Ryan Holiday - A Stoic Life & Death episode artwork

EPISODE · May 31, 2026 · 1H 15M

Ryan Holiday - A Stoic Life & Death

from The Imperfects · host Hugh van Cuylenburg, Ryan Shelton & Josh van Cuylenburg

We can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. At least, that’s what the Stoic’s say. 💌Join 7,500+ people getting our takeaways and favourite moments from this episode in our weekly newsletter - http://bit.ly/45NyQDy Today we are joined (deep breath Hugh) by Stoic philosopher Ryan Holiday. Using the wisdom of the past to appreciate the present, Ryan’s work is dedicated to communicating how the practicalities of stoic philosophy can help us lead more present, mindful and resilient lives today. In this incredible chat, Hugh, Josh and Ryan (our Ryan), each present Ryan Holiday with something they have been struggling with in their own lives. Through the lens of Stoic philosophers Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, Ryan Holiday talks to how stoicism can really help us to live into our values, prioritise presence, and deal with existential dread. We discuss with Ryan the importance of understanding what will actually make you happy (spoiler: it’s not a billion dollars), and how to reframe death as a reminder that we must appreciate every moment (or not waste anymore with shame and guilt). This episode, and its practical take-aways (which you can find listed in our newsletter), has been a long time coming. Ryan, what an absolute honour. 0:00 – What is Stoicism? 13:26 – For the Josh’s of the world 17:07 – Time and Energy of Worrying 27:01 – The illusion of freedom 33:50 – Am I a bad friend? 38:58 – Practicing what you preach ft. presence 45:42 – If today was your last day 50:22 – 5 quotes for a Stoic life If you’d like to watch this full episode on YouTube, follow this link - 🫖 Imperfects episodes mentioned in this episode Pat Cummins - Love, Loss & Life - https://bit.ly/4dHKR2F Maria Ruberto - Sleep Your Way To Your Top - https://bit.ly/4dHKPYB 📖 Things to read Letter’s from a Stoic by Seneca - https://bit.ly/49WVNqB ALL of Ryan’s books - https://bit.ly/43uHsxZ ✍️Journals to journal The Daily Stoic - https://bit.ly/49qJ6Em My Imperfect Life - https://bit.ly/4tZ8qJ6 🎟️ Things to get tickets to Daily Stoic Live with Ryan Holiday - https://bit.ly/4uK72Lt 💻Things to check out Ryan’s website - https://bit.ly/4v3Vh24 The Resilience Project - https://bit.ly/3Q4LOc4 🩷To host your own Vulnerabilitea House, purchase here - http://bit.ly/4lyuuWz 🩵To purchase our journal (or your novel) My Imperfect Life, click here - http://bit.ly/4lyuuW 🩵To join our subscriber community, A Little More Imperfects, follow this link - http://bit.ly/4mqunxu 🩷 AND you can subscribe to A Little More Imperfects through Apple Podcasts too, here - http://apple.co/theimperfects The Imperfects is not a licensed mental health service and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment. The advice given in this episode is general in nature, but if you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional, or call lifeline on 13 11 14.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 31, 2026

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