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Truly MentalAuthor: Joe & Jesse
This podcast has been created by Joe Smarro & Jesse Trevino and it is being provided by SolutionPoint, a national training and consulting firm that specializes in cultivating mental wellness to maximize human capital and promote safety. They are two combat veteran marines, who have been on a shared journey as best friends for the last 20 years. Joe and Jesse were both San Antonio Police officers for 15 and 10 years, respectively, and have started a training and consulting firm which is now their full-time endeavor. They have set out on a mission to change the culture of law enforcement in America by focusing on individual wellness. They hope to eradicate first responder suicide. Welcome to the podcast, please subscribe, share, and leave comments for them both. BeWell - Language: en-us Genres: Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Science, Social Sciences Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Be a Friend to Yourself — Dr. Peter Anderson on Stoicism, Toughness, and the Inner Citadel
Monday, 20 July, 2026
Connect with Dr. Peter Anderson:WebsiteLinkedInDr. Peter Anderson spent over two decades studying the ancient world — Latin, Greek, the Stoics — before burning out of academia and rebuilding from the inside. Now he translates Seneca and coaches leaders through Inner Citadel Consulting. This one goes deep on what the Stoics actually said versus what the internet thinks they said, and why it matters for anyone who works under pressure.In this episode:Peter's path from Germany to Ottawa to a PhD at Cincinnati to a tenured academic career — and the slow "hollowing out" that made him walk awayWhy "Inner Citadel" — the internal foundation that withstands every shock, and why a citadel is something you build, not something you're born withThe bridge between ancient Stoicism and modern emotional intelligence: awareness, regulation, and using feelings as dataWhy Peter uses the word "experience" instead of "emotion" — and how that unlocks people who can't name what they're feelingJoe on "dad is mad, mom is sad, I'm supposed to be glad" and the binary emotional world a lot of men grow up inAnger vs. frustration: Seneca said the solution to anger is vengeance — so what do you actually want when you say you're angry?Regulation as a nervous system skill, not a willpower contest. Deceleration is the first EI skillToughness isn't hardness. Peter's Tai Chi teachers had plenty of hard — it was their soft that hurtThe myth of the emotionless Stoic warrior: they never said stop feeling. They said interrogate it. Is it real? Is it appropriate? Is it at the right level?Epictetus and what's actually under your control: value judgments and what you do because of them. That's the whole listWhy people cling to the "maybe" — because "not under my control" is freaky and "under my control" is responsibilityJoe and Peter on how much human suffering comes from worrying about things we can't touch — including Joe's own persistent depressive disorder and "the sway" of future tripping and past dwelling
