The Philosopher's Compass - William Spears

I'm your host, Meredith Alexander Kunz, author of The Stoic Mom Substack and co-author of Beyond Stoicism and Live Like a Philosopher. In this episode of The Philosopher's Compass podcast, I spoke with Commander William C. Spears, a submarine warfare officer and author of the book Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy (https://a.co/d/07Ikuuo7). We explored the intersection of Stoicism and military life, the influence of James Stockdale, and how Stoicism can be applied in daily life, parenting, and leadership. The conversation takes a look at why Stoicism is popular in the military, and the importance of community and human connection. William shared insights on how Stoicism has shaped his life and leadership style, including his parenting. In addition to his book, you can find William's recent talk for Conversations with Modern Stoicism, "The Stoic Knife," here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHV8EKV3wLA Thanks for listening! Check out The Stoic Mom Substack: https://thestoicmom.substack.com/My book: Beyond Stoicism https://theexperimentpublishing.com/catalogs/winter-2025/beyond-stoicism/