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The UNTOLD Emotional Struggles of History’s Most Powerful Men | Ron Chernow (PT. 1)

The UNTOLD Emotional Struggles of History’s Most Powerful Men | Ron Chernow (PT. 1)

The Daily Stoic
Jun 18, 2025 51 min
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About this episode

<p>Brilliance without emotional control is often a recipe for destruction. In this episode, Ryan sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow, whose acclaimed biographies on <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/biography?_pos=2&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alexander Hamilton</a>, <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/biography23?_pos=5&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Washington</a>,<a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/grant?_pos=3&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Ulysses S. Grant</a>, <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/biography21?_pos=4&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John D. Rockefeller</a>, and most recently, <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/mark-twain?_pos=1&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Twain</a> have reshaped our understanding of American greatness. Ron and Ryan talk about how these men’s deepest personal struggles and their ability to manage emotion became the defining factor in their lives and legacies.</p><br><p>Ron Chernow is the prizewinning author of seven previous books and the recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal. His first book, <em>The House of Morgan</em>, won the National Book Award, <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=product&amp;q=ron+chernow*" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Washington: A Life</em></a> won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, and <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/biography?_pos=2&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Alexander Hamilton</em></a>—the inspiration for the Broadway musical—won the George Washington Book Prize. He has twice been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and is one of only three living biographers to have won the Gold Medal for Biography of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Ron’s latest book is on the fascinating and complex life of American writer <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/mark-twain?_pos=1&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Twain</a>.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Follow Ron on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ronchernow/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ronchernow/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@RonChernow</a></p><br><p>📚 Grab signed copies of Ron Chernow’s books about <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/mark-twain?_pos=1&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Twain</a>, <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/biography?_pos=2&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alexander Hamilton</a>, <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/biography23?_pos=5&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Washington</a>, <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/grant?_pos=3&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ulysses S. Grant</a>, and <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/products/biography21?_pos=4&amp;_sid=b388eb57e&amp;_ss=r" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John D. Rockefeller</a>, at The Painted Porch | <a href="https://www.thepaintedporch.com/search?type=product&amp;q=ron+chernow*" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.thepaintedporch.com/</a></p><br><p>🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast</a></p><br><p>🎥 Watch top moments from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Daily Stoic Podcast</a> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube</a>: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast</a></p><br><p>✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at <a href="https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail</a></p><br><p>🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: <a href="https://store.dailystoic.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://store.dailystoic.com/</a></p><br><p>📱 Follow us: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dailystoic/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;Instagram</a>,<a href="https://twitter.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Twitter</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyStoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> YouTube</a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@daily_stoic?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> TikTok</a>, and<a href="https://www.facebook.com/dailystoic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Facebook</a></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

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