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Stoic Coffee Break

Stoic Coffee Break

Erick Cloward 381 Episodes Jun 21, 2026

A weekly meditation on how Stoic principles can help you be a better human. The podcast encourages acting on principles rather than moods, offering practical wisdom for daily life.

Episodes

What Does It Actually Take to Be Courageous? | 382 Jun 21, 2026 00:15:43 Courage, one of the four cardinal virtues of Stoicism, is what I consider the fuel for virtue, and really for living a good life. But what does courage actually look like? Are we born courageous or it it something we can develop? In today’s episode we’re going to dive into what Stoics taught about courage and how it’s backed up by modern science. What Does It Actually Take to Be Courageous? "Coura
Interview with Kelly McGinnis: What it Takes to Really Lead | 381 Jun 15, 2026 01:08:02 Kelly McGinnis has a long and storied career working her way up the corporate ladder to CFO and later President of Thermo Fischer, a Fortune 100 company. In this episode we discuss ideas around what it takes to be good leader, company culture, and stepping out on your own. The Build an Unbreakable Mind program for building mental discipline is now open for enrollment!My book Stoicism 101 is availa
What's the Worst that Could Happen? | 380 Jun 5, 2026 00:10:29 “What’s the worst that could happen?” We’ve all heard this before. Usually it’s tongue in cheek just before something really bad does happen. But counterintuitively, it’s actually one of the most powerful questions that we can ask ourselves when we’re stuck in anxiety. So let’s talk about how imagining the worst can you you be your best. “The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.”
Why Searching for Meaning Is Keeping You Stuck | 379 May 28, 2026 00:10:58 Marcus Aurelius was the most powerful man on Earth. He had every external condition for a meaningful life — wealth, status, purpose handed to him by birth. And yet, his private journals are full of reminders he had to write to himself just to keep going. Which tells you something important: meaning isn't a thing you find. It's a thing you build. The Problem Do you live a meaningful life? Not "are
Collaborating with Reality: The Stoic Art of Being Present | 378 May 19, 2026 00:16:13 Far too often we’re never really in the moment. Maybe we’re stuck ruminating in the past over what we wished would have happened, or projecting out into the future our hope of what will happen. Maybe we distract ourselves with our phones, with entertainment, or alcohol or drugs. Anything that can relieve boredom or the discomfort of our present reality. But what if you leaned into that boredom? Wh
The Power of Paradox: The Stoic Art of Holding Two Truths at Once | 377 May 6, 2026 00:19:38 Can two things be true at the same time? Can you hold two opposing ideas at the same time? Today I want to talk about how learning be be comfortable with opposites can widen your thinking and help you see reality a little more clearly. "The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth." — Niels Bohr There's a moment m
How Fear Creates the Failure It Fears | 376 Apr 28, 2026 00:21:12 Are you motivated by fear? What if that fear is actually at the root of why you’re not getting the results you’re going after? In this week’s episode I want to talk about how to stop fear from sabotaging your best work. “What I advise you to do is, not to be unhappy before the crisis comes; since it may be that the dangers before which you paled as if they were threatening you, will never come upo
Before You Book the Therapist, Build the Foundations | 375 Apr 21, 2026 00:21:47 Do you need therapy in order to have a good life? What is the difference between therapy and philosophy? Today I want to discuss the differences and how you need to right tools to build a good life. “We should not use philosophy like a herbal remedy, to be discarded when we're through. Rather, we must allow philosophy to remain with us, continually guarding our judgements throughout life, forming
Why You'll Never Reach Your Ideal Self (And Why That's the Point) | 374 Apr 15, 2026 00:10:21 Do you have a clear picture of the person you want to become? And what happens when you fall short of that person — not once, but again and again? Today I want to talk about what you should do when you fall short of reaching your ideal self. “Give yourself fully to your endeavors. Decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a worthy goal. The tria
The Busy Trap: Seneca on Why You're Optimizing the Wrong Thing | 373 Apr 7, 2026 00:13:52 THE PROBLEM Are you too busy? Are you working too hard to be productive with every minute of your time? In today’s episode I want to talk about the perils of over-optimizing your life, and what the Stoics had to say about managing your time. “So, concerning the things we pursue, and for which we vigorously exert ourselves, we owe this consideration – either there is nothing useful in them, or most
Skeptical, not Cynical: How to Think in an Age of Misinformation | 372 Mar 30, 2026 00:15:55 In today’s media environment do you know how to think well? How do you know who to trust? Today we’re going to talk about how Stoicism can help you to think critically about what you consume, and how be skeptical without being cynical. “You become what you give your attention to…If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will.” — Epictetus ACT 1 — TH
Akrasia: The Challenge of Knowing vs. Doing | 371 Mar 23, 2026 00:16:19 How often do you put things off? Why do you put things off that you know you should do?  Maybe waiting for circumstances to be just right before you make a change? In this week’s episode we’re going to dive a deeper into why put things off, and what you can do to build momentum, and move forward. “It is not that we have a short space of time, but that we waste much of it. Life is long enough, and

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