The New York Times calls him “a sought-after guru to NFL coaches, Olympians, hip-hop stars and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.” Ryan Holiday is a marketing expert who made a name for himself as the director of marketing for American Apparel and has gone on to work with clients like Google, Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss. He’s the bestselling author of The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, and his books have sold more than 1.3 million copies. On this episode, Ryan shows us how to turn even the most insurmountable obstacles into advantages. We talk about what we can learn from the ancient philosophy of stoicism, the power of staying present, and why most of our failures are self-inflicted.
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Show Notes
- How he decides what book projects to pursue (2:00)
- The core principles of stoicism (3:18)
- How Ryan first embraced the ancient philosophy of stoicism and how it applies to our world today (4:25)
- Ryan Holiday’s following in the sports world and the hunger to gain a mental edge (6:02)
- The relentless focus on improvement as a wall against ego (9:06)
- Fearlessness stays present (11:57)
- The discipline of managing your energy (13:00)
- How to turn a setback into a pathway forward (14:30)
- The discipline of perception: “it’s not things that upset us; it’s our judgment about things.” (19:28)
- Why purpose is a more important driver than passion (22:33)
- Purpose is passion at a directed level (24:18)
- The things we control: our reactions, our thoughts, our emotions, the ability to change direction (26:25)
- A defining moment in Ryan’s life (29:23)
- A reminder he uses to stay present in the moment (33:10)
Resources / People Mentioned
- The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday
- Ego Is The Enemy by Ryan Holiday
- Trust Me I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan Holiday
- Brass Check (marketing agency)
- Tony Robbins, motivational speaker
- Tim Ferriss, author
- Tucker Max, author
- Robert Greene, author
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- American Apparel
- Alexander the Great
- The book on stoicism that’s taking the NFL by storm (Sports Illustrated)
- Bill Belichick, NFL coach
- Nick Saban, college football coach
- Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball coach
- John Calipari, college basketball coach
- Lane Kiffin, college football coach
- Tiger Woods, golfer
- Phil Jackson, former NBA coach
- Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor
- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou
- Jon Gordon, author and speaker
- Ryan Holiday Sells Stoicism as a Life Hack, Without Apology (New York Times)
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Joshua Medcalf on How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great
- Jon Gordon on Positive Leadership
- Donald Miller on How to Use Story to Clarify Your Brand’s Message
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