Twitter: @DonJRobertson
Site: donaldrobertson.substack.com/podcast
35 episodes
2022 to present
Average episode: 45 minutes
Open in Apple Podcasts • RSS
Categories: Interview-Style • Monologue (Non-Course)
Podcaster's summary: Email newsletter and podcast from Donald J. Robertson, cognitive-behavioural therapist, and author of Stoicism books, including How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. Sign up to learn how ancient philosophy and modern psychology can be used in self-help.
| Episodes |
| 2024-Feb-13 • 72 minutes Street Epistemology and the Socratic Method In this episode, I speak with Anthony Magnabosco a founder and the current Executive Director of the nonprofit Street Epistemology International, an educational organization that is committed to addressing dysfunction in public and private discourse by encouraging rationality through civil conversation. Anthony has been involved with Street Epistemology since 2013, and has given dozens of talks and workshops at conferences and events domestically and internationally. Many of his conversations have been upl... |
| 2024-Feb-08 • 68 minutes The Plague of Marcus Aurelius In this episode, I speak with Colin Elliott, Associate Chair in the Department of History at Indiana University. He describes himself as an economic and social historian with an interest in money, disease and ecology in the ancient Roman world. His latest book, Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World was released on 6th Feb, the same day as my Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor. It is currently Amazon’s #1 New Release in Communicable Diseases. Colin is also the host of the Pax Romana Podcast.Hig... |
| 2024-Jan-23 • 20 minutes Overview of "Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor" In this episode, I read an exclusive excerpt from my latest book, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, published by Yale University Press, as part of the Ancient Lives Series. The book is a philosophical biography of the Roman emperor, which contains many references to the Meditations and how his philosophy shaped his life. You can help it reach a wider audience by pre-ordering now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other bookseller.While the First Marcomannic War was raging, Marcus Aurelius, surrounded b... |
| 2024-Jan-18 • 12 minutes Did Marcus Aurelius say Kindness is More Manly Than Anger? In this episode, I briefly discuss what Marcus Aurelius said about masculinity, and how it might differ from what some modern self-improvement influencers say, despite their claims to be influenced by Stoicism. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* The resurgence of Stoicism and the manosphere* Stoic philosophy versus being “stoic”* Marcus Aurelius’ enemies accused him of bei... |
| 2023-Dec-07 • 61 minutes Areté: Philosophy and Coaching In this episode, I speak with Brian Johnson, the Founder & CEO of Heroic Public Benefit Corporation. Brian is the author of a new book called Areté: Activate Your Heroic Potential.Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.Highlights* What Brian’s new book Arete is about* How Brian has been influenced by Stoicism* What is “Targeted Thinking” – can you explain to listeners what you mean by that and why it’s so important?* You talk quite a bit ab... |
| 2023-Oct-26 • 9 minutes Excerpt from "Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor" In this episode, I read an exclusive excerpt from my latest book, Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor, published by Yale University Press, as part of the Ancient Lives Series. The book is a philosophical biography of the Roman emperor, which contains many references to the Meditations and how his philosophy shaped his life. You can help it reach a wider audience by pre-ordering now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any other bookseller.Marcus Aurelius did not have a heart of stone. When the news was brough... |
| 2023-Oct-19 • 79 minutes Socrates and Love In this episode, I speak about Socrates with Armand D'Angour, professor of classics at Oxford University. He is the translator of How to Innovate: An Ancient Guide to Creative Thinking (2021) and the author of Socrates in Love: The Making of a Philosopher (2020), among other works.Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.Highlights* Why should we care about Socrates today?* How reliable are our sources regarding Socrates?* What was Socrates l... |
| 2023-Oct-12 • 50 minutes Clarity and Wisdom In this episode, I speak about Clarity and Wisdom with executive coach, Jim Vaselopulos. Jim is co-host of The Leadership Podcast. We discuss his new book, Clarity: Business Wisdom to Work Less and Achieve More.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* What is clarity?* What's the relationship between wisdom and clarity?* What are the benefits of having more clarity?* What gets i... |
| 2023-Aug-24 • 78 minutes Stoicism and Buddhism In this episode, I speak about Stoicism and Buddhism with Matthew Gindin. Matthew is a former Forest Monk in the Thai Buddhist tradition. He taught meditation practices for 15 years, and has written extensively for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. He is now the author of the newsletter on Substack.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* How Matthew became interested in Stoicis... |
| 2023-Aug-17 • 70 minutes Design your Mind with Stoicism In this episode, I talk to Ryan A. Bush, author of Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture and the forthcoming Become Who You Are: A New Theory of Self-Esteem, Human Greatness, and the Opposite of Depression. Bonus: Ryan is generously offering listeners two free ebooks from his website, called the Psychitect’s Toolkit and The Book of Self Mastery. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid s... |
| 2023-Jul-20 • 57 minutes Tips for Practical Stoicism in Everyday Life Elliot Chung, a student at Phillips Academy Andover, interviewed me recently for his new Philosophy for the Modern Mind podcast, and we decided to share our conversation on this podcast as well. We talk in particular about how Stoicism could be of practical benefit to young people, and the challenges they face today. Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so f... |
| 2023-Jul-06 • 18 minutes Stoic Philosophy and Alcoholism How to drink like a Roman emperor, if that emperor is Marcus Aurelius. In this episode I explore the relationship between Stoic philosophy and the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous, discussing how Stoicism can help those suffering from alcoholism, as well as their friends and families. I spot parallels between the Twelve Step advice and Stoic teachings, and give examples from the life of Marcus Aurelius. I talk about how his wayward brother, and co-emperor, Lucius Verus, was almost certainly an... |
| 2023-Jun-29 • 86 minutes Stoicism and the Live and Let Live Movement In this episode, I talk with Marc J. Victor, about Stoicism and politics. Marc is an attorney in the US, where he is a certified Criminal Law Specialist, and president of the Attorneys for Freedom law firm. He is also an activist and founder of the Live and Let Live global peace movement.Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.Highlights* Why Stoicism is attracting more interest today* Misconceptions * What is the Live and Let Live Movement... |
| 2023-Jun-22 • 77 minutes Plato of Athens, with Robin Waterfield In this episode, I talk to Robin Waterfield about the life and philosophy of the Greek philosopher, Plato. Robin is a British classicist who has translated many works of Plato, Xenophon, and other Greek writers. He is also the author of several books, including the recently-published Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy, the first full-length modern biography of Plato in English. Robin is also a member of our board of advisors for the Plato’s Academy Centre.Highlights* Why is Plato “super-important” today... |
| 2023-May-11 • 63 minutes Stoicism and Martial Arts with Michael Tremblay In this episode, Donald talks with Michael Tremblay. Michael is the co-founder of the Stoa Meditation app and co-host of the Stoa Conversations podcast. He has a doctorate in philosophy from Queens University in Ontario. His research has focused on moral education in the Stoics, and philosophy as a way of life. He’s also a wrestler and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a ... |
| 2023-Apr-27 • 73 minutes Philosophy as a Way of Life with Matthew Sharpe In this episode, Donald talks with Matthew Sharpe. Matt is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Deakin University in Australia. He’s spoken at Stoicon in Athens. He is the co-author of Philosophy as a Way of Life, and one of the translators of The Selected Writings of Pierre Hadot: Philosophy as Practice. His most recent book is titled Stoicism, Bullying, and Beyond: How to Keep Your Head When Others Around You Have Lost Theirs and Blame You.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported pub... |
| 2023-Apr-20 • 72 minutes What is Wisdom? with J.W. Bertolotti In this episode, I chat with host of the In Search of Wisdom podcast, and founder of the Perennial Leader Project. Josh was one of the speakers at our Stoicon-x Military event a few years ago. We’re both very active on Substack now, Josh at so I thought it would be a great opportunity to reconnect and chat about philosophy as a guide to life.Highlights* How Joshua got into philosophy* His journey as a podcaster speaking to people about the nature of wisdom * Stoicism and other philosophies* Desire and ... |
| 2023-Mar-23 • 10 minutes The Choice of Hercules This is the famous speech, which we’re told inspired Zeno, the founder of Stoicism, to embark on a life of philosophy. He came across it in Book Two of Xenophon’s Memorabilia Socratis, where Socrates is portrayed reciting a version of it, which he learned from the celebrated Sophist and orator, Prodicus. It’s an exhortation to philosophy, which uses the legend of Hercules as an allegory to illustrate the choice between a life of virtue and one of vice. This story was illustrated in our graphic novel, Veri... |
| 2023-Mar-09 • 64 minutes Stoicism, Cognitive Therapy, and Resilience In this episode, I answer questions about Stoicism, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and emotional-resilience from Valentin Lehodey, a digital journalism student at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* What is Stoicism?* How Stoicism influenced cognitive therapy* Stoicism as a preventative resilience-building approach* How Stoici... |
| 2023-Mar-02 • 121 minutes Stoicism, Self-Help and Modern Psychology This is the audio of an interview I gave recently for Book Club with Kaiden Kelly, talking about How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, Verissimus, and Stoicism, self-help and modern psychology.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life... |
| 2023-Feb-23 • 16 minutes How Stoicism Cures Anger Donald discusses what Stoicism teaches us about anger and how it can actually help us in practice today.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* Why anger is a problem* What the Stoics say about anger* Ways in which Stoicism can help us manage anger* The benefits of learning to cope with angerThank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel... |
| 2023-Feb-16 • 22 minutes The Great Discourse of Protagoras In this episode, I discuss and recite one of the most important philosophical speeches in history — the Great Discourse or Great Speech of the Sophist Protagoras, from Plato’s dialogue Protagoras. This speech contains some remarkable imagery and ideas, which clearly foreshadow many later ideas about social virtue and politics in Greek and Roman philosophy, from Socrates to the Stoics, and beyond.Thank you for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life. This post is public so feel free to share it.Highli... |
| 2023-Feb-09 • 48 minutes Anya Leonard on Why Classics Matter Today In this episode, I chat with Anya Leonard. Anya is the founder and director of Classical Wisdom, a website and online community dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. She also recently published a children’s book about the ancient Greek poetess, called Sappho: The Lost Poetess.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* How Anya got into the classics * Why she cho... |
| 2023-Feb-02 • 19 minutes Stoicism as a Philosophy of Life This is my attempt to provide a short and simple introduction to Stoic practices, which anyone can begin using right away. It includes:* Brief introduction to Stoicism and dispelling the most common misconceptions* Two basic concepts:* The dichotomy of control* That it’s not things that upset us but rather our judgments about them* Three basic practices:* Objective description* Contemplating virtue and the double-standards strategy* The view from aboveStoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-suppo... |
| 2023-Jan-26 • 15 minutes Archeology: Marcus Aurelius and Carnuntum This podcast episode contains the audio recording from a conversation about Marcus Aurelius, and the history of Roman Carnuntum. I spoke with Eduard Pollhammer, the scientific director of the Carnuntum Archeological Park, at the Museum Carnuntinum in Austria. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks to Landessammlungen Niederösterreich, Archäologischer Park Carnuntum for permission t... |
| 2023-Jan-19 • 54 minutes Alexandra Hudson on Classics and Civility In this episode, I chat with Alexandra Hudson, writer, popular speaker, founder of Civic Renaissance, a publication and intellectual community dedicated to beauty, goodness and truth, and author of The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves, a forthcoming book from St. Martin’s Press.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Highlights* What Lexi’s newsletter, Civ... |
| 2023-Jan-15 • 13 minutes Short Guided Relaxation Exercise NB: This episode contains a recording of a guided relaxation technique, which you should not listen to while driving. I created this recording for my psychotherapy clients, many years ago, but wanted to make it more widely available. It’s a short and simple exercise, about thirteen minutes in duration. This is the approach that I found to work best for the majority of people. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider beco... |
| 2023-Jan-11 • 8 minutes Stoicism in a Time of Pandemic Re-reading a newspaper article that I wrote at the start of the pandemic about how Marcus Aurelius used Stoicism, in the Meditations, to cope with the Antonine Plague. It struck me that, in part at least, the Meditations can be seen as Marcus’ notes to himself on coping with the psychological and moral challenges of the plague — or, if you like, as a manual for coping Stoically during a pandemic.Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my wor... |
| 2023-Jan-06 • 23 minutes Marcus Aurelius and Carnuntum This podcast episode contains the audio recording from a conversation about Marcus Aurelius, which I had with Markus Wachter, the CEO of the Carnuntum Archeological Park, at the Museum Carnuntinum, in 2019. I was visiting Austria for around a week, doing research for my books on Marcus Aurelius. The audio was recorded live in the main hall of the reconstructed Roman villa in the archeological park, hence the acoustics. Marcus stationed himself at the Roman legionary fortress of Carnuntum, for part of the... |
| 2022-Dec-22 • 58 minutes Massimo Pigliucci on Socrates, Stoicism and Leadership In this episode, I chat with Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, part of the team responsible for the Modern Stoicism organization, and author of several books on philosophy, including How to be a Stoic and, more recently, The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches us about Our Search for Good Leaders. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a ... |
| 2022-Dec-15 • 61 minutes Tim LeBon on Stoicism and Psychology In this episode, I chat with Tim LeBon, cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist, research director for the Modern Stoicism organization, and author of Wise Therapy: Philosophy for Counsellors, Teach Yourself Positive Psychology, and more recently, 365 Ways to be More Stoic, edited by my wife . Topics covered include…* How Tim first got into philosophical practice and Stoicism * The relationship between Stoicism and CBT in general * Stoicism and third-wave CBT — recent advances* What Tim has learned about S... |
| 2022-Dec-08 • 11 minutes Podcast: Experimental Technique This is an audio recording of me explaining, and demonstrating, how to use a very simple but powerful psychological technique, which I call imaginal aphasia. It derives from an old hypnotic technique called hypnotic aphasia, and involves speaking (e.g., counting) aloud while gradually fading your voice to silence, and imagining that it’s becoming more and more of an effort to pronounce the syllables. You’re doing this both externally and internally, i.e., in your outward behaviour but also in your imagina... |
| 2022-Nov-17 • 25 minutes Interview: Kasey Pierce and 365 Ways to be More Stoic My wife, Kasey Robertson, writes under the pen name Kasey Pierce. I thought it would be pretty interesting to interview her about her writing. You can follow hernewsletter on Substack. Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Links mentioned* Kasey’s Amazon author page* 365 Ways to be More Stoic (Harbinger)* Kasey on Medium* Kasey’s Twitter and InstagramThank you for reading Stoicism: Phil... |
| 2022-Nov-04 • 18 minutes Death, Love, Stoicism This is a new audio recording of an article I published on Medium about the Stoic contemplation of death. The photo shows me outside the ruined Temple of Hades at the ancient site of Eleusis near Athens. Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe |
| 2022-Oct-21 • 21 minutes How to Actually Practice Stoicism People keep asking me for advice about simple ways they can begin practicing Stoicism in daily life. This audio recording is based on my recent Medium article of the same name. It contains three basic Stoic strategies, which provide a good foundation for following Stoic philosophy in the modern world. Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe |