Jealousy: we all feel it, have felt it, have grappled with it, and know that it’s toxic. There are arguments about whether anger is a useful emotion. The Stoics say “no” while many other philosophers say “sometimes”. Jealousy, however, is very rarely considered in a positive light at all. Hence, when we feel jealousy, it’s not usually because we want to feel it. It feels outside of our control, so we just sit in it. But is it outside of our control, or can we alleviate this toxic feeling? Keywords jealousy, toxic feeling, control, character, stoicism, dichotomy of control, stoic Providence ..read more

Mark is a gold-medal Olympic speed skater. He won gold at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He is also the author of The Stoic Mindset: Living the 10 Principles of Stoicism, which will be released in Canada and the USA on April 9th (yes, that’s today!). In this episode, we talk about balancing hard work with enjoying life, courage in performance, luck and providence, and much more. Mark was a pleasure to speak with and I hope this episode proves useful. You can find Mark here: https://marktuitert.nl/en/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:52 Striving for Excellence 02:10 Striving for World ..read more

Seneca’s very first chapter in Letters From a Stoic is titled “On the Use of Time”. Time is something that is very paradoxical in the sense that we never feel like we have enough, yet our lives are longer than anything else we will do. Put another way, our days are often long while our days are short. Another curious thing about time is that we all have the same amount everyday - 24 hours - yet we all use it in different ways. Some of us use it for productivity, others for pleasure, and yet others are oblivious because they are in a state of suffering. But what constitutes time well spent? Wh ..read more

A ship accumulates marine growth on its hull as it traverses through water. Some would suggest that our souls do a similar thing, accumulating trauma from the challenging and difficult circumstances that life puts us through. This is understandable on one end; we can all point to situations in our past that seem to still bother us in conscious and sometimes subconscious ways. On the other hand, one could perhaps make the case that a Stoic does not let the past bother them. Is trauma a real thing, or is it simply an unStoic way of looking at your past? Summary The conversation explores the co ..read more

In this episode, I discuss the concept of luck in Stoicism and its portrayal in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I explore the idea of biased fortune and providence, highlighting the difference between mere chance and acting appropriately. I also shares the story of the game of riddles between Bilbo and Gollum, emphasizing how Bilbo's actions and virtues influenced the outcomes. Finally, I draw parallels between Stoicism and Christianity, emphasizing the importance of acting virtuously and the potential rewards and consequences that follow. Takeaways Luck in Stoicism is not mere chance but bi ..read more

Ryan is the Author of several books including Designing The Mind and Become Who You Are. He takes a design approach to structuring your thinking to help you approach your life in a more logical and rational way. In this conversation, Ryan and Brandon discuss the concept of psychitecture and the systematic approach to engineering ourselves. They explore the idea of algorithms in self-improvement and the importance of aligning desires and values for deep happiness. They delve into the balance between animalistic impulses and ideals, and the process of becoming the ideal person. They also discu ..read more

In moments of reflection on what we are doing with our lives, the thought can creep up: Am I doing enough? Could I be doing more good in my life? The Stoics have their fair share of radical ideas, but one that may be tremendously useful in the contemplation of this question is that there is no such thing as the idea of doing “more good” in Stoicism. Wherever you are right now is where you are supposed to be, and you can only act appropriately - no more, no less. Of course, unless you are a Sage. But what is a Sage? And is this idea in Stoicism a useful one, or does it simply hold back our ambi ..read more

Katie Feltmate is a poet based in my home province of Nova Scotia. She believes in the writing process as a tool for healing and self-growth. In 2021, she released her first self-published poetry book, Love in the Age of Quarantine, which is about, in my words, transitioning from an abusive and toxic relationship to a more whole self. I found her book in a local bookstore and immediately noticed the Stoicism in her writing, especially near the end when she has the trauma past her. In this episode, we talk about abusive relationships, loneliness and self-discovery, the paradoxes and complexity ..read more

Merriam-Webster defines fatigue as “weariness or exhaustion from labour, exertion, or stress”. I’m sure this rings a bell with you, and most of us become fatigued from time to time. In fact, fatigue can be of various types – exhaustion from work, exercise, stress, and even spiritual. That’s right – we can become spiritually or philosophically fatigued, even from Stoicism. This episode is also available on YouTube: Transcripts can be found on Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com/ Find this episode on:https://linktr.ee/Strongstoic The Strong Stoic Podcast is a raw, honest, and unapologe ..read more

As we progress in life, we aim to find our true selves and nature. The Stoics tell us to live according to this nature. But how do we go about self-discovery? Who are we supposed to be? It isn't as simple as what we are perfect at, for we are perfect at nothing (even though it doesn't seem that way from the outside looking in). It also doesn't seem to be just fate, since people seem to go against the odds and change their paths by simple decisions. In this episode, I discuss how one finds out who they are and should be. Find this episode on:https://linktr.ee/Strongstoic The Strong Stoic Pod ..read more