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The UNTOLD Emotional Struggles of History’s Most Powerful Men | Ron Chernow (PT. 2) Jun 21, 2025

Show notes

Mark Twain didn’t just write American classics, he lived one of the most powerful personal transformations in history. In Part 2 of this conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow returns to join Ryan for a deep dive into Twain’s remarkable moral evolution. They discuss how Twain’s journey mirrors those of Ulysses S. Grant and John D. Rockefeller, reflect on the tragic cost of chasing fortune over purpose, and explore what makes a biography timeless and a life unforgettable.

Plus, a special moment: Ryan’s 8-year-old son jumps in to ask Ron about Hamilton, his favorite musical.

Ron Chernow is the prizewinning author of seven previous books and the recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal. His first book, The House of Morgan, won the National Book Award, Washington: A Life won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, and Alexander Hamilton—the inspiration for the Broadway musical—won the George Washington Book Prize. He has twice been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and is one of only three living biographers to have won the Gold Medal for Biography of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Ron’s latest book is on the fascinating and complex life of American writer Mark Twain.

Follow Ron Chernow on Instagram: @RonChernow

📚 Grab signed copies of Ron Chernow’s books about Mark Twain, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, and John D. Rockefeller, at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

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You Must Avoid These Stains Too | How To Make The Right Decision (Even When It Will Cost You) Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

There are forces out there, just as tempting as power, that can cut us off from our values, from truth, from other people, from what matters. It takes work to resist them, to counteract them, and to rise above them.

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

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You Can’t Be Afraid To Lose It | Ask Daily Stoic Jun 19, 2025

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The Stoics remind you that the point of financial security is to feel secure. The point of plenty is to realize that you have enough. You can’t fear losing what you had–there was a time you didn’t have it and you survived.

💡The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happy, and Free explores how Stoic ideas can be applied to personal finance, wealth-building, financial mindset, and how it can help you overcome common financial obstacles and challenges

👉 Get The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happy, and Free & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

📚 Book Mentioned | Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm at The Painted Porch | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

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This Cannot Be Taken (Only Given) Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Powerful people can take from you. Yet the Stoics remind us: our character is our own.

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

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The UNTOLD Emotional Struggles of History’s Most Powerful Men | Ron Chernow (PT. 1) Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Brilliance without emotional control is often a recipe for destruction. In this episode, Ryan sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow, whose acclaimed biographies on Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, John D. Rockefeller, and most recently, Mark Twain have reshaped our understanding of American greatness. Ron and Ryan talk about how these men’s deepest personal struggles and their ability to manage emotion became the defining factor in their lives and legacies.

Follow Ron on Instagram: @RonChernow

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Forgiveness, Can You Imagine? | Take A Walk Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

We will be wronged—by friends, by colleagues, by life itself. When that happens, we have a choice: to be consumed by bitterness or to rise above it. Marcus showed us the way. The question is, will we follow?

📕 Pick up a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday at dailystoic.com/obstacle

📓 Pick up a signed edition of The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on The Art of Living: https://store.dailystoic.com/

📖 Preorder the final book in Ryan Holiday's The Stoic Virtues Series: "Wisdom Takes Work": https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/wisdom-takes-work

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast

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How Astonished Would They Be? | No Shame In Needing Help Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

It is astonishing, this world we live in. And it is a gift, this philosophical tradition we carry forward.

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You're Wasting The One Thing You Can’t Get Back Jun 15, 2025

Show notes

What if the most valuable thing you’ll ever own is already slipping through your fingers?

🎥 Watch Robert and Ryan's conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvzsEopZ94Q

📕 Grab a copy of The Stoic Capitalist: Advice for the Exceptionally Ambitious by Robert Rosenkranz | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

💡The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happy, and Free explores how stoic ideas can be applied to personal finance, wealth-building, financial mindset, and how it can help you overcome common financial obstacles and challenges

Get The Wealthy Stoic: A Daily Stoic Guide to Being Rich, Happy, and Free & all other Daily Stoic courses for FREE when you join Daily Stoic Life | dailystoic.com/life

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast

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✉️ 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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How To Survive In A World Of Assholes | Melinda Wenner Moyer Jun 14, 2025

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What does it take to stay good when the world feels like it’s falling apart? And how do we prepare the next generation to do the same? Science journalist and bestselling author Melinda Wenner Moyer joins Ryan to discuss what it means to hold onto empathy, curiosity, and integrity in an age of moral confusion. They discuss how to think critically in a world of misinformation, how to stay hopeful without becoming naïve, and how to not become an asshole in a world full of them.

Melinda Wenner Moyer is an award-winning journalist whose work explores the intersection of science and everyday life. Her work deep dives into subjects that have both scientific and societal implications, addressing issues that are relevant to parents, families, and the general public.

She is contributing editor at Scientific American magazine and a regular contributor — and former columnist at The New York Times. Melinda’s first book, How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes, was published in July 2021 and won a gold medal in the 2022 Living Now Book Awards.

Her second book, Hello Cruel World!: Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times, is out now!

Follow Melinda on Instagram @ MelindaWMoyer and check out her substack, Now What?

📚 Grab signed copies of both How To Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes and Hello Cruel World! at The Painted Porch

🎙️The Daily Dad Podcast | Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube

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It’s About How You Respond | 7 Habits To Have The Most Productive Week Of Your Life Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

Nobody likes being criticized. Nobody likes it when someone highlights your mistakes. In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius tries to remind himself that he has the freedom to take correction and criticism. He knew he didn’t control what the person said or how they said it, but he did control how he handled it.

📕 Book Mentioned: The Journalist and the Murder by Janet Malcolm | https://www.thepaintedporch.com/

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