Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast

Stoicism and Life Coaching

Jan 16, 2025

Benny Voncken, a life coach and co-founder of Via Stoica, shares his transformative journey with Stoic philosophy, which helped him conquer anxiety and anger. He discusses how Stoicism offers practical strategies for emotional management, emphasizing the value of personalized coaching over traditional self-help. Topics include mastering emotions, the paradox of anger, and the importance of self-awareness in personal growth. Voncken encourages listeners to explore Stoicism's applications in modern life as a means to enhance resilience and emotional clarity.

01:12:46

Creator website

Episode guests

Benny Voncken

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Benny Voncken illustrates how Stoic philosophy helped him regain control over his life during personal challenges like divorce and addiction.

The podcast critiques the superficial nature of contemporary self-help, emphasizing the importance of grounding in Stoic texts for true understanding.

By utilizing Stoic techniques, individuals can manage emotions like anger and anxiety through reflection, gratitude, and recognizing personal control.

Deep dives

Discovering Stoicism Through Adversity

A personal journey into Stoicism often begins during challenging life events, as illustrated by Benny Vonkin's experience with divorce and alcohol struggles. During this tumultuous period, he turned to Stoicism for guidance and discovered practical applications that helped him reclaim control over his life. The teachings of Stoic philosophers like Epictetus provided him with a much-needed 'verbal slap in the face,' awakening a sense of accountability and responsibility. This rediscovery of Stoicism became a transformative tool for Benny, guiding him away from harmful behaviors and fostering a new outlook.

Intro

3min

The Power of Stoicism: Personal Transformation and Growth

15min

The Coach vs. Self-Help Dilemma

9min

Mastering Emotions with Stoicism

14min

The Paradox of Anger

19min

Courage, Anger, and Stoicism

10min

Exploring Stoicism Through Ancient Texts and Modern Perspectives

2min

In this episode, I chat with Benny Voncken, a life coach, and the co-founder of the Via Stoica website and Podcast. He reached out to me saying he’d love to share his experience putting Stoic philosophy into practice because it greatly reduced his anxiety, worries, and helped him deal with problems such as anger and frustration.

Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Highlights

* How did you become interested in Stoicism?

* Tell us about your website and podcast.

* Why do you think Stoicism is important today?

* How do you see the value of Stoicism in relation to life coaching?

* What are some ways Stoic ideas or techniques can help people?

* What do you think Stoicism tells us about coping with worry and anxiety?

* I’m very interested in anger, how do you think Stoicism might help people to avoid getting so angry?

* What’s a good way for people to begin learning about Stoicism and applying it in their life?

Links

* Via Stoica Website

* Via Stoica Podcast

Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe

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