Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 27
June 28, 2022
Master Investor Ed Thorp on How to Think for Yourself, Mental Models for the Second Half of Life, How to Be Inner-Directed, How Basic Numeracy Is a Superpower, and The Dangers of Investing Fads (#604)
“An important thing for everyone is to think about the world and society as us instead of me and to try to act that way and to think longer term. Think about how the things one does affects the people around not only right away but down through the years.”
— Edward O. Thorp
Edward O. Thorp (@EdwardOThorp) is the author of the bestseller Beat the Dealer, which transformed the game of blackjack. His subsequent book, Beat the Market, coauthored with Sheen T. Kassouf, influenced securities markets around the globe. He is also the author of A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market.
Edward was one of the world’s best blackjack players and investors, and his hedge funds were profitable every year for 29 years. He lives in Newport Beach, California.
You can find our first conversation here.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch on YouTube here.
Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Vuori comfortable and durable performance apparel, and Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating. More on all three below.
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#604: Master Investor Ed Thorp on How to Think for Yourself, Mental Models for the Second Half of Life, How to Be Inner-Directed, How Basic Numeracy Is a Superpower, and The Dangers of Investing FadsThis episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $28 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost.
Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro 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 Pro 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.
And now, my dear listeners—that’s you—can get $250 off the Pod Pro Cover. Simply go to EightSleep.com/Tim or use code TIM at checkout.
This episode is brought to you by Vuori clothing! Vuori is a new and fresh perspective on performance apparel, perfect if you are sick and tired of traditional, old workout gear. Everything is designed for maximum comfort and versatility so that you look and feel as good in everyday life as you do working out.
Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at VuoriClothing.com/Tim. Not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but you’ll also enjoy free shipping on any US orders over $75 and free returns.
Want to hear Ed’s first time on this show? Have a listen to our conversation here, in which we discuss applying math to gambling, beating roulette with the first wearable computer, longevity regimens, impressing Warren Buffett, investment skills that transfer to other areas of life, methods for enacting positive change, lifelong learning, and much more.
#596: Edward O. Thorp, A Man for All Markets — Beating Blackjack and Roulette, Beating the Stock Market, Spotting Bernie Madoff Early, and Knowing When Enough Is EnoughWhat 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 Edward O. Thorp:Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward O. Thorp | AmazonBeat the Market: A Scientific Stock Market System Edward O. Thorp and Sheen T. Kassouf (PDF) | ResearchGateA Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market by Edward O. Thorp | AmazonEdward O. Thorp, A Man for All Markets — Beating Blackjack and Roulette, Beating the Stock Market, Spotting Bernie Madoff Early, and Knowing When Enough Is Enough | The Tim Ferriss Show #596Stock Warrants vs. Stock Options | InvestopediaCall Option | InvestopediaNumeracy | WikipediaThe Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C.P. Snow | AmazonWhy Averages Are Often Wrong | Towards Data ScienceCompound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) | InvestopediaBad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre | AmazonSchaum’s Outlines | AmazonCalculating the Day of the Week in Your Head | K5 LearningDoomsday Rule | WikipediaRain Man | Prime Video5 Mind-Blowing Things Kim Peek Could Do That You Can’t | ABARule of 72 | InvestopediaEd Cooke, Grandmaster of Memory, on Mental Performance, Imagination, and Productive Mischief | The Tim Ferriss Show #52 & #53Quit Smoking, Invest, Profit: See How Much You’d Have by Retirement | Make Use OfA Brief History of Equality by Thomas Piketty and Steven Rendall | AmazonMathemagics: How to Look Like a Genius Without Really Trying by Arthur Benjamin and Michael Brant Shermer | AmazonArthur T. Benjamin | The Great CoursesLeading Global Market Maker | Citadel SecuritiesWhat Are Hedge Funds? | InvestopediaInvesting in Amazon Stock (AMZN) | InvestopediaMore Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite by Sebastian Mallaby | AmazonThe Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future by Sebastian Mallaby | AmazonExtraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay | AmazonExtraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds | WikipediaCrypto Winter Has Had a Chilling Effect on Coinbase and Robinhood | CNN BusinessHow r/WallStreetBets Gamed the Stock of GameStop | The VergeWhat Your Body Shape (Apple, Pear, Carrot) Means for Your Health | Edward-Elmhurst HealthAvatar | Prime VideoOsteopenia (Low Bone Density): What Is It, Prevention, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | Cleveland ClinicMediterranean Diet 101: A Meal Plan and Beginner’s Guide | HealthlineMister Rogers Consistently Weighed 143 Pounds. The Significance Behind That Number | BiographyThe World of Guinness9 Famous Thinkers from History Who Were Habitual Walkers | Flâneur LifeClassical Music | WikipediaJazz | WikipediaPreventing the Spread of the Coronavirus | Harvard HealthThe Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes — And Why by Amanda Ripley | AmazonThree Stages of Disaster Response | AvoidDenyDefend.orgHow the Texas Freeze Left an Austin Community in Crisis | VoxThe Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character by David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, and Reuel Denney | AmazonYelp and the Wisdom of “The Lonely Crowd” | The New YorkerMyers–Briggs Type Indicator | WikipediaFinasteride: Side Effects, Dosage, Uses, and More | HealthlineSHOW NOTES[06:39] The value of long-term thinking and the price of short-term thinking[07:57] What is a common stock warrant?[09:52] Why are people generally poor at taking longer term (or alternative) perspectives?[11:08] Conversing about numeracy and common misunderstandings[15:00] How to become more numeracy literate[20:18] It’s Raining Man[22:31] The Rule of 72[26:14] Making the best financial decisions with unknown variables[35:57] How to have fun learning about probability and statistics[37:47] How to get an edge in hedge fund investing (with book recommendations)[46:23] Ed’s methods for losing (or maintaining) weight and looking 60 in spite of being almost 90 years old[53:38] Favorite beer[55:03] Music as stress reduction[56:02] Avoiding unnecessary risks[1:04:12] The age-guessing experiment[1:06:17] Other-directed vs. inner-directed and takeaways from The Lonely Crowd by David Riesman[1:14:35] How an 89-year-old maintains hair growth[1:17:20] Using scrap time[1:19:45] A big change in Ed’s later life that increased its quality[1:22:16] New reflections, future hopes, and parting thoughtsMORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“When I meet somebody, I don’t think about them as being in any particular category. I think that as far as I’m concerned, they’re my equal and they know things I don’t know. I probably know things they don’t know too, but I can learn from them. And I usually try to hear what they have to say instead of telling them what I have to say.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“Measurement is important because you want facts on which to base what you do instead of hopes, beliefs, wishes, so on.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“You can work out and be fit and have high aerobics and so on, but if you’re not going in for routine colonoscopies and skin cancer checks and so on, you’re leaving a big risk factor open for yourself. So you’ve got to try to get rid of the risks that you can cover.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“Thinking long-term is one thing that running a marathon teaches us.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“The value of being around good people and not being around a few bad people is much higher than it ever was before.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“An important thing for everyone is to think about the world and society as us instead of me and to try to act that way and to think longer term. Think about how the things one does affects the people around not only right away but down through the years.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“A lot of these things that you make better now, for the future, will actually benefit us a lot sooner than you might think”
— Edward O. Thorp
Ed Thorp, The Man for All Markets — How to Think for Yourself, A Real Estate Cautionary Tale, Hedge Fund History and Warnings, The Incredible Power of Basic Numeracy (and How to Develop It), Thought Experiments on Risk, Popular Delusions, Cryptocurrencies,
“An important thing for everyone is to think about the world and society as us instead of me, and to try to act that way, and to think longer term. Think about how the things one does affects the people around not only right away, but down through the years.”
— Edward O. Thorp
Edward O. Thorp (@edwardothorp) is the author of the bestseller Beat the Dealer, which transformed the game of blackjack. His subsequent book, Beat the Market, coauthored with Sheen T. Kassouf, influenced securities markets around the globe. He is also the author of A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market.
Edward was one of the world’s best blackjack players and investors, and his hedge funds were profitable every year for 29 years. He lives in Newport Beach, California.
You can find our first conversation here.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch on YouTube here.
Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Vuori comfortable and durable performance apparel, and Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating. More on all three below.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#604: Ed Thorp, The Man for All Markets — How to Think for Yourself, A Real Estate Cautionary Tale, Hedge Fund History and Warnings, The Incredible Power of Basic Numeracy (and How to Develop It), Thought Experiments on Risk, Popular Delusions, Cryptocurrencies, and MoreThis episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $28 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost.
Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro 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 Pro 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.
And now, my dear listeners—that’s you—can get $250 off the Pod Pro Cover. Simply go to EightSleep.com/Tim or use code TIM at checkout.
This episode is brought to you by Vuori clothing! Vuori is a new and fresh perspective on performance apparel, perfect if you are sick and tired of traditional, old workout gear. Everything is designed for maximum comfort and versatility so that you look and feel as good in everyday life as you do working out.
Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at VuoriClothing.com/Tim. Not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but you’ll also enjoy free shipping on any US orders over $75 and free returns.
Want to hear Ed’s first time on this show? Have a listen to our conversation here in which we discuss applying math to gambling, beating roulette with the first wearable computer, longevity regimens, impressing Warren Buffett, investment skills that transfer to other areas of life, methods for enacting positive change, lifelong learning, and much more.
#596: Edward O. Thorp, A Man for All Markets — Beating Blackjack and Roulette, Beating the Stock Market, Spotting Bernie Madoff Early, and Knowing When Enough Is EnoughWhat 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 Edward O. Thorp:Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One by Edward O. Thorp | AmazonBeat the Market: A Scientific Stock Market System Edward O. Thorp and Sheen T. Kassouf (PDF) | ResearchGateA Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market by Edward O. Thorp | AmazonEdward O. Thorp, A Man for All Markets — Beating Blackjack and Roulette, Beating the Stock Market, Spotting Bernie Madoff Early, and Knowing When Enough Is Enough | The Tim Ferriss Show #596Stock Warrants vs. Stock Options | InvestopediaCall Option | InvestopediaNumeracy | WikipediaThe Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C.P. Snow | AmazonWhy Averages Are Often Wrong | Towards Data ScienceCompound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) | InvestopediaBad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre | AmazonSchaum’s Outlines | AmazonCalculating the Day of the Week in Your Head | K5 LearningDoomsday Rule | WikipediaRain Man | Prime Video5 Mind-Blowing Things Kim Peek Could Do That You Can’t | ABARule of 72 | InvestopediaEd Cooke, Grandmaster of Memory, on Mental Performance, Imagination, and Productive Mischief | The Tim Ferriss Show #52 & #53Quit Smoking, Invest, Profit: See How Much You’d Have by Retirement | Make Use OfA Brief History of Equality by Thomas Piketty and Steven Rendall | AmazonMathemagics: How to Look Like a Genius Without Really Trying by Arthur Benjamin and Michael Brant Shermer | AmazonArthur T. Benjamin | The Great CoursesLeading Global Market Maker | Citadel SecuritiesWhat Are Hedge Funds? | InvestopediaInvesting in Amazon Stock (AMZN) | InvestopediaMore Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite by Sebastian Mallaby | AmazonThe Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future by Sebastian Mallaby | AmazonExtraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay | AmazonExtraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds | WikipediaCrypto Winter Has Had a Chilling Effect on Coinbase and Robinhood | CNN BusinessHow r/WallStreetBets Gamed the Stock of GameStop | The VergeWhat Your Body Shape (Apple, Pear, Carrot) Means for Your Health | Edward-Elmhurst HealthAvatar | Prime VideoOsteopenia (Low Bone Density): What Is It, Prevention, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment | Cleveland ClinicMediterranean Diet 101: A Meal Plan and Beginner’s Guide | HealthlineMister Rogers Consistently Weighed 143 Pounds. The Significance Behind That Number | BiographyThe World of Guinness9 Famous Thinkers from History Who Were Habitual Walkers | Flâneur LifeClassical Music | WikipediaJazz | WikipediaPreventing the Spread of the Coronavirus | Harvard HealthThe Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes — And Why by Amanda Ripley | AmazonThree Stages of Disaster Response | AvoidDenyDefend.orgHow the Texas Freeze Left an Austin Community in Crisis | VoxThe Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character by David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, and Reuel Denney | AmazonYelp and the Wisdom of “The Lonely Crowd” | The New YorkerMyers–Briggs Type Indicator | WikipediaFinasteride: Side Effects, Dosage, Uses, and More | HealthlineSHOW NOTES[06:39] The value of long-term thinking and the price of short-term thinking[07:57] What is a common stock warrant?[09:52] Why are people generally poor at taking longer term (or alternative) perspectives?[11:08] Conversing about numeracy and common misunderstandings[15:00] How to become more numeracy literate[20:18] It’s Raining Man[22:31] The Rule of 72[26:14] Making the best financial decisions with unknown variables[35:57] How to have fun learning about probability and statistics[37:47] How to get an edge in hedge fund investing (with book recommendations)[46:23] Ed’s methods for losing (or maintaining) weight and looking 60 in spite of being almost 90 years old[53:38] Favorite beer[55:03] Music as stress reduction[56:02] Avoiding unnecessary risks[1:04:12] The age-guessing experiment[1:06:17] Other-directed vs. inner-directed and takeaways from The Lonely Crowd by David Riesman[1:14:35] How an 89-year-old maintains hair growth[1:17:20] Using scrap time[1:19:45] A big change in Ed’s later life that increased its quality[1:22:16] New reflections, future hopes, and parting thoughtsMORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“When I meet somebody, I don’t think about them as being in any particular category. I think that as far as I’m concerned, they’re my equal and they know things I don’t know. I probably know things they don’t know too, but I can learn from them. And I usually try to hear what they have to say instead of telling them what I have to say.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“Measurement is important because you want facts on which to base what you do instead of hopes, beliefs, wishes, so on.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“You can work out and be fit and have high aerobics and so on, but if you’re not going in for routine colonoscopies and skin cancer checks and so on, you’re leaving a big risk factor open for yourself. So you’ve got to try to get rid of the risks that you can cover.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“Thinking long-term is one thing that running a marathon teaches us.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“The value of being around good people and not being around a few bad people is much higher than it ever was before.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“An important thing for everyone is to think about the world and society as us instead of me, and to try to act that way, and to think longer term. Think about how the things one does affects the people around not only right away, but down through the years.”
— Edward O. Thorp
“A lot of these things that you make better now, for the future, will actually benefit us a lot sooner than you might think”
— Edward O. Thorp
June 25, 2022
In Case You Missed It: May 2022 Recap of “The Tim Ferriss Show” (#603)
Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out the routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.
This is a special inbetweenisode, which serves as a recap of the episodes from last month. It features a short clip from each conversation in one place so you can easily jump around to get a feel for the episode and guest.
See it as a teaser. Something to whet your appetite. If you like what you hear, you can of course find the full episodes at tim.blog/podcast.
Please enjoy!
***
Timestamps:
Edward O. Thorp: 00:01:42
Morgan Fallon: 00:10:14
Richard Wiseman: 00:19:11
Dennis McKenna: 00:31:16
Cal Newport: 00:39:28
***
Included episodes:
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.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercastIn Case You Missed It: May 2022 Recap of “The Tim Ferriss Show” (#603)
June 23, 2022
Legendary Comedian Bill Burr — Fear{less} with Tim Ferriss (#602)
“When people say they want somebody to work clean, it doesn’t just mean ‘Don’t say any bad words.’ It also means ‘Don’t have any opinions that will make people uncomfortable.'”
— Bill Burr
Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out the routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.
You’ll get plenty of that in this special episode, which features my interview with Bill Burr from my 2017 TV Show Fear{less}. The “less” is in parentheses because the objective is to teach you to fear less, not to be fearless.
Fear{less} features in-depth, long-form conversations with top performers, focusing on how they’ve overcome fears and made hard decisions, embracing discomfort and thinking big.
It was produced by Wild West Productions, and I worked with them to make both the video and audio available to you for free, my dear listeners. You can find the video of this episode on YouTube.com/TimFerriss, and eventually you’ll be able to see all episodes for free at YouTube.com/TimFerriss.
Spearheaded by actor/producer and past podcast guest Vince Vaughn, Wild West Productions has produced a string of hit movies including The Internship, Couples Retreat, Four Christmases, and The Break-Up.
In 2020, Wild West produced the comedy The Opening Act, starring Jimmy O. Yang and Cedric The Entertainer. In addition to Fear{less}, their television credits include Undeniable with Joe Buck, ESPN’s 30 for 30 episode about the ’85 Bears, and the Netflix animated show F is for Family.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#602: Legendary Comedian Bill Burr — Fear{less} with Tim FerrissThis episode is brought to you by 5-Bullet Friday, my very own email newsletter that every Friday features five bullet points highlighting cool things I’ve found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, albums, articles, TV shows, new hacks or tricks, and—of course—all sorts of weird stuff I’ve dug up from around the world.
It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
Want to hear another episode with a standup comedian? Have a listen to my conversation with Jerry Seinfeld in which we discussed the book that nudged him toward comedy as a potential career, how to generate and maintain a prolific wellspring of creative ideas, why the word “systemize” is such an important part of his personal operating system, self-rewards and other routines that keep him writing, and much more.
#485: Jerry Seinfeld — A Comedy Legend’s Systems, Routines, and Methods for SuccessSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Bill Burr:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Bill’s Monday Morning PodcastF Is for Family | NetflixWhen Bill Burr Went to Battle against the City of Philadelphia | The Laugh ButtonFunny Bone Comedy ClubsRocky | Prime VideoPour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard | Amazon MusicWatermelon Pig (Sledge-O-Matic) | GallagherThe Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts | Prime VideoThat Nigger’s Crazy by Richard Pryor | Amazon MusicEddie Murphy by Eddie Murphy | Amazon MusicHit by a Car | Eddie MurphyEmerson CollegeThe Underground Sound of Emerson | WECBDinosaur Jr.Boston’s Comedy Institution | Nick’s Comedy StopKickstart My Heart by Mötley Crüe | Amazon MusicStitches Comedy ClubChocolate Covered Strawberries Delivery Near Me | Shari’s BerriesWild West Production | TwitterThe Simpsons | Prime VideoBig Jump EntertainmentMadison Square GardenLed Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same | Prime Video“Does Anybody Remember Laughter?” -Robert Plant | YouTubeBlack SabbathGuns N’ RosesSHOW NOTES[05:39] 12 magic minutes in Philadelphia[11:39] Bill grew up in Massachusetts, but he lived a Wild West lifestyle.[13:04] How comedy entered the picture and who Bill admired most[15:24] As a kid, what did Bill think he’d be when he grew up?[21:43] Bill’s first time getting on stage[24:49] As a comedian, you never forget the first time you bomb[28:23] Clean Bill Burr vs. Post-Clean Bill Burr[33:39] The comedian’s comedian[35:44] Are Bill’s podcast ads reads — or roasts?[40:10] How Netflix’s F Is for Family came about[47:03] Bill’s idea generation process[50:14] Spotting when young comic talent has “it”[51:37] Dealing with the humorless or otherwise unbearable[54:14] Madison Square Garden[57:33] Bill’s board and parting thoughtsMORE BILL BURR QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“I think somewhere along the line, I just wanted to have a fun job.”
— Bill Burr
“When I was a kid, just making kids laugh was a way to get people to stop beating the shit out of me.”
— Bill Burr
“When people say they want somebody to work clean, it doesn’t just mean ‘Don’t say any bad words.’ It also means ‘Don’t have any opinions that will make people uncomfortable.'”
— Bill Burr
“How do I apologize without apologizing to the 40 drunk soccer moms who all tweeted at the exact same moment so this became a thing for eight seconds yesterday that I now have to address?”
— Bill Burr
“I don’t get this whole thing where somebody secretly videotapes you at a comedy club and then they upload it on the internet and then you have to now apologize to people who weren’t at the show. It’s like, you weren’t at the show and you decided to watch, so why don’t you get mad at the kid who fucking filmed it? That’s it. I am guilty of being a comedian in a comedy club that tried out a joke that didn’t work.”
— Bill Burr
“I’m self-employed, so I don’t need some chocolate-covered strawberry people to pay my rent. I didn’t put myself in that position.”
— Bill Burr
“I’m just going to be a comedian that sells tickets, hopefully. And if that’s all I am, who gives a shit? I’m telling jokes for a living, I’m killing it.”
— Bill Burr
“Even if you’re not going to be fine, isn’t it better to just exist thinking you’re going to be fine until it’s not fine? And then when it’s not fine, then you can just fucking handle it then. But there’s no sense to ruin right now.”
— Bill Burr
June 22, 2022
Jack Kornfield — How to Overcome Apathy and Find Beautiful Purpose (#601)
Illustration via 99designs“We are consciousness. You’re not your body. You have a body, but it’s not who you are. You’re certainly not your thoughts. Oh, my God. If you were your thoughts, we’d be in trouble. They keep changing anyway, one opinion to another. And you’re not your emotions. They come like the tide or the weather. So who are you? Who you are is the awareness itself that was born into this body. You are consciousness.”
— Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield (@JackKornfield) trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. Over the years, Jack has taught worldwide, led international Buddhist teacher meetings, and worked with many of the great teachers of our time. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is a grandfather, husband, and activist. Some of his current projects include MMTCP, a worldwide mindfulness teacher training; Cloud Sangha, a site offering access to expert mindfulness teachers online; and a positive impact Wisdom Ventures fund.
His books have been translated into 22 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies. They include The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology; A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; Teachings of the Buddha; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace; Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are; and his most recent book, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube.
Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 770M+ users, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating. More on all three below.
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#601: Jack Kornfield — How to Overcome Apathy and Find Beautiful PurposeThis 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.
Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 770 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro 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 Pro 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.
And now, my dear listeners—that’s you—can get $250 off the Pod Pro Cover. Simply go to EightSleep.com/Tim or use code TIM at checkout.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.
Want to hear Jack Kornfield’s previous appearance on the podcast? Listen in on our conversation in which we discuss self-care during times of isolation, the four dimensions of freedom, coping with one’s own mortality, what spirituality is really about, abusing sacred medicines, what suicidal ideation is trying to teach us, underrated ways to access the mysteries around us, and much more.
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in ChaosWhat 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 Jack Kornfield:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield | AmazonJack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos | The Tim Ferriss Show #414Jack Kornfield — Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy in the Present | The Tim Ferriss Show #300Insight Meditation SocietySpirit RockMMTCPCloud SanghaWisdom VenturesThe Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology by Jack Kornfield | AmazonA Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield | AmazonAfter the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield | AmazonTeachings of the Buddha by Jack Kornfield | AmazonThe Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield | AmazonBringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield | AmazonA Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times by Jack Kornfield | AmazonAudio: Loving-Kindness Meditation | Jack KornfieldThe Healing Power of Love: Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield | Sounds TrueIn a Politically Polarized Era, Sharp Divides in Both Partisan Coalitions | Pew Research CenterNotable Quotations | Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn CenterDon’t Worry, Be Angry: Anger in Buddhism | Tricycle: The Buddhist ReviewThe Demon Mara, Who Challenged the Buddha | Learn ReligionsReichian Psychotherapy | TherapediaQuerencia | WikipediaMy Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464Hypervigilance Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment | HealthlineMental Health Care Needs in US and 10 Other High-Income Countries | Commonwealth Fund“Trip of Compassion” — The Most Compelling Movie I’ve Seen In The Last Year | Tim FerrissTitanic Lifeboats | Titanic FactsWhat Is a Bodhisattva? | TricycleMarch For Our LivesDC Choir Sings with Jennifer Hudson, ‘The Times They Are a Changin’ at March for Our Lives Rally | WUSA9The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch | AmazonThinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming, and Arne Naess | AmazonThe Council of All Beings | The Rainforest Information CenterWe Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness by Alice Walker | AmazonUnited Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3-14 June 1992 | United NationsThe Paris Agreement | UNFCCCHow Was Avogadro’s Number Determined? | Scientific AmericanEstimations: Your Breath and Julius Caesar’s | FuturismOut-of-Body Experience: What’s Really Happening? | HealthlineA Brief For The Defense by Jack Gilbert | The Sun MagazineThe Grateful DeadAlways Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez | AmazonEmbrace Joy as a Moral Obligation | ieatyoumamaThe Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams | AmazonMission: JOY — Finding Happiness in Troubled Times | Prime VideoTools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss | AmazonA Meditation on Loving-Kindness | Jack KornfieldThich Nhat Hanh on Walking Meditation | Lion’s RoarSHOW NOTES[07:15] Apathy and polarization[08:44] Truth beneath anger[22:40] Ajahn Chah and contractor-ese[26:25] Retuning the tone of rage[33:24] Coping with trauma-induced hypervigilance[41:01] Making group therapeutic models work[47:15] In any effort to make the world better, put on your oxygen mask first[53:19] How can an aspiring Bodhisattva cut through widespread disengagement and apathy?[1:03:57] Thich Nhat Hanh and death[1:15:06] Out-of-body experiences[1:19:40] “A Brief for the Defense”[1:27:12] A guided meditation for recapturing the adventure and joy of childhood[1:38:47] The benefits of loving-kindness meditation[1:47:56] “Last year, foolish monk. This year, no change.”MORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“We resonate with one another. It’s not a complicated thing. You could call it mystical, but if you put a violin on the table and somebody else plays a violin nearby, the strings of both of them will resonate.”
— Jack Kornfield
“If you really look, underneath anger is hurt or fear or some kind of humiliation where you feel like you’ve been disrespected.”
— Jack Kornfield
“I choose to be on the deck of the Titanic, and I’ll help people in the lifeboats.”
— Jack Kornfield
“We are consciousness. You’re not your body. You have a body, but it’s not who you are. You’re certainly not your thoughts. Oh, my God. If you were your thoughts, we’d be in trouble. They keep changing anyway, one opinion to another. And you’re not your emotions. They come like the tide or the weather. So who are you? Who you are is the awareness itself that was born into this body. You are consciousness.”
— Jack Kornfield
“There’s an enviable spirit in children.”
— Jack Kornfield
“We can’t bear our insecurity and we can’t bear the fact that we’re vulnerable in certain ways and that what’s out there is also part of us.”
— Jack Kornfield
“Meditation is not supposed to be a grim duty but rather more an act of adventure and understanding of opening the mind and heart and bringing a sense of well-being.”
— Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield — How to Overcome Apathy, Find Beautiful Purpose, Befriend Anger, and Make Your Own Damn Sandwiches (#601)
Illustration via 99designs“We are consciousness. You’re not your body. You have a body, but it’s not who you are. You’re certainly not your thoughts. Oh, my God. If you were your thoughts, we’d be in trouble. They keep changing anyway, one opinion to another. And you’re not your emotions. They come like the tide or the weather. So who are you? Who you are is the awareness itself that was born into this body. You are consciousness.”
— Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield (@JackKornfield) trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. Over the years, Jack has taught worldwide, led international Buddhist teacher meetings, and worked with many of the great teachers of our time. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology and is a grandfather, husband, and activist. Some of his current projects include MMTCP, a worldwide mindfulness teacher training; Cloud Sangha, a site offering access to expert mindfulness teachers online; and a positive impact Wisdom Ventures fund.
His books have been translated into 22 languages and have sold more than 1.5 million copies. They include The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology; A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; Teachings of the Buddha; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace; Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are; and his most recent book, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube.
Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 770M+ users, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating. More on all three below.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#601: Jack Kornfield — How to Overcome Apathy, Find Beautiful Purpose, Befriend Anger, and Make Your Own Damn SandwichesThis 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.
Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 770 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro 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 Pro 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.
And now, my dear listeners—that’s you—can get $250 off the Pod Pro Cover. Simply go to EightSleep.com/Tim or use code TIM at checkout.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.
Want to hear Jack Kornfield’s previous appearance on the podcast? Listen in on our conversation in which we discuss self-care during times of isolation, the four dimensions of freedom, coping with one’s own mortality, what spirituality is really about, abusing sacred medicines, what suicidal ideation is trying to teach us, underrated ways to access the mysteries around us, and much more.
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in ChaosWhat 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 Jack Kornfield:Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield | AmazonJack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos | The Tim Ferriss Show #414Jack Kornfield — Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy in the Present | The Tim Ferriss Show #300Insight Meditation SocietySpirit RockMMTCPCloud SanghaWisdom VenturesThe Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology by Jack Kornfield | AmazonA Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life by Jack Kornfield | AmazonAfter the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield | AmazonTeachings of the Buddha by Jack Kornfield | AmazonThe Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield | AmazonBringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are by Jack Kornfield | AmazonA Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times by Jack Kornfield | AmazonAudio: Loving-Kindness Meditation | Jack KornfieldThe Healing Power of Love: Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield | Sounds TrueIn a Politically Polarized Era, Sharp Divides in Both Partisan Coalitions | Pew Research CenterNotable Quotations | Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn CenterDon’t Worry, Be Angry: Anger in Buddhism | Tricycle: The Buddhist ReviewThe Demon Mara, Who Challenged the Buddha | Learn ReligionsReichian Psychotherapy | TherapediaQuerencia | WikipediaMy Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464Hypervigilance Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment | HealthlineMental Health Care Needs in US and 10 Other High-Income Countries | Commonwealth Fund“Trip of Compassion” — The Most Compelling Movie I’ve Seen In The Last Year | Tim FerrissTitanic Lifeboats | Titanic FactsWhat Is a Bodhisattva? | TricycleMarch For Our LivesDC Choir Sings with Jennifer Hudson, ‘The Times They Are a Changin’ at March for Our Lives Rally | WUSA9The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch | AmazonThinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings by John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming, and Arne Naess | AmazonThe Council of All Beings | The Rainforest Information CenterWe Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness by Alice Walker | AmazonUnited Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3-14 June 1992 | United NationsThe Paris Agreement | UNFCCCHow Was Avogadro’s Number Determined? | Scientific AmericanEstimations: Your Breath and Julius Caesar’s | FuturismOut-of-Body Experience: What’s Really Happening? | HealthlineA Brief For The Defense by Jack Gilbert | The Sun MagazineThe Grateful DeadAlways Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez | AmazonEmbrace Joy as a Moral Obligation | ieatyoumamaThe Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams | AmazonMission: JOY — Finding Happiness in Troubled Times | Prime VideoTools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss | AmazonA Meditation on Loving-Kindness | Jack KornfieldThich Nhat Hanh on Walking Meditation | Lion’s RoarSHOW NOTES[07:15] Apathy and polarization[08:44] Truth beneath anger[22:40] Ajahn Chah and contractor-ese[26:25] Retuning the tone of rage[33:24] Coping with trauma-induced hypervigilance[41:01] Making group therapeutic models work[47:15] In any effort to make the world better, put on your oxygen mask first[53:19] How can an aspiring Bodhisattva cut through widespread disengagement and apathy?[1:03:57] Thich Nhat Hanh and death[1:15:06] Out-of-body experiences[1:19:40] “A Brief for the Defense”[1:27:12] A guided meditation for recapturing the adventure and joy of childhood[1:38:47] The benefits of loving-kindness meditation[1:47:56] “Last year, foolish monk. This year, no change.”MORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“We resonate with one another. It’s not a complicated thing. You could call it mystical, but if you put a violin on the table and somebody else plays a violin nearby, the strings of both of them will resonate.”
— Jack Kornfield
“If you really look, underneath anger is hurt or fear or some kind of humiliation where you feel like you’ve been disrespected.”
— Jack Kornfield
“I choose to be on the deck of the Titanic, and I’ll help people in the lifeboats.”
— Jack Kornfield
“We are consciousness. You’re not your body. You have a body, but it’s not who you are. You’re certainly not your thoughts. Oh, my God. If you were your thoughts, we’d be in trouble. They keep changing anyway, one opinion to another. And you’re not your emotions. They come like the tide or the weather. So who are you? Who you are is the awareness itself that was born into this body. You are consciousness.”
— Jack Kornfield
“There’s an enviable spirit in children.”
— Jack Kornfield
“We can’t bear our insecurity and we can’t bear the fact that we’re vulnerable in certain ways and that what’s out there is also part of us.”
— Jack Kornfield
“Meditation is not supposed to be a grim duty but rather more an act of adventure and understanding of opening the mind and heart and bringing a sense of well-being.”
— Jack Kornfield
June 15, 2022
Jason Portnoy of PayPal, Palantir, and More — Porn Addiction, The Corrosiveness of Secrets, Healing Wounds, Escaping Shame Cycles, and Books to Change Your Life (#600)
Illustration via 99designs“Happiness isn’t something you find. It’s what’s left when you get rid of all the things that make you unhappy.”
— Jason Portnoy
Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author Jason Portnoy began his career at PayPal, working closely with technology icons like Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, and Reid Hoffman. He served as the first chief financial officer of Palantir Technologies and later founded Oakhouse Partners, a top-performing venture capital firm.
Jason is sought after as a trusted advisor to technology company CEOs and has spoken on topics ranging from executive leadership to the intersections of technology and humanity. He holds engineering degrees from both Stanford University (MS) and the University of Colorado (BS).
His new book is Silicon Valley Porn Star.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Brought to you by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions marketing platform with ~770M users, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Shopify global commerce platform providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business. More on all three below.
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#600: Jason Portnoy of PayPal, Palantir, and More — Porn Addiction, The Corrosiveness of Secrets, Healing Wounds, Escaping Shame Cycles, and Books to Change Your LifeThis episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, the go-to tool for B2B marketers and advertisers who want to drive brand awareness, generate leads, or build long-term relationships that result in real business impact.
With a community of more than 770 million professionals, LinkedIn is gigantic, but it can be hyper-specific. You have access to a diverse group of people all searching for things they need to grow professionally. LinkedIn has the marketing tools to help you target your customers with precision, right down to job title, company name, industry, etc. To redeem your free $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com/TFS!
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.
More than a store, Shopify grows with you, and they never stop innovating, providing more and more tools to make your business better and your life easier. Go to Shopify.com/Tim for a FREE 14-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.
Want to hear another episode about navigating relationships? Listen to my first conversation with psychotherapist Esther Perel here in which we discuss polyamory, why happy people cheat, how to find (and convince) mentors who can change your life, what she’s learned from Holocaust survivors, and much more.
#241: The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More (with Esther Perel)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 Jason Portnoy:Silicon Valley Porn Star: A Memoir of Redemption and Rediscovering the Self by Jason Portnoy | AmazonCapitalism’s Favorite Drug by Michael Pollan | The AtlanticWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker | AmazonThis Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan | AmazonMichael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants | The Tim Ferriss Show #520What Exactly Is a California Roll? | Cheap Traffic AttorneysOakhouse PartnersHillsborough, New JerseyChemical Engineers | Occupational Outlook HandbookUniversity of Colorado BoulderThe Man Who Taught Me How to Invest — Mike Maples | The Tim Ferriss Show #286A Guide to Sand Hill Road: The Epicenter of Venture Capital | Built In San FranciscoFogdog | Stanford Graduate School of BusinessPayPal | WikipediaPalo Alto | Hobee’s RestaurantOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck | AmazonTao Te Ching by Lao Tzu | AmazonBooks by Ernest Hemingway | AmazonThe Art of War by Sun Tzu | AmazonBASES: Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial StudentsFinancial Analysts | Occupational Outlook HandbookMasters of Scale: Surprising Truths from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs by Reid Hoffman, June Cohen, and Deron Triff | AmazonBrian Chesky: Do Things That Don’t Scale | Masters of Scale with Reid HoffmanX.com | WikipediaUniversity Ave. in Palo Alto, California | TripadvisorRodin Sculpture Garden in Stanford, California | A Park a Day Bay AreaThe Stepford Wives by Ira Levin | AmazonThe Truman Show | Prime VideoTesla, SpaceX, Boring Company: How Elon Musk’s Companies Work Together | CNBCClarium Capital | WikipediaWhat is an IPO Roadshow? | Bottle Rocket MediaWhen Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein | AmazonVentures of the PayPal Mafia | FleximizePalantir Technologies | WikipediaThe Top 10 Signs of Porn Addiction | Addiction CenterWhat to Do When Porn Use Becomes a Problem | Psychology TodayCraigslist Shuts Down Personals Section Because of Sex Trafficking Law | EsquireFluoxetine (Prozac) | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental IllnessThe 30-Day Challenge: No Booze, No Masturbating (NOBNOM) | Tim FerrissRecovery from Sex and Lust Addiction | Sexaholics AnonymousDr. Gabor Maté — New Paradigms, Ayahuasca, and Redefining Addiction | The Tim Ferriss Show #298Autobiography of a Yogi (Self-Realization Fellowship) by Paramahansa Yogananda | AmazonThe Sermon on the Mount: The Key to Success in Life by Emmet Fox | AmazonThe Lost Booklets of Emmett Fox by Emmet Fox and Carl Tuchy Palmieri | AmazonThe Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav | AmazonHealing the Shame that Binds You by John Bradshaw | AmazonLove Warrior: A Memoir by Glennon Doyle | AmazonWomen Who Love Too Much: When You Keep Wishing and Hoping He’ll Change by Robin Norwood | AmazonIdiom: Canary in the Coal Mine | Funky EnglishWhat Is the “Normal” Frequency of Masturbation? | ISSMIs Porn Harmful? The Evidence, the Myths, and the Unknowns | BBC FutureDo Porn Users Seek Out More Extreme Content Over Time? | Kinsey InstituteThey May Forget What You Said, But They Will Never Forget How You Made Them Feel | Quote InvestigatorThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle | AmazonAlcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book by Anonymous | AmazonWarren Buffett Was ‘Terrified’ of Public Speaking and Took 3 Steps to Conquer His Fear | Inc.comCareer Advice from Peter Thiel’s Mentee | Business InsiderMicrosoft Excel Spreadsheet Software | Microsoft 365What Does a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Do? | InvestopediaSHOW NOTES[04:45] A caffeine-free breakfast[08:22] Background basics[10:52] Education and career diversions[16:51] Getting a job on the merits of an eclectic reading list and company t-shirt[21:47] Early days at PayPal[25:54] Lessons learned from Thiel, Hoffman, and Musk[31:40] Why were so many disparate projects seeded by the PayPal diaspora?[36:59] Peering into Palantir and the low-profile mindset[41:22] Origins of the title Silicon Valley Porn Star[44:02] Recognizing addiction, its escalating consequences, and its contributing factors[53:50] Escaping self-imposed victimhood and rescuing the marriage[1:05:52] Shared therapy and vocabulary[1:08:06] Simplifying and subtracting[1:15:20] Shame spirals and 12 steps (not South Africa)[1:25:22] From Porn Star to The Monk with help via choice reading selections and Coach Melissa[1:30:12] Reconciliation[1:33:22] Most important keys to the repair process[1:34:54] Safeguards against relapse[1:38:02] Modern porn vs. “natural” urges[1:40:11] What compelled Jason to write Silicon Valley Porn Star?[1:44:51] Time for surrender: filling in the post-book timeline[1:50:26] Enduring challenges[1:51:49] Retreat lessons[1:55:36] Jason’s billboard[1:57:34] Books most gifted[1:59:29] Good investments made[2:02:03] The obscure side of Microsoft Excel[2:04:36] What makes a great CFO?[2:08:52] Finance: on the job vs. school[2:11:21] Opening up to a partner about secrets we’ve been holding[2:17:52] Parting thoughtsMORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“Monks don’t have mortgages.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Simplify and subtract.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Happiness isn’t something you find. It’s what’s left when you get rid of all the things that make you unhappy.”
— Jason Portnoy
“So much of this stuff is going on, it’s below the surface. And I think if we talk about it with less shame and less judgment, it could be really healthy for all of us.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Just keep climbing.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Our default state is peacefulness. Our default state is happiness. You would say that children or kids are really good at reading people’s energy. They’re really good at assessing if someone’s safe or not. Animals have this sense. Why do they all have this sense, but adults don’t? What did we do? We put layers and layers of stuff around that core part of ourselves, that intuition. And in order to get back to that place, that default state of peacefulness or happiness or being in tune with others, we had to start peeling away those layers around the outside.”
— Jason Portnoy
“If I live a life of humility, of love for myself, and compassion for others, I can get through just about anything.”
— Jason Portnoy
Jason Portnoy of PayPal, Palantir, and More — Porn Addiction, Sexaholics Anonymous, Shame Spirals, and His Path to Recovery and Redemption (#600)
Illustration via 99designs“Just keep climbing.”
— Jason Portnoy
Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author Jason Portnoy began his career at PayPal, working closely with technology icons like Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Max Levchin, and Reid Hoffman. He served as the first chief financial officer of Palantir Technologies and later founded Oakhouse Partners, a top-performing venture capital firm.
Jason is sought after as a trusted advisor to technology company CEOs and has spoken on topics ranging from executive leadership to the intersections of technology and humanity. He holds engineering degrees from both Stanford University (MS) and the University of Colorado (BS).
His new book is Silicon Valley Porn Star.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Brought to you by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions marketing platform with ~770M users, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Shopify global commerce platform providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business. More on all three below.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#600: Jason Portnoy of PayPal, Palantir, and More — Porn Addiction, Sexaholics Anonymous, Shame Spirals, and His Path to Recovery and RedemptionThis episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, the go-to tool for B2B marketers and advertisers who want to drive brand awareness, generate leads, or build long-term relationships that result in real business impact.
With a community of more than 770 million professionals, LinkedIn is gigantic, but it can be hyper-specific. You have access to a diverse group of people all searching for things they need to grow professionally. LinkedIn has the marketing tools to help you target your customers with precision, right down to job title, company name, industry, etc. To redeem your free $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com/TFS!
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.
More than a store, Shopify grows with you, and they never stop innovating, providing more and more tools to make your business better and your life easier. Go to Shopify.com/Tim for a FREE 14-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.
Want to hear another episode about navigating relationships? Listen to my first conversation with psychotherapist Esther Perel here, in which we discuss polyamory, why happy people cheat, how to find (and convince) mentors who can change your life, what she’s learned from Holocaust survivors, and much more.
#241: The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More (with Esther Perel)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 Jason Portnoy:Silicon Valley Porn Star: A Memoir of Redemption and Rediscovering the Self by Jason Portnoy | AmazonCapitalism’s Favorite Drug by Michael Pollan | The AtlanticWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker | AmazonThis Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan | AmazonMichael Pollan — This Is Your Mind on Plants | The Tim Ferriss Show #520What Exactly Is a California Roll? | Cheap Traffic AttorneysOakhouse PartnersHillsborough, New JerseyChemical Engineers | Occupational Outlook HandbookUniversity of Colorado BoulderThe Man Who Taught Me How to Invest — Mike Maples | The Tim Ferriss Show #286A Guide to Sand Hill Road: The Epicenter of Venture Capital | Built In San FranciscoFogdog | Stanford Graduate School of BusinessPayPal | WikipediaPalo Alto | Hobee’s RestaurantOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck | AmazonTao Te Ching by Lao Tzu | AmazonBooks by Ernest Hemingway | AmazonThe Art of War by Sun Tzu | AmazonBASES: Business Association of Stanford Entrepreneurial StudentsFinancial Analysts | Occupational Outlook HandbookMasters of Scale: Surprising Truths from the World’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs by Reid Hoffman, June Cohen, and Deron Triff | AmazonBrian Chesky: Do Things That Don’t Scale | Masters of Scale with Reid HoffmanX.com | WikipediaUniversity Ave. in Palo Alto, California | TripadvisorRodin Sculpture Garden in Stanford, California | A Park a Day Bay AreaThe Stepford Wives by Ira Levin | AmazonThe Truman Show | Prime VideoTesla, SpaceX, Boring Company: How Elon Musk’s Companies Work Together | CNBCClarium Capital | WikipediaWhat is an IPO Roadshow? | Bottle Rocket MediaWhen Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein | AmazonVentures of the PayPal Mafia | FleximizePalantir Technologies | WikipediaThe Top 10 Signs of Porn Addiction | Addiction CenterWhat to Do When Porn Use Becomes a Problem | Psychology TodayCraigslist Shuts Down Personals Section Because of Sex Trafficking Law | EsquireFluoxetine (Prozac) | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental IllnessThe 30-Day Challenge: No Booze, No Masturbating (NOBNOM) | Tim FerrissRecovery from Sex and Lust Addiction | Sexaholics AnonymousDr. Gabor Maté — New Paradigms, Ayahuasca, and Redefining Addiction | The Tim Ferriss Show #298Autobiography of a Yogi (Self-Realization Fellowship) by Paramahansa Yogananda | AmazonThe Sermon on the Mount: The Key to Success in Life by Emmet Fox | AmazonThe Lost Booklets of Emmett Fox by Emmet Fox and Carl Tuchy Palmieri | AmazonThe Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav | AmazonHealing the Shame that Binds You by John Bradshaw | AmazonLove Warrior: A Memoir by Glennon Doyle | AmazonWomen Who Love Too Much: When You Keep Wishing and Hoping He’ll Change by Robin Norwood | AmazonIdiom: Canary in the Coal Mine | Funky EnglishWhat Is the “Normal” Frequency of Masturbation? | ISSMIs Porn Harmful? The Evidence, the Myths, and the Unknowns | BBC FutureDo Porn Users Seek Out More Extreme Content Over Time? | Kinsey InstituteThey May Forget What You Said, But They Will Never Forget How You Made Them Feel | Quote InvestigatorThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle | AmazonAlcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book by Anonymous | AmazonWarren Buffett Was ‘Terrified’ of Public Speaking and Took 3 Steps to Conquer His Fear | Inc.comCareer Advice from Peter Thiel’s Mentee | Business InsiderMicrosoft Excel Spreadsheet Software | Microsoft 365What Does a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Do? | InvestopediaSHOW NOTESNote from the editor: Timestamps will be added shortly.
A caffeine-free breakfastBackground basicsEducation and career diversionsGetting a job on the merits of an eclectic reading list and company t-shirtEarly days at PayPalLessons learned from Thiel, Hoffman, and MuskWhy were so many disparate projects seeded by the PayPal diaspora?Peering into Palantir and the low-profile mindsetOrigins of the title Silicon Valley Porn StarRecognizing addiction, its escalating consequences, and its contributing factorsEscaping self-imposed victimhood and rescuing the marriageShared therapy and vocabularySimplifying and subtractingShame spirals and 12 steps (not South Africa)From Porn Star to The Monk with help via choice reading selections and Coach MelissaReconciliationMost important keys to the repair processSafeguards against relapseModern porn vs. “natural” urgesWhat compelled Jason to write Silicon Valley Porn Star?Time for surrender: filling in the post-book timelineEnduring challengesRetreat lessonsJason’s billboardBooks most giftedGood investments madeMicrosoft ExcelWhat makes a great CFO?Finance: on the job vs. schoolOpening up to a partner about secrets we’ve been holdingParting thoughtsMORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“Monks don’t have mortgages.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Simplify and subtract.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Happiness isn’t something you find. It’s what’s left when you get rid of all the things that make you unhappy.”
— Jason Portnoy
“So much of this stuff going on, it’s below the surface. And I think if we talk about it with less shame and less judgment, it could be really healthy for all of us.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Just keep climbing.”
— Jason Portnoy
“Our default state is peacefulness. Our default state is happiness. You would say that children or kids are really good at reading people’s energy. They’re really good at assessing if someone’s safe or not. Animals have this sense. Why do they all have this sense but adults don’t? What did we do? We put layers and layers of stuff around that core part of ourselves, that intuition. And in order to get back to that place, that default state of peacefulness or happiness or being in tune with others, we had to start peeling away those layers around the outside.”
— Jason Portnoy
“If I live a life of humility, of love for myself and compassion for others, I can get through just about anything.”
— Jason Portnoy
June 8, 2022
New Insights from Sam Harris, Dr. Peter Attia, Ramit Sethi, and Elizabeth Gilbert (#599)
Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to deconstruct world-class performers to tease out the routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life.
This episode is something different. It’s an experimental format that I’m super excited about.
This is an episode that scratches an itch I’ve had for years. I am not always able to listen to every great podcast episode out there, even when they are by some of my closest friends. The answer to my predicament was to ask them to send me a top segment from their podcast that I could listen to and—more importantly—also share with you, my dear listeners.
My team edited them together, and here we are! This episode is a compilation of 15-to-30-minute clips from some the best podcasters in the world and certainly some of my favorites.
At the beginning of each clip you will hear an intro from the host and where to find their work and podcast. At the end, I’ll also share one of my favorite clips from an episode of The Tim Ferriss Show.
You can view this episode as a buffet, and I strongly suggest that you check out the shows included. If you like my podcast, you will very likely enjoy the featured shows in this episode.
And before you go: Do you like this format? If so, please let me know on Twitter at @tferriss and also mention @TeamTimFerriss. Whether we continue this series or not depends on you.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and Allform premium, modular furniture. More on all three below.
Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#599: New Insights from Sam Harris, Dr. Peter Attia, Ramit Sethi, and Elizabeth GilbertThis episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 overall mattress of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, and many others. 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 up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They also launched a company called Allform that makes premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home.
Allform arrives in just 3–7 days, and you can assemble it yourself in a few minutes—no tools needed. To find your perfect sofa and receive 20% off all orders, check out Allform.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.
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 Sam Harris:
Making Sense Podcast | Website | Waking Up (App) | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
Sam’s first, second, third, and fourth appearances on this podcast.Books by Sam Harris | AmazonThe Tail End | Wait But WhyChange Your Mind: Meditation Benefits for the Brain | Ask the Scientists“Missing” Woman Joins in Search Party Looking For … Herself | Boing BoingChoiceless Awareness | WikipediaHuman Consciousness: Where Is It from and What Is It For? | Frontiers in PsychologyThe Fractal Moment: An Invitation to Begin Again | The On Being ProjectThe Alan Watts Collection | Waking UpEffective AltruismWill MacAskill on Effective Altruism, Y Combinator, and Artificial Intelligence | The Tim Ferriss Show #120Connect with Peter Attia:
The Peter Attia Drive Podcast | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
Peter’s first, second, third, fourth, and fifth appearances on this podcast.The Future of Liquid Biopsy | NatureRajpaul Attariwala, M.D., Ph.D.: Cancer Screening with Full-Body MRI Scans and a Seminar on the Field of Radiology | The Peter Attia Drive #61Peter on the Importance of Regular Colonoscopies | The Peter Attia Drive #202Colorectal Cancer Screening | Peter AttiaAMA #34: What Causes Heart Disease? | The Peter Attia Drive #203How Early and Aggressive Lowering of ApoB Could Change the Course of ASCVD | The Peter Attia Drive #202What Is ApoB? | Pritkin Longevity CenterAllan Sniderman, M.D.: Cardiovascular Disease And Why We Should Change The Way We Assess Risk | The Peter Attia Drive #185My Nutritional Framework | Peter AttiaCalorie Restriction, Part I: What Does Restricting Calories Have to Do With Longevity? | Peter AttiaTime-Restricted Eating: A Beginner’s Guide | Healthline“Most People Practicing Intermittent Fasting Think They’re Getting Leaner…” | Tim Ferriss, TwitterDEXA Scan (DXA): Bone Density Test, What Is It and How It’s Done | Cleveland ClinicAre You Eating Enough Protein? | The Peter Attia Drive #202Exercising For Longevity: Strength, Stability, Zone 2, Zone 5, And More | The Peter Attia Drive #206Connect with Ramit Sethi:
I Will Teach You To Be Rich Podcast | Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Ramit’s first, second, third, and fourth appearances on this podcast.I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. No B.S. Just a 6-Week Program That Works by Ramit Sethi | Amazon“My Wife Is Going To Divorce Me Unless I Can Stop Being So Cheap” | I Will Teach You To Be Rich #20“I Want To Trust My Wife With Our Money, But What If She Blows Everything?” | I Will Teach You To Be Rich #21How to Talk to Your Partner About Money (at Any Stage) by Ramit Sethi | IWTConscious Spending Plan: Budget by Looking Into the Future | IWTConnect with Elizabeth Gilbert:
Magic Lessons Podcast | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Elizabeth Gilbert’s episode on this podcast.Books by Elizabeth Gilbert | AmazonMeditations by Marcus Aurelius | AmazonInternal Family Systems (IFS)Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)Diana, Herself: An Allegory of Awakening by Martha Beck | AmazonThe Integrity Cleanse DIY Workbook by Martha BeckThe School for The Work by Byron KatieSHOW NOTES[07:40] Who is Sam Harris?[10:10] The last time[14:58] Mindfulness changes the brain[21:53] When intrusive thoughts disrupt meditation[24:03] The perils of taking the search for self too literally[33:18] Can you point to your consciousness?[35:26] Begin again[39:10] A recap and where to find more from Sam[42:47] Who is Peter Attia?[44:17] The challenges of cancer screening[46:14] Nobody should ever die from colon cancer[49:39] When should you have your first colonoscopy?[51:18] Early and aggressive lowering of apoB could change course of ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease)[59:36] New thoughts on nutrition and TRF (time-restricted feeding)[1:03:57] DEXA scanning for determining muscle mass[1:06:46] The perils of underdoing protein[1:08:36] Updated thoughts on exercise[1:12:58] How Peter trains for grip strength[1:14:00] Exercise: the good news and bad news[1:15:32] Who is Ramit Sethi?[1:16:59] Frugal vs. cheap[1:23:37] Focusing on what can go right vs. what can go wrong[1:27:13] The qualities that make us successful can wind up costing us everything[1:31:18] Questions for galvanizing change from cheap to frugal[1:41:46] The worry-free number[1:46:35] Why is New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert a fan of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius?[1:52:32] Lessons from Martha Beck[2:02:03] Staying true to one’s inner compass and saying “No” without remorsePEOPLE MENTIONEDTim UrbanAlan WattsWilliam MacAskillRajpaul AttariwalaChadwick BosemanAllan SnidermanMarcus AureliusMartha BeckCincinnatusGeorge WashingtonMichael MithoeferAnnie MithoeferOprah WinfreyByron KatieJune 1, 2022
Primatologist Isabel Behncke on Play, Sexual Selection, and Lessons from Following Bonobos for 3,000 Kilometers in the Jungles of Congo (#598)
Illustration via 99designs“Play prepares you for the future.”
— Isabel Behncke
Isabel Behncke (@IsabelBehncke) is a field primatologist and applied evolutionary ethologist who studies social behavior in animals (including humans) to understand our urgent challenges with each other and the planet.
Isabel grew up at the foothills of the Andes mountains in Chile, where she developed a life-long love for nature and wildness as well as culture and the arts. An explorer-scientist, she is the first South American to follow great apes in the wild in Africa. She walked more than 3,000 km (~1864 miles) in the jungles of Congo for her field research observing the social lives of wild bonobo apes, who, together with chimpanzees, are our closest living relatives. Isabel documented how bonobos play freely in nature and has extended this research to study how human apes play—at Burning Man, other festivals, and in everyday life. Isabel has observed how play is at the root of creativity, social bonding, and healthy development, findings that have relevance in education, innovation, complex risk assessments, and freedom.
Isabel holds a BSc in Zoology and an MSc in Nature Conservation, both from University College London, an MPhil in Human Evolution from Cambridge University, and a PhD in Evolutionary Anthropology from Oxford University. She has won several distinctions for her public communication and knowledge integration, which range in formats from TED, WIRED, the UN, BBC, and Nat Geo to rural schools in Patagonia and traveling buses of schoolchildren in Congo. She is a senior fellow of the Gruter Institute, a TED fellow, and currently advises the Chilean government, working on long-term strategies in science, technology, innovation, and knowledge for Chile’s president. She can be found in Chile and New York City.
Please enjoy!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.
Brought to you by LMNT electrolyte supplement, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Headspace easy-to-use app with guided meditations. More on all three below.
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#598: Primatologist Isabel Behncke on Play, Sexual Selection, and Lessons from Following Bonobos for 3,000 Kilometers in the Jungles of CongoThis episode is brought to you by LMNT! What is LMNT? It’s a delicious, sugar-free electrolyte drink mix. I’ve stocked up on boxes and boxes of this and usually use it 1–2 times per day. LMNT is formulated to help anyone with their electrolyte needs and perfectly suited to folks following a keto, low-carb, or Paleo diet. If you are on a low-carb diet or fasting, electrolytes play a key role in relieving hunger, cramps, headaches, tiredness, and dizziness.
LMNT came up with a very special offer for you, my dear listeners. For a limited time, you can get a free LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase. This special offer is available here: DrinkLMNT.com/Tim.
This episode is brought to you by Headspace! Headspace is your daily dose of mindfulness in the form of guided meditations in an easy-to-use app. Whatever the situation, Headspace can help you feel better. Overwhelmed? Headspace has a 3-minute SOS meditation for you. Need some help falling asleep? Headspace has wind-down sessions their members swear by. And for parents, Headspace even has morning meditations you can do with your kids. Headspace’s approach to mindfulness can reduce stress, improve sleep, boost focus, and increase your overall sense of well-being.
Go to Headspace.com/Tim for a FREE one-month trial with access to Headspace’s full library of meditations for every situation.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
Want to hear an episode with another brilliant Chilean in search of what the natural world can teach us? Have a listen to my conversation with mycologist Giuliana Furci, in which we discuss escaping political persecution, what makes Chilean mycology so unique, discovering new species in the wild, befriending Jane Goodall, the importance of letting things rot, and much more.
#525: Giuliana Furci on the Wonders of Mycology, Wisdom from Jane Goodall, Favorite Books, and the World’s Largest FungariumSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Isabel Behncke:Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Isabel Behncke: Evolution’s Gift of Play, from Bonobo Apes to Humans | TED 2011Isabel Behncke: What Can Bonobos Teach Us About Play? | TED Radio HourPlay in the Peter Pan Ape | Current BiologyChimps and Bonobos | Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyEthology | WikipediaKonrad Lorenz’s Imprinting Theory | Simply PsychologyB.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning | Simply PsychologyConsilience | Merriam-WebsterConsilience: The Unity of Knowledge by Edward Osborne Wilson | AmazonProject Nim | Prime VideoEvolution | Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyKing Lear by William Shakespeare | AmazonLunar Society of Birmingham | WikipediaEx Omnia Conchis: Darwin and His Beloved Barnacles | Scientific American Blog NetworkThe Origin of Species by Charles Darwin | AmazonWho Are the Brahmins? | ThoughtCo.The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf | AmazonThe Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin | AmazonCorrespondence Deserving of a Wider Audience | Letters of NoteLetters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience by Shaun Usher | AmazonSanta Fe InstituteNatural Selection & Sexual Selection: An Illustrated Introduction | Cornell Lab of OrnithologyNiche Construction: The Neglected Process in Evolution by F. John Odling-Smee, Kevin N. Laland, and Marcus W. Feldman | AmazonWhat is Niche Construction? | Kevin Laland and Lynn ChiuThe Complex Alternative: Complexity Scientists on the COVID-19 Pandemic | SFI PressWe Shape Our Tools, and Thereafter Our Tools Shape Us | Quote InvestigatorHistory of the Congo River | LiveScienceWhere Do Chimpanzees Live? | African Wildlife FoundationWhere Do Bonobos Live? | African Wildlife FoundationSome Apes Jane Goodall Studied Fought a Years-Long War | AV ClubJane | National Geographic Documentary FilmsLake Tanganyika | Google MapsWhere’s Waldo? by Martin Handford | AmazonHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad | AmazonThe Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution by Richard Wrangham | AmazonThe Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall by Mark W. Moffett | AmazonFemale Bonobos Shut Down Violent Males. Here’s What Humans Can Learn from Them. | UpworthyHow to Live Like a Rock Star (or Tango Star) in Buenos Aires… | Tim FerrissWhy Some Mammals Kill Babies of Their Own Kind | Smithsonian MagazineDon’t Sleep with Mean People | Baba BrinkmanSexual Dimorphism | Wikipedia“The Truth Is Rarely Pure and Never Simple.” -Oscar Wilde | GoodReadsNaturalistic Fallacy | Logically FallaciousCongo-Brazzaville: Republic of the Congo | Nations Online ProjectKinshasa: Democratic Republic of the Congo | Nations Online ProjectOxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine | AmazonPrimate Research Institute (PRI) | Kyoto UniversityWamba, Luo Reserve | WikipediaThe Ape and the Sushi Master: Cultural Reflections of a Primatologist by Frans De Waal | AmazonShinto | Japan GuideSweet Potato Washing Revisited: 50th Anniversary of the Primates Article | SpringerLinkMorphogenetic Fields of Body and Mind | Quantum UniversityAttentional Bias | Verywell MindScientific Heretic Rupert Sheldrake on Morphic Fields, Psychic Dogs and Other Mysteries | Scientific American Blog NetworkJiro Dreams of Sushi | Prime VideoWatch a Coyote and Badger Hunt Their Prey Together | SmithsonianThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | AmazonIt’s the Economy, Stupid | WikipediaNext of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees by Roger Fouts and Stephen Tukel Mills | AmazonKanzi: The Ape at the Brink of the Human Mind by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh | Amazon25 Amazing Ways Animals Communicate That You Never Knew About | Best LifeAustin Bats Watching Guide | Merlin TuttleAcroYoga InternationalOf Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez | AmazonWhat Is Meant by Native Americans and Some Wolf Biologists Referring to a ‘Conversation of Death’ between Wolves and Wild Prey Animals? | QuoraHow the Drunken Monkey Hypothesis Explains Our Taste for Liquor | The AtlanticSHOW NOTESNote from the editor: Timestamps will be added shortly.
Baco and JiroWhat is an applied evolutionary ethologist?Lorenz vs. SkinnerThe brilliance of consilienceHumboldt vs. Darwin and the origins of evolutionary thinkingRecent revolutionary thoughts about evolutionComplexity and niche constructionWhat’s more fun: a barrel of chimpanzees or a barrel of bonobos?Chimpanzee geographyMagnificent bonobosFemale mammal problems and solutionsSexual dimorphismAvoiding naturalistic fallaciesHow accurate is it to call the Congo the Heart of Darkness?Why are the Japanese so interested in animal behavior?Potato-washing monkeysWhy do breakthroughs seem to come in clusters?Animals at play: the adaptive joker hypothesisThe overlap between flow states and playWhat the natural world can teach humans about optimizing playThe everlasting tango between energy and timePost-pandemic playHow much do we understand about the way animals communicate?The drunken monkey hypothesisParting thoughtsMORE ISABEL BEHNCKE QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW“Play prepares you for the future.”
— Isabel Behncke
“Time is an incredibly democratizing force, because you and an earthworm have 24 hours in the day. That’s a fixed budget, which means that there’s this constant interplay, tango, or martial art between your energy budget and your time budget. How you buy time or you use time is in interaction with your energy budget.”
— Isabel Behncke
“There’s something about really putting yourself in the feet, and the wings, and the mind of another animal as much as you can.”
— Isabel Behncke
“Evolution really is about how all life is related and how all life evolves. Everything has an origin and, like King Lear said, ‘Nothing comes from nothing.'”
— Isabel Behncke
“Being a female mammal is expensive.”
— Isabel Behncke
