have found it. Now it is more a question of deepening.

In this conversation we get into the intergenerational trauma he traced back through plant medicine, why he believes the container is the medicine, what actually went wrong at Synthesis and what he learned, the Buddhist take on whether psychedelics break the Fifth Precept, why peak experiences are not enough and what lasting change actually requires, animism and our relationship to the non-human world, why spiritual friendship is the whole of the path, and what his new program involves.

I am joining this program myself, not as an endorsement but because I have seen how thoroughly Martijn builds things and I want to deepen my own practice. If you have had meaningful psychedelic experiences but feel stuck, or you meditate and you are curious how these paths meet, this one is for you.

Learn more: upayosis.com

Contact Martijn: upayosis.com/contact

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Martijn Schirp and I have known each other for nearly a decade. He first reached out after reading a meditation article I posted on Reddit, a message that ended up changing my life and led to us co-founding HighExistence and running retreats together in Costa Rica.

Since then Martijn has lived several lifetimes. Professional poker player who finished 102nd at the World Series of Poker. A crisis of meaning in Vegas that took him to a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. Then co-founding Synthesis, one of the first legal psilocybin retreat centres in the world, which partnered with Imperial College London and got called the gold standard of psychedelic retreats.

Then it collapsed. In 2023 Synthesis went bankrupt, leaving hundreds of students and staff in limbo. Martijn got physically ill from the stress and spent years recovering, volunteering on a farm in Portugal, working with the soil, reconnecting with his teachers.

Now he is back with something new: Upayosis and A Path Between Worlds, a 12-month program that weaves Buddhist contemplative training with intentional psychedelic practice. It is the first time we have spoken in depth in years, and I was struck by how different he seemed. As he put it: I do not have to seek anymore. I think I have found it. Now it is more a question of deepening.

In this conversation we get into the intergenerational trauma he traced back through plant medicine, why he believes the container is the medicine, what actually went wrong at Synthesis and what he learned, the Buddhist take on whether psychedelics break the Fifth Precept, why peak experiences are not enough and what lasting change actually requires, animism and our relationship to the non-human world, why spiritual friendship is the whole of the path, and what his new program involves.

I am joining this program myself, not as an endorsement but because I have seen how thoroughly Martijn builds things and I want to deepen my own practice. If you have had meaningful psychedelic experiences but feel stuck, or you meditate and you are curious how these paths meet, this one is for you.

Learn more: upayosis.com

Contact Martijn: upayosis.com/contact

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-18449837 Sun, 04 Jan 2026 17:00:00 +0000 7703 full false Make Your Time Count: Stoic Keys to Focus and Fulfillment Make Your Time Count: Stoic Keys to Focus and Fulfillment Most of us feel we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. The Stoics had a different diagnosis: the problem is rarely a shortage of time, it is how much of it we hand away without noticing.

In this episode I draw on Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus to make the case for spending your attention on what actually matters and letting the rest go. We look at why a finite life is a gift rather than a threat, the question Marcus asked himself to stay focused, how the dichotomy of control frees you from worrying about things you cannot change, why discomfort is often a sign you are doing the work that counts, and the one step you can take today to get your focus back.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most of us feel we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. The Stoics had a different diagnosis: the problem is rarely a shortage of time, it is how much of it we hand away without noticing.

In this episode I draw on Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus to make the case for spending your attention on what actually matters and letting the rest go. We look at why a finite life is a gift rather than a threat, the question Marcus asked himself to stay focused, how the dichotomy of control frees you from worrying about things you cannot change, why discomfort is often a sign you are doing the work that counts, and the one step you can take today to get your focus back.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-18336911 Mon, 29 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 1396 full false What You'll Miss When It's Gone: A Stoic Gratitude Meditation (Premeditation of Adversity) What You'll Miss When It's Gone: A Stoic Gratitude Meditation (Premeditation of Adversity) What if the way into real gratitude is not positive thinking, but imagining loss?

In this 12-minute guided meditation I walk you through an old Stoic practice called praemeditatio malorum, the premeditation of adversity. Used by Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, it trains you to appreciate what you have before it is gone.

We imagine a vivid scene: a sudden accident that changes everything. Not to be morbid, but to wake you up to how fragile and precious your life already is, your health, your freedom, the people you love, the simple ability to walk across a room. It is a way to feel gratitude rather than just think it, to steady yourself for difficulty, and to loosen the grip of always wanting more.

As Epictetus put it: he is a wise man who does not grieve for the things he does not have, but rejoices for those he does.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> What if the way into real gratitude is not positive thinking, but imagining loss?

In this 12-minute guided meditation I walk you through an old Stoic practice called praemeditatio malorum, the premeditation of adversity. Used by Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, it trains you to appreciate what you have before it is gone.

We imagine a vivid scene: a sudden accident that changes everything. Not to be morbid, but to wake you up to how fragile and precious your life already is, your health, your freedom, the people you love, the simple ability to walk across a room. It is a way to feel gratitude rather than just think it, to steady yourself for difficulty, and to loosen the grip of always wanting more.

As Epictetus put it: he is a wise man who does not grieve for the things he does not have, but rejoices for those he does.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18278222 Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000 732 full false Stoicism Decoded: Your Guide to Ancient Wisdom in Plain English Stoicism Decoded: Your Guide to Ancient Wisdom in Plain English The Greek terms are where a lot of people get stuck with Stoicism. This episode is a plain-English guide to the vocabulary that actually matters, so the ideas stop sounding academic and start being usable.

I walk through the key Stoic words and what they really mean: arete (excellence of character), apatheia (freedom from being ruled by passion, not apathy), prohairesis (the choice that is always yours), logos, and the difference between the destructive emotions and the healthy feelings the Stoics did want. Along the way I clear up the biggest misreading of all, what indifferent really means, and give you a few simple ways to put each idea to work.

New to Stoicism or years into it, this is the episode that turns the jargon into something you can use.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The Greek terms are where a lot of people get stuck with Stoicism. This episode is a plain-English guide to the vocabulary that actually matters, so the ideas stop sounding academic and start being usable.

I walk through the key Stoic words and what they really mean: arete (excellence of character), apatheia (freedom from being ruled by passion, not apathy), prohairesis (the choice that is always yours), logos, and the difference between the destructive emotions and the healthy feelings the Stoics did want. Along the way I clear up the biggest misreading of all, what indifferent really means, and give you a few simple ways to put each idea to work.

New to Stoicism or years into it, this is the episode that turns the jargon into something you can use.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18262734 Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000 919 full false The 4 Stoic Virtues: Your Compass for a Meaningful Life The 4 Stoic Virtues: Your Compass for a Meaningful Life Ever feel like you are drifting without a clear sense of what actually matters? The Stoics had an answer: four virtues to steer by.

In this episode I break down the four cardinal virtues, wisdom, courage, justice and temperance, that Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus used to handle everything from private anxiety to running an empire.

Wisdom is seeing reality clearly and focusing on what is yours to control. Courage is acting on your principles, which matters far more than physical bravery. Justice is treating others fairly, and the Stoics thought it was the source of all the other virtues. Temperance is balance in a world built to pull you toward excess. I give a practical daily exercise for each, with modern examples, and make the case for why these 2,000-year-old ideas still hold up.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Ever feel like you are drifting without a clear sense of what actually matters? The Stoics had an answer: four virtues to steer by.

In this episode I break down the four cardinal virtues, wisdom, courage, justice and temperance, that Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus used to handle everything from private anxiety to running an empire.

Wisdom is seeing reality clearly and focusing on what is yours to control. Courage is acting on your principles, which matters far more than physical bravery. Justice is treating others fairly, and the Stoics thought it was the source of all the other virtues. Temperance is balance in a world built to pull you toward excess. I give a practical daily exercise for each, with modern examples, and make the case for why these 2,000-year-old ideas still hold up.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18264143 Mon, 08 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000 1919 full false Epictetus' 20 Rules for Stoic Social Mastery: Cut the Noise, Claim Your Calm Epictetus' 20 Rules for Stoic Social Mastery: Cut the Noise, Claim Your Calm A short, practical guide to staying calm in a world of group-chat drama and constant notifications. This 12-minute guided practice works through Epictetus' twenty social rules from Chapter 33 of the Enchiridion.

You will practise pausing before you react, turning gossip into something useful, handling criticism without your ego getting involved, and choosing the company that actually lifts you. Useful before a high-stakes meeting, a family dinner, or a day off the feeds.

Related episode: How to Handle Difficult People: Stoic Strategies, Empathy vs Compassion, and Communication Techniques.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A short, practical guide to staying calm in a world of group-chat drama and constant notifications. This 12-minute guided practice works through Epictetus' twenty social rules from Chapter 33 of the Enchiridion.

You will practise pausing before you react, turning gossip into something useful, handling criticism without your ego getting involved, and choosing the company that actually lifts you. Useful before a high-stakes meeting, a family dinner, or a day off the feeds.

Related episode: How to Handle Difficult People: Stoic Strategies, Empathy vs Compassion, and Communication Techniques.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18229476 Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000 1821 stoicism, stoic, epictetus, social skills, CBT full false The Dichotomy of Control 2.0 – Epictetus for Anxious Achievers The Dichotomy of Control 2.0 – Epictetus for Anxious Achievers Let me guess. You have read Marcus Aurelius. You know some things are up to you and some are not. And you still lie awake replaying conversations, spiralling over outcomes, feeling like a failure when things do not go your way.

Yeah. Me too.

Here is the problem: the dichotomy of control is brilliant philosophy and terrible instructions for real life. People hear focus on what you control and either go passive, I guess I will just accept everything, or get confused, wait, do my actions not influence outcomes?

In this episode I walk through a six-step way of actually using it: why even smart people misuse the dichotomy, the one question that clarifies what is genuinely up to you, how to plan like a strategist but judge the result like a Stoic, worked examples from job hunting and hard conversations, the reserve clause that takes the sting out of failure, and a short exercise to run on your own stressor right now.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Let me guess. You have read Marcus Aurelius. You know some things are up to you and some are not. And you still lie awake replaying conversations, spiralling over outcomes, feeling like a failure when things do not go your way.

Yeah. Me too.

Here is the problem: the dichotomy of control is brilliant philosophy and terrible instructions for real life. People hear focus on what you control and either go passive, I guess I will just accept everything, or get confused, wait, do my actions not influence outcomes?

In this episode I walk through a six-step way of actually using it: why even smart people misuse the dichotomy, the one question that clarifies what is genuinely up to you, how to plan like a strategist but judge the result like a Stoic, worked examples from job hunting and hard conversations, the reserve clause that takes the sting out of failure, and a short exercise to run on your own stressor right now.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18223253 Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 1298 stoicism, stoic, epictetus full false 5 Stoic Skills for Unshakeable Confidence & Self-Sovereignty 5 Stoic Skills for Unshakeable Confidence & Self-Sovereignty What if real confidence is not positive affirmations or fake-it-till-you-make-it, but a handful of skills the Stoics spent centuries practising?

In this episode I walk through five: clarity of purpose, holding outcomes loosely, closing the gap between who you are and who you pretend to be, a sense of self-worth that does not depend on other people, and actually enjoying your own company. Together they build the kind of confidence that does not need external validation.

These are not traits you either have or you do not. They are practices you build. Do the work and you start moving through the world less bothered by rejection and less shaken by chaos you cannot control.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> What if real confidence is not positive affirmations or fake-it-till-you-make-it, but a handful of skills the Stoics spent centuries practising?

In this episode I walk through five: clarity of purpose, holding outcomes loosely, closing the gap between who you are and who you pretend to be, a sense of self-worth that does not depend on other people, and actually enjoying your own company. Together they build the kind of confidence that does not need external validation.

These are not traits you either have or you do not. They are practices you build. Do the work and you start moving through the world less bothered by rejection and less shaken by chaos you cannot control.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18190569 Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 1062 full false The 5-Minute Emergency Drill: When the Craving Hits Right Now The 5-Minute Emergency Drill: When the Craving Hits Right Now That moment when the craving is right here, right now, and it feels like the only option is to give in. The drink, the scroll, the binge, the text you will regret, the thing you do not need. The pull is real. The urgency feels total. But here is the Stoic version of the truth: the craving is an impression, not a command.

This 5-minute guided drill teaches you to put one act between impulse and action: the pause. Using prosoche (attention), epoche (suspending judgement) and prohairesis (deliberate choice), you will name the urge without obeying it, test it with three quick questions, and then choose freely, whether that means not acting or proceeding on purpose rather than being dragged.

This is not white-knuckle willpower. It is stepping into the gap between stimulus and response that Viktor Frankl called our greatest power. As Marcus Aurelius wrote, you have power over your mind, not outside events; realise this and you find strength. Use it when a craving hits hard, when you are about to rage-text someone, when the urge to binge takes over, or when just one more video is about to eat your evening.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> That moment when the craving is right here, right now, and it feels like the only option is to give in. The drink, the scroll, the binge, the text you will regret, the thing you do not need. The pull is real. The urgency feels total. But here is the Stoic version of the truth: the craving is an impression, not a command.

This 5-minute guided drill teaches you to put one act between impulse and action: the pause. Using prosoche (attention), epoche (suspending judgement) and prohairesis (deliberate choice), you will name the urge without obeying it, test it with three quick questions, and then choose freely, whether that means not acting or proceeding on purpose rather than being dragged.

This is not white-knuckle willpower. It is stepping into the gap between stimulus and response that Viktor Frankl called our greatest power. As Marcus Aurelius wrote, you have power over your mind, not outside events; realise this and you find strength. Use it when a craving hits hard, when you are about to rage-text someone, when the urge to binge takes over, or when just one more video is about to eat your evening.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-18189819 Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 360 full false Become Untriggerable: Masculinity, Intimacy, and Healing with Adam Rice Become Untriggerable: Masculinity, Intimacy, and Healing with Adam Rice Most advice for men hands you tactics. Adam Rice wanted to talk about something underneath that: how to become harder to knock off balance in the first place. We get into spotting an ego flare in your body before it runs the show, the language of conscious communication, and why intimacy tends to beat performance.

Adam is an evolution coach, yoga teacher, shamanic guide and men’s work facilitator, and he works with plant medicine in structured, ethical settings. I came to this as a curious skeptic, so I pushed on the parts that sounded woo and kept the parts that held up. We cover a simple protocol you can use mid-argument, why rest and softness are part of strength rather than the opposite of it, and the line between ceremony and recreation.

If you want to build a consistent Stoic practice rather than just listen to one, the free 7-day challenge below is one short audio lesson and one practice a day.

Watch the video version: www.youtube.com/channel/UC97x7fIEeQSlV_Qz1mnpAvw

Adam Rice on Instagram: @adamriceyoga

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most advice for men hands you tactics. Adam Rice wanted to talk about something underneath that: how to become harder to knock off balance in the first place. We get into spotting an ego flare in your body before it runs the show, the language of conscious communication, and why intimacy tends to beat performance.

Adam is an evolution coach, yoga teacher, shamanic guide and men’s work facilitator, and he works with plant medicine in structured, ethical settings. I came to this as a curious skeptic, so I pushed on the parts that sounded woo and kept the parts that held up. We cover a simple protocol you can use mid-argument, why rest and softness are part of strength rather than the opposite of it, and the line between ceremony and recreation.

If you want to build a consistent Stoic practice rather than just listen to one, the free 7-day challenge below is one short audio lesson and one practice a day.

Watch the video version: www.youtube.com/channel/UC97x7fIEeQSlV_Qz1mnpAvw

Adam Rice on Instagram: @adamriceyoga

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-17897858 Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0100 7538 masculinity, men’s work, conscious communication, triggers, ego, intimacy, tantra, shadow work, self‑regulation, plant medicine, ayahuasca, psilocybin full true NVC in Real Life with Hans van Veen NVC in Real Life with Hans van Veen If "just be nicer" has never once fixed your hardest conversations, this one is for you. I sat down with coach Hans van Veen to put Nonviolent Communication to work in the messy real world: the moment your jaw tightens mid-argument, the urge to take everything personally, the conversations that keep going in circles.

Hans walks through the OFNR model (observations, feelings, needs, requests) and why it actually clears the fog, the difference between hearing judgments and hearing needs, how to dissolve the enemy image you build of the other person, and when to set a firm boundary rather than keep negotiating. We also bridge NVC with BIFF (brief, informative, friendly, firm) for the high-conflict exchanges where the gentle version is not enough.

I came in skeptical that any framework survives a real fight. Some of it held up better than I expected.

Learn more about Hans van Veen: nondualcommunication.net

Hans on Instagram: @nondualcommunication

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> If "just be nicer" has never once fixed your hardest conversations, this one is for you. I sat down with coach Hans van Veen to put Nonviolent Communication to work in the messy real world: the moment your jaw tightens mid-argument, the urge to take everything personally, the conversations that keep going in circles.

Hans walks through the OFNR model (observations, feelings, needs, requests) and why it actually clears the fog, the difference between hearing judgments and hearing needs, how to dissolve the enemy image you build of the other person, and when to set a firm boundary rather than keep negotiating. We also bridge NVC with BIFF (brief, informative, friendly, firm) for the high-conflict exchanges where the gentle version is not enough.

I came in skeptical that any framework survives a real fight. Some of it held up better than I expected.

Learn more about Hans van Veen: nondualcommunication.net

Hans on Instagram: @nondualcommunication

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-17897509 Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:00:00 +0100 5019 Nonviolent Communication, NVC, Stoicism, empathy, conflict resolution, relationships, self-regulation, needs, requests, guilt process, enemy images, BIFF, parenting, mindfulness full false Good Kid, Tricky Moment: A Calm‑Parenting Reset Good Kid, Tricky Moment: A Calm‑Parenting Reset Your child says "no" and something in you surges before you have decided anything. This is a short guided reset for that exact moment. We slow the breath to settle the nervous system, set a one-line intention, and use the cue phrase "good kid, tricky moment" to hold two things at once: kind and firm.

You will pick one calm sentence or boundary, picture setting the shaken snow globe down so the mind can clear, and finish with an honest repair line for afterwards: "I am sorry I snapped. I am on your side." Use it before pick-up, after a meltdown, or any time the day feels heavy and you want to lead with steadiness rather than the spiral.

For parents and caregivers of kids of any age. If it helps, pass it to someone who could use a calmer minute today.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Your child says "no" and something in you surges before you have decided anything. This is a short guided reset for that exact moment. We slow the breath to settle the nervous system, set a one-line intention, and use the cue phrase "good kid, tricky moment" to hold two things at once: kind and firm.

You will pick one calm sentence or boundary, picture setting the shaken snow globe down so the mind can clear, and finish with an honest repair line for afterwards: "I am sorry I snapped. I am on your side." Use it before pick-up, after a meltdown, or any time the day feels heavy and you want to lead with steadiness rather than the spiral.

For parents and caregivers of kids of any age. If it helps, pass it to someone who could use a calmer minute today.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-17736027 Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:00:00 +0100 823 full false The Ultimate Stoic Sleep & Wisdom Meditation: Daily (2025) The Ultimate Stoic Sleep & Wisdom Meditation: Daily (2025) A calm Stoic meditation to close the day. We move slowly through mindful presence, a gentle review of the hours behind you, quiet acceptance of how the day actually went, and the wider view from above that lets the small stresses shrink back to their real size.

It leans on a few old Stoic ideas about gratitude and letting go, shaped into something you can listen to in bed with the lights off. Use it nightly, or whenever your head is too busy to settle.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A calm Stoic meditation to close the day. We move slowly through mindful presence, a gentle review of the hours behind you, quiet acceptance of how the day actually went, and the wider view from above that lets the small stresses shrink back to their real size.

It leans on a few old Stoic ideas about gratitude and letting go, shaped into something you can listen to in bed with the lights off. Use it nightly, or whenever your head is too busy to settle.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-17483349 Thu, 10 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0100 822 full false The Complete Daily Stoic Meditation: Repeat Daily (2025) The Complete Daily Stoic Meditation: Repeat Daily (2025) One complete Stoic meditation, built to be repeated. The idea is simple: a single practice you can return to every day, so the ideas stop being something you read and start being something you rehearse.

Press play in the morning to set the tone, or any time you need to come back to a steadier frame of mind. The more you repeat it, the more it does its work.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> One complete Stoic meditation, built to be repeated. The idea is simple: a single practice you can return to every day, so the ideas stop being something you read and start being something you rehearse.

Press play in the morning to set the tone, or any time you need to come back to a steadier frame of mind. The more you repeat it, the more it does its work.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-17380418 Mon, 23 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0100 741 full false Stoicism in 3 Minutes: Master Your Emotions with Erick Cloward Stoicism in 3 Minutes: Master Your Emotions with Erick Cloward A short clip with Erick Cloward, Stoic author and host of The Stoic Coffee Break Podcast, on the one idea that quietly runs most of our reactions: it is not the event, it is the judgment you make about it. Change the judgment and the emotion changes with it.

Erick puts it plainly: "it is just the way that you are thinking about this, not the thing." Three minutes, one practical handle for staying steadier when something throws you. You can find Erick on The Stoic Coffee Break Podcast and as @stoiccoffee on X.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A short clip with Erick Cloward, Stoic author and host of The Stoic Coffee Break Podcast, on the one idea that quietly runs most of our reactions: it is not the event, it is the judgment you make about it. Change the judgment and the emotion changes with it.

Erick puts it plainly: "it is just the way that you are thinking about this, not the thing." Three minutes, one practical handle for staying steadier when something throws you. You can find Erick on The Stoic Coffee Break Podcast and as @stoiccoffee on X.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-17279598 Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0100 296 full false I Am The Pilot, Not The Turbulence: 5-Minute Stoic Reset I Am The Pilot, Not The Turbulence: 5-Minute Stoic Reset Five minutes to find your calm centre when everything around you is shaking. This short guided meditation uses a steady 4-2-6 breath, then asks you to name the turbulence rather than be swept up in it, and repeat one line: "I am the pilot, not the turbulence."

It works at your desk, in the car, or standing in a hallway between two hard moments. The aim is not to make the storm disappear. It is to remind you who is flying the plane.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Five minutes to find your calm centre when everything around you is shaking. This short guided meditation uses a steady 4-2-6 breath, then asks you to name the turbulence rather than be swept up in it, and repeat one line: "I am the pilot, not the turbulence."

It works at your desk, in the car, or standing in a hallway between two hard moments. The aim is not to make the storm disappear. It is to remind you who is flying the plane.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-17201825 Wed, 21 May 2025 10:00:00 +0100 360 full false Amor Fati: The Stoic Art of Loving Your Fate – Ultimate Guide Amor Fati: The Stoic Art of Loving Your Fate – Ultimate Guide Amor fati means "love of fate", and it asks something harder than acceptance. Not just tolerating what happens, but learning to meet every turn of your life, the good and the painful, as if you had chosen it. This is a full walk through the idea.

I cover where the phrase comes from, what the Stoics and Nietzsche actually meant by it, the quotes worth keeping, and the part that matters most: how you put it to use when something goes wrong and the last thing you feel is love for it. It is a high bar. That is rather the point.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Amor fati means "love of fate", and it asks something harder than acceptance. Not just tolerating what happens, but learning to meet every turn of your life, the good and the painful, as if you had chosen it. This is a full walk through the idea.

I cover where the phrase comes from, what the Stoics and Nietzsche actually meant by it, the quotes worth keeping, and the part that matters most: how you put it to use when something goes wrong and the last thing you feel is love for it. It is a high bar. That is rather the point.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-17142922 Mon, 12 May 2025 10:00:00 +0100 577 stoicism, amor fati, Marcus Aurelius, stoic full false The Stoic Morning Ritual to Fortify Your Mind Daily (2025) The Stoic Morning Ritual to Fortify Your Mind Daily (2025) Ten minutes to start the day with a steadier mind. This guided morning meditation draws on Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus to help you anchor your attention, soften the reactivity that runs on autopilot, and meet whatever is coming as something to practise on rather than dread.

You will scan body and mind, reframe whatever you carried over from yesterday, and quietly rehearse the tests the day is likely to bring, so they land smaller when they arrive. Done daily, it stops being a one-off reset and starts becoming a habit.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Ten minutes to start the day with a steadier mind. This guided morning meditation draws on Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus to help you anchor your attention, soften the reactivity that runs on autopilot, and meet whatever is coming as something to practise on rather than dread.

You will scan body and mind, reframe whatever you carried over from yesterday, and quietly rehearse the tests the day is likely to bring, so they land smaller when they arrive. Done daily, it stops being a one-off reset and starts becoming a habit.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-17014420 Mon, 21 Apr 2025 17:00:00 +0100 659 full false Plato’s Apology: The Only Book Every Human Needs to Read ft. Donald Robertson Plato’s Apology: The Only Book Every Human Needs to Read ft. Donald Robertson If you could only ever recommend one book, what would it be? For Donald Robertson, the writer behind How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, the answer is Plato's Apology: Socrates on trial, defending his way of life and refusing to flinch in the face of death.

In this clip Donald explains why this short text sits underneath so much of what came later, the seeds it planted that Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus grew, and what Socrates' fearlessness about mortality still has to teach us. A small book with a long shadow.

Watch the video version: studio.youtube.com/channel/UC-gPgsbkK4ZLR9lt1POjbog

Read more on Plato's Apology: stoichandbook.co

Donald Robertson: donaldrobertson.name

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> If you could only ever recommend one book, what would it be? For Donald Robertson, the writer behind How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, the answer is Plato's Apology: Socrates on trial, defending his way of life and refusing to flinch in the face of death.

In this clip Donald explains why this short text sits underneath so much of what came later, the seeds it planted that Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus grew, and what Socrates' fearlessness about mortality still has to teach us. A small book with a long shadow.

Watch the video version: studio.youtube.com/channel/UC-gPgsbkK4ZLR9lt1POjbog

Read more on Plato's Apology: stoichandbook.co

Donald Robertson: donaldrobertson.name

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16903585 Wed, 02 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0100 824 full false A Stoic Morning to See Things Clearly A Stoic Morning to See Things Clearly Most of what upsets us is not the event but the story we wrap around it. This short morning meditation, about seven and a half minutes, walks you through the Stoic practice of objective representation: looking at a recent experience and gently pulling the plain facts apart from the feelings stacked on top.

You will pick one situation, see it as it actually is, and reframe your response from there. Inspired by Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, it is a way to start the day grounded in reason rather than reaction.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most of what upsets us is not the event but the story we wrap around it. This short morning meditation, about seven and a half minutes, walks you through the Stoic practice of objective representation: looking at a recent experience and gently pulling the plain facts apart from the feelings stacked on top.

You will pick one situation, see it as it actually is, and reframe your response from there. Inspired by Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, it is a way to start the day grounded in reason rather than reaction.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16849732 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 14:00:00 +0000 510 full false 8-Minute Stoic Clarity for Your Morning 8-Minute Stoic Clarity for Your Morning Eight minutes to set a clearer head before the day gets hold of you. This guided Stoic meditation moves through three simple steps: observe what is actually happening, notice the judgment you have quietly attached to it, then choose a steadier way to see it.

The point is not to feel nothing. It is to stop being run by the first reaction, so you can watch your thoughts instead of being dragged along by them. Breathe, reframe, and start the morning grounded.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Eight minutes to set a clearer head before the day gets hold of you. This guided Stoic meditation moves through three simple steps: observe what is actually happening, notice the judgment you have quietly attached to it, then choose a steadier way to see it.

The point is not to feel nothing. It is to stop being run by the first reaction, so you can watch your thoughts instead of being dragged along by them. Breathe, reframe, and start the morning grounded.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16764808 Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000 539 stoicism, mentalclarity, morning focus, overthinking, emotional control full false Was Socrates in a Toxic Relationship with his Wife? Was Socrates in a Toxic Relationship with his Wife? Socrates' wife Xanthippe has come down to us as the original nightmare spouse. But how much of that is fair, and how much is two and a half thousand years of bad press? I sat down with philosopher and author Donald Robertson to look at what we actually know about their marriage.

We get into whether she was genuinely difficult, whether Socrates was the easy one to live with, and how much of the story says more about ancient Athens than about either of them. A surprisingly human window onto one of philosophy's most famous figures.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Socrates' wife Xanthippe has come down to us as the original nightmare spouse. But how much of that is fair, and how much is two and a half thousand years of bad press? I sat down with philosopher and author Donald Robertson to look at what we actually know about their marriage.

We get into whether she was genuinely difficult, whether Socrates was the easy one to live with, and how much of the story says more about ancient Athens than about either of them. A surprisingly human window onto one of philosophy's most famous figures.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16636989 Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 718 full false How Did Socrates Become So Wise? How Did Socrates Become So Wise? Where did Socrates' wisdom actually come from? It was not raw intellect alone. In this conversation, Donald Robertson and I look at the daily habits, the charisma, and the genuine love of people that made Socrates the figure everyone after him kept arguing with.

Donald reaches for an unlikely comparison, Jimi Hendrix, to make a point about total immersion: what it looks like when someone gives themselves over completely to one pursuit. Less a lecture on Socrates, more a look at what made him tick.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Where did Socrates' wisdom actually come from? It was not raw intellect alone. In this conversation, Donald Robertson and I look at the daily habits, the charisma, and the genuine love of people that made Socrates the figure everyone after him kept arguing with.

Donald reaches for an unlikely comparison, Jimi Hendrix, to make a point about total immersion: what it looks like when someone gives themselves over completely to one pursuit. Less a lecture on Socrates, more a look at what made him tick.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16636985 Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 257 full false Stoicism Is a Practice, Not Just a Philosophy Stoicism Is a Practice, Not Just a Philosophy You can read every word Marcus Aurelius wrote and still fall apart the first time someone cuts you off in traffic. That gap, between knowing and doing, is what this clip is about. Donald Robertson, one of the leading Stoic authors and a cognitive-behavioural therapist, makes the case that Stoicism is something you train, not just something you study.

We dig into the common misconception that reading about it is enough, and what it actually looks like to practise the ideas until they show up when you need them. Short, but it reframes how to approach the whole thing.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You can read every word Marcus Aurelius wrote and still fall apart the first time someone cuts you off in traffic. That gap, between knowing and doing, is what this clip is about. Donald Robertson, one of the leading Stoic authors and a cognitive-behavioural therapist, makes the case that Stoicism is something you train, not just something you study.

We dig into the common misconception that reading about it is enough, and what it actually looks like to practise the ideas until they show up when you need them. Short, but it reframes how to approach the whole thing.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16636852 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 388 full false Socrates' "Mirror For The Mind" Will Transform Your Thinking Socrates' "Mirror For The Mind" Will Transform Your Thinking Socrates had a strange idea: that another person can act as a mirror for your own mind, showing you the thoughts you cannot see on your own. In this conversation with philosopher Donald Robertson, we follow that thread through Socrates on wisdom, self-awareness, and the art of asking the right question.

We get into how he used dialogue to surface what people did not know they believed, and what he meant by an eye that can somehow see itself. A short conversation that quietly changes how you listen to other people.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/_vJtpOgMQLo

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Socrates had a strange idea: that another person can act as a mirror for your own mind, showing you the thoughts you cannot see on your own. In this conversation with philosopher Donald Robertson, we follow that thread through Socrates on wisdom, self-awareness, and the art of asking the right question.

We get into how he used dialogue to surface what people did not know they believed, and what he meant by an eye that can somehow see itself. A short conversation that quietly changes how you listen to other people.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/_vJtpOgMQLo

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16636767 Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 691 full false Socrates’ Two-Column Method For Clearer Decisions Socrates’ Two-Column Method For Clearer Decisions The oldest self-help tool might also be the best one, and it fits on a single sheet of paper. I asked Stoic author Donald Robertson to walk me through Socrates' two-column method: a simple way to question your own assumptions, pressure-test a belief, and make a clearer decision.

We trace how this approach fed straight into Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, and why it still holds up as something you can actually pick up and use today. Practical, not abstract.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The oldest self-help tool might also be the best one, and it fits on a single sheet of paper. I asked Stoic author Donald Robertson to walk me through Socrates' two-column method: a simple way to question your own assumptions, pressure-test a belief, and make a clearer decision.

We trace how this approach fed straight into Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, and why it still holds up as something you can actually pick up and use today. Practical, not abstract.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16636759 Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000 1124 full false How To Pick Your Battles Wisely | Donald Robertson How To Pick Your Battles Wisely | Donald Robertson When do you speak up, and when do you let it go? When do you push, and when do you step back? Donald Robertson and I get into coping flexibility: the skill of matching your response to the situation instead of running the same move every time.

We pull from Stoicism, CBT and martial arts, including Epictetus on how you work out whether you can actually fight the lion in front of you, and why even Marcus Aurelius trained physically. Underneath it all sits self-knowledge: you cannot pick your battles well until you know your own strength.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/3DX6rTAX-QA

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> When do you speak up, and when do you let it go? When do you push, and when do you step back? Donald Robertson and I get into coping flexibility: the skill of matching your response to the situation instead of running the same move every time.

We pull from Stoicism, CBT and martial arts, including Epictetus on how you work out whether you can actually fight the lion in front of you, and why even Marcus Aurelius trained physically. Underneath it all sits self-knowledge: you cannot pick your battles well until you know your own strength.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/3DX6rTAX-QA

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16615562 Sun, 16 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 454 full false The Missing Piece of Stoicism: Why Kindness is Strength | Donald Robertson The Missing Piece of Stoicism: Why Kindness is Strength | Donald Robertson Modern Stoicism gets sold as self-control and grit, which leaves out the part Marcus Aurelius arguably cared about most. Donald Robertson and I talk about the missing piece: the idea that real strength shows up as kindness, and that anger is closer to weakness than to power.

It is an easy philosophy to misread as cold and detached. We make the case for the opposite, that justice and a kind of brotherly regard for other people sit right at the centre of it. A useful corrective if your picture of Stoicism is all jaw-clenching and no warmth.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/IzmTBMqenG8

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Modern Stoicism gets sold as self-control and grit, which leaves out the part Marcus Aurelius arguably cared about most. Donald Robertson and I talk about the missing piece: the idea that real strength shows up as kindness, and that anger is closer to weakness than to power.

It is an easy philosophy to misread as cold and detached. We make the case for the opposite, that justice and a kind of brotherly regard for other people sit right at the centre of it. A useful corrective if your picture of Stoicism is all jaw-clenching and no warmth.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/IzmTBMqenG8

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16615355 Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000 646 full false How to Handle Difficult People: Stoic Strategies, Empathy vs. Compassion, and Communication Techniques How to Handle Difficult People: Stoic Strategies, Empathy vs. Compassion, and Communication Techniques Some people are genuinely hard to deal with: the high-conflict ones, the boundary-trampling ones, the family member you cannot just walk away from. This episode is a practical toolkit for those relationships, pulling from Stoic philosophy and modern psychology.

I get into the caretaking trap (where caring tips over into harming yourself), why empathy can actually lead you astray and compassion serves you better, and how to set boundaries that are about what you do rather than controlling the other person. On the tactical side I cover the "I" model, DEAR MAN, Nonviolent Communication, the Grey Rock technique for genuinely toxic dynamics, and tactical empathy, the labelling and mirroring that quietly de-escalates a tense exchange.

If tense relationships, weak boundaries, or burning out on other people's needs sound familiar, start here.

Books mentioned:

The Compassionate Mind by Paul Gilbert

Against Empathy by Paul Bloom

Stop Caretaking the Narcissist or BPD by Margalis Fjelstad

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Not Nice by Dr. Aziz Gazipura

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Some people are genuinely hard to deal with: the high-conflict ones, the boundary-trampling ones, the family member you cannot just walk away from. This episode is a practical toolkit for those relationships, pulling from Stoic philosophy and modern psychology.

I get into the caretaking trap (where caring tips over into harming yourself), why empathy can actually lead you astray and compassion serves you better, and how to set boundaries that are about what you do rather than controlling the other person. On the tactical side I cover the "I" model, DEAR MAN, Nonviolent Communication, the Grey Rock technique for genuinely toxic dynamics, and tactical empathy, the labelling and mirroring that quietly de-escalates a tense exchange.

If tense relationships, weak boundaries, or burning out on other people's needs sound familiar, start here.

Books mentioned:

The Compassionate Mind by Paul Gilbert

Against Empathy by Paul Bloom

Stop Caretaking the Narcissist or BPD by Margalis Fjelstad

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Not Nice by Dr. Aziz Gazipura

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16447908 Thu, 16 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 4114 full false Donald Robertson on Socrates, Philosophy, and Modern Self-Help Donald Robertson on Socrates, Philosophy, and Modern Self-Help I sat down with Donald Robertson, author and psychotherapist, for a proper conversation about Socrates: his life, his methods, and why a man who wrote nothing down still shapes how we think two and a half thousand years later.

Donald blends cognitive behavioural therapy with ancient philosophy, so this is Socrates read through a modern, practical lens: what his way of questioning actually does to your thinking, and how it feeds into the self-help that came long after him. This one ties in with Donald's book How to Think Like Socrates.

Donald's book, How to Think Like Socrates: read.macmillan.com

Audiobook: audible.co.uk

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> I sat down with Donald Robertson, author and psychotherapist, for a proper conversation about Socrates: his life, his methods, and why a man who wrote nothing down still shapes how we think two and a half thousand years later.

Donald blends cognitive behavioural therapy with ancient philosophy, so this is Socrates read through a modern, practical lens: what his way of questioning actually does to your thinking, and how it feeds into the self-help that came long after him. This one ties in with Donald's book How to Think Like Socrates.

Donald's book, How to Think Like Socrates: read.macmillan.com

Audiobook: audible.co.uk

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16146938 Thu, 21 Nov 2024 23:00:00 +0000 10687 full false Creating the Ultimate Stoic Routine: Work Rituals (2) Creating the Ultimate Stoic Routine: Work Rituals (2) Part two of the series on building a Stoic daily routine, this time on the hours you actually work. Whether your work is a job, a creative project, or something like training martial arts, the aim is the same: turn it into something you do with intention rather than just grind through.

I walk through a six-point pre-work ritual drawn from John Yates' The Mind Illuminated (motivation, goals, expectations, diligence, distractions, environment), why finding genuine enjoyment in the process makes it sustainable, and the idea of a performance statement to catch yourself when you drift. Then there is treating the work itself as a kind of meditation, a short post-work reflection on what went well, the EAR framework (empathy, assertiveness, respect) for working with other people, and premeditation of adversity in the Marcus Aurelius mould.

Three Pillars of Skilful Communication cheat sheet: stoichandbook.co

10-Day Course, Stoic Survival Guide: stoichandbook.supercast.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Part two of the series on building a Stoic daily routine, this time on the hours you actually work. Whether your work is a job, a creative project, or something like training martial arts, the aim is the same: turn it into something you do with intention rather than just grind through.

I walk through a six-point pre-work ritual drawn from John Yates' The Mind Illuminated (motivation, goals, expectations, diligence, distractions, environment), why finding genuine enjoyment in the process makes it sustainable, and the idea of a performance statement to catch yourself when you drift. Then there is treating the work itself as a kind of meditation, a short post-work reflection on what went well, the EAR framework (empathy, assertiveness, respect) for working with other people, and premeditation of adversity in the Marcus Aurelius mould.

Three Pillars of Skilful Communication cheat sheet: stoichandbook.co

10-Day Course, Stoic Survival Guide: stoichandbook.supercast.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-16024698 Thu, 31 Oct 2024 08:00:00 +0000 1422 stoic, stoicism, productivity, focus, marcus aurelius, seneca full false Crafting The Ultimate Stoic Routine: Morning Rituals (1) Crafting The Ultimate Stoic Routine: Morning Rituals (1) How you start the morning tends to set the temperature for the rest of the day. This is part one of the routine series, focused on a Stoic morning: a sequence of small practices that point you at clarity and resilience before the world gets a vote.

I walk through reading and sitting with a Stoic quote, journaling to build gratitude and anticipate the day's obstacles, a short meditation, reading from the Stoic texts, cold exposure for a bit of deliberate discomfort, and a brief death meditation to sharpen the day. Take the whole thing or borrow the one or two pieces that fit your life.

Timestamps

02:15 Reflecting on a Stoic quote

05:30 Stoic journaling

12:00 Meditation for mindfulness

16:40 Reading Stoic texts

20:30 Cold exposure

24:15 Death meditation

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> How you start the morning tends to set the temperature for the rest of the day. This is part one of the routine series, focused on a Stoic morning: a sequence of small practices that point you at clarity and resilience before the world gets a vote.

I walk through reading and sitting with a Stoic quote, journaling to build gratitude and anticipate the day's obstacles, a short meditation, reading from the Stoic texts, cold exposure for a bit of deliberate discomfort, and a brief death meditation to sharpen the day. Take the whole thing or borrow the one or two pieces that fit your life.

Timestamps

02:15 Reflecting on a Stoic quote

05:30 Stoic journaling

12:00 Meditation for mindfulness

16:40 Reading Stoic texts

20:30 Cold exposure

24:15 Death meditation

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15785982 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0100 1934 full false Stoic Meditation For Judgement And Self-Compassion Stoic Meditation For Judgement And Self-Compassion The next time you catch yourself judging someone, this guided meditation turns that moment around and points it back at you, gently. Drawing on Marcus Aurelius, it walks you through noticing your own version of the fault you just spotted in someone else.

From there it moves toward self-compassion and then outward again, extending a little more empathy to the person you were quick to write off. The aim is not guilt. It is to use the small irritations of the day as material for becoming slightly wiser and kinder.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The next time you catch yourself judging someone, this guided meditation turns that moment around and points it back at you, gently. Drawing on Marcus Aurelius, it walks you through noticing your own version of the fault you just spotted in someone else.

From there it moves toward self-compassion and then outward again, extending a little more empathy to the person you were quick to write off. The aim is not guilt. It is to use the small irritations of the day as material for becoming slightly wiser and kinder.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15681334 Mon, 02 Sep 2024 14:00:00 +0100 549 full false The 3 Procrastination Traps and How to Avoid Them The 3 Procrastination Traps and How to Avoid Them A short, practical one on why we put things off and how to stop. I look at where procrastination actually comes from, why the hardest part is almost always the first few minutes of resistance, and how borrowing a professional mindset, showing up whether or not you feel like it, keeps you consistent.

If there is something you have been avoiding, this is a quick nudge and a couple of tools to get moving on it today.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A short, practical one on why we put things off and how to stop. I look at where procrastination actually comes from, why the hardest part is almost always the first few minutes of resistance, and how borrowing a professional mindset, showing up whether or not you feel like it, keeps you consistent.

If there is something you have been avoiding, this is a quick nudge and a couple of tools to get moving on it today.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15662338 Thu, 29 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0100 597 full false Embody the Stoic Dichotomy of Control: Meditation Practice Embody the Stoic Dichotomy of Control: Meditation Practice A meditation to practise the most useful idea in Stoicism until it actually sticks. The dichotomy of control is simple to say and hard to live: some things are yours (your thoughts, your actions, your responses) and most things are not (other people's opinions, the outcome, the weather).

This guided practice walks you through that sorting in real time, so you can feel the difference rather than just understand it. The more you sit with it, the easier it becomes to put your energy where it can actually do something.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A meditation to practise the most useful idea in Stoicism until it actually sticks. The dichotomy of control is simple to say and hard to live: some things are yours (your thoughts, your actions, your responses) and most things are not (other people's opinions, the outcome, the weather).

This guided practice walks you through that sorting in real time, so you can feel the difference rather than just understand it. The more you sit with it, the easier it becomes to put your energy where it can actually do something.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15561253 Sat, 10 Aug 2024 15:00:00 +0100 719 stoic, stoicism, dichotomy of control full false The Mind Illuminated (TMI) Stage Two Meditation (1 Hour) The Mind Illuminated (TMI) Stage Two Meditation (1 Hour) A full hour of guided practice for Stage Two of The Mind Illuminated, John Yates' map of meditation. Stage Two is all about the wandering mind: noticing sooner when your attention has drifted off the breath, and coming back without frustration.

This is not a quick reset. It is a long sit for people who want to actually build the skill, one gentle return at a time. Find a comfortable position, settle in, and let this run.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A full hour of guided practice for Stage Two of The Mind Illuminated, John Yates' map of meditation. Stage Two is all about the wandering mind: noticing sooner when your attention has drifted off the breath, and coming back without frustration.

This is not a quick reset. It is a long sit for people who want to actually build the skill, one gentle return at a time. Find a comfortable position, settle in, and let this run.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15538280 Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:00:00 +0100 3688 full false Daily Stoic Meditation for Wisdom Daily Stoic Meditation for Wisdom A guided version of the Stoic daily mindful review, the practice of looking back over your day with honest eyes. You move through your thoughts, emotions, speech and actions, not to beat yourself up, but to see clearly where you acted well and where you would do it differently.

I take you from opening awareness and grounding, through weighing the consequences of how you behaved, to mentally re-enacting the harder moments with a bit more virtue next time. Done regularly, it is one of the quiet engines of becoming wiser and easier to live with.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A guided version of the Stoic daily mindful review, the practice of looking back over your day with honest eyes. You move through your thoughts, emotions, speech and actions, not to beat yourself up, but to see clearly where you acted well and where you would do it differently.

I take you from opening awareness and grounding, through weighing the consequences of how you behaved, to mentally re-enacting the harder moments with a bit more virtue next time. Done regularly, it is one of the quiet engines of becoming wiser and easier to live with.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15452268 Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0100 804 full false 3 Pillars of Skilful Communication Cheatsheet 3 Pillars of Skilful Communication Cheatsheet Most communication advice is a pile of tips. This one is a compact framework you can actually hold in your head. I draw on the CIT model (cognitive interpersonal therapy) and Stoic philosophy to lay out the few principles that quietly improve both your relationships and your inner state.

The thread running through it is the old Epictetus point: it is rarely the situation that wrecks a conversation, it is your read of it. Get the read right and the right words tend to follow. A short, practical cheat sheet for talking to people well.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most communication advice is a pile of tips. This one is a compact framework you can actually hold in your head. I draw on the CIT model (cognitive interpersonal therapy) and Stoic philosophy to lay out the few principles that quietly improve both your relationships and your inner state.

The thread running through it is the old Epictetus point: it is rarely the situation that wrecks a conversation, it is your read of it. Get the read right and the right words tend to follow. A short, practical cheat sheet for talking to people well.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15397726 Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100 1015 full false Mind Illuminated Stage One Meditation: Foundational Practice Mind Illuminated Stage One Meditation: Foundational Practice If you are just starting to meditate, start here. This guided session is built on Stage One of The Mind Illuminated, where the whole job is simply turning up: establishing a steady, regular practice before you worry about anything fancier.

I take you through a structured preparation, a gentle transition, and a focused sit with stretches of silence so you can settle in. Practise it often and you build the one skill everything else rests on: showing up to the cushion day after day.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> If you are just starting to meditate, start here. This guided session is built on Stage One of The Mind Illuminated, where the whole job is simply turning up: establishing a steady, regular practice before you worry about anything fancier.

I take you through a structured preparation, a gentle transition, and a focused sit with stretches of silence so you can settle in. Practise it often and you build the one skill everything else rests on: showing up to the cushion day after day.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15377992 Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100 3688 the mind illuminated, tmi, shamatha full false Facing Mortality: A Stoic Death Meditation Facing Mortality: A Stoic Death Meditation A guided meditation on the one certainty we spend most of our lives avoiding. Drawing on Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, this practice helps you sit with the fact of your own death, not to frighten yourself, but to loosen its grip and bring what matters back into focus.

You will spend time with the fear itself, imagine the same life with ten years, one year, and one day left, and contemplate the long stillness on either side of a life. It does not end there. The practice closes by turning toward love and compassion, so you leave the sit softer rather than shaken. A heavier one, handled gently.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A guided meditation on the one certainty we spend most of our lives avoiding. Drawing on Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius and Seneca, this practice helps you sit with the fact of your own death, not to frighten yourself, but to loosen its grip and bring what matters back into focus.

You will spend time with the fear itself, imagine the same life with ten years, one year, and one day left, and contemplate the long stillness on either side of a life. It does not end there. The practice closes by turning toward love and compassion, so you leave the sit softer rather than shaken. A heavier one, handled gently.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15365476 Mon, 08 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0100 960 stoicism, stoic, death, meditation full false Stoic Meditation For Cravings And Attachment Stoic Meditation For Cravings And Attachment Marcus Aurelius had a habit of stripping the glamour off things he wanted: the fine wine is just fermented grapes, the expensive meal is dead animal and plants. This guided meditation puts that practice to work on your own cravings and attachments.

You take something you are pulled toward and break it down into its plain parts, with the flattering story removed, until you can see it with a neutral eye. The point is not to hate the thing. It is to loosen its hold, so the wanting stops running quite so much of the show. Includes examples and a few questions to sit with.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Marcus Aurelius had a habit of stripping the glamour off things he wanted: the fine wine is just fermented grapes, the expensive meal is dead animal and plants. This guided meditation puts that practice to work on your own cravings and attachments.

You take something you are pulled toward and break it down into its plain parts, with the flattering story removed, until you can see it with a neutral eye. The point is not to hate the thing. It is to loosen its hold, so the wanting stops running quite so much of the show. Includes examples and a few questions to sit with.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15203719 Thu, 06 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0100 660 full false Stoic Evening Meditation For Wisdom And Sleep Stoic Evening Meditation For Wisdom And Sleep A calm way to close the day and hand it over to sleep. This evening meditation walks you through a Stoic review of the hours behind you: first the things that went well and the decisions you are glad you made, then, gently, the places you would do differently next time.

The looking-back is about growth, not a list of failings to chew on in the dark. You finish by setting one clear intention for tomorrow, so you can put the day down and rest. Listen as you wind down for the night.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A calm way to close the day and hand it over to sleep. This evening meditation walks you through a Stoic review of the hours behind you: first the things that went well and the decisions you are glad you made, then, gently, the places you would do differently next time.

The looking-back is about growth, not a list of failings to chew on in the dark. You finish by setting one clear intention for tomorrow, so you can put the day down and rest. Listen as you wind down for the night.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-15184796 Mon, 03 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0100 660 full false Stoic Morning Meditation For Resilience And Peace Stoic Morning Meditation For Resilience And Peace A short guided morning meditation built on Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. You will notice thoughts as they arrive, make room for what the day may bring, and return attention to the one moment you can actually use. I practise this to start the day with a steadier head. It will not fix everything. It gives you somewhere to begin.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A short guided morning meditation built on Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. You will notice thoughts as they arrive, make room for what the day may bring, and return attention to the one moment you can actually use. I practise this to start the day with a steadier head. It will not fix everything. It gives you somewhere to begin.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-15114409 Wed, 22 May 2024 11:00:00 +0100 659 full false The 4 Most Important Mindfulness Tools to Build Focus The 4 Most Important Mindfulness Tools to Build Focus Most of us treat meditation as something we do for ten minutes and then leave on the cushion. This episode is about the opposite: carrying mindfulness through the whole day, into your health, your relationships, the ordinary moments where you usually run on autopilot.

I get into why the mind is so addicted to thinking, why the meditation-app boom sells the practice as a kind of mental vitamin, and what Sam Harris took from his 10-day retreat. Joseph Goldstein's point lands hardest for me: the sitting is just the frame, the real practice is the rest of the day. I also share the prompt I keep coming back to, "What is here now when there is no problem to solve?"

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most of us treat meditation as something we do for ten minutes and then leave on the cushion. This episode is about the opposite: carrying mindfulness through the whole day, into your health, your relationships, the ordinary moments where you usually run on autopilot.

I get into why the mind is so addicted to thinking, why the meditation-app boom sells the practice as a kind of mental vitamin, and what Sam Harris took from his 10-day retreat. Joseph Goldstein's point lands hardest for me: the sitting is just the frame, the real practice is the rest of the day. I also share the prompt I keep coming back to, "What is here now when there is no problem to solve?"

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-14965743 Sat, 27 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0100 2624 full false Avoid These 5 Foolish Traps with Money & Success (Stoic Guide) Avoid These 5 Foolish Traps with Money & Success (Stoic Guide) If you have ever caught yourself daydreaming about "making it", the money, the status, the proof that you matter, this one is for you. I walk through Chapter 24 of Epictetus' Handbook, where he lays out five arguments against chasing status and wealth for their own sake.

None of this is about pretending you do not want nice things. It is about getting honest with what you are actually chasing, and what it costs you. I share where I still get caught by it myself.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> If you have ever caught yourself daydreaming about "making it", the money, the status, the proof that you matter, this one is for you. I walk through Chapter 24 of Epictetus' Handbook, where he lays out five arguments against chasing status and wealth for their own sake.

None of this is about pretending you do not want nice things. It is about getting honest with what you are actually chasing, and what it costs you. I share where I still get caught by it myself.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-14884526 Sun, 14 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0100 735 full false What Does Stoic Toughness Look Like In Practice? What Does Stoic Toughness Look Like In Practice? Toughness gets sold to us as never flinching, never feeling, gritting your teeth and pushing through. I am not convinced that is it. In this episode I work through what real toughness might actually be, and why the chest-out version often hides something brittle underneath.

The Stoics had a more useful idea of strength: not the absence of feeling, but knowing what is yours to carry and carrying it without making everyone around you pay for it. I share where I have got this wrong.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Toughness gets sold to us as never flinching, never feeling, gritting your teeth and pushing through. I am not convinced that is it. In this episode I work through what real toughness might actually be, and why the chest-out version often hides something brittle underneath.

The Stoics had a more useful idea of strength: not the absence of feeling, but knowing what is yours to carry and carrying it without making everyone around you pay for it. I share where I have got this wrong.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-14816158 Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0100 417 full false How to Hack Health in All Areas with Justin Noppé How to Hack Health in All Areas with Justin Noppé Justin Noppé works with health and fitness for a living, so I used this conversation to ask him the questions I actually wanted answered. We get into the metrics worth tracking and the ones worth ignoring: VO2 max, why he rates resting heart rate and morning respiration over chasing your HRV score, and what the numbers do and do not tell you.

From there it is the practical stuff. The four movements he builds everything around (push, pull, hinge, squat), the difference between eccentric, concentric and isometric work, a pre-bed stretching routine for better sleep, and why following your curiosity matters more than any perfect programme you will not stick to.

Justin's Neuro Resilience course: bit.ly/neuroresiliencecourse

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Justin Noppé works with health and fitness for a living, so I used this conversation to ask him the questions I actually wanted answered. We get into the metrics worth tracking and the ones worth ignoring: VO2 max, why he rates resting heart rate and morning respiration over chasing your HRV score, and what the numbers do and do not tell you.

From there it is the practical stuff. The four movements he builds everything around (push, pull, hinge, squat), the difference between eccentric, concentric and isometric work, a pre-bed stretching routine for better sleep, and why following your curiosity matters more than any perfect programme you will not stick to.

Justin's Neuro Resilience course: bit.ly/neuroresiliencecourse

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-14813133 Tue, 02 Apr 2024 15:00:00 +0100 8025 full false Can Science Explain Spiritual Experience? With Steve Taylor Can Science Explain Spiritual Experience? With Steve Taylor Can consciousness and spiritual experience be studied without abandoning scepticism? Steve Taylor is a psychologist at the University of Leeds who works in transpersonal psychology and has written about awakening, consciousness and materialism. I came to the conversation as a curious sceptic. We discuss whether emotional turmoil can produce lasting changes in perspective, what psychedelics can and cannot tell us, and how seriously to take claims such as telepathy. Steve makes the case for a wider view of consciousness. I push on the parts that feel least secure. Take what survives scrutiny and leave the rest.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Can consciousness and spiritual experience be studied without abandoning scepticism? Steve Taylor is a psychologist at the University of Leeds who works in transpersonal psychology and has written about awakening, consciousness and materialism. I came to the conversation as a curious sceptic. We discuss whether emotional turmoil can produce lasting changes in perspective, what psychedelics can and cannot tell us, and how seriously to take claims such as telepathy. Steve makes the case for a wider view of consciousness. I push on the parts that feel least secure. Take what survives scrutiny and leave the rest.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-14576935 Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:00:00 +0000 4090 full false Anger: The Most Dangerous Emotion Anger: The Most Dangerous Emotion This is a full lesson from one of the premium courses inside The Stoic Vault. We sit with anger through Seneca, who treated it not as a sign of strength but as a kind of chain, something that quietly runs your life while telling you it is protecting you.

I find anger the hardest emotion to be honest about, because it does not always show up as shouting. Often it is the low simmer you carry around all day, just as corrosive but easier to hide. This session is about learning to notice it, name it, and let some of it go.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> This is a full lesson from one of the premium courses inside The Stoic Vault. We sit with anger through Seneca, who treated it not as a sign of strength but as a kind of chain, something that quietly runs your life while telling you it is protecting you.

I find anger the hardest emotion to be honest about, because it does not always show up as shouting. Often it is the low simmer you carry around all day, just as corrosive but easier to hide. This session is about learning to notice it, name it, and let some of it go.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-14576772 Mon, 26 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000 663 full false Building Resilience: Stoic Practices for Overcoming Anxiety Building Resilience: Stoic Practices for Overcoming Anxiety Anxiety is the thing I have spent the most time wrestling with, so this episode is less a lecture and more a report from someone still doing the work. I share what actually helped me, where Stoic practice fits, and the difference between fear and anxiety: fear is a sane response to a real threat in front of you, anxiety is your mind running drills against threats that may never come.

I also point to the books that did the heavy lifting for me: "When Panic Attacks" by David Burns, "Stoicism and the Art of Happiness" by Donald Robertson, and "A Guide to the Good Life" by William B. Irvine.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Anxiety is the thing I have spent the most time wrestling with, so this episode is less a lecture and more a report from someone still doing the work. I share what actually helped me, where Stoic practice fits, and the difference between fear and anxiety: fear is a sane response to a real threat in front of you, anxiety is your mind running drills against threats that may never come.

I also point to the books that did the heavy lifting for me: "When Panic Attacks" by David Burns, "Stoicism and the Art of Happiness" by Donald Robertson, and "A Guide to the Good Life" by William B. Irvine.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-14419918 Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 2328 full false The Struggle and Triumph of Living Authentically with Dan Munro (Round 4) The Struggle and Triumph of Living Authentically with Dan Munro (Round 4) Dan Munro is back for a fourth conversation, and this might be my favourite one yet. Dan is a coach and the author of "The Naked Truth", and his whole project is honesty: what it costs to tell the truth, and what it costs not to. This time Sami Marcus from Beyond Stoicism joins me to dig in.

A lot has changed for Dan since his last visit. He has become a father, which has forced new questions about what honest parenting actually looks like and how far you take it with your kids. We get into honesty in dating and relationships and the fallout it can cause, how impermanence has reshuffled his priorities, and why he has moved his work toward courses and short-form video. Sami and Dan both share where this has cost them personally.

Dan Munro's newsletter, The Daily Dose of Integrity: danthecoach.substack.com

Dan's book "The Naked Truth": on Amazon

Sami Marcus, Beyond Stoicism: instagram.com/beyondstoicism

Also mentioned, "No More Mr. Nice Guy": on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Dan Munro is back for a fourth conversation, and this might be my favourite one yet. Dan is a coach and the author of "The Naked Truth", and his whole project is honesty: what it costs to tell the truth, and what it costs not to. This time Sami Marcus from Beyond Stoicism joins me to dig in.

A lot has changed for Dan since his last visit. He has become a father, which has forced new questions about what honest parenting actually looks like and how far you take it with your kids. We get into honesty in dating and relationships and the fallout it can cause, how impermanence has reshuffled his priorities, and why he has moved his work toward courses and short-form video. Sami and Dan both share where this has cost them personally.

Dan Munro's newsletter, The Daily Dose of Integrity: danthecoach.substack.com

Dan's book "The Naked Truth": on Amazon

Sami Marcus, Beyond Stoicism: instagram.com/beyondstoicism

Also mentioned, "No More Mr. Nice Guy": on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-14398126 Tue, 30 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000 7353 full false Self-Mastery and the Discipline of Surrender with Eric Brown Self-Mastery and the Discipline of Surrender with Eric Brown "Self-mastery is the ability to live by choice and not by chance." That line from Eric Brown sets the tone for this whole conversation. We range widely: personal growth, what self-mastery actually requires day to day, honesty in relationships, and what he calls the discipline of surrender, which he describes as submitting to a practice that slowly molds you.

We also get into the quieter tools that do a lot of the work, reading and journaling among them. Eric is generous with his own experience, including the parts he is still figuring out, which is the kind of guest I like having on.

Eric's organisation, Hero100: hero100.org

Eric's newsletter, Serious Play: seriousplay.substack.com

Eric's Productivity Manifesto playlist: on YouTube

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> "Self-mastery is the ability to live by choice and not by chance." That line from Eric Brown sets the tone for this whole conversation. We range widely: personal growth, what self-mastery actually requires day to day, honesty in relationships, and what he calls the discipline of surrender, which he describes as submitting to a practice that slowly molds you.

We also get into the quieter tools that do a lot of the work, reading and journaling among them. Eric is generous with his own experience, including the parts he is still figuring out, which is the kind of guest I like having on.

Eric's organisation, Hero100: hero100.org

Eric's newsletter, Serious Play: seriousplay.substack.com

Eric's Productivity Manifesto playlist: on YouTube

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-14218231 Fri, 29 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000 5780 full false Dan Munro’s Guide to Overcoming the Validation Addiction Dan Munro’s Guide to Overcoming the Validation Addiction Dan Munro is back, and this time we go after the validation addiction: the quiet habit of arranging your life around being liked. Dan is a coach and the author of "The Naked Truth", and his angle is always the same uncomfortable question, where are you lying to keep the peace, and what is it costing you?

We get into self-deception and the biases that protect it, the link between shame and dishonesty, and the mixed messages culture sends about being honest. Dan shares the real damage his own dishonesty caused. We also talk about being comfortable with being disliked, expressing yourself honestly without using "honesty" as a weapon, and we even use the Chris Watts case as a dark study in where dishonesty can lead.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Dan Munro's newsletter: danthecoach.substack.com

Dan's book "The Naked Truth": on Audible

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Dan Munro is back, and this time we go after the validation addiction: the quiet habit of arranging your life around being liked. Dan is a coach and the author of "The Naked Truth", and his angle is always the same uncomfortable question, where are you lying to keep the peace, and what is it costing you?

We get into self-deception and the biases that protect it, the link between shame and dishonesty, and the mixed messages culture sends about being honest. Dan shares the real damage his own dishonesty caused. We also talk about being comfortable with being disliked, expressing yourself honestly without using "honesty" as a weapon, and we even use the Chris Watts case as a dark study in where dishonesty can lead.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Dan Munro's newsletter: danthecoach.substack.com

Dan's book "The Naked Truth": on Audible

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-14017353 Thu, 23 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000 4488 full false Clarity of Intent: Stoicism's Formula for Real Success Clarity of Intent: Stoicism's Formula for Real Success Most of us measure success by whether we hit the target. The Stoics would say that is the wrong place to put your attention, because the target was never fully in your control to begin with. This episode is about a different definition of success, one that holds up even when things do not go your way.

I use Cicero's arrow analogy and the dichotomy of control to build what I think of as the Stoic success formula: clarity of intent paired with freedom from outcome. You aim as well as you possibly can, then you let go of what the wind does to the arrow. I show how to apply that to real goals, personal and professional, not just to ancient texts.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most of us measure success by whether we hit the target. The Stoics would say that is the wrong place to put your attention, because the target was never fully in your control to begin with. This episode is about a different definition of success, one that holds up even when things do not go your way.

I use Cicero's arrow analogy and the dichotomy of control to build what I think of as the Stoic success formula: clarity of intent paired with freedom from outcome. You aim as well as you possibly can, then you let go of what the wind does to the arrow. I show how to apply that to real goals, personal and professional, not just to ancient texts.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13969077 Tue, 14 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000 2166 full false The 3 Limits of Modern Stoicism The 3 Limits of Modern Stoicism I love Stoicism, which is exactly why I want to be honest about where it falls short. In this lesson I lay out three places modern Stoicism tends to go quiet: trauma healing, mindfulness, and ecstatic or peak experiences.

My worry is that the modern version leans so hard on resilience and "coping" that it can start to worship rationality over wisdom, which was never the point. The ancients almost certainly had ways of working through this terrain. We have mostly dropped them. This is me thinking out loud about what a fuller practice might include.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> I love Stoicism, which is exactly why I want to be honest about where it falls short. In this lesson I lay out three places modern Stoicism tends to go quiet: trauma healing, mindfulness, and ecstatic or peak experiences.

My worry is that the modern version leans so hard on resilience and "coping" that it can start to worship rationality over wisdom, which was never the point. The ancients almost certainly had ways of working through this terrain. We have mostly dropped them. This is me thinking out loud about what a fuller practice might include.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13939829 Fri, 10 Nov 2023 09:00:00 +0000 646 Stoic full false Stoic Focus Training: A Six-Step Plan For Distraction Stoic Focus Training: A Six-Step Plan For Distraction Distraction is rarely a willpower problem. It is usually a setup problem: we sit down to focus without ever preparing the ground. This episode walks through a six-step process I use to prepare for meditation, and then shows how the same steps carry over into work, relationships, and how you see yourself.

We cover showing up with a clear intention, dealing with distractions before they arrive rather than after, and why posture matters more than people think, on the cushion and off it. The Stoic idea doing the heavy lifting here is premeditation: deciding in advance how you will meet the pull of distraction, so you are not negotiating with it in the moment.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Distraction is rarely a willpower problem. It is usually a setup problem: we sit down to focus without ever preparing the ground. This episode walks through a six-step process I use to prepare for meditation, and then shows how the same steps carry over into work, relationships, and how you see yourself.

We cover showing up with a clear intention, dealing with distractions before they arrive rather than after, and why posture matters more than people think, on the cushion and off it. The Stoic idea doing the heavy lifting here is premeditation: deciding in advance how you will meet the pull of distraction, so you are not negotiating with it in the moment.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13927102 Tue, 07 Nov 2023 17:00:00 +0000 3959 full false How To Handle Criticism Without Abandoning Your Work How To Handle Criticism Without Abandoning Your Work When you put your work out in public, the criticism comes. I am an introvert who ended up making content for a living, so I have had my share of being told I was doing the wrong thing in the wrong way. This episode is about how I handle that, with a lot of help from Epictetus.

I lean on his Enchiridion to talk through staying with your own path when people doubt it, and how to tell the difference between feedback worth taking and noise worth ignoring. If you have ever felt out of place for chasing something that matters to you, this one is for company as much as advice.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> When you put your work out in public, the criticism comes. I am an introvert who ended up making content for a living, so I have had my share of being told I was doing the wrong thing in the wrong way. This episode is about how I handle that, with a lot of help from Epictetus.

I lean on his Enchiridion to talk through staying with your own path when people doubt it, and how to tell the difference between feedback worth taking and noise worth ignoring. If you have ever felt out of place for chasing something that matters to you, this one is for company as much as advice.

This episode is sponsored by Podia, the platform I use to host all my Stoic courses and premium offerings. You can create a free account here: podia.com/jon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13899451 Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:00:00 +0000 502 full false Stoic Journalling For Beginners: Build A Daily Practice Stoic Journalling For Beginners: Build A Daily Practice Marcus Aurelius did not write Meditations for publication. It was his working notebook. This episode shows how to build a philosophical journalling habit that does a real job: reviewing the day, checking your choices against the four virtues, and spotting patterns before they harden. I also explain why Stoic journalling overlaps with cognitive behavioural therapy and how I pair it with a short meditation. Start small. One honest page you repeat is more useful than an elaborate system you abandon after a week.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Marcus Aurelius did not write Meditations for publication. It was his working notebook. This episode shows how to build a philosophical journalling habit that does a real job: reviewing the day, checking your choices against the four virtues, and spotting patterns before they harden. I also explain why Stoic journalling overlaps with cognitive behavioural therapy and how I pair it with a short meditation. Start small. One honest page you repeat is more useful than an elaborate system you abandon after a week.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13808483 Thu, 19 Oct 2023 14:00:00 +0100 598 full false A Stoic Meditation on Awe: Seeing the Invisible A Stoic Meditation on Awe: Seeing the Invisible A guided Stoic meditation on awe. We slow down and try to see what is usually invisible to us: the sheer unlikeliness of being here at all, the scale of the universe we are a small part of, the ordinary things we have stopped noticing because they are always there.

The Stoics used this kind of perspective shift, the view from above, to put their worries back in proportion. This is a few minutes to do the same. It is a full lesson from one of the premium courses inside The Stoic Vault.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A guided Stoic meditation on awe. We slow down and try to see what is usually invisible to us: the sheer unlikeliness of being here at all, the scale of the universe we are a small part of, the ordinary things we have stopped noticing because they are always there.

The Stoics used this kind of perspective shift, the view from above, to put their worries back in proportion. This is a few minutes to do the same. It is a full lesson from one of the premium courses inside The Stoic Vault.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13767399 Thu, 12 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0100 346 full false The 6-Step Mental Checklist Before You Do Anything The 6-Step Mental Checklist Before You Do Anything We make most decisions on autopilot and only notice afterwards that we reacted instead of chose. This episode lays out a six-step mental checklist you can run before you act, so you meet a situation with a clear head rather than a hot one.

It is built on Stoic practice: pause, check the impression, ask what is actually in your control, then choose your response on purpose. Short enough to use in real time, which is the only kind of practice that survives contact with a stressful day.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/R0ll911BVmM

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> We make most decisions on autopilot and only notice afterwards that we reacted instead of chose. This episode lays out a six-step mental checklist you can run before you act, so you meet a situation with a clear head rather than a hot one.

It is built on Stoic practice: pause, check the impression, ask what is actually in your control, then choose your response on purpose. Short enough to use in real time, which is the only kind of practice that survives contact with a stressful day.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/R0ll911BVmM

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13742233 Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0100 495 full false Set Stoic Internal Goals: Focus On What You Control Set Stoic Internal Goals: Focus On What You Control If you set your goal as winning, you have handed your peace of mind to other people and to luck. Epictetus had a fix for this, and it is the heart of Chapter 19 of his Enchiridion: aim at things that are actually yours to control.

In this episode I work through the difference between external goals, the contest, the prize, the verdict of others, and internal goals built on your own character and effort. Set the internal one and you cannot really lose, because the only scoreboard that matters is one you keep. We also talk about envy, where it comes from, and why chasing external proof keeps you hungry no matter how much you get.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/H6QUMkbjWqY

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> If you set your goal as winning, you have handed your peace of mind to other people and to luck. Epictetus had a fix for this, and it is the heart of Chapter 19 of his Enchiridion: aim at things that are actually yours to control.

In this episode I work through the difference between external goals, the contest, the prize, the verdict of others, and internal goals built on your own character and effort. Set the internal one and you cannot really lose, because the only scoreboard that matters is one you keep. We also talk about envy, where it comes from, and why chasing external proof keeps you hungry no matter how much you get.

Watch the video version: youtu.be/H6QUMkbjWqY

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13714246 Wed, 04 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0100 705 full false Stoic Meditation To Calm Your Mind Before You Act Stoic Meditation To Calm Your Mind Before You Act Nerves and overthinking often arrive just before you need to act. This short guided meditation uses a few Stoic ideas to settle the mind: what is in your hands, what is outside them, and what the next useful action is. Use it before a hard conversation, a piece of work you have been avoiding, or anything that has you spinning before you begin. The aim is simple. Calm the mind enough to move well.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Nerves and overthinking often arrive just before you need to act. This short guided meditation uses a few Stoic ideas to settle the mind: what is in your hands, what is outside them, and what the next useful action is. Use it before a hard conversation, a piece of work you have been avoiding, or anything that has you spinning before you begin. The aim is simple. Calm the mind enough to move well.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13649958 Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0100 575 full false Healing Versus Awakening | Zen Teacher Henry Shukman Healing Versus Awakening | Zen Teacher Henry Shukman Henry Shukman is a Zen teacher and meditation instructor who has woven together meditative practice, psychotherapy and plant medicine on his own road from eczema, anxiety and despair toward something steadier. This conversation sits on the line between two words people often blur: healing and awakening.

Healing is mending what is broken. Awakening, in Henry's telling, is seeing that at some level there was never anything to fix. So do you skip the healing and go straight for the awakening? His answer is more careful than that, and that nuance is the heart of the episode. We get into his own awakening and the emotional fallout that followed it, and how the two paths actually need each other. I came as a skeptic and left with plenty to chew on.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Henry Shukman is a Zen teacher and meditation instructor who has woven together meditative practice, psychotherapy and plant medicine on his own road from eczema, anxiety and despair toward something steadier. This conversation sits on the line between two words people often blur: healing and awakening.

Healing is mending what is broken. Awakening, in Henry's telling, is seeing that at some level there was never anything to fix. So do you skip the healing and go straight for the awakening? His answer is more careful than that, and that nuance is the heart of the episode. We get into his own awakening and the emotional fallout that followed it, and how the two paths actually need each other. I came as a skeptic and left with plenty to chew on.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13607506 Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0100 3857 full false How To Use Bad Luck Without Pretending It Is Good How To Use Bad Luck Without Pretending It Is Good A bad weather forecast, a worrying noise from the car, a small omen that something is about to go wrong. These little signals can sour a whole day if you let them. This episode is about a Stoic move for handling them: treating apparent bad luck as raw material rather than a verdict.

I lean on the dichotomy of control to separate what the situation actually demands from the story you are spinning about it, and on reframing to turn a setback into something you can use. I am not claiming everything bad is secretly good. I am saying there is almost always a way to make the response to it good, and that is the part you control.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A bad weather forecast, a worrying noise from the car, a small omen that something is about to go wrong. These little signals can sour a whole day if you let them. This episode is about a Stoic move for handling them: treating apparent bad luck as raw material rather than a verdict.

I lean on the dichotomy of control to separate what the situation actually demands from the story you are spinning about it, and on reframing to turn a setback into something you can use. I am not claiming everything bad is secretly good. I am saying there is almost always a way to make the response to it good, and that is the part you control.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13575590 Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0100 457 full false How To Make Better Trade-Offs When Time Is Tight How To Make Better Trade-Offs When Time Is Tight Becoming a parent stripped my time down to almost nothing, and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to my focus. This episode is about what I learned from Greg McKeown's "Essentialism": that the constraint was not the problem, it was the teacher.

I get into the MoSCoW method for deciding what actually matters, why waiting for inspiration is the amateur's move and what the professional does instead, and how limits tend to fuel creativity rather than kill it. Underneath it all is one Stoic habit: making conscious trade-offs in a world that pretends you can have everything.

Resources mentioned:

"Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown: on Amazon

"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield: on Amazon

"Maxims" by Francois La Rochefoucauld: on Amazon

Greg McKeown's videos on Essentialism: on YouTube

The Big Five Personality Test: truity.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Becoming a parent stripped my time down to almost nothing, and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to my focus. This episode is about what I learned from Greg McKeown's "Essentialism": that the constraint was not the problem, it was the teacher.

I get into the MoSCoW method for deciding what actually matters, why waiting for inspiration is the amateur's move and what the professional does instead, and how limits tend to fuel creativity rather than kill it. Underneath it all is one Stoic habit: making conscious trade-offs in a world that pretends you can have everything.

Resources mentioned:

"Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown: on Amazon

"The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield: on Amazon

"Maxims" by Francois La Rochefoucauld: on Amazon

Greg McKeown's videos on Essentialism: on YouTube

The Big Five Personality Test: truity.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-13526504 Mon, 04 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0100 665 full false Is Your Need for Approval Causing Anxiety? A Talk with Dr. Aziz Is Your Need for Approval Causing Anxiety? A Talk with Dr. Aziz A lot of anxiety hides behind being nice. Dr. Aziz Gazipura has a PhD in clinical psychology and spends his time helping people build social confidence, and his work named something I had felt for years but never had words for.

We walk through four ways of explaining where anxiety comes from: avoidance, distorted thinking, biology, and the one that hit hardest for me, the hidden emotion model, where the feelings you swallow to keep everyone happy come back as anxiety. From there we get into trauma healing versus endless self-optimization, shadow work and how to actually practise it, holding assertiveness and compassion at the same time, and Aziz's own path out of crippling shyness. This one rang very true to my own story.

Dr. Aziz Gazipura: socialconfidencecenter.com

Dr. Aziz's books: socialconfidencecenter.com/books

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A lot of anxiety hides behind being nice. Dr. Aziz Gazipura has a PhD in clinical psychology and spends his time helping people build social confidence, and his work named something I had felt for years but never had words for.

We walk through four ways of explaining where anxiety comes from: avoidance, distorted thinking, biology, and the one that hit hardest for me, the hidden emotion model, where the feelings you swallow to keep everyone happy come back as anxiety. From there we get into trauma healing versus endless self-optimization, shadow work and how to actually practise it, holding assertiveness and compassion at the same time, and Aziz's own path out of crippling shyness. This one rang very true to my own story.

Dr. Aziz Gazipura: socialconfidencecenter.com

Dr. Aziz's books: socialconfidencecenter.com/books

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13476770 Sun, 27 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0100 2749 stoicism, niceness, dr aziz, assertivness full false Embracing Fate: Nietzsche's Answer to the Victim Mentality Embracing Fate: Nietzsche's Answer to the Victim Mentality You can be a genuine victim of something terrible and still refuse to live as a victim. That distinction is the whole episode. As I put it in the conversation, "the victim mindset is not just disempowering, it's also foolish, inaccurate, and irrational."

I look at where the victim mentality comes from, often childhood, and the hidden payoff that keeps it in place. Then I bring in the Stoic view of external events and Nietzsche's amor fati, the practice of loving your fate rather than resenting it. There is a detour into Jiu Jitsu and John Danaher's story, plus the "good exercise", radical gratitude, and the inner critic that quietly runs the victim script. Self-ownership without self-blame is the thread holding it together.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You can be a genuine victim of something terrible and still refuse to live as a victim. That distinction is the whole episode. As I put it in the conversation, "the victim mindset is not just disempowering, it's also foolish, inaccurate, and irrational."

I look at where the victim mentality comes from, often childhood, and the hidden payoff that keeps it in place. Then I bring in the Stoic view of external events and Nietzsche's amor fati, the practice of loving your fate rather than resenting it. There is a detour into Jiu Jitsu and John Danaher's story, plus the "good exercise", radical gratitude, and the inner critic that quietly runs the victim script. Self-ownership without self-blame is the thread holding it together.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13397501 Sun, 13 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0100 1900 full false Stoicism Meets Authenticity: A Conversation with Dan Munro Stoicism Meets Authenticity: A Conversation with Dan Munro A friend kept telling me I had to talk to Dan Munro, so I did, and this is the first of what became several conversations. Dan is a confidence coach with an unusual back story: he was a probation officer working with offenders before he started coaching, which gives him a very clear-eyed read on people who do not want to change.

His angle is honesty. As he puts it, calling yourself "a loser" is not humility, it is just inaccurate. We get into honesty as the root of real confidence, how to spot good coaching from bad, dealing with manipulative people, the darker side of the pick-up world, and what "being yourself" actually means once you strip the slogan off it. There is also a nice coincidence: Donald Robertson, who I had just had on the show, was writing the foreword for Dan's book on honesty.

Dan is from Auckland, lives in the Czech Republic, runs the Brojo men's group, and wrote "The Legendary Life" and "Nothing to Lose".

Full write-up: highexistence.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A friend kept telling me I had to talk to Dan Munro, so I did, and this is the first of what became several conversations. Dan is a confidence coach with an unusual back story: he was a probation officer working with offenders before he started coaching, which gives him a very clear-eyed read on people who do not want to change.

His angle is honesty. As he puts it, calling yourself "a loser" is not humility, it is just inaccurate. We get into honesty as the root of real confidence, how to spot good coaching from bad, dealing with manipulative people, the darker side of the pick-up world, and what "being yourself" actually means once you strip the slogan off it. There is also a nice coincidence: Donald Robertson, who I had just had on the show, was writing the foreword for Dan's book on honesty.

Dan is from Auckland, lives in the Czech Republic, runs the Brojo men's group, and wrote "The Legendary Life" and "Nothing to Lose".

Full write-up: highexistence.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-13385945 Fri, 11 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0100 6622 full false How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: Insights with Donald Robertson How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: Insights with Donald Robertson Donald Robertson is one of the people who has done most to bring Stoicism into the modern world, partly because he comes at it as a clinical psychologist who sees how closely it tracks cognitive therapy. His book "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor" is part biography of Marcus Aurelius, part practical guide, and as he writes, the Stoics can teach you "how to face adversity, how to conquer anger within yourself, moderate your desires" and a good deal more.

This is our second conversation, and we go deep on Marcus: the foundations of his Stoicism, the part compassion played in how he ruled, the long fight between Stoic and Sophistic thinking, the people who shaped him, and his own journaling habit. We also get into the most common ways people get Stoicism wrong, and how it speaks to distinctly modern problems.

Donald on the HighExistence Podcast: highexistence.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Donald Robertson is one of the people who has done most to bring Stoicism into the modern world, partly because he comes at it as a clinical psychologist who sees how closely it tracks cognitive therapy. His book "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor" is part biography of Marcus Aurelius, part practical guide, and as he writes, the Stoics can teach you "how to face adversity, how to conquer anger within yourself, moderate your desires" and a good deal more.

This is our second conversation, and we go deep on Marcus: the foundations of his Stoicism, the part compassion played in how he ruled, the long fight between Stoic and Sophistic thinking, the people who shaped him, and his own journaling habit. We also get into the most common ways people get Stoicism wrong, and how it speaks to distinctly modern problems.

Donald on the HighExistence Podcast: highexistence.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-13320355 Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +0100 6386 full false Build Discipline Through Habits And Community | Eric Brown Build Discipline Through Habits And Community | Eric Brown Eric Brown is back, and this conversation is about the unglamorous engine room of change: habits. As he puts it, "your daily disciplines cast a vote for the person you want to be and the person you're becoming." Eric is the co-creator of Phoenix Culture and the creator of Warrior 100, both built around discipline and wellbeing.

We get into self-discipline as something you build rather than something you have, why community makes practices like meditation and training far more likely to stick, and the idea of identity-level change, where you stop trying to do the behaviour and start becoming the kind of person who simply does it. Plenty of practical talk about fitting it all into a real life, too.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Eric Brown is back, and this conversation is about the unglamorous engine room of change: habits. As he puts it, "your daily disciplines cast a vote for the person you want to be and the person you're becoming." Eric is the co-creator of Phoenix Culture and the creator of Warrior 100, both built around discipline and wellbeing.

We get into self-discipline as something you build rather than something you have, why community makes practices like meditation and training far more likely to stick, and the idea of identity-level change, where you stop trying to do the behaviour and start becoming the kind of person who simply does it. Plenty of practical talk about fitting it all into a real life, too.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-13236359 Mon, 17 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +0100 5506 full false How To Put Stoicism Into Practice | Donald Robertson How To Put Stoicism Into Practice | Donald Robertson Donald Robertson describes Stoicism as "a kind of psychological toolbox", full of strategies for handling anxiety, anger and pain, and that framing runs through this whole conversation. We trace the history of the philosophy and pull practical use out of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca rather than treating them as museum pieces.

One note: I originally recorded this a few years ago for the HighExistence podcast and never shared it here, so it is new to the Stoic Handbook feed. We work through some of the key Stoic texts and how to actually apply them in daily life, which is the part that tends to get skipped.

Donald Robertson's courses: learn.donaldrobertson.name

Donald's newsletter: donaldrobertson.substack.com

Donald's books: on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Donald Robertson describes Stoicism as "a kind of psychological toolbox", full of strategies for handling anxiety, anger and pain, and that framing runs through this whole conversation. We trace the history of the philosophy and pull practical use out of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca rather than treating them as museum pieces.

One note: I originally recorded this a few years ago for the HighExistence podcast and never shared it here, so it is new to the Stoic Handbook feed. We work through some of the key Stoic texts and how to actually apply them in daily life, which is the part that tends to get skipped.

Donald Robertson's courses: learn.donaldrobertson.name

Donald's newsletter: donaldrobertson.substack.com

Donald's books: on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Donald Robertson Buzzsprout-13123237 Wed, 05 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0100 4809 stoicism, marcus aurelius, verisimus, cbt full false Why, What, How: A Calmer Way To Build Discipline Why, What, How: A Calmer Way To Build Discipline We tend to think of discipline as punishment, something you do to someone, or to yourself, when they get it wrong. This episode argues the opposite: at root, to discipline is to teach. Once you see it that way, both parenting and self-improvement start to look very different.

I share a simple framework I use, the Why, What, How technique: work out why someone (including you) is behaving this way, decide what you actually want to teach, then find the calmest way to deliver it. I get into the difference between wanting to do something and forcing yourself to, and why the way I respond to my son turns out to be a decent model for handling difficult people generally. Calm, curiosity and a bit of distance do most of the work.

The Stoic Scroll newsletter: stoicism.substack.com

"No Drama Discipline" by Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson: on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> We tend to think of discipline as punishment, something you do to someone, or to yourself, when they get it wrong. This episode argues the opposite: at root, to discipline is to teach. Once you see it that way, both parenting and self-improvement start to look very different.

I share a simple framework I use, the Why, What, How technique: work out why someone (including you) is behaving this way, decide what you actually want to teach, then find the calmest way to deliver it. I get into the difference between wanting to do something and forcing yourself to, and why the way I respond to my son turns out to be a decent model for handling difficult people generally. Calm, curiosity and a bit of distance do most of the work.

The Stoic Scroll newsletter: stoicism.substack.com

"No Drama Discipline" by Daniel Siegel and Tina Bryson: on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-13050958 Thu, 29 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0100 612 full false Stoic Role Ethics: Stop Trying To Be Everything Stoic Role Ethics: Stop Trying To Be Everything Trying to be everything to everyone is a fast route to feeling stretched and resentful. The Stoics had a cleaner idea, role ethics: at any given moment you are playing a specific role, parent, friend, colleague, citizen, and the work is to play that one well rather than all of them at once.

In this episode I unpack how thinking in terms of roles clarifies your duties and quietly lowers your stress, and how the four cardinal virtues, wisdom, courage, justice and temperance, give you a standard for playing each role honestly. It also makes it easier to accept the edges of your control, since every role has limits built in.

Related article: stoichandbook.co/life-is-a-movie-just-play-your-role

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Trying to be everything to everyone is a fast route to feeling stretched and resentful. The Stoics had a cleaner idea, role ethics: at any given moment you are playing a specific role, parent, friend, colleague, citizen, and the work is to play that one well rather than all of them at once.

In this episode I unpack how thinking in terms of roles clarifies your duties and quietly lowers your stress, and how the four cardinal virtues, wisdom, courage, justice and temperance, give you a standard for playing each role honestly. It also makes it easier to accept the edges of your control, since every role has limits built in.

Related article: stoichandbook.co/life-is-a-movie-just-play-your-role

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-13032988 Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0100 371 stoicism, role ethics full false The Paradox of The Dichotomy of Control and the Trap of Feeling Good The Paradox of The Dichotomy of Control and the Trap of Feeling Good Almost everyone who reads a bit of Stoicism gets the dichotomy of control. Far fewer actually feel any relief from it. You can recite "some things are up to us and some are not" and still lie awake at 3am. This episode is about why that gap exists and how to close it.

As Epictetus put it, "the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have." I dig into the paradox in that, and how to apply the dichotomy at three levels rather than one: external events, your emotions, and the judgments underneath them. I also bring in cognitive behavioural therapy as a practical bridge between knowing the idea and living it.

The Notion app: notion.so

"The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy" by Donald Robertson: on Amazon

"Feeling Good" by David Burns: on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Almost everyone who reads a bit of Stoicism gets the dichotomy of control. Far fewer actually feel any relief from it. You can recite "some things are up to us and some are not" and still lie awake at 3am. This episode is about why that gap exists and how to close it.

As Epictetus put it, "the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have." I dig into the paradox in that, and how to apply the dichotomy at three levels rather than one: external events, your emotions, and the judgments underneath them. I also bring in cognitive behavioural therapy as a practical bridge between knowing the idea and living it.

The Notion app: notion.so

"The Philosophy of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy" by Donald Robertson: on Amazon

"Feeling Good" by David Burns: on Amazon

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-13017368 Fri, 16 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0100 585 full false Writing to Resilience: Inside My Daily Stoic Journaling Practice Writing to Resilience: Inside My Daily Stoic Journaling Practice This is a behind-the-scenes look at the Stoic morning journal I actually do, not an idealised version. I walk through how I lay the page out to set the day, remember what matters, and meet whatever comes with a bit more steadiness.

The thread running through it is intention over perfection. I would rather you do a scrappy version most days than a perfect version you quit in a week. I cover the apps and templates I use, how I prioritise the one task that actually matters, how I work Stoic quotes into the reflection, and the triple-column technique I borrowed from David Burns for catching and challenging irrational thoughts. As the line I keep coming back to puts it, I can choose how I respond to external events, and whether I am harmed or not.

Tools and resources mentioned:

Craft: craft.do

Notion: notion.so

Intelligent Change (Productivity Planner): intelligentchange.com

Productivity Planner: on Amazon

My Radical Gratitude course: Stoic Handbook

Stoic Anxiety Mastery: learn.stoichandbook.co

Massimo Pigliucci: massimopigliucci.com

The Five Precepts: on Wikipedia

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> This is a behind-the-scenes look at the Stoic morning journal I actually do, not an idealised version. I walk through how I lay the page out to set the day, remember what matters, and meet whatever comes with a bit more steadiness.

The thread running through it is intention over perfection. I would rather you do a scrappy version most days than a perfect version you quit in a week. I cover the apps and templates I use, how I prioritise the one task that actually matters, how I work Stoic quotes into the reflection, and the triple-column technique I borrowed from David Burns for catching and challenging irrational thoughts. As the line I keep coming back to puts it, I can choose how I respond to external events, and whether I am harmed or not.

Tools and resources mentioned:

Craft: craft.do

Notion: notion.so

Intelligent Change (Productivity Planner): intelligentchange.com

Productivity Planner: on Amazon

My Radical Gratitude course: Stoic Handbook

Stoic Anxiety Mastery: learn.stoichandbook.co

Massimo Pigliucci: massimopigliucci.com

The Five Precepts: on Wikipedia

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-13011368 Fri, 09 Jun 2023 23:00:00 +0100 968 full false How To Support Someone Without Taking On Their Pain How To Support Someone Without Taking On Their Pain People think Stoicism means going cold. Caring about the right things, feeling nothing for the rest. I think that gets it backwards.

In this episode I look at how to hold space for someone who is suffering without getting pulled under by it. The Stoic move is to wish them well and feel for them, but not to adopt their judgments as your own. Seneca wrote letters to do exactly this. I find that distinction, feeling empathy for the person while not taking on their distorted view of the world, is one of the more useful things Stoicism gives you. I use a parenting analogy to make it concrete.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> People think Stoicism means going cold. Caring about the right things, feeling nothing for the rest. I think that gets it backwards.

In this episode I look at how to hold space for someone who is suffering without getting pulled under by it. The Stoic move is to wish them well and feel for them, but not to adopt their judgments as your own. Seneca wrote letters to do exactly this. I find that distinction, feeling empathy for the person while not taking on their distorted view of the world, is one of the more useful things Stoicism gives you. I use a parenting analogy to make it concrete.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-12813953 Tue, 09 May 2023 14:00:00 +0100 549 full false How Self-Reflection Shapes Happiness | Justin Noppé How Self-Reflection Shapes Happiness | Justin Noppé Which emotions make a life feel good, and how much of that is in your control? Justin Noppé and I use that question to examine self-reflection, journalling and the role of anticipation in happiness. We discuss Barbara Fredrickson’s work on positive emotion, the way physical health affects emotional steadiness, and what Justin has learned from leadership development. The thread running through it is practical: reflection should help you see and choose more clearly. If it becomes another way to circle the same thoughts, it has stopped doing its job.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Which emotions make a life feel good, and how much of that is in your control? Justin Noppé and I use that question to examine self-reflection, journalling and the role of anticipation in happiness. We discuss Barbara Fredrickson’s work on positive emotion, the way physical health affects emotional steadiness, and what Justin has learned from leadership development. The thread running through it is practical: reflection should help you see and choose more clearly. If it becomes another way to circle the same thoughts, it has stopped doing its job.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-12632064 Tue, 11 Apr 2023 23:00:00 +0100 2706 full false AMA #3: How to Escape Intrusive Negative Thoughts AMA #3: How to Escape Intrusive Negative Thoughts You cannot stop intrusive thoughts from arriving. What you can change is what happens next. In this AMA I take questions on how to stop getting hooked by negative thoughts, and how the Stoic view of judgment gives you a way out that does not rely on forcing the thought away.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> You cannot stop intrusive thoughts from arriving. What you can change is what happens next. In this AMA I take questions on how to stop getting hooked by negative thoughts, and how the Stoic view of judgment gives you a way out that does not rely on forcing the thought away.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-12522453 Mon, 27 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0100 963 full false How To Turn Stoicism Into A Daily Practice | Allan From WhatIsStoicism How To Turn Stoicism Into A Daily Practice | Allan From WhatIsStoicism Allan found Stoicism through Tim Ferriss and William Irvine, then had to work out how to make it part of an ordinary day. We spend most of this conversation on the practice that stuck: journalling. Allan explains how he started, why rereading his notes changed the learning, and how writing about Stoicism helped him use it in work and entrepreneurship. We also talk about what caring for a dog can teach you about attention and responsibility. This is a conversation for anyone who knows the ideas and still wants a repeatable way to live them.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Allan found Stoicism through Tim Ferriss and William Irvine, then had to work out how to make it part of an ordinary day. We spend most of this conversation on the practice that stuck: journalling. Allan explains how he started, why rereading his notes changed the learning, and how writing about Stoicism helped him use it in work and entrepreneurship. We also talk about what caring for a dog can teach you about attention and responsibility. This is a conversation for anyone who knows the ideas and still wants a repeatable way to live them.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-12453386 Thu, 16 Mar 2023 12:00:00 +0000 5610 full false The Ultimate Stoic Daily Routine The Ultimate Stoic Daily Routine Most advice on Stoic routines stays vague. In this one I walk through a full day, hour by hour, with specific practices you can use straight away. It is built around four moments: how you start the morning, how you work, how you show up at home, and how you close the day.

Treat it as a menu, not a rulebook. Take what fits your life and leave the rest.

Read the companion article: www.stoichandbook.co/ultimate-stoic-daily-routine

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most advice on Stoic routines stays vague. In this one I walk through a full day, hour by hour, with specific practices you can use straight away. It is built around four moments: how you start the morning, how you work, how you show up at home, and how you close the day.

Treat it as a menu, not a rulebook. Take what fits your life and leave the rest.

Read the companion article: www.stoichandbook.co/ultimate-stoic-daily-routine

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-12258278 Wed, 15 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000 1694 full false Anxiety is Your Friend: Rapid-Fire Anxiety Q&A Anxiety is Your Friend: Rapid-Fire Anxiety Q&A I tend to think anxiety gets a worse reputation than it deserves. Handled well, it is information, not an enemy. In this fast-paced Q&A I sat down with my HighExistence colleague Mike Slavin to answer rapid-fire questions about anxiety, where it comes from, and what to actually do when it shows up.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> I tend to think anxiety gets a worse reputation than it deserves. Handled well, it is information, not an enemy. In this fast-paced Q&A I sat down with my HighExistence colleague Mike Slavin to answer rapid-fire questions about anxiety, where it comes from, and what to actually do when it shows up.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-12205798 Tue, 07 Feb 2023 22:00:00 +0000 2523 full false When Someone You Love Is Suffering: A Stoic Response (AMA) When Someone You Love Is Suffering: A Stoic Response (AMA) Someone you love is suffering and you cannot fix it. What does the dichotomy of control ask you to do then? This episode is a preview of a longer listener Q&A covering that question, holiday indulgence without guilt, and the ways I have leaned on Stoicism in my own life. The final question is the one that matters most: how to stay useful, loving and steady when another person’s pain is outside your control. I do not have a neat answer. I work through the distinction the Stoics make between caring deeply and trying to control what was never yours to control.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Someone you love is suffering and you cannot fix it. What does the dichotomy of control ask you to do then? This episode is a preview of a longer listener Q&A covering that question, holiday indulgence without guilt, and the ways I have leaned on Stoicism in my own life. The final question is the one that matters most: how to stay useful, loving and steady when another person’s pain is outside your control. I do not have a neat answer. I work through the distinction the Stoics make between caring deeply and trying to control what was never yours to control.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-12102937 Mon, 23 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000 1298 full false How Desire Takes Control: Three Stages Of Stoic Practice How Desire Takes Control: Three Stages Of Stoic Practice Desire becomes a problem when wanting an external result starts to run your life. This episode maps three stages of attachment and three ways the Stoics worked with desire so it loosened its hold. I originally used the word enlightenment loosely. The subject is more ordinary than that: noticing when a preference has become a demand, separating what you want from what you need, and getting less yanked around by outcomes you cannot control. Use the framework on one desire that keeps stealing your attention.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Desire becomes a problem when wanting an external result starts to run your life. This episode maps three stages of attachment and three ways the Stoics worked with desire so it loosened its hold. I originally used the word enlightenment loosely. The subject is more ordinary than that: noticing when a preference has become a demand, separating what you want from what you need, and getting less yanked around by outcomes you cannot control. Use the framework on one desire that keeps stealing your attention.

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]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11925968 Sat, 24 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 612 full false Marcus Aurelius Morning Meditation For Difficult People Marcus Aurelius Morning Meditation For Difficult People Marcus Aurelius began the day by reminding himself that he would meet meddling, ungrateful and difficult people. This guided morning contemplation turns that note into a practice. You will picture the social friction ahead, notice the judgements you are already making, and prepare to meet people without giving them control of your state of mind. Use it before work, family time, or any day when you know patience will be tested. Find somewhere quiet and give yourself a few minutes before the day starts.

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]]> Marcus Aurelius began the day by reminding himself that he would meet meddling, ungrateful and difficult people. This guided morning contemplation turns that note into a practice. You will picture the social friction ahead, notice the judgements you are already making, and prepare to meet people without giving them control of your state of mind. Use it before work, family time, or any day when you know patience will be tested. Find somewhere quiet and give yourself a few minutes before the day starts.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11863171 Tue, 13 Dec 2022 10:00:00 +0000 905 full false 2 Types of Desires That Always Cause Disappointment 2 Types of Desires That Always Cause Disappointment Some desires are set up to disappoint you no matter what you do. In this lesson I name two of them, what I call impossible desires and slave desires, and show why both leave you suffering even when things go your way. Once you can spot them, you can form intentions that do not quietly set you up to lose.

Further reading: www.stoichandbook.co/impossible-desires-cause-disappointment

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Some desires are set up to disappoint you no matter what you do. In this lesson I name two of them, what I call impossible desires and slave desires, and show why both leave you suffering even when things go your way. Once you can spot them, you can form intentions that do not quietly set you up to lose.

Further reading: www.stoichandbook.co/impossible-desires-cause-disappointment

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11780068 Tue, 29 Nov 2022 11:00:00 +0000 735 full false How To Handle Insults: A Stoic Step-By-Step How To Handle Insults: A Stoic Step-By-Step An insult only lands if you agree with it. That is the Stoic claim, and in this lesson I turn it into something you can actually use. I walk through a step-by-step way of meeting an insult so it loses its sting, drawing on how the Stoics thought about other people’s opinions of us.

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]]> An insult only lands if you agree with it. That is the Stoic claim, and in this lesson I turn it into something you can actually use. I walk through a step-by-step way of meeting an insult so it loses its sting, drawing on how the Stoics thought about other people’s opinions of us.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11686030 Sun, 13 Nov 2022 22:00:00 +0000 1838 full false 3 Communication Skills For Better Relationships 3 Communication Skills For Better Relationships Most relationship trouble is really a communication problem wearing a disguise. In this talk I lay out the three pillars I keep coming back to: the habits that quietly wreck conversations, a simple way to express yourself well in almost any situation, and the model I use to handle conflict when it does flare up.

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]]> Most relationship trouble is really a communication problem wearing a disguise. In this talk I lay out the three pillars I keep coming back to: the habits that quietly wreck conversations, a simple way to express yourself well in almost any situation, and the model I use to handle conflict when it does flare up.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11616562 Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000 2454 full false Stoic Loving-Kindness Meditation For Compassion And Service Stoic Loving-Kindness Meditation For Compassion And Service Loving-kindness is usually associated with Buddhism, but the Stoics also believed we are made for each other. This guided meditation moves through three forms of compassion: care for one person, care for humanity, and the willingness to be useful. It is a quiet, sit-down practice. You will bring people to mind, notice the resistance that appears, and practise widening the circle without forcing a particular feeling. Use it when irritation has made your world feel small, or when you want to meet other people with a little more patience.

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]]> Loving-kindness is usually associated with Buddhism, but the Stoics also believed we are made for each other. This guided meditation moves through three forms of compassion: care for one person, care for humanity, and the willingness to be useful. It is a quiet, sit-down practice. You will bring people to mind, notice the resistance that appears, and practise widening the circle without forcing a particular feeling. Use it when irritation has made your world feel small, or when you want to meet other people with a little more patience.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-11535687 Thu, 20 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0100 1155 full false Can Stoic "Positive Reframing" Go Too Far? w/ Donald Robertson Can Stoic "Positive Reframing" Go Too Far? w/ Donald Robertson Reframing a bad event into something useful is one of the classic Stoic moves. But I have always wondered where the line is. Can you reframe too much? Is there a point where turning everything into a silver lining becomes its own kind of denial?

I put the question to Donald Robertson, and his answer is more careful than I expected. We get into when reframing helps, when it tips into self-deception, and how to tell the difference.

Donald’s website: donaldrobertson.name

Donald on Twitter: twitter.com/DonJRobertson

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Reframing a bad event into something useful is one of the classic Stoic moves. But I have always wondered where the line is. Can you reframe too much? Is there a point where turning everything into a silver lining becomes its own kind of denial?

I put the question to Donald Robertson, and his answer is more careful than I expected. We get into when reframing helps, when it tips into self-deception, and how to tell the difference.

Donald’s website: donaldrobertson.name

Donald on Twitter: twitter.com/DonJRobertson

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11514400 Mon, 17 Oct 2022 14:00:00 +0100 328 full false Stoic Gratitude Meditation For Awe In Ordinary Life Stoic Gratitude Meditation For Awe In Ordinary Life Most of what keeps you alive is invisible to you right now. The food and water that arrived without you thinking about it. The atmosphere holding at exactly the right balance. The sheer unlikelihood of having been born at all. This guided meditation is about noticing it again.

We let ourselves go numb to ordinary life, and I think that is a quiet mistake. So we slow down and try to feel the awe in a raindrop, in a single cold breath. Find somewhere quiet before you press play.

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]]> Most of what keeps you alive is invisible to you right now. The food and water that arrived without you thinking about it. The atmosphere holding at exactly the right balance. The sheer unlikelihood of having been born at all. This guided meditation is about noticing it again.

We let ourselves go numb to ordinary life, and I think that is a quiet mistake. So we slow down and try to feel the awe in a raindrop, in a single cold breath. Find somewhere quiet before you press play.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-11365331 Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:00:00 +0100 796 stoicism, stoic, philosophy, gratitude full false My Experience Using Stoicism With Anxiety | WhatIsStoicism My Experience Using Stoicism With Anxiety | WhatIsStoicism I spent years trying to understand and work with anxiety. In this conversation Allan, creator of WhatIsStoicism, interviews me about how I have used Stoic practice and what getting better at it has looked like for me. This is a personal account of working with anxiety, not a promise that Stoicism cures it.

Allan’s blog: whatisstoicism.com/what-is-stoicism

Allan’s podcast: whatisstoicism.com/podcast

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> I spent years trying to understand and work with anxiety. In this conversation Allan, creator of WhatIsStoicism, interviews me about how I have used Stoic practice and what getting better at it has looked like for me. This is a personal account of working with anxiety, not a promise that Stoicism cures it.

Allan’s blog: whatisstoicism.com/what-is-stoicism

Allan’s podcast: whatisstoicism.com/podcast

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11306224 Mon, 12 Sep 2022 21:00:00 +0100 2725 full false What Did Stoics Think About Exercise? w/ Donald Robertson What Did Stoics Think About Exercise? w/ Donald Robertson The Stoics talked about training the body as well as the mind, but it rarely comes up in modern Stoicism. So I asked Donald Robertson what the ancient Stoics actually thought about exercise, and how their view of physical training fits with the rest of the philosophy.

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The Stoics talked about training the body as well as the mind, but it rarely comes up in modern Stoicism. So I asked Donald Robertson what the ancient Stoics actually thought about exercise, and how their view of physical training fits with the rest of the philosophy.

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11282623 Thu, 08 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0100 479 full false Epictetus On Wisdom: Stop Trying To Look Wise Epictetus On Wisdom: Stop Trying To Look Wise A lot of us get into philosophy and self-improvement not to actually become wiser, but to be seen as wise. Epictetus spotted how badly that backfires. In this lesson I sit with one of his sharper passages and what it asks of us.

Epictetus put it this way:

“If you want to make progress, put up with being perceived as ignorant or naive in worldly matters, don’t aspire to a reputation for sagacity. If you do impress others as somebody, don’t altogether believe it. You have to realize, it isn’t easy to keep your will in agreement with nature, as well as externals. Caring about the one inevitably means you are going to shortchange the other.”

Read the breakdown: www.stoichandbook.co/do-not-wish-to-appear-wise

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]]> A lot of us get into philosophy and self-improvement not to actually become wiser, but to be seen as wise. Epictetus spotted how badly that backfires. In this lesson I sit with one of his sharper passages and what it asks of us.

Epictetus put it this way:

“If you want to make progress, put up with being perceived as ignorant or naive in worldly matters, don’t aspire to a reputation for sagacity. If you do impress others as somebody, don’t altogether believe it. You have to realize, it isn’t easy to keep your will in agreement with nature, as well as externals. Caring about the one inevitably means you are going to shortchange the other.”

Read the breakdown: www.stoichandbook.co/do-not-wish-to-appear-wise

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11241743 Thu, 01 Sep 2022 09:00:00 +0100 450 stoicism, epictetus, philosophy, wisdom full false How To Break The Cycle Of Stress | Epictetus How To Break The Cycle Of Stress | Epictetus Most of us run a quiet stress loop without noticing it. We tell ourselves we have to worry, or something bad will happen. In this episode I look at that game first, then offer the Stoic alternative Epictetus recommends.

Here is the passage I work from:

“If you want to make progress, drop reflections like: ‘I will end up destitute if I don’t take better care of my affairs,’ or, ‘Unless I discipline my slave, he’ll wind up good for nothing.’ It is better to die of hunger free of grief and apprehension than to live affluent and uneasy. Better that your slave should be bad than that you should be unhappy.” Epictetus

Get the Stoic diagrams for this episode: www.stoichandbook.co/how-to-turn-stress-into-tranquility

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most of us run a quiet stress loop without noticing it. We tell ourselves we have to worry, or something bad will happen. In this episode I look at that game first, then offer the Stoic alternative Epictetus recommends.

Here is the passage I work from:

“If you want to make progress, drop reflections like: ‘I will end up destitute if I don’t take better care of my affairs,’ or, ‘Unless I discipline my slave, he’ll wind up good for nothing.’ It is better to die of hunger free of grief and apprehension than to live affluent and uneasy. Better that your slave should be bad than that you should be unhappy.” Epictetus

Get the Stoic diagrams for this episode: www.stoichandbook.co/how-to-turn-stress-into-tranquility

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11205446 Fri, 26 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0100 830 full false Donald Robertson on Illusion of Mastery, The View from Above, and Time Travelling Stoics Donald Robertson on Illusion of Mastery, The View from Above, and Time Travelling Stoics It is easy to read a lot about Stoicism and mistake that for actually practising it. I put this to Donald Robertson, and we get into the gap between knowing the ideas and living them, what he calls the illusion of mastery.

We also talk about the view from above as a practice, and end on a fun one: what Marcus Aurelius would make of the modern world if he time travelled into it.

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

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]]> It is easy to read a lot about Stoicism and mistake that for actually practising it. I put this to Donald Robertson, and we get into the gap between knowing the ideas and living them, what he calls the illusion of mastery.

We also talk about the view from above as a practice, and end on a fun one: what Marcus Aurelius would make of the modern world if he time travelled into it.

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11095990 Sun, 07 Aug 2022 22:00:00 +0100 1532 full false Stoic Superhero Diogenes the Cynic: Be Prepared for Every Fortune Stoic Superhero Diogenes the Cynic: Be Prepared for Every Fortune Asked what philosophy had taught him, Diogenes the Cynic said it taught him “to be prepared for every fortune.” I think he is one of the strangest, most useful figures in this whole tradition.

The Cynics came before the Stoics, and Diogenes took self-sufficiency to an extreme. He lived in a barrel, ate only when truly hungry, drank only when truly thirsty, and as a result could enjoy a plain cup of water like the finest wine. His most famous moment is the meeting with Alexander the Great. The most powerful man in the world offered him anything he wanted. Diogenes asked him to stand a little out of his sun. In this lesson I look at what that kind of freedom from craving actually buys you.

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]]> Asked what philosophy had taught him, Diogenes the Cynic said it taught him “to be prepared for every fortune.” I think he is one of the strangest, most useful figures in this whole tradition.

The Cynics came before the Stoics, and Diogenes took self-sufficiency to an extreme. He lived in a barrel, ate only when truly hungry, drank only when truly thirsty, and as a result could enjoy a plain cup of water like the finest wine. His most famous moment is the meeting with Alexander the Great. The most powerful man in the world offered him anything he wanted. Diogenes asked him to stand a little out of his sun. In this lesson I look at what that kind of freedom from craving actually buys you.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11067440 Tue, 02 Aug 2022 10:00:00 +0100 418 Diogenes, stoicism, resilience, superhero, philosophy full false The "What If Technique" to Untangle the Source of Your Anxiety The "What If Technique" to Untangle the Source of Your Anxiety When you are anxious, the fear is usually hiding underneath a vaguer worry. The What If technique is a way of following the thread down to whatever you are actually afraid of, so you can deal with the real thing instead of the fog around it.

It comes from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the science-backed approach that grew out of Stoic philosophy. This guided meditation is one of over a dozen in my course, Stoic Anxiety Mastery. Find somewhere quiet before you begin.

Stoic Anxiety Mastery: www.stoichandbook.co/what-if-technique

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> When you are anxious, the fear is usually hiding underneath a vaguer worry. The What If technique is a way of following the thread down to whatever you are actually afraid of, so you can deal with the real thing instead of the fog around it.

It comes from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the science-backed approach that grew out of Stoic philosophy. This guided meditation is one of over a dozen in my course, Stoic Anxiety Mastery. Find somewhere quiet before you begin.

Stoic Anxiety Mastery: www.stoichandbook.co/what-if-technique

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-11039197 Wed, 27 Jul 2022 23:00:00 +0100 801 full false Can Stoicism Make You Happier? | Donald Robertson Can Stoicism Make You Happier? | Donald Robertson Modern Stoicism gets sold mostly as resilience and acceptance. But I wanted to ask the obvious follow-up: can it actually make life more joyful? Not just calmer, but richer in awe, laughter, the good stuff.

I put that to Donald Robertson. This is the first in a series where I pick his brain on the Stoic ideas I keep wrestling with.

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

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]]> Modern Stoicism gets sold mostly as resilience and acceptance. But I wanted to ask the obvious follow-up: can it actually make life more joyful? Not just calmer, but richer in awe, laughter, the good stuff.

I put that to Donald Robertson. This is the first in a series where I pick his brain on the Stoic ideas I keep wrestling with.

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Donald Robertson Buzzsprout-10979426 Mon, 18 Jul 2022 14:00:00 +0100 652 donald robertson, stoicism, joy, happiness, philosophy, stoic, marcus aurelius, verissimus full false Donald Robertson Writes The World’s First Stoic Graphic Novel Donald Robertson Writes The World’s First Stoic Graphic Novel Donald Robertson spent nearly three years making VERISSIMUS, a graphic novel about the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. It might be the most ambitious philosophy project I have come across: historically accurate, genuinely action-packed, and a real way in for anyone who finds the Meditations hard to start with.

In this interview Donald comes back on the show to talk through how the book came together, what he had to leave out, and why a comic turned out to be the right form for Stoic ideas.

Order Verissimus (US): www.amazon.com

Order Verissimus (UK): www.amazon.co.uk

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

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]]> Donald Robertson spent nearly three years making VERISSIMUS, a graphic novel about the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. It might be the most ambitious philosophy project I have come across: historically accurate, genuinely action-packed, and a real way in for anyone who finds the Meditations hard to start with.

In this interview Donald comes back on the show to talk through how the book came together, what he had to leave out, and why a comic turned out to be the right form for Stoic ideas.

Order Verissimus (US): www.amazon.com

Order Verissimus (UK): www.amazon.co.uk

More from Donald: donaldrobertson.name

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10947008 Tue, 12 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0100 3509 full false The Path of the Spiritual Warrior The Path of the Spiritual Warrior The spiritual warrior is someone who treats every hardship as training rather than punishment. In this short clip I unpack that idea and how the Stoics turned adversity into an advantage instead of something to merely survive.

It is taken from a longer workshop, a bonus module inside my course Stoic Anxiety Mastery.

Stoic Anxiety Mastery: stoicanxiety.com

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The spiritual warrior is someone who treats every hardship as training rather than punishment. In this short clip I unpack that idea and how the Stoics turned adversity into an advantage instead of something to merely survive.

It is taken from a longer workshop, a bonus module inside my course Stoic Anxiety Mastery.

Stoic Anxiety Mastery: stoicanxiety.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10889525 Fri, 01 Jul 2022 14:00:00 +0100 372 full false James Stockdale and the Power of Realistic Optimism James Stockdale and the Power of Realistic Optimism James Stockdale spent over seven years as a prisoner of war and credited Stoicism with getting him through. What he noticed there became the Stockdale Paradox: the people who broke first were the optimists, the ones who kept saying they would be home by Christmas. In this short lesson I look at why realistic optimism beats the cheerful kind, and what that means for facing anything hard.

This is the first in a series of short lessons on my favourite Stoic figures, ancient and modern.

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]]> James Stockdale spent over seven years as a prisoner of war and credited Stoicism with getting him through. What he noticed there became the Stockdale Paradox: the people who broke first were the optimists, the ones who kept saying they would be home by Christmas. In this short lesson I look at why realistic optimism beats the cheerful kind, and what that means for facing anything hard.

This is the first in a series of short lessons on my favourite Stoic figures, ancient and modern.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10848439 Fri, 24 Jun 2022 16:00:00 +0100 666 full false The Stoic Reframe to Deal with Loss of Any Kind The Stoic Reframe to Deal with Loss of Any Kind The Stoics had a hard but freeing way of thinking about loss. Nothing is really yours. Everything you enjoy is on loan, and grief hurts less when you stop treating what was taken as something you owned outright.

This episode works from one of the more confronting lines in Epictetus:

“Under no circumstances ever say ‘I have lost something,’ only ‘I returned it.’ Did a child of yours die? No, it was returned. Your wife died? No, she was returned. ‘My land was confiscated.’ No, it too was returned.”

It is a lot to sit with. I try to take it seriously without pretending it makes loss painless.

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]]> The Stoics had a hard but freeing way of thinking about loss. Nothing is really yours. Everything you enjoy is on loan, and grief hurts less when you stop treating what was taken as something you owned outright.

This episode works from one of the more confronting lines in Epictetus:

“Under no circumstances ever say ‘I have lost something,’ only ‘I returned it.’ Did a child of yours die? No, it was returned. Your wife died? No, she was returned. ‘My land was confiscated.’ No, it too was returned.”

It is a lot to sit with. I try to take it seriously without pretending it makes loss painless.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10773964 Sat, 11 Jun 2022 07:00:00 +0100 438 full false How Stoicism Helped Me Stop Fighting Anxiety How Stoicism Helped Me Stop Fighting Anxiety I spent years trying different ways to get rid of anxiety. Stoicism and cognitive behavioural therapy gave me a better question: what happens if I stop treating every anxious feeling as a problem that must disappear? My friend Nic Stubbs interviews me about what changed, where the approach still falls short, and why I built Stoic Anxiety Mastery. This is personal rather than prescriptive. It is the account of what held up for me after a lot of searching, and why acceptance became more useful than another promise of a cure.

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]]> I spent years trying different ways to get rid of anxiety. Stoicism and cognitive behavioural therapy gave me a better question: what happens if I stop treating every anxious feeling as a problem that must disappear? My friend Nic Stubbs interviews me about what changed, where the approach still falls short, and why I built Stoic Anxiety Mastery. This is personal rather than prescriptive. It is the account of what held up for me after a lot of searching, and why acceptance became more useful than another promise of a cure.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-10625338 Fri, 20 May 2022 01:00:00 +0100 4666 anxiety, fear, stoicism full false Hard Challenges Unlock Inner Superpowers Hard Challenges Unlock Inner Superpowers The Stoic claim here is bold: whatever lands in front of you, you already hold the inner resource to meet it. Tempted? You also carry self-restraint. The more you practise, the more you trust that no impression can knock you over.

This episode is my breakdown of one passage:

“For every challenge, remember the resources you have within you to cope with it. Provoked by the sight of a handsome man or a beautiful woman, you will discover within you the contrary power of self-restraint… In time, you will grow to be confident that there is not a single impression that you will not have the moral means to tolerate.” Epictetus, Enchiridion, Chapter 10

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]]> The Stoic claim here is bold: whatever lands in front of you, you already hold the inner resource to meet it. Tempted? You also carry self-restraint. The more you practise, the more you trust that no impression can knock you over.

This episode is my breakdown of one passage:

“For every challenge, remember the resources you have within you to cope with it. Provoked by the sight of a handsome man or a beautiful woman, you will discover within you the contrary power of self-restraint… In time, you will grow to be confident that there is not a single impression that you will not have the moral means to tolerate.” Epictetus, Enchiridion, Chapter 10

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-10633841 Tue, 17 May 2022 17:00:00 +0100 388 full false Epictetus On Pain: What The Mind Adds Epictetus On Pain: What The Mind Adds The Stoics drew a sharp line between what happens to the body and what the mind does with it. Pain is real. But the suffering on top of it, the part that says this should not be happening, is something the mind adds. This episode sits with that distinction.

The passage I work from:

“Sickness is a problem for the body, not the mind – unless the mind decides that it is a problem. Lameness, too, is the body’s problem, not the mind’s. Say this to yourself whatever the circumstance and you will find without fail that the problem pertains to something else, not to you.” Epictetus

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]]> The Stoics drew a sharp line between what happens to the body and what the mind does with it. Pain is real. But the suffering on top of it, the part that says this should not be happening, is something the mind adds. This episode sits with that distinction.

The passage I work from:

“Sickness is a problem for the body, not the mind – unless the mind decides that it is a problem. Lameness, too, is the body’s problem, not the mind’s. Say this to yourself whatever the circumstance and you will find without fail that the problem pertains to something else, not to you.” Epictetus

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10567196 Thu, 05 May 2022 23:00:00 +0100 519 full false Stoic Acceptance Contemplation to Reduce Anxiety Over an Uncertain Future Stoic Acceptance Contemplation to Reduce Anxiety Over an Uncertain Future Most of our anxiety about the future is really resistance to the fact that we cannot control it. This guided contemplation works on accepting events as they are rather than fighting the way things unfold, drawing on Chapter 8 of the Enchiridion.

It is a sit-down practice, so settle somewhere quiet before you start.

Further reading: www.stoichandbook.co/welcome-events-just-as-they-are

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most of our anxiety about the future is really resistance to the fact that we cannot control it. This guided contemplation works on accepting events as they are rather than fighting the way things unfold, drawing on Chapter 8 of the Enchiridion.

It is a sit-down practice, so settle somewhere quiet before you start.

Further reading: www.stoichandbook.co/welcome-events-just-as-they-are

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10531500 Sat, 30 Apr 2022 08:00:00 +0100 409 full false How to Let Go of Things You Love How to Let Go of Things You Love How do you enjoy something fully while staying ready to lose it? Epictetus answers with one of his best images, the sailor who goes ashore to gather shells and water but keeps an ear out for the captain’s call. In this episode I work through Chapter 7 of the Enchiridion and what that analogy asks of us.

Further reading: www.stoichandbook.co/the-dangers-of-becoming-too-attached-to-life

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]]> How do you enjoy something fully while staying ready to lose it? Epictetus answers with one of his best images, the sailor who goes ashore to gather shells and water but keeps an ear out for the captain’s call. In this episode I work through Chapter 7 of the Enchiridion and what that analogy asks of us.

Further reading: www.stoichandbook.co/the-dangers-of-becoming-too-attached-to-life

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10487441 Sat, 23 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0100 241 full false Stoicism is Preparation For the Worst Day of Your Life Stoicism is Preparation For the Worst Day of Your Life A tragedy happened close to home recently, and it knocked me sideways. This episode is me thinking out loud about death, life, and gratitude in the middle of that, and about the uncomfortable truth that a lot of Stoic practice is really preparation for the worst day of your life.

It is a more personal one. I do not try to tidy it into a neat lesson.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A tragedy happened close to home recently, and it knocked me sideways. This episode is me thinking out loud about death, life, and gratitude in the middle of that, and about the uncomfortable truth that a lot of Stoic practice is really preparation for the worst day of your life.

It is a more personal one. I do not try to tidy it into a neat lesson.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10220925 Wed, 09 Mar 2022 22:00:00 +0000 536 full false How To Turn Stoicism Into A Practice You Can Measure How To Turn Stoicism Into A Practice You Can Measure Most people have heard of Stoicism. Far fewer have met an actual Stoic, someone as calm and self-disciplined as the people who wrote the books. That gap is what set me off ten years ago.

I learn through systems. I track my workouts, my martial arts progress, my habits. So I started asking what it would look like to treat Stoic practice the same way, as something you can measure and gamify rather than just read about. In this one I walk through how I do it, and how it changed my relationship with fear and gratitude.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Most people have heard of Stoicism. Far fewer have met an actual Stoic, someone as calm and self-disciplined as the people who wrote the books. That gap is what set me off ten years ago.

I learn through systems. I track my workouts, my martial arts progress, my habits. So I started asking what it would look like to treat Stoic practice the same way, as something you can measure and gamify rather than just read about. In this one I walk through how I do it, and how it changed my relationship with fear and gratitude.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-10071093 Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000 6039 full false Epictetus on Foolish Bragging vs. Wise Pride Epictetus on Foolish Bragging vs. Wise Pride Epictetus drew a sharp line between two things that feel almost identical from the inside: bragging about what you happen to have, and taking pride in who you have become. One is fragile, the other is yours.

In this one I look at why feeling proud of externals, your looks, your money, your status, leaves you exposed, and where a steadier kind of pride actually lives.

Read the accompanying breakdown: stoichandbook.co

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]]> Epictetus drew a sharp line between two things that feel almost identical from the inside: bragging about what you happen to have, and taking pride in who you have become. One is fragile, the other is yours.

In this one I look at why feeling proud of externals, your looks, your money, your status, leaves you exposed, and where a steadier kind of pride actually lives.

Read the accompanying breakdown: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-10062732 Sat, 12 Feb 2022 21:00:00 +0000 333 full false 11 Stoic Strategies to Conquer Fear 11 Stoic Strategies to Conquer Fear Seneca wrote about fear more honestly than almost anyone. He knew it from the inside, the dread that arrives before the thing you dread ever does.

In this one I go through eleven of his lines on fear and anxiety and work out how to actually apply them, not just admire them. A note on credit: this audio includes a clip of Jocko Willink, and because it began life as a video where his accounts were on screen, the credit got lost in the audio version. So to be clear, that clip is his.

Jocko Willink: youtube.com/c/JockoPodcastOfficial

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]]> Seneca wrote about fear more honestly than almost anyone. He knew it from the inside, the dread that arrives before the thing you dread ever does.

In this one I go through eleven of his lines on fear and anxiety and work out how to actually apply them, not just admire them. A note on credit: this audio includes a clip of Jocko Willink, and because it began life as a video where his accounts were on screen, the credit got lost in the audio version. So to be clear, that clip is his.

Jocko Willink: youtube.com/c/JockoPodcastOfficial

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-9867075 Tue, 11 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000 1523 full false The Art of Stoic Reading The Art of Stoic Reading Reading the Stoics and being changed by them are two different things. You can finish Meditations and carry nothing into Tuesday morning.

A listener, Mike Slavin, asked how I actually fold ancient Stoicism into daily life. That question sent me into the reading methods I have landed on over the years, the slow, deliberate ways of getting these texts off the page and into how you live.

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]]> Reading the Stoics and being changed by them are two different things. You can finish Meditations and carry nothing into Tuesday morning.

A listener, Mike Slavin, asked how I actually fold ancient Stoicism into daily life. That question sent me into the reading methods I have landed on over the years, the slow, deliberate ways of getting these texts off the page and into how you live.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-9816160 Sat, 01 Jan 2022 22:00:00 +0000 361 full false Is Anxiety Ever Useful? Donald Robertson On Derren Brown Is Anxiety Ever Useful? Donald Robertson On Derren Brown The Stoics can sound as if they want you to feel nothing. Donald Robertson, who has spent his career bridging Stoicism and modern therapy, takes that head on in this conversation.

We talk through the book Happy by Derren Brown and the questions it raises. Is anxiety ever useful? Were the Stoics too hard on it? I came in with my own doubts and Donald gave me a more careful way to hold them.

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]]> The Stoics can sound as if they want you to feel nothing. Donald Robertson, who has spent his career bridging Stoicism and modern therapy, takes that head on in this conversation.

We talk through the book Happy by Derren Brown and the questions it raises. Is anxiety ever useful? Were the Stoics too hard on it? I came in with my own doubts and Donald gave me a more careful way to hold them.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Buzzsprout-9731334 Thu, 16 Dec 2021 22:00:00 +0000 791 full false A Stoic Wake-Up Call For Procrastination A Stoic Wake-Up Call For Procrastination This guided reflection is meant to make you slightly uncomfortable. You will sit with the questions procrastination helps you avoid: Am I using my time well? Am I making excuses and calling them reasons? What would I do next if I stopped waiting to feel ready? I leave space for the questions to land. The discomfort is part of the practice. Use it when you know what needs doing and still cannot get yourself to begin.

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]]> This guided reflection is meant to make you slightly uncomfortable. You will sit with the questions procrastination helps you avoid: Am I using my time well? Am I making excuses and calling them reasons? What would I do next if I stopped waiting to feel ready? I leave space for the questions to land. The discomfort is part of the practice. Use it when you know what needs doing and still cannot get yourself to begin.

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]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-9536808 Fri, 10 Dec 2021 08:00:00 +0000 1109 Motivation, stoicism, stoic philosophy, inspiration, discipline full false Stoic Insult Training: Practise Staying Calm Under Verbal Attack Stoic Insult Training: Practise Staying Calm Under Verbal Attack An insult only stings if you let it through. The Stoics had specific methods for taking the heat out of it, and in this one we do not just discuss them, we drill them.

I walk through how the ancients handled verbal jabs, then run an audio simulation where I insult you and you practise meeting each one with a steadier frame. It feels odd at first, maybe even funny, but that is how skills get built. You rehearse them in low stakes so they are there when someone has a go at you in real life.

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]]> An insult only stings if you let it through. The Stoics had specific methods for taking the heat out of it, and in this one we do not just discuss them, we drill them.

I walk through how the ancients handled verbal jabs, then run an audio simulation where I insult you and you practise meeting each one with a steadier frame. It feels odd at first, maybe even funny, but that is how skills get built. You rehearse them in low stakes so they are there when someone has a go at you in real life.

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]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-9536425 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 12:00:00 +0000 517 Toxic people, toxic relationships, handle insults, difficult people, stoicism, stoic philosophy full false Stoic Negative Visualisation For Gratitude And Resilience Stoic Negative Visualisation For Gratitude And Resilience This is a guided meditation in the Stoic practice of premeditation of adversity. You will spend time imagining how much harder your life could be, and in doing so you will start to see how much you already have.

It also lets you rehearse meeting hardship calmly, before it ever arrives. A gentle note: the imagery here is vivid and some may find it upsetting. If you are sensitive to that, sit with the other meditations first and come to this one when you feel ready.

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]]> This is a guided meditation in the Stoic practice of premeditation of adversity. You will spend time imagining how much harder your life could be, and in doing so you will start to see how much you already have.

It also lets you rehearse meeting hardship calmly, before it ever arrives. A gentle note: the imagery here is vivid and some may find it upsetting. If you are sensitive to that, sit with the other meditations first and come to this one when you feel ready.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-9536376 Thu, 25 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000 769 Stoicism, death meditation, fear of death, overcoming death anxiety full false Stoic Guided Reflection On Desire And Aversion Stoic Guided Reflection On Desire And Aversion Epictetus had clear advice on the two pulls that run most of our lives: what we want and what we are trying to avoid. This is a guided reflection on both.

You will sit with the questions slowly. Is it wise to steer clear of everything outside your control? Where is the line with desire, when does wanting something tip into being owned by it? No rush, just space to consider where you stand.

Read more on these ideas: stoichandbook.co

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Epictetus had clear advice on the two pulls that run most of our lives: what we want and what we are trying to avoid. This is a guided reflection on both.

You will sit with the questions slowly. Is it wise to steer clear of everything outside your control? Where is the line with desire, when does wanting something tip into being owned by it? No rush, just space to consider where you stand.

Read more on these ideas: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-9536324 Thu, 18 Nov 2021 13:00:00 +0000 546 Dichotomy of control, Stoicism, Epictetus, letting go, tranquility full false Stoic Object Deconstruction to Reduce Cravings and Attachments Stoic Object Deconstruction to Reduce Cravings and Attachments We rarely see the things we crave plainly. We wrap them in a story, and the story is what hooks us. This guided reflection uses the Stoic practice of object deconstruction to strip that story back and see the thing as it actually is.

It is built on Chapter 3 of the Enchiridion, where Epictetus suggests naming what something really is, starting small. Fond of a favourite cup? Remind yourself it is a cup, and when it breaks you will not be thrown. Practise this and the same calm becomes available for the bigger attachments too.

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]]> We rarely see the things we crave plainly. We wrap them in a story, and the story is what hooks us. This guided reflection uses the Stoic practice of object deconstruction to strip that story back and see the thing as it actually is.

It is built on Chapter 3 of the Enchiridion, where Epictetus suggests naming what something really is, starting small. Fond of a favourite cup? Remind yourself it is a cup, and when it breaks you will not be thrown. Practise this and the same calm becomes available for the bigger attachments too.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks Buzzsprout-9530519 Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:00:00 +0000 575 Stoicism, stoic philosophy, addictions, cravings, greed, letting go full false A Guided Stoic Reflection On The Death Of Seneca A Guided Stoic Reflection On The Death Of Seneca Seneca met his death the way he had spent years preparing to. This guided visualisation places you inside his body on his last day, so you can feel your way through what he faced.

It draws on premeditation of adversity, the Stoic practice of fortifying the mind against what is to come, in its most demanding form: contemplating your own death. As you move through it, notice what rises in you, and let yourself lean toward the steadiness he showed. Find somewhere quiet and give it about fifteen minutes.

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]]> Seneca met his death the way he had spent years preparing to. This guided visualisation places you inside his body on his last day, so you can feel your way through what he faced.

It draws on premeditation of adversity, the Stoic practice of fortifying the mind against what is to come, in its most demanding form: contemplating your own death. As you move through it, notice what rises in you, and let yourself lean toward the steadiness he showed. Find somewhere quiet and give it about fifteen minutes.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:43432489 Tue, 02 Nov 2021 10:06:07 +0000 865 Stoicism, death meditation, fear of death, overcoming death anxiety full false Stoic Goal-Setting Visualisation: Focus On What You Control Stoic Goal-Setting Visualisation: Focus On What You Control Stoicism can look paradoxical at first. We are told the outer world is not ours to control and that our energy belongs on the inner one. So where do goals fit?

The Stoics were not against having goals. They warned against the kind that quietly set you up for suffering. In this guided visualisation I walk you through their approach to setting and reaching what you want, in a way that raises your chances of getting there while sparing you a lot of needless heartache along the way.

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]]> Stoicism can look paradoxical at first. We are told the outer world is not ours to control and that our energy belongs on the inner one. So where do goals fit?

The Stoics were not against having goals. They warned against the kind that quietly set you up for suffering. In this guided visualisation I walk you through their approach to setting and reaching what you want, in a way that raises your chances of getting there while sparing you a lot of needless heartache along the way.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:42754894 Wed, 20 Oct 2021 15:40:14 +0100 580 full false The Stoic Guide to Overcoming Anxiety The Stoic Guide to Overcoming Anxiety I lived with intense anxiety for the better part of a decade. It sent me down a lot of rabbit holes in personal development and philosophy, and most of what I now teach came out of trying to find my own way through.

Anxiety is hard to escape in modern life. The news is built to make us worry, advertising feeds performance and health anxiety, and social media has not made real connection any easier. In this lesson I start with the four scientific models I use to understand where anxiety comes from, then bring in the Stoic side of working with it.

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]]> I lived with intense anxiety for the better part of a decade. It sent me down a lot of rabbit holes in personal development and philosophy, and most of what I now teach came out of trying to find my own way through.

Anxiety is hard to escape in modern life. The news is built to make us worry, advertising feeds performance and health anxiety, and social media has not made real connection any easier. In this lesson I start with the four scientific models I use to understand where anxiety comes from, then bring in the Stoic side of working with it.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:41161919 Fri, 10 Sep 2021 16:49:13 +0100 933 anxiety, panic attacks, stoicism, CBT, stoic philosophy full false Learning Stoicism: A Systematic Approach to Stoic Praxis Learning Stoicism: A Systematic Approach to Stoic Praxis People often treat Stoicism as something you read rather than something you train. This episode is my attempt to lay out a more systematic way to actually practise it.

It is a full talk I gave on The Stoa, the open space hosted by Peter Limberg, who runs regular free workshops and conversations with genuinely interesting thinkers. Big thanks to Peter for having me.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/4PTCMptc-y0

The Stoa: thestoa.ca

Peter Limberg: twitter.com/peternlimberg

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> People often treat Stoicism as something you read rather than something you train. This episode is my attempt to lay out a more systematic way to actually practise it.

It is a full talk I gave on The Stoa, the open space hosted by Peter Limberg, who runs regular free workshops and conversations with genuinely interesting thinkers. Big thanks to Peter for having me.

Watch the video version: https://youtu.be/4PTCMptc-y0

The Stoa: thestoa.ca

Peter Limberg: twitter.com/peternlimberg

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:39735618 Sat, 07 Aug 2021 23:35:31 +0100 4160 the stoa, peter limberg, jon brooks, the stoic handbook, learning stoicism full false Welcome to The Stoic Handbook Podcast Welcome to The Stoic Handbook Podcast Welcome. This is The Stoic Handbook, where I share short lessons and guided meditations on using Stoic ideas in modern life. I am not a guru, just someone who has spent years testing this stuff and reporting back honestly.

You can find the podcast on Spotify and every other major platform. Hit follow and you will hear whenever a new lesson or meditation goes up.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Welcome. This is The Stoic Handbook, where I share short lessons and guided meditations on using Stoic ideas in modern life. I am not a guru, just someone who has spent years testing this stuff and reporting back honestly.

You can find the podcast on Spotify and every other major platform. Hit follow and you will hear whenever a new lesson or meditation goes up.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:37094765 Tue, 01 Jun 2021 22:54:57 +0100 213 full false Stoic Guide to Navigating Troubled and Toxic Relationships Stoic Guide to Navigating Troubled and Toxic Relationships Difficult people are one of the most reliable sources of suffering we have, and the Stoics knew it. Marcus filled his private notes with reminders to stay tolerant and kind with the people who tested him.

His famous line about waking up expecting to meet the meddling and ungrateful, and choosing patience anyway, runs through this whole episode. I share how I try to apply that in my own troubled relationships, without pretending it is easy.

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]]> Difficult people are one of the most reliable sources of suffering we have, and the Stoics knew it. Marcus filled his private notes with reminders to stay tolerant and kind with the people who tested him.

His famous line about waking up expecting to meet the meddling and ungrateful, and choosing patience anyway, runs through this whole episode. I share how I try to apply that in my own troubled relationships, without pretending it is easy.

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:36967503 Fri, 28 May 2021 23:10:49 +0100 1738 toxic relationships, stoicism, stoic philosophy, abusive relationships, difficult relationships, non violent communication full false Difference Between "Would" and "Could" Difference Between "Would" and "Could" One Marcus Aurelius line has stuck with me more than most: stop arguing about what a good person should be, and just be one. It cuts straight through the temptation to theorise instead of act.

In this one I sit with that quote and the way it feeds into self-discipline and getting free of approval addiction. The distinction I keep coming back to is the gap between what you would do and what you could do. It works as both a reality check and a quiet push toward what actually matters.

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]]> One Marcus Aurelius line has stuck with me more than most: stop arguing about what a good person should be, and just be one. It cuts straight through the temptation to theorise instead of act.

In this one I sit with that quote and the way it feeds into self-discipline and getting free of approval addiction. The distinction I keep coming back to is the gap between what you would do and what you could do. It works as both a reality check and a quiet push toward what actually matters.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:36191765 Sat, 08 May 2021 15:24:08 +0100 668 Motivation, stoicism, stoic philosophy, inspiration, discipline full false Stoicism is Martial Arts for the Mind Stoicism is Martial Arts for the Mind I have trained martial arts for years, but my real love is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It has changed how I relate to my body, my sense of who I am, and the world around me. More than anything, it taught me how to learn.

That is what got me thinking about the overlap with Stoicism. In this one I make the case that you absorb Stoic ideas far faster when you treat the philosophy like a martial art you drill, rather than a theory you read.

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]]> I have trained martial arts for years, but my real love is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It has changed how I relate to my body, my sense of who I am, and the world around me. More than anything, it taught me how to learn.

That is what got me thinking about the overlap with Stoicism. In this one I make the case that you absorb Stoic ideas far faster when you treat the philosophy like a martial art you drill, rather than a theory you read.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:35234492 Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:50:19 +0100 720 brazilian jiujitsu, bjj, martial arts, stoicism, john danaher, learning full false How Stoics Interpret Reality How Stoics Interpret Reality Epictetus had a deceptively simple claim: it is not events that disturb us, but our judgements about them. Sit with that long enough and it changes how you meet almost everything.

In this lesson I break down his view of the emotions and how we work with them in a world that is often cruel and chaotic. The idea sounds plain, but I would argue it is the single most important principle in all of Stoic thought.

Further reading: stoichandbook.co

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The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Epictetus had a deceptively simple claim: it is not events that disturb us, but our judgements about them. Sit with that long enough and it changes how you meet almost everything.

In this lesson I break down his view of the emotions and how we work with them in a world that is often cruel and chaotic. The idea sounds plain, but I would argue it is the single most important principle in all of Stoic thought.

Further reading: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:34595414 Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:11:25 +0100 391 full false Meditation: The Stoic Daily Mindful Review Meditation: The Stoic Daily Mindful Review One of the best meditation books I have read is The Mind Illuminated by John Yates, who writes as Culadasa. He holds a doctorate in neuroscience and tens of thousands of hours on the cushion, and it shows on every page.

In the appendix he shares a practice he calls the Daily Mindful Review, the strongest method he found for carrying mindfulness into ordinary life. I adapted it with Stoic elements, and this is the result. It is a slow, guided reflection you can return to each day. Find somewhere quiet and let it take its time.

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]]> One of the best meditation books I have read is The Mind Illuminated by John Yates, who writes as Culadasa. He holds a doctorate in neuroscience and tens of thousands of hours on the cushion, and it shows on every page.

In the appendix he shares a practice he calls the Daily Mindful Review, the strongest method he found for carrying mindfulness into ordinary life. I adapted it with Stoic elements, and this is the result. It is a slow, guided reflection you can return to each day. Find somewhere quiet and let it take its time.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:34263182 Wed, 24 Mar 2021 17:00:56 +0000 858 the mind illuminated, john yates, culadasa, meditation, stoicism, stoic philosophy, daily review full false Reading Books is a Bad Way to Learn Reading Books is a Bad Way to Learn I read a lot, so it feels strange to say this, but reading books is a poor way to actually learn something. Exposure to ideas is not the same as living them.

In this one I lay out how I think about learning, and why a book only earns its keep once you already have a framework to hang it on. Read without that, and you finish the book having met the ideas but changed nothing.

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]]> I read a lot, so it feels strange to say this, but reading books is a poor way to actually learn something. Exposure to ideas is not the same as living them.

In this one I lay out how I think about learning, and why a book only earns its keep once you already have a framework to hang it on. Read without that, and you finish the book having met the ideas but changed nothing.

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]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:33783646 Wed, 17 Mar 2021 17:00:23 +0000 647 Dichotomy of control, Stoicism, Epictetus, letting go, tranquility, reading, how to read more full false Overcoming Pornography Addiction Overcoming Pornography Addiction A Stoic Handbook reader wrote in about pornography addiction, and I do my best to give it the careful answer it deserves. It is a nuanced subject and I try not to flatten it.

Part of what makes it hard is that it is a continuum addiction, with no clean line marking when it becomes a problem, which sets it apart from more binary habits. If you struggle with any kind of compulsive behaviour, I think this one will be useful.

Related posts and resources:

On Aversion and Desire: stoichandbook.co

How to Gain the Powers of a Stoic God: stoichandbook.co

Daily journalling tool: 750words.com

Compassion meditation: Insight Timer

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> A Stoic Handbook reader wrote in about pornography addiction, and I do my best to give it the careful answer it deserves. It is a nuanced subject and I try not to flatten it.

Part of what makes it hard is that it is a continuum addiction, with no clean line marking when it becomes a problem, which sets it apart from more binary habits. If you struggle with any kind of compulsive behaviour, I think this one will be useful.

Related posts and resources:

On Aversion and Desire: stoichandbook.co

How to Gain the Powers of a Stoic God: stoichandbook.co

Daily journalling tool: 750words.com

Compassion meditation: Insight Timer

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:33116763 Fri, 05 Mar 2021 14:58:47 +0000 1571 full false Work/Life Balance is an Illusion Work/Life Balance is an Illusion Work-life balance gets talked about as if it were a fixed point you could reach and hold. I think that framing sets us up to fail. In this one I share how I actually approach it.

It should be useful for anyone busy who wants to get more done while carrying less stress. Along the way I point to a few things that shaped my thinking, including Alain de Botton on success, Greg McKeown on essentialism, and Henry Cloud on boundaries.

Related posts:

My Stoic Morning Routine: stoichandbook.co

How to Turn Stress into Tranquility: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Work-life balance gets talked about as if it were a fixed point you could reach and hold. I think that framing sets us up to fail. In this one I share how I actually approach it.

It should be useful for anyone busy who wants to get more done while carrying less stress. Along the way I point to a few things that shaped my thinking, including Alain de Botton on success, Greg McKeown on essentialism, and Henry Cloud on boundaries.

Related posts:

My Stoic Morning Routine: stoichandbook.co

How to Turn Stress into Tranquility: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:33113909 Mon, 01 Mar 2021 15:03:24 +0000 1087 full false The Stoic 60-Minute Power Hour Routine The Stoic 60-Minute Power Hour Routine One of the prompts in my morning writing is simple: what three things will make up my power hour? It is the question that decides whether a day actually moves forward.

In this short one I explain what a power hour is and how I use it to get real work done while looking after a two-year-old half the week and running several business projects on the side. If you are short on time and tired of feeling scattered, give it a listen.

My Stoic Morning Routine: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> One of the prompts in my morning writing is simple: what three things will make up my power hour? It is the question that decides whether a day actually moves forward.

In this short one I explain what a power hour is and how I use it to get real work done while looking after a two-year-old half the week and running several business projects on the side. If you are short on time and tired of feeling scattered, give it a listen.

My Stoic Morning Routine: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:32892325 Wed, 24 Feb 2021 11:41:10 +0000 559 Stoicism, making plans, productivity, premeditation of adversity, Epictetus full false The Complete View From Above Stoic Meditation The Complete View From Above Stoic Meditation Have you ever had a moment that made it suddenly obvious how much of what you worry about does not matter? For me it was the instant my son was born. The view from above is a way to reach for that clarity on purpose.

It is one of the most powerful Stoic practices. By stepping back from a difficult situation in the mind, you see it with more perspective and less stress, which makes for calmer judgement and steadier decisions. This is the full guided version. Find somewhere quiet and let yourself rise slowly above it all.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Have you ever had a moment that made it suddenly obvious how much of what you worry about does not matter? For me it was the instant my son was born. The view from above is a way to reach for that clarity on purpose.

It is one of the most powerful Stoic practices. By stepping back from a difficult situation in the mind, you see it with more perspective and less stress, which makes for calmer judgement and steadier decisions. This is the full guided version. Find somewhere quiet and let yourself rise slowly above it all.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:18074072 Fri, 06 Nov 2020 14:32:50 +0000 617 Dichotomy of control, Stoicism, Epictetus, letting go, tranquility full false Guided Meditation: Seneca's Stoic Evening Reflection Guided Meditation: Seneca's Stoic Evening Reflection Each night, once the house had gone quiet, Seneca would go back over his whole day, what he had done and said, hiding nothing from himself. This guided meditation is built on that practice.

It follows on from the morning meditation I shared last week. Both stand on their own, but together they bookend the day nicely. If the aim is to grow in character, we need to notice where we did well, see where we fell short, and gently set our intentions for tomorrow. Find somewhere quiet and let the day settle.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Each night, once the house had gone quiet, Seneca would go back over his whole day, what he had done and said, hiding nothing from himself. This guided meditation is built on that practice.

It follows on from the morning meditation I shared last week. Both stand on their own, but together they bookend the day nicely. If the aim is to grow in character, we need to notice where we did well, see where we fell short, and gently set our intentions for tomorrow. Find somewhere quiet and let the day settle.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:15827816 Thu, 29 Oct 2020 14:42:04 +0000 563 Seneca, Stoicism, Stoic philosophy, evening meditation full false The Complete Stoic Morning Meditation The Complete Stoic Morning Meditation This is a Stoic contemplation to settle into each morning before the day gets hold of you. It draws on Marcus Aurelius and his practice of premeditation of adversity, the habit of reminding yourself, on waking, that you may meet the meddling, the ungrateful and the difficult, and resolving to meet them with patience.

Practise it this way and you arrive at the day already braced for it, able to take what comes more lightly. Find somewhere quiet and let it set the tone.

The technique explained: stoichandbook.co

The evening reflection: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> This is a Stoic contemplation to settle into each morning before the day gets hold of you. It draws on Marcus Aurelius and his practice of premeditation of adversity, the habit of reminding yourself, on waking, that you may meet the meddling, the ungrateful and the difficult, and resolving to meet them with patience.

Practise it this way and you arrive at the day already braced for it, able to take what comes more lightly. Find somewhere quiet and let it set the tone.

The technique explained: stoichandbook.co

The evening reflection: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:13592259 Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:52:30 +0100 847 morning meditation, marcus aurelius, stoicism, stoic philosophy, productivity full false Stoicism is Not a Dead Philosophy Stoicism is Not a Dead Philosophy Someone pointed me to a Tucker Max tweet calling Stoicism a dead philosophy, backed by a study suggesting that a naive endorsement of Stoic ideology might actually be bad for wellbeing. It is a serious challenge, so I wanted to take it seriously.

In this one I dig into the study itself, into the claim, and into the common misreadings of Stoicism underneath both. The real question I am chasing: does Stoicism do more harm than good, or is something getting lost in translation?

The tweet: twitter.com/TuckerMax

The study: psyarxiv.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Someone pointed me to a Tucker Max tweet calling Stoicism a dead philosophy, backed by a study suggesting that a naive endorsement of Stoic ideology might actually be bad for wellbeing. It is a serious challenge, so I wanted to take it seriously.

In this one I dig into the study itself, into the claim, and into the common misreadings of Stoicism underneath both. The real question I am chasing: does Stoicism do more harm than good, or is something getting lost in translation?

The tweet: twitter.com/TuckerMax

The study: psyarxiv.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:12686019 Sat, 17 Oct 2020 21:06:17 +0100 1644 depression, tucker max, Stoicism, stoic philosophy, self-improvement full false Meditation: End of the World Premeditation Meditation: End of the World Premeditation In this guided meditation you will imagine an apocalyptic scene, the end of the world, as a way of bringing your most important values sharply into focus.

It draws on the Stoic practice of premeditation of adversity. Picturing what could go wrong leaves you better prepared, lets you rehearse meeting hardship calmly, and quietly deepens your gratitude for what is still here. So much time gets lost to the quiet assumption that we will live forever. Sitting with the shortness of life has a way of steering us somewhere truer. Find somewhere quiet and let yourself go there.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> In this guided meditation you will imagine an apocalyptic scene, the end of the world, as a way of bringing your most important values sharply into focus.

It draws on the Stoic practice of premeditation of adversity. Picturing what could go wrong leaves you better prepared, lets you rehearse meeting hardship calmly, and quietly deepens your gratitude for what is still here. So much time gets lost to the quiet assumption that we will live forever. Sitting with the shortness of life has a way of steering us somewhere truer. Find somewhere quiet and let yourself go there.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:6012113 Thu, 08 Oct 2020 13:01:03 +0100 740 Stoicism, death meditation, fear of death, overcoming death anxiety full false Seneca On The Value of Past Hardship Seneca On The Value of Past Hardship Seneca used the image of a fighter to make his point about hardship. The boxer who has never been hit cannot enter the ring with real confidence. The one who can is the one who has seen his own blood, been knocked down, and got back up more defiant than before.

In this short one I read that passage and sit with why it has stayed with me. There is a way of looking back at your own past hardship that changes what it meant, and I think it can quietly reshape how you carry the next one.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Seneca used the image of a fighter to make his point about hardship. The boxer who has never been hit cannot enter the ring with real confidence. The one who can is the one who has seen his own blood, been knocked down, and got back up more defiant than before.

In this short one I read that passage and sit with why it has stayed with me. There is a way of looking back at your own past hardship that changes what it meant, and I think it can quietly reshape how you carry the next one.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:4003498 Thu, 24 Sep 2020 23:53:20 +0100 630 Stoicism, Seneca, productivity, premeditation of adversity, Stoic philosophy full false Meditation: How To Mentally Rehearse Plans Meditation: How To Mentally Rehearse Plans In Chapter 4 of the Enchiridion, Epictetus lays out a simple three-step way of making plans, one that keeps you steady whether things go your way or not. This guided exercise walks you through it.

Like anything worthwhile, the value is in the doing, not the hearing. So try committing to run through this process each time you make a plan. Practise it enough and it stops being a technique and becomes the way you naturally approach things. Find somewhere quiet and let me take you through it.

The accompanying breakdown: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> In Chapter 4 of the Enchiridion, Epictetus lays out a simple three-step way of making plans, one that keeps you steady whether things go your way or not. This guided exercise walks you through it.

Like anything worthwhile, the value is in the doing, not the hearing. So try committing to run through this process each time you make a plan. Practise it enough and it stops being a technique and becomes the way you naturally approach things. Find somewhere quiet and let me take you through it.

The accompanying breakdown: stoichandbook.co

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:2089445 Thu, 17 Sep 2020 15:00:45 +0100 639 Stoicism, making plans, productivity, premeditation of adversity, Epictetus full false Meditation: The Dichotomy of Control Training Meditation: The Dichotomy of Control Training The first chapter of Epictetus and his handbook deals with the dichotomy of control: the line between what is up to us and what is not. This meditation is a training exercise to help that principle sink past the intellectual level and into how you actually live.

Epictetus made big claims for it. Hold this distinction, he said, and you become genuinely free, free of resentment, free from anyone having the power to harm you. The idea is simple, the practice less so. Find somewhere quiet and let me guide you through it slowly.

The accompanying breakdown: stoicism.substack.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> The first chapter of Epictetus and his handbook deals with the dichotomy of control: the line between what is up to us and what is not. This meditation is a training exercise to help that principle sink past the intellectual level and into how you actually live.

Epictetus made big claims for it. Hold this distinction, he said, and you become genuinely free, free of resentment, free from anyone having the power to harm you. The idea is simple, the practice less so. Find somewhere quiet and let me guide you through it slowly.

The accompanying breakdown: stoicism.substack.com

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:1215939 Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:00:53 +0100 719 Dichotomy of control, Stoicism, Epictetus, letting go, tranquility full false Meditation: The Complete Stoic Death Contemplation Meditation: The Complete Stoic Death Contemplation Death is natural and inevitable, neither good nor bad in itself. What causes us so much anxiety is the judgement we lay on top of it. This is the full guided contemplation for sitting with that judgement and softening it.

When the mind grows more accepting of death, life takes on a quiet urgency. The smaller anxieties fall away and what is left is room for joy, compassion and attention. As Sam Harris has pointed out, everyone you meet will one day lose everything they love, so why be anything but kind to them in the meantime. Find somewhere quiet and let this one take its time.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Death is natural and inevitable, neither good nor bad in itself. What causes us so much anxiety is the judgement we lay on top of it. This is the full guided contemplation for sitting with that judgement and softening it.

When the mind grows more accepting of death, life takes on a quiet urgency. The smaller anxieties fall away and what is left is room for joy, compassion and attention. As Sam Harris has pointed out, everyone you meet will one day lose everything they love, so why be anything but kind to them in the meantime. Find somewhere quiet and let this one take its time.

Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co

The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com

]]> Jon Brooks substack:post:1048070 Thu, 03 Sep 2020 15:01:49 +0100 768 Stoicism, death meditation, fear of death, overcoming death anxiety full false