Daily Stoic Podcast
Hosted by Daily Stoic
A daily dose of Stoic philosophy for modern life, alternating between short solo meditations and long-form interviews with high-profile guests.
The Daily Stoic Podcast operates in two distinct modes. Weekdays feature short, 2-3 minute audio versions of the popular Daily Stoic email meditations, offering a single Stoic concept to guide the listener's day. Several times a week, the show shifts to a long-form interview format, where host Ryan Holiday engages authors, athletes, and thinkers in deep conversations about their work and life through the lens of Stoic principles like integrity, identity, and perseverance.
“Unlike general philosophy or interview podcasts, every episode is explicitly grounded in the Stoic tradition. The host's authority as a leading popularizer of Stoicism allows him to attract high-caliber guests and steer conversations toward the core virtues of courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom.”
Who hosts this show
Ryan Holiday is a bestselling author and media strategist known for his popularization of Stoic philosophy. After dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under author Robert Greene, he became the Director of Marketing for American Apparel before founding his own creative agency, Brass Check. He has published over ten books, many of which adapt Stoic wisdom for contemporary challenges in life and business, including the #1 New York Times bestseller "The Obstacle Is the Way".
Credentials & credits
- #1 New York Times bestselling author
- Author of 'The Obstacle Is the Way,' 'Ego Is the Enemy,' and 'The Daily Stoic'
- Founder of creative agency Brass Check
- Former Director of Marketing at American Apparel
- Apprenticed under Robert Greene, author of 'The 48 Laws of Power'
- Writer for outlets including the New York Times and New York Observer
Other ventures
- Daily Stoic (email newsletter, store, courses)
- The Daily Dad (podcast and book)
- Brass Check (creative advisory firm)
- The Painted Porch Bookshop (co-owner)
- Daily Stoic Premium (subscription content)
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02People Will Sell Their Souls for an IOU | John Amaechi & Ryan HolidayOct 20, 2025 · 1 min
- 03
- 04How Much is Your Word Worth? | John Amaechi & Ryan HolidayOct 17, 2025 · 52s
- 05The Classic Nature of Riding a Bike | Bonnie Tsui & Ryan HolidayOct 16, 2025 · 2 min
- 06Are the Health Benefits of Cold Plunges Real? | Bonnie Tsui & Ryan HolidayOct 15, 2025 · 1 min
- 07
- 08Our Obligation to Other People | Arnold Schwarzenegger & Ryan HolidayOct 13, 2025 · 1 min
Notable episodes
- 01Persuasion Expert: “You Can Manipulate Yourself Into Doing Hard Things” | Jay Heinrichs
A deep, peer-level discussion on the lines between rhetoric, philosophy, and self-discipline, showing the host's style of engaging with an author's core ideas.
- 02How Much is Your Word Worth? | John Amaechi & Ryan Holiday
A powerful anecdote about the guest turning down $17 million to keep his word, perfectly illustrating the show's central theme of principle over profit.
- 03Can You Separate your Occupation from your Identity? | John Amaechi & Ryan Holiday
Explores the psychological dangers of tying self-worth to a career, a recurring and highly relatable topic on the podcast.
What you'll be asked on this show
Ryan Holiday's interview style is that of an expert practitioner engaging a peer. He often opens by framing the conversation around a central moral dilemma or a detailed observation from the guest's work. Rather than a passive Q&A, he actively participates, rephrasing guest ideas for clarity and challenging their distinctions (e.g., between habits and discipline). He uses his own deep knowledge of philosophy to draw parallels, contrast different schools of thought, and ground abstract concepts in concrete, often contemporary, examples. His questions are designed to probe the philosophical underpinnings of a guest's life and choices.
The show has a dual format: short, solo-cast daily meditations and longer, weekly guest interviews. The interviews are intellectually rigorous, with the host often acting as a peer-level collaborator, comparing philosophical schools and connecting guest ideas to historical and modern examples. The studio features visual cues to Stoicism, including a neon sign and a cube representing the four cardinal virtues.
Questions Daily Stoic keeps coming back to
8 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when Daily Stoic reaches for it.
mindset
1- Q.01
“How do you distinguish between [concept A] and [concept B], like self-persuasion and self-discipline?”
Host often asks this to explore the nuances of a guest's central thesis or worldview.
identity
1- Q.01
“How separate was your professional work from your core identity as a person?”
This question surfaces themes of ego and the dangers of tying self-worth to one's job.
values
1- Q.01
“When you compromise your values, are you truly acting in your own self-interest?”
A core Stoic challenge, pushing guests to examine the long-term cost of short-term gains.
philosophy
1- Q.01
“What do you believe is truly yours, that can't be taken away?”
This question gets to the heart of Stoic principles about internal versus external possessions.
legacy
1- Q.01
“How do you think about the fleeting nature of public recognition?”
Often uses a rhetorical question like 'Who was on the All-Star team nine years ago?' to illustrate the point.
personal
1- Q.01
“Why did you feel that way?”
A simple but effective probe used to understand the personal or philosophical source of a guest's emotion.
process
1- Q.01
“You don't think [idea X] is a result of [idea Y]?”
A gentle form of pushback used to challenge a guest's assertion and invite deeper clarification.
craft
1- Q.01
“Where do you see the distinction between philosophy and rhetoric?”
Asks guests to define and differentiate the core concepts they work with.
Signature segments
- · Frequent references to Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus
- · Framing discussions around the four cardinal virtues (Courage, Temperance, Justice, Wisdom)
- · Short, daily meditations on weekdays
- · Long-form interviews with notable guests
- · The Daily Stoic Premium subscription offer
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are typically high-achievers from diverse fields—bestselling authors, world-class athletes, academics, and entrepreneurs. They are people who have navigated significant challenges or achieved great success and are willing to dissect their experiences through a philosophical framework.
- Jay Heinrichson Persuasion Expert: “You Can Manipulate Yourself Into Doing Hard Things”
- John Amaechion People Will Sell Their Souls for an IOU
- Bonnie Tsuion The Classic Nature of Riding a Bike
- John Avlonon Now is the Time to be Courageous, Not Tomorrow
- Arnold Schwarzeneggeron Our Obligation to Other People
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast promotes its own ecosystem, including books by Ryan Holiday, the Daily Stoic merchandise store, and a premium subscription for ad-free listening and bonus content. It also features sponsorships from brands, with advertising managed by Backyard Ventures.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of the Daily Stoic Podcast?
- The host is Ryan Holiday, a bestselling author and one of the most prominent modern popularizers of Stoic philosophy.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes daily.
- What is the format of the show?
- It has a dual format. Weekdays are short (2-3 minute) meditations on a single Stoic idea. Two to three times per week, the show features long-form interviews with notable guests.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and video versions are on the Daily Stoic YouTube channel.
- How can I get on the podcast as a guest?
- The podcast typically features high-profile guests like bestselling authors, leading academics, and world-class performers, who are usually booked directly by the host or his team. There is no public application process.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Ryan Holiday's Official Websiteryanholiday.net
- [02]The Daily Stoic Podcast Official Pagedailystoic.com
- [03]Ryan Holiday - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [04]Ryan Holiday - Chartwell Speakerschartwellspeakers.com
- [05]Ryan Holiday - Brass Checkbrasscheck.com
- [06]Backyard Ventures Announces Partnership with Ryan Holiday - Podnewspodnews.net
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