The Habit That Changes EVERYTHING | Nick Thompson
The Daily Stoic
Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures
4.6 • 4.7K Ratings
🗓️ 29 October 2025
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nick Thompson couldn’t change his father’s story, but he found a habit that helped him make sense of his own. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with Nick, CEO of The Atlantic and author of The Running Ground. Ryan and Nick talk about why running is the ultimate teacher of focus and resilience, how to build discipline, and how running helped Nick process his complicated relationship with his father.
Nick Thompson is the CEO of The Atlantic, an American magazine founded in 1857, which earned the top honor for magazines, General Excellence, at the National Magazine Awards in both 2022 and 2023. In his time as CEO, the company has seen record subscriber growth. Before joining The Atlantic, he was the editor-in-chief of Wired magazine. He is also a former contributor for CBS News and has previously served as editor. He has long been a competitive runner; in 2021, he set the American record for men 45+ in the 50K race.
Check out Nick’s new book The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports
Follow Nick on Instagram and X @NXThompson
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Transcript
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