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The What Is Stoicism? Podcast
Stoic Coffee Anyone? (Interview with Ayo Disu)
Mentioned in this episode: First Pour Coffee, Seneca Edition.
You can find it here: https://drinkfirstpour.com/ and get 10% off with the discount code whatisstoicism10
Ayo Disu is the co-founder of a company called Octillion Capital Partners, a value-driven brand platform and holding company, operating, and growing an ecosystem of inclusive and sustainable brands in the health, beauty, food and beverage industries.
He's also a practitioner of Stoicism and uses the philosophy to guide many of his entrepreneurial decisions.
In this episode, I talk to Ayo about how he's applying Stoicism in his business and about his new product, which is named after Stoic philosopher.
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Check out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:
āļø Micro Morning Meditation: For Whom The Bell Tolls
https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-for-whom
More episodes
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265. You Donāt Need the Perfect Job to Live a Good Life
08:57||Season 1, Ep. 265This episode explores the pressure to find identity and fulfillment through work.Derren Brown and the Stoics suggest a different approach: your job can matter without defining who you are, and dissatisfaction does not automatically mean your life is going wrong.Senecaās reminder that āit does not matter what you bear, but how you bear itā shifts attention toward what remains within our controlāour judgment, effort, boundaries, and character.If youād like to practice these principles, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: Where Do You Find Your Sense of Worth?https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-where-do
264. The Marvels and the Dangers of Being Alive
06:23||Season 1, Ep. 264This episode reflects on Senecaās question of whether life is still worth choosing when its beauty and suffering come as a package. In Consolation to Marcia, he sets the marvels of existenceāstars, mountains, rivers, forests, loveābeside illness, grief, danger, and death, then asks whether we would still agree to enter such a life. His answer is simple: we would.If youād like to practice these principles, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: You Will Marvel At These Thingshttps://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-you-will
263. Marcus Aurelius on How to Stay Calm
05:57||Season 1, Ep. 263This episode explores Marcus Aureliusās ten reminders for keeping anger from taking control.His advice centres on perspective: remember that people act from their own beliefs, that we make mistakes too, that we rarely know the full story, and that anger often harms us more than the original offence.If youād like to practice these principles, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: The Attributes of a Calm and Gentle Personhttps://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-the-attributes
262. Solitude, Society, and the Courage Not to Follow the Crowd
09:03||Season 1, Ep. 262This episode explores the balance between solitude, good company, and independent judgment.Hume and Seneca both saw value in stepping away to think clearly, then returning to relationships that strengthen character and enrich life.The danger is not society itself, but surrendering our judgment to the crowd and mistaking popularity for wisdom.If youād like to practice these principles, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: Do You Value Both Solitude and Company?https://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-do-you-value
261. The Time to Live Is Now
07:52||Season 1, Ep. 261This episode explores how remembering mortality can sharpen both attention and freedom.Oliver Burkeman and Alan Watts show why the present matters precisely because it cannot be repeated, while John OāDonohue and Epictetus use the same awareness to put fear, status, and authority into perspective.Lifeās brevity asks us to be more present with the people we love and less willing to surrender our inner freedom to temporary pressures. Remembering death, in this sense, is not about withdrawing from life, but entering it more fully.If youād like to practice these principles, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: Focus on the Joy, Not the Poignancyhttps://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-focus-on
260. The Life You Practice in Private
08:20||Season 1, Ep. 260This episode explores the ancient instruction to āknow thyselfā as the foundation of a philosophical life. Julian, Pigliucci, and Epictetus show that self-knowledge helps us decide what kind of person we want to beāand what must be protected when circumstances become difficult. And Socrates offers the clearest example: his preparation for adversity was simply a lifetime spent safeguarding what was truly up to him.If youād like to continue the practice, this Micro Morning Meditation will be helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: This is The Main Point of Philosophyhttps://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-this-is-6fe
259. The Stoic Cure For Complaining
05:39||Season 1, Ep. 259This episode examines the habit of complaining and the power we retain over our response. Seneca and Epictetus remind us that while frustrations are unavoidable, resentment often adds a second layer of suffering that is largely our own.A simple practiceāpause, assess, and reframeāhelps turn irritation into clearer judgment and, where possible, constructive action.If youād like to continue the practice, you might also find this Micro Morning Meditation helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: How to Stop Complaininghttps://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-how-to-stop
258. You Are Freer Than You Think
08:07||Season 1, Ep. 258This episode examines wealth, desire, and the freedom that comes from needing less.Seneca warns that fortuneās gifts often become traps, because external success can deepen dependence rather than satisfy the soul.Anthony de Mello sharpens the same insight: many of our chains are imaginary, formed by false ideas about what we need before we can truly live.If youād like to continue the practice, you might also find this Micro Morning Meditation helpful:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: You're Free Alreadyhttps://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-youre-free
257. Fearless Energy in an Uncertain Life
08:10||Season 1, Ep. 257This episode reflects on what happens when life interrupts our carefully arranged plans.The Stoic reserve clauseāāif nothing prevents meāāhelps us plan without pretending the future belongs to us. Shakespeare, Seneca, and Suzuki ShÅsan deepen the point by bringing death into view, not as a morbid fixation, but as a reminder that even ordinary days are not guaranteed.š š šš» FOR MORE STOIC AUDIO CONTENTCheck out one of my latest daily Micro Morning Meditations here on Substack:āļø Micro Morning Meditation: When Others Judge Youhttps://whatisstoicism.substack.com/p/micro-morning-meditation-when-others