Is Stoicism the Secret to a Good Life? episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 4, 2026 · 43 MIN

Is Stoicism the Secret to a Good Life?

from The Oprah Podcast

BUY THE BOOK!The Stoic Virtues Series by Ryan Holiday https://amzn.to/4z0bLeIOprah is joined by bestselling author and Stoicism expert Ryan Holiday on her porch for a thought-provoking conversation about how the ancient philosophy of Stoicism can help us navigate modern life. Drawing from his bestselling book The Obstacle Is the Way, Ryan explains why this 3,000-year-old philosophy remains relevant today and how its timeless wisdom can help us respond with greater clarity, resilience and purpose to whatever life puts in our path. Ryan breaks down the four core virtues of Stoicism and the three essential Stoic disciplines offering practical tools for overcoming modern challenges. At the heart of the conversation is one of Stoicism’s most powerful teachings: We may not control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. Oprah and Ryan are also joined by three listeners applying Stoic principles in powerful ways: an emergency room physician who relies on Stoicism to navigate medical tragedy, an entrepreneur rethinking her relationship to success and failure and a mother hoping to teach her tween daughter how to use Stoicism as a tool for resilience and emotional strength.00:00:00 - Welcome Ryan Holiday, author of “The Daily Stoic”00:03:20 - What is stoicism 00:04:00 - The 4 virtues of stoicism00:06:30 - Action is the cure to predicaments00:08:20 - The story we tell ourselves00:13:50 - Welcome Dr. Dan Dworkis or Stoicism in the ER 00:16:00 - How philosophy relates to other labels 00:18:38 - Oprah’s favorite quote00:20:05 - Loving what happens00:23:10 - Why choose stoicism 00:26:50 - Can you be grounded and driven? 00:29:00 - Is stoicism relevant to today?00:31:26 - Raising kids with a stoic outlook00:35:30 - One daily practice 00:39:20 - Nothing is wasted Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social:https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLIhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 4, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

Is Stoicism the Secret to a Good Life?

0:00 43:21

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Oprah Podcast?

This episode is 43 minutes long.

When was this The Oprah Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on August 4, 2026.

Can I download this The Oprah Podcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!