Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast

Stoicism, Coaching, and Leadership

Jan 23, 2025

Erick Cloward, an executive coach from Amsterdam and former tech CTO, discusses his journey into Stoicism and leadership coaching. He dispels misconceptions about Stoicism, emphasizing its emotional depth and relevance today. Erick reveals insights from his upcoming book, "Stoicism 101," focusing on how Stoic principles like the dichotomy of control can strengthen leadership and resilience. He highlights the importance of emotional regulation, particularly regarding anger, and shares how understanding historical figures enriches one's Stoic practice.

01:21:39

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Episode guests

Eric Cloward

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Erick Cloward illustrates how Stoicism enhances emotional management by reframing emotions as responses to thoughts rather than suppressing them.

Through the dichotomy of control, Stoicism encourages leaders to focus on what they can influence, improving decision-making and team morale.

Cloward highlights the contemporary relevance of Stoicism in addressing mental health challenges, offering straightforward principles for resilience in uncertain times.

Deep dives

Eric Kloard's Journey into Stoicism

Eric Kloard, an executive coach and founder of the Stoic Coffee Break podcast, shares his transformative journey into Stoicism, sparked by a podcast episode featuring the book 'The Guide to the Good Life' by William Irvine. Initially hesitant and doubting his intellectual capacity, Eric gradually began to embrace philosophical concepts through repeated engagement with Stoic texts. His passion led him to create a podcast where he shares practical applications of Stoicism in daily life, helping others navigate emotional challenges. Through this medium, he developed a clearer understanding of Stoic principles, ultimately leading to impactful changes in his personal and professional life.

Intro

4min

The Journey of a Stoic Podcaster

11min

Stoicism as a Leadership Foundation

14min

The Duality of Anger and Stoicism

29min

Navigating Anger with Stoicism

9min

Reflections on Loss and the Philosophy of Spinoza

5min

Exploring Spinoza and Stoicism

8min

In this episode, I chat with Erick Cloward. Erick is an executive coach, based in Amsterdam, who helps leaders build more resilient teams and make better decisions. He is a former tech CTO and software developer. Erick started the Stoic Coffee Break podcast in 2018, to provide people with practical advice on applying Stoicism to their lives –- it now has more than 9 million downloads. He has his first book coming out on 4th February, from Adams Media, titled Stoicism 101: From Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus to the Role of Reason and Amor Fati, an Essential Primer on Stoic Philosophy.

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Highlights

* How did you first become interested in Stoicism?

* Misconceptions people have about Stoicism

* Why Stoicism is important today

* How did you get started doing your podcast and what have you learned from the experience?

* What’s your book, Stoicism 101, about?

* What aspects of Stoicism do you think are most relevant to executive coaching?

* What can Stoicism tell us about leadership?

* How Stoicism might help people to avoid getting so angry

Links

* Stoic Coffee Website

* Stoicism 101

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