The Strong Stoic Podcast

David Goggins believes in scheduled suffering, rejecting motivation and refusing to stop before the work is done. His philosophy has helped millions confront comfort, excuses and unrealized potential. But is Goggins actually a Stoic—and when does relentless discipline become self-punishment? In this episode, Brandon examines eight of Goggins’ central ideas through a Stoic lens, including the 40% Rule, voluntary discomfort, accepting help, recovery, permanent change and the difficult decision ...

Why do certain insults stay with us while others have no effect at all? In this episode of The Strong Stoic Podcast, I examine what our emotional reactions reveal about us—and how to respond to difficult people without becoming passive, cruel, or emotionally numb. Sometimes anger exposes an insecurity. Sometimes contempt points toward a version of ourselves we fear becoming. Sometimes we suffer because we decided another person owed us respect, recognition, affection, or fairness. The Stoi...

Have you ever stopped enjoying something that once gave your life meaning? Maybe it's the guitar that now gathers dust. The running shoes that haven't left the closet. The books you used to devour but can't seem to pick up anymore. In this episode, I explore why our interests naturally change throughout life, why there's nothing wrong with losing a passion, and what Stoicism has to teach us about work, play, gratitude, and non-attachment. Sometimes the healthiest thing we can do isn't force o...

Have you ever looked in the mirror and realized you’ve become someone you don’t respect? I have. In this deeply personal episode, I share a chapter of my life I’ve rarely talked about—the years after university when I slowly drifted into complacency. What began as well-earned rest became laziness, comfort, and eventually shame. One day I looked at the man I was becoming… and I didn’t like him. This episode is about the long, humbling process of rebuilding your character. We explore: Why good ...

Most people believe they know their limits. The truth is, they only know where they’ve chosen to stop. In this episode, I explore one of the biggest lies we tell ourselves—that discomfort equals incapability. Whether it’s grief, parenthood, illness, failure, or unexpected responsibility, history shows that ordinary people repeatedly rise to challenges they once believed impossible. Like the reserve tank in your vehicle, human beings often have far more left than they realize. Drawing from Sto...

Most of us don’t wake up wanting to be selfish, impatient, or unkind. So why is being good so difficult? In this conversation, I sit down once again with Corey to explore one of the oldest questions in philosophy, faith, and everyday life. Beginning with Rudyard Kipling’s timeless poem If—, we unpack what it really means to choose goodness when life becomes uncomfortable. We discuss why ego fights humility, why justice feels so personal, why suffering can either harden us or deepen us, and wh...

Most people hear Walk on the Moon and think about astronauts. I think about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The father holding his newborn. The recovering alcoholic walking into their first meeting. The woman rebuilding her life after divorce. The man finally leaving the job that’s been draining him for years. We all have a “walk on the moon.” In this episode, I use one of my favorite songs as a lens to explore courage, regret, fear, Stoicism, and what it really ...

We all know we should learn from our mistakes. But somewhere along the way, many of us confuse self-reflection with self-punishment. In this episode, I explore the difference between shadow work and self-loathing. Drawing from Stoicism, Carl Jung, Seneca, Dostoevsky, and Tolkien, I examine why looking honestly at our flaws is necessary—and why beating ourselves up for them isn’t. The goal isn’t to ignore your mistakes. The goal is to face them honestly, learn from them, and move forward witho...

As we grow stronger, wiser, healthier, and more disciplined, a subtle danger emerges: contempt. It's easy to celebrate strength. It's much harder to remain compassionate toward weakness—especially the weaknesses we once saw in ourselves. In this episode, I explore a paradox at the heart of Stoicism: how to pursue excellence without developing disdain for those who are still struggling. From the gym floor to leadership, from courage to cowardice, the Stoics remind us that virtue should produce...

What happens when someone you love dies? In this conversation, I sit down with a returning guest shortly after the loss of his father. We explore grief, mortality, legacy, and the strange reality that every person we meet was once a child, a son, a daughter, and a dream in someone else’s mind. We discuss Stoic perspectives on death, why history remembers some people and forgets others, the danger of judging people without understanding their circumstances, and what it means to leave something...

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t the workout, the meeting, the difficult conversation, or the grieving process. It’s the first step. In this episode, Brandon reflects on a lesson shared by Jeff Nippard following the tragic loss of his partner and explores how a simple idea—just take the first step—can help us navigate grief, fear, depression, and resistance. Drawing on personal experiences from the isolation of the COVID lockdowns and the Stoic understanding of courage, Brandon explains why m...

Most extraordinary people are never famous. History remembers a few names — Marcus Aurelius, Churchill, Dostoevsky — but civilization itself is carried forward by ordinary people doing small things faithfully. Good fathers. Loyal friends. Honest workers. Men and women who plant trees whose shade they will never sit under. In this episode, I reflect on anonymous greatness, mortality, forgotten ancestors, war, courage, and why being forgotten may actually be one of the most beautiful truths abo...