EducationSelf-ImprovementSociety & CulturePhilosophyHealth & FitnessMental Health

The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

Jon Brooks

You've read the books. You know what Marcus Aurelius would do. But when life gets hard, the philosophy disappears. This podcast is for people who want to close the gap between knowing Stoicism and actually living it. New episodes weekly. Start with the free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: https://www.stoicchallenge.co/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show-description&utm_content=global

Play

Open in

40 episodes
a few times a week
Avg 22 min
English

Episodes 40

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

Yesterday · 25 min
Amor Fati: The Stoic Practice Of Loving Your Fate
What would it mean to work with the life you have, even when it takes a turn you would never have chosen? This recorded talk explores amor fati, the practice of loving your fate, and the difference between active acceptance and passive resignation. I connect the idea with three everyday practices: looking for a useful response to adversity, separating what is up to you from what is not, and noticing what you can still appreciate. Bring one current frustration to mind and use it as the starting point for the exercises. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
Thursday · 1 hr 6 min
Jon Friedland: Jiu-Jitsu, Fear and the Practice of Stoicism
Your first jiu-jitsu class can expose how little your toughness helps. Going back takes a different kind of courage. Jon Friedland joins me to explore what training can teach us about Stoicism. We discuss competition nerves, judging a performance without clinging to the result, and why a black belt can leave someone's ego bigger than before. Jon explains how he keeps learning after nearly thirty years on the mats. One question from the conversation stayed with me: what advice would you give someone else in your position? Jon uses it when he's stuck under pressure and struggling to see an option. Jon is the founder and head instructor of Neutral Ground Academy and the author of Jiujitsu Stoic. Jon’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jon_friedland/ Neutral Ground Academy: https://www.ngmke.com/about-us/jon-friedland/ Jon’s book: https://jiujitsustoic.com/ Jiujitsu Stoic on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HKLX73Y5 Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
- Chapters
October 13 · 35 min
Difficult People: A Stoic Masterclass
How do you stay yourself around someone who keeps drawing you into conflict? In this recorded Stoic masterclass, I work through five practical moves: expect difficulty, notice the hook, drop the rope, make your boundary a behaviour, and look honestly at your own patterns. We also map the inner citadel: what belongs to you, and what was never yours to control. The session distinguishes everyday friction from harmful and dangerous relationships, then offers exercises you can use before, during and after a difficult interaction. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
October 6 · 31 min
Stoic Joy: Six Habits For A Calmer Life
You can get better at handling difficulty and still forget to enjoy your life. This half-hour Stoic talk explores six habits for practising joy, including the seven-second control check, the View from Above and the Joy of Enough. It also covers a 24-hour virtue experiment, obstacle training and a morning-and-evening routine. Choose one habit from the session and give it a place in your day. There's no need to turn all six into another list of things you're failing to do. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
October 5 · 3 min
The Reset: How to Come Back Quickly When You've Lost It
Marcus Aurelius expected to be knocked off balance. His advice was to come back quickly and treat every return as training. This short Stoic practice is for the moment after you’ve snapped or started spiralling. The Reset uses SPQR as a modern memory aid: Stop, Pause, Question, Reframe. Take one breath, check the story you’re telling yourself, and look at what’s actually here and what your part is. Try one Reset today and record whether you came back. This is episode two of One Passage. Passage: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.11, translated by George Long. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
October 3 · 58 min
Massimo Pigliucci: How to Think Clearly Without Certainty
How do you make a decision when you might be wrong? Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci joins me to explore critical thinking and scepticism in everyday life. Drawing on his book How to Be a (Happy) Skeptic, Massimo explains how the ancient sceptics and Cicero approached uncertainty. We discuss degrees of confidence, how much evidence a decision needs, and why an open mind still needs a way to act. You’ll hear how to examine a belief you hold strongly, argue for a view you disagree with, and distinguish scepticism from self-doubt. We also explore relationships, meaningful work, unsolicited advice and helping children think for themselves. Try this after listening: choose one belief you hold strongly. Ask how confident you are, and what gives you that confidence. Watch the interview: https://youtu.be/VSDxXsN2aC8 Massimo’s book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/806907/how-to-be-a-happy-skeptic-by-massimo-pigliucci/ Figs in Winter: https://figsinwintertime.substack.com/ Massimo’s website: https://massimopigliucci.net/ Go well. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
- Chapters
October 2 · 3 min
The Flinch: What to Do With the First Jolt of Anger or Anxiety
Your body reacts before you decide anything. Seneca says even the wise still blush and sweat. This short Stoic practice helps you name the first jolt of anger or anxiety and stop mistaking it for a decision. This is the first episode of One Passage: one ancient passage, one practice to try today. Notice the flinch once, name it, and record whether you caught it. Even noticing it after you’ve reacted counts. Passage: Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, Letter 11, translated by Richard M. Gummere. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
October 1 · 13 min
Let Go Of What You Can't Control: A Stoic Meditation
You keep returning to the reply that hasn't come, the decision someone else is making, or the conversation you wish had gone differently. This 13-minute guided meditation uses Epictetus's image of the dice and the player to work with one situation you've been carrying. Settle with the breath, separate what has fallen from the use you can make of it, and choose one next action. The practice is called The Throw And The Play. There is space to reflect throughout, so bring a small, everyday concern and take your time. Source: Epictetus, Discourses 2.5. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 29 · 45 min
The Stoic Pause: Respond Without Reacting
You know how you want to handle anger. Then someone says the wrong thing, and you're already reacting. This 45-minute Stoic talk works through PAUSE: Perceive, Acknowledge, Unhook, Sort and Engage. It connects the Stoic distinction between an impression and your response with guided practice for emotionally charged moments, followed by questions from the original live session. Practise making room for the feeling while choosing what to do next. The feeling may still be there. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 24 · 13 min
Stoic Sleep Practice: Full-Body Release Into Deep Rest
A 13-minute guided sleep practice for nights when your body is in bed but the day is still moving through your mind. This slow full-body scan moves from the scalp to the toes, letting the jaw, shoulders, hands, hips and legs release into the mattress. There is almost no philosophy here, deliberately. Nothing to learn and nothing to solve. Put the phone down, get comfortable, and let the practice fade with you. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 22 · 1 hr 4 min
Is This Worth Your Peace of Mind? A Stoic Guide to Anger
Anger can feel like strength, clarity or self-respect. But once it gathers momentum, it narrows your choices and makes you pay for the first reaction twice. In this full live masterclass, I explore Seneca's three warnings about anger: it makes us a slave, accelerates quickly and spreads between people. I share the question that has helped me interrupt it: "Is this worth sacrificing my peace of mind over?" We also work through practical Stoic tools including premeditatio malorum, journalling, the physiological sigh, sleep and exercise, compassion, boundaries, and learning to catch anger before it becomes an identity. Stoicism is not a promise that you will never feel angry. It is a practice of noticing the first movement, protecting your tranquillity, and choosing what happens next. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 17 · 7 min
Stoic Morning Rehearsal For A High-Stakes Day
A 7-minute guided Stoic practice for the morning of a presentation, interview, difficult meeting or test. You will rehearse one realistic setback, separate what is yours from what is not, and choose how you want to act when the moment arrives. The practice draws on premeditation of adversity, Epictetus's first chapter of the Enchiridion, and Cicero's archer image. Use it before the event, then take one sentence with you: I have prepared. I will do my part. The rest is not mine. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 15 · 31 min
Envy Is the Greatest Motivator
Envy has a terrible reputation. But the feeling itself can tell you what you value, where comparison has hooked you, and what you may need to work towards. In this episode, I separate malicious envy from the more useful kind, drawing on Alain de Botton, the story of Mozart and Salieri, and my own experiences learning guitar and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I also share a simple envy diary practice you can try for one week. The point is not to pretend envy is noble. It is to stop hiding it, read the signal honestly, and turn it into work that matters. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 10 · 5 min
A Stoic Morning Practice For Grief And Loss
Some mornings, grief is present before you open your eyes. This gentle guided practice does not ask you to stop grieving or manufacture a better mood. You will make a little room for the weight, notice one source of warmth, and choose one small act of care for the next few hours. The Stoic frame draws on Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 8.48; the guided structure is a modern adaptation. Use it seated or lying down. If the practice feels too much today, ordinary breathing is enough, and you can stop. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 8 · 13 min
The Marcus Aurelius Quote He Never Wrote
One of Marcus Aurelius's most famous online quotes does not appear in the Meditations. In this episode, I look at several fabricated, misattributed and over-smoothed Stoic quotes, including one I used myself. The point is bigger than pedantry. A philosophy built on checking impressions should not be taught through claims nobody checked. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 3 · 5 min
Stoic Morning Practice: Be Fair To Yourself
Some mornings, the first voice you hear is a prosecutor. It lists what you did badly, what you did not finish and what you should have become by now. This guided Stoic morning practice helps you take one honest mistake, separate the facts from the verdict you added, and test that verdict against what you would say to someone you care about. It draws on Seneca's nightly self-review and Epictetus's distinction between events and our judgements about them. Being fair to yourself does not mean pretending nothing happened. It means keeping the fact and dropping the attack. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
September 1 · 8 min
You Broke the Streak. Now What?
One missed day is rarely the problem. The story you tell yourself the next day is. This episode looks at the Stoic idea of progress, why trends survive lapses while streaks do not, and the Same Day Return: one tiny action that gets you back into a practice without trying to catch up. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
August 27 · 7 min
Stoic Attention Practice: Return Before The Noise
Before the first message, headline, or demand, practise the Stoic discipline of attention. This guided meditation introduces prosochē: noticing where the mind has gone and returning before an impression becomes an automatic judgement or action. It draws on Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.29, and Seneca, Letters 13.4. The sound, body, breath, and one-word labelling sequence is a modern guided adaptation, not a reconstructed ancient ritual. The point is not perfect concentration. The return is the practice. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
August 25 · 6 min
The Stoic Skill Underneath Every Other Skill
You look up and twenty minutes have gone. The problem is not only the phone. It is the tiny judgements your mind keeps accepting while you scroll. In this episode, I explain prosochē, the Stoic practice of attention, and share Name the Hook: a one-word exercise for catching what has taken hold of you before shame takes over. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript
August 23 · 5 min
Stoic Morning Practice: Start Before You Feel Ready
Some mornings, nothing has gone wrong and the day already feels like too much. This guided Stoic morning practice starts from Marcus Aurelius's own argument with the bed in Meditations 5.1. Rather than manufacturing enthusiasm, you will choose one real reason to move and one obstacle to begin. The practice also draws on Meditations 5.20, where Marcus treats an obstruction as material for action. You do not need to feel ready. You need one honest start. Free 7-Day Stoic Challenge: stoicchallenge.co The Stoic Vault: stoicvault.com
- Transcript

Showing 1–20 of 40 episodes