The Stoic Handbook with Jon Brooks

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This episode is a full lesson from one of the premium courses inside The Stoic Vault — my membership community for people who practise Stoicism, not just read about it.
The lesson comes from the course Stoic Morning Routine: Start Calm and Strong. It covers the dichotomy of control — the single most useful idea in Stoic philosophy, and the one that changes everything when it actually lands.
You'll take one real concern from your day and sort it into two columns: what's mine and what isn't. Outcomes, other people's reactions, delays — not mine. Preparation, breath, tone, when I choose to begin — mine. Then you'll pick one controllable action that matters today and state it clearly.
This isn't theory. You'll feel the difference in the body when you stop carrying what was never yours.
If this resonates, the full course and 9 others are inside The Stoic Vault, alongside guided meditations, weekly practices, live coaching, and a quiet community of 100+ members doing the work.
Join at stoicvault.com

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About two years ago, I hit a wall.
I'd been teaching Stoicism for years. Writing about it. Making podcasts about it. And I was still losing my temper. Still spiraling over emails. Still lying awake replaying conversations.
I knew the philosophy cold. And I couldn't apply it when it mattered.
That's when I started asking: what would actually help me? Not more books. Not more content. Something with structure. Accountability. Personal guidance. A quiet place to train.
I couldn't find it. So I built it.
In this episode, I'm introducing The Stoic Vault—a training ground for people who've read the books but struggle to apply them. I'll walk you through what's inside, who it's for, and how to join as a founding member.
Learn more: stoicvault.com

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Epictetus didn't write books. He ran a school where students lived for years, practicing responses to insults, hardship, and loss. Marcus Aurelius wrote the Meditations as a daily training regimen—the same ideas, over and over, drilling them into his reflexes. Seneca reviewed his day every single night for decades.
The Stoics weren't building a library. They were building a gymnasium for the soul.
Somewhere along the way, we forgot this. We turned philosophy into content to consume. We read about the exercises instead of doing them.
In this episode, I explore what Stoic training actually looked like, why our modern approach would baffle the ancients, and what practice looks like in daily life—not in theory, but in the specific exercises you can start today.
Plus: I've been working on something to make this kind of structured practice easier. I'll share more soon.

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A few months ago, I was in a conversation that started to go sideways. I could feel the tension rising—the tightening in my chest, my voice getting sharper. I knew exactly what was happening. I've studied this. I've taught this. I know what Marcus Aurelius would say. And in that moment, it was like I'd never read a word of Stoicism. 
If you've spent any time with this philosophy, you've probably had your own version of this experience. The email lands and you spiral. The criticism stings and you're devastated. Someone cuts you off and you react exactly the way Epictetus said not to. This is the gap between knowing and doing—and it's the central challenge of practicing philosophy. 
In this episode, I explore why the philosophy disappears when we need it most, what Seneca confessed about this exact problem 2,000 years ago, and why more reading isn't the answer. Spoiler: the Stoics weren't building a library. They were building a gymnasium for the soul. 
In this episode:
The moment I knew exactly what to do—and didn't do it 
Why intellectual understanding is not the same as embodied skill 
What Seneca admitted about knowing vs. practicing 
The difference between studying Stoicism and training as a Stoic 
A reflection question to sit with after listening

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A 15 minute, Yoga Nidra–inspired sleep meditation designed to help your body soften and your mind quiet. We’ll move through a slow, systematic relaxation from head to toe, then drift into a gentle “safe floating” visualization—before fading into spacious silence to support deep sleep.
A subtle Stoic thread runs underneath: release what cannot be changed, and return to the only place you ever rest—this moment.