Spring 2026 OLLI Digital Catalog – under construction 

APPLYING STOICISM PRINCIPLES TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE (J315)

J – Philosophy and Religion

The philosophy of Stoicism dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans and is nonreligious in nature. Practical in nature, Stoicism is intended to help people live a higher quality life with more resilience, clarity and virtue. Its most well-known early practitioners were the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, and later, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Viktor Frankl, Friedrich Nietzsche, Montaigne, Spinoza and Descartes. The practice of Stoicism has led to today’s cognitive behavioral therapy, too. Monthly class (2/5, 3/5, 4/2, 5/7) includes overview of a specific Stoic principle, followed by discussion. Previous familiarity with Stoicism is not required.

This offering meets for a total of 13 session(s).

INSTRUCTORS: Jeff Ostroff, Bill Broadwater

OSTROFF, JEFF — B.S., communications, Temple University. Career of entrepreneurial and marketing/communications endeavors. Author, Successful Marketing to the 50+ Consumer (Prentice-Hall). Interests include podcast hosting; professional B2B/B2C interviewing; voiceovers; travel; bridge; Stoicism; volunteering; and love of nature, history, music. (J315, S207)

BROADWATER, BILL — B.A., political science, Penn State University; M.S., health and nutrition education, Hawthorne University. Following his career as a communications specialist with the federal government, Bill became certified in life and wellness coaching and founded the Philadelphia Stoics. (J315)

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