The Daily Stoic

The difference between reacting and thinking clearly starts with how you begin your day. In this episode, Ryan sits down with bestselling author Maria Semple to break down the 5-step Stoic routine she uses each morning. They talk about how a daily practice of reflection, intention, and perspective can change the way you approach everything from small annoyances to life’s biggest challenges.
Maria Semple is the bestselling author of Today Will Be Different, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, and This One Is Mine. Her new novel, Go Gentle, is about a Stoic philosopher living in New York City. Before writing fiction, Maria wrote for TV shows like Arrested Development, 90210, Mad About You, Ellen, and more.

📚 Grab a signed copy of Go Gentle by Maria Semple | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

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“Mastery of reading and writing requires a master,” Marcus Aurelius writes. He knew this from experience.

Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, but only if you know how to read his work 👉 Head here now to grab your Meditations book and guide bundle | https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/meditations-month-2026

🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

🎥 VIDEO EPISODES| Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

✉️ FREE STOIC WISDOM | Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail
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What happens when everything is taken from you and the only thing left is how you think? In this episode, Lamb of God’s lead singer Randy Blythe shares his firsthand prison experience and how Stoicism became more than philosophy and turned into a practical tool for surviving fear, uncertainty, and loss of control.

Listen to the full episodes with Randy Blythe:
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe on Fighting Fear With Gratitude
EGO, DEATH, FAME: Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe

📚 Books Mentioned:
Just Beyond The Light by Randy Blythe
Dark Days by Randy Blythe

Follow Randy on Instagram and X @DRandallBlythe and check out his Substack

🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

🎥 VIDEO EPISODES| Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

✉️ FREE STOIC WISDOM | Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail
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Start living your life with more courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom by deepening your understanding of one of the most enduring books on life ever written.

Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life, but only if you know how to read his work 👉 Head here now to grab your Meditations book and guide bundle | https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/meditations-month-2026

🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

🎥 VIDEO EPISODES | Watch the video episodes on The Daily Stoic YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic/videos

✉️ FREE STOIC WISDOM | Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Stoics urged us to read, study, and journal, not as abstract philosophy, but to help us recover from the stuff life throws at us.

📚 Sign up for Ryan’s free monthly reading list newsletter: https://ryanholiday.net/the-reading-list/

🎙️ AD-FREE | Support the podcast and go deeper into Stoicism by subscribing to The Daily Stoic Premium - unlock ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content: https://dailystoic.supercast.com/

🎥 VIDEO EPISODE | Watch this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES4h6q1497I

✉️ FREE STOIC WISDOM | Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.