Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 72

Tribe of Mentors Giveaway

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If you have any interest in winning many of the “favorite purchases of $100 or less” that are featured in Tribe of Mentors, then the next two minutes of reading are definitely worth your time.

I’ve partnered with StackSocial to offer you the ultimate Tribe of Mentors giveaway. We are offering an “Apple Dream Setup” as the grand prize, and there are tons of runner-up prizes (see below).

For those of you who really want to win, it’s simple: sign up (it’s free), and every time you share, you receive another five entries. So spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter vastly improves your odds.

Click here to sign up. And if you haven’t picked up a copy of Tribe of Mentors, please check it out!

Grand Prize: The Apple Dream Setup Prize ($3,050 value)

Is any introduction really necessary here? Win this giveaway, and you’re bringing home a complete set of Apple’s flagship products. An entire tech makeover is just an entry away!

Apple MacBook Pro  ($1,300 value)
Apple iPhone X  ($1,000 value)
Apple AirPods  ($150 value)
Apple Watch 3  ($400 value)
Apple TV 4K  ($200 value)

1st Runner Up: The Tribe of Mentors Top-Tier Tool Kit #1 ($913 value)

Sourced from some of the most successful, productive people in the world, each of these products was named by a mentor (in Tribe of Mentors) as an extremely impactful purchase in their life.

Manduka Pro Black Yoga Mat , chosen by Leo Babauta
Weight Blanket by Weight Idea , chosen by Whitney Cummings
Apple Pencil , chosen by Debbie Milman
Beats Solo3 Wireless Beats , chosen by Turia Pitt
The HeartMath Inner Balance , chosen by Adam Robinson
Hearos Xtreme Protection NRR 33 , chosen by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Native Union iPhone Charging Cable  and  Tata Harper Be True Lip Treatment , chosen by Brene Brown
LithiumCard Wallet Battery with Smartphone Charger , chosen by Aisha Tyler

2nd Runner Up: The Tribe of Mentors Top-Tier Tool Kit #2 ($549 value)

From apparel and tools to help you wake up in the morning, to reusable shopping bags, this tool kit stresses the importance of doing the simple things consistently well.

Under Armour SC30 ICDAT Men’s Basketball Short Sleeve Shirt , chosen by Marc Benioff
Phillips Wake-Up Light with Colored Sunrise Simulation , chosen by Mathew Fraser
The Five Minute Journal , chosen by Annie Mist Thorisdottir
MacBook SleeveCase by WaterField Designs , chosen by Sam Harris
ChicoBag Original Reusable Shopping Tote: 4-Pack , chosen by Patton Oswalt
Incase City Collection Compact Backpack , chosen by Ben Stiller
Apple AirPods , chosen by Ben Silbermann
Tile Mate Key Finder , chosen by Neil Strauss

Stewart Brand – The Polymath of Polymaths

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“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” – Stewart Brand

Stewart Brand (@stewartbrand) is the president of The Long Now Foundation, established to foster long-term thinking and responsibility. He leads a project called Revive & Restore, which seeks to bring back extinct animal species such as the passenger pigeon and woolly mammoth.

Stewart is very well known for founding, editing, and publishing The Whole Earth Catalog (WEC), which changed my life when I was a little kid. It also received a national book award for its 1972 issue.

Stewart is the co-founder of The WELL and The Global Business Network, and author of Whole Earth Discipline, The Clock Of The Long Now, How Buildings Learn, and The Media Lab. He was trained in biology at Stanford and served as an infantry officer in the US Army.

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

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Stewart Brand - The Polymath of Polymaths
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/24f7ada5-64c3-4844-9522-ed6f3c144f1f.mp3

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 conversation with a fascinating polymath?  Listen to this episode with Kevin Kelly, in which we discuss population implosions, The Long Now Foundation, organizational methods for learning, and much more? — Listen to them here (stream below or right-click to download part 1 | part 2 | part 3):

Ep 25: Kevin Kelly - WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The Worldhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/6f89ca68-cfff-4e64-9230-ea3bcdcad3cf.mp3

Ep 26: Kevin Kelly (Part 2) - WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World?https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e77c8948-ef94-48a2-ab97-cb3c114ebb28.mp3

Ep 27: Kevin Kelly (Part 3) - WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World?https://rss.art19.com/episodes/29d135c2-52c2-4253-a7a1-4c084d6893d3.mp3

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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People are always asking me what I use for cognitive enhancement right now — this is the answer. You can try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/tim and using the code Tim to get 20 percent off your first order. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.

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 Stewart Brand:

The Long Now Foundation | Twitter

Cool Tools for Travel — Tim Ferriss and Kevin Kelly
Revive & Restore
Whole Earth Catalog
Steve Jobs’s Stanford University Commencement Speech
Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto by Stewart Brand
The Clock Of The Long Now: Time and Responsibility by Stewart Brand
How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built by Stewart Brand
The Media Lab: Inventing the Future at M.I.T. by Stewart Brand
Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Book by and for Women by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective
A clip of Stewart Brand and Steve Jobs from The Library of Congress’ Memory & Imagination documentary
Seeing Whole Systems by Nicky Case, SALT
The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man’s Changing Vision of the Universe by Arthur Koestler
My most recent TED Talk: Why You Should Define Your Fears Instead of Your Goals
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
Are Psychedelic Drugs the Next Medical Breakthrough?
The Merry Pranksters
Acid Test Graduation Ceremony 1966
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Adventures of a Bystander by Peter F. Drucker
SRI International’s Augmentation Research Center (ARC)
Machines of Loving Grace: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots by John Markoff
Pace Layer Thinkers: Stewart Brand and Paul Saffo’s Conversation at The Interval, Recap and Full Audio by Mikl Em, The Long Now Foundation
SALT Summaries, Condensed Ideas About Long-term Thinking by Stewart Brand and Brian Eno
Deep Optimism by Matt Ridley, SALT
Why the West Rules — For Now by Ian Morris, SALT
How Societies Fail — And Sometimes Succeed by Jared Diamond, SALT
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
Time Travel by James Gleick, SALT
Time Travel: A History by James Gleick
Kevin Kelly’s various SALT appearances
Nature is Rebounding: Land- and Ocean-sparing through Concentrating Human Activities by Jesse Ausubel, SALT
Why Cities Keep on Growing, Corporations Always Die, and Life Gets Faster by Geoffrey West, SALT
Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies by Geoffrey West
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera
The Woolly Mammoth Revival, Revive & Restore
CRISPR
The American Chestnut Foundation
Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto by Stewart Brand by Jon Turney, The Guardian
Joining 3.5 Billion Years of Microbial Invention by Craig Venter, SALT
CrossFit
The Mother of All Demos, presented by Douglas Engelbart (1968)
Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness by J.C. Herz
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of CrossFit
Stewart Brand States Information Wants to Be Free, first Hackers Conference in 1984
The Hackers Conference
Big History Project
Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse
New Games — The Early Days by Bernard Louis De Koven, A Playful Path
The New Games Book by New Games Foundation
Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play-Element in Culture by Johan Huizinga

Show Notes

How I was introduced to Stewart’s Whole Earth Catalog (WEC) as a child, and what appealed to me most. [09:15]
What do people usually remember most from their early exposure to WEC? [12:11]
Stewart talks about time he spent with Steve Jobs and the question he regrets not asking. [13:49]
What was intended by WEC’s sentiment of “Stay hungry. Stay foolish?” [16:57]
Has the randomized course of Stewart’s life been by design or serendipity? [19:52]
What made Stewart give up skydiving? [23:08]
How did Stewart emerge from his post-WEC depression, and how does he keep panic at bay today? [30:35]
Stewart talks about his early experiences with psychedelics — and what made him stop using them. [37:38]
Stewart talks about his 1966 campaign to NASA (and its Soviet rival agency) for public release of an image of Earth from space. [44:07]
Stewart’s lessons from R. Buckminster Fuller, Peter Drucker, and Marshall McLuhan. [49:24]
On influencing civilization by changing its tools rather than the futile pursuit of trying to reshape human nature. [52:11]
The ongoing debate between artificial intelligence and intelligence augmentation. [54:44]
The ideas behind The Long Now Foundation and what Stewart aims to accomplish. [56:48]
Seminars About Long-Term Thinking (SALT) Stewart recommends as an introduction to the series. [59:13]
Thee woolly mammoth in the room: Revive & Restore’s quest for its de-extinction. [1:10:30]
What would Stewart say to people fearful of meddling with complex systems — like species de-extinction and climate change reversal? [1:15:09]
Reintroducing the idea of bioabundance. [1:19:51]
What Stewart believes environmental purists get wrong about providing for a sustainable future. [1:23:03]
What’s the secret behind Stewart’s powers of persuasion? [1:27:42]
How has Stewart made it this far without an archnemesis? [1:30:34]
Stewart’s favorite failures. [1:32:11]
What appeals to Stewart about CrossFit training, and how it helped him lose 30 pounds at age 75. [1:34:52]
Stewart’s thoughts on witnessing the beginning of something big — from CrossFit to Douglas Engelbart’s Mother of All Demos. [1:38:19]
Caution to anyone who might develop a myopic view of fitness based on one camp’s approach. [1:45:51]
In what ways does Stewart believe information wants to be free? [1:47:23]
The rewards of being a pack rat. [1:54:22]
What class would Stewart like to teach? [1:57:15]
Stewart’s approach to long-term projects at age 78. [1:59:09]
On a lifelong fascination with games, and how James Carse’s Finite and Infinite Games has changed Stewart’s thinking. [2:04:37]
The contrast between goals and pathways. [2:16:45]
The power of changing one’s mind frequently along the way. [2:22:57]
Can politicians succeed if they have the courage to change their minds? [2:27:06]
Books Stewart recommends to someone who wants to learn to think more scientifically. [2:32:31]
What does Stewart wish he knew when he was my age? [2:35:46]
Final thoughts on how we might overcome a fear of — and learn to welcome — unintended consequences. [2:38:39]

People Mentioned

Kevin Kelly
Tim O’Reilly
Steve Jobs
Nicky Case
Brian Eno
Arthur Koestler
John Kerry
Ryan Phelan
Richard Rockefeller
Ken Kesey
Tom Wolfe
R. Buckminster Fuller
Marshall McLuhan
Peter Drucker
Steve Wozniak
Douglas Engelbart
John Markoff
Matt Ridley
Ian Morris
Jared Diamond
James Gleick
Jesse Ausubel
Geoffrey West
Milan Kundera
Danny Hillis
John Dewey
William James
Al Gore
Craig Venter
Jerry Brown
Ralph Gracie
J.C. Herz
Bill English
Alan Kay
Lee Felsenstein
Frederic Spiegelberg
Oliver Sacks
Jane McGonigal
James Carse
Gregory Bateson
John von Neumann
Scott Adams

6 Short Life Lessons From Terry Crews

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Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

The below profile is adapted from the new book, Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World, which features practical and detailed advice from 130+ of the world’s top performers. Enjoy!

###

Terry Crews (@terrycrews, terrycrews.com) is an actor and former NFL player (Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, and Philadelphia Eagles). His wide-ranging credits include the original viral Old Spice commercials, television series such as The Newsroom, Arrested Development, and Everybody Hates Chris, and films including White Chicks, the Expendables franchise, Bridesmaids, and The Longest Yard. He now stars on the Golden Globe Award–winning Fox sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. In 2014, Terry released his autobiography, Manhood: How to Be a Better Man — or Just Live with One.

What is the book (or books) you’ve given most as a gift, and why? Or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel. I have read hundreds of personal development books, but this is the one that clearly showed me how to visualize, contemplate, and focus on what it was I truly wanted. It revealed to me that we only get what we desire most, and to apply myself with a laserlike focus upon a goal, task, or project. That in order to “have” you must “do,” and in order to “do” you must “be” — and this process is immediate. Although it takes time for these desires to manifest in our material world, you must see the thing you desire as completed, finished, and real, now. The better you can do this, the more you can accomplish. I have bought several copies of this book and distributed it to family and friends. I also reread it probably once a month to keep my vision clear.

Two more are Viktor E. Frankl’s incredible Man’s Search for Meaning and David McRaney’s You Are Not So Smart. Both books are absolutely essential to me in order to keep my perspectives correct in a changing world.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?

1986. It was my senior year in high school at Flint Academy in Flint, Michigan. I was the starting center for our class C basketball team. We had a great team that year, and we were expected to go very far, if not all the way, in the state playoffs. We faced Burton Atherton in the district final, and we were expected to trounce them, but they tried something we’d never seen before. They didn’t play. They would bring the ball down the court and just pass it back and forth at the top of the key. There was no shot clock, so they did this forever. The only time we scored was when we managed to steal the ball. But our coach, for some reason, decided we were going to let them do it. I remember standing there, with my hands raised in zone defense, watching them hold the ball without even attempting to shoot. I was frustrated, and every attempt I made to step out of the zone was rebuffed by our coach. This method was working for them, because with only five seconds left on the game clock, they were up 47-45.

One of their players made a mistake and tried a long pass cross court and I stole the ball. I desperately dribbled the entire length of the court . . . 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . for our only chance to win. I missed. Their fans go crazy, as it was the biggest upset of the year, and I collapse in a heap, thinking my life is over. The coach afterward told the whole team that I had no business taking that shot and I should have passed it to our star player. It was in the paper the next day that I failed, and I was ridiculed by students and teachers alike. I was beyond crushed. A dark cloud covered me everywhere I went as I internalized the loss.

A few days later, as the fog of failure began to lift, I remember having a rare time alone in my room (I usually shared it with my brother). As I sat in the silence, another thought pierced through my sadness. “I took the shot.” It was invigorating, even exciting. “Hey, when all the chips were on the line, you didn’t leave your future up to others, YOU TOOK YOUR SHOT.” Instantly I felt free and in control. I knew from then on that I could have the courage to fail on my own terms. From that moment, I decided that if I was going to succeed or fail, it was going to be up to me. I was changed forever.

If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say and why?

“God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quote because it is all about defeating fear. Every great and extraordinary accomplishment in this world was done through courage. Hell, you don’t even get to be born unless your mother has the courage to have you. I repeat this phrase when I’m anxious or nervous about something. I ask myself, what’s the worst that can happen. Usually, the answer is, “You can die.” Then I answer back, “I’d rather die doing something I feel is great and amazing rather than be safe and comfortable living a life I hate.” I talk to myself a lot, and this quote helps me sort out my fears and deal with them. The more you run from your fears, the bigger they get, but the more you go into them, the more they tend to vanish like a mirage.

What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore?

There is a big difference between intelligence and wisdom. Many are fooled into thinking they are the same thing, but they are not. I have seen intelligent serial killers, but I’ve never seen a wise one. Intelligent human beings have been given this trumped-up position in society where, just because they’re intelligent, they are to be listened to, and I have found this is extremely dangerous. I was in a Christian cult along with other very intelligent people but, looking back, if I had heeded wisdom, I would have seen we were all on the wrong path. Intelligence is like following a GPS route right into a body of water until you drown. Wisdom looks at the route but, when it takes a turn into the ocean, decides not to follow it, then finds a new, better way. Wisdom reigns supreme.

Ignore any advice that tells you you are going to miss something. Every mistake I have ever made in business, marriage, and personal conduct was because I thought if I didn’t do or get this now, it was never going to happen. It’s like most clubs in LA. The trick is to keep the line long at the door, while the club itself is empty. The “aura of exclusivity” is really code for “bad atmosphere.” To do what you desire to do, you have all you need.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

“Work hard to beat the competition.” The truth is that competition is the opposite of creativity. If I am working hard to beat the competition, it actually prevents me from thinking creatively to make all concepts of competition obsolete. As a football player, I was told to work hard to compete against the other team, some perceived future threat (new draftees, age, or injury), and even my current teammates. As an actor, you are told to look a certain way or do things you don’t agree with in order to “compete.” This competitive mindset destroys people. It’s the scorched-earth way of thinking, and everyone is burned.

The truth is that you need the success of everyone in your field in order to achieve your own success. Creativity operates differently. You work hard because you’re inspired to, not because you have to. Work becomes fun, and you have energy for days because this life is not a “young man’s game.” It is an “inspired person’s game.” The keys belong to whoever is inspired, and no specific age, sex, gender, or cultural background has a monopoly on inspiration. When you’re creative, you render competition obsolete, because there is only one you, and no one can do things exactly the way you do. Never worry about the competition. When you’re creative, you can, in fact, cheer others on with the full knowledge that their success will undoubtedly be your own.

In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to? What new realizations and/or approaches helped?

I realized that I had to let people leave my life, never to return. Every relationship I have in my life, from family and friends to business partners, must be a voluntary relationship. My wife can leave at any time. Family members can call me or not. Business partners can decide to move on, and it’s all okay. But the same is true on my end. If I say I’m ready to move on and someone doesn’t accept that, now we have a problem. I remember trying to move on from a very close friend because he was displaying behaviors I wasn’t comfortable with. Soon after, I received a letter by certified mail, threatening me with a lawsuit for over a million dollars because of the demise of our “friendship.” It was ridiculous and it still is, so I actually framed the letter as a reminder of the necessity of letting people go and moving on. One approach I use is imaginary great-grandchildren. I talk to them all the time. I ask them about decisions and relationships and whether or not to continue them. They tend to speak loud and clear. “Grandpa, you shouldn’t do this, or you need to leave these people alone because we will be affected negatively, or worse, we won’t exist.” Those moments show me that this whole thing is bigger than me. It’s the realization that there is a “will to pleasure,” a “will to power” and, in the words of Viktor Frankl, a “will to meaning.” You won’t take a bullet for pleasure or power, but you will for meaning. So you sometimes have to do what I call a “crowd-thinner.” One wrong person in your circle can destroy your whole future. It’s that important.

###

The above was taken from Tribe of Mentors, which shares short, tactical life advice from 130+ world-class performers from every imaginable field. Many of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs, athletes, investors, and artists are part of the book.

Get Tribe of Mentors at these fine retailers or at your local bookstore!   Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Apple iBooks | Books-A-Million | Indigo

Here’s a partial list of people included: tech icons (founders of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Pinterest, Spotify, Salesforce, Dropbox, and more), Jimmy Fallon, Arianna Huffington, Brandon Stanton (Humans of New York), Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ben Stiller, Maurice Ashley (first African-American Grandmaster of chess), Brené Brown (researcher and bestselling author), Rick Rubin (legendary music producer), Temple Grandin (animal behavior expert and autism activist), Franklin Leonard (The Black List), Dara Torres (12-time Olympic medalist in swimming), David Lynch (director), Kelly Slater (surfing legend), Bozoma Saint John (Beats/Apple/Uber), Lewis Cantley (famed cancer researcher), Maria Sharapova, Chris Anderson (curator of TED), Terry Crews, Greg Norman (golf icon), Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum), and roughly 100 more. Click here to see the full list, sample chapters, and more.

The Erotic Playbook of a Top-Earning Sex Worker (NSFW)

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“Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.”

-Mae West

Alice Little (@thealicelittle) is considered the #1 top-earning legal sex worker in the United States. She is a 4’8″ legal sex worker at Nevada’s world famous Moonlite Bunny Ranch.  This episode is definitely not suitable for work (NSFW).

In this wide-ranging episode, we cover a lot of ground, including:


Technical sex tips
How Alice puts people at ease, including adult virgins
BDSM and power play
Threesome do’s and don’ts, plus the “Big KO” finishing move
Her music playlist for getting people into the erotic zone
Misconceptions about sex workers and the realities
Why “The Girlfriend Experience (GFE)” is her most popular offering
How she works with couples who want to explore new boundaries


Alice is also a vocal advocate for legal sex workers and the founder of the political movement “Hookers for Healthcare.” Featured on ABC’s Nightline, Alice is no stranger to the conversation of sex surrogacy and seeks to shift America’s perceptions of sex workers and sex work.

Enjoy!

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The Erotic Playbook of a Top-Earning Sex Worker (NSFW)
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/94e42944-29a2-4028-9cdc-866fdb84cd12.mp3

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 about sex? — Listen to her my interview with Esther Perel. In this conversation, 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 (stream below or right-click here to download):

#241: The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More (with Esther Perel)https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e4cf219a-1a1f-4f4d-98b2-b68ef2e87e1e.mp3

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 to save 15%, and see how the fine folks there can make life easier for you and your business.

This podcast is also brought to you by WordPress.com, 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.com — used by The New Yorker, Jay Z, Beyonce, 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 Alice Little:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

The Moonlite Bunny Ranch
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Eleven Minutes: A Novel (P.S.) by Paulo Coelho
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Cathouse: The Series
Pony Play Info and Resources
‘End of an Era’: Porn Actors Lament the Loss of Legendary San Francisco Armory by Sam Levin, The Guardian
The Wild and Kinky World of BDSM, The Daily Dot
Passion Lubes Natural Water-Based Lubricant, 55 Gallon Drum
Sex and Power by Christian de la Huerta, The Huffington Post
Fifty Shades of Grey
Magic Wand Massager with Shibari Variable Speed Controller
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
The Girlfriend Experience by Alice Little
BDSM in the Brothels — What You Need to Know by Alice Little
Threesome: The Most Sought After Sexual Fantasy by Alice Little
The Complete Kama Sutra by Vatsyayana
What is Surrogate Partner Therapy?
Watermark by Enya
Lindsey Stirling by Lindsey Stirling
50 Best Chillstep selection Ibiza 2013 Sexy Beach House Songs by Chill Step DJ Karma
More Men Should Learn The Difference Between Masculinity and Toxic Masculinity by Ryan Douglass, The Huffington Post
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss
Beautiful Agony
Porn and the Threat to Virility by Belinda Luscombe, Time Magazine
Fleshlight
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Oral Sex — Best Blowjob Ever by Alice Little
Love Ranch North
Kit Kat Guest Ranch
Sagebrush Ranch
The Alien Cathouse
The Art of the Pimp: One Man’s Search for Love, Sex, and Money by Dennis Hof
Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel by Arthur Golden
What’s the Difference between a Geisha, a Maiko and a Geiko?, Kimonogeisha
OXO Good Grips Handheld Spiralizer
What Is Sacred Sex?
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach

Show Notes

Introductions. [08:00]
How did Alice get into rare book collecting? [09:23]
What was Alice’s introduction to sex work? [11:09]
Where did Alice grow up? [13:12]
What stood out to Alice when she was watching HBO’s Cathouse series? [13:47]
What is BDSM? [15:40]
What does “discipline” in the context of BDSM entail? [16:36]
How did Alice celebrate her 18th birthday? [17:44]
How did Alice get into sex work? [18:40]
What other careers has Alice tried? [19:52]
Alice talks about her first appointment at the Bunny Ranch. [20:57]
How does negotiation work? [23:22]
What are the most important questions Alice asks prior to an appointment? [27:10]
What guidelines or suggestions does Alice offer an unsure client (or couple)? [28:43]
Alice describes a foreplay exercise. [29:44]
What separates smart guys from dumb guys during a couple’s first encounter? [32:44]
If the icebreaker doesn’t work, what’s Alice’s next step? [35:17]
What’s an edible body massage? [35:46]
What does Alice do to make a woman comfortable? [36:36]
Best practices for bringing a woman to orgasm. [38:19]
A common mistake men often make when trying to help a woman climax. [40:17]
An alternative use for the Hitachi Magic Wand. [41:17]
How long does a couples session typically last? [42:33]
Most requested experiences and activities. [44:14]
Alice says more women should try this position. [48:18]
Guidelines for people who want to explore consensual non-monogamy. [50:45]
Walking through an adult virgin’s first time. [53:11]
What’s the typical demographic of a brothel’s clientele? [1:04:26]
What kind of person gets involved in sex work? [1:07:27]
Sex as a societal need. [1:09:39]
What does Alice get out of her work? [1:11:26]
What has Alice learned about herself through her work? [1:12:49]
What has Alice learned about men? [1:14:42]
Why does Alice think The Girlfriend Experience (GFE) is her most requested appointment? [1:19:29]
What is the average duration of a GFE session? [1:26:34]
How does Alice feel about pornography? [1:27:02]
What separates a good female sex worker from a great female sex worker? [1:32:56]
How might Alice and a coworker go above and beyond to make a threesome truly memorable? [1:38:54]
Blowjob tips. [1:40:38]
What kind of finish gets the most rave reviews? [1:45:00]
What points are negotiated prior to an appointment? How discreet is billing? [1:47:49]
Do different brothels cater to different audiences? [1:55:22]
What still turns Alice on? [1:56:48]
How did Alice let her mother know about her chosen vocation — and how did she take the news? [1:59:48]
What books have Alice gifted most to others? [2:05:17]
Recent purchase of less than a hundred dollars that has improved Alice’s quality of life. [2:09:49]
What would Alice’s billboard say, and where would she put it? [2:12:01]
What class would Alice teach? [2:15:26]
Parting thoughts. [2:17:46]

People Mentioned

Robb Wolf
Molly
Paulo Coelho
Anne Frank
Air Force Amy
Mae West
Mark Twain
Oscar Wilde
Christopher Sommer
Enya
Lindsey Stirling
Amelia Heart
Michael Jordan
Dennis Hof
Hannah Foxx
Tara Brach

The Most Curious Man in Hollywood — Brian Grazer

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“‘Good enough’ equals shitty.”

– Brian Grazer

Brian Grazer (@BrianGrazer) is an Academy Award-winning producer and New York Times bestselling author (A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life, with Charles Fishman) who has been making movies and television programs for more than 25 years. Grazer and his longtime friend and business partner Ron Howard began their collaboration in 1985 on the hit comedies Nightshift and Splash, and in 1986 they founded Imagine Entertainment.

In 2002, Grazer won an Oscar for Best Picture for A Beautiful Mind (shared with Ron Howard). In 2007, he was named one of Time‘s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” His films and TV series have been nominated for 43 Academy Awards and 131 Emmys.

In this episode, we discuss:

Brian’s “supertool” that helped him get ahead in business.
How to pitch people to create opportunity.
Favorite failures and lessons learned.
Brian’s criteria for choosing what movies to make.
How to develop better decision-making abilities.
And much, much more.

This episode was recorded in front of a live, sold-out audience of about 2,000 people at Summit LA17 in Los Angeles. Enjoy!

[image error] [image error]

The Most Curious Man in Hollywood — Brian Grazer
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/0229ba90-4725-4718-b788-e50326fcc779.mp3

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 a brilliant producer? — Listen to my conversation with Vince Vaughn. In this episode, we discuss stories of his early beginnings, how to negotiate, his cold-calling career, and important decisions he’s made as a producer, an artist, and a businessperson (stream below or right-click here to download):

#243: How to Fear Less -- Vince Vaughnhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/0429c488-3e5d-43c2-b504-1fe1456ebc37.mp3

This podcast is brought to you by MeUndies. I’ve spent the last year wearing underwear from these guys 24/7, and they are the most comfortable and colorful underwear I’ve ever owned. MeUndies are designed in L.A. and made from sustainably sourced MicroModal — a fabric three times softer than cotton. Even better, it includes free shipping.

If you don’t love your first pair of MeUndies, they’ll hook you up with a new pair or a refund. If you love the product, they have three different subscription plans — so you’ll never be bored with the ever-changing selection. Check out MeUndies.com/Tim to see my current faves and get 20 percent off your first pair. That’s MeUndies.com/Tim.

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” in the “how did you hear about us” section.

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 Brian Grazer:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman
Summit LA17
Friday Night Lights: the book, the film, and the series.
Basic Butterfly Stroke Technique
Warner Bros. Studio
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
The Godfather
Love Story
Universal Studios
Heaven Can Wait
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Wide World of Sports
Zuma Beach
Splash
Night Shift
Paramount Studios
Happy Days
The Andy Griffith Show
Dunkirk
Genius
Tulane University
University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address — Admiral William H. McRaven
Dumbo
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
When LA Erupted In Anger: A Look Back At The Rodney King Riots by Maureen Pao and Karen Grisby Bates, NPR
Eye Contact: The Power of One on One by Brian Grazer
8 Mile
Apollo 13
Braveheart
Sidney Poitier announces Best Picture at the 68th Academy Awards in 1996.
A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind Wins Best Picture: 2002 Oscars
Fear
National Lampoon’s Animal House
Stripes
Gucci

Show Notes

Introducing Brian. [08:55]
Brian tells us how his 4’10 grandmother championed his curiosity at an early age. [10:42]
On the trauma of being cut from his high school football team in front of 300 classmates. [12:25]
Why Brian stayed in college despite the urgings of one teacher dubiously named “Mr. French.” [19:00]
Why Brian went (and then discontinued going) to law school. [22:01]
Working as a law clerk at the Warner Bros. legal department wasn’t glamorous, but it gave enterprising Brian the opportunity to make connections. [23:45]
What was Brian’s “supertool of curiosity” that got him invited to watch studio heads work? [27:55]
Lew Wasserman’s no-B.S. advice to Brian at their first meeting. [31:52]
Brian wasn’t above using financial bribery to avoid being fired. [34:22]
How does Brian’s modern pitch for meeting important people differ from when he first started? [35:09]
From fired law clerk to fired up aspirations of becoming a studio executive. [39:37]
How Brian’s partnership with Ron Howard came about. [44:44]
What advice would Brian give to others who are trying to cultivate their own curiosity? [47:35]
Advice for contacting someone who is hard to reach. [50:44]
How do people blow it when reaching out to Brian? [52:34]
How does Brian choose lunch companionship? [56:23]
Does Brian ever go out of his way to meet people with whom he knows he’ll disagree? [1:00:44]
The story behind Brian’s signature hairstyle. [1:06:20]
How did the movie 8 Mile come to be? [1:08:26]
A favorite failure and lessons learned. [1:16:56]
Brian’s criteria for choosing movies to make. [1:24:21]
An example of what can happen when a good story’s perspective is miscalibrated for its audience. [1:27:55]
What separates a good producer from a great producer? [1:30:21]
Can taste be developed or is it fixed? [1:32:47]
On keeping a gratitude journal and parting thoughts. [1:34:43]

People Mentioned

Sue Mengers
Warren Beatty
William Peter Blatty
Ted Ashley
John Calley
Frank Wells
Mel Brooks
Richard Brooks
Robert Evans
Lew Wasserman
Henry Kissinger
Melody Sherwood
Barbara Walters
Edgar J. Scherick
Scott Rudin
Tom Hanks
Ron Howard
Michael Eisner
Barry Diller
Louisa Velis
Rem Koolhaas
Thomas Costa Grazer
Walter Isaacson
Albert Einstein
Gucci Mane
LeBron James
Gabe Johns
William H. McRaven
Edward Teller
Jeff Bezos
Isaac Asimov
Janet Asimov
Robert S. McNamara
Daryl Gates
Rodney King
Sage Grazer
Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Slick Rick
Chuck D
Frank Rich
Eminem
Jimmy Iovine
Sidney Poitier
Jim Lovell
Russell Crowe
Sandra Bullock
Nicole Kidman
Mark Wahlberg
Reese Witherspoon
Harold Ramis
Alessandro Michele
FranÁois Pinault
Veronica Smiley

Tim O’Reilly – The Trend Spotter

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“Money is like gas during a road trip. You don’t want to run out of gas on your trip, but you’re not doing a tour of gas stations.” – Tim O’Reilly

Tim O’Reilly (@timoreilly) is one of the most fascinating polymaths I’ve ever encountered. Wired has called him “the trend spotter” in the world of tech and macrotrends.

Tim is the founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, Inc. His original business plan was pretty simple: “interesting work for interesting people,” and that’s worked out pretty well. His company has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue doing everything from online learning, book publishing, running conferences, urging companies to create more value than they capture, and trying to change the world by spreading and amplifying the knowledge of innovators.

In ’93, Tim launched the first commercial website. In ’98, he organized the meeting where the term “open source software” was agreed upon and helped the business world understand its emerging importance. Tim has now turned his attention and is very focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications, the on-demand economy, and other technologies that are transforming the nature of work and the future shape of the business world.

His new book is WTF?: What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us. Enjoy!

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Tim O'Reilly - The Trend Spotter
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/00ba562c-2ed1-4258-93c2-04d525c75349.mp3

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 conversation with a futurist? Listen to my interviews with Kevin Kelly. In this 3-part conversation, we discuss population implosions, The Long Now Foundation, organizational methods for learning, and much more. Listen to them here (stream below or right-click to download part 1 | part 2 | part 3):

Ep 25: Kevin Kelly - WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The Worldhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/6f89ca68-cfff-4e64-9230-ea3bcdcad3cf.mp3

Ep 26: Kevin Kelly (Part 2) - WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World?https://rss.art19.com/episodes/e77c8948-ef94-48a2-ab97-cb3c114ebb28.mp3

Ep 27: Kevin Kelly (Part 3) - WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World?https://rss.art19.com/episodes/29d135c2-52c2-4253-a7a1-4c084d6893d3.mp3

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 in 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 onepelton.com and enter the code TIM.  

This podcast is also brought to you by ZipRecruiter. One of the hardest parts about growing any business is finding and hiring the right team. Nothing can drain your resources and cost you time and money like making mistakes in hiring.

ZipRecruiter developed its own system and platform for helping solve two of the biggest bottlenecks for employers: posting jobs easily and making it even easier to find the best candidates. More than 80 percent of jobs posted return qualified candidates based on your criteria in just 24 hours. As a listener to this show, you can give it a try for free at ziprecruiter.com/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 Tim O’Reilly:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

WTF?: What’s the Future and Why It’s Up to Us by Tim O’Reilly
Cool Tools for Travel — Tim Ferriss and Kevin Kelly
Gastrointestinal Absorption of Copper: Studies with 64Cu, 95Zr, a Whole-Body Counter, and the Scintillation Camera by Paul M. Weber, Sean O’Reilly, Myron Pollycove, and Leroy Shipley
The San Francisco Foundation
Code for America
California Proposition 47, Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative
We’re Listening — and Improving Every Day, HealthCare.gov Blog, 2013
United States Digital Service
Travelers’ Tales
The Civil War by Bruce Catton
Loving Every Child: Wisdom for Parents by Sandra Joseph
When Nietzsche Wept: A Novel of Obsession by Irvin D. Yalom
The Discovery of the Mind by Bruno Snell
The Odyssey by Homer
Frank Herbert by Timothy O’Reilly
General Semantics
Structural Differential
USENIX
The Way of Life, According to Lao Tzu by Witter Bynner
Reality and the Nature of Perception in Wallace Stevens’ ‘An Ordinary Evening in New Haven’ by Timothy J. Segar, Segar’s Sculpture
Dune by Frank Herbert
Babel-17 / Empire Star by Samuel R. Delany
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
Night Train to Lisbon: A Novel by Pascal Mercier
The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats by W.B. Yeats
Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
The Essential Rumi, New Expanded Edition by Jalal al-Din Rumi and Coleman Barks
The Kabir Book: Forty-Four of the Ecstatic Poems of Kabir by Robert Bly
The Collected Poems: The Corrected Edition by Wallace Stevens and Chris Beyers
East Coker by T.S. Eliot
Make: Technology on Your Time
The Whole Internet User’s Guide & Catalog by Ed Krol
The Oracle of Silicon Valley by Max Chafkin, Inc.
It’s Not About You: The Truth About Social Media Marketing by Tim O’Reilly, LinkedIn
Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach by Hal R. Varian
The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee
Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy by Carl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian
Containers with Alexis Madrigal Episode 4: COFFEE
The Clothesline Paradox by Steve Baer, CoEvolution Quarterly
Jeff Immelt Exits as GE Chairman Months Earlier Than Planned by Adam Shell, USA Today
Makers and Takers: How Wall Street Destroyed Main Street by Rana Foroohar
The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen
The Capitalist’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen and Derek van Bever, Harvard Business Review
How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness by Russ Roberts
The Social Network
GRAIL — Detecting Cancer Early, When It Can Be Cured
Indie.vc
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Charlie Chan: Five Complete Novels: The House Without a Key; The Chinese Parrot; Behind That Curtain; The Black Camel; Keeper of the Keys by Earl Derr Biggers
Trilby by George Du Maurier
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers Testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications
Planet Labs
How I Detect Fake News by Tim O’Reilly, Medium

Show Notes

How is Tim O’Reilly like the Cookie Monster? [08:24]
How I managed to get a Sesame Street staff jacket. [10:11]
Humorous stories about Tim’s mother and the petty criminal side of the family. [13:10]
What happens when formerly illegal businesses are decriminalized and the Catch-22 faced by potential entrepreneurs barred by prior convictions. [16:16]
What do Tim’s many siblings do? [22:46]
What advice would Tim give to a parent whose child is bright but disinterested in school? [27:32]
“First will what is necessary and then love what you will.” [31:17]
Why did Tim make the transition from studying classics to writing technical manuals? [33:46]
How Tim’s concept of perception was shaped by mentor George Simon and the ideas behind Alfred Korzybski’s General Semantics. [39:18]
Is our consciousness evolving, or are we just getting further removed from reality? [50:35]
How did Tim come to write a book about Dune author Frank Herbert? [54:38]
Is the nuclear family a crime against humanity? [56:44]
Fiction books Tim would suggest for people who are usually non-fiction purists. [1:01:10]
Poetry recommendations and where to start. [1:05:25]
How did Dale Dougherty and Tim recognize the potential of advertising on the World Wide Web before everyone else? [1:08:54]
How bringing in a Sierra Club activist helped O’Reilly’s early Internet marketing efforts. [1:17:25]
Elaboration on the Hal Varian observation: if you want to understand the future, just look at what rich people do today. [1:20:22]
Why Tim believes we’ll never run out of jobs — provided we fix what he considers a broken economy. [1:24:39]
How might we appropriately change the way commodities are valued beyond supply and demand? [1:29:12]
Technology doesn’t want to eliminate jobs — it wants to solve problems. [1:33:52]
What’s the story behind O’Reilly’s “create more value than you capture” slogan? [1:35:59]
Tim’s take on Google’s “don’t be evil” slogan. [1:37:07]
Are the financial markets the first rogue AI?  [1:39:50]
Money as a tool, not the object; the danger society faces when the most rewarded provide the least value. [1:47:15]
Why does Tim read bestsellers from bygone eras? [1:57:13]
How has Tim coped with challenges to his normal optimism? [2:04:43]
Parting advice. [2:10:09]

People Mentioned

Kevin Kelly
Cookie Monster
Leroy Shipley
Sean O’Reilly (father)
Anne O’Reilly
Fred Blackwell
Jennifer Pahlka
Barack Obama
Sean O’Reilly
James O’Reilly
Frank O’Reilly
Bruce Catton
Meara O’Reilly
Arwen O’Reilly
Irvin D. Yalom
Friedrich Nietzsche
Sigmund Freud
George Simon
Homer
Odysseus
Socrates
Plato
Christina O’Reilly
Lao Tzu
Frank Herbert
Alfred Korzybski
Sri Aurobindo
Josh Waitzkin
Reid Hoffman
Eric Raymond
Christine Peterson
Wallace Stevens
Dick Riley
Samuel Delaney
Austin Tappan Wright
Jane Austen
Anthony Trollope
W.B. Yeats
Rolf Potts
Jalal al-Din Rumi
Coleman Barks
Robert Bly
Kabir
Stephen Mitchell
T.S. Eliot
Dale Dougherty
Bob Scheifler
Tim Berners-Lee
Michael Kosta Loukides
Pei-Yuan Wei
Brian Erwin
Hal Varian
Andrew McAfee
Erik Brynjolfsson
Carl Shapiro
Alexis Madrigal
Stewart Brand
Jeff Immelt
Warren Buffett
Rana Foroohar
Donald Trump
Bernie Sanders
Eric Schmidt
Clayton Christensen
Mark Zuckerberg
Walt Mossberg
Steve Ballmer
Russ Roberts
William Redington Hewlett
David Packard
Gordon Moore
Andrew Grove
Jeff Huber
Elon Musk
Bryce Roberts
Zane Gray
Charles Dickens
George Du Maurier
Svengali
Ken Kesey
Thomas Pynchon
Michael Lewis
Fred Rogers

Sharon Salzberg, World-Renowned Meditation Teacher

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“Do the good that’s in front of you, even if it feels very small.”

– Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg (@SharonSalzberg) is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author.

Sharon has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness practices to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974, when she first began teaching. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and she has written ten books — from her seminal Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness to her latest, Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection.

Sharon offers a secular and modern approach to Buddhist teachings, making them more accessible. She is a regular columnist for On Being, a contributor to Huffington Post, and the host of her own podcast: The Metta Hour.

Please enjoy!

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Sharon Salzberg, World-Renowned Meditation Teacher
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/505397f9-8b1b-4747-b509-06cb97ab28f5.mp3

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 about meditation? In this episode, we hear from Chase Jarvis as he explains his top priorities for feeling fulfilled. I talk transcendental meditation with Arnold Schwarzenegger. And I cover a wide spectrum with Sam Harris, and ask him about everything from hallucinogens to meditation techniques (stream below or right-click here to download):

#201: The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour: Meditation, Mindset, and Masteryhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/c5eafee8-47a6-4e8f-a36e-48c20f5dd928.mp3

This podcast is brought to you by ConvertKit. This my go-to email service provider and the only email tool that has made email marketing intuitive for my team without sacrificing any of the features and benefits I need to run a profitable business. It’s got easy-to-use systems, split testing, resending technology, automation, targeted content, high rates of deliverability, integration with more than 35 services — like WordPress, Shopify, and Sumo — and excellent customer service.

Whether you have a thousand subscribers or a million, whether you run a simple blog or a whole company, ConvertKit has a plan that’s scaled to fit your budget and requirements. Go to ConvertKit.com/Tim to try it out and get your first month for free! Test the platform, kick the tires, and make sure it works for you and your business.

This podcast is also brought to you by Four Sigmatic. I reached out to these Finnish entrepreneurs after a very talented acrobat introduced me to one of their products, which blew my mind (in the best way possible). It is mushroom coffee featuring chaga. It tastes like coffee, but there are only 40 milligrams of caffeine, so it has less than half of what you would find in a regular cup of coffee. I do not get any jitters, acid reflux, or any type of stomach burn. It put me on fire for an entire day, and I only had half of the packet.

People are always asking me what I use for cognitive enhancement right now — this is the answer. You can try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/tim and using the code Tim to get 20 percent off your first order. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.

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 Sharon Salzberg:

Website | Podcast | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection by Sharon Salzberg
Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program by Sharon Salzberg
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg
The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour: Meditation, Mindset, and Mastery
Naropa University
Shambhala Publications
The Pretense of Accident: Yearning, Not Gripping, for Happiness by Sharon Salzberg, On Being
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
Bodh Gaya
Guided Meditation — “Loving Kindness” by Tara Brach
Spirit Rock
Rick And Morty
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: What it Is, How it Helps by Will Baum, Psychology Today
Everyday Compassion at Google by Chade-Meng Tan at TEDPrize@UN
The Jar of Awesome and Celebrating Small Wins with CreativeLive
When Goodwill is Better than Love: The Meaning of “Metta.” by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Lion’s Roar
Should We All Take a Bit of Lithium? by Anna Fels, The New York Times
Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience by Sharon Salzberg

Show Notes

Sharon tells us about the string of experiences early in her life that helped chart her course. [07:02]
How did Buddhism enter Sharon’s life? What impact did it have on the suffering she had known since such an early age? [10:31]
What priceless guidance did Sharon receive from Buddhist meditation master Chˆgyam Trungpa before traveling to India? [13:09]
Sharon explains how this guidance played out during her travels. [14:44]
How Emotional Intelligence author Daniel Goleman helped Sharon find her way. [15:57]
What happened when Sharon went to Bodh Gaya. [17:07]
Sharon’s advice for anyone going into an intensive ten-day silent retreat. [18:46]
How would Sharon guide a room full of type A personalities who are convinced meditation won’t “work” for them? [21:50]
Mental frameworks helpful for beginners to keep in mind as they’re trying to establish meditation as a regular practice. [24:58]
Self-compassion as a secret ingredient. [27:11]
Does Sharon believe there’s a “minimum effective dose” when it comes to meditation? [28:55]
For a beginner, what would the format of twenty minutes of daily meditation look like? [32:22]
Have I been practicing what Sharon considers loving kindness? [35:25]
Reframing the lens through which we look at our daily experiences. [39:47]
How does Sharon suggest we think about the word “love” at a time when it’s almost lost its meaning through overuse? [42:04]
How can someone defuse or divert a drift toward anger? [45:15]
Why you may want to avoid email if you’re trying a fast for the first time. [48:10]
On self-assessment after meditation (or medication) has become part of one’s routine. [48:37]
Some love is 50/50. Here’s a story where it’s 100/100. [54:17]
How does Sharon define success? [56:51]
What are Sharon’s biggest challenges at the moment? [58:53]
How does Sharon make progress with her own desired behavior changes? [1:01:20]
Overcoming a time of despair and reestablishing connection. [1:01:49]
Do the good that’s in front of you. [1:06:01]

People Mentioned

Gautama Buddha
Chˆgyam Trungpa
Dalai Lama
Daniel Goleman
Satya Narayan Goenka
Jack Kornfield
Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Richard Davidson
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Chade-Meng Tan
Ebenezer Scrooge
Spock
Rainer Maria Rilke
Albert Einstein

Terry Laughlin, The Master Who Changed My Life

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“Life is not designed to make things easy for us, but present challenges that help us grow.”

– Terry Laughlin

This episode is special to me. While I didn’t know it at the time, this ended up being  Terry Laughlin’s (@TISWIM) final long-form interview. Terry passed away from cancer complications on October 20, just two weeks after we recorded this interview.

Terry was the founder of Total Immersion Swimming and co-author of Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier. He had a profound impact on me — teaching me to overcome a lifelong fear of water and swimming (read all about it here). But more than that, he’s been an inspiration for the way I’ve done anything since.

Terry coached three college and two USA Swimming club teams from 1973 to 1988, improving each team dramatically. In that time, he developed 24 national champions at all strokes and distances — the first national champions produced by four different teams.

In 1989, Terry founded Total Immersion Swimming and turned his focus from working with young, accomplished swimmers to adults with little experience or skill (like me). But it’s not just about swimming; Terry’s elegant method of deconstruction and logical progression is the epitome of what I strive to do when I’m talking about learning any skill — from investing to learning languages.

It’s with a heavy heart but much gratitude that I was able to interview Terry before he passed.  Please enjoy, savor, and digest what Terry had to impart. And be sure to check out Terry’s gift for listeners of this podcast: a free seven-day membership to the Total Immersion Academy online training center.

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Terry Laughlin, The Master Who Changed My Life
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/da471a92-6ab7-4ff8-aa05-63806a460cd3.mp3

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

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

Total Immersion Swimming
Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier

by Terry Laughlin and John Delves
Total Immersion: How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days and You Can Too
Deep Eddy Pool
Magnolia Cafe
Barton Springs Pool
World’s Oldest TI Swimmer — Paul Lurie
Woodland Pond at New Paltz
A Legend Relearns Swimming — Helped by a 95 Y.O. Coach!
Going Deep: Bill Boomer’s Scientific Approach to Swimming by John Tuscano, Penn Live
West Point Academy
Searching for Bobby Fischer: book and movie
The Art and Science of Learning Anything Faster
TI Basic Drills: Superman Flutter, Laser Lead, Fish, Skating, FlowSwim
Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard
Esquire, May 1987 with George Leonard
Y Combinator
How to Live Like a Rock Star (or Tango Star) in Buenos Aires…
Pressing the Buoy and Not the T by Terry Laughlin
Total Immersion: Balance, tiswim
Total Immersion Self-Coaching Series: Streamline, tiswim
Corsica to Sardinia: A ‘Bucket List’ Swim by Terry Laughlin, Total Immersion Swimming
Understanding Your Pathology Report: Prostate Cancer, American Cancer Society
da Vinci Surgery: Minimally Invasive Surgery
Treatment of Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer, Cancer.net
Better Basketball
How Efficient Is Your Swimming? by Terry Laughlin, Active
Relearn to Crawl: Four Steps to Better Swimming by Bill Gifford, Men’s Journal
Terry’s gift for listeners to this podcast: a free seven-day membership to the Total Immersion Academy online training center
My first foray into podcasting: Episodes 1 and 2

Show Notes

How I was introduced to Terry and Total Immersion Swimming after many failed attempts to overcome my fear of water. [08:27]
Swimming has gone from something I dreaded to something I try to do as much as possible — and it’s empowered me in ways beyond what I could have anticipated. [12:27]
How I fulfilled the bet that drove me to seek Terry’s help in the first place. [14:10]
In his nineties, Dr. Paul Lurie proves you’re never too old to learn — and even improve existing skills. [16:10]
How Paul Lurie helped swimming legend Marilyn Bell relearn how to swim in her seventies. [20:04]
Even Terry didn’t begin as a “natural” swimmer. [22:01]
Terry’s epiphany about technique while teaching at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. [25:31]
Where did the bones of Total Immersion Swimming enter the picture? [31:55]
How Bill Boomer, head coach of the men’s swim team at the University of Rochester, changed Terry’s way of thinking. [37:28]
Terry tells us about the break he took from coaching to explore other career avenues. [45:44]
Why did Terry return to coaching? [48:21]
Where did the name “Total Immersion Swimming” come from? [50:24]
Terry talks about opening his first swim camp. [51:03]
How would Terry start training a reluctant swimmer? [54:58]
Understanding first principles and embracing the counterintuitive across disciplines. [59:21]
On avoiding error points in meta-learning, the two error points common to beginning swimmers, and why Terry considers kickboards to be useless as teaching implements. [1:02:49]
Helpful drills and exercises for instilling basic swimming principles. [1:11:12]
What Terry learned from George Leonard about the possibility of learning mastery of a skill even at an advanced age. [1:13:48]
How would Terry teach someone to persist through a plateau on the path to mastery? [1:17:44]
What has helped me continue through some of my own plateaus? [1:21:18]
The story of Phil — who went from most challenged student to matching the level of Total Immersion Swimming’s best coaches in 18 months. [1:24:51]
What contributes to effective self-coaching? [1:29:39]
Terry talks about the origin of his cancer diagnosis and explains the circumstances. [1:38:13]
How Terry coped with his diagnosis. [1:41:11]
Expressing appreciation for the life-improving toolkit that Terry has given me, and which I’ve shared with countless others. [1:45:19]
After thirty years with incredible success, why does nobody else teach Total Immersion Swimming? [1:49:17]
Terry shares the five first principles of intelligent, improvement-oriented swimming. [1:50:33]
How these principles helped me overcome my personal swimming shortcomings. [1:55:09]
Four action items Terry suggests you try next time you’re in a pool. [1:57:26]
Parting thoughts. [2:00:33]

People Mentioned

Chris Sacca
Chris Ashenden
Kevin Rose
Paul Lurie
Alice Laughlin
Betsy Laughlin
Marilyn Bell
Bill Boomer
Randy Reese
Eddie Reese
Ray Bosse
Sarah Fryer
Lorenzo Beltrame
Josh Waitzkin
George Leonard
Rick Torbett

Discipline Equals Freedom — Jocko Willink

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“Your will doesn’t break — it never shows up in the first place.”

– Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink (@jockowillink) takes over the show for a special episode. As I learned during our first interview, he is one of the scariest human beings imaginable.

In this episode, Jocko shares lessons from his new book Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual. Trust me, it’s fantastic. In this talk, he discusses:

The success mindset
How to stop laziness and procrastination
Behaviors that lead to failure
His exact workouts
How he adapts his training when he’s on the road
And much, much more

Jocko is a legend in the Special Operations world. His eyes look through you more than at you.

Jocko enlisted in the Navy after high school and spent 20 years in the SEAL Teams, first as an enlisted SEAL operator and then as a SEAL officer. During his second tour in Iraq, he led SEAL Task Unit Bruiser in the Battle of Ramadi–some of the toughest and sustained combat in the SEAL Teams since Vietnam.

Under his leadership, Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the entire war in Iraq and helped bring stability to Ramadi. Jocko was awarded the Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

Jocko is also the co-author of  Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win — which I loved. I hope you enjoy this episode!

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Discipline Equals Freedom -- Jocko Willink
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/95fe892c-1309-421a-be21-7297b0698dd1.mp3

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 episode with Jocko? — Listen to our first interview together. Jocko might be the scariest Navy SEAL alive, and this episode shares how he earned that reputation. Learn what he taught me (stream below or right-click here to download):

Discipline Equals Freedom — Jocko Willinkhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/d1cd9b36-63ff-4e7a-802d-8dee7c0a1bff.mp3

This podcast is brought to you by Helix Sleep. I recently moved into a new home and needed new beds, and I purchased mattresses from Helix Sleep.

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This episode is also 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.

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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 Jocko and his organizations on Twitter:

@Xtremeownership| @jockowillink| @echelonfront

Connect with Jocko and his organizations on Facebook:

Extreme Ownership| Jocko Willink| Echelon Front

Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual by Jocko Willink
TFS #107: The Scariest Navy SEAL Imaginable…And What He Taught Me
TFS #187: Jocko Willink on Discipline, Leadership, and Overcoming Doubt
Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Learn more about Victory MMA and Fitness, Jocko Willink’s gym in San Diego
Seeking solutions in business or leadership? Check out Echelon Front
The Second Battle of Ramadi
The Joe Rogan Experience #729: Jocko Willink
Jocko Podcast
Way of the Warrior Kid: From Wimpy to Warrior the Navy SEAL Way: A Novel by Jocko Willink and Jon Bozak
8 Metabolic Conditioning Workouts for MMA Fighters by Funk Roberts, Onnit Academy
Preaching the Pull-Up: Dead-Hang vs. Kipping by Bob Doucette, proactiveoutside
The Hang Clean, CrossFit
The Ring Dip, CrossFit
The Ring Push-Up, CrossFit
The Perfect Push Up, Calisthenicmovement
The Snatch, CrossFit
Planks for Beginners: How to do a Plank, Bowflex
The Burpee, CrossFit
Coaching the Clean and Jerk with Natalie Burgener, CrossFit
The Overhead Squat, CrossFit
The Front Squat, CrossFit
The Back Squat, CrossFit
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Show Notes

Jocko introduces himself. [3:14]
How Jocko got started podcasting. [07:52]
You might be surprised to learn that Jocko is now a children’s book author — but his new book for grown-ups has just been published. [09:30]
Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual is divided into two sections: Thoughts and Actions. [11:50]
One example from the Thoughts section: How to stop laziness and procrastination. [12:13]
How to build discipline one morning at a time. [16:16]
What happens when we stray from the path of discipline. [17:31]
How to start getting up early in the morning. [18:52]
What do Jocko’s workouts look like? [20:42]
Pull. Push. Lift. Squat. Gut. [25:12]
How long do Jocko’s workouts last? [28:39]
Why Jocko changed his mind about doing curls. [34:39]
What an advanced push day workout looks like. [37:04]
What an advanced lift day workout looks like. [39:54]
What an advanced squat day workout looks like. [41:51]
Training on the road. [44:43]
What’s Jocko’s criteria for finding a good, local jiu-jitsu school/instructor? [55:51]
Traditional vs. non-traditional jiu-jutsu schools. [58:04]
The benefits of other martial arts and combat skills discussed in the book. [1:02:00]
Parting thoughts on discipline. [1:04:04]

People Mentioned

Leif Babin
Kirk Parsley
Peter Attia

Arianna Huffington, Media Maven

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“You can’t run your life from your inbox.”

– Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff) is the founder and CEO of Thrive Global and founder of The Huffington Post. She has been named to Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 Most Influential People and Forbes’ Most Powerful Women list.

Originally from Greece, Arianna moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge with an M.A. in economics. In late 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely read, linked to, and frequently cited media brands on the Internet. In 2012, she won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting. In August of 2016, she launched Thrive Global with a mission of ending the stress and burnout epidemic by offering companies and individuals sustainable, science-based solutions to well-being.

Arianna serves on a lot of boards — including Uber and The Center for Public Integrity — and she is the author of 15 books, including Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder and The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time.

This is a wide-ranging conversation, and we get into plenty of tactics. Arianna is an expert storyteller and very funny — enjoy!

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Arianna Huffington, Media Maven
https://rss.art19.com/episodes/5df0860b-2537-4101-a5c0-834586573b3a.mp3

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 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.mp3

This podcast is 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.

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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 Arianna Huffington:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington
Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington
Thrive Global
The Huffington Post
Bulletproof Coffee
The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour: Meditation, Mindset, and Mastery
The Pilot’s Pen Night Writer
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness
Paradoxical Intention Therapy Is an Easy Technique to Help You Sleep by Martin Reed, Insomnia Land
University of Cambridge
Arianna Huffington: ‘My Mother Said Failure Was a Stepping Stone to Success’ by Decca Aitkenhead, The Guardian
Arianna Huffington Recalls Being Elected President of the Cambridge Union, 1971 by Ellie Pithers, The Telegraph
The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer
The Female Woman by Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington
Women’s Liberation Movement
After Reason by Arianna Huffington
Maria Callas: The Woman behind the Legend by Arianna Huffington
Picasso: Creator and Destroyer by Arianna Huffington
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
Deep Throat and Me: Now It Can Be Told, and Not for the First Time Either by Nora Ephron
Jeff Bezos: Why Getting 8 Hours of Sleep Is Good for Amazon Shareholders, Thrive Global
Selena Gomez on Strength, Burnout and Staying Healthy, Thrive Global
Why You Need a “Deloading” Phase in Life
The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The One Thing Arianna Huffington Always Does in Job Interviews by Zoë Henry, Inc. Magazine
The Gods of Greece by Arianna Huffington

Show Notes

Introductions. [05:13]
What does Arianna have for breakfast? Lunch? [05:52]
What practices have stuck with Arianna over her life of experimentation? [06:48]
What type of meditation does Arianna practice, and what does a typical session look like? How has it affected her sleep habits? [09:15]
How did Arianna make the transition from reclusive bookworm to socialite? [15:10]
What led Arianna to move from Greece to the UK (even though she didn’t speak English at the time)? [16:50]
The life lessons and parenting approach Arianna inherited from her mother. [20:03]
What turned Arianna from someone who never intended to become a writer to someone who has15 books under her belt? [26:20]
What was Arianna’s stance on feminism in the early ’70s? [28:57]
Would Arianna give the same advice to a young man and a young woman charging into the business world? [30:42]
What ultimately led to Arianna relocating from London to New York? [32:53]
How has Arianna’s writing and editing process changed over time? What has made her output so prolific? [37:11]
How did The Huffington Post come to life? [41:15]
How did Arianna recruit so many big names to write for The Huffington Post at launch? [44:15]
Where did Arianna hone her persuasive pitch acumen? [47:37]
How would Arianna best prepare a small class of young students for professional business life? [49:25]
Tools Arianna would recommend for defending against burnout. [51:35]
Helpful microsteps for positive changes. [54:52]
Arianna tells us what her typical morning looks like — and how it’s influenced by the previous night’s bedtime. [58:03]
Arianna talks about the health scare that led her to radically change her lifestyle, become a sleep evangelist, and create Thrive. [1:05:07]
What speech does Arianna give during interviews with prospective hires? [1:18:30]
What advice does Arianna have for people not used to initiating difficult conversations? [1:22:28]
As far as Greek gods and goddesses go, is Arianna more of an Athena or Hermes? [1:24:18]
How Henry Kissinger got Arianna to embrace her Greek accent instead of trying to change it. [1:26:59]
Parting thoughts on the power of sharing stories. [1:29:20]

People Mentioned

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Elli Stassinopoulos
Bob Roth
Gautama Buddha
John-Roger
Dalai Lama
Tom Brady
Reg Davis-Poynter
Germaine Greer
Bernard Levin
Maria Callas
Pablo Picasso
Aristotle Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Kenneth Lerer
Nora Ephron
Walter Cronkite
John Cusack
Larry David
W. Mark Felt
Carl Bernstein
Jeff Bezos
Selena Gomez
Laurie David
Kimberly Brooks
Naval Ravikant
Marcus Aurelius
Seneca
Epictetus
Agapi Stassinopoulos
Athena
Hermes
Henry Kissinger
Michael Huffington

Tom Hanks
Derek Sivers