Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 15
November 15, 2023
Q&A with Tim — New Religions, AI Companions, Longevity Levers, Resurrecting “Forgotten” Languages, Stress-Testing Cherished Beliefs, Tactics for Writer’s Block, Low-Back Pain, and Much More (#704)
Illustration via 99designsHello, boys and girls, ladies and germs. This is Tim Ferriss. Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to sit down with world-class performers of all different types to tease out the habits, routines, favorite books, and so on that you can apply and test in your own life.
This time, we have a slightly different format. I’m the guest, and you asked the questions.
I recently sat down with subscribers to my email newsletter for a fun and live Q&A on YouTube.
To join these exclusive Q&A sessions in the future, it’s simple. Just sign up at tim.blog/friday .
Every Friday, you will receive my free 5-Bullet Friday newsletter—a short email of five bullet points. It’s one of the most popular newsletters in the world.
Each newsletter describes the five coolest things I’ve found or explored that week, often including books, gadgets, tech workarounds, tricks from experts, strange experiments, and weird stuff from all over the world. My subscribers have seen many, many things at the edges before they’ve gone mainstream.
In this episode, I answer questions on resurrecting “forgotten” languages, dog training, writer’s block, reducing alcohol intake, AI companions, training the “good enough” muscle, low-back pain, the importance of weight training and muscle mass, travel recommendations for Japan, managing fear of death and the descent to death, breaking negative self-talk, and much, much more.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the Q&A on YouTube here.
Brought to you by Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating; Cometeer delicious hyper-fresh, flash-frozen coffee; and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.
The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#704: Q&A with Tim — New Religions, AI Companions, Longevity Levers, Resurrecting “Forgotten” Languages, Stress-Testing Cherished Beliefs, Tactics for Writer’s Block, Low-Back Pain, and Much MoreThis episode is brought to you by Cometeer! Cometeer is hyper-fresh, expertly brewed, flash-frozen coffee that produces an incredibly delicious cup. Cometeer lets you prepare your coffee with no mess, no machines, no burning, and no bitterness. Cometeer sources high-quality beans from the country’s top roasters. The coffee is brewed using proprietary technology to pull out more flavor compounds and antioxidants. It’s then flash-frozen at minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit to lock in that incredible flavor and freshness of the specialty brew. Simply add hot water and you’ve got a game-changing cup of coffee. It’s easily customizable in seconds for iced coffees, lattes, espresso martinis, and more.
Order today at Cometeer.com/TimTim. Listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show will receive $25 off their first order.
This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.
This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover is the easiest and fastest way to sleep at the perfect temperature. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking to offer the most advanced (and user-friendly) solution on the market. Simply add the Pod Cover to your current mattress and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. It also splits your bed in half, so your partner can choose a totally different temperature.
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Want to hear my last Q&A? Listen to the episode here, in which I answered questions about newsletters I read every day, how to launch a successful nonprofit, outcompeting in a saturated market, notable contributions during my days as a tech company advisor, cosmic insignificance therapy, metaverse musings, recent spiritual shifts, required reading for someone in need of self-love, and much more.
#628: Q&A with Tim — Revisiting 15+ Years of PR and Marketing Lessons, Time Dilation for Deep Relaxation, The Art of Setting Ultra-High Prices, The Low-Information Diet, Studying Animal Communication, My 3-Day Fasting Protocol, Tools for Handling Adversity, Selling to the Affluent, My Current Coffee and Alcohol Rules, Risk Mitigation, and Much MoreWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
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SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEWhat Is Your Carbon Footprint? | The Nature ConservancyPut Oil Back Underground | Charm IndustrialAn Anti-GHG 501c3 | TerrasetSo You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? | Harvard Brain Science InitiativeHow to Become a Marine Biologist | Conservation CareersHow to Become a Comic Book Artist | The Art Career ProjectDerek Sivers — The Joys of an Un-Optimized Life, Finding Paths Less Traveled, Creating Tech Independence (and Risks of the Cloud), Taking Giant Leaps, and Picking the Right “Game of Life” | The Tim Ferriss Show #668The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonOccam’s Protocol4-Hour Body: Occam’s Protocol and the Minimum Effective Dose | Social Media University, Global (SMUG)The Slow-Carb Diet One-Pager | Tim FerrissMasterpieces of Fantasy Art by Dian Hanson | AmazonFan Ho’s Street Photography: What Hong Kong Looked Like 60 Years Ago | Public DeliveryThe Conscious Leadership GroupThe 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp | AmazonDon’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Productivity | Harvard Business Review“I Think That Saying ‘Good Enough’ is a Superpower.” -Derek Sivers | Tim Ferriss, TwitterLogitech BRIO Ultra HD Webcam | AmazonMacBook Pro | AppleAudio-Technica ATR2100x-USB Cardioid Dynamic Microphone | AmazonTools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss | AmazonFasting vs. Slow-Carb Diet, Top $150 Purchases, Balancing Productivity and Relaxation, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #213Imposter Syndrome: Why You May Feel Like a Fraud | Verywell MindAizuchi | WikipediaDefinition of Backcountry Skiing, Slackcountry, Sidecountry, and Off Piste | The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog10 Reasons to Finally Give Backcountry Skiing a Try | goEastSkis | DPS SkisHow I Built a #1-Ranked Podcast With 60M+ Downloads | Tim Ferriss1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly | The TechniumCreative or Cool Excuses to Not Drink | r/TheGirlSurvivalGuideDr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Baby, Unscented) | AmazonCheck Your Sunscreens! More Recalls Due to Benzene | The Legal ExaminerNordic Naturals ProOmega 650 EPA/450 DHA | AmazonEasy Strength: How to Get a Lot Stronger Than Your Competition-And Dominate in Your Sport by Dan John | AmazonThe DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics by Dennis O’Neil | AmazonTiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg | AmazonAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear | AmazonHow to Read the Good Books | The New YorkerThe 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon12 Rules for Learning Foreign Languages in Record Time — The Only Post You’ll Ever Need | Tim FerrissDie Hard | Prime VideoOne Piece Wiki | FandomDon’t Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor | AmazonDog Tips and Training | Tim FerrissThe Most Important Skill to Teach Your Dog | Tim FerrissHow to Keep Your Dog Occupied | Tim FerrissDog Breakfast Tips with Molly | Tim FerrissDog Tricks: Command, Safety, and Vanity | Tim FerrissSusan Garrett — Master Dog (and Human) Trainer | The Tim Ferriss Show #200How to Lose 100 Pounds on The Slow-Carb Diet — Real Pics and Stories | Tim FerrissThe Healthiest Red Meat on the Planet | Maui Nui VenisonNutrient Density Study | Van Vliet LabJake Muise — The Relentless Pursuit of Innovation, Quality, and Meaning | The Tim Ferriss Show #678Mark Zuckerberg: First Interview in the Metaverse | Lex Fridman Podcast #398The AI Companion Who Cares | ReplikaAn ‘Epidemic’ of Loneliness Threatens Health of Americans, Surgeon General Says | Smithsonian MagazineDr. Vivek Murthy — Former Surgeon General on Combating COVID-19, Loneliness, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #417Charted: The Rapid Decline of Global Birth Rates | Visual CapitalistThe Sunk Cost Fallacy | The Decision LabWhat the Luddites Really Fought Against | Smithsonian MagazineThe Turing Test | Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyGoogle’s AI Passed the Turing Test — And Showed How It’s Broken | The Washington PostInokashira-koen Park and Ghibli Museum | Truly TokyoStores | LawsonSpirited Away (English Language) | Prime VideoBar Gen Yamamoto | InstagramWe Visit a Hidden Bar in Niseko | Steven & DiepBar Gyu+ | InstagramNikko Toshogu Shrine Autumn Grand Festival | Nikko Official GuideSamurai Archery: Yabusame in Nikko (Japanese Horseback Archery) | Ronin DaveQuestBridgeSupport a Classroom. Build a Future. | DonorsChooseFree Online Courses, Lessons, & Practice | Khan AcademyAccelerating Kids’ Education | MentavaArthur C. Brooks — How to Be Happy, Reverse Bucket Lists, The Four False Idols, Muscular Philosophies, Practical Inoculation Against the Darkness, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #692Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace | AmazonAdding Weight Lifting to Workouts May Boost Longevity | Harvard HealthPeter Attia: Strength Training for Health Is a Key to Longevity | Shortform BooksOutlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia | AmazonA Guide to the Biggest Thing Missing From Your Fitness Routine: Zone 2 Training | The Art of ManlinessCoach Chris Sommer — The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training | The Tim Ferriss Show #158Coach Chris Sommer — The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training, Part Two: Home Equipment, Weighted Stretches, and Muscle-Ups | The Tim Ferriss Show #180How to Design a Life — Debbie Millman | The Tim Ferriss Show #214My Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464Intermittent Fasting: What Is It, and How Does It Work? | Johns Hopkins MedicineThe Five-Minute Journal | AmazonHow 30 Grams of Protein at Breakfast Can Help You Lose Weight | HealthlineSome Practical Thoughts on Suicide | Tim FerrissWhat is Stoicism? | Daily StoicStoicism Resources and Recommendations | Tim FerrissThe Harvard Classics: Plato, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius | AmazonHistory of Memento Mori | Daily StoicPsychedelics May Lessen Fear of Death and Dying, Similar to Feelings Reported by Those Who’ve Had Near Death Experiences | Johns Hopkins MedicineTranscendental MeditationLogically, After You Die Will Be Like Before You Were Born | Fact or Myth?What If We Treated Death Like Birth? | Modern LossDr. Shirley Sahrmann — A Legendary PT Does a Deep Dive on Tim’s Low-Back Issues, Teaches How to Unlearn Painful Patterns, Talks About Movement as Medicine (or Poison), and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #685Fisher Traction | AmazonVyper 3 High-Intensity Vibrating Foam Roller | AmazonHerman Miller Classic Aeron Chair | AmazonHealing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John Sarno | AmazonMind Over Back Pain: A Radically New Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Back Pain by John Sarno | AmazonThe Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain by John Sarno |AmazonPilates: What It Is and Health Benefits | Cleveland ClinicA Prophet (Un prophète) | Prime VideoOn Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King | AmazonA Fictional World Built for These Chaotic Times | The Legend of CØCKPUNCHBird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott | AmazonThe Tao of Seneca: Letters from a Stoic Master (aka The Moral Letters to Lucilius) | Tim FerrissThe Science of Gratitude & How to Build a Gratitude Practice | Huberman Lab Podcast #47Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) | Cleveland ClinicThe Work | Byron KatieKia Kaha | WikipediaSHOW NOTES[07:10] How I’m reducing my carbon footprint.[08:37] Parallel reality career choices.[09:11] Life optimization (and deoptimization).[11:40] Fan Ho: An impressive personality.[12:15] The value of personal coaching.[14:41] Working on the “good enough” muscle.[16:10] My current video/audio tech specs.[16:58] The impact studying overseas has had on my success.[17:54] Is a part three with Todd McFarlane imminent?[18:05] If it were written or revised today, what would I add to The 4-Hour Body?[18:44] Cultivating the rustic country vibe of my living space.[20:04] Have I ever experienced imposter syndrome while interviewing a guest?[22:50] Why is there a washing machine in my kitchen?[23:02] This winter’s skiing plans.[23:33] If I started podcasting today, what would I do differently?[25:33] Cutting back on booze.[26:46] Skin care.[29:44] Social activities that deliver maximum happiness.[31:30] Yet-uninterviewed guests I’d like to have on.[32:05] Foiling the friction of fabricating fiction.[35:43] Gleaning meaning from holy scriptures.[36:26] As a polyglot, how do I maintain fluency in languages I’ve learned?[41:05] Training puppies, dolphins, chickens, and kids: The power of positive reinforcement.[45:24] Batch cooking and the slow-carb diet.[46:57] Digital emotional surrogacy’s impact on the loneliness epidemic.[50:43] When reliance on the digital diminishes human deftness.[52:22] Travel recommendations for Japan.[55:28] The future of education: Talent sourcing and accelerated learning.[57:08] The future of religion(s).[1:00:05] The importance of weight training for longevity.[1:03:48] Improving interview skills and asking the right questions.[1:08:54] How I kickstart my metabolic machinery in the morning.[1:11:56] Managing fear of death with Stoicism and transcendent experiences.[1:15:20] Managing back pain: Exercises, techniques, and tools.[1:19:47] A pronouncement for Pilates poo-pooers.[1:20:32] Relationship advice may be dispensed at a later date.[1:21:26] Rewatching favorite movies.[1:21:53] Books that were better after a reread.[1:22:51] Breaking negative self-talk: Gratitude practice and dialectical behavioral therapy.[1:23:44] Parting thoughts.PEOPLE MENTIONEDDian HansonMolly FerrissFan HoJim DethmerDustin MoskovitzTodd McFarlaneMobyArnold SchwarzeneggerJamie FoxxEd CatmullJoe RoganChris HardwickMarc MaronRyan ReynoldsDan JohnPavel TsatsoulineDennis O’NeilBJ FoggJames ClearKaren PryorMark ZuckerbergLex FridmanTaylor SwiftHayao MiyazakiGen YamamotoHisashi Watanabe and Ioanna MorelliArthur C. BrooksPeter AttiaDebbie MillmanPlatoEpictetusMarcus AureliusSeneca the YoungerNaval RavikantShirley SahrmannStephen KingAnne LamottByron KatieThe post Q&A with Tim — New Religions, AI Companions, Longevity Levers, Resurrecting “Forgotten” Languages, Stress-Testing Cherished Beliefs, Tactics for Writer’s Block, Low-Back Pain, and Much More (#704) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
November 9, 2023
Sheila Heen — How to Master the Difficult Art of Receiving (and Giving) Feedback (#703)
Illustration via 99designsSheila Heen has spent the last three decades working to understand how people can better navigate conflict, with a particular specialty in difficult conversations.
She is a founder of Triad Consulting Group, a professor at Harvard Law School, and a co-author of Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (even when it’s off base, unfair, poorly delivered, and, frankly, you’re not in the mood), with Douglas Stone, and Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, with Douglas Stone and Bruce Patton (with a newly updated third edition that was released in August).
Sheila and her colleagues at Triad work with leaders and organizations to build their capacity to have the conversations that matter most. Her clients have included Pixar, American Express, the NBA, the Singapore Supreme Court, the Obama White House, and theologians struggling with the nature of truth and God.
She is schooled in negotiation daily by her three children. You can find my first conversation with Sheila at tim.blog/SheilaHeen.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform .
Brought to you by Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega fish oil, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and ShipStation shipping software.
The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#703: Sheila Heen — How to Master The Difficult Art of Receiving (and Giving) FeedbackThis episode is brought to you by Nordic Naturals, the #1-selling fish-oil brand in the US! More than 80% of Americans don’t get enough omega-3 fats from their diet. That is a problem because the body can’t produce omega-3s, an important nutrient for cell structure and function. Nordic Naturals solves that problem with their doctor-recommended Ultimate Omega fish-oil formula for heart health, brain function, immune support, and more. Ultimate Omega is made exclusively from 100% wild-caught sardines and anchovies. It’s incredibly pure and fresh with no fishy aftertaste. All Nordic Naturals’ fish-oil products are offered in the triglyceride molecular form—the form naturally found in fish, and the form your body most easily absorbs.
This episode is brought to you by ShipStation. Do you sell stuff online? Then you know what a pain the shipping process is. ShipStation was created to make your life easier. Whether you’re selling on eBay, Amazon, Shopify, or over 100 other popular selling channels, ShipStation lets you access all of your orders from one simple dashboard, and it works with all of the major shipping carriers, locally and globally, including FedEx, UPS, and USPS.
Tim Ferriss Show listeners get to try ShipStation free for 60 days. Just visit ShipStation.com/Tim!
This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2022 by GQ magazine, Wired, and Apartment Therapy. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.
Want to hear Sheila’s last appearance on this program? Have a listen to our conversation in which we discussed three categories of difficult conversations, conveying curiosity without coming off as condescending, finding common ground amid a disconnect, rewriting the scripts for bad apologies, setting behavioral expectations, presenting obstacles as shared problems, blame-absorbers versus blame-shifters, and much more.
#532: Sheila Heen of the Harvard Negotiation Project — How to Navigate Hard Conversations, the Subtle Art of Apologizing, and a Powerful 60-Day ChallengeWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
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SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Sheila Heen: Website | LinkedInConnect with Triad Consulting Group: Website | Help Yourself Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen | Amazon Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen | AmazonTriad Consulting GroupHarvard Negotiation Project | Harvard Law SchoolSheila Heen of the Harvard Negotiation Project — How to Navigate Hard Conversations, the Subtle Art of Apologizing, and a Powerful 60-Day Challenge | The Tim Ferriss Show #532The Psychology of Victim Blaming | The AtlanticThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | AmazonRE: Bill Cosby Quote from The 4-Hour Workweek | Nikita Singh, TwitterSheila Heen: Appreciation, Coaching, and Evaluation (ACE) | Global Leadership NetworkThree Kinds of Feedback | Yale School of MedicineThe War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield | AmazonTo Give Better Feedback, You Must Fully Understand the Agony of Receiving It | Quartz At WorkGetting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples by Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt | AmazonSheila Heen: Blame Absorbing vs. Blame Shifting | Global Leadership NetworkThe Three Kinds of Feedback and Our Triggers | Conversation AgentOnline Rorschach Inkblot TestNonviolent Communication: Create Your Life, Your Relationships, and Your World in Harmony with Your Values by Marshall B. Rosenberg | AmazonA Research-Based Approach to Relationships | The Gottman InstituteThe 6 Things That Predict Divorce | The Gottman InstituteWhy Do People Roll Their Eyes? Psychologist Suggests Theories for Passive-Aggressive Sign in Teenage Girls | The IndependentHow to Treat Fatigue From Lyme Disease: 5 Tips | Medical News TodayFor All Your Stories of Small Victories Over Those Who’ve Wronged You | r/PettyRevengeKill Bill: Volume 1 | Prime VideoKill Bill: Volume 2 | Prime VideoThe 5 Love Languages Explained | Wisdom for LifeHow to Use Words of Affirmation in Your Relationship | Verywell MindSheila Heen: The “One Thing” Questions | Global Leadership NetworkSHOW NOTES[07:01] Conversations are the relationship.[08:12] How should we talk about feedback?[11:16] De-escalating the ask.[13:30] Addressing victim-blaming feedback for the new edition of Difficult Conversations.[28:48] How I’ve dealt with reader (and proofreader) feedback.[41:18] Making use of the three types of feedback.[49:05] Received difficult feedback? Phone a friend.[54:36] Discovering a good/bad match early in the dating game.[00:59:30] How I’ve traditionally handled conflict and stress.[1:07:50] The conundrum of feedback’s source.[1:09:03] Three triggered reactions to feedback.[1:12:09] The you plus me combination.[1:20:16] What does resolution look like?[1:22:52] The Gottman Institute.[1:29:35] Coping with a relationship’s unresolvable frictions.[1:33:41] The courtship of Sheila’s sister.[1:37:11] A thirst for vindictiveness and other deal breakers.[1:43:31] Learning from the comfort of our strengths.[1:45:43] Perspective from three positions.[1:47:09] How to extend positive reinforcement.[1:51:26] Giving feedback without starting a fight.[1:55:12] Asking “one thing” questions as a leader.[1:57:43] Are you aware of your need to receive feedback?[2:02:13] Parting thoughts.MORE SHEILA HEEN QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“Being an honest mirror is asking a friend to help you see what might be right about this feedback.”
“We uncovered some evidence that suggests that, in terms of sensitivity to feedback, how upset we get and how long it takes us to recover, that can vary by up to 3,000 percent.”
“We have the biggest emotional reaction to the evaluation part because we hate being judged. It’s hard. It’s really hard to feel judged, so we’re quick to hear it in anything.”
“The need to give feedback is a felt problem. I have feedback for you. I’m carrying it around with myself because I don’t know how to give it to you, or I’ve tried to give it to you and you’re not taking it. If there’s a book that would help me do that, I would buy that book, and could use some help. The need to receive feedback from other people who are carrying it around and not giving it to us is not necessarily a felt problem. I’m oblivious to it. I have mixed feelings about it.”
PEOPLE MENTIONEDDouglas StoneBruce PattonBarack ObamaBill CosbySteven PressfieldJerzy GregorekHermann RorschachJohn & Julie GottmanHercule PoirotSherlock HolmesJohn RichardsonStacy Heen LennonQuentin TarantinoThe post Sheila Heen — How to Master the Difficult Art of Receiving (and Giving) Feedback (#703) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
October 31, 2023
Morgan Housel — Contrarian Money and Writing Advice, Three Simple Goals to Guide Your Life, Journaling Prompts, Choosing the Right Game to Play, Must-Read Books, and More (#702)
Illustration via 99designs“I’m not interested in anything that’s not sustainable. Friendships, investing, careers, podcasts, reading habits, exercise habits. If I can’t keep it going, I’m not interested in it.“
— Morgan Housel
Morgan Housel (@morganhousel) is a partner at The Collaborative Fund. His book The Psychology of Money has sold more than three million copies and has been translated into 53 languages.
He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and winner of the New York Times Sidney Award. In 2022, MarketWatch named him one of the 50 most influential people in markets. He serves on the board of directors at Markel.
Morgan’s new book is Same As Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes. You can find my first, widely popular interview with Morgan at tim.blog/morganhousel.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube.
Brought to you by Cometeer delicious hyper-fresh, flash-frozen coffee; Momentous high-quality supplements; and LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 900M+ users.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#702: Morgan Housel — Contrarian Money and Writing Advice, Three Simple Goals to Guide Your Life, Journaling Prompts, Choosing the Right Game to Play, Must-Read Books, and MoreThis episode is brought to you by Cometeer! Cometeer is hyper-fresh, expertly brewed, flash-frozen coffee that produces an incredibly delicious cup. Cometeer lets you prepare your coffee with no mess, no machines, no burning, and no bitterness. Cometeer sources high-quality beans from the country’s top roasters. The coffee is brewed using proprietary technology to pull out more flavor compounds and antioxidants. It’s then flash-frozen at minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit to lock in that incredible flavor and freshness of the specialty brew. Simply add hot water and you’ve got a game-changing cup of coffee. It’s easily customizable in seconds for iced coffees, lattes, espresso martinis, and more.
Order today at Cometeer.com/Tim . Listeners of this podcast will also receive a FREE 8-pack of Barista’s Choice, a rotating selection of limited-edition specialty roasts from world-class roaster partners like George Howell, Onyx, and Intelligentsia—names many of you will recognize.
This episode is also brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements! Momentous offers high-quality supplements and products across a broad spectrum of categories, and I’ve been testing their products for months now. I’ve been using their magnesium threonate, apigenin, and L-theanine daily, all of which have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep. I’ve also been using Momentous creatine, and while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).
Their products are third-party tested (Informed-Sport and/or NSF certified), so you can trust that what is on the label is in the bottle and nothing else. If you want to try Momentous for yourself, you can use code Tim for 20% off your one-time purchase at LiveMomentous.com/Tim. And not to worry, my non-US friends, Momentous ships internationally and has you covered.
This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.
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Want to hear the last time Morgan was on the show? Listen to our conversation in which we discussed unorthodox career decisions, teaching children the value of money, lessons learned from being gamed by the market, counterintuitive bets, preparing for financially bumpy long hauls, understanding the difference between a fee and a fine, tolerance for petty annoyance as a valuable life skill, and much more.
#576: Morgan Housel — The Psychology of Money, Picking the Right Game, and the $6 Million JanitorWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
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SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Morgan Housel: Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes by Morgan Housel | Amazon The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel | AmazonThe Morgan Housel Podcast | Apple PodcastsFor Entrepreneurs Pushing the World Forward | Collab FundInsurance, Ventures, and Investments | Markel CorporationMorgan Housel — The Psychology of Money, Picking the Right Game, and the $6 Million Janitor | The Tim Ferriss Show #576Warren Buffett: Snickers Is the Most Dominant Candy Bar on the Market | The Profit PathwayMotley Fool: Pundits Pandering Your Wealth Away | USA TodayKnuth versus Email | Stanford UniversityFinding the One Decision That Removes 100 Decisions (or, Why I’m Reading No New Books in 2020) | Tim FerrissCuneiform: 6 Facts About the World’s Oldest Writing System | HistoryExtraThe Tao of Seneca: Letters from a Stoic Master (aka The Moral Letters to Lucilius) | Tim FerrissOn the Danger of Knowing Your Audience | Morgan Housel, TwitterThe Serenity Prayer | Archdiocese of Saint Paul and MinneapolisWhat Is Stoicism? A Definition & 9 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started | Daily StoicStoicism for Modern Stresses: 5 Lessons from Cato | Daily StoicStoicism Resources and Recommendations | Tim FerrissMorgan Housel on Writing | Ted MerzThe Swooper/Basher Dichotomy | Steven R. SouthardRespect and Admiration | Collab FundRich and Anonymous | Collab FundExpectations Debt | Collab FundVanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper | AmazonFinancial Advice for My New Son | The Motley FoolFinancial Advice for My New Daughter | Collab FundDie With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins | AmazonWhy the 3rd Generation Always Destroys a Family Business by Scott McCollum | LinkedInMicrophilanthropy 101 | Charity NavigatorA Few Laws of Getting Rich | Collab FundThe Solitary Billionaire: J Paul Getty (1963) | YouTubeElon Musk by Walter Isaacson | Amazon1980s: How Donald Trump Created Donald Trump | NBC News“Sports Do Not Build Character; They Reveal It” | Quote InvestigatorThe Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center | University of Nebraska Medical CenterWhat Makes You Happy | Collab FundThe Three Sides of Risk | Collab FundLittle Ways The World Works | Collab FundDavid McCullough on “1776” | Charlie RoseBe Here Now by Ram Dass | AmazonGlobal Uncertainty Related to Coronavirus at Record High | IMFExperts Say the ‘New Normal’ in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges | Pew Research CenterWhat We Knew: Terror, Mass Murder, and Everyday Life in Nazi Germany by Eric A Johnson and Karl-Heinz Reuband | AmazonPublic Enemy? At Home in Mexico, ‘El Chapo’ Is Folk Hero No. 1 | The New York TimesA Few Things I’m Pretty Sure About | Collab FundVery Important and Hard to Teach | Collab FundThe Optimal Amount of Hassle | Collab FundUseful and Overlooked Skills | Collab Fund11 Reasons Not to Become Famous (or “A Few Lessons Learned Since 2007”) | Tim FerrissThe Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder | AmazonThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | AmazonGothic Tropes: The Faustian Bargain | The Gothic LibraryMaslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | Verywell MindThis American LifeMrBeast | YouTube“Fake Famous” and the Tedium of Influencer Culture | The New YorkerHow I Built The Tim Ferriss Show to 700+ Million Downloads — An Immersive Explanation of All Aspects and Key Decisions (Featuring Chris Hutchins) | The Tim Ferriss Show #538The Home for Great Writing | SubstackThe Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs | AmazonI Think You’re Fat by A.J. Jacobs | EsquireTim Ferriss | TEDTools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss | AmazonTriangle: The Fire That Changed America by David von Drehle | AmazonEmpty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr. | AmazonThe Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall | AmazonWorking by Robert A. Caro | AmazonThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro | AmazonThe Civil War | PBSTriangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire | WikipediaPresident Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal | Library of CongressNo Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin | AmazonEndless Uncertainty | Collab FundTao of Charlie Munger: A Compilation of Quotes from Berkshire Hathaway’s Vice Chairman on Life, Business, and the Pursuit of Wealth with Commentary by David Clark | AmazonSHOW NOTESEditor’s Note: Timestamps will be added shortly.
Buffett’s Snickers.What prompted Morgan to write Same As Ever?Morgan’s worst advice for aspiring writers is what works for him.The upsides of being rich and anonymous.Tips for raising unspoiled kids.Should families avoid passing along dynastic wealth?Finding worthy charities and causes.Money and happiness.Avalanches and other random, life-changing flukes.We can prepare for the future, but we can’t predict it.What current unknowns will seem shockingly obvious in a year?Which of our current views would change if our incentives were different?The most valuable personal finance asset.Optimizing the chance of marrying the right person.Mending divergence in a marriage or relationship.Trying to eliminate a hassle that’s an unavoidable cost of success.Guessing at the future of text vs. audio/video.Books vs. podcasts.Recommended reading.Has writing Same As Ever changed how Morgan operates in the world?Who is the intended audience for Same As Ever?Parting thoughts.MORE MORGAN HOUSEL QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“Let’s focus on what we know with certainty is going to be a part of your future, and that’s the best that we can do to see the future.”
— Morgan Housel
“In anything you do in life, you want feedback that what you’re doing is working. And in a lot of these situations, you don’t get it.”
— Morgan Housel
“Does money buy happiness? I think that answer is pretty firmly no. Can money buy contentment? I think that’s a pretty firm yes. And that’s great. Contentment is a great trait that makes your life better, but it’s very different from happiness.”
— Morgan Housel
“Some people have fuck you money. Charlie [Munger] has fuck you intelligence.”
— Morgan Housel
“I think you do your best work if you are being introspective about yourself. And “knowing your audience” slips into pandering very quickly. And pandering is the worst writing. Not only is it the worst content, it’s the worst writing style.”
— Morgan Housel
“When people want something from you, they treat you differently, and it’s not good.”
— Morgan Housel
“A lot of investors try to eliminate volatility, and they view it as a burden and something that you should get rid of when, actually … it’s the fee and not the penalty.”
— Morgan Housel
“I’m not interested in anything that’s not sustainable. Friendships, investing, careers, podcasts, reading habits, exercise habits. If I can’t keep it going, I’m not interested in it. And I think the only way to really do that is if you are going out of your way to live life at 80 percent to 90 percent potential. If you’re always trying to squeeze out 100 percent potential for something, almost certainly it’s going to lead to burnout, whether it’s a friendship or a relationship or an investing strategy.”
— Morgan Housel
The post Morgan Housel — Contrarian Money and Writing Advice, Three Simple Goals to Guide Your Life, Journaling Prompts, Choosing the Right Game to Play, Must-Read Books, and More (#702) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
October 25, 2023
Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil — The Power of Belief, Street Gangs, Wild Tales from Las Vegas, The Dangers of Nurturing Fear, and Dancing on the Cliff (#700)
Illustration via 99designs“Evaluate danger. Don’t nurture fear.”
— Guy Laliberté
Guy Laliberté (@guylalibertedj) is the founder of Cirque du Soleil, One Drop Foundation, and Lune Rouge. He was named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential personalities in the world and has been recognized as one of the most creative and innovative minds by Condé Nast.
An artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Guy is a three-time winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award—including World Entrepreneur of the Year; a Knight of the National Order of Quebec; and an inductee of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. Guy has been granted the insignia of the Order of Canada, the highest distinction in the country, and in 2010 received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Guy now dedicates his time to his company, Lune Rouge, and his international nonprofit, One Drop Foundation, which aims to “ensure sustainable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for communities everywhere through innovative partnerships, creativity, and the power of art.”
Visit Frooogs.com to discover Guy’s latest project.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements, Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#700: Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil — The Power of Belief, Street Gangs, Wild Tales from Las Vegas, The Dangers of Nurturing Fear, and Dancing on the CliffThis episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.
Go to shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting shopify.com/Tim .
This episode is also brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements! Momentous offers high-quality supplements and products across a broad spectrum of categories, and I’ve been testing their products for months now. I’ve been using their magnesium threonate, apigenin, and L-theanine daily, all of which have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep. I’ve also been using Momentous creatine, and while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).
Their products are third-party tested (Informed-Sport and/or NSF certified), so you can trust that what is on the label is in the bottle and nothing else. If you want to try Momentous for yourself, you can use code Tim for 20% off your one-time purchase at LiveMomentous.com/Tim. And not to worry, my non-US friends, Momentous ships internationally and has you covered.
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Want to hear another episode with a creative empire builder? Listen to my conversation with David Maisel, founding chairman of Marvel Studios and founder of Mythos Studios, in which we discussed wheeling and dealing with Bob Iger, creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Broadway detours, early Hollywood lessons, and much more.
#676: David Maisel of Marvel Studios Fame — Never-Before-Heard Tales of Hollywood Dealmaking, The Art of Aiming Big, Lessons from Power Broker Michael Ovitz, Combining Business Smarts with Street Smarts, The Making (and Importance) of Iron Man, Selling to Disney for $4 Billion, and Much MoreWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Guy Laliberté:Frooogs | Instagram | Spotify | Soundcloud
Innovative Projects and Entrepreneurship | Lune Rouge15 Years of Turning Water into Action | One Drop FoundationDiscover the Extraordinary | Cirque du SoleilGuy Laliberté: How Cirque du Soleil Got Started | CNN MoneyNational GeographicExpo 1967 Montreal | Bureau International des ExpositionsJuly 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind | NASAThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | AmazonBeautiful 1960s Old Havana Photos Archive | Best Cuba GuideOur Place in the Sun: Canada and Cuba in the Castro Era by Robert Wright and Lana Wylie | AmazonGuy Performing in 1977 | InstagramBusking 101 (How to Master the Art in 2023) | The Broke BackpackerDeveloping Innovative Eye Care Treatments | AlconThe Prophet by Kahlil Gibran | AmazonMoishes Steakhouse MontréalWhat the Latest Investigations Into Catholic Church Sex Abuse Mean | The New York TimesMy Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464AcroYoga InternationalHistory of the Garden Tuileries in Paris | Come to ParisThis is the Birthplace of Cirque du Soleil! | Destination Baie-Saint-PaulMardi Gras New OrleansPuppeteers and Sourdough Bakers of Glover | Bread and Puppet TheaterThe Canada Council for the Arts | WikipediaClub Des Talons Hauts | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsParti Rhinocéros PartyLa Fête Foraine | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsKona Hawaii Big Island | Go HawaiiLe Mouton NoirQuebec Celebrates 450 Years (1534-1984) | YouTubeLe Grand Tour | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsExcerpt of The Question of Separatism: Quebec and the Struggle over Sovereignty by Jane Jacobs | Independence of Québec1886: ‘My Poor Old Jumbo, Your Alice Weeps for You’ | The New York TimesMapping Your Future Growth Like Walt Disney Did by John Carmichael | LinkedInWe’re Off and Running | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsInternational Youth Year | WikipediaCapEx vs. OpEx: What’s the Difference? | InvestopediaCommedia Dell’Arte Comes to the Circus | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsA Meteoric Rise | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsLittle Tokyo | Los Angeles, CA 90012Le Cirque du Soleil: Something New under the Sun: New-Wave, Old-Style French-Canadian Troupe Opens Los Angeles Festival with a Circus That ‘Reinvents’ the Real Thing | Los Angeles TimesThe Circus as a Business? | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsThe Improbable Rise and Savage Fall of Siegfried & Roy | The AtlanticPlanting a Flower in the Desert | Cirque du Soleil Through the YearsThe Year of Cirque Du Soleil: Celebrating 30 Years of Wonder and Amazement in Las Vegas | DriftRed Ocean Strategy vs. Blue Ocean Strategy I Blue Ocean StrategyBlue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne | AmazonEdmonton’s Night Circus | Cirque de la LuneImmersive Art Experiences | Meow WolfCirque du Soleil: The Highwire Act of Staying Atop the Circus Business | Tharawat MagazineCirque du Soleil Founder Sells Stake to Pension Fund Giant | The Hollywood ReporterLaliberté Grows from ‘O’ to Frooogy | Las Vegas Review-JournalSHOW NOTESEditor’s Note: Timestamps will be added shortly.
A galvanizing trip to Europe in 1977.Busking without going broke.Managing Mom and Dad’s misaligned values.Emerging from a dark teenage period.The transcendental power of Cirque du Soleil.Beginning a “theater troupe on stilts.”How Hawaiian epiphanies forged the spirit of Cirque du Soleil.Black sheep winning over the wolves.Drawing from P.T. Barnum and Walt Disney.Overcoming early financial hurdles.An opening day that signaled the beginning of never looking back again.Evaluating danger without nurturing fear.Buffering against betrayal without surrendering to cynicism.Steve Wynn for the win.Blue Ocean Strategy.Pioneering, inspiring, and imitated.Priority and mortality.Parting thoughts.MORE GUY LALIBERTÉ QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“It’s one thing to convince the government, but I’m telling you, it’s much more difficult to convince a bank.”
— Guy Laliberté
“Evaluate danger. Don’t nurture fear.”
— Guy Laliberté
“There’s many things that kill success. The first one I’ve seen is about once you have success, you get a lot of reward, financially. Then you start to nurture the fear of not having tomorrow what you have today, and that changes your entire way of addressing things.”
— Guy Laliberté
“The first month was a disaster. We lost our big top. It was raining. It was conflicts. The artists [were] fighting and there was a strike. Whatever happened at the beginning, we were in the mud up to the throat. But one month after, our show was so tight.”
— Guy Laliberté
“One of the biggest skills in business I learned was in the street because of this dangerous environment. You make friends or you run or you’re ready to face a more physical reality.”
— Guy Laliberté
“I’m not giving up. Unless the fish is cutting the line, I’m taking that fish out of the pond.”
— Guy Laliberté
The post Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil — The Power of Belief, Street Gangs, Wild Tales from Las Vegas, The Dangers of Nurturing Fear, and Dancing on the Cliff (#700) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
October 19, 2023
Apollo Robbins, The World’s Most Famous Pickpocket — Pickpocketing the Secret Service, Manipulating Attention, Famous Con Artists, The Psychology of Deception, Self-Defense Techniques, The Secret Language of Thieves, and More (#699)
Illustration via 99designs“When we lose, we’re more curious. And when we win, we’re less curious about why we’re winning.”
— Apollo Robbins
Apollo Robbins (@ApolloRobbins) is often referred to as “The Gentleman Thief.” He first made national news when he pick-pocketed the Secret Service while entertaining a former U.S. President. Forbes has called Robbins “an artful manipulator of awareness,” and Wired has written that “he could steal the wallet of a man who knew he was going to have his pocket picked.”
Robbins’ entertainment credentials include the Warner Bros. film Focus, with Will Smith and Margot Robbie, along with appearances in Brooklyn 99, and the TNT series Leverage. He was a producer and co-host for National Geographic’s Brain Games, which was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series. Robbins applies his expertise in magic and misdirection beyond entertainment, pulling back the curtain to show how the principles behind these illusions can enhance strategic thinking and decision-making.
His contributions to attention and perception research have been published in Scientific American Mind and Nature Reviews Neuroscience. He has delivered lectures at Harvard Kennedy School, MIT Sloan School of Management, and the Society of Neuroscience. He has been profiled by The New Yorker and featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and The Wall Street Journal. Robbins’ TED Talk, “The Art of Misdirection,” is ranked in the 20 most-watched TED Talks of all time and has been hailed by the TED editors as a revelation in the flaws of human perception.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube here.
Brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements, Sundays for Dogs ultra-high-quality dog food, and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#699: Apollo Robbins, The World’s Most Famous Pickpocket – Pickpocketing the Secret Service, Manipulating Attention, Famous Con Artists, The Psychology of Deception, Self-Defense Techniques, The Secret Language of Thieves, and MoreThis episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.
This episode is also brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements! Momentous offers high-quality supplements and products across a broad spectrum of categories, and I’ve been testing their products for months now. I’ve been using their magnesium threonate, apigenin, and L-theanine daily, all of which have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep. I’ve also been using Momentous creatine, and while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).
Their products are third-party tested (Informed-Sport and/or NSF certified), so you can trust that what is on the label is in the bottle and nothing else. If you want to try Momentous for yourself, you can use code Tim for 20% off your one-time purchase at LiveMomentous.com/Tim. And not to worry, my non-US friends, Momentous ships internationally and has you covered.
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Want to hear another episode featuring someone who sees the world through a magic lens? Listen to my conversation with World Champion of Magic Simon Coronel in which we discussed radical earliness, the Magic Castle, gauging audience perception and finding balance before a show, ugly crying through victory, hotbeds of magical innovation, why learning magic can be so daunting for a beginner, and much more.
#679: Simon Coronel, World Champion of Magic — Quitting the Day Job, The Delights of the Magic Castle, Finding Glitches in Reality, Learning How to Use Your Own Brain, and Worshiping at the Altar of WonderWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Apollo Robbins:Apollo Robbins: The Art of Misdirection | TED TalkAttention and Awareness in Stage Magic: Turning Tricks Into Research | Nature Reviews NeuroscienceA Pickpocket’s Tale: The Spectacular Thefts of Apollo Robbins | The New Yorker“The Biggest Scam of All Time” | The AtlanticScience of Magic | The New York Times‘You’re Not Aware That My Finger Is in Your Pocket’ | The AtlanticSometimes, It Takes a Thief to Catch a Thief | Wired11 Questions with Apollo Robbins | 417Apollo Robbins: The Pickpocket Who Trains Spies | SpyscapeBrain Games | Prime VideoFocus | Prime VideoBrooklyn Nine-Nine | Prime VideoLeverage | Prime VideoCity of Enid, OklahomaHuman ABO Blood Groups and Their Associations with Different Diseases | BioMed Research InternationalHelp Us Solve the Cruel Mystery | Lupus Foundation of AmericaForrest Gump | Prime VideoTuberculous Meningitis Symptoms, Causes, Treatment | NORDOzark | NetflixSpringfield, MissouriAtheism and Agnosticism | Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyThe KJV Holy Bible | AmazonThe Creation/Evolution Continuum | National Center for Science EducationFAQ: Speaking in Tongues | Assemblies of GodDoctrine: The Bible & Tongues | Baptist PressThe Far Side Comic Strip by Gary LarsonMurphy’s Magic Svengali Deck | AmazonModern Coin Magic: 116 Coin Sleights and 236 Coin Tricks by J.B. Bobo | AmazonComplete Coin Vanish Tutorial | PigCakeImpossible Location Easy Card Trick Tutorial | Doug ConnEquivoque | MagicpediaMentalism | MagicpediaWarren Zevon Quotes | GoodreadsThe Fitzkee Trilogy by Dariel Fitzkee | AmazonThe Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas | AmazonAikido | WikipediaCaesars Magical Empire | PCAPWhy Do Vampires Need an Invitation to Enter a House? And Why Does the Stake to Kill a Vampire Need to Be Wooden? | QuoraWhat is Proprioception? | University of California TelevisionFY20 Protective Operations | United States Secret Service“William Wallace is Seven Feet Tall!” | Braveheart2010 Pentagon Shooting | WikipediaInattentional Blindness in Psychology | Verywell MindSelective Attention Test | Daniel SimonsThe Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons | AmazonTeller Speaks! | Magic of Consciousness SymposiumThe Magic Castle | The Academy of Magical ArtsOcean’s Eleven (2001) | Prime VideoGish Gallop: When People Try to Win Debates by Using Overwhelming Nonsense | EffectiviologyThe Short Change Con | The Real HustleThe Republic by Plato | AmazonConditions for Intuitive Expertise: A Failure to Disagree | American PsychologistProject Nim | Prime VideoBattle of Wits Scene | The Princess BrideConfirmation Bias | The Decision LabMeet the Forty Elephants, the All-Girl Gang from London | Danny DutchWoman Steals TV Under Her Skirt in Only 13 Seconds | Buzz60Woman Steals Beer Under Her Skirt | On Demand NewsTricking Mosquitoes into Thinking They’ve Mated Could Reduce Spread of Malaria | Imperial College LondonMisinformation and Disinformation | APAArtful Paltering: The Risks and Rewards of Using Truthful Statements to Mislead Others | Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyPropaganda by Edward Bernays | AmazonHow Lobbyists Made Breakfast ‘The Most Important Meal of the Day’ | The GuardianMere Puffery vs. False Advertising: Recent Trends | ArentFox SchiffThe Perceptual Shaping of Anticipatory Actions | Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological SciencesNeuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) | WikipediaInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini | AmazonNobody’s Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do about It by Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris | AmazonHow Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion by David McRaney | AmazonThe Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology by Lee Ross and Richard E. Nisbett | AmazonDeception in the Digital Age: Exploiting and Defending Human Targets through Computer-Mediated Communications by Cameron H. Malin, Terry Gudaitis, Thomas Holt, and Max Kilger | AmazonWhiz Mob: A Correlation of the Technical Argot of Pickpockets with Their Behavior Pattern by David W. Maurer | AmazonThe Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man by David Maurer | AmazonThe Sting | Prime VideoThe Sneaky Pickpocketing Glossary | SpyscapeHow Pickpockets Work | HowStuffWorksHarry In Your Pocket | Prime VideoAn Overview of the Dunning-Kruger Effect | Verywell MindSituational Awareness: A Guide for Journalists | Committee to Protect JournalistsThe Four Stages of Competence | MCCCUS Mother Gets Call from ‘Kidnapped Daughter’ – But It’s Really an AI Scam | The GuardianEuropean Politicians Duped into Deepfake Video Calls with Mayor of Kyiv | The GuardianStudy: One in Three People Is Distracted by Their Phone While Crossing Busy Streets | The AtlanticThe Mere Presence of Your Smartphone Reduces Brain Power, Study Shows | UT NewsEveryday Carry (EDC) | WikipediaSatisficing | The Decision LabThe Illusion of Knowledge | Mealtime HostageThe Greatest Obstacle to Discovery Is Not Ignorance — It Is the Illusion of Knowledge | Quote InvestigatorLeague of LegendsTitanic Thompson | The Stacks ReaderThe Unsinkable Titanic Thompson by Carlton Stowers | AmazonThe Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice. | Smithsonian MagazineYour Guide To The Kepplinger Holdout Cheating Device | Casino.orgPolice Public Safety Software and Cross-Platform Data-Sharing | CODY SystemsThe Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security by Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon | AmazonDEF CON 30 Hacking ConferenceHuman Error. Conquered. | KnowBe4The Benefits of Boredom | Child Mind Institute SHOW NOTES[07:51] Was Apollo a naturally dextrous wunderkind?[10:26] The influence of Apollo’s blind minister father.[14:10] Apollo’s slide toward agnosticism.[17:24] Ben Stone enters the picture.[21:08] Taking in orphaned animals as a youngster.[23:31] An early lesson on the value of money.[25:20] Bear in a box.[28:19] Seeing magic as a ticket to the larger world.[30:55] Shoplifting for fun, profit, and education.[32:19] Equivoque magic and Jazz-based mentalism.[38:09] A magic book club and a year-round Santa.[44:10] Apollo’s first fateful trip to Vegas.[52:14] A false accusation leads to a real job and a vampire code.[55:27] Jimmy Carter and the Secret Service.[1:03:44] The pros and cons of becoming legendary.[1:05:39] Academic accolades.[1:08:01] A sauce less secret isn’t necessarily less rich.[1:09:28] Recovering when the reps get rough.[1:11:12] Sheet music versus jazz.[1:14:10] The introduction to — and enduring influence of — Apollo’s wife, Ava Do.[1:22:27] Perception science perceived but not yet entered into the lexicon.[1:26:16] The significance of Apollo’s silver ring.[1:27:01] Meeting (and stealing from) Penn Jillette.[1:29:10] Demonstrating the confidence of a con man.[1:33:03] Hallmarks that differentiate Apollo’s style.[1:40:14] Who has the advantage with arguments in the Robbins household?[1:41:18] 40 Elephants in the modern world.[1:42:52] Teaching kids about the cons — and pros — of deception.[1:45:50] Paltering and puffery.[1:49:14] Perceptual shaping and change raising.[1:51:14] Slick re-thievery.[1:54:01] Influential reading.[1:56:38] Whiz Mob.[1:59:22] How is a team of pickpockets organized?[2:04:54] The pandemic of the Dunning-Kruger effect.[2:08:37] Best practices to avoid becoming a target for theft.[2:11:14] The Illusion of Knowledge Project.[2:15:28] The Unsinkable Titanic Thompson and other noteworthy charlatans.[2:19:06] Rod the Hop, Kevin Mitnick, and Whizmob Inc.[2:23:11] How one word can make a difference to an impressionable child.[2:26:38] Parting thoughts.MORE APOLLO ROBBINS QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“When you can’t walk the same as everyone else, you end up watching everyone else. You become a people watcher, and there’s a lot of commonality between animals and people. You start to do a lot of what I call perspective shifting, of jumping into their head to think, ‘Why would they make that decision?'”
— Apollo Robbins
“‘Boring’ means that your imagination is broken. So you’ve got to find a way to do it, you’ve got to find something to do, and you’ve got to use your imagination better.”
— Apollo Robbins
“I found that lore can take you so fast so far, but also it can encapsulate what people think you are versus what you are. And it can be hard to underpromise and overdeliver when people have this expectation of what you can do.”
— Apollo Robbins
“When we lose, we’re more curious. And when we win, we’re less curious about why we’re winning.”
— Apollo Robbins
“Deception is a social lubricant. It happens all the time around us, from the moment we put on makeup to something else. So, whether it be a defeat for cancer by using decoy cells, there’s all these things that have a reason. But it’s about your intent, and that’s the big thing.”
— Apollo Robbins
The post Apollo Robbins, The World’s Most Famous Pickpocket — Pickpocketing the Secret Service, Manipulating Attention, Famous Con Artists, The Psychology of Deception, Self-Defense Techniques, The Secret Language of Thieves, and More (#699) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
October 13, 2023
Dr. Mark Plotkin on Coffee, the World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and More (#698)
Welcome to The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out their routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.
This time around, we have a very special edition featuring Dr. Mark Plotkin.
Mark takes over my duties as host and shares an episode of the Plants of the Gods podcast. You, my dear listeners, are hearing the audio before anyone else, even before his podcast subscribers, so this is a Tim Ferriss Show exclusive.
So, who is Dr. Mark Plotkin? Mark (@DocMarkPlotkin) is an ethnobotanist who serves as president of the Amazon Conservation Team, which has partnered with ~80 tribes to map and improve management and protection of ~100 million acres of ancestral rainforests. He is best known to the general public as the author of the book Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice, one of the most popular books ever written about the rainforest. His most recent book is The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know. You can find my interview with Mark at tim.blog/markplotkin.
This tightly-packed episode explores all things coffee—the most widely consumed mind-altering plant product in the world.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
This episode is brought to you by my very own COCKPUNCH Coffee !
The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#698: Dr. Mark Plotkin on Coffee, The World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and MoreThis episode is brought to you by my very own COCKPUNCH Coffee! This year, one way I’ve scratched my own itch is by creating COCKPUNCH Coffee—the first coffee I’ve ever produced myself, which I now drink every morning. It’s a tie-in to a fictional world I created, but that’s another story for another time. I enlisted the help of world-class experts and tested dozens of variations over many months. As longtime listeners know, I have very high standards when it comes to coffee. After dialing in the sourcing, roasting, and more, this is the combo that finally made me say, “This is the one!”
100% of my COCKPUNCH-related proceeds to date—now $2.5M+—including those from COCKPUNCH Coffee, go to my non-profit foundation, the Saisei Foundation, which focuses on cutting-edge, scientific research and other uncrowded bets.
To learn more about the latest projects that I’m working on, check out SaiseiFoundation.org. And if you’d like some of the best coffee in the US, at least in my humble opinion, check out cockpunchcoffee.com. I think you’ll love it as much as I do. Grab a bag—or two or three—at cockpunchcoffee.com.
If you’d like to hear the last time we featured a Plants of the Gods conversation on this show, listen to Mark’s interview with Brian C. Muraresku, author of New York Times bestseller The Immortality Key here. In it, they discussed the Eleusinian mysteries, stoned apes vs. drunk monkeys, changing attitudes at the Vatican, the role of beer and wine in the foundation of civilization, doing good in the world based on the otherworldly, the strange places where ethnobotanists find friends, and much more.
#646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin — The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much MoreWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Dr. Mark Plotkin:Website | Plants of the Gods Podcast
Amazon Conservation Team | Twitter | Facebook
The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know by Mark J. Plotkin | AmazonTales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest by Mark J. Plotkin | AmazonDr. Mark Plotkin on Ethnobotany, Real vs. Fake Shamans, Hallucinogens, and the Dalai Lamas of South America | The Tim Ferriss Show #469Plants of the Gods — Dr. Mark Plotkin on Ayahuasca, Shamanic Knowledge, the Curse and Blessing of Coca, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #508The Hidden Knowledge of Animals — Mark Plotkin on Nature’s Medicine Cabinet | The Tim Ferriss Show #537Hamilton Morris and Dr. Mark Plotkin — Exploring the History of Psychoactive Substances, Synthetic vs. Natural Options, Microdosing, 5-MeO-DMT, The “Drunken Monkey” Hypothesis, Timothy Leary’s Legacy, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #605Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin — The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much More | The Tim Ferriss Show #646The Life and Times of Richard Evans Schultes | Plants of the Gods S1E10Magic Mushrooms and the Roots (Actually, the Mycelia) of the Psychedelic Renaissance | Plants of the Gods S2E4Absinthe as Ideogen in Art and Literature | Plants of the Gods S3E3Absinthe, New Orleans, and the Birth of Rock and Roll | Plants of the Gods S3E4Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl | Prime VideoOfficial Movie Site | BarbieHow New Orleans Made Chicory Coffee Its Own | EpicuriousThe Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse by Brian Cowan | AmazonIn ‘Stoned Ape’ Theory, Consciousness Has Roots in Psilocybin | InverseHow the Drunken Monkey Hypothesis Explains Our Taste for Liquor | The AtlanticCoffee: A Dark History by Antony Wild | AmazonJava Man | WikipediaHow Humans Discovered Coffee But Were Unable to Control It | ForkloreCaffeine | The Vaults of ErowidUncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World by Mark Pendergrast | AmazonThe World Before Starbucks | The New York TimesWhat Is a Whirling Dervish and Why Is It Called That? | Istanbul Dervish CeremonyMocha | Merriam-WebsterPlants and Society by Estelle Levetin and Karen McMahon | AmazonCoffee and Qahwa: How a Drink for Arab Mystics Went Global | BBC NewsCoffee: A Global History by Jonathan Morris | AmazonCoffea Arabica | WikipediaBruce’s Abyssinian Plants in the Leith Walk Garden | Botanics StoriesCoffee’s History Blooms at Amsterdam’s Hortus Botanical Garden | SprudgeJardin des Plantes in Paris | Go GuidesSeeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind by Henry Hobhouse | AmazonBeyond the Cup: Who Was Gabriel Mathieu De Clieu? | The Golden LambOld Time Farm Crime: The Coffee Spies of the 1700s | Modern FarmerSlavery in Brazil | Wilson CenterCoffee Production in Haiti | WikipediaCoffeeland: One Man’s Dark Empire and the Making of Our Favorite Drug by Augustine Sedgewick | AmazonGerman Guatemalan | WikipediaCoffee in Colombia: A Long Story | FARO Roasting HousesThe Story of Costa Rican Coffee: From the Central Valley to Your Mug | Insight Guides BlogJohann Sebastian Bach: “Coffee Cantata” BWV 211 (English Subtitles) | VesteelThe Pleasures and Pains of Coffee by Honoré de Balzac | Urbigenous LibraryVoltaire’s Coffee Obsession in the 18th Century | Geri WaltonThe High, Oxford: Angel Inn | Oxford HistoryOde to Café Pamplona | Cambridge Local FirstCafé Algiers: A Hidden Gem with a Long History | History Cambridge150-Year-Old Cambridge Book Store Set to Close | NBC BostonGrolier Poetry Book ShopA History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage | AmazonCoffee and Pope Clement VIII: The Devil’s Drink | Catholic CoffeeHow Coffee Forever Changed Britain | BBC TravelCoffee Houses | The Engines of Our IngenuityWomen’s Petition Against Coffee | Wikisource“Penny Universities”: How Coffeehouses Changed the World | Big ThinkPromoting Excellence in Science for the Benefit of Humanity | The Royal SocietySt. Paul’s CathedralThe Principia: The Authoritative Translation and Guide: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Sir Isaac Newton | AmazonThe Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith | AmazonWhere J.K. Rowling Wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh | Independent Travel CatsHarry Potter Complete Boxed Set by J.K. Rowling | AmazonGoodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land by Jacob Mikanowski | AmazonNechezol | WikipediaCoffee and Commerce 1652-1811 | Lloyd’sJonathan’s Coffee-House | WikipediaForget Garages, Coffee Shops Are Where Businesses Get Started | The GuardianHow Coffee Fueled Revolutions — And Revolutionary Ideas | HistoryFonde En 1686 | ProcopeCoffea | WikipediaPeaberry | WikipediaKopi Luwak | WikipediaJacu Bird Coffee | Gastro ObscuraThe World’s Rarest Coffee. Naturally Refined By Elephants | Black Ivory Coffee CompanyCoffea Charrieriana | WikipediaCoffee Consumption by Country 2023 | World Population ReviewMcMurdo Station | National Science FoundationISSpresso | WikipediaThe Mystery of the Green Dragon Tavern and the Boston Tea Party | Boston Tea Party Historical SocietyThe Green Dragon TavernAll About Coffee by William H. Ukers | AmazonHow Hot Coffee Helped William McKinley Become President | Tasting TableWilliam McKinley Coffee Break Monument | Roadside America“Way Out” Coffeehouses | Restaurant-ing Through HistoryWorld-Renowned San Francisco Saloon | Vesuvio CafeSince 1927 | Caffè ReggioListen. Experience. Engage. | PassimThird Wave Coffee & Specialty Coffee: What Are They? | Methodical CoffeeThe Original Craft Coffee | Peet’s CoffeeOur Original Store | Starbucks ArchiveWhat the Death of Coffee Shops Tells Us about Silicon Valley | Financial TimesSHOW NOTES[04:35] Plants of the Gods: the story so far.[05:28] Coffee is the most widely consumed mind-altering plant in the world.[06:35] Why they drink coffee with chicory in New Orleans and Vietnam.[08:41] An acquired taste.[09:18] Is coffee responsible for human consciousness?[12:08] The origin story of coffee.[13:10] The motivational power of caffeine.[14:30] How coffee spread through the Arab world.[16:07] Why such a “troublemaking social brew” persisted despite resistance from authorities.[19:55] Intrigue brings coffee to Europe and the New World.[28:26] How coffee shaped Brazil’s society and economy.[31:19] Slave revolts, rainforest depletion, and income inequality in tropical America.[33:20] Guatemalan Nazis.[34:31] Colombia’s Jesuit java.[35:21] Costa Rican egalitarianism.[36:09] How coffee fueled European arts.[38:25] Why coffee’s impact was magnified in Europe.[42:34] “The combination between coffee drinking and coffee thinking is a real one.”[44:21] Why coffee houses made Kings and clergy nervous.[47:42] The Age of Reason’s internet.[50:53] Harry Potter’s debt to the modern coffee house.[52:07] The role of coffee in communist Romania.[54:02] How coffee houses seeded some of today’s most vaunted institutions in England.[55:27] French coffee house culture’s impact on the French and American revolutions.[57:28] Coffee talk for botany nerds.[59:01] Peaberry.[59:27] Civets, turkeys, and elephants (oh, my).[1:00:18] Robusta.[1:01:27] Caffeine-free abominations.[1:01:54] The global economic value of coffee.[1:03:02] Coffee’s role in US history.[1:07:45] A shift toward convenience as a priority and its inevitable backlash.[1:09:20] The Beatnik-boosted specialty coffee movement.[1:10:32] Why did this movement originate in the Western US?[1:12:04] Thank you, coffee.PEOPLE MENTIONEDRichard Evans SchultesHoratio NelsonNapoleon BonaparteBrian CowanRobert C. BollesTerence McKennaIan TattersallAntony WildKaldiWaaqaMark PendergrastMuhammadAlexandre DumasEstelle LevetinJonathan MorrisCarl LinnaeusJames BruceRembrandt van RijnJohannes VermeerFrans HalsNicolaes WitsenPieter van den BroeckeLouis XIVHenry HobhouseGabriel-Mathieu de ClieuFrancisco de Melo PalhetaClaude Guillouet d’OrvilliersMarie-Claude Vicq de PontgibaudJorge AmadoEuclides da CunhaToussaint L’OuvertureJohann Sebastian BachHonoré de BalzacM. de VoltairePasqua RoséeJacob the JewTom StandagePatrick Edward McGovernPope Clement VIIICharles II of EnglandDr. SeussIsaac NewtonAdam SmithJonathan SwiftChristopher WrenRobert HookeEdmond HalleyJ. K. RowlingHarry PotterJacob MikanowskiDenis DiderotJean Jacques RousseauBenjamin FranklinBaron de MontesquieuCamille DesmoulinsGeorges DantonJean-Paul MaratMaximilien RobespierreSamuel AdamsJohn HancockPaul RevereDaniel WebsterWilliam UkersAlexander HamiltonWilliam McKinleyJimmy DoolittleOsama bin LadenAllen GinsbergJack KerouacThe post Dr. Mark Plotkin on Coffee, the World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and More (#698) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
Dr. Mark Plotkin on Coffee, The World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and More (#698)
Welcome to The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out their routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.
This time around, we have a very special edition featuring Dr. Mark Plotkin.
Mark takes over my duties as host and shares an episode of the Plants of the Gods podcast. You, my dear listeners, are hearing the audio before anyone else, even before his podcast subscribers, so this is a Tim Ferriss Show exclusive.
So, who is Dr. Mark Plotkin? Mark (@DocMarkPlotkin) is an ethnobotanist who serves as president of the Amazon Conservation Team, which has partnered with ~80 tribes to map and improve management and protection of ~100 million acres of ancestral rainforests. He is best known to the general public as the author of the book Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice, one of the most popular books ever written about the rainforest. His most recent book is The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know. You can find my interview with Mark at tim.blog/markplotkin.
This tightly-packed episode explores all things coffee—the most widely consumed mind-altering plant product in the world.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
This episode is brought to you by my very own COCKPUNCH Coffee !
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#698: Dr. Mark Plotkin on Coffee, The World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and MoreThis episode is brought to you by my very own COCKPUNCH Coffee! This year, one way I’ve scratched my own itch is by creating COCKPUNCH Coffee—the first coffee I’ve ever produced myself, and which I now drink every morning. It’s a tie-in to a fictional world I created, but that’s another story for another time. I enlisted the help of world-class experts and tested dozens of variations over many months. As longtime listeners know, I have very high standards when it comes to coffee. After dialing in the sourcing, roasting, and more, this is the combo that finally made me say, “This is the one!”
100% of my COCKPUNCH-related proceeds to date—now $2.5M+—including those from COCKPUNCH Coffee, go to my non-profit foundation, the Saisei Foundation, which focuses on cutting-edge, scientific research and other uncrowded bets.
To learn more about the latest projects that I’m working on, check out SaiseiFoundation.org. And if you’d like some of the best coffee in the US, at least in my humble opinion, check out cockpunchcoffee.com. I think you’ll love it as much as I do. Grab a bag—or two or three—at cockpunchcoffee.com.
If you’d like to hear the last time we featured a Plants of the Gods conversation on this show, listen to Mark’s interview with Brian C. Muraresku, author of New York Times bestseller The Immortality Key here. In it, they discussed the Eleusinian mysteries, stoned apes vs. drunk monkeys, changing attitudes at the Vatican, the role of beer and wine in the foundation of civilization, doing good in the world based on the otherworldly, the strange places where ethnobotanists find friends, and much more.
#646: Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin — The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much MoreWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Dr. Mark Plotkin:Website | Plants of the Gods Podcast
Amazon Conservation Team | Twitter | Facebook
The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know by Mark J. Plotkin | AmazonTales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest by Mark J. Plotkin | AmazonDr. Mark Plotkin on Ethnobotany, Real vs. Fake Shamans, Hallucinogens, and the Dalai Lamas of South America | The Tim Ferriss Show #469Plants of the Gods — Dr. Mark Plotkin on Ayahuasca, Shamanic Knowledge, the Curse and Blessing of Coca, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #508The Hidden Knowledge of Animals — Mark Plotkin on Nature’s Medicine Cabinet | The Tim Ferriss Show #537Hamilton Morris and Dr. Mark Plotkin — Exploring the History of Psychoactive Substances, Synthetic vs. Natural Options, Microdosing, 5-MeO-DMT, The “Drunken Monkey” Hypothesis, Timothy Leary’s Legacy, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #605Brian C. Muraresku with Dr. Mark Plotkin — The Eleusinian Mysteries, Discovering the Divine, The Immortality Key, The Pagan Continuity Hypothesis, Lessons from Scholar Karen Armstrong, and Much More | The Tim Ferriss Show #646The Life and Times of Richard Evans Schultes | Plants of the Gods S1E10Magic Mushrooms and the Roots (Actually, the Mycelia) of the Psychedelic Renaissance | Plants of the Gods S2E4Absinthe as Ideogen in Art and Literature | Plants of the Gods S3E3Absinthe, New Orleans, and the Birth of Rock and Roll | Plants of the Gods S3E4Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl | Prime VideoOfficial Movie Site | BarbieHow New Orleans Made Chicory Coffee Its Own | EpicuriousThe Social Life of Coffee: The Emergence of the British Coffeehouse by Brian Cowan | AmazonIn ‘Stoned Ape’ Theory, Consciousness Has Roots in Psilocybin | InverseHow the Drunken Monkey Hypothesis Explains Our Taste for Liquor | The AtlanticCoffee: A Dark History by Antony Wild | AmazonJava Man | WikipediaHow Humans Discovered Coffee But Were Unable to Control It | ForkloreCaffeine | The Vaults of ErowidUncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World by Mark Pendergrast | AmazonThe World Before Starbucks | The New York TimesWhat Is a Whirling Dervish and Why Is It Called That? | Istanbul Dervish CeremonyMocha | Merriam-WebsterPlants and Society by Estelle Levetin and Karen McMahon | AmazonCoffee and Qahwa: How a Drink for Arab Mystics Went Global | BBC NewsCoffee: A Global History by Jonathan Morris | AmazonCoffea Arabica | WikipediaBruce’s Abyssinian Plants in the Leith Walk Garden | Botanics StoriesCoffee’s History Blooms at Amsterdam’s Hortus Botanical Garden | SprudgeJardin des Plantes in Paris | Go GuidesSeeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind by Henry Hobhouse | AmazonBeyond the Cup: Who Was Gabriel Mathieu De Clieu? | The Golden LambOld Time Farm Crime: The Coffee Spies of the 1700s | Modern FarmerSlavery in Brazil | Wilson CenterCoffee Production in Haiti | WikipediaCoffeeland: One Man’s Dark Empire and the Making of Our Favorite Drug by Augustine Sedgewick | AmazonGerman Guatemalan | WikipediaCoffee in Colombia: A Long Story | FARO Roasting HousesThe Story of Costa Rican Coffee: From the Central Valley to Your Mug | Insight Guides BlogJohann Sebastian Bach: “Coffee Cantata” BWV 211 (English Subtitles) | VesteelThe Pleasures and Pains of Coffee by Honoré de Balzac | Urbigenous LibraryVoltaire’s Coffee Obsession in the 18th Century | Geri WaltonThe High, Oxford: Angel Inn | Oxford HistoryOde to Café Pamplona | Cambridge Local FirstCafé Algiers: A Hidden Gem with a Long History | History Cambridge150-Year-Old Cambridge Book Store Set to Close | NBC BostonGrolier Poetry Book ShopA History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage | AmazonCoffee and Pope Clement VIII: The Devil’s Drink | Catholic CoffeeHow Coffee Forever Changed Britain | BBC TravelCoffee Houses | The Engines of Our IngenuityWomen’s Petition Against Coffee | Wikisource“Penny Universities”: How Coffeehouses Changed the World | Big ThinkPromoting Excellence in Science for the Benefit of Humanity | The Royal SocietySt. Paul’s CathedralThe Principia: The Authoritative Translation and Guide: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Sir Isaac Newton | AmazonThe Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith | AmazonWhere J.K. Rowling Wrote Harry Potter in Edinburgh | Independent Travel CatsHarry Potter Complete Boxed Set by J.K. Rowling | AmazonGoodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land by Jacob Mikanowski | AmazonNechezol | WikipediaCoffee and Commerce 1652-1811 | Lloyd’sJonathan’s Coffee-House | WikipediaForget Garages, Coffee Shops Are Where Businesses Get Started | The GuardianHow Coffee Fueled Revolutions — And Revolutionary Ideas | HistoryFonde En 1686 | ProcopeCoffea | WikipediaPeaberry | WikipediaKopi Luwak | WikipediaJacu Bird Coffee | Gastro ObscuraThe World’s Rarest Coffee. Naturally Refined By Elephants | Black Ivory Coffee CompanyCoffea Charrieriana | WikipediaCoffee Consumption by Country 2023 | World Population ReviewMcMurdo Station | National Science FoundationISSpresso | WikipediaThe Mystery of the Green Dragon Tavern and the Boston Tea Party | Boston Tea Party Historical SocietyThe Green Dragon TavernAll About Coffee by William H. Ukers | AmazonHow Hot Coffee Helped William McKinley Become President | Tasting TableWilliam McKinley Coffee Break Monument | Roadside America“Way Out” Coffeehouses | Restaurant-ing Through HistoryWorld-Renowned San Francisco Saloon | Vesuvio CafeSince 1927 | Caffè ReggioListen. Experience. Engage. | PassimThird Wave Coffee & Specialty Coffee: What Are They? | Methodical CoffeeThe Original Craft Coffee | Peet’s CoffeeOur Original Store | Starbucks ArchiveWhat the Death of Coffee Shops Tells Us about Silicon Valley | Financial TimesSHOW NOTES[04:35] Plants of the Gods: the story so far.[05:28] Coffee is the most widely consumed mind-altering plant in the world.[06:35] Why they drink coffee with chicory in New Orleans and Vietnam.[08:41] An acquired taste.[09:18] Is coffee responsible for human consciousness?[12:08] The origin story of coffee.[13:10] The motivational power of caffeine.[14:30] How coffee spread through the Arab world.[16:07] Why such a “troublemaking social brew” persisted despite resistance from authorities.[19:55] Intrigue brings coffee to Europe and the New World.[28:26] How coffee shaped Brazil’s society and economy.[31:19] Slave revolts, rainforest depletion, and income inequality in tropical America.[33:20] Guatemalan Nazis.[34:31] Colombia’s Jesuit java.[35:21] Costa Rican egalitarianism.[36:09] How coffee fueled European arts.[38:25] Why coffee’s impact was magnified in Europe.[42:34] “The combination between coffee drinking and coffee thinking is a real one.”[44:21] Why coffee houses made Kings and clergy nervous.[47:42] The Age of Reason’s internet.[50:53] Harry Potter’s debt to the modern coffee house.[52:07] The role of coffee in communist Romania.[54:02] How coffee houses seeded some of today’s most vaunted institutions in England.[55:27] French coffee house culture’s impact on the French and American revolutions.[57:28] Coffee talk for botany nerds.[59:01] Peaberry.[59:27] Civets, turkeys, and elephants (oh, my).[1:00:18] Robusta.[1:01:27] Caffeine-free abominations.[1:01:54] The global economic value of coffee.[1:03:02] Coffee’s role in US history.[1:07:45] A shift toward convenience as a priority and its inevitable backlash.[1:09:20] The Beatnik-boosted specialty coffee movement.[1:10:32] Why did this movement originate in the Western US?[1:12:04] Thank you, coffee.PEOPLE MENTIONEDRichard Evans SchultesHoratio NelsonNapoleon BonaparteBrian CowanRobert C. BollesTerence McKennaIan TattersallAntony WildKaldiWaaqaMark PendergrastMuhammadAlexandre DumasEstelle LevetinJonathan MorrisCarl LinnaeusJames BruceRembrandt van RijnJohannes VermeerFrans HalsNicolaes WitsenPieter van den BroeckeLouis XIVHenry HobhouseGabriel-Mathieu de ClieuFrancisco de Melo PalhetaClaude Guillouet d’OrvilliersMarie-Claude Vicq de PontgibaudJorge AmadoEuclides da CunhaToussaint L’OuvertureJohann Sebastian BachHonoré de BalzacM. de VoltairePasqua RoséeJacob the JewTom StandagePatrick Edward McGovernPope Clement VIIICharles II of EnglandDr. SeussIsaac NewtonAdam SmithJonathan SwiftChristopher WrenRobert HookeEdmond HalleyJ. K. RowlingHarry PotterJacob MikanowskiDenis DiderotJean Jacques RousseauBenjamin FranklinBaron de MontesquieuCamille DesmoulinsGeorges DantonJean-Paul MaratMaximilien RobespierreSamuel AdamsJohn HancockPaul RevereDaniel WebsterWilliam UkersAlexander HamiltonWilliam McKinleyJimmy DoolittleOsama bin LadenAllen GinsbergJack KerouacThe post Dr. Mark Plotkin on Coffee, The World’s Favorite Stimulant — Chemistry, History, and More (#698) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
October 9, 2023
Rich Paul — The Power Broker and Superstar Agent Behind LeBron James, Draymond Green, and Others (#697)
Illustration via 99designs“Just stay at it. It’ll turn. In the dice game, we used to have to be able to say, “Can you stand the rain?” A guy is throwing point after point after point and you would have to stand in there and stand the rain and eventually they turn and things go the other way.”
— Rich Paul
Rich Paul (@RichPaul4) is the CEO and founder of KLUTCH Sports Group, the powerhouse agency representing some of the biggest athletes across major professional sports. Paul founded KLUTCH Sports in 2012 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he forged a unique and personal approach to representing top NBA talent—putting athletes first and empowering them to build careers and brands on and off the court.
In 2019, KLUTCH Sports partnered with United Talent Agency (UTA). Paul serves as UTA’s Head of Sports and is an agency partner, and he was appointed to UTA’s board of directors in 2020. In 2019, Paul was named GQ’s “Power Broker of the Year” and dubbed “The King Maker” on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 2021, TIME recognized KLUTCH Sports on its first-ever list of TIME100 Most Influential Companies, and Variety recently named Paul to their “Variety500” list of the most influential business leaders shaping the global media industry. Paul is also credited with driving the reversal of the so-called “Rich Paul Rule,” which would have banned agents without a college degree from representing NCAA student athletes.
In 2021, Paul and three former Nike executives formed a company called ADOPT, a creative agency focused on sport, wellness, nutrition, tech, and other consumer-facing products. In 2022, Paul joined the board of trustees of LACMA and the boards of directors of Funko and Designer Brands Inc. In 2023, he joined the board of directors of Live Nation. Paul is also a minority partner of the SpringHill Company.
His new book is Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the Odds.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube here.
Brought to you by AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#697: Rich Paul — The Power Broker and Superstar Agent Behind LeBron James, Draymond Green, and OthersThis episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.
This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2022 by GQ magazine, Wired, and Apartment Therapy. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.
Go to shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting shopify.com/Tim .
Want to hear an episode with LeBron James (and Mike Mancias, his top-secret trainer)? Listen to our conversation here in which we discussed injury prevention and recovery, self-care, career longevity, the power of sleep, environmental optimization, diet, self-talk, tattoos, and much more.
#349: LeBron James and His Top-Secret Trainer, Mike ManciasWhat was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Rich Paul: Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the Odds by Rich Paul | Amazon Klutch Sports Group | United Talent AgencyRich Paul, NBA Power Broker, Growing Up and Finding Peace | The New York TimesLeBron James’s Agent Is Transforming the Business of Basketball | The New YorkerRich Paul: NBA Free Agency Belongs to LeBron’s Agent | Sports IllustratedLeBron James’s Representative Completes His Own Journey | The New York TimesGlenville | Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland Muny Football LeagueRich Paul Circa 1993 | InstagramFree Agency Explained | NBA“Rich Paul the GOAT”: Having Negotiated $900+ Million After Jarred Vanderbilt Extension, LeBron James’ Agent Receives Massive Shoutout | EssentiallySportsWhite Men Can’t Jump | Prime VideoReport: Stephen Curry Made 77 Consecutive 3-Pointers in Practice, Hit 94 of 100 | Bleacher ReportHow an Oilers’ Warren Moon Throwback Jersey Linked Lebron James to His Agent Rich Paul | ChronJames Baldwin | WikiquoteVideo: Charlton Heston, Sidney Poitier, Marlon Brando, Harry Belafonte, James Baldwin in a Roundtable Discussion on Civil Rights | SlatePaul Speaks Out About Negative Consequences of ‘Rich Paul Rule’ | NBC SportsWarren Buffett Was ‘Terrified’ of Public Speaking and Took 3 Steps to Conquer His Fear | Inc.comRich Paul: Power Broker of the Year | GQCooking for the Pros | Sports IllustratedHourly Professional Athlete Salary | ZipRecruiterMagic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, and 13 Great Players Who Couldn’t Coach | Bleacher ReportWhy We’re OK with LeBron James Being Mr. Nice Guy | Bleacher ReportIn My Lifetime, Vol.1 [Explicit] by Jay-Z | AmazonI Want You by Marvin Gaye | AmazonGood Times | Prime VideoHow the Record Sale of “The Sugar Shack” Made Ernie Barnes the Comeback Kid | ArtsyMortal Kombat | WikipediaSHOW NOTESEditor’s Note: Timestamps will be added shortly.
The store where Rich’s story began.The cover choice for Rich’s memoir, Lucky Me.How Rich negotiated a lucrative free agency period.Street gambling as a youth.Good advice for avoiding bad deals.Meeting and creating an enduring relationship with LeBron James.The influence of James Baldwin.Rich’s experience with higher education and thoughts on the so-called “Rich Paul rule.”Best investments of time, energy, or money.How Rich beat out bigger competition to land clients.Helping aspiring pros establish the infrastructure they need to succeed.Key ingredients for emotional support and stability.Driving home the importance of preparing for a career’s rainy days.LeBron James’ ego.Why is Rich’s book titled Lucky Me?When the entrepreneurial impulse leads to darkness.The Ernie Barnes piece in Rich’s collection.Player empowerment.Rich’s most influential confidence builders.What prompted Rich to write Lucky Me?Rich’s billboard.Parting thoughts.MORE RICH PAUL QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“Some people define the business card and some people are defined by their business card.”
— Rich Paul
“Just stay at it. It’ll turn. In the dice game, we used to have to be able to say, “Can you stand the rain?” A guy is throwing point after point after point and you would have to stand in there and stand the rain and eventually they turn and things go the other way.”
— Rich Paul
“I don’t really have a lot of gray in me. It’s pretty black and white.”
— Rich Paul
“Now, we all have ego. Don’t get me wrong, you have to have an ego to have confidence, but you’re not invested in your ego. You’re not leading with the ego. You know when the ego is supposed to come out the room and when it’s not.”
— Rich Paul
“I know it may seem dark and gray and bleak and challenging, but you tend to think that everyone’s paying attention to you and what you’ve got going on. And so you get discouraged, but in reality, they’re not. Everyone has their own problems. Just get through yours. Get through them, continue to push, continue to persevere, and you can end up in a different spot.”
— Rich Paul
“I was extremely lucky to go through some of the things that I went through to help shape me and mold me to understand life’s challenges and to be able to survive those thunderstorms emotionally … to get out on the other side.”
— Rich Paul
The post Rich Paul — The Power Broker and Superstar Agent Behind LeBron James, Draymond Green, and Others (#697) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
October 6, 2023
My Mental Health Routines and Tools (Includes Extensive Resources)
This upcoming Tuesday, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day.
Highlighting mental health is important to me for deeply personal reasons. Treatment-resistant depression, bipolar disorder, and addiction run in my family. I’ve lost multiple friends to suicide and almost committed suicide in college. Opioids and alcohol have claimed the lives of family members and some of my closest childhood friends.
But despair need not lead to deaths of despair.
This blog post compiles resources that have helped me and millions of readers. They include books, documentaries, podcast episodes, videos, and much more.
Below are the three resources that have received the most positive feedback. Each is intended to be highly practical and tactical:
Blog post: Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide . Podcast episode: My Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse .Blog post: “Productivity” Tricks for the Neurotic, Manic-Depressive, and Crazy (Like Me) .If pressed for time, the below short video describes some of my daily practices for warding off and managing depression:
And if you remember only one thing, remember this: there is light on the other side.
I wouldn’t have believed this even 15 years ago, but I now consider myself living proof that deep, lasting change is possible. You are never alone, and it is never hopeless. The resources below the P.S. and P.P.S. are intended to light the fire of hope.
Don’t give up. I’m right there alongside you, as are millions of others.
Much love to you and yours,
Tim
P.S.
In 2018, I created the Saisei Foundation to focus on ambitious scientific research and cutting-edge clinical treatments of intractable conditions, including treatment-resistant depression, opioid addiction, anorexia nervosa, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Projects have been published in leading journals (e.g., The Lancet, NEJM) and featured in media coverage (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, and dozens more) around the world. Click here to learn more about the foundation and its mission.
P.P.S.
Crisis
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Crisis Text Line: text “HOME” to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor for free, 24/7 support.
Suicide
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Beginning July 16, 2022, dialing 988 will also route calls to the lifeline. If you’re outside of the US, please click here for a list of international hotlines.
The below list of resources includes podcast episodes, books, documentaries, and more.
VIDEOS ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
My Daily Practices and Habits to Fight Depression How to Cope with Feeling Unfocused or Overwhelmed Breathing Techniques to Reduce Stress and Anxiety | Dr. Andrew Huberman How to Meditate Brené Brown on How to Navigate the Emotions You’re Unwilling to Feel How to Use Your Phone… So That It Doesn’t Use YouTHE TIM FERRISS SHOW PODCAST EPISODES
Jack Kornfield — Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy in the Present | The Tim Ferriss Show #300
Jim Dethmer — How to Shift from Victim Consciousness, Reduce Drama, Practice Candor, Be Fully Alive, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #434
Chris Palmer, MD, of Harvard Medical School — Optimizing Brain Energy for Mental Health, The Incredible Potential of Metabolic Psychiatry, Extraordinary Case Studies, and Harnessing Mitochondria for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #633
Tara Brach on Meditation and Overcoming FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) | The Tim Ferriss Show #94
How to Design a Life — Debbie Millman | The Tim Ferriss Show #214
Dr. Gabor Maté — New Paradigms, Ayahuasca, and Redefining Addiction | The Tim Ferriss Show #298
Paul Conti, MD — How Trauma Works and How to Heal from It | The Tim Ferriss Show #533
Richard Schwartz — IFS, Psychedelic Experiences without Drugs, and Finding Inner Peace for Our Many Parts | The Tim Ferriss Show #492
Overview of Psychedelic Fact vs. Fiction — Microdosing, Mind-Enhancing Methods, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #377
Blake Mycoskie — Psychedelic Sequencing, TOMS, The Hoffman Process, and Conscious Uncoupling | The Tim Ferriss Show #446
Michael Pollan — Exploring the Frontiers of Psychedelics | The Tim Ferriss Show #365
Sam Harris, Ph.D. — How to Master Your Mind | The Tim Ferriss Show #342
Dr. Gabor Maté — The Myth of Normal, Metabolizing Anger, Processing Trauma, and Finding the Still Voice Within | The Tim Ferriss Show #620
Nick Norris — Navy SEAL and Athlete on Training, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Healing | The Tim Ferriss Show #378
Dr. John Krystal — All Things Ketamine, The Most Comprehensive Podcast Episode Ever | The Tim Ferriss Show #625
BOOKS AND SUGGESTED READING
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach
Awareness by Anthony de Mello
“The Quick-Start Guide to Healing Trauma and Psychological Wounds” by Neil Strauss (article)
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
The Healing Journey: Pioneering Approaches to Psychedelic Therapy by Claudio Naranjo
The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self by Alice Miller
The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
The Courage to Heal Workbook: For Women and Men Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse by Laura Davis
The Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge by Beatrice Chestnut
DOCUMENTARIES
Trip of Compassion. This documentary affected me so deeply (and immediately) when I first saw it that I flew to Tel Aviv, met the filmmakers, and offered to help launch the film digitally worldwide. Everything I’ve done for this film is 100% pro bono, and all proceeds go to the filmmakers.
The Work. This documentary tore my heart apart but simultaneously gave me tremendous hope. It strikes me as particularly important for men (or those who want to better understand men) to watch, but the intensity isn’t for everyone. It’s exhausting to watch.
How to Change Your Mind (Netflix mini-series). “Author Michael Pollan leads the way in this docuseries exploring the history and uses of psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and mescaline.”
DOSED. It’s one of the best and most beautifully shot docs I’ve ever seen about psychedelic medicine. It showcases the struggles, misfires, and successes in the concrete jungles near Vancouver instead of in an Amazonian jungle. For me, it was quite emotional, as it shows opioid/opiate addiction firsthand, and my aunt died of a Percocet and alcohol overdose close to when I first watched this documentary.
From Shock to Awe. If you like Trip of Compassion, or if you have an interest in psychedelics, ayahuasca, veteran affairs, or healing, take a look at this documentary. I’ve watched it 3x already and highly recommend it. Even if you don’t watch the film, the two-minute trailer is worth checking out.
RESOURCES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND TOOLS
Dialectical behavior therapy | Wikipedia
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises | Amazon
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) | Peter Attia, MD
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) | Mayo Clinic
How Somatic Experiencing Can Help You Process Trauma | Healthline
What is Internal Family Systems? | IFS Institute
Parts Work Therapy for Complex PTSD | Dr. Arielle Schwartz
Hakomi Method | Hakomi Institute
Imago Relationships
The Waking Up app
Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders | Mental Health America
Dissociation FAQs | The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation
The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research | Johns Hopkins
Centre for Psychedelic Research | Imperial College London
The Conscious Leadership Group
The Enneagram Institute
The Center for Nonviolent Communication
Paradigms of Ketamine Treatment | MAPS
Psychedelic Science: Magic Mushrooms | MAPS
MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy | MAPS
Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (Resources) | tim.blog
About Holotropic Breathwork | Grof Transpersonal Training
What is the Hoffman Process? | Hoffman Institute Foundation
SUPPORT LINES:
Crisis
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
Crisis Text Line text “HOME” to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor for free, 24/7 support.
Suicide
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Beginning July 16, 2022, dialing 988 will also route calls to the lifeline.
Violence, Abuse, and Sexual Abuse
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or Online Chat
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
Children
National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4AChild (1-800-422-4453) or text 1-800-422-4453
Child Welfare Information Gateway
If you have tips, advice, or resources that have helped you, please share them in the comments below.
The post My Mental Health Routines and Tools (Includes Extensive Resources) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
October 2, 2023
Be Useful — Arnold Schwarzenegger on 7 Tools for Life, Thinking Big, Building Resilience, Processing Grief, and More (#696)
Illustration via 99designs“Don’t just worry about climbing a ladder that someone else has built. No, build your own ladder. Just don’t wait for anyone else. That’s what I did.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger (@schwarzenegger) is an Austrian-born bodybuilder, actor, businessman, philanthropist, bestselling author, and politician. He served as the thirty-eighth governor of California. His new book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, is out October 10th, and his daily email newsletter Pump Club recently hit more than 500,000 subscribers and continues to grow as a positive corner of the Internet.
Schwarzenegger has made it his mission to give back. Since his time in the Governor’s house, he’s been working diligently to combat climate change, anti-semitism, ensure fair voting practices, help youth, work with Veterans, and inspire healthy living.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube here.
Brought to you by Wealthfront high-yield savings account, Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#696: Be Useful — Arnold Schwarzenegger on 7 Tools for Life, Thinking Big, Building Resilience, Processing Grief, and MoreThis episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.
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It takes just a few minutes to sign up, and then you’ll immediately start earning 4.8% interest on your savings. And when you open an account today, you’ll get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more. Visit Wealthfront.com/Tim to get started.
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Go to EightSleep.com/Tim and save $250 on the Eight Sleep Pod Cover. Eight Sleep currently ships within the USA, Canada, the UK, select countries in the EU, and Australia.
Want to hear the first time Arnold Schwarzenegger was on this show? Check out our conversation here in which we discussed how Arnold uses psychological warfare to win, how Twins became his most lucrative movie, mailing bull balls to politicians, how Arnold made millions before his acting career took off, and much more.
#60: Tim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More)What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Arnold Schwarzenegger:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger | Amazon Arnold’s Pump ClubTim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More) | The Tim Ferriss Show #60Arnold Schwarzenegger Part 2! Bodybuilding, Investing, and Online Battles | The Tim Ferriss Show #216Arnold Schwarzenegger Had Botched Heart Surgery Before Terminator 6 | VarietyWhat Was Wrong with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Heart? | HCA Healthcare TodayArnold Schwarzenegger’s First Seven Jobs | FacebookIn Helping Others, You Help Yourself | Psychology TodayArnold | NetflixWhat to Do in Graz – The Mediterranean City of Austria | Borders of AdventureArnold Schwarzenegger Says Nazi Father’s Abuse Caused Brother’s Death | NMEArnold Schwarzenegger ‘Owes His Success to His Upbringing’ | The Banner PressArnold Schwarzenegger Wins Junior Mr. Europe (1965) | Golden Era BookwormThe City of MunichArnold Schwarzenegger Wins Mr. Universe Bodybuilding Contest (1969) | British PathéHercules | Prime VideoA Fistful of Dollars | Prime VideoFor a Few Dollars More | Prime VideoThe Jayne Mansfield Story | WikipediaThe Villain (1979) | WikipediaThe Streets of San Francisco | WikipediaStay Hungry | Prime VideoPumping Iron | Prime VideoHappy Anniversary and Goodbye | Prime VideoConan the Barbarian | Prime VideoThe Terminator | Prime VideoBrotherly Love: How DeVito and Schwarzenegger Turned ‘Twins’ into the Ultimate 1980s High-Concept Comedy | CrackedTwins | Prime VideoKindergarten Cop | Prime VideoJunior | Prime VideoSales Lessons from Arnold Schwarzenegger | LinkedInObvious History: How Arnold Schwarzenegger Made a Million Dollars Laying Bricks | Interview MagazineJay Kernis: A Portrait of Arnold as a Young Art Object | NPR10 Facts About Andy Warhol’s Cowboys and Indians | My Art BrokerThe Switch | Tales From the Crypt WikiTo My Best Friend by Arnold Schwarzenegger | MediumArnold Introduces a New Most Muscular Award Honoring Franco Columbu | Arnold Classic 2020Arnold Schwarzenegger: “My Plan Is to Live Forever” | The Hollywood ReporterEnd of Days | Prime VideoSardinia’s Blue Zone Lessons | Blue ZonesThree Risks of Too Much Screen Time for Teens | The Greater Good Science CenterCalifornia’s Crazy Recall | Westmont CollegeSHOW NOTESEditor’s Note: Timestamps will be added shortly.
Recovering from heart surgery.Age 10 entrepreneurship.Arnold’s dad and the importance of being useful.Arnold and his brother: same upbringing, different outcomes.Building ladders and never thinking small.When Arnold’s self-bet to be a comedic lead paid off.We’re all in sales.The significance of shifting gears.Grieving Franco Columbu.Aging.Arnold’s current state of self-identity.What Arnold hopes readers take away from Be Useful.Parting thoughts.MORE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“No country ever was built by people sleeping in. Austria was not built by people sleeping in. America was not built by people sleeping in. People struggled, people suffered, people worked their asses off to build this country.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Through comfort, no one ever grows.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Don’t just worry about climbing a ladder that someone else has built. No, build your own ladder. Just don’t wait for anyone else. That’s what I did.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
“I realized then the importance of selling. That no matter what you have — if you have a podcast, if you have a movie, if you have a painting, if you have a car, a technology, a medicine, whatever it is — if people don’t know about it, you have nothing. The more people that know about your product or about your talent, the more you can go and be successful.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
“You can be the biggest celebrity in the world, but you still get your back pain. You still get your hip pain. You still get your shoulder pain. You still get your elbow pain. You still get numb fingers. You still have to watch your heart. You still have to watch the diet. … This is all so that we stay alive longer. The time you’re born, your time is set. It’s set. The only thing that changes it is you.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
“I’m the guy that climbs up Mount Everest and sees another bunch of peaks. ‘Oh, my God, I didn’t even know they were there.’ And I climb them. That’s what I do, just a continuous climb. Nothing changes.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
“In lifting, you can only know how much you lift if you’re willing to fail.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
“I’m not a self-made man. I have to recognize that my training, my money, everything comes from a lot of different people. … When you recognize that, you now have the responsibility of going out and helping others.”
— Arnold Schwarzenegger
The post Be Useful — Arnold Schwarzenegger on 7 Tools for Life, Thinking Big, Building Resilience, Processing Grief, and More (#696) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.
