Stoic Life Coaching: A Life Worth Living After Success
Stoic Life Coaching
For when you have built the life you planned and wonder what it is for
Stoic life coaching, explained in 80 seconds. Benny tells you what it is, who it helps, and how the free first conversation works.
No pressure and no obligation. If coaching is not the right fit, he will tell you.
What is Stoic life coaching?
Stoic life coaching is one-on-one coaching that uses Stoic philosophy to help you decide what a good life means for you and how to build it. We look at your values, your work, your roles, and the choices that shape the years ahead.
I am Benny Voncken, and I coach you one on one by video call, in 60-minute sessions that end with a follow-up email from me. We use ideas that Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius put into practice in their own lives, and we turn them into questions, exercises and decisions you can use this week.
Book a free 30-minute chat with me for an honest conversation, with no nonsense and no obligation.
Who is Stoic life coaching for?
People usually come to me at a turning point rather than a breaking point. You may recognize yourself in one of these situations:
- You reached the goal, whether a career, an income, a family or a reputation, and it does not feel the way you expected.
- Your career sits at a crossroads, or you are weighing a midlife reassessment.
- An ending cleared the ground, such as a divorce, a breakup or a lost job, and you need to decide what to build next. See how Seneca thought about grief.
- Other people’s expectations run your life, and you want to know what you value yourself. Read more in How to Stop Living Someone Else’s Life.
- You feel stuck between the past and the future and want a direction you can act on.
- You want better boundaries and a healthier balance between work, relationships and rest.
Worry, anger and overthinking often play a part too, and you can read about that side of the work on the Stoic coaching page.
How does Stoic life coaching work?
- A free 30-minute consultation. We talk about what brought you here and what you have already tried, and I tell you honestly whether I can help.
- One-on-one sessions online. Each session lasts 60 minutes by video call and follows your situation, not a script.
- Stoic ideas applied to your life. We use my Pause Framework (Observe, Reset, Decide) and the Stoic habit of pausing to turn Stoic principles into choices.
- A follow-up email after each session. I send you the key insights, so the work continues between our calls.
- A practical exercise between sessions. I adapt a Stoic practice, often one of the Epictetus exercises, to your situation, and you try it before we meet again.
What do we work on together?
The details change from person to person, but the work usually follows four questions:
- What is up to you? We separate what you control from what you do not, the distinction Epictetus placed at the center of his Discourses, so your energy goes where it can change something.
- What do you value? We name the virtues and principles you want to guide your choices, and we test them against how you live now.
- What do you owe, and to whom? We look at your roles and duties in family, work and community, and at the places where they collide with what you want.
- What will you practice? We build a small set of daily habits and a written personal philosophy of life that you keep using after our sessions end.
For a preview of the thinking, read How to Design Your Life and How to Find Your Philosophy of Life.
What do clients work toward?
- Self-awareness: understanding your thoughts and emotions before they steer you.
- Responsibility: taking charge of what is yours to change.
- Direction: aligning your actions with your values and purpose.
- Composure: responding to stress and setbacks with judgment instead of reflex.
- Boundaries: setting limits that improve your relationships.
- Steadiness: practical tools to stay grounded when anxiety or pressure rises.
I do not promise a particular result, because your life is yours to change. I do promise a structured process, my full attention and honest feedback, and I will tell you if you need therapy or medical care instead of coaching.
Meet Benny, your Stoic life coach
I bring over seven years of daily Stoic practice, close to three years of professional coaching, and almost fifteen years of teaching, which taught me to explain hard ideas in plain words.
Through The Via Stoica Podcast, which I host, I talk with Stoic scholars, and I have also spoken at Stoicon and co-taught Stoic Week at the International School for Philosophy in the Netherlands. Stoicism guided me through personal challenges of my own, so I know this path from the inside.
I am not a therapist and I hold no philosophy degree, but I am a teacher and a long-time practitioner, and my mission is to help you find your own philosophy of life, whether that turns out Stoic or not.
You can learn more on the About Benny page, or read The Stoic Story of Benny Voncken.
What clients say about Stoic life coaching
Why Stoicism for life direction?
Stoicism is a philosophy that promotes living a virtuous life in harmony with nature, and it was built to answer the question of how to live. It rests on three habits:
- Knowing yourself: asking meaningful questions to understand your true nature.
- Embracing virtues: practicing wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance.
- Examining emotions: learning to deal with feelings in a productive and rational manner.
Stoic life coaching does not ask you to suppress emotions or to become a philosopher, and it gives you a fresh perspective on your life through timeless teachings, whatever your beliefs.
New to the philosophy? Start with What is Stoicism. To go deeper, read Musonius Rufus, the teacher of Epictetus, or work through the Epictetus Discourses yourself.
Stoic life coaching packages and cost
Both packages use 60-minute video sessions and include a follow-up email after each session. Prices are in US dollars.
Four sessions: $399
A defined turning point, worked through in depth. This suits a career choice, an ending, or a stretch of life that no longer fits, and you leave with practical tools and a decision you can act on.
Twelve sessions: $999
A deeper engagement with several areas of your life, guided by Stoic frameworks and exercises, that ends with a written personal philosophy of life. Most clients find that the real work begins around session four or five, once we have worked through the first layer.
Not sure which package fits? We settle that in the free consultation.
Frequently asked questions about Stoic life coaching
Is Stoic life coaching the same as therapy?
No. Therapy works with the past and with clinical conditions, while coaching works with the present and with how you want to live going forward. I do not diagnose or treat psychological conditions, and if you need therapeutic support I will say so and help you find the right direction.
Can Stoic life coaching help if I am successful but feel something is missing?
Often, yes. Reaching a goal tends to raise the question of what the goal was for, and Stoic philosophy has centuries of practice with that question. We look at what you built, whose expectations shaped it, and what you want your work, relationships and days to serve. I cannot promise a particular answer, but I can give you a structured way to reach your own.
Do I need to know anything about Stoicism to start?
No. I explain what is relevant as we go, and you do not need to read anything in advance. If you want to explore the basics first, start with What is Stoicism.
How much does Stoic life coaching cost?
Four sessions cost $399 and twelve sessions cost $999. Each session lasts 60 minutes, and the first consultation of 30 minutes is free.
How long does Stoic life coaching take, and where do the sessions happen?
Most clients work with me for three to six months, and some continue longer, because the pace depends on what you are working through and not on a fixed program. All sessions take place online by video call, and my clients live across Europe, North America and beyond.
What happens in the free consultation?
We talk for 30 minutes about what brings you here. I ask questions, listen carefully, and give you my honest view of whether and how coaching can help, with no sales pitch and no pressure to sign up.
Ready to ask what comes next?
The consultation is a straightforward conversation. You tell me what you are dealing with, I listen, and I give you my honest view of whether I can help. If Stoic life coaching is not the right fit, I will say so.
Want to hear how I think first? Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Explore further: Stoic Coaching · How to Design Your Life · Why We Need a Philosophy of Life · What is Stoicism? · Epictetus Discourses · Seneca Quotes · Marcus Aurelius Quotes · Stoic Terms Glossary