Mind the Gap: Stoic Portraits – Season One

What can a man born into slavery teach us about inner freedom?

In this five-minute reflection, Michael Comyn explores the life and legacy of Epictetus—the Stoic philosopher who had no control over his body, his birthplace, or his master… but refused to surrender his mind.

From radical acceptance to the discipline of emotional clarity, this episode distils Epictetus’ most powerful ideas and shows how they apply to the noise, stress, and uncertainty of modern life.

Whether you’re facing frustration, doubt, or just a crowded day, this quiet portrait reminds us:

You can’t always change the world, but you can always change your response to it.

Part of our Stoic Portraits bonus series—bite-sized wisdom from ancient lives that still echo today.

In this Mind the Gap bonus episode, we step into the reflective space of our companion series Echoes from the Margins to explore Pride—not just as a parade, but as a quiet, daily act of presence and truth.

We look at how Pride is celebrated, resisted, and quietly held across the world, from cities where flags wave freely to places where truth can be dangerous. We also pause to honour older LGBTQ+ voices who paved the way for today’s freedoms, yet often find themselves overlooked at the edges of the rainbow.

This episode weaves Stoic insights, indigenous perspectives, and gentle storytelling to explore a question many of us face: What does it cost to belong? And how can we belong to ourselves without apology?

If you’ve felt the tension between who you are and who the world wants you to be, this conversation is for you.

In this Mind the Gap bonus episode, we share a reflective conversation from our companion series, Echoes from the Margins.

Have you ever drafted a message you never sent, or replayed words you never spoke aloud? This episode, Letters Never Sent, explores the unspoken truths we carry: the letters tucked away, the messages deleted, the conversations rehearsed but left unspoken.

Through gentle storytelling, Stoic insights, and reflections on modern psychology, we explore why some words remain unspoken, why some truths wait for the right moment, and how silence can be an act of wisdom, boundary, or hope.

We also reflect on the power of restraint in a noisy world that demands constant reaction, and how sometimes, not saying something can be as powerful as speaking out.

If you have ever felt the weight of unspoken words or wondered whether silence can be an act of love, this conversation is for you.