The Daily Stoic

In today's episode, Ryan Holiday sits down with legendary biographer Walter Isaacson for a wide-ranging, deeply thoughtful conversation recorded live at the Texas Tribune Festival. They talk about Walker Percy and The Moviegoer, how Stoicism shows up in fiction, and why the ancient virtues still matter in the modern world. They talk through Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Viktor Frankl, and why history tends to outlast the noise of the present moment. 📚 Grab signed copies of Walter Isaacson's books at The Painted Porch: https://www.thepaintedporch.com/Elon Musk by Walter IsaacsonSteve Jobs by Walter IsaacsonLeonardo Da Vinci by Walter IsaacsonBenjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter IsaacsonEinstein: His Life and Universe by Walter IsaacsonThe Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter IsaacsonWalter Isaacson: The Genius Biographies: Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Leonardo Da Vinci (Boxed Set) 🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new  👉  The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge 🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📱 Follow us:  Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most people will enter 2026 hoping life just gets better. Jesse Itzler knows that’s not how real change happens. In today’s episode, Jesse breaks down the three simple rules he follows every year to guarantee it doesn’t slip by. He explains why change has to start before January, how locking in the right priorities forces everything else off your calendar, and why more hustle isn’t the answer in 2026. If you want a year that actually feels different — and you want a plan you can stick to — this episode shows you how. Jesse Itzler is an entrepreneur, author, endurance athlete, former rapper, and part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks. He is the author of two books, Living With A Seal where he lived and trained with David Goggins for 31 days. His other book is Living with the Monks where he lived with an isolated religious community in the mountains of upstate New York. He co-founded Marquis Jet, helped build ZICO Coconut Water, and created the viral New Year planning tool called the “Big Ass Calendar”.  Plan 2026 using the Big Ass Calendar that Jesse created: https://thebigasscalendar.com/ Check out Jesse’s books: Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training With The Toughest Man on the PlanetLiving with the Monks: What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and Focus Follow Jesse on Instagram, YouTube, and X @JesseItzler  Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge. 👉 Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life 🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new 🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fortune doesn’t care about our plans and preferences. No, Seneca reminds us, she behaves as she pleases.  📚 Books mentioned:Plutarch’s Lives by PlutarchMastery by Robert GreeneMeditations by Marcus AureliusRiver of Doubt by Candice MillardThe Odyssey by HomerMan’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl The Tiger by John Vaillant  🎁 This holiday season, give the gift of Daily Stoic Premium |  https://dailystoic.supercast.com/gifts/new 🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

These are disorienting times. Cruel times. Dysfunctional times. And it’s natural to want someone, anyone, to step in and fix it. But they’re not going to. That’s not how this works. Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge. 👉 Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life 🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The pressure of being great changes when you’re carrying more than your own ambition. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Paralympian Ezra Frech to talk about the discipline required to compete at the highest level and the weight that comes with representing more than just yourself. Ezra shares what it actually takes to be a top professional Paralympian, his experience growing up with a disability, the role his parents played in building his confidence, and more.  Ezra Frech is an American track and field athlete who competes in high jump, long jump and sprinting events. He is a two-time Paralympian, having competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics and won two gold medals at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.  Ezra co-created and produced a three-part docuseries called Adaptive with NBC Sports + Peacock. Check it out here!  Follow Ezra on Instagram and TikTok @EzraFrech and on YouTube @ItsEzraFrech Make 2026 the year where you finally bring yourself closer to living your best life. No more waiting. Demand the best for yourself. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge begins January 1, 2026. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge. 👉 Get The Daily Stoic New Year New You & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life 🎥 Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos 🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast ✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail 🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/ 📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.