Podcast Summary: The Daily Stoic

Episode Title: Are You Having Trouble With These Changes? | Practice Letting Go
Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Ryan Holiday

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ryan Holiday explores the Stoic approach to coping with inevitable change and loss in our personal lives and in the world around us. Drawing on the teachings of Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca, Ryan addresses the soul-level discomfort many of us feel amid rapid cultural, technological, and environmental shifts, as well as the more intimate, sometimes devastating process of letting go of people and things we love. The episode provides practical Stoic exercises for staying sane, present, and compassionate in the face of change and loss.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Change as a Universal Constant

• Timestamps: 00:40–02:55

• Ryan frames change as a fundamental and inescapable aspect of life:
  “Culture has changed, technology has changed, work has changed, politics have changed, the environment has changed. And we're having trouble dealing with some of these changes...But what we forget when we complain about change is that it's always been this way.” (00:40)
• Invokes Marcus Aurelius, highlighting that even ancient Stoics felt the same:
  "We are here as a result of the ceaseless, merciless, but also sometimes wonderful river of change that flows through the world." (02:10)
• Reminds listeners that previous generations also endured and thrived within shifting circumstances.

2. Practical Stoicism: Accepting and Thriving Amid Change

• Timestamps: 02:30–03:01 and 10:15–11:08

• The challenge isn’t to resist or lament change, but to adapt our attitudes and actions:
  “We must figure out how to do the same. How to endure and survive and thrive. How to accept and accommodate. How to protect and stay good. How to stay sane. How to stay focused and flexible. How to change with all these changes.” (02:30)
• Stoic resilience: Accept that much is outside our control and that our own virtue and effort reside within us.

3. Practice Letting Go – Facing Loss With Presence and Humility

• Timestamps: 05:12–10:15

• Core Stoic idea: Suffering from loss is intensified by attachment and possession.
• Epictetus’ ancient exercise:
  "Every time you wish a dear child, family member or friend goodnight, remember that these people are like precious, breakable glass. And remember how dramatically things can change while you sleep." (05:38)
• Marcus Aurelius’ personal struggle: Practiced the same nightly reflection to appreciate his children, who would sometimes not survive into adulthood.
• The point is not morbidity, but gratitude:
  “The point isn’t to be morbid, but to create a sense of appreciation and a kind of humility.” (06:15)
• Letting go as humility, not detachment:
  “When you experience the pangs of losing someone, don't treat it like a part of yourself, but as a breakable glass, so that when it falls, you will remember that and you won't be troubled.” (06:29)

4. Stoic Sources and Consolations for Grief

• Timestamps: 08:50–10:10

• Seneca teaches:
  “The wise person can lose nothing. Such a person has everything stored up for themselves, leaving nothing to fortune. Their own goods are held firm, bound in virtue, which requires nothing from chance, and therefore can't be either increased or diminished.” (07:22)
• Ryan references Seneca’s consolatory essays and Plutarch’s letters:
  “I would strongly recommend some of Seneca's essays, his consolations... Plutarch has a beautiful little consolation to his wife after they lost a child. The ancient world was cruel, but you know, the modern world isn't that much kinder or less capricious.” (09:17)

5. Honoring What’s Here With Presence and Love

• Timestamps: 08:00–10:15

• Being present is the antidote to loss:
  “When I think about tucking my children into bed and I do this, it reminds me not to rush through it. ... It's to fully drink in and be present while we're here.” (08:10)
• A practical summary:
  “What we can do is not take those people for granted while they are here. ... And we can, when we do lose them or lose things, have to accept that this is a part of life. This is the bargain that we made at birth. ... Nothing lasts forever, nothing is ours fully. And that these are all rentals and the bill comes due or they have to be returned at some point.” (09:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Change:
  "We can imagine Marcus Aurelius reminding us because change is a constant from his time to ours." (01:10)
• On Letting Go:
  “When you experience the pangs of losing someone, don't treat it like a part of yourself, but as a breakable glass, so that when it falls, you will remember that and you won't be troubled.” (06:29)
• On Being Present:
  "It's to fully drink in and be present while we're here." (08:15)
• On Loss and Humility:
  “Nothing lasts forever, nothing is ours fully. And that these are all rentals and the bill comes due or they have to be returned at some point.” (09:30)

Practical Takeaways & Readings

• Exercise presence: Use the practice of reflecting each night on loved ones' impermanence to foster appreciation.
• Resist complacency: “Don't take anyone, especially someone you love, for granted this week.” (06:00)
• Accept grief, don’t suppress: Read Seneca’s “Consolations” (especially his letter to his mother), Plutarch’s letters, and resources on Stoic approaches to grief.
• Recommended poem: Philip Larkin’s “The Hedgehog” (about loving and being kind while there is time).

Suggested Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:40 — The inevitability of change and Stoic perspective from Marcus Aurelius and history
• 05:12 — Practice letting go, Epictetus' glass exercise, and the wisdom of presence
• 07:22 — Seneca on the wise person and fortune
• 08:10 — Importance of cherishing moments with loved ones
• 09:30 — Acceptance, the “rental” nature of all things, recommendations for further reading

Tone and Approach

Ryan Holiday’s tone is compassionate, reflective, and grounded in the lived experience of both ancient philosophers and modern individuals. He speaks candidly about the difficulty of letting go while offering practical, human-centered advice drawn from Stoic wisdom. The episode is relatable for anyone wrestling with major changes or the fear of loss.

Summary created for listeners seeking practical Stoic guidance on living well amid impermanence and change.