Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 68

Cindy Whitehead — How to Sell Your Company For One Billion Dollars

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“Fuck the unicorn; be the workhorse.” – Cindy Whitehead

Cindy Whitehead (@cindypinkceo) is an entrepreneur with 1.5 billion dollars in exits who currently serves as the founder and CEO of The Pink Ceiling, an investment firm and consulting enterprise nicknamed the Pinkubator with a mission to invest in, launch, and build other women-led or focused businesses. She believes that access to good advice alone is not enough to change the ratio of men to women in business, and that is why she personally invested more than 15 million dollars in 2017 alone to support the development of nine portfolio companies.

I should mention right off the bat that if you’re a guy, don’t let this bio turn you off in any way — in the sense that I wanted to have Cindy on the show because she is a good CEO and entrepreneur, very much irrespective of gender. The negotiating techniques, the approaches to deal-making, everything that we talk about applies to entrepreneurs, period, full stop.

Earlier in her career, Cindy was the founder of Sprout Pharmaceuticals, home of Addyi, the first and only FDA-approved treatment for low sexual desire disorder in women, which was sold for one billion dollars and then reacquired in a crazy story with incredible terms that we will discuss in this conversation.

Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Cindy Whitehead!

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Cindy Whitehead — How to Sell Your Company For One Billion Dollars
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/f8eb0cb5-faab-4d89-a524-499c21e7fb69.mp3Download

Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast with a great entrepreneur? — Listen to my conversation with Sir Richard Branson, the world-famous entrepreneur, adventurer, activist, and business icon. Stream below or right-click here to download.

Sir Richard Branson — The Billionaire Maverick of the Virgin Empirehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/2f74a98e-c86d-4211-8d7d-3c99464bd9c6.mp3Download

This podcast is brought to you by Peloton, which has become a staple of my daily routine. I picked up this bike after seeing the success of my friend Kevin Rose, and I’ve been enjoying it more than I ever imagined. Peloton is an indoor cycling bike that brings live studio classes right to your home. No worrying about fitting classes into your busy schedule or making it to a studio with a crazy commute.

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Cindy Whitehead:

The Pink Ceiling | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

The Pinkubator
J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference
Addyi
Wegmans
Slate Pharmaceuticals
Sprout Pharmaceuticals
Merck
Sexual Medicine Society of North America
Trenbolone
Testopel
Zappos
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
Conditions: Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), Sexual Medicine Society of North America
Conditions: Erectile Dysfunction, Sexual Medicine Society of North America
Viagra
CEO of Company behind Addyi Says Female Sexuality Is about Biology, Not Just Psychology by Neesha Arter, Women in the World
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
The FDA’s Statistical Review and Evaluation of Addyi
Best Efforts, Contract Standards
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William L. Ury
Getting Past No: Negotiating in Difficult Situations by William Ury
Why Valeant Gave Up on the ‘Female Viagra’by Polina Marinova, Fortune
The Tres Commas Scene from Silicon Valley
Undercover Colors Creates Polish to Reveal Date Rape Drugs, Nailpro
Lia Flushable Pregnancy Test
From Injury to Impact: Duke Student Engineers Make Strides in Wearable Tech for Athletes by Ibanca Anad, WRAL TechWire
Cindy Whitehead Wants You to Join the Billion-Dollar Founders’ Club by Macaela MacKenzie
TaskRabbit
Tradesy
The Entrepreneur Behind ‘Female Viagra’ Wants to Make Women ‘Really F**king Rich’ by Polina Marinova, Fortune
The Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni
Fijian Superstitions by Alicia Phillips, Bloom Where You’re Planted
Fear-Setting: The Most Valuable Exercise I Do Every Month by Tim Ferriss, TED Talk





SHOW NOTES





Cindy tells us her 2015 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference “do or die” story. [07:43]
What is Cindy’s favorite business, and why? [09:41]
How does a company instill exceptional pride in its workforce? [10:51]
Cindy’s soup-to-nuts, three-minute commercial. [12:45]
What does Cindy listen for when asking questions during an interview? [15:13]
As an undergrad, how did Cindy’s business professor drive her to excel? [16:45]
How does someone start a pharmaceutical company without a scientific background? [18:06]
In what ways did Cindy strive to make Slate, her first pharmaceutical company, differ from other pharmaceutical companies? [19:01]
Cindy is a card-carrying member of the Sexual Medicine Society. [20:47]
The fortuitous story behind Slate’s development of the first long-acting testosterone (and why it was half the price of anything similar on the market at the time). [21:39]
How Cindy tests an interviewee’s aptitude for cultural fit. [24:46]
The six specifics Cindy seeks from a potential hire. [25:53]
How does Cindy avoid false positives during the interview process? [26:55]
A quirky (and possibly bold) story from Cindy’s personal experience. [28:38]
Duck Balls? [29:55]
Cindy gives everyone nicknames. Why? [30:42]
Are the people so bequeathed with nicknames ever allowed to veto them? What are some of these nicknames, and how have they come about? [32:38]
While nicknames and other constructs of irreverance can be a bonding experience among peers, what advice would Cindy give to those afraid to offend in these sensitive times? [34:38]
What is Cindy’s nickname? [37:41]
Cindy’s best approach for maintaining sales morale that ran counter to typical pharmaceutical techniques. [38:36]
How is first contact made with a sales prospect, and how is a unique relationship cultivated? [39:31]
Cindy’s team learned and borrowed from Zappos’ business model. What other businesses were especially influential? [41:58]
If Cindy were teaching entrepreneurship to college freshmen, what book would she assign as required reading; what project would be mandatory? [42:42]
We discuss Noah Kagan’s recommended exercise for getting comfortable with discomfort. [43:49]
A story about Cindy’s boldest choice: fighting the FDA with her second company, Sprout. [45:40]
Cindy explains Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder and what Addyi does to treat it. [47:04]
How similar was Addyi’s genesis story to Viagra’s? [49:53]
Why was Addyi on the verge of being shelved, and how did Cindy’s company wind up acquiring it? [50:19]
How do royalties work in the world of pharmaceuticals? [54:59]
What drove Cindy to get Addyi through the hoops for FDA approval after initial rejections? [56:40]
The road less traveled for FDA approval. [59:29]
Were the FDA’s initial reservations regarding approval of Addyi the result of being too paternalistic about a drug marketed to women? [1:00:55]
As someone who’s sold two of her own, what advice would Cindy give to an entrepreneur on the cusp of selling their company? [1:02:50]
What is a best efforts clause? [1:04:04]
When selling a company, your transaction attorneys are your most important asset. [1:05:16]
Desperation is a poor position from which to negotiate. [1:06:21]
How did Cindy and her team at Sprout celebrate the FDA approval of Addyi? [1:09:48]
How did Cindy prepare against the possibility of another rejection? [1:12:45]
Another point on selling a company you care about: “Be a little bit reluctant to give it up.” [1:14:07]
Improving deals by letting the opposition negotiate against themselves. [1:16:10]
How did Cindy make the most of negotiating the sale of Sprout in an auction-style environment? [1:18:27]
How did it come to pass that Cindy’s initial investors had the opportunity to buy Sprout back — after selling it two years before for one billion dollars? [1:21:15]
What’s next for Addyi? [1:27:02]
Rules Cindy routinely breaks as best practices. [1:27:44]
What is The Pinkubator? [1:29:39]
What Cindy learned from taking capital to fund her first company from someone whose practices didn’t align with her own. [1:31:01]
What Cindy did to relieve herself of this misalignment, and how she secured further, stable investment without making it her full-time job. [1:33:07]
How did Cindy vet investors? [1:35:52]
What is The Pink Ceiling? [1:37:22]
Examples of companies and products that benefit from The Pink Ceiling’s help. [1:37:44]
What should people know about Raleigh, NC? [1:40:06]
“Women need a voice. We need power, and money is power. Money is power to start to change things.” [1:40:50]
Being aware of rules we’re following that we’d be better off breaking. [1:43:30]
What class would Cindy choose to teach? [1:45:49]
On startup founders putting in the time to earn self-confidence. [1:47:53]
What does Cindy say to those who believe women who should dial back their femininity in the business world? [1:50:25]
How Amanda Palmer co-opted ammunition from a hater for personal empowerment. [1:52:48]
What book has Cindy re-read the most? [1:54:18]
The last time Cindy cried tears of joy. [1:55:10]
An unusual habit or absurd thing Cindy loves. [1:56:55]
Cindy talks about growing up surrounded by superstition in Fiji. [1:57:54]
What Cindy would cover if she had to give a TED Talk about something nobody would expect. [1:58:37]
What does Cindy do to get back on track when she’s feeling overwhelmed or unfocused? [2:00:23]
What would Cindy’s billboard say? [2:02:09]
How has one of Cindy’s failures contributed to later success? [2:02:49]
Getting in contact and parting thoughts. [2:04:07]





PEOPLE MENTIONED



J.P. Morgan
Cal Fussman
Frank Blake
Bryan Johnson
James Watson
Seth Godin
Noah Kagan
Irwin Goldstein
Ivonna Dumanyan
Leah Busque
Tracy DiNunzio
Stuart Smalley
Amanda Palmer
Jessie Graff
Cheryl Strayed

Michael Pollan — Exploring The New Science of Psychedelics

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“Psychedelics, used responsibly and with proper caution, would be for psychiatry what the microscope is for biology and medicine or the telescope is for astronomy.”  – Stanislav Grof

This might be the most important podcast episode I’ve put out in the last two years. Please trust me and give it a full listen. It will surprise you, perhaps shock you, and definitely make you think differently.

Michael Pollan (@michaelpollan) is the author of seven previous books, including Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. A longtime contributor to the New York Times Magazine, he also teaches writing at Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley where he is the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Science Journalism. In 2010, TIME magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

His most recent book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, might be my favorite yet. This is the first podcast interview Michael has done about the book, the science and applications of psychedelics, his exploration, and his own experiences. It is a wild ride.

In fact, partially due to this book, I am committing a million dollars over the next few years to support the scientific study of psychedelic compounds. This is by far the largest commitment to research and nonprofits I’ve ever made, and if you’d like to join me in supporting this research, please check out tim.blog/science.

In our wide-ranging conversation, we cover many things, including:

The fundamentals of “psychedelics,” what the term means, and what compounds like psilocybin, mescaline, and others have in common.
New insights related to treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, alcohol/nicotine dependence, OCD, PTSD, and more.
Recent scientific and clinical discussions of a “grand unified theory of mental illness.”
Potential applications and risks of psychedelics.
Michael’s own experiences — which he did not initially intend on having — and what he’s learned from them.
The “entropic brain,” and why there might be a therapeutic sweet spot between mental order and chaos.
Why researchers at Johns Hopkins, NYU, Yale, and elsewhere are dedicating resources to understanding these compounds.
And much, much more…

The molecules discussed in this episode — and some incredible clinical results from well-designed studies — have absolutely captured my attention over the last two years. After wading in and supporting smaller studies, I’ve decided to go all-in on scientists exploring this area. It seems to be an Archimedes lever for potentially solving a wide range of root-cause problems, instead of playing whack-a-mole with symptoms one by one.

This episode will explain why I’m so excited.

Now, all of my preamble out of the way, grab a cup of coffee and settle in!

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

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Michael Pollan — Exploring The New Science of Psychedelics
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/6aaa228b-ed2c-4f7a-8af1-4802988fdaba.mp3Download

Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast discussing psychedelics? — Listen to my conversation with James Fadiman, who has been called “America’s wisest and most respected authority on psychedelics and their use.” Stream below or right-click here to download.

The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide – Risks, Micro-Dosing, Ibogaine, and Morehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/ae1b609a-106c-486e-a62b-2f4b410b33da.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by Teeter. Inversion therapy, which uses gravity and your own body weight to decompress the spine or relieve pressure on the discs and surrounding nerves, seems to help with a whole slew of conditions. And just as a general maintenance program, it’s one of my favorite things to do.

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Michael Pollan:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
The New Science of Psychedelics by Michael Pollan, The Wall Street Journal
Express Your Interest in Supporting Psychedelic Scientific Research and Development
The Intelligent Plant by Michael Pollan, The New Yorker
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan
Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan
Grist
Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education by Michael Pollan
The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan
Memento
The Trip Treatment by Michael Pollan, The New Yorker
Do Psychedelics Expand the Mind by Reducing Brain Activity? by Adam Halberstadt and Mark Geyer, Scientific American
The Life-Changing Magic of Mushrooms by Olga Khazan, The Atlantic
I Took a Psychedelic Drug for My Cancer Anxiety. It Changed My Life by Dinah Bazer, Time
Psycholytic and Psychedelic Therapy Research 1931-1995: A Complete International Bibliography compiled by Torsten Passie
Psychotomimetic Effects of PCP, LSD, and Ecstasy: Pharmacological Models of Schizophrenia? by Vibeke Sorensen Catts and Stanley V. Catts
Psychedelics: Lifting the Veil by Robin Carhart-Harris, TEDxWarwick
Marcus Raichle on the Default Mode Network, VPRO Labyrint TV
fMRI Brain Imaging: Classic Hallucinogens vs. Mindfulness Meditation by Gary Weber, Science and Nonduality Conference 2012
Connectome-Harmonic Decomposition of Human Brain Activity Reveals Dynamical Repertoire Re-organization under LSD by Selen Atasoy et al., Scientific Reports
Magic Mushrooms Transform Brain Into New Hyperconnected State by Stephen Morgan, Digital Journal (contains image discussed)
Human Connectome Project
Psilocybin Can Occasion Mystical-Type Experiences Having Substantial and Sustained Personal Meaning and Spiritual Significance by R.R. Griffiths et al., Psychopharmacology
The Big Five Personality Traits and What They Mean to Psychologists by Robby Berman, Big Think
Long-Term Follow-Up of Psilocybin-Facilitated Smoking Cessation by Matthew W. Johnson et al., The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), The Mayo Clinic
Ibogaine Therapy for Drug Addiction, MAPS
A Double-Blind Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Treatment of Alcohol Dependence, New York University School of Medicine
Psilocybin with Psychological Support for Treatment-Resistant Depression: Six-Month Follow-Up by R.L. Carhart-Harris et al., Psychopharmacology
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD, MAPS
LSD and Bill Wilson, the Co-Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
LSD Could Help Alcoholics Stop Drinking, AA Founder Believed by Amelia Hill, The Guardian
How Ken Kesey’s LSD-Fuelled Bus Trip Created the Psychedelic ’60s by Edward Helmore, The Guardian
The Time and Life Acid Trip: How Henry R. Luce and Clare Boothe Luce Helped Turn America On to LSD by Jack Shafer, Slate
Seeking the Magic Mushroom by R. Gordon Wasson, Life
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
Can Psychedelic Trips Cure PTSD and Other Maladies? by Tom Shroder, The Washington Post
The Entropic Brain: A Theory of Conscious States Informed by Neuroimaging Research with Psychedelic Drugs by Robin L. Carhart-Harris et al., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
What Is the Difference between 5-MeO DMT and DMT? Choosing a DMT Therapy by Roger R., Psychedelic Times
Do Psychedelics Trigger Neurogenesis? Here’s What We Know. by Thomas Varley, Psymposia
The Cuyahoga River Fire of 1969 by Michael Rotman, Cleveland Historical
Eleusinian Mysteries, Encyclopaedia Britannica

SHOW NOTES

Dispelling the misconception of Michael Pollan as a “food” writer and understanding how the new book fits into the larger narrative of his work. [08:33]
There’s not a culture on earth that doesn’t use some plant or fungi to change consciousness — with one noticeable exception. [11:14]
What prompted Michael’s first foray into understanding psychedelics? [12:28]
What are psychedelics, and how do they differ from psychotomimetics and psycholytics? [17:12]
Why did Michael dedicate his latest book to his father? [20:47]
How Michael’s own psychedelic experiences helped him care for his terminally ill father and prepare for his eventual death. [22:40]
As a journalist, what was Michael most skeptical of when he first started researching psychedelics? [25:12]
What we currently know (or suspect) about the neuroscience behind the effects of psychedelic compounds. [30:57]
Examining the Default Mode Network. [35:06]
Meditation, psychedelics, and fasting as alternate modalities for shutting off or quieting the Default Mode Network. [40:01]
Mapping connectomes and the unexpected detours the brain creates in the absence of the Default Mode Network’s control. [40:55]
Mystical experiences, changing personalities, and smoking cessation: what psychedelics studies have been most memorable or surprising for Michael? [43:33]
Cementing profound convictions from otherwise obvious banalities (aka “duh” moments). [50:10]
Psychedelic applications Michael finds most promising. [52:25]
Is treating addiction with psychedelics just trading out one fixation for another? [57:21]
Why have psychedelic compounds been unavailable for medical trials for so long? [1:00:51]
Is it too simple to blame Timothy Leary? The psychedelic researcher’s occupational hazard of irrational exuberance. [1:01:25]
A searing rite of passage: the unique generation gap created by LSD in the ’60s. [1:03:36]
Could we see a cultural backlash remove psychedelics from academics once again? [1:08:36]
Does Michael think certain politicians trying to ban psychedelic research — especially when it helps veterans with PTSD — would suffer political repurcussions in the current climate? [1:10:59]
What are the risks of these psychedelic compounds? [1:13:58]
How Dr. Andrew Weil successfully rescued patients from their bad acid trips at the Haight-Ashbury free clinic in 1968. [1:16:40]
An appeal to lawmakers to consider the benefits of psychedelics that outweigh the risks — especially when compared to many of the dangerous drugs that are FDA approved. [1:18:48]
Are we close to a grand unified theory of mental illness? [1:24:00]
The entropic brain. [1:27:09]
Why do some of these compounds seem to have a long-term effect that far exceeds its presence in the body? [1:30:22]
How guidance can help someone make better sense of their experience — and reinforce progress that might be made. [1:33:44]
Themes, images, and insights: Michael’s most meaningful experience. [1:35:03]
Having a bad time? Remember your flight instructions. [1:40:06]
A cameo appearance by Maria Sabina. [1:41:49]
Losing sense of self (ego dissolution). [1:42:57]
Music you like makes the world better no matter what reality you’re experiencing. [1:45:11]
A powerful lesson in the role of ego. [1:46:24]
How does Michael think psychedelics might help us solve what he believes to be society’s biggest problems? [1:51:41]
How might we gently caution overenthusiastic psychedelic proponents away from messing things up for the rest of us (again)? [1:54:31]
The betterment of well people. [1:59:14]
The cultural container for psychedelics that worked for the ancient Greeks. [1:59:50]
Remaining cautiously optimistic. [2:02:12]
Just one example of criminalization impeding valid therapy. [2:02:34]
Michael’s book covers a critical subject at a critical time — do yourself a favor and read it even if you have zero interest in consuming psychedelics yourself. [2:03:54]
Michael’s parting thoughts. [2:05:39]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Stanislav Grof
Matt Mullenweg
Tony Conrad
Henry David Thoreau
Ralph Waldo Emerson
John Muir
Aldous Huxley
Dinah Bazer
Humphry Osmond
Stephen M. Pollan
Robin Carhart-Harris
Marcus Raichle
Roland Griffiths
Walt Whitman
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Matthew W. Johnson
Bill Wilson
Timothy Leary
Richard Nixon
Ken Kesey
Haruki Murakami
Henry Luce
Clare Boothe Luce
R. Gordon Wasson
Rick Doblin
Paul Summergrad
Jeffrey Lieberman
Jeff Sessions
Rebekah Mercer
Steve Bannon
Peter Thiel
Donald Trump
Andrew Weil
David Nutt
Tom Insel
Maria Sabina
Johann Sebastian Bach
Yo-Yo Ma
Rachel Carson
Robert Jesse

Joseph Gordon-Levitt — Actor, Filmmaker, and Entrepreneur

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“Art and fame are sort of odd bedfellows.” – Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (@hitRECordJoe) is an actor whose career spans three decades, and ranges from television (3rd Rock from the Sun) to arthouse (Mysterious Skin, Brick) to multiplex (Inception, 500 Days of Summer, Looper, Snowden). He made his feature screenwriting and directorial debut with Don Jon (Independent Spirit Award nomination, Best First Screenplay). He also founded and directs HITRECORD, an online community of artists emphasizing collaboration over self-promotion. HITRECORD has evolved into a “community-sourced” production company that publishes books, puts out records, produces videos for brands from LG to the ACLU, and has won an Emmy for its variety show HitRecord on TV.

Enjoy!

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt — Actor, Filmmaker, and Entrepreneur
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/19d603ed-2b56-48b4-b612-28d3e52b43e7.mp3Download

Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast with a filmmaker? — Listen to my conversation with Darren Aronofsky. In this episode, we discuss his creative process and “nomadic writing,” how to navigate tough conversations over creativity and control, and much more! Stream below or right-click here to download.

Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky — Exploring Creativity, Ignoring Critics, and Making Arthttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/d1969bd1-650c-448e-b4a2-273e3d81619b.mp3Download

This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. I’ve been drinking this company’s mushroom-infused coffees and elixirs for years, and now I’ve got something new to share: Mushroom Matcha. It’s a green tea designed as a coffee alternative, perfect for those of us trying to cut back on caffeine without losing its associated cognitive boost. And for the curious and disgusted: no, it doesn’t actually taste like mushrooms.

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This podcast is also brought to you by WordPress, my go-to platform for 24/7-supported, zero downtime blogging, writing online, creating websites — everything! I love it to bits, and the lead developer, Matt Mullenweg, has appeared on this podcast many times.

Whether for personal use or business, you’re in good company with WordPress — used by The New Yorker, Jay Z, Beyoncé, FiveThirtyEight, TechCrunch, TED, CNN, and Time, just to name a few. A source at Google told me that WordPress offers “the best out-of-the-box SEO imaginable,” which is probably why it runs nearly 30% of the Internet. Go to WordPress.com/Tim to get 15% off your website today!

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Joseph Gordon-Levitt:

HITRECORD | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Momento
Superbad
50/50
The Night Before
Baijiu
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Talks Don Jon, Sexual Objectification, His Real-Life Girlfriend, and More on Interview Trail by Beth Hanna, IndieWire
A River Runs Through It
Lincoln
Spielberg
Jaws
Final Cut Pro
Sherman Oaks, California
Columbia University
Don Jon
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
2001: A Space Odyssey
3rd Rock from the Sun
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: ‘Edward Snowden Was Warm, Kind, Thoughtful by Tom Lamont, The Guardian
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Brick
Looper
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
The Dark Knight Rises
Premium Rush
500 Days of Summer
Manic
Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Boy Wonder by Amy Wallace, GQ
The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss
The Joe Rogan Experience
Nerdist Podcast
WTF with Marc Maron Podcast
Fireside Chat with Tim Ferriss and Professor Ed Zschau, Princeton Keller Center
Y Combinator
Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule by Paul Graham
RISD
CritBuns
Automattic

SHOW NOTES

True or false: Joseph can breathe fire if you tickle his feet. [06:40]
Who the hell is Evan Goldberg and how did he and Joseph first meet? [07:59]
A word of caution for anyone who might find themselves sitting down to a meeting with Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. [09:40]
Weed vs. alcohol. [11:38]
The power of an actor to say “no.” [13:27]
“The ability to balance a thorough plan with spontaneity is right at the crux of being a good director.” [19:40]
Working with Robert Redford when Joseph was 10 years old. [21:32]
Pondering Steven Spielberg’s sparse use of shot lists. [25:45]
A Jaws story about on-set spontaneity. [29:25]
Robert Rodriguez’s take about the real job of a director. [32:05]
How did Joseph learn to direct and edit? [34:48]
How Final Cut Pro made Joseph drop out of college — and why he went back to school in the first place after an already lengthy career in acting. [37:19]
Why did Joseph go back to school? [38:38]
On moving from Sherman Oaks to Manhattan. [41:40]
Joseph’s favorite thing to do in New York City. [42:51]
Why Joseph took classes in French. [43:27]
On learning additional languages. [46:42]
Joseph talks about directing his first film, Don Jon, and what prompted him to write the story. [48:40]
The most challenging aspects of bringing Don Jon to the screen. [52:18]
Were there any books on screenwriting that helped Joseph during the process? [53:53]
Advice for someone whose goal is to get famous. [57:16]
Does Joseph experience fear of missing out when taking breaks from show business? [1:07:30]
Coming back to show business after his first break. [1:12:39]
What helps Joseph get through periods of rejection and self-doubt? [1:15:05]
“It’s easy to be extrinsically motivated when the world’s giving you a bunch of thumbs-ups!” What does the other side of that look like? [1:16:50]
Why does Joseph think Zooey Deschanel described him as “lighter, less burdened” during the second movie they did together? [1:23:46]
What is HITRECORD, how did it come to be, and where is it headed? [1:26:00]
The projects worth sticking with are usually the ones we start without hope of financial gain. [1:35:09]
Joseph talks about the conversation his mother had with him going into acting at age six. [1:39:05]
How is Joseph thinking about the next few years ahead? [1:41:01]
What I like about HITRECORD. [1:44:26]
A recommendation I often make to people who want to start their own company — and how it ties in to collaborating at HITRECORD. [1:45:08]
Parting thoughts from Joseph. [1:53:55]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Evan Goldberg
Seth Rogen
Michael Cera
Jonathan Levine
Clint Eastwood
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Redford
Philippe Rousselot
Steven Spielberg
Abraham Lincoln
Tasha McCauley
Bruce
Tony Robbins
Jane Gordon
Blake Snyder
Scarlett Johansson
Julianne Moore
Warren Zavala
Quentin Tarantino
Rian Johnson
Rainer Maria Rilke
Zooey Deschanel

Joe Rogan
Marc Maron
Garrett Camp
Ed Zschau
Paul Graham
Joe Gebbia
Matt Mullenweg

Nick Thompson — Editor-In-Chief of WIRED

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“Procrastination is the enemy of good editing.”

– Nick Thompson

Nick Thompson (@nxthompson) is the editor-in-chief of WIRED. Under his leadership, Wired has launched a successful paywall, a Snapchat channel, and an AMP Stories edition; it has also been nominated for National Magazine Awards in design and feature writing.

Nick is a contributor for CBS News and regularly appears on CBS This Morning. He is also co-founder of The Atavist, a National Magazine Award-winning digital publication. Prior to joining Wired, Thompson served as editor of NewYorker.com from 2012 to 2017.

Before The New Yorker, Nick was a senior editor at Wired, where he assigned and edited the feature story that was the basis for the Oscar-winning film Argo. In 2009, his book The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War was published to critical acclaim. In February 2018, Thompson co-wrote WIRED’s cover story Inside the Two Years That Shook Facebook — and the World, an 11,000-word investigation based on reporting with more than 50 current and former Facebook employees.

In this conversation, we cover a wide range of topics, questions, and skills, including:

What makes a good pitch?
How does a good features writer (or editor) “map” a story?
How does writing get optioned for feature film, and what are important deal points?
How can publishers (and website or blog owners) hire and pay good long-form writers?
And much more…

Please enjoy!

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Nick Thompson -- Editor-In-Chief of WIRED
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/7ddb6052-12b5-4aaf-89e1-997b12562885.mp3Download

Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast with an influencer in the media? — Listen to my conversation with Ezra Klein. In this episode, we discuss influencing the rules of the game by which this country is run (overall politics — not partisan), how Ezra lost 60 pounds, and his ascension into the ranks of the most respected media companies in the world (stream below or right-click here to download):

#208: Ezra Klein -- From College Blogger to Political Powerhousehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/84ada1a3-4b0c-44b0-b1f3-a70981a5976d.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn and its job recruitment platform, which offers a smarter system for the hiring process. If you’ve ever hired anyone (or attempted to), you know finding the right people can be difficult. If you don’t have a direct referral from someone you trust, you’re left to use job boards that don’t offer any real-world networking approach.

LinkedIn, as the world’s largest professional network — used by more than 70 percent of the US workforce — has a built-in ecosystem that allows you to not only search for employees, but also interact with them, their connections, and their former employers and colleagues in a way that closely mimics real-life communication. Visit LinkedIn.com/Tim and receive a $50 credit toward your first job post!

This podcast is also brought to you by Peloton, which has become a staple of my daily routine. I picked up this bike after seeing the success of my friend Kevin Rose, and I’ve been enjoying it more than I ever imagined. Peloton is an indoor cycling bike that brings live studio classes right to your home. No worrying about fitting classes into your busy schedule or making it to a studio with a crazy commute.

New classes are added every day, and this includes options led by elite NYC instructors in your own living room. You can even live stream studio classes taught by the world’s best instructors, or find your favorite class on demand.

Peloton is offering listeners to this show a special offer. Visit onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM at checkout to receive $100 off accessories with your Peloton bike purchase. This is a great way to get in your workouts or an incredible gift. Again, that’s onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Nick Thompson:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn

The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War by Nicholas Thompson
WIRED
60 Minutes
Continental Drift by Nick Thompson, The Washington Post
Washington Monthly
The Wired Origins of “Argo” by Nicholas Thompson, The New Yorker
Argo
Joseph Stalin and the Human-Ape Army, HowStuffWorks
The Power of “TK” in Content Writing (and How it Can Help You), ProBlogger
Freedom: Internet, App, and Website Blocker
The Atavist
IMDbPro
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo
Inside the Two Years That Shook Facebook — and the World by Nicholas Thompson and Fred Vogelstein, Wired
Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee
The Survival of the Bark Canoe by John McPhee
Brigade de Cuisine by John McPhee, The New Yorker
Writer Evan Ratliff Tried to Vanish: Here’s What Happened by Evan Ratliff, Wired
The Running Life by Nicholas Thompson, The New Yorker
Legal Affairs
New America Foundation
Acadia National Park
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright
Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright
Strangers Drowning: Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Urge to Help by Larissa MacFarquhar
The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique

Show Notes

What prompted one man to leave Nick’s reading at a bookstore in Wisconsin? [06:32]
Nick’s best practices for busking in New York. [07:35]
Why did Nick choose writing instead of music as a full-time career? [11:20]
Nick describes how he got tracked into journalism in “a slightly odd way.” [13:04]
Nick gets kidnapped busking in Africa. [16:57]
How did Nick pitch his kidnapping story to the Washington Post? [19:49]
The grading process for pitches at Wired under Chris Anderson, and how the story that formed the basis for Oscar-winning film Argo came to be — in spite of being graded poorly. [21:25]
How does a writer make a good pitch? [25:38]
Are story length and deadline part of the pitching process? [28:18]
What does “TK” mean to a writer, how is it useful, and why is it spelled that way? [28:59]
How (and why) does Nick’s pitch grading process differ from Chris Anderson’s? [30:04]
Commonly unanswered questions in a pitch. [30:55]
What deal points are important to Nick when a story is in the process of being optioned for film, and how might a writer maximize the chance of a story getting optioned? [32:16]
What can a writer do to protect a story from getting locked up in option limbo or poached? [35:20]
How does a writer get an agent? [39:12]
The lessons Nick learned at NewYorker.com about what an audience really wants from long-form magazine stories and more ephemeral Web content. [40:50]
How does a prospective magazine or publisher calculate fair payment to a writer for a long-form story? [45:29]
What is Nick’s process for editing the work of world-class writers? [52:51]
How does someone develop a keen eye as a writer or editor? [57:27]
What you can learn about structure by mapping a story — as an editor, writer, or reader. [59:13]
When he’s got a whiteboard in front of him, how does Nick organize his map of a story? [1:01:32]
My recommendation for people interested in structure and story mapping. [1:02:25]
How John McPhee plays into Nick’s story at The New Yorker. [1:03:28]
How a manhunt led to Nick’s entry in the startup game. [1:06:51]
Why Nick runs to and from work every day. [1:13:25]
Nick’s fight with thyroid cancer. [1:15:33]
When journalism doesn’t work, there’s always law school. Nick talks about overcoming periods of self-doubt. [1:19:16]
How did Wired find Nick and lure him away from law school? [1:23:13]
What books does Nick give most often as gifts? [1:28:36]
What new behavior, belief, or event had the most positive impact on Nick’s life? [1:30:24]
Does Nick observe any particular mindfulness or meditation routine? [1:32:14]
What would Nick’s billboard say? [1:34:09]
Parting thoughts. [1:35:51]

People Mentioned

Paul Nitze
Friedrich Nietzsche
The Beatles
George Kennan
Philip Scheffler
Steve Kroft
Chris Anderson
Joshuah Bearman
Joseph Stalin
Bob Cohn
Svetlana Alliluyeva
Tony Mendez
Neil Strauss
William Morris
David Remnick
John Cassidy
Amy Davidson Sorkin
Michael Lewis
Kelefa Sanneh
Ryan Lizza
Katherine Boo
John McPhee
Rachel Aviv
Mark Zuckerberg
Fred Vogelstein
Pamela McCarthy
Evan Ratliff
Doug McGray
Jennifer Kahn
Jefferson Rabb
Scott Thompson
Danielle Goldman
Brendan Koerner
Robert Wright
Larissa MacFarquhar

Hurry Up and Fail — Tim Kennedy

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“Everything you want is on the far side of hard work.”

– Tim Kennedy

Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) is a former UFC middleweight contender who simultaneously served in the US Army as a Green Beret sniper and had tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a three-time winner of the Modern Army Combatives tournament, a grueling three-day event that tests mixed martial arts skills among other things. Tim is now a member of the Special Forces wing of the Texas National Guard.

In his spare time, Tim heads up Sheepdog Response, an organization that trains civilians in self-defense and counter-terrorism skills, and Ranger Up, a military-themed clothing line. He’s shared his martial arts and military expertise on several television shows, including the Spike TV series Deadliest Warrior, Hunting Hitler on the History Channel, and in the 2016 indie film Range 15. Tim is currently involved in an unscripted series from Discovery called Hard to Kill. Enjoy!

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Hurry Up and Fail -- Tim Kennedy
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/c426f558-ad4e-428d-8677-65fd71c70b73.mp3Download

Listen to it on Apple podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another inspiring conversation? Listen to this episode with Terry Crews, in which we discuss his workout and diet routine, overcoming failure, discovering happiness, and much much more. Listen to it here (stream below or right-click to download):

Terry Crews — How to Have, Do, and Be All You Wanthttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/5e0e91b1-34c3-4507-821b-6bb99dc06587.mp3Download

This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. I’ve been drinking this company’s mushroom-infused coffees and elixirs for years, and now I’ve got something new to share: Mushroom Matcha. It’s a green tea designed as a coffee alternative, perfect for those of us trying to cut back on caffeine without losing its associated cognitive boost. And for the curious and disgusted: no, it doesn’t actually taste like mushrooms.

Four Sigmatic Mushroom Matcha includes L-theanine, a relaxing amino acid that results in a feeling of balanced energy without giving you the jitters, and astragalus, an adaptogen known for its immune system supporting and stress reducing properties. You can try the Matcha right now, along with a combination of Four Sigmatic’s other flagship products, by going to foursigmatic.com/timtim and using code “TIMTIM” at checkout for a special listener discount!

This podcast is also brought to you by WordPress, my go-to platform for 24/7-supported, zero downtime blogging, writing online, creating websites — everything! I love it to bits, and the lead developer, Matt Mullenweg, has appeared on this podcast many times.

Whether for personal use or business, you’re in good company with WordPress — used by The New Yorker, Jay Z, FiveThirtyEight, TechCrunch, TED, CNN, and Time, just to name a few. A source at Google told me that WordPress offers “the best out-of-the-box SEO imaginable,” which is probably why it runs nearly 30% of the Internet. Go to WordPress.com/Tim to get 15% off your website today!

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Tim Kennedy:

Website | Sheepdog Response | Ranger Up | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship
List of Martial Arts
Onnit Academy
Gracie Humaita Austin
Discovery Channel Takes on America’s Most Dangerous Jobs in New Series ‘Hard to Kill’ (Working Title)
UFC 162 Results: What We Learned From Roger Gracie vs. Tim Kennedy by Nate Lawson, Bleacher Report
These Superstar Bucking Bulls Are worth up to $500,000, Business Insider
How to Prepare for Army Green Beret Training by Stew Smith, Military.com
The Pit
The 9/11 Memorial Museum
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Special Forces Qualification (Q) Course
The “Grey Man” in Special Operations Selection: Misconceptions Abound by Steve Balestrieri, SpecialOperations.com
Here’s What It’s Like At SERE Training by Ward Carroll, Business Insider
The 18 Bravo Course: Training Special Forces Weapons Sergeants by Robert Bruce, Small Arms Review
Robin Sage: Prospective SF Students Should Study Up on Pineland by Steve Balestrieri, SpecialOperations.com
Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha (SFOD A) | A Teams
Ranger School
Modern Army Combatives
300
American Sniper
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? by Culture Club
Rooster by Alice In Chains
CPR and First Aid Training Classes, American Heart Association
How to Develop the Situational Awareness of Jason Bourne by Brett and Kate McKay, The Art of Manliness
IFAKs (Individual First Aid Kits)
Glock 43
SXSW Conference
ISIS Fast Facts, CNN
Acid and Terrorist Attacks Leave Londoners Shaken but Defiant by Nick Bailey, NBC News

Show Notes

Why does Tim hate sports jiu-jitsu? [06:28]
How does “hurry up and fail” play into Tim’s training? [10:19]
When he’s not enjoying the bleachy clean facilities at Gracie Humaita Austin, Tim sometimes attacks flaming boats in poop water with tomahawks. [12:56]
Tim talks about his new project, Discovery Channel’s Hard to Kill. [15:36]
A PSA from Tim for American crane operators everywhere. [16:10]
Tim’s “hurry up and fail” training mantra changes when competing against world-class fighters like Roger Gracie. [17:51]
Fighters past or present who impress Tim. [23:36]
What psychological advantages does Tim bring to a fight — in life or in battle — and how did he develop them? [26:30]
How did Tim get involved in military life? [30:28]
What did the people around Tim think of his decision to join the military? [33:23]
What did Tim have to do to get into Special Forces once he enlisted? [34:36]
Why do Special Forces seek out “the grey man” in the group during the qualification course? [37:50]
What goes on at SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) school — especially if you’re not the grey man? [39:44]
Why did Tim compete in the IFL six days after graduating from ranger school? [45:16]
Tim describes the Modern Army Combatives tournament. [46:09]]
On testing the spirit of the fight and checking his ego on deployment during the hunt for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. [49:51]
Tim describes his IFL fight with Dante Rivera. [55:32]
Tim talks about his walkout music selections. [56:54]
How would Tim encourage an average listener to become harder to kill? [58:47]
What might help an urban dweller start learning the basics of survival? [1:03:06]
What is Tim’s emotional state while testing his situational awareness in a public place? [1:07:36]
Why did Tim recently re-enlist in the military? [1:11:18]
How does Tim explain this decision to his kids? [1:15:06]
How does Tim process risk? [1:17:23]
What is Tim’s contingency plan if something goes awry? [1:18:49]
What would Tim’s billboard say? [1:20:08]
Parting thoughts. [1:22:09]

People Mentioned

Robbie Lawler
Michael Bisping
Juan Leija
Tommy Shane Steiner
Roger Gracie
Donald Park
Paulo Brandao
The Hulk
Gordon Ryan
Rafael Lovato Jr.
Marcelo Garcia
Josh Waitzkin
Jeremy Horn
Chuck Liddell
Gumby
Carlos Condit
Lance Armstrong
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
Saddam Hussein
Dante Rivera
John “Shrek” McPhee
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Chris Kyle
Nick Palmisciano
Dirk Diggler
David Hackworth
Jim Mattis

Astro Teller, CEO of X – How to Think 10x Bigger

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“Perspective shifts will unlock more than smartness will.”

– Astro Teller

This is a very short, roughly 10-minute, episode. It explains how to 10x your thinking and your goals, or — put another way — how to escape incremental thinking and think truly BIG. I loved it so much that I now listen to it on a regular basis as a reminder. Perhaps you’ll end up doing the same.

The speaker is Dr. Astro Teller (@astroteller). Astro is currently Captain of Moonshots (CEO) of X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory for building magical, audacious ideas that, through science and technology, can be brought to reality. Astro is also co-founder and a current Director of Cerebellum Capital, a hedge fund management firm whose investments are continuously designed, executed, and improved by a software system based on techniques from statistical machine learning. Astro was also the co-founder and CEO of BodyMedia, Inc., a leading wearable body monitoring company that was sold to Jawbone in 2013.

Dr. Teller holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Stanford University, Master of Science in symbolic and heuristic computation, also from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Hertz Fellowship.

It was recorded as part of A360, a high-end membership group run by past podcast guest and Founder and Chairman of The XPRIZE Foundation, Peter Diamandis. For more on A360 and its digital version (Abundance Digital), please visit Diamandis.com and look under “Memberships.”

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Astro Teller, CEO of X - How to Think 10x Bigger
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/efc9c4a0-937e-4124-9f4b-33484e4e45d9.mp3Download

Listen to it on Apple podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another episode with another inspiring entrepreneur? — Listen to this interview with Debbie Millman, where we discuss how to recover from rejection, how to overcome personal crises of faith, class exercises from her most impactful mentors, and much more. (Stream below or right-click here to download.):

#214: How to Design a Life - Debbie Millmanhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/a125690b-22e8-4d37-ae6a-f136c1df2cc0.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by LegalZoom. I’ve used this service for many of my businesses, as have quite a few of the icons on this podcast — such as Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg of WordPress fame.

LegalZoom is a reliable resource that more than a million people have already trusted for everything from setting up wills, proper trademark searches, forming LLCs, setting up non-profits, or finding simple cease-and-desist letter templates.

LegalZoom is not a law firm, but it does have a network of independent attorneys available in most states who can give you advice on the best way to get started, provide contract reviews, and otherwise help you run your business with complete transparency and up-front pricing. Check out LegalZoom.com and enter promo code TIM at checkout today for special savings, and see how the fine folks there can make life easier for you and your business.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Astro Teller:

Website | Twitter | Medium | Facebook

X — The Moonshot Factory
Bletchley Park
Manhattan Project
John F. Kennedy’s Moon Speech at Rice Stadium
Apollo 11 Mission Overview, NASA
The Mutilated Checkerboard Problem
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Show Notes

Choice A or Choice B? [04:51]
Context matters. [06:41]
Historically, war has spurred innovation tantamount to the miraculous. [07:07]
What is moonshot thinking — and why should we wait for a war to spur innovation on a Choice B level? [07:47]
Are you creating the context for Choice B? [08:33]
Switching perspective with the mutilated checkerboard problem. [09:40]
Why going 10x bigger is more important and effective than going 10% bigger. [11:29]
Imagine you’re Willy Wonka. Your chocolate factory should be staffed by Peter Pans with PhDs wearing t-shirts that say “Safety Third.” [12:21]
It’s not just a moonshot when you choose to go big at the high level. [13:09]
Perspective shifts unlock more than smartness will. [13:46]
A business plan for embarking on weirdness is doomed from the start. Here’s a better perspective. [14:01]

People Mentioned

Peter Diamandis
John F. Kennedy
Icarus
Daedalus
Willy Wonka
Peter Pan

Inside Out with Katie Couric

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“There are some cases where you want to afflict the comfortable and there are other cases where you want to comfort the afflicted.”

– Katie Couric

Katie Couric (IG: @katiecouric) is an award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of the non-profit Stand Up to Cancer, which has raised more than $500 million to fund scientific research teams.

Katie launched her production company, Katie Couric Media, in 2015. Since then, the aptly named Katie Couric Podcast has featured conversations with some of the biggest names in politics, media, and popular culture.

Katie’s documentaries include Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric for National Geographic, Under the Gun, which aired on Epix, and Fed Up, which can be found on Netflix. Katie’s new six-part National Geographic series is called America Inside Out with Katie Couric, and I recommend you check it out.

Katie joined CBS as the first woman at the helm of an evening newscast after a 15-year run as co-anchor of NBC’s Today Show. Her awards include a duPont-Columbia, Peabody, two Edward R. Murrows, a Walter Cronkite, and multiple Emmys. Enjoy!

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Inside Out with Katie Couric
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/f1c8723d-1002-4596-8abb-39ac494524c0.mp3Download

Listen to it on Apple Podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast with an influencer in the media? — Listen to my conversation with Ezra Klein. In this episode, we discuss influencing the rules of the game by which this country is run (overall politics — not partisan), how Ezra lost 60 pounds, and his ascension into the ranks of the most respected media companies in the world (stream below or right-click here to download):

#208: Ezra Klein -- From College Blogger to Political Powerhousehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/84ada1a3-4b0c-44b0-b1f3-a70981a5976d.mp3Download

This podcast is brought to you by Peloton, which has become a staple of my daily routine. I picked up this bike after seeing the success of my friend Kevin Rose, and I’ve been enjoying it more than I ever imagined. Peloton is an indoor cycling bike that brings live studio classes right to your home. No worrying about fitting classes into your busy schedule or making it to a studio with a crazy commute.

New classes are added every day, and this includes options led by elite NYC instructors in your own living room. You can even live stream studio classes taught by the world’s best instructors, or find your favorite class on demand.

Peloton is offering listeners to this show a special offer. Visit onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM at checkout to receive $100 off accessories with your Peloton bike purchase. This is a great way to get in your workouts, or an incredible gift. Again, that’s onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM.

This podcast is also brought to you by Soothe.com, the world’s largest on-demand massage service. Because I’ve been broken so many times, I have body work done at least twice a week — so I have a high bar for this stuff. I do not accept mediocrity, and I wouldn’t expect you to, either.

After much personal testing, I can affirm that Soothe delivers a hand-selected, licensed, and experienced massage therapist to you in the comfort of your own home, hotel, or office in as little as an hour. I was amazed at the quality of service and convenience.The service is on-call from 8am to midnight, and Soothe brings everything needed to create a spa experience in your home, including the massage table, linens, oils, and music. Think of it as Uber for massages, available in 55 cities worldwide. Download the app at Soothe.com and as a listener of this show — you’ll get $25 off your first massage when you enter the code “TIM25.”  

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Katie Couric:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Katie Couric Podcast
America Inside Out with Katie Couric
South by Southwest (SXSW)
Katie Couric on Surprise ’92 Today Interview with Bush 41
Katie Couric, at Home with Bush by Tom Shales, The Washington Post
Election
Katie’s CBS interview with Sarah Palin
Katie’s Interview with Columbine Victims’ Families, Today
Katie Couric Pays Tribute on 20th Anniversary of Husband’s Death: ‘We Miss You’, Today
The Impact of a Celebrity Promotional Campaign on the Use of Colon Cancer Screening: The Katie Couric Effect by Peter Cram, et al., Archives of Internal Medicine
Katie Couric’s Colonoscopy, Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer
Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric
Katie’s interview with Carmen Carrera
Katie Couric Debuts Episode of Her New Series in Charlottesville, CBS
Equal Justice Initiative
Soil Collection: A Community Remembrance Project
How the Survivors of Parkland Began the Never Again Movement by Emily Witt
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
You’re the Average of the Five People You Spend the Most Time With by Aimee Groth, Business Insider
Zen Hospice Project
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
My Life Countdown by Kevin Kelly, CT2
The Trolley Problem, BBC Radio 4
Black Mirror

Show Notes

How did Katie land on her feet when faced with the challenge of an impromptu interview with then-president George H.W. Bush on live television? [08:46]
Is Katie’s moxie intrinsic to her DNA or something she developed? [15:09]
Why do I lean more toward putting out evergreen over topical content? [16:54]
What interviews have made Katie nervous? [19:04]
How did Katie prepare for her interview with Sarah Palin? [22:12]
The importance of letting the silence do the work. [26:16]
How does Katie deal with her more pugnacious or combative subjects? [27:16]
What interviews are Katie most proud of? [28:55]
On grieving and preparing for the death of a terminally ill loved one. [32:51]
Why cancer and other potentially terminal ailments often go undiagnosed until it’s too late. [37:49]
Regrets Katie has about her late husband’s final days. [41:43]
On using her role in the public eye as a platform for early cancer screening advocacy and co-founding Stand Up To Cancer. [42:41]
Katie talks about the real heroes in the multi-fronted fight against cancer. [47:55]
How does Katie select her involvement in projects? [49:33]
Katie tells us what we can expect from her upcoming six-part National Geographic series America Inside Out. [52:29]
On turning an inappropriate question into a teachable moment. [54:40]
What impact does Katie hope this series will have on viewers? [1:00:26]
What would Katie’s billboard say? [1:05:05]
Katie hits me with a “gotcha” question. [1:07:34]
Katie is intrigued to hear about  BJ Miller and advocates getting his story out to more people. [1:08:09]
Pondering the insights a crystal ball might offer. [1:13:11]
Parting thoughts on the ethical challenges faced by social media and technology. [1:14:22]

People Mentioned

Luke Skywalker
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Barbara Bush
Millie
George H.W. Bush
Marlin Fitzwater
Jeff Zucker
Tom Shales
Michael Gartner
Bryant Gumbel
John and Elinor Couric
Tracy Flick
Yasser Arafat
Ross Perot
Tom Brokaw
O.J. Simpson
Jay Monahan
Sarah Palin
Brian Goldsmith
Madeleine Albright
Sam Nunn
Richard N. Haass
Cal Fussman
Michael Shoels
Isaiah Shoels
Craig Scott
Rachel Scott
Carrie and Ellie Monahan
Sean Parker
Joe Biden
Tristan Harris
Kara Swisher
Biz Stone
Donald Trump
Laverne Cox
Carmen Carrera
Robert E. Lee
Zyhana Bryant
Mitch Landrieu

Bryan Stevenson
Frances McDormand
Jim Rohn
BJ Miller
Sheryl Sandberg
Adam Grant
Kevin Kelly
Chrissy Teigen
Valerie Bertinelli
Ana Gasteyer
William Gibson

Karlie Kloss – Entrepreneur and Supermodel

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“Everybody has the opportunity to build something.”

– Karlie Kloss

Karlie Kloss (IG: @karliekloss) is an entrepreneur and supermodel who was discovered at a local charity fashion show at age 13 and has been modeling professionally ever since.

Karlie has walked for and starred in campaigns for top designers including Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Adidas, Carolina Herrera, and Swarovski, among many others.

Outside of modeling, Karlie’s personal passion for coding led her to launch Kode With Klossy, a nonprofit that empowers young women to code and become leaders in tech — poised to expand in 2018 to 50 camps in 25 cities.

Time Magazine has recognized Karlie for her entrepreneurship and philanthropic work on its 100 Most Influential People list, and she has also been featured on the covers of Fast Company and Forbes for her work with Kode with Klossy.

Karlie hosts Freeform six-part series Movie Night with Karlie Kloss and is a correspondent for Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World.

If you’re interested in learning more about Karlie’s coding camps (applications and deadlines are coming soon), check out kodewithklossy.com/apply.

Enjoy!

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Karlie Kloss - Entrepreneur and Supermodel
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Listen to it on Apple podcasts.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another episode with another inspiring entrepreneur? — Listen to this interview with Debbie Millman, where we discuss how to recover from rejection, how to overcome personal crises of faith, class exercises from her most impactful mentors, and much more. (stream below or right-click here to download):

#214: How to Design a Life - Debbie Millmanhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/a125690b-22e8-4d37-ae6a-f136c1df2cc0.mp3Download

This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs.

I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The Tao of Seneca, and I’ve also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you’re happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run…

This podcast is also brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is the #1 cloud bookkeeping software, which is used by a ton of the start-ups I advise and many of the contractors I work with. It is the easiest way to send invoices, get paid, track your time, and track your clients.

FreshBooks tells you when your clients have viewed your invoices, helps you customize your invoices, track your hours, automatically organize your receipts, have late payment reminders sent automatically and much more.

Right now you can get a free month of complete and unrestricted use. You do not need a credit card for the trial. To claim your free month and see how the brand new Freshbooks can change your business, go to FreshBooks.com/Tim and enter “Tim Ferriss” in the “how did you hear about us” section.

Bonus: People constantly ask me “How can I get a four-hour work week with a service business?” I tell them to download and read Breaking the Time Barrier by FreshBooks — it’s free.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Karlie Kloss:

Kode with Klossy | Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Mother Model Management
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Flatiron School: Coding Bootcamp
Ruby — A Programmer’s Best Friend
Headspace
Transcendental Meditation
TheraBands
Ankle Weights
KitchenAid Mixers
Karlie’s Kookies by Nick Axelrod, Into the Gloss
Momofuku Milk Bar
FEED Projects
NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study
Moleskine Classic Notebook
Moon Juice — The Full Moon Dust Sampler Box
Wunderlist To-do list, Reminders, Errands App
Slack
The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer

Show Notes

Is Karlie Kloss the nicest person on the planet? [06:23]
Who were Karlie’s role models growing up? [07:39]
Decisions that helped Karlie avoid becoming another casualty in the high-turnover world of modeling. [09:04]
What rules and policies did Karlie’s family impose to guide her through starting a career at age 15? [14:11]
How has Karlie remained grounded over the course of her successes? [17:28]
Influential books and podcasts. [21:18]
How did Karlie get started coding? [24:51]
What is Kode with Klossy? [28:22]
What stops a lot of people (including me) from picking up a skill like coding, and what are the benefits of understanding the basics of something new? [29:39]
Karlie talks about coping with the insecurities that accompany modeling as a still-developing teenager and young adult. [36:36]
Karlie’s routines and habits that help her through the day. [40:13]
We discuss morning exercises while traveling (and why your excuses for being “too busy” to exercise are probably baloney). [42:40]
Karlie’s best investments in time and money. [47:28]
Karlie’s motivation for returning to school. [51:01]
Favorite classes. [52:42]
Recent purchases of $100 or less that have had a positive impact on Karlie’s life. [53:14]
What does a page in Karlie’s journal look like, and how does something make it from the page to reality? [54:57]
The importance of asking for help rather than trying to go it alone (even when it’s hard to do). [58:03]
Habits, beliefs, and tools picked up in the last few years that have had a positive impact on Karlie’s life. [1:00:46]
What would Karlie’s billboard say? [1:04:32]
Parting thoughts and more information for girls 13-18 who might be interested in Kode with Klossy. [1:06:38]

People Mentioned

Kathy Ireland
Cindy Crawford
Christy Turlington
Gisele
Kurt Kloss
Kimberly, Kariann, and Kristine Kloss
Tracy Kloss
Calvin Klein
Chris Sacca
Tom Brady
Chad Fowler
Avi Flombaum
Kevin Systrom
Marc Andreessen
Paul Levesque (aka Triple H)
Glenn Danzig
Bruce Lee
Jocko Willink
Amelia Boone
Penni Thow
Casey Neistat
Amanda Palmer

Discipline, Sex, Psychedelics, and More — The Return of Drunk Dialing

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This episode is a rare exception to the rule — unlike my usual long-form interviews, this is a drunk-dialing Q&A with you guys, which I’ve done a few times in the last few years, including for the celebration of the 100th episode of this podcast. In preparation for this episode, I solicited phone numbers from listeners who wanted to receive a call from me, and then I started drinking and dialing, answering questions and getting a little frisky along the way.

In this episode, I cover topics such as:

How Jocko Willink has made me more disciplined
My thoughts on sex as a “doorway to a higher perception”
My past experiences with stimulants and psychedelics
How I determine if a project is working or not. In other words, how do I decide when I should persevere or quit a project and move on?
How I think about teaching
And much, much more!

Please enjoy this tequila-fueled Q&A!

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Discipline, Sex, and Psychedelics -- The Return of Drunk Dialing
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/d93a35f0-e171-4a92-887b-35cee645f835.mp3Download

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another episode when I’m drunk? — Listen to my 100th podcast. In this episode, we discuss tantric sex, how I view and organize my various income streams, marketing yourself in job interviews, and much, much more (stream below or right-click here to download):

#103: Drunk Dialing Fans--Celebrating The 100th Podcast Episode!https://rss.art19.com/episodes/2ffed8c4-306b-4247-9a19-3ca7699cc3ff.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by Peloton, which has become a staple of my daily routine. I picked up this bike after seeing the success of my friend Kevin Rose, and I’ve been enjoying it more than I ever imagined. Peloton is an indoor cycling bike that brings live studio classes right to your home. No worrying about fitting classes into your busy schedule or making it to a studio with a crazy commute.

New classes are added every day, and this includes options led by elite NYC instructors in your own living room. You can even live stream studio classes taught by the world’s best instructors, or find your favorite class on demand.

Peloton is offering listeners to this show a special offer. Visit onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM at checkout to receive $100 off accessories with your Peloton bike purchase. This is a great way to get in your workouts or an incredible gift. Again, that’s onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM.

This episode is also brought to you by Sotheby’s Wine, which offers a selection of the world’s best wines for every palate and occasion. Sotheby’s is a global auctioneer and retailer of fine wine with locations in New York, London, and Hong Kong.

They recently created an online store where you can buy wine directly. Their retail wines range from $14 per bottle to $25,000.

Sotheby’s allows you to sort by region, grape, producer — or you can search for a particular bottle or by your budget. If you’re gifting wine, Sotheby’s suggests champagne, red Bordeaux, Burgundy, or Californian wines. Just one restriction — at this time, Sotheby’s can only ship to New York, California, D.C., New Hampshire, and Idaho.

Visit www.sothebyswine.com and use the promo code “Tim” to get 10% off your first order. Again, that’s sothebyswine.com, and use promo code “Tim” for 10% off your delicious wine.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Jocko Willink’s first, second, and third appearances on this podcast.
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink
Time Is Running Out (Jocko Motivation)
Casa Dragones
Best-selling Author Tim Ferriss Visits Cross Campus Santa Monica
Brendan McCaughey
The Complete Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana
Jack Kornfield — Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy in the Present
The 30-Day Challenge: No Booze, No Masturbating (NOBNOM)
The Multi-Orgasmic Man: Sexual Secrets Every Man Should Know by Mantak Chia and Douglas Abrams
Real Mind Control: The 21-Day No-Complaint Experiment
Are Psychedelic Drugs the Next Medical Breakthrough?
Why a Breathing Technique That Makes You Trip — without Drugs — should Be Your New Year’s Resolution by Eviana Hartman, Vogue
Usona Institute
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
Register your interest in supporting psychedelic scientific research and development here.
Home of the Waking Up Podcast with Sam Harris
Calm
Headspace
The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss
Rust and Iron Episode 1 with Kelly Starrett
Robin’s Cafe
Responsive Conference
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss
AcroYoga
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, and Chris Fussell
Shopify Build a Business
The Robin Zander Show
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton
The Tim Ferriss Show, Episode 22: Ed Catmull, President of Pixar, on Steve Jobs, Stories, and Lessons Learned
Duolingo

Show Notes

Does having Jocko Willink in my life make me more disciplined? [5:36]
What am I drinking today? [11:51]
What states of higher perception can we cultivate through training? [16:50]
How might this type of training translate into other areas of life? [22:45]
Alternatives to psychedelics for people living in places where their use is criminalized (and what we might do to change this). [26:45]
What (aside from luck) has contributed to my ability to reach and teach my current audience? [32:36]
How do I determine when a project that might be exciting to me isn’t exciting to my audience? [44:57]
Why it sometimes pays to power through a dreadfully uncomfortable project with or without feedback from others. [51:06]

People Mentioned

Brendan McCaughey
Jocko Willink
Jack Kornfield
Mantak Chia
Molly
Sam Harris
Robin Zander
Jenny Sauer-Klein
Chris Fussell
Charlie Munger
Warren Buffett
Richard Feynman
Ed Catmull

Daniel Pink — How to Make Better Decisions and Be More Creative

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Photo credit: Nina Subin

“Say something important rather than say important things.”

– Daniel Pink

This podcast explores how to make better decisions, ask better questions, and be more creative. The stories range from escapes to India and speechwriting for Al Gore, to writing bestselling books and using “motivational interviewing” with kids.

The guest is Daniel H. Pink (@danielpink), the author of six provocative books, including his newest, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. WHEN is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and Publishers Weekly bestseller. Pink’s other books include the long-running New York Times bestseller A Whole New Mind and the #1 New York Times bestsellers Drive and To Sell is Human. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into 37 languages. Pink lives in Washington, DC, with his family.

Daniel was the host and co-executive producer of Crowd Control, a television series about human behavior on the National Geographic Channel. For the last six years, London-based Thinkers 50 named him as one of the top-15 business thinkers in the world. Enjoy!

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Daniel Pink — How to Make Better Decisions and Be More Creative
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/b4d37895-5377-4bc4-95a5-67e9f51c3159.mp3Download

Listen to it on iTunes.

Stream by clicking here.

Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast with incredible life advice? — In this episode, I talk with Adam Robinson, Ramit Sethi, and Josh Waitzkin and discuss a variety of topics on business, wealth, and happiness (stream below or right-click here to download):

#210: Becoming the Best Version of Youhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/af891dbf-46f4-45f0-94b6-3bfd187db8e2.mp3Download

This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. While I often praise this company’s lion’s mane mushroom coffee for a minimal caffeine wakeup call that lasts, I asked the founders if they could help me — someone who’s struggled with insomnia for decades — sleep. Their answer: Reishi Mushroom Elixir. They made a special batch for me and my listeners that comes without sweetener; you can try it at bedtime with a little honey or nut milk, or you can just add hot water to your single-serving packet and embrace its bitterness like I do.

Try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/ferriss and using the code Ferriss to get 20 percent off this rare, limited run of Reishi Mushroom Elixir. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.

This episode is also brought to you by WeWork. I haven’t had an office in almost two decades, but working from home and coffee shops isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. When I moved to Austin, one of the first things I did was get a space at WeWork, and I could not be happier. It’s dog friendly and serves the best cold-brew coffee on tap I’ve ever had!

WeWork is a global network of work spaces where companies and people grow together — in fact, more than ten percent of Fortune 500 companies use WeWork. The idea is simple: you focus on your business, and WeWork takes care of the rest — front desk service, utilities, refreshments, and more. WeWork now has more than 200 locations all over the world, so chances are good there’s one near you. Check out we.co/tim to become a part of the global WeWork community!

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: 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 Episode

Connect with Daniel Pink:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need by Daniel H. Pink and Rob Ten Pas
2014 Weinberg College Convocation Address by Daniel Pink (“writing to figure it out” and more)
Yale Law & Policy Review Volume 8, Issue 2 (1990)
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
Free Agent Nation by Daniel H. Pink, Fast Company
Levels of the Game by John McPhee
A Sense of Where You Are: Bill Bradley at Princeton by John McPhee
Oranges by John McPhee
The Survival of the Bark Canoe by John McPhee
Annals of the Former World by John McPhee
Motivational Interviewing
Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself by Daniel H. Pink
Henry Moore’s Sculptures, Tate
The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss
Daniel Pink’s ‘When’ Shows the Importance Of Timing Throughout Life, All Things Considered with Mary Louise Kelly, NPR
Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process by John McPhee
Future Shock by Alvin Toffler
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
What Is Amazon’s Approach to Product Development and Product Management? answered by Ian McAllister at Quora
Pinkcast 1.12: Why You Should Write a Failure Resume (with Tina Seelig)
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
1984 by Gorge Orwell
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
Earthseed: The Complete Series by Octavia E. Butler
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
Cumulus by Eliot Peper
Infomocracy: Book One of the Centenal Cycle by Malka Older
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
The Affair: Season 1
The Lobster Roll
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss

Show Notes

Daniel talks about one of his “best ideas that didn’t go anywhere.” [07:53]
Even though he didn’t pursue a career in law, what did Daniel gain by going to law school? [10:57]
The role of surrogation and intellectual humility in decision making. [15:40]
How did Daniel go from dropping out of law school to speechwriting for Al Gore? [17:54]
Why did Daniel veer away from a career in “the genus of” politics despite a lifelong fascination? [20:20]
How has Daniel become a better speechwriter? [24:49]
We share a love for John McPhee’s ability to write a gripping tale about anything. [38:43]
What is motivational interviewing? [41:33]
To what does Daniel attribute the popularity of his book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future? [47:36]
Is there a common thread through Daniel’s books? [52:58]
What has been the most difficult book for Daniel to write — and why? [55:43]
What do Daniel’s book outlines look like, and how can he distinguish between a good approach and a bad approach? [58:15]
Why early- to mid-afternoon is a time for caution. [1:03:19]
Moving through the day in three stages, and what Daniel wishes he’d known about cognitive abilities earlier in life. [1:05:21]
When does Daniel usually wake up, and what do the first two hours of his day look like? [1:10:43]
When Daniel is in the process of writing a book, what does his typical week look like? [1:15:00]
Does Daniel take set periods of time between writing books? How does he decide on a new project? [1:15:31]
On pitching a bad book idea to Kevin Kelly (among others) and the arguments against it. [1:20:06]
How Daniel knows he has a good idea for a book. [1:22:30]
How does Daniel keep track of the ideas he saves for potential projects, and what gets picked after removing the “flies from the soup?” [1:25:10]
Don’t know what you really think about something? Sometimes you have to write to figure it out. [1:28:43]
How Daniel formulates his book proposals. [1:34:30]
An important question to ask at the proposal stage: “Who is not going to buy this book?” [1:38:15]
Pondering your target market isn’t always an exercise in political correctness. [1:45:13]
How Daniel turns memorable failures into teachable moments. [1:46:42]
A technique for remembering and learning from missteps: the failure resume. [1:52:19]
What books has Daniel gifted to others? [1:55:19]
Why is Daniel currently obsessed with dystopian fiction? [2:00:11]
“Assume positive intent” as a default setting. [2:01:14]
Catching up, good words to use today, and parting thoughts. [2:04:51]

People Mentioned

Kevin Kelly
Atul Gawande
Al Gore
Robert Reich
Brian Koppelman
Jessica Lerner
John McPhee
Arthur Ashe
Clark Graebner
Michael Pantalon
Henry Moore
David Allen
Charles Yarnoff
Ian McAllister
Tina Seelig
Anne Lamott
Steven Pressfield
Viktor E. Frankl
Philip Roth
Octavia E. Butler
Sinclair Lewis
Eliot Peper
Malka Older
Ray Porter