It’s easy to assume an Olympian would be all about external achievements, but Alexi Pappas has redefined what success means to her by letting go of goals altogether. Alexi joins Ryan to talk about falling in love with the process vs. achieving a goal, simplifying life’s decisions, and how losing her mom led her to seek mentorship everywhere.

Alexi Pappas is an Olympic athlete, filmmaker, author of Bravey, and podcast host of Mentor Buffet. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and The Atlantic, and she’s been featured in outlets like Rolling Stone and New York Magazine. Alexi co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in Tracktown and starred in Olympic Dreams with Nick Kroll. She holds the Greek national record in the 10,000 meters and competed in the 2016 Olympics.

Follow Alexi on Instagram and X: @AlexiPappas

🎙️ Listen to Alexi’s podcast Mentor Buffet on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube

📕 Pick up a copy of Alexi’s book Bravey: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas

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

🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast

✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/

📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cynical About Classical Education?

In the Trenches

When Did Condemnation of Cynicism Rise?

The AI-powered Podcast Player