Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast

The Inner Fortress: Military Resilience and Stoic Philosophy

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Sep 18, 2025

Carlos Garcia, Co-founder and CEO of True Progress Lab, is a U.S. Army Major and certified Master Resilience Trainer. He discusses how military resilience training overlaps with Stoic philosophy, emphasizing mental strength and perspective. Carlos shares insights on overcoming the fear of people's opinions (FOPO) and combines ancient Stoic practices with modern therapy to foster resilience. His flagship course, The Inner Fortress, highlights building confidence and calming techniques, drawing on lessons from Marcus Aurelius that resonate deeply with leaders today.

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ANECDOTE

From Avoidance To Intentional Hardship

Carlos describes a personal turnaround from avoidance and fear of failure to deliberately seeking risky experiences.
He joined the military, ran ultramarathons, and practiced combat sports to intentionally train resilience.

INSIGHT

Military Protocols Mirror Stoic Practice

Military resilience blends emotion regulation, perspective drills, problem solving and assertive communication.
The PIP protocol maps to Stoic premeditatio malorum and leads into action planning focused on controllables.

ADVICE

Pair Protocols With Close Coaching

Provide closer, individualized coaching rather than just handing out protocols to large groups.
Monitor progression with graded exposure and tailored feedback to prevent premature quitting.

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In this episode, my guest is Carlos Garcia. Carlos is the Co-Founder and CEO of True Progress Lab, a coaching company that operates on the motto 'Get Calm. Get Bold. Get After It'. He is also a Major and Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve, and an Army-certified Master Resilience Trainer.

Highlights

* Carlos, you have a fascinating background—an attorney, a Major and Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserve, and a high-performance coach. How did your experiences in these high-stakes environments lead you to focus on resilience and coaching?

* You're an Army-certified Master Resilience Trainer. What are the core principles the military teaches for handling adversity?

* Are there overlaps with ancient Stoic philosophy?

* How do you think the army’s resilience training could be improved?

* You mentioned that reading about Stoicism and Marcus Aurelius has been "instrumental" in shaping your philosophy. Which of his ideas resonated most deeply with you, and how do you see them applying to a modern leader or soldier?

* Your flagship course is called The Inner Fortress, can you tell us a bit about that?

* A key focus of your coaching is overcoming FOPO, or the "fear of people's opinions". Why do you find this specific fear is such a powerful inhibitor for the successful professionals you work with?

* You use a unique blend of Stoic philosophy and exposure therapy to help clients. Could you walk us through how you combine an ancient philosophy with a modern therapeutic technique to help someone act more boldly?

* Finally, based on your experience, what do you think are some of the most helpful pieces of advice you can pass on to our listeners?

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Links

* Web: trueprogresslab.com

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