Episódios

  • #372 - Strength Starts Where You Are

    #372 - Strength Starts Where You Are
    Jun 24 2025
    In this episode, we dive into the uncomfortable but necessary truth behind personal growth: you are not where you used to be, and you’re not yet where you want to be—you’re exactly where you are. Drawing on Stoic philosophy, Jungian psychology, and real-world examples like the gym, we explore the two types of gaps between who you are and who you want to become: the flaws you know about and the ones you don’t. We discuss the role of humility, self-awareness, and the value of a strong inner circle in helping you confront your blind spots and move toward your ideal self.

    Strength doesn’t begin in your past or your potential. It begins with the truth of where you stand right now.
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    12 minutos
  • #371 - False Progress & Stoic Luck

    #371 - False Progress & Stoic Luck
    Jun 17 2025
    “Show me that you have your principles in order, not that fortune is currently favoring you.”
    — Epictetus

    As we get older, life tends to get better in some ways—at least materially. One of the most obvious examples is wealth. Most of us, over time, tend to accumulate more of it. That’s no surprise: if you’re working, saving, investing, and generally being responsible, your financial situation likely improves with age.

    Now, here’s the Stoic question: if you’re practicing detachment from wealth while your wealth is increasing… are you really making philosophical progress? Are you actually becoming more Stoic—or are you just removing discomfort from your life?

    This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblin
    Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com
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    11 minutos
  • #370 - The Necessity of an Inner Circle

    #370 - The Necessity of an Inner Circle
    Jun 10 2025
    “Associate with people who are likely to improve you.”
    - Seneca

    In this simple yet powerful statement, Seneca offers a foundational truth of Stoic living. The idea isn’t just about socializing with the right crowd — it’s about deliberately surrounding yourself with people who bring out your best. In today’s language, we might call this the inner circle — a small group of trusted individuals who share your values and help you navigate life’s moral and emotional terrain.

    This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblin
    Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com
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    20 minutos
  • #369 - Would You Live Forever If You Could?

    #369 - Would You Live Forever If You Could?
    Jun 3 2025
    The Stoic tradition teaches that death is not to be feared but rather meditated on, accepted, and used as a tool for living virtuously. But what happens when death, once seen as inevitable and natural, becomes optional—perhaps even solvable? As science and technology evolve, the question is no longer purely hypothetical. More voices, like that of entrepreneur Brian Johnson, are challenging death as a technical problem to be overcome. For Stoics, this introduces a fascinating philosophical tension between living in acceptance of fate and maximizing one’s agency.


    This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblin
    Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com
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    20 minutos
  • #368 - Pleasure vs. Purpose: Finding Balance in Modern Life

    #368 - Pleasure vs. Purpose: Finding Balance in Modern Life
    May 27 2025
    Viktor Frankl once wrote, “Those who cannot find a deep sense of meaning distract themselves with pleasure.” It’s a quote that resonates deeply within the Stoic tradition. The Stoics, much like Frankl, warned against the unmoderated pursuit of indulgence. Pleasure, entertainment, materialism—these things are not inherently wrong, but when used to fill a void of meaning, they become distractions. And distractions, by their nature, pull us away from our true purpose.

    Yet, there’s an intriguing inversion of this quote—one that opens the door to deeper reflection. Chris Williamson, host of Modern Wisdom, proposed it: “Those who cannot find a deep sense of pleasure distract themselves with meaning.” At first glance, this seems to oppose Stoic thought. But when we dig deeper, we find that it holds an important truth for those of us on the path of self-improvement.


    This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblin
    Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com
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    22 minutos
  • #367 - Excuses vs. Truth: Owning Failure in a Stoic Life

    #367 - Excuses vs. Truth: Owning Failure in a Stoic Life
    May 20 2025
    As Stoics, we are called to play many roles in life, each with its own set of duties and responsibilities. These roles—whether as professionals, parents, partners, community members, or homeowners—shape our lives and define how we engage with the world. Yet, balancing these roles is a constant challenge. Sometimes, despite our best intentions, we fail to meet the demands of one or more of these roles. The important question is: How do we face those failures with honesty, humility, and resolve?

    This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblin
    Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com
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    22 minutos
  • #366 - Embracing Life's Trials - A Stoic Perspective

    #366 - Embracing Life's Trials - A Stoic Perspective
    May 13 2025
    “You know what, from my experience, what I found out? That God tests you to see how much of this you can take before you say, ‘Let’s just be finished with this.’ He wants to show you something. He wants to see how much you can take, how much you can handle of life. You say you love life? You want to live life? I’m gonna show you life. Life is beautiful, but you have to accept the good and the bad as being beautiful.”– Mike Tyson

    At first glance, this quote might seem like an emotional reflection on life’s hardships, but underneath it lies one of the most deeply Stoic messages you could ever hear. It’s about embracing amor fati—the love of fate. It’s about seeing every part of life, including pain and loss, as necessary and even beautiful.

    This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblin
    Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com
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    18 minutos
  • #365 - How Stoicism Helped Me Handle a Car Accident

    #365 - How Stoicism Helped Me Handle a Car Accident
    May 6 2025
    It was a typical Saturday night. The kind where you’re winding down after a fun outing, and you’re almost home. That was me a few weeks ago. It was around 11 PM, and as I turned right at an intersection, I noticed another car turning left… directly into mine. I stopped, expecting them to notice and adjust. They didn’t. Instead, they drove straight into the front of my car, damaging the fender, blinker, and fog light.

    The driver, visibly shaken, got out of the car in tears and admitted fault on the spot. I stayed calm. I remembered: I’ve been in her shoes before — caused accidents myself. It’s not fun. It feels like your whole world flips in an instant, and your stomach drops at the thought of premiums rising, deductibles looming, and the hassle to come.

    And in that moment, I leaned on Stoicism — not as a theory, but as a practical philosophy.

    This podcast is listener-supported; if you would like to support the Strong Stoic (as well as gain access to exclusive content), you can do so on Patreon or Substack:
    Patreon: www.patreon.com/brandontumblin
    Substack: https://strongstoic.substack.com
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    18 minutos