Shows / The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Stoic Inner Strategy – Leadership, Stoicism, and Decision-Making Under PressureThe Stoic Inner Strategy is a daily leadership podcast for founders, CEOs, executives, and operators navigating high-stakes decisions.Hosted by Scott Smith, Principal Advisor and founder of Akhada Consulting, this show blends Stoic philosophy with modern business strategy, executive decision-making, and leadership clarity. Each short episode explores topics like judgment under pressure, strategic thinking…
Episodes
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 97 – Success Leaves Clues – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: “Well‑being is attained by little and little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.” — Zeno of Citium🎧 Episode Summary: Scott shows how lasting…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 96 – Control the Controllables – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius🎧 Episode Summary: Scott cuts through…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 95 – Your Reputation Is Built in the Quiet – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🧠 Quote-Inspired Theme: Anchored in the Stoic view of character: "Character is fate." – Heraclitus (quoted by Epictetus)🎧 Episode Summary: Reputation isn’t…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 94 – A Calm Mind Makes Better Calls – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🧠 Quote-Inspired Theme: Based on the Stoic discipline of perception: "If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 93 – Take the Hit, Stay the Course – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🧠 Quote-Inspired Theme: Rooted in Stoic resilience and Seneca’s wisdom: "Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body."🎧 Episode Summary: Setbacks…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 92 – The Noise Is Not Your Job – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🧠 Quote-Inspired Theme: Loosely drawn from Stoic principles and Marcus Aurelius’ mindset: "Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one."🎧…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 91 – Decide What Matters and Then Do It – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🧠 Quote-Inspired Theme: While not a direct quote, this episode echoes a core Stoic teaching: clarity of purpose, followed by decisive action.🎧 Episode Summary…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 90 – What You Give Your Attention To – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: "You become what you give your attention to." — Epictetus🎧 Episode Summary: Scott breaks down one of the most important leadership truths: whatever you…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 89 – The Power of the Reps – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Will Durant (often misattributed to Aristotle)🎧 Episode Summary: In this…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 88 – Why You Need to Define Your Win – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: “He who chases two rabbits catches neither.” — Confucius🎧 Episode Summary: Scott walks through the danger of undefined goals. If you don’t know what…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 87 – Are You Playing the Long Game? – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: “Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.” — Unknown🎧 Episode Summary: Scott challenges listeners to step back and re-evaluate what…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 86 – The Strength to Say No – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders Quote
“If you don’t know what you’re aiming for, you’ll miss every time.” — Marcus Aurelius (paraphrased)“Learn to say ‘no.’ It will be of more use to you than to be…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 85 – The Glory in the Climb – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: "The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it." — Epicurus (Stoic-adjacent)🎧 Episode Summary: Scott takes on the myth that success…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 84 – Do What’s Right – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: "Let others do what they will; you do what is right." — Epictetus🎧 Episode Summary: Scott delivers a no-nonsense message about integrity. In a culture…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 83 – Strength Within – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "The task ahead of you is never greater than the strength within you." — (Misattributed to Seneca) "Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 82 – Rejoice in What You Have – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." — Epictetus🎧 Episode Summary: Scott breaks…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Episode 81 – Calm Mind, Strong Heart – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength." — Marcus Aurelius🎧 Episode Summary: Scott reframes strength as quiet, clear, and…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Importance of Honesty – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." — Thomas Jefferson "Truth never perishes." — Seneca "No man has a good enough memory to be a…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Living by Faith – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "Faith is not expecting things to turn out the way you want, but accepting how they turn out." — Epictetus "There are times when we have to step into…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Justice vs Mercy – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "Justice is the source of all the other virtues." — Marcus Aurelius "Mercy is the highest attribute of the strong." — Seneca🎧 Episode Summary: Scott…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Standing Up for Truth – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious of anything but the truth." — Epictetus "The truth is simple. If it was complicated, everyone would…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Fighting for Our Dreams – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "If you wish to be a writer, write." — Epictetus "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." — Seneca🎧 Episode Summary: Scott calls out…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Developing Resilience – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity." — Seneca "What stands in the way becomes the way." — Marcus Aurelius🎧 Episode Summary…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Death is What Gives Life Meaning – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: "Death is not an evil. What is it then? The one law mankind has that is free of all discrimination." — Seneca🎧 Episode Summary: Scott invites us to stop…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Drowning Out the Noise – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "The opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject." — Marcus Aurelius "Don’t allow yourself to be carried away…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Focus – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "Concentrate every minute like a Roman—on doing what’s in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness." — Marcus Aurelius "If a man knows not to…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Peace – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "To be calm is the highest achievement of the self." — Zen proverb "Tranquility comes when you stop caring what they say. Or think. Or do. Only what…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Freedom’s Cost (4th of July Special) – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: "The means of defense against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home." — James Madison🎧 Episode Summary: Scott offers a…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Duty and Responsibility – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quotes: "Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected." — George Washington "Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Emotional Mastery – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: “He who angers you conquers you.” — Elizabeth Kenny Jefferson: “Remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances.”🎧 Episode Summary: Scott unpacks the…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Virtue Over Comfort – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: “Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.” — Benjamin Franklin🎧 Episode Summary: Scott breaks down Benjamin Franklin’s…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
What Is Freedom? – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
Quote: “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.” — Epictetus🎧 Episode Summary: Scott reframes…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Time Is the Only Loss You Can’t Recover – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: No loss should be more regrettable than losing our time, for it’s irretrievable. — Zeno of CitiumThis one hits home. Scott brings the…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Conquer Yourself, Not the World – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: Man conquers the world by conquering himself. — Zeno of CitiumTrue power starts with inner mastery. In this episode, Scott explains why…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Endure What Matters – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: If you accomplish something good with hard work… the good endures. — Musonius RufusScott reflects on the value of endurance—why Stoics…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Urgency of Now – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: While we are postponing, life speeds by. — CleanthesThis episode is a wake-up call. Scott shares how hesitation costs more than time—it…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Freedom Through Education – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: Only the educated are free. — ChrysippusScott unpacks why the Stoics believed education is the gateway to freedom. But not education in…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Local Heart, Global Mind – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: As a citizen, I serve my city and country. But as a human being, I belong to the world. So my responsibility is to both. — Paraphrased…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Demand the Best – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself? — EpictetusThis episode is a personal challenge. Scott uses…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Busy ≠ Productive – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about? — Henry David ThoreauIn this episode, Scott calls…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Guard Your Thoughts – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. — Marcus AureliusScott explores one of Marcus Aurelius’ most…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Decide Something – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: More is lost by indecision than wrong decision. — Marcus Tullius CiceroIn this episode, Scott challenges the paralysis of indecision…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Special Episode: Father’s Day Tribute
🎧 Episode SummaryIn this special Father's Day reflection, Scott pays tribute to all fathers—past and present—while honoring his own father’s remarkable legacy…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Color of Your Thoughts – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts. — Marcus AureliusScott…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Keep Learning How to Live – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: As long as you live, keep learning how to live. — SenecaThere’s no finish line to self-leadership. Scott shares how Seneca’s quote…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Who You Walk With – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. — Paraphrased from EpictetusWho you…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Say Less, Mean More – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid. — CatoIn this short but sharp reflection, Scott explores…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Live Now – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see. — Marcus AureliusThis episode…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Leadership Is a Borrowed Gift – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people. — Peter StropleScott wraps the 50th episode of The Inner…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Listen Like a Leader – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak. — Zeno of CitiumLeadership often starts with…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Stop Time Traveling – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future. — SenecaMost leaders aren’t just busy—they’re…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Self-Mastery—the Key to Freedom – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: No man is free who is not master of himself. — EpictetusWhat’s running your day—your calendar, your cravings, or your character? In…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Gift of Being Misunderstood – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid. — EpictetusIn this episode, Scott reminds leaders that growth…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Trust vs. Tracking – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. — SenecaIn this episode, Scott breaks down the…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
When You’re Tired of Holding It All Together – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break; but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water. — Marcus AureliusIn…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Client Who Told Me to Shut Up – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished? — RumiIn this episode, Scott shares a raw moment with a client—and…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Spreadsheet War – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: Don’t demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do, and you will go on well. — EpictetusIn this episode…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
When the Neighbor’s House Catches Fire – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: “What would have become of Hercules, do you think, if there had been no lion, hydra, stag or boar—and no savage criminals to rid the…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
Memorial Day Special: The Legacy of Leadership – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
⚠️ Trigger Warning⚠️ *Trigger Warning: This episode contains descriptions of wartime injury and combat trauma, which may be distressing to some listeners…
- The Stoic Inner Strategy – A Leadership & Strategy Podcast
The Power of Saying No – A Daily Insight for Modern Leaders
🎧 Episode SummaryQuote: The greatest thing by far is to be a master of yourself. — CleanthesSaying no isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. Scott explains why…