Épisodes

  • The Rescuer Trap: Doormat or a Hand Grenade: When Rescuing Behavior Gets Overcorrected
    Nov 19 2025

    This episode features guest hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce, authors of the forthcoming book The Rescuer Trap. It’s time to rejoin the pack, lone wolf, and bring your newfound healthy boundaries with you. Scott and Kasey unpack Maladaptive Overcorrection and how to find the middle path of flexibility and true, healthy Interdependence.

    Are you the fixer, the over-giver, the emotional first responder for everyone but yourself? Welcome to The Rescuer Trap. We playfully own the labels “Parentified and Codependent” to make a point: these are not identities, but learned behaviors.

    And what can be learned can be unlearned. Hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce use Stoic philosophy and CBT to give you the tools to break the cycle and reclaim your autonomy. Your escape from the trap starts here. Based on the forthcoming book, The Rescuer Trap (New Harbinger).

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
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    38 min
  • The Rescuer Trap: Dating a Dream: The Rise of AI Dependency
    Nov 12 2025

    This episode features guest hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce, authors of the forthcoming book The Rescuer Trap. In this Sci-not-so-Fi episode, they talk about the dangers of emotional dependency on AI and Socrates asks “What is a boyfriend?”

    Are you the fixer, the over-giver, the emotional first responder for everyone but yourself? Welcome to The Rescuer Trap. We playfully own the labels “Parentified and Codependent” to make a point: these are not identities, but learned behaviors.

    And what can be learned can be unlearned. Hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce use Stoic philosophy and CBT to give you the tools to break the cycle and reclaim your autonomy. Your escape from the trap starts here. Based on the forthcoming book, The Rescuer Trap (New Harbinger).

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
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    43 min
  • The Rescuer Trap: The Schema Trap featuring Dr. Jeff Perron
    Nov 5 2025

    This episode features guest hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce, authors of the forthcoming book The Rescuer Trap. Dr. Jeff Perron joins us to explore the deep-seated schemas (like Self-Sacrifice and Subjugation) that create the “Rescuer Trap.” We discuss how these unconscious, childhood-rooted patterns conflict with your adult values, and provide insight on using a schema-informed approach to establish boundaries and finally break free from the cycle of people-pleasing.

    Follow Dr. Perron on Substack:

    Are you the fixer, the over-giver, the emotional first responder for everyone but yourself? Welcome to The Rescuer Trap. We playfully own the labels “Parentified and Codependent” to make a point: these are not identities, but learned behaviors.

    And what can be learned can be unlearned. Hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce use Stoic philosophy and CBT to give you the tools to break the cycle and reclaim your autonomy. Your escape from the trap starts here. Based on the forthcoming book, The Rescuer Trap (New Harbinger).

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 h et 3 min
  • Video: Stoicism & Resilience
    Oct 30 2025

    Thank you Beth Pagano, Ann Cronin, Kevin White, Marcos, BCz, and many others for tuning into my live video with Kyle Shepard! Join me for my next live video in the app.

    Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 h et 27 min
  • The Rescuer Trap: We're Coming to Fix You, Barbara
    Oct 29 2025

    This episode features guest hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce, authors of the forthcoming book The Rescuer Trap. Strangers get weird on Scott when he attempts to exorcise their sadness with an old painting while Kasey runs away with the invisible idealized man... again.

    Are you the fixer, the over-giver, the emotional first responder for everyone but yourself? Welcome to The Rescuer Trap. We playfully own the labels “Parentified and Codependent” to make a point: these are not identities, but learned behaviors.

    And what can be learned can be unlearned. Hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce use Stoic philosophy and CBT to give you the tools to break the cycle and reclaim your autonomy. Your escape from the trap starts here. Based on the forthcoming book, The Rescuer Trap (New Harbinger).

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
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    42 min
  • Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy
    Oct 23 2025

    In this episode, I chat with Commander William C. Spears. William is a submarine warfare officer in the United States Navy, and author of the upcoming book Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy. He enlisted in the Navy in June 2001, then earned his commission through the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. He has since led a career in nuclear submarines, where he was most recently the second-in-command of a ballistic missile submarine. Today he works at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

    Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

    Highlights

    * Tell us a little about your background, and how you became interested in Stoicism.

    * Why should the military take note of Stoicism?

    * What do you mean when you say that Stoicism is a warrior philosophy?

    * How can warfare have anything to do with virtue?

    * Is your book, Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy, more of an academic work or is it written for a general audience?

    * What are some ways in which your book advances the conversation about Stoicism?

    Links

    * Stoicism as a Warrior Philosophy

    * Amazon Listing

    * William C. Spears’ Website

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
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    1 h et 2 min
  • The Rescuer Trap: Country Fried Parentified
    Oct 22 2025

    This episode features guest hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce, authors of the forthcoming book The Rescuer Trap. Scott serves up a heapin’ helping of downhome ‘parentification’. We’re also talking about those labor=love moments that lead to leering at those couch-bound oxygen thieves, regretting that you never asked for help.

    Are you the fixer, the over-giver, the emotional first responder for everyone but yourself? Welcome to The Rescuer Trap. We playfully own the labels “Parentified and Codependent” to make a point: these are not identities, but learned behaviors.

    And what can be learned can be unlearned. Hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce use Stoic philosophy and CBT to give you the tools to break the cycle and reclaim your autonomy. Your escape from the trap starts here. Based on the forthcoming book, The Rescuer Trap (New Harbinger).

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
    Voir plus Voir moins
    52 min
  • The Rescuer Trap: Values Chameleons
    Oct 15 2025

    This episode features guest hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce, authors of the forthcoming book The Rescuer Trap. Scott and Kasey discuss the trouble with mistaking preferences for values. Also, why we can’t use sacrificing our values as a bargaining chip, call it a forced wager, and blame the house for our “lost investment” when the relationship goes bust.

    Are you the fixer, the over-giver, the emotional first responder for everyone but yourself? Welcome to The Rescuer Trap. We playfully own the labels “Parentified and Codependent” to make a point: these are not identities, but learned behaviors.

    And what can be learned can be unlearned. Hosts Dr. Scott Waltman and Kasey Pierce use Stoic philosophy and CBT to give you the tools to break the cycle and reclaim your autonomy. Your escape from the trap starts here. Based on the forthcoming book, The Rescuer Trap (New Harbinger).

    Thanks for reading Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life! This post is public so feel free to share it.



    Get full access to Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life at donaldrobertson.substack.com/subscribe
    Voir plus Voir moins
    35 min