Stoicism & A Good Life
In my work I explore how ancient Stoicism can help us live a good life today. I'm drawn to the powerful principles and life-affirming ideas behind this 2,000-year-old philosophy:
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Wisdom and the search for truth
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Connection to the natural world
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Love and affection for other people
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Resilience and our ability to overcome challenges and difficulties
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Good emotions like joy and goodwill
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Spiritual exercises like reading, journaling, and discussion
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Practical steps toward lifelong improvement
If you'd like a life of deep meaning and purpose, then Stoicism is for you!
Check out my work on Stoic wellbeing, ethics, parenting, caring for others, and more.
About Brittany
As a philosophical writer, community organizer, and nonprofit founder, I help make the timeless wisdom of Stoicism available to people from many different backgrounds. My PhD is in applied linguistics, but ever since discovering Stoic philosophy in 2016 I have been writing books, organizing events, speaking at conferences, and generally telling the world all about Stoicism.
In 2021 I co-founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Stoicare, which promotes Stoicism as a philosophy of care around the world. Currently I serve as president of Stoicare and as a steering committee member of Modern Stoicism.
You can read more of my philosophical writing at Stoicism for Humans, or follow me on Instagram or Twitter.
Reviews
“Brittany Polat is one of the clearest, most knowledgeable, and humane writers in the modern Stoic tradition. In Journal Like a Stoic, she makes journaling easy by aligning prompts with 90 quotations from ancient Stoics. After explaining their ideas, she provides specific questions for the reader to contemplate and answer. This hands-on, practical guide is invaluable if you’d like to reflect on how Stoic ideas can enhance your life.”
—David Fideler, PhD, author of Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living
"This wonderful book will help you to maintain your equanimity in difficult situations, by showing you how to adopt a philosophical attitude toward parenting. One day your children will thank you for having read it!"
—Donald Robertson, author of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor and Stoicism and The Art of Happiness
"Polat...draws on the philosophical school’s practical and relevant wisdom in a straightforward and lucidly presented primer on Stoic parenting....Noting the Stoics were “master psychologists,” Polat finds their ideas applicable to “difficult situations” commonly encountered with children, including resistance to potty training, intra-sibling jealousy, and back talk to parents. In eight short chapters, Polat walks readers through giving up the need for control, rethinking value judgments, teaching children values, and in general becoming, in Seneca’s words, “cheerful, calm, and undisturbed.” While Polat’s work may not replace mindfulness with tranquility as the new self-care buzzword, it makes a good case for the applicability of an ancient intellectual tradition to modern child care."
― Publishers Weekly
“Brittany Polat is a unique, important voice in the global Stoic community. She draws on her own journey, and after a beautifully clear introduction to Stoicism’s core ethical tenets, the reader is led along a path to greater acceptance and practicing the Stoic virtues on a daily basis. Stoicism isn’t ‘magic beans’ but a way of life for which Polat is a thoughtful and wise guide.”
—Matt Sharpe, associate professor, author of Stoicism, Bullying, and Beyond
“A very well-thought-out and helpful guide to Stoic journaling. The course is securely grounded in the fundamental Stoic principles of living in line with virtue and step-by-step ethical development.”
—Christopher Gill, emeritus professor at the University of Exeter and founding member of Modern Stoicism
"Brittany Polat’s Journal Like a Stoic is a wise and compassionate guide for exploring how you can improve your character to improve your life. Brittany has chosen 90 of the best Stoic teachings to inspire daily journaling practice so you can plant the seeds of happiness, tend to a life of inner tranquility, and care for others. Stoicism is over 2,000 years –old, but Polat’s reflections and prompts make the ancient teachings accessible and relevant to us all in these modern times. Polat’s daily prompts will encourage you to persevere along the path of your own personal development journey."
—Kathryn Koromilas, writer, coach, and host of The Stoic Salon podcast