Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday
Holiday in 2012
Born	June 16, 1987 (1987-06-16) (age 37) Sacramento, California, U.S.
Occupation	Author, entrepreneur
Alma mater	University of California, Riverside (dropped out)
Genre	Non-fiction
Notable works	Trust Me, I'm Lying (2012) The Obstacle Is the Way (2014) Ego Is the Enemy (2016) The Daily Stoic (2016)
Spouse	Samantha Hoover[1]

Ryan Holiday (born June 16, 1987) is an American marketer, author, businessman and podcaster, notable for marketing Stoic philosophy in the form of books.^[2]

Prior to becoming an author, Holiday served as the former director of marketing and eventually an advisor for American Apparel.^[3] Holiday's debut to writing was in 2012, when he published Trust Me, I'm Lying. Holiday's notable works include his books on Stoic philosophy, such as The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego is the Enemy, Stillness is the Key, Discipline is Destiny, Courage is Calling, and Lives of the Stoics. He is controversial for his marketing of Stoicism in the form of "Memento Mori" coins and selling courses and calendars.^[4]

Career

Early career

Holiday began his career after dropping out of the University of California, Riverside at the age of 19.^[1] He consulted for author Tucker Max and, later, he worked with Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, on Greene's 2009 New York Times bestselling book, The 50th Law.^[5][6] Holiday served as Director of Marketing for American Apparel and, later, as an adviser to the company.^[3][7] He was replaced from the company in October 2014.^[1][8] He has consulted on a number of media campaigns and written extensively on the topic of media manipulation.^[9]

Writing

Holiday is the author of several books and has written for Forbes, Fast Company, The Huffington Post, The Columbia Journalism Review, The Guardian, Thought Catalog, Medium.com, New York Observer, The New York Times and Texas Monthly. Books he has authored have sold more than three million copies combined.^[10]

Holiday published his first book, a media exposé about the state of online journalism called Trust Me, I'm Lying, in July 2012, which debuted on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.^[11][12] His second book Growth Hacker Marketing was originally published in September 2013 by Portfolio/Penguin and then expanded into a print edition in 2014. The book shows how traditional marketing efforts are no longer the most effective, and why growth hacking is cheaper and more effective in today's market.^[13] The book was named one of Inc. magazine's top 10 marketing books of 2014.^[14][15]

In February 2014, Holiday was named editor-at-large of the Business & Technology section at the New York Observer.^[16]

Holiday's third book The Obstacle Is the Way, was published May 1, 2014, also by Portfolio/Penguin.^[17] The book is based on the Stoic exercise of framing obstacles as opportunities.^[17] The book has sold more than 1 million copies and was read by the New England Patriots during their 2014 Super Bowl-winning season, as well as distributed through the locker room of the Seattle Seahawks in the following offseason.^[18][19][6] The Obstacle Is the Way reached No. 1 on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller List in 2019, five years after its initial release.^[20] Two-time NBA Champion Chris Bosh listed The Obstacle Is the Way as his favorite book and added that, when his head coach Erik Spoelstra gifted Miami Heat players copies of the book, Bosh had already read it twice.^[21] During a press conference at the Masters in 2019, four-time major champion golfer Rory McIlroy said he read The Obstacle Is the Way as well as Holiday's following book, Ego Is the Enemy, leading up to the tournament.^[22] In the months following former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier's on-field spinal injury that left him unable to walk, Shazier credited The Obstacle Is The Way for helping him improve his mindset and focus on recovery.^[6]

In 2016, he published two books. The first, Ego Is the Enemy, uses various historical figures as case studies to illustrate the perils of egotism.^[23] The second, The Daily Stoic, is a daily devotional of Stoic meditations.^[24] Both books went on to become bestsellers with Daily Stoic reaching No. 1 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list.^[25][26]

In 2018, he published Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue. It is about the lawsuit between Gawker Media and wrestler Hulk Hogan, as well as Peter Thiel's involvement in the dispute. It was favorably reviewed by William D. Cohan of The New York Times, who called the book, "one helluva page-turner."^[27] Conspiracy is being developed into a feature film with Charles Randolph writing the script and Francis Lawrence attached as the director.^[28] In October 2019, he published Stillness Is the Key, which became the first of Holiday's books to reach No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.^[29][30] Stillness Is the Key promotes a balanced approach to life, of limiting the amount of "noise" and while mostly referencing stoicism, he also makes references to Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism as well as the Abrahamic religions.^[31] In 2020, he published Lives of the Stoics, which he wrote with author Stephen Hanselman.^[32] The book is a collection of biographies for more than two dozen philosophers who lived according to the stoic virtues of courage, temperance and wisdom.^[33]

He has written a chapter in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.^{[citation needed]}

Stoicism

While Holiday was a college student, Dr. Drew recommended Epictetus which inspired Holiday's interest in practicing and teaching Stoicism.^[34] Holiday, through his books, articles and lectures, has been credited by The New York Times with the increasing popularity of Stoicism.^[18] He was also described as "leading the charge for Stoicism,"^[35] which has been noted for gaining traction among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.^[36][37] Classicist Gregory Hays, whose 2002 translation of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations became a bestseller, provided commentary on Holiday's stoic writing by saying it is, "very much in the spirit of his ancient models" and added, "Holiday is also a great teller of stories."^[38]

Personal life

Holiday wrote public letters encouraging his father not to vote for Donald Trump in 2016^[39] and 2020.^[40][41] Despite his public opposition to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Holiday was offered a communications director position within the Trump administration, which he did not accept.^[42] Holiday supported Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election. He said:

For those asking what happened to the Biden sign...we hung it up on our ranch in Texas, where we own guns, raise cows for meat, prefer low taxes, fly an American flag, and mostly want to be left alone. It's perfectly possible to have "conservative" beliefs and know what the obvious right thing to do in 2020 is.^[43]

In September 2020, Holiday initiated a funding drive and personally contributed $10,000 toward the removal of two Confederate monuments from the Bastrop County Courthouse and the courthouse approved the removal and relocation of the monuments to an alternative site in February 2021.^[44]

Holiday owns and operates the independent bookstore Painted Porch Bookshop in Bastrop, Texas.^[45] He is married^[46] and has two sons. He lives on a 40-acre ranch in Bastrop County, Texas.^[5]

Holiday is also a musician, citing Metallica and Iron Maiden as influences.^[47][48]

See also

• Modern Stoicism

Bibliography

• Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator. Portfolio. 2012. ISBN 978-1591845539.
• Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising. Portfolio. 2014. ISBN 978-1591847380.
• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. Portfolio. 2014. ISBN 978-1591846352.
• Ego Is the Enemy. Portfolio. 2016. ISBN 978-1591847816.
• The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living. Portfolio. 2016. ISBN 978-0735211735. Co-author: Stephen Hanselman
• Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts. Portfolio. 2017. ISBN 978-0143109013.
• The Daily Stoic Journal: 366 Days of Writing and Reflection on the Art of Living. Portfolio. 2017. ISBN 978-0525534396. Co-author: Stephen Hanselman
• Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue. Portfolio. 2018. ISBN 978-0735217645.
• Stillness Is the Key. Portfolio. 2019. ISBN 978-0525538585.
• Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius: Lessons on the Art of Living. Portfolio. 2020. ISBN 978-1788162609. Co-author: Stephen Hanselman
• Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave. Portfolio. 2021. ISBN 978-0593191675.
• Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control. Portfolio. 2022. ISBN 978-0593191699.
• The Boy Who Would Be King. DailyStoic.com. 2022. ISBN 978-0578810041. Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
• The Girl Who Would Be Free. DailyStoic.com. 2022. ISBN 979-8985729108. Illustrations by Victor Juhasz
• Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. Portfolio. 2024. ISBN 978-0593191712.

References

1. Reclaiming Their Moment New York Times. By Vincent M. Mallozzi, March 1, 2015
2. Keen, Andrew (July 16, 2012). "Keen On… Ryan Holiday: Confessions Of A Media Manipulator". TechCrunch.
3. Will Dov Charney's Ouster Affect American Apparel's Marketing? We ask director of marketing Ryan Holiday Adweek.com
4. Greer, Gage (November 3, 2022). "The Self-Help Advice of Ryan Holiday is More Existentialist than Stoic". Medium. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
5. Alter, Alexandra (December 6, 2016). "Ryan Holiday Sells Stoicism as a Life Hack, Without Apology (Published 2016)". The New York Times.
6. "The ancient credo that fueled the Patriot Way, inspired Nick Saban and helped Ryan Shazier heal". May 21, 2020.
7. Knutsson, Robert (May 16, 2013). "Our hatred of sexism is the strategy itself". Svenska Dagbladet. SvD.
8. American Apparel Names Female CEO to Replace Controversial Founder Dov Charney Adweek.com
9. Alfonsi, Sharyn (January 11, 2013). "Booming Business of Extreme Pranks: When Cashing in on Viral Videos Crosses the Line". ABC News 20/20.
10. "M.I.A.M.I. Woman Presents: The Obstacle is the Way with Ryan Holiday". April 28, 2021.
11. Holiday, Ryan (July 19, 2012). "Our gullible press". Columbia Journalism Review.
12. "Best-Selling Books, Week Ended July 22". The Wall Street Journal. July 27, 2012.
13. Scwabel, Dan. "Ryan Holiday: Why All Marketers Should Be Growth Hackers". Forbes.
14. Zetlin, Minda (October 16, 2013). "Want a Million Customers? Become a Growth Hacker". INC.
15. Top 10 Marketing Books of 2014 Inc.com
16. Horgan, Richard. "Ryan Holiday is Now Betabeat's Editor-at-Large". MediaBistro.
17. Obront, Zach. "Features: 'The Obstacle is the Way': Interview with Ryan Holiday". Exeter. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
18. Alexandra Alter (December 6, 2016). "Ryan Holiday Sells Stoicism as a Life Hack, Without Apology". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
19. Bishop, Greg How a book on stoicism became wildly popular at every level of the NFL Sports Illustrated. December 10, 2015
20. Best-Selling Books Week Ended June 15. The Washington Post. July 13, 2019
21. What NBA All-Star Chris Bosh Can’t Live Without New York Magazine. August 5, 2019
22. Best-selling book finds way onto PGA Tour PGA Tour. August 5, 2019
23. Sean Illing (January 12, 2017). "Are you an egotist? Here's why the answer is probably yes". Vox.com. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
24. Michael Shammas (October 24, 2016). "Where Is Happiness? The Question Was Answered Two Millennia Ago". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
25. Best-Selling Books Week Ended Jan. 5 Wall Street Journal. July 19, 2019
26. Best-Selling Books Week Ended Oct. 23 Wall Street Journal. January 26, 2017
27. William D. Cohan (February 27, 2018). "Bringing Down a Media Empire". New York Times Book Review. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
28. "The Controversial Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Trial Is Being Made Into A Movie". December 6, 2018.
29. "Books – Bestsellers". The New York Times. November 1, 2019.
30. The On-Sale Calendar: October 2019 Publishers Weekly. July 13, 2019
31. "28 Ways to Find the Stillness You Need to Thrive". The Tim Ferriss Show. September 26, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
32. Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman. PenguinRandomHouse.com. 2020. ISBN 978-0525541875. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
33. "13 books to help you weather the rest of 2020 and beyond". The Washington Post. October 5, 2020.
34. "How Dr. Drew Pinsky Changed My Life". February 1, 2016.
35. "A 2,300-year-old philosophy is being re-branded to fix modern life". The Independent. December 7, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
36. Kashmira Gander (December 8, 2016). "Stoicism 2.0: How the 2,300-year-old philosophy has been re-branded for modern life". The Independent. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
37. Olivia Goldhill (December 17, 2016). "Silicon Valley tech workers are using an ancient philosophy designed for Greek slaves as a life hack". Quartz. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
38. Hays, Gregory (March 11, 2021). "Tune Out & Lean In". {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
39. "Dear Dad, Please Don't Vote For Donald Trump". July 13, 2016.
40. "Dear Dad, Please Don't Vote For Donald Trump This Time". October 13, 2020.
41. @RyanHoliday (October 7, 2020). "Dear Dad, Please Don't Vote For Donald Trump This Time" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
42. Holiday, Ryan (April 2, 2018). "How to Serve a Deranged Tyrant, Stoically". The New York Times.
43. "Biden sign post". www.instagram.com.
44. "Author contributes $10K to move Confederate monuments from Bastrop courthouse". September 17, 2020.
45. "Author Defies Covid Obstacle to Open Bookstore". March 24, 2021.
46. Mallozzi, Vincent M. (March 1, 2015). "Reclaiming Their Moment". The New York Times.
47. "Things Heavy Metal Taught Me About Life". January 11, 2023.
48. "Ryan Holiday". January 11, 2023.

External links

• Official Website