Home Podcasts The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast

The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast

Scott Smith, Principal Advisor 378 Episodes Sep 18, 2026

The Stoic Inner Strategy is a daily leadership podcast for founders, CEOs, executives, and operators making high-stakes decisions. Hosted by Scott Smith, Principal Advisor and founder of Akhada Consulting, it combines Stoic philosophy with modern business strategy and executive decision-making. Episodes are short and focus on judgment under pressure, strategic thinking, emotional discipline, execution, resilience, and founder psychology. Drawing on Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, the show translates timeless philosophy into practical leadership frameworks. It aims to offer measured thinking rather than motivational content for people responsible for outcomes.

Episodes

EP 375 – Do Your Part, Then Let Go
EP 375 – Do Your Part, Then Let Go Sep 18, 2026 406 There comes a point when responsibility stops asking for more action and starts asking for patience, endurance, and restraint. This episode is about doing your part well, then releasing the outcome.🎙️ Episode SummaryMost of us would prefer life to work like a transaction.Do the work, get the result. Make the good decision, receive the good outcome. Treat people well, and everything works out.Life
EP 374 – You Cannot Carry It for Them
EP 374 – You Cannot Carry It for Them Sep 17, 2026 358 We can teach, guide, support, and stay close, but we cannot build another person’s judgment for them. This episode explores the difficult balance between helping and carrying too much.🎙️ Episode SummaryOne of the hardest parts of responsibility is accepting that we cannot carry another person’s life for them.We can teach. We can warn. We can encourage. We can share what we have learned. We can sta
EP 373 – When Responsibility Becomes Overfunctioning
EP 373 – When Responsibility Becomes Overfunctioning Sep 16, 2026 358 Capable people can accidentally create the dependency they later resent. This episode explores how being helpful can quietly become compensating for everyone else’s lack of ownership.🎙️ Episode SummaryThere is a strange reward that comes with being the person who can handle things.People trust you. Problems come to you. When something gets dropped, you catch it. When a decision stalls, you make it
EP 372 – Responsibility Without Control
EP 372 – Responsibility Without Control Sep 15, 2026 529 You can be fully responsible for your part and still not control the result. This episode explores how to separate accountability, judgment, and preparation from the outcomes we cannot guarantee.🎙️ Episode SummaryOne of the uncomfortable parts of responsibility is that it does not automatically come with control.We can prepare carefully and still lose the opportunity. We can lead well and still ha
Ep 371 – Carry What Is Yours
Ep 371 – Carry What Is Yours Sep 14, 2026 331 Responsible people often end up carrying far more than actually belongs to them. This episode explores the Stoic discipline of separating what we care about from what we are truly responsible for.🎙️ Episode SummaryResponsible people have a tendency to keep picking things up simply because they care.We care about our families, our businesses, our teams, the people around us, and the outcomes we are
Ep 370 – Strength Without Noise
Ep 370 – Strength Without Noise Sep 11, 2026 293 Stoic leadership teaches quiet strength. Scott Smith explains why restraint, self-command, and integrity often matter more than visible force.🎙️ Episode SummaryMarcus Aurelius governed Rome, but so much of what he left behind is the record of a man trying to govern himself.Stoicism teaches that strength is not always loud, visible, or immediate. In this episode, Scott Smith reflects on quiet stren
Ep 369 – When Action Is Really Anxiety
Ep 369 – When Action Is Really Anxiety Sep 10, 2026 371 Stoic leadership teaches disciplined action. Scott Smith explains how leaders can tell the difference between real progress and anxiety in motion.🎙️ Episode SummaryStoicism does not teach passivity. It teaches action guided by judgment rather than agitation.In this episode, Scott Smith reflects on the difference between productive action and anxiety in motion. Leaders often believe that doing some
Ep 368 – The Urge to Be Understood
Ep 368 – The Urge to Be Understood Sep 9, 2026 253 Stoic leadership teaches restraint with reputation. Scott Smith explains why leaders cannot manage every opinion or interpretation others hold.🎙️ Episode SummaryMarcus Aurelius lived under constant judgment, criticism, misunderstanding, and competing interpretations of his motives.Stoicism teaches leaders to distinguish between their conduct and another person’s opinion of that conduct. In this ep
Ep 367 – Just Because You Can Fix It Doesn’t Mean You Should
Ep 367 – Just Because You Can Fix It Doesn’t Mean You Should Sep 8, 2026 444 Stoic leadership teaches restraint when others struggle. Scott Smith explains why helping, rescuing, and developing judgment are not the same.🎙️ Episode SummaryThe Stoics were deeply interested in the kind of person we become through practice.Stoicism teaches that growth often requires struggle, judgment, and consequences. In this episode, Scott Smith reflects on the temptation to step in when we
Ep 366 – Not Every Thought Requires a Response
Ep 366 – Not Every Thought Requires a Response Sep 7, 2026 329 Stoic leadership teaches restraint in communication. Scott Smith explains why not every disagreement, misunderstanding, or opinion needs a response.🎙️ Episode SummaryEpictetus repeatedly reminds us that other people’s opinions and judgments do not belong to us.Stoicism teaches leaders to govern their response before trying to govern the conversation. In this episode, Scott Smith reflects on the di
Ep 365 – Socrates, His Sons, and the Limits of Legacy
Ep 365 – Socrates, His Sons, and the Limits of Legacy Sep 1, 2026 1076 Stoic leadership teaches influence without control. Scott Smith reflects on Socrates, parenting, leadership, and the limits of legacy.🎙️ Episode SummarySocrates had three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. We know their names, but history tells us very little about what became of them.Stoicism teaches leaders to distinguish between what belongs to us and what does not. In this episode,
Ep 364 – The Discipline of Not Knowing
Ep 364 – The Discipline of Not Knowing Aug 25, 2026 2025 Stoic leadership helps founders practice restraint. Scott Smith explains why not knowing, over-explaining, and silence require disciplined judgment.🎙️ Episode Summary“Be satisfied with even the smallest progress, and think of the result as no small thing.” — Marcus AureliusStoicism teaches that restraint is not only for anger. In this episode, Scott Smith reflects on a quieter and often harder for

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