Ryan Holiday (born June 16, 1987) is an American marketer, author,[2] businessman and podcaster, notable for marketing Stoic philosophy in the form of books.
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.[citation needed]
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 at number 8 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list for Hardcover Business.[9] His second book Growth Hacker Marketing was originally published in September 2013 by Portfolio/Penguin[10] and then expanded into a print edition in 2014.[citation needed] The book discusses why growth hacking is cheaper and more effective than traditional marketing.[11] The book was named one of Inc. magazine's top 10 marketing books of 2014.[12]
In February 2014, Holiday was named editor-at-large of the Business & Technology section at the New York Observer.[13]
Holiday's third book The Obstacle Is the Way, was published May 1, 2014, also by Portfolio/Penguin. The book is based on the Stoic exercise of framing obstacles as opportunities.[citation needed] The book has sold more than 230,000 copies and was popular with both 2014 Super Bowl teams, the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.[5][14][4]The Obstacle Is the Way reached No. 1 on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller List in 2019, five years after its initial release.[15]Chris Bosh listed The Obstacle Is the Way as a book he couldn't live without and added that, when his head coach Erik Spoelstra gifted Miami Heat players copies of the book, Bosh had already read it.[16] During a press conference at the Masters in 2019, four-time major champion golfer Rory McIlroy said he read The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, leading up to the tournament.[17] Following former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier's on-field spinal injury that left him unable to walk, Shazier told Holiday that The Obstacle Is The Way helped him improve his mindset and focus on recovery.[4]
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.[18] The second, The Daily Stoic, was co-authored by Stepehn Hanselman and is a daily devotional of Stoic meditations. The Daily Stoic reached No. 2 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list in the Hardcover Business category and No. 7 in the Nonfiction Combined category.[19][20]
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 reviewed by William D. Cohan of The New York Times, who noted, "But incessant name-dropping aside — which tends to detract from his gripping narrative — Holiday has written one helluva page-turner."[21] As of 2018, there were plans to adapt Conspiracy into a feature film with Charles Randolph writing the script and Francis Lawrence attached as the director.[22] 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 in the Business category.[23][24]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.[citation needed] In 2020, he published Lives of the Stoics, which he wrote with author Stephen Hanselman.[25] 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.[26] He has written a chapter in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.[citation needed]
Stoicism
Holiday, through his books, articles and lectures, has been credited by The New York Times with the increasing popularity of Stoicism.[5] He was also described as "leading the charge for Stoicism," which has been noted for gaining traction among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.[27][28]
Personal life
Holiday wrote public letters encouraging his father not to vote for Donald Trump in 2016[29] and 2020.[30] Despite his public opposition to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Holiday reported that he was offered a communications director position within the Trump administration and did not accept.[31] Holiday supported Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election.[32]
Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius: Lessons on the Art of Living. Portfolio. 2020. ISBN978-1788162609. Co-author: Stephen Hanselman
Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave. Portfolio. 2021. ISBN978-0593191675.
Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control. Portfolio. 2022. ISBN978-0593191699.
Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds. Portfolio. 2024. ISBN978-0593191712.
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