We need more love in the world.

That was the statement, made quietly on a walk along the river in Granada, that stayed with us long after the conversation ended. In this episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, we explore what Stoic philosophy actually says about love, kindness, and where to begin when the world feels like it's moving in the wrong direction.

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. This episode grew out of a real Stoic walk and one simple statement that turned into a genuine reflection on what sincere kindness looks like in practice.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed. The news pulls us toward division. Social media rewards performed kindness over the real kind. And human goodness starts to feel like it is losing ground.

But the Stoics had a word for what this moment is asking of us: philanthropia, a love for humankind that does not wait for an audience.

Marcus Aurelius returned to this again and again. Epictetus located it in prohairesis, that quiet place where self-awareness and personal values meet, where our real choices are formed.

The starting point is not out there. It is here, in the small acts that nobody records, done simply because they are the right thing to do.

You do not need power or influence to shift something. You only need to start where you are.

Support the show🌐 viastoica.com▶️ YouTube: @viastoicaProduced by: Badmic.com

Why does Stoicism resonate so deeply when you read it, yet change so little when you try to live it? In this episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, we look honestly at why Stoic philosophy stops working for most people, and where self-awareness becomes the real starting point.

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. This is not a place for theory at a safe distance. It is a place for the harder, more honest work of actually applying Stoic philosophy to real life.

The self-help world tends to promise that the right mindset will eventually bend the world toward what you want. The Stoics said the opposite. The world will not cooperate with your desires, and real progress begins the moment you stop expecting it to. That shift requires genuine self-examination, not more content consumption. Marcus Aurelius did not write his Meditations to feel inspired. He wrote them to hold himself accountable, to face what was uncomfortable, and to see clearly where his work still needed to be done. Most people skip exactly that part.

If Stoic philosophy has not moved the needle for you yet, this episode is a good place to sit and reflect. Not to find quick answers, but to start asking the questions that actually matter.

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What does it mean to build your identity around alcohol, and who do you become when you walk away from it?

In this personal episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, Benny reflects on six years sober: the slow unraveling of a drinking identity, the moment that changed everything, and how Stoic philosophy helped him find solid ground on the other side.

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.This isn't a recovery programme or a how-to guide. It's an honest reflection on self-awareness, learning to see your relationship with alcohol clearly, and asking whether it belongs in the life you actually want to live.

Benny traces his story from heavy social drinking in the Netherlands to a quiet turning point in a Dubai hotel room, and the evening years later when he finally made the decision for good. Along the way, he explores the difference between white-knuckling willpower and building genuine intrinsic motivation, and shares how the Stoic practice of negative visualization became a practical anchor in moments of temptation. Pause. Trace the consequences. Ask yourself honestly if that's a price worth paying.

What he feared most, losing his place in the group, became his greatest gain.

If this story resonates, take a moment to reflect on your own.

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Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism as lived experience. What does Stoic philosophy actually look like in daily life? In this episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, I share five Stoic practices I try to use every day, not as a prescription, but as an honest account of what helps me stay grounded.

This episode is an invitation to see what these practices look like when they're imperfect, inconsistent, and genuinely useful.

In this episode we cover:

• The Pause — creating space between what happens and how you respond
• Memento Mori — remembering impermanence as a practice of presence, not fear
• Negative visualisation — preparing for what might go wrong, without spiralling into it
• The discipline of desire — noticing what you're chasing and whether it's actually yours
• The discipline of assent — questioning your first interpretation before acting on it
• Role awareness (bonus) — knowing what a situation asks of you when you're unsure what to do

None of these require you to know Stoic philosophy. What they require is a willingness to make progress. If you've ever wondered how self-awareness becomes a daily habit rather than a concept, this episode is for you.

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How I Built a Life I'm Grateful For — Via Stoica Podcast

What does it actually take to build a life you're grateful for, and where do you even begin? In this episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, Benny shares his personal journey from a life that no longer felt his own to one built around freedom, simplicity, and a philosophy that holds.

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. Each episode, we bring Stoic philosophy out of the books and into real life, not as theory, but as a practice for building self-awareness, clarity, and a life that feels genuinely yours.

Change rarely happens all at once. It begins with a moment of honest reckoning, a clear vision of what actually matters, and the willingness to make small, deliberate decisions over time.

In this episode, we trace that process through the lens of Stoic philosophy, from understanding your values and rethinking your relationship with money, to letting go of what doesn't belong to who you want to be. The Stoics remind us that the examined life is not a luxury. It is the starting point for everything.

If you've been waiting for the right moment to start living more intentionally, this episode is an honest account of what that path can look like.

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What are you living for? — Via Stoica Podcast

What are you actually living for, and have you ever stopped long enough to ask? In this episode of the Via Stoica Podcast, we sit with one of the most important questions a person can face, and explore what Stoic philosophy has to offer when the answer isn't clear.

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. Each episode, we bring Stoic philosophy out of the books and into real life, not as theory, but as a practice for building self-awareness, clarity, and a life that feels genuinely yours.

Most of us are living on a track we didn't consciously choose. Society sets the milestones. Social media distorts the comparison. And somewhere in the noise, the question of personal values gets buried under the need to keep up. Stoicism offers a different starting point: the examined life. The goal isn't accumulation or status, it's eudaimonia, the cultivation of good character and a sound inner life. When we understand what we're actually living for, the small daily decisions begin to align with who we are. That's where real change happens.

If you've been feeling the gap between how you're living and how you want to live, this episode is a quiet invitation to close it, one honest question at a time.

Read the related article: https://viastoica.com/what-am-i-living-for/

Support the show🌐 viastoica.com▶️ YouTube: @viastoicaProduced by: Badmic.com

What is a philosophy of life, and how do you find yours? In this opening episode of the Via Stoica Podcast's Philosophy of Life series, we explore what it means to live with intention, guided by Stoic philosophy and your own values.

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. This series is about building something real, a foundation for how you actually want to live, not the life inherited from others.

Most of us absorb our beliefs about success, purpose, and personal values from the world around us without ever choosing them. We follow routines that work on the surface but feel quietly off underneath. Stoic philosophy offers a different starting point: self-awareness, honest reflection, and the courage to ask whether the life you're living is actually yours.

A philosophy of life isn't a rulebook. It's a quiet guide you return to, especially when things fall apart or when everything seems fine but something still feels missing.

This is Episode 1 of the Philosophy of Life series. Listen to explore what it means to stop borrowing your life from others and start building one that fits who you actually are.

Read the related article here: https://viastoica.com/how-to-find-your-philosophy-of-life/

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Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, where we explore how Stoic philosophy guides us toward living well with ourselves and others. In this episode, we reflect on Epictetus’ insight on friendship and values:

“What a man sets his heart on, that he naturally loves... It remains for us to conclude then that good things alone are what they set their heart on. And if they set their heart on those, they love them too.”

Epictetus, Discourses, Book 2, Chapter 22

Epictetus reminds us that people naturally love what they believe to be good. When someone acts poorly, it is often because they misunderstand what truly benefits them. Stoicism teaches that real good lies not in wealth, status, or external success, but in virtue and good character. When we understand this, our priorities change, and so do the relationships and friendships we cultivate.

This connects with the Stoic disciplines of Desire, Assent, and Action: we learn to value what truly matters, question mistaken judgments about success or happiness, and act in ways that support both our own character and the well-being of others. Practically, this means choosing friendships grounded in shared values, guiding others with patience when possible, and remembering that everyone acts according to what they think is best, even when they are mistaken.

For more, check out this related article with the Stoic view on friendship:
https://viastoica.com/the-stoic-view-of-friendship/
And if you’re looking for more Stoic sayings, visit viastoica.com, where you’ll find hundreds of quotes with full references to the original texts:
https://viastoica.com/stoic-quotes
https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes
Make sure to subscribe for more Stoic Quotes episodes every Friday, as well as our Tuesday interviews and longer discussions.
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