Geeky Stoics
Geeky Stoics explores Stoicism, philosophy, and wisdom found in pop culture, drawing lessons from stories like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and Batman. The podcast encourages listeners to see how their favorite stories can apply to real life. Hosted by Stephen Kent, it offers insights into how ancient philosophy intersects with modern narratives.
Episodes
Your Addiction To Comfort Is Making You Worse
Aaron Welty was born with Cerebral Palsy and has beaten death at least twice. Today, he is a motivational speaker, has worked in the US Capitol as a legislative staffer, and is a "geeky stoic." I’ve known Aaron through the world of comic cons for many years, and through GeekyStoics, I’ve gotten the pleasure of knowing him more deeply. In this interview, you'll learn about the perils of comfort, ho
You Need A Backslapper in Your Life
Encouragement goes a long way, and it requires an encourager in order to be received. In this short video for Subscribers to Geeky Stoics, I break down an interaction at the White House and why it got me thinking about men and the importance of having friends who nudge you forward."For our characters are taken from those we spend time with."- Seneca This is a public episode. If you'd like to discu
Narnia Enters The Culture War. Why?
Hello friends. In today’s email, I have a video message for you recapping some of the latest revelations about Netflix’s adaptation of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew by Greta Gerwig. We don’t do rage bait on GeekyStoics — though I will admit to feeling anger. This video is about what we know, what it suggests about the film's thinking, and what to do with that information. This is a public episode.
Kill the Myth, Kill the Man
Another day is upon us. It’s been a busy few weeks in the world of Geeky Stoics. Last week, I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to appear on the Jeremy Boreing Show for a wide-ranging conversation on how to save the West….a discourse I am honored to be part of. It’s weird to me that this Substack has allowed me to enter into such discussions. Very grateful. Before heading to Nashville, Boreing pos
The Odyssey Isn't About Odysseus | A Thematic Review
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
The Pagemaster and Young Men's Malaise
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.comEvery now and then, I get motivated to write about a story I loved, which is niche and rather unknown to our subscribers. The Pagemaster (1994) is one such story. This VHS-era classic, starring Macaulay Culkin and Christopher Lloyd, is, to this day, one of my favorite animated movies. It’s about a young boy afrai
The State of Star Wars
We are witnessing the decline of Star Wars’ cultural dominance.In this week’s podcast, we’ll explore the current state of Star Wars, from its cultural impact to the storytelling challenges, and speculate about how the franchise might revive itself.We have a book coming this year!!! The Great Escape: 30 Reflections on Stoicism, Faith, and the Wisdom of Great Stories. Be the first to get early acces
Unmasking Toxic Empathy
In this week’s live stream and podcast, Geeky Stoics is exploring the concept of toxic empathy, its implications, and how it influences society, politics, and relationships. Riley and Stephen delve into the nature of empathy, moral virtue, and the importance of balancing compassion with discernment.Chapters:* 01:08 What Is Toxic Empathy?* 04:33 Empathy in Literature and Media: Star Wars and Narni
The Stoicism in The Screwtape Letters
Today’s reading of The Screwtape Letters focuses on Chapter 3, a letter about personal/family relations and the importance of managing your impressions regarding facial expressions, tone of voice and other mannerisms. Things can break down rapidly when a relationship drifts toward enmity and assumed bad faith, and Lewis’s warning here is to reflect on how you let yourself off the hook for grating
Mind Your Own Business
Good morning! At our recent retreat, I came across a wardrobe with a semi-magical tea room inside… so naturally, I decided to crawl in and record a video podcast (typical). This was filmed by Jon of First Time Readers, a truly great channel for Tolkien analysis, and it focuses on a passage from C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books that I enjoy and return to often. By the way, we are now signing people up for
All Men Have Something To Teach
Behind the scenes of the first Geeky Stoics retreat This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
Maybe Escapism is Good, Actually
I don’t like to turn my brain off when enjoying a movie, show, or book. For me, the point has never been to “escape” the real world or be off in La-La Land; it’s to think more deeply. If a story isn’t engaging me on the level of morality, ethics, political thought….I get kind of bored. So, I’ve always criticized fellow fans of, say, Star Wars, who argue in the comments that they expect a story to
Luminous Beings Are We: A Christmas Message
There’s a scene in The Empire Strikes Back that never gets old. It’s kept its grip on me to this day.Luke in the Dagobah swamp, staring down the task he’s already decided is impossible. “It’s too big,” he says. And Yoda’s quiet reply exposes the lie most of us carry: that truth is limited to what we can see, touch, and control.Luminous beings are we.This week’s video is a reflection on that moment
Wisdom showdown: Uncle Ben vs Uncle Ben
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.comUncle Ben from Spider-Man serves as an introduction to wisdom and “maxims” for many kids around the world. It all starts with the movies we watch and the books we read. Here’s Uncle Ben in the 2002 movie….“This guy, Flash Thompson, he probably deserved what happened. But just because you can beat him up doesn’t g
I finally made the video I’ve been scared to make.
This one feels different.It’s the first time I’ve ever made something this personal for Geeky Stoics, pulling back the curtain on my struggle as I lost myself in my Air Force career, and how I found my way back, training for a Half Iron Man. It’s a story about identity, ambition, and the moment you realize you’ve been chasing someone else’s version of success.And the only way I knew how to tell it
What's This About A Bible Sales Surge?
News reports this October showed a surge in Bible sales across the United States and the UK, confirming what so many people can feel and polls have supported…which is that a religious revival is happening in the West. Generation Z, which Pew Research defines as being born between 1997 and 2012. Members of the generation — also known as Zoomers — have been increasingly drawn toward religion, partic
Can we choose our feelings? Reflecting on Charlie Kirk, empathy and objective morality
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.comThank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join us for our next live video in the app and upgrade your subscription to get more involved in the community.
Tolkien, Virtue, and the Good Life
Hobbits are curious creatures. Simple taste, a love of “good tilled earth” and yet surprisingly courageous. And according to Dr. Christopher Snyder, they might hold the key to living the good life.This week, I had a delightful conversation with Dr. Snyder, medieval historian, Tolkien scholar, and author of Hobbit Virtues: Rediscovering Virtue Ethics Through J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord
Call It What It Is
Updating your perspective on the world can, for some, be like seeing for the first time. Many of us have seen videos of colorblind people getting access to new tech that helps them see the full spectrum. When they tap in for the first time, it’s overwhelming and emotional. Something true shines through a veil that they’ve been burdened with forever. I remember when I started to reconnect with my f
Is Stoicism Enough?
It’s time for another long-form podcast! In this episode, we welcome Parker Settecase of ParkNotes Parker's Ponderings for a deep dive into the limits of Stoicism, the role of the God/Logos in this philosophy, and how these same ideas filter through Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and more.TOPICS WE’LL GET INTO* The overlap between Stoicism and Christianity: How Stoic principles align and diverg
Interview: Andrew Heaton of the Political Orphanage
Andrew Heaton is a comedian, political commentator, author, and political orphan best known for his skits on ReasonTV. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Andrew for many years and traveling in similar media circles. We both love to chat and interview people, and so when I saw he’d joined Substack, I knew we’d have to do something together. Both Heaton and I love to talk about fantasy and sci-fi, so
Reviewing "Superman": Virtue or Vice?
Somehow…Monday returned. Welcome back! This morning I am headed into Washington, DC to speak to a group of young professionals about communication and breaking through both the noise and polarization. These are tough times for getting your message across. Ears are closed. Eyes are covered. Impressions are set. How do we break through? I’ll share a few brief thoughts. It’ll be brief mainly because
4 Seneca Lessons You Can Use Today
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit geekystoics.substack.comOnce you go down the Stoicism rabbit hole, you can’t escape the ubiquitous appeal and words of Marcus Aurelius in Meditations. It’s everyone’s favorite, and for mostly good reason. But Seneca's Letters From A Stoic are even better.
Aiming At Heaven
On a flight layover in the UK, Geeky Stoics visits the home, grave and world of famed author, philosopher and academic: C.S. Lewis This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
Master Samwise: Star Wars, Storytelling, and the Art of Saying 'Yes'
We’re experimenting here at Geeky Stoics. Both Stephen and I have really missed the long-form podcast and discussion format, going back to my original podcasting days at the Star Wars Report and Stephen’s at Beltway Banthas. I’m so glad we get to introduce this format here on Substack, featuring a very special guest: Master Samwise.Samwise has a YouTube channel not dissimiliar from our own, where
Philosophy or Psychology?
If you want to understand the intellectual fault lines of the 20th century, you don’t need to go to a fancy college. You can just sit down with some old movies. We don’t touch on horror movies often on Geeky Stoics, in fact, this is a first. I just finished KINGDOM OF CAIN, a fascinating book about how horror and murder point toward evidence of God. It’s a fresh approach to Christian apologetics
The "Daily Stoic" Interview
Hopefully, you’re caught up on Geeky Stoics and enjoyed the panel conversation we hosted with Ryan Holiday of the Daily Stoic. The conversation covered Stoicism and Objectivism, two distinct philosophies with a lot in common and even more in conflict. Now you can move on to the next piece of programming we cooked up for you: a one-on-one interview with Holiday. This came together at the last minut
Live in Palm Springs: Ryan Holiday on Stoicism vs Objectivism
It’s a good day to be a Geeky Stoics subscriber here on Substack! You all get first access to this week’s video conversations with Ryan Holiday of the Daily Stoic. I told you about the trip to Palm Springs, and it was to moderate this panel tackling the differences and overlaps of Stoicism and Objectivism. To recap: Stoicism is ancient Greek and Roman philosophy rooted in self-mastery, emotional r
Why So Serious?
"What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears. New ills will come, or old ones will return. Meanwhile, keep your spirit cheerful." - Epictetus, DiscoursesThe other day, my daughter was stressed about some complicated logistical stuff happening two days in the future. She was visibly distraught and trying to figure out what to be prepared for in case it all went ba
Why Star Wars Andor Is Not That Radical
This week, I put together an essay I’ve been dying to make for well over a year. This is about Star Wars: Andor and whether or not the show supports a Marxist lens on freedom in a galaxy far, far away.Star Wars fans online had a field day with the words and deeds of one character, Nemik, who not only writes a “manifesto” for the Rebellion but also wears in Ushanka-style hat. Naturally, this got th
Every Winter Feels Like The Last
My family has taken to teasing me over my annual surprise when a shrubbery or tree on our property shows signs of life around March or April. I must admit, I do look at my plants in the winter and think to myself, “Well, that’s it. They’re dead.” And I do this every year.I kneel at the side of my bushes and snap their branches to check the inside for moist green. I stare at them for long periods o
A Guide to Narnia "The Magician's Nephew"
Did you see the news about The Chronicles of Narnia? After years of negotiation, director Greta Gerwig has closed a deal to have her Narnia movie hit theaters on November 26, 2026 before streaming on Netflix that Christmas. It’s pretty exciting! We love C.S. Lewis’ Narnia here on Geeky Stoics. The best available information out there points to Gerwig starting her Narnia series with the chronologic
Tolkien & The Dream That Wasn't
The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater. — Tolkien, The Fellowship of the RingThroughout The Lord of the Rings, doom and tragedy are constantly on the doorstep of J.R.R. Tolkien’s heroes. Failure and defeat happen frequently. The Witch King of
Middle-earthMixr + Geeky Stoics
It’s a rare and beautiful thing to meet someone with whom you discover so much in common. Not just experiences, but sentiment and aspiration. That’s how I felt after taping a podcast with Evan, best known for his viral Twitter account, @MidddleearthMixr. Going into this conversation about Tolkien and the relevant philosophy of The Lord of the Rings, I didn’t realize I knew Evan from my professiona
Lincoln, Lewis, Losses and Listening
The first thing you’ll see in my home when you enter is a framed portrait of Abraham Lincoln. Below the image of America’s 16th president, a man who arguably refounded the United States and became one of its most consequential figures, is a list of his numerous failures. The guy posted a lot of L’s. This list of Lincoln failures is pretty well known, so you might have seen this before. Here is the
Vegeta's Pride & Rebuilding of Self
“It is not a golden bit that makes one horse superior to others.”-Seneca, Letters from A StoicIt’s taken longer than I intended to find a Dragon Ball Z topic for Geeky Stoics. This uniquely popular anime in the United States was my second love growing up, right next to Star Wars. My favorite character is Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans. He is a total jerk, but it’s something of a novelty as the sho
Stoic Lessons in Game of Thrones
A podcast addition to Geeky Stoics“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well”- Epictetus, Enchiridion, 8.Grey Worm looks at Missandei, with a profound seriousness on his face but a sort of sadness in his eyes. He has not just accepted what happened to him, but he has chosen something akin to g
Geeky Stoics Takes a Walk in the Woods
A few weeks ago, Riley and I got together in Northern Virginia to spend some time working on Geeky Stoics’ future. For me, the highlight was taking a morning walk out in the Manassas Battlefield Park and sharing some ideas with each other about why we take fiction so seriously. The goal was a candid conversation. At the heart of this exchange is a common disagreement between fans of stories like S
Luke, Moses, Jonah and The Call
“There’s no difference between responsibility and adventure” is something said by Jordan Peterson in his most recent chat with Joe Rogan. I scribbled that one down as soon as I heard it. It resonated for a few reasons, chief among them that accepting responsibility in my own life around age 20 led me to the life I have now…with a beautiful wife of 13 years and an equally lovely daughter of 13. The
Hobbits, Rebels, Death Stars and Home
Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings have two very similar moments. As a great threat makes itself known in each world, a band of potential heroes circle up to assess the danger and devise a plan. In Star Wars: Rogue One this is the “rebellions are built on hope speech” delivered by Jyn Erso who has discovered the plans for the Death Star and wants to lead the fractured Rebel Alliance in stealing t
An Unpayable Debt: Tolkien and Lewis
“Just because some people are nice to you, doesn’t mean you should spend time with them”-Epictetus in The Art of LivingYou probably have gotten an earful for most of your life about choosing your friends wisely. Mom or Dad might have told you this, maybe a coach and most certainly your Sunday school teacher. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t listen to this when I was 16. I wanted to be friends
The Way We Love Animals Matters
“When you’ve done well and another has benefited by it — why like a fool do you look for a third thing on top—credit for the good deed or a favor in return?”-Marcus AureliusLove languages are funny. Some people really value conversation in their relationship, others value closeness. I remember early on in my marriage I thought it was uncomfortable to sit on the couch in silence with my wife, just
The Case For Playing Dress Up
There are two truths I want you to hold at once. The first truth is that you have no time to waste being someone you’re not. I recently interviewed this young entrepreneur named Nicolas Kirkland, and he said something that stuck with me — “Why do you gotta act like everybody else? Everybody else is taken.” We’re either on the hamster wheel of trying to fit in or we’ve slipped into the sinkhole of
The Lannisters Knew How To Handle Critics in Game of Thrones
This week we’ve been back through Game of Thrones in our house. I haven’t watched it again since 2011 when the series first premiered on HBO and took over popular culture for the next eight years. There’s so much to be said about the characters in this show. Starks. Lannisters. Targaryens. Dothrakis. Baratheons. I’d forgotten how powerful this contest for control of Kings Landing and Westeros is.
Difficult People Are Essential
While I was chaperoning my daughter’s Scout Troop at summer camp in July, I took The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe with me to revisit the classic C.S. Lewis tale with adult eyes. It was fun. I fully appreciate now why I loved this story so much growing up. I also can appreciate with even more clarity why I loathed the character of Edmund so much. He’s the younger brother and family traitor who se
Why I Do This Newsletter
Owen: "We don't need anything from you, Kenobi." Obi-Wan: "It's just a toy."Owen: "It's a lot more than that."―Owen Lars to Obi-Wan KenobiI’ve been thinking a lot today about why I do this. Here’s what I came up with. Geeky Stoics is about drawing out the transcendent from the entertaining. It’s about reaching beyond “escapism” and expanding your potential in the real world through the enjoyment o
Warm Memories Push Us Forward
Why do our warmest memories sort of hurt? You know the feeling. An old home video from childhood where you’re opening Christmas presents in the company of siblings and cousins, or the memory box from high school full of photos and scribblings featuring your long-lost best friends. We miss these times. Though they were challenging at the time (being a teenager is hard) you can’t help but look back
The Glasses We See Through
A journey through perspective taking with Star Wars and C.S. Lewis. The glasses we wear in life change everything. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
A Time For Yelling
“What view is one likely to take of the state of a person’s mind when his speech is wild and incoherent and knows no restraint?” The Roman known as Seneca asked this question sometime around the year 50 AD in a collection of letters now published as Letters From A Stoic. It’s possible I like this book more than Stoicism’s seminal text, Meditations. It’s very practical. Seneca was a lawyer, senator
Strong, Empty Feelings
Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis), known to friends and family as “Jacksie” (or Jack), was a stridently opinionated young man from the earliest age. He was a bookworm, an avid enjoyer of mythology and you could even say he was a bit too pleased with himself for it. During an unpleasant period of Lewis’ life (age 15) studying at Malvern College, a boys’ prep school, Lewis began to form an aspect of
Climb The Desk, See Differently
Yesterday I revisited a Robin Williams classic, the Dead Poets Society. This movie likely inspired a generation of English teachers, based on how many times this movie was shown to me in school by a teacher with a twinkle in their eye. Everyone fancies themselves the Williams character, Mr. Keating, who teaches his students about language, romanticism, and “carpe diem”. It’s a great movie and age
I Don't Think About You At All
Once there was a Gnat who flew over the meadow with much buzzing for so small a creature and he settled on the tip of one of the horns of a Bull. After he had rested a short time, the Gnat made ready to fly away. But before he left he begged the Bull's pardon for having used his horn for a resting place."You must be very glad to have me go now," said the Gnat"It's all the same to me," replied the
It's Okay To Just Enjoy Things
Nothing is worse than losing your sense of who you are. That’s what Riley wrote about for Geeky Stoics just a few days ago. C.S. Lewis worried about this too. He had this sense that Satan himself would love nothing more than to alienate the individual from the person in the mirror. That horrible, empty feeling when you look at yourself and don’t like what you see. The hatred of your own unique voi
Let's Do This Together
The problems on Naboo were deeper than a droid army invasion in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Their planet was divided. One culture and species above the water, another pushed below. The Gungans are sort of a George Lucas stand-in for an indigenous people, while the human beings of Naboo are like colonial settlers. “The Naboo” came from off-world and ran the Gungans off their land. Tha
This Is a Field Manual, Not a Retreat
Life is comfortable in the ivory tower. You can look down on the rest of the world from the observatory window, seated next to your collection of books chock full of ancient wisdom and quips. The Jedi Order was trapped in this state during the years leading up to the Star Wars prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, III). The Jedi Council literally sat around at the top of an ivory-looking tower on Corus
Deconstructing "Balance" of the Force in Star Wars
May the Fourth be with you!What better way to celebrate than to watch a very special, video edition of the Geeky Stoics podcast.In this episode, Stephen Kent and Riley Blanton get into it! It is a Star Wars philosophical battle royale (ok, maybe thoughtful discussion) on the ever-controversial concept of "balance” of the Force. Balance is a big deal in Star Wars - it's basically the main job descr
Touch Grass (Test Impressions)
“In a given year, you meet (dozens) or more people you spend enough time with to appraise their character. Think about them: How many do you think are decent, normal people who do volunteer work, help shovel after a storm, look out for family and neighbors?” This is a question asked often by Jim VandeHei of Axios when he’s speaking to audiences across the country, and it’s an important one. Do you
The First Defeat
How closely do you guard the start of your day? That alarm clock sits by the bedside or maybe a few feet from the door (if you’re clever) and it calls you to a commitment you made the night before. When the sleep is good, or even more so when the sleep was bad until about 3 AM, this otherwise small battle feels like a D-Day level effort. This can be the first victory of the day or the first defeat
Behold, The Talking People
How many social media posts have you made this week? Think about it for a few seconds. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or even Reddit. What were you hoping to communicate to the world in those posts? Were there other posts you drafted and then deleted after coming to your senses about the perils of hitting Post? I can think of a few deleted Tweets from the past week, and quite a few more that stayed
First Steps Into a Larger World
Author Eric Clayton thinks BIG about Star Wars. Like us at Geeky Stoics, he’s been a lifelong fan of the galaxy far, far away and Star Wars has folded into Eric’s views about God and human spirituality. My interview with Eric covers a few chapters of his book, My Life With The Jedi and we focus on turning perceived weaknesses into strengths, letting go of the desire for control, and the principle
Ahsoka the Stoic, Ahsoka the Rock
Happy Friday, Geeky Stoics! I hope you all had a positive week. Today I’ve got a short reflection on Stoicism and emotion, and whether or not the two can co-exist. A popular criticism of the philosophy is that it’s “cold” and “harsh”. I strongly disagree and will use Ahsoka from Star Wars as a case study in ‘stoic’ as a character trait. Ahsoka the Stoic, Ahsoka the RockAhsoka has to be my favorite
Interested in Stoicism? Watch Star Wars
Stephen Kent of Geeky Stoics lists off similarities between Stoic Philosophy and Star Wars. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
The Only Thing They Need You To Be
In Dune, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) does not want to be the ruler of his people. His father, Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) of the House Atreides, aims to help him down that path as gently as possible. Like many young characters at the start of their Hero’s Journey, Paul does not want the responsibility of power. He doesn’t crave its weight. Leto would have preferred to be a pilot himself, but her
So We Put On A Mask
In the new live-action adaptation of Airbender, Uncle Iroh is reflecting on the suffering of his nephew, Prince Zuko, who has been banished from home for not being as cutthroat and ruthless as his father would like him to be. Zuko tries very hard to impress his father, but Zuko has a big heart, and it makes the task impossible.Zuko lives his life day to day not being his true self, not letting tha
Make-Believe "Future You"
Insights from C.S. Lewis and George Washington on being better than we actually are. Turns out “fake it to make it” might actually be a decent mantra for self-improvement. This is Geeky Stoics. A Podcast and Newsletter about the wisdom to be found in popular culture.TRANSCRIPTI've been thinking a lot lately about imposter syndrome and when exactly I'm going to feel like the person I one day wish t
What Anxiety Is Telling You
I am constantly anxious about the future. What about you? This is a state of being that is entirely natural and is a gift human beings have been given to contemplate what’s coming tomorrow and plan accordingly. It’s also torture. Never is our mind 100 percent in the moment, focused on where we are and what we are doing. This was Luke Skywalker’s problem in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as he
Just Say Sorry, It's Okay
If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one's own self-deception and ignorance.Marcus Aurelius, Meditations This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit geekystoics.substack.com/subscribe
Don't Make It Easy For Them
Thank you to all our subscribers for the positive feedback on our most recent newsletter about the stoicism of Zorro, the 1998 film starring Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins. It was fun to branch out beyond our usual focus on sci-fi and fantasy and riff about this awesome folk tale of revenge and justice. This email is the podcast version of Sunday’s newsletter and just a quick plug of our mos
Podcast: Nostalgia, Identity + Comic Con recap
This week on the Geeky Stoics MEGACAST, Riley and Stephen recap their experience promoting Star Wars & Stoicism at Atlanta Comic Con.Stephen provides a brief Stoicism 101 for geeks, explaining the four virtues of courage, wisdom, justice, and temperance and how they shine throughout Star Wars. We also discuss the cultural significance of Star Wars and nostalgia. Riley reflects on how the franchise
Valentines: Dying Every Day
In Star Wars, Padme had enjoyed many years of a thriving political career. She had been free of the sort of distraction and messiness that a forbidden romance might bring into her life. Throughout the movie, as she resists her desire for Anakin Skywalker, at times quite awkwardly for both of them, she is almost in a kind of grieving stage for her more tidy and simple life.By the time Padme and Ana
There Will Be Rewards
Uncle Iroh says many wise things to Zuko over the course of his time running the tea business, a short period of bliss during Airbender’s second season. Here’s what stuck out to me today. It’s simple.“Follow your passion and life will reward you”In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko is frustrated with Uncle Iroh and his simple passion for running this tea shop. Zuko has a claim to the throne of the
Your Need For Control Will Kill You
Star Wars is a saga about one thing: Letting go. All of its main characters must learn to confront the fear of failure and loss, things beyond their control. It’s a message we all need to hear more of, and it’s what Geeky Stoics is all about. Thank you for listening to Geeky Stoics.More on this at geekystoics.comAnd find the videos on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@GeekyStoics/videos This is a pu
You Have To Move On With Your Life
Live or die. This is the message from the ghost of Anakin Skywalker to his grown-up apprentice, Ahsoka Tano. Not many of us want to die. Ahsoka doesn’t either. But she was living as if she were dead. That is the message. Are you living your life, moving forward and for tomorrow? Or are you stuck in the past, reliving past successes and stewing on yesterdays failures?Thank you for listening to Geek
Life Will Be Cheaper When You're Dead
Life will be a lot cheaper when you’re dead.Pay the taxes. Anticipate and accept the hidden costs. Understand that you truly own very little. Most of what you have is borrowed, so don’t overly invest yourself in hoarding it. Once you’ve sincerely thought over the hidden costs, decide if you truly need this thing, person, or job to be happy.Above all else, be thankful for the things and the people
Star Wars For Real Life
Star Wars is chock full of real-world wisdom and insights on life, death, control, love, and change. In this podcast, Riley Blanton of Geeky Stoics breaks down the 5 essential quotes from Star Wars that you can live by. Thank you for listening to Geeky Stoics.More on this at geekystoics.comAnd find the videos on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@GeekyStoics/videos This is a public episode. If you'd
Frodo Baggins & Your Complaints
This podcast is about The Lord of the Rings, complaining, and Stoic insights on doing your duty without whining. Enjoy!As an enjoyer of the The Lord of the Rings films, I’ve never much liked Frodo Baggins. Frodo is the chief protagonist of the series, the Ringer Bearer, the “Chosen One” of sorts, and he can be pretty fussy. Frodo is always going on about the heaviness of the Ring, and complaining
Give Advice That Is Truly Meant For YOU
How do you give people moral advice they’ll listen to? A recent controversy involving director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy offers a worthwhile opportunity to consider how you tell moral stories and aim to improve your audience. Enjoy the podcast and join us at geekystoics.com for more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
MEGA-CAST: Star Wars Controversy, Storytelling Philosophies, and Creative Processes
In this episode of the Geeky Stoics Mega-Cast, Riley and Stephen delve into a recent controversy in the Star Wars community. We analyze an interview given by a certain upcoming Star Wars director and explore the fan reactions it sparked. Stephen provides insightful background on the director and quotes that particularly stuck with the fans, stirring up debate.Key Discussion Points:* Director's Con
Don't JUST fight what you hate
This is going to be an ugly year. There’s a presidential election, after all. People will talk about how high the stakes are and they’ll theorize about the end of the American experiment — no matter the outcome. I am reluctant to say it, but hate and mass fear will be a huge part of what we observe in 2024. But there can also be beauty.The question is, will you be able to see it? Do you even know
Choose Your Enemies Wisely
2024 is here — and it is going to be spicy. In the face of a legally fraught election, rising interest rates, social turmoil, and the never-ending “culture war,” The Geeky Stoics podcast is here to tell you about the key to keeping your sanity this year. It comes from an unlikely source which I was reminded of this past December…Dr. Seuss's classic, How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Enjoy! This
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