In this conversation, Caleb Ontiveros speaks with James Kierstead. James runs the YouTube Channel Ancient and Modern, studied at Stanford, and now serves as a senior lecturer and research fellow.

Caleb and James talk about the place of classics today, the idea of "the west", James's personal experiences with meditation and Buddhism, and how buddhism and Stoicism come together today.

This conversation will be interesting to anyone thinking about ancient history, the classics, and the connections between modern buddhism and Stoicism.

Listen to it here: (Android, iPhone).

Stoa Conversations is Caleb Ontiveros and Michael Tremblay’s podcast on Stoic theory and practice.


Caleb and Michael work together on the Stoa app (iPhone, Android). Stoa is designed to help you build resilience and focus on what matters. It combines the practical philosophy of Stoicism with modern techniques and meditation.


Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/


Subscribe to The Stoa Letter for weekly meditations, actions, and links to the best Stoic resources: www.stoaletter.com/subscribe


Caleb Ontiveros has a background in academic philosophy (MA) and startups. His favorite Stoic is Marcus Aurelius. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/calebmontiveros


Michael Tremblay also has a background in academic philosophy (PhD) where he focused on Epictetus. He is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His favorite Stoic is Epictetus. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/_MikeTremblay


Thank you to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/