O.A.R.'s Benj Gershman on Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities
The Daily Stoic
Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures
4.5 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 18 December 2024
⏱️ 68 minutes
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Summary
When we tie our identity to what we do rather than who we truly are, losing that sense of self can be devastating. Benj Gershman, bassist for the rock band O.A.R., experienced this firsthand—and it led him to Stoicism.
In this conversation, Benj opens up to Ryan about the mental and physical toll of life on the road, lessons learned from O.A.R.'s 30 years together, and how The Obstacle is the Way transformed his mindset during the darkest chapter of his life.
You can follow Benj on Instagram @BenjGershman and OAR @OfARevolution
Check out Benj’s podcast all about mental health support called What Could Be Bad
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to the Daily Stoic early and ad-free right now. |
| 0:05.0 | Just join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. |
| 0:09.3 | This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. |
| 0:11.9 | The holidays are about family and family can be tough. |
| 0:15.9 | Not everything about this time of year makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy. |
| 0:20.3 | Sometimes it can be about grief and anxiety |
| 0:22.9 | and stress, regret, you know, all sorts of stuff. And if you're struggling, you should give |
| 0:28.3 | therapy a try. And that's where today's sponsor, BetterHelp comes in. BetterHelp makes it super |
| 0:33.3 | simple to add therapy into your regular routine or you're not so regular routine on the holidays. |
| 0:37.8 | It's entirely online designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. |
| 0:41.7 | With over 5,000 therapists in the UK already, BetterHelp can help provide access to mental |
| 0:47.0 | health professionals with a wide variety of expertise in mental health. |
| 0:49.8 | If I'm comfort this December with BetterHelp. |
| 0:51.8 | And our listeners get 10% off their first month at |
| 0:54.3 | BetterHelp.com slash daily stoic pod. That's Betterh-E-L-P dot com slash daily stoic pot. |
| 1:00.6 | If you or someone you care about has cancer, McMillan Cancer Support's online community is here to |
| 1:06.6 | help from day one. McMillan's free online forum provides a safe space to get support from both |
| 1:12.7 | experts and others who've been there. Members support each other anonymously, sharing what's |
| 1:17.9 | helped them on a range of subjects, from dealing with side effects such as hair loss and fatigue, |
| 1:22.8 | to money worries and managing work, or talking with children about a diagnosis. |
| 1:30.8 | There are different forums on cancer types or experiences, |
| 1:33.8 | opportunities to ask an expert, and blog posts. |
... |
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