Podcast Summary: The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

"Most Replayed Moment: Make 2026 Your Best Year Yet! 5 Daily Practices For Health And Happiness"

Date: January 2, 2026
Host: Steven Bartlett (A)
Guest: Ryan Holiday (B) (author, modern stoic)

Episode Overview

In this highly replayed segment, Steven Bartlett and Ryan Holiday dive deep into the timeless wisdom of philosophy, especially Stoicism, to identify five transformative daily practices for health, happiness, and personal growth. Their candid conversation explores practical philosophy, ritual, service, mortality, and the challenge of managing emotions—all keys to making any year your best yet.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power And Paradox Of Wisdom From Books

• Multiple Lives Through Reading

  • Ryan Holiday explains that reading is the only way to "live multiple lives" by accessing the collective wisdom and experiences of history. (00:12)
  • Books contain distilled lessons—sometimes sold for just a dollar—that can dramatically accelerate personal learning.
  • Quote: "Reading is maybe the only way that you can live multiple lives." —Ryan Holiday (00:15)

• Universal Themes Reappearing Across Cultures

  • Steven notices that much of the wisdom in books tends to converge, even bridging Eastern and Western philosophies.
  • Quote: "Eastern and Western philosophy, kind of like a horseshoe, you know, they come together towards the ends." —Ryan Holiday (00:38)

2. The Five Essential Daily Practices

Practice 1: Focus on What's Within Your Control

• Applying The Dichotomy Of Control
  • Inspired by Epictetus, Ryan emphasizes separating what's "up to you" from what's not, to better allocate personal energy.
  • Complaining or worrying about uncontrollable factors (e.g., traffic, weather) is wasted effort that could be spent making a difference elsewhere.
  • Analogy: "That'd be like putting 50% of the power of your car on the wheels that aren't touching the ground." —Ryan Holiday (01:50)

Practice 2: Walking And Water As Paths To Calm And Inspiration

• Therapeutic Effect of Long Walks And Water
  • Ryan finds peace and inspiration through walking and being near water, noting these acts rarely make problems worse and often foster presence and clarity. (01:56–02:41)
  • There's a historical and evolutionary precedent for humans finding meaning and calmness in movement and the natural element of water.
  • Quote: "There’s very few problems that are made worse by taking a walk." —Ryan Holiday (02:20)
  • Steven notes many of his personal epiphanies occur in the gym or shower—echoing the restorative nature of movement and water. (03:30)
  • Habit: Ryan commits to daily walks for mental health. (03:57)

Practice 3: Do Something Physically Difficult Every Day

• Challenge As Growth
  • Pushing physical limits is vital for growth, resilience, and overall well-being.
  • Ryan clarifies this is about active challenge (e.g., lifting heavy, running, combat sports) rather than simply avoiding bad habits.
  • Quote: "The walk is for the mental health. Then you gotta do something for the physical health." —Ryan Holiday (04:38)
  • Physical struggle has been integral—from ancient Greeks and Romans to Zen Buddhists—to cultivate both body and mind. (06:21–06:45)

Practice 4: Prioritize Service And Contribution To Others

• Meaning Through Service
  • Echoing Marcus Aurelius, meaning and legacy arise from contributing to the common good, not personal achievement or wealth.
  • Service and helping others are described as both a source of purpose and a "human obligation."
  • Quote: "What is the contribution you are making to the collective? That’s meaning and purpose and, quite frankly, your obligation as a human being." —Ryan Holiday (05:18)

Practice 5: Embrace Memento Mori — Remember Mortality

• Urgency and Clarity from Mortality
  • The practice of remembering death draws urgency, clarity, and gratitude into each day.
  • Forgetting mortality leads to procrastination and neglect of important things.
  • Ryan references Marcus Aurelius reflecting on the loss of his six children, emphasizing that even the ancients needed constant reminders of mortality.
  • Quote: "Death is the only prophecy that never fails." —Ryan Holiday (09:21)
  • Metaphor: The hourglass on Steven's desk as a daily memento mori. (11:25)

3. Stoicism: Emotion and Control

Misconception: Stoicism = Emotionless

• Ryan dispels the myth that Stoicism means suppressing emotions. Instead, it's about awareness and mastery—feeling deeply, understanding triggers, but not being enslaved to reactions.
• Quote: "If you’re stuffing the emotions down…they will eventually reveal themselves." —Ryan Holiday (11:56)
• The true Stoic challenge is processing emotion and making wise choices in response.
• Steven relates this to frustration over high standards and the struggle not to overreact when things don’t go as planned. (14:08–14:18)

Adapting to Life Instead of Demanding It Bend

• Epictetus’ principle: “Don’t want things to be a certain way, want them to be the way that they are. That is the path to peace.” —Ryan Holiday (14:34)
• Ryan shares an anecdote of a basketball coach who says, “I’m a dress for the weather guy.” (15:04)
• The balance: prefer good conditions but don’t require them for peace or performance.

4. Preferred Indifference and Adaptable Rituals

• Stoics accept there are "preferred indifferents": things it's better to have, but not essential.
• Cultivating adaptable routines and detaching from needing conditions to be perfect is the path to resilience and happiness.

5. The Question of Legacy (Deathbed Reflection)

• Steven asks Ryan what singular Stoic lesson he'd impart to the world at the end of his life.
• Ryan reflects on Marcus Aurelius' last words, focusing not on his own death but urging friends to make the most of their lives.
• Quote: "The one benefit of people dying is the one way that they can go on living after they die… it’s the reminder of the fact that they’re not here, which will be true for you at some point." —Ryan Holiday (19:46)
• The ultimate message: We don’t get forever. The greatest gift is the time you still have; don’t waste it.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Reading is maybe the only way that you can live multiple lives.” —Ryan Holiday (00:15)
• “Is this up to you or not?” —Ryan Holiday (01:50)
• “There’s very few problems that are made worse by taking a walk.” —Ryan Holiday (02:20)
• “What is the contribution you are making to the collective? …Your obligation as a human being.” —Ryan Holiday (05:18)
• “Death is the only prophecy that never fails.” —Ryan Holiday (09:21)
• “Don’t want things to be a certain way, want them to be the way that they are. That is the path to peace.” —Ryan Holiday (14:34)
• “The fact that you get tomorrow and I don’t is a gift that you should not take for granted.” —Ryan Holiday (19:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:12: The transformative power of reading.
• 00:50: Core themes recurring throughout philosophy.
• 01:01: Control versus uncontrollable—Stoic dichotomy.
• 01:56: Therapeutic value of walking and water.
• 03:57: Daily ritualizing of walks.
• 04:27: Daily physical challenge.
• 05:18: Meaning through service to others.
• 08:29: Remember mortality—memento mori.
• 11:48: Dispelling the myth: Stoicism and emotion.
• 14:34: Accepting reality versus rigid expectations.
• 18:38: Deathbed wisdom—using limited time well.

Final Reflection

This episode extracts timeless, practical guidance from the Stoics for daily life—distilling age-old philosophy down to five daily practices: focusing on control, seeking inspiration in motion and nature, challenging oneself, serving others, and remembering our mortality. The dialogue is candid, personal, and rich in actionable wisdom, making it especially valuable for listeners wanting to create lasting change in 2026 and beyond.