The Tim Ferriss Show

Josh Waitzkin is an endlessly fascinating person who gets mentioned a lot on this show for good reason (and he's been a guest not just once, but twice). He was the basis for the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. Considered a chess prodigy, Josh has perfected learning strategies that can be applied to anything, including his other loves of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (he's a black belt under phenom Marcelo Garcia) and Tai Chi push hands (he's a world champion). These days, he spends his time coaching the world's top athletes and investors, working to revolutionize education, and tackling his new passion for paddle surfing (and nearly killing me in the process). I initially met Josh through his incredible book, The Art of Learning, which I loved so much that I helped produce the audiobook (download here on Audible). This episode is a highlight reel of sorts -- lessons I've learned from Josh and shared in my new book Tools of Titans. Please enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.

David "DHH" Heinemeier Hansson (@dhh) is the creator of Ruby on Rails, founder and CTO at Basecamp (formerly 37signals), and the best-selling co-author of Rework and Remote: Office Not Required. Oh, and he went from not having a driver's license at 25 to winning, at 34, the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. It is often called the "Grand Prix of endurance and efficiency." Listeners had a million questions we didn't get to last time, so he's back for round two because his episode is about to cross a million downloads -- and that's in barely two weeks! In this episode, DHH discusses: Digital security The value of schooling Three questions you should be able to answer Company culture How bladder relief happens in a 24-hour race And much, much more! Please enjoy my round 2 conversation with DHH! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world's largest marketplace o

Derek Sivers(@sivers) is one of my favorite humans, and I call him often for advice. Think of him as a philosopher-king programmer, master teacher, and merry prankster. Originally a professional musician and circus clown (he did the latter to counterbalance being introverted), Derek created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100 million in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with more than five million views of his talks. In addition to publishing 33 books via his company Wood Egg, he is the author of Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur, a collection of short life lessons that I've read at least a dozen times. I still have an early draft with highlights and notes. I posted the following on Facebook while writing this chapter: "I might need to do a second volume of [Tools of Titans: The Tactics

I'm excited to bring you a little taste test of a new show format that I've been working on -- The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour. After 200 conversations with a variety of fascinating people, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Foxx, Tony Robbins, Maria Popova, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Amanda Palmer, Malcolm Gladwell, Rick Rubin, Reid Hoffman, Chase Jarvis, Sam Harris, Rainn Wilson, and so many others, I started to spot patterns. This is the premise of my new book Tools of Titans, which is a compilation of all of my favorite habits, philosophies, and tools of world-class performers. This is where Tim Ferriss Radio Hour comes in. In each episode, we'll take a deep dive into one specific topic or tactic, bringing together the collective genius of past guests -- with some new insights from yours truly -- to help you become world class in your own right (if you aren't already). In this episode, we'll be exploring meditation and mindfulness. You'll hear from Chase Jarvis as he explains his top

Susan Garrett (@susangarrett) is an incredible dog trainer. She has a B.Sc. in animal science, and for more than two decades has been one of the most consistently successful competitors in the sport of dog agility. Susan has been on the podium of the world and national championship events more than 50 times, winning those events a total of 38 times. She was of great help to me when I first adopted Molly, my own pup, and her book Shaping Success (The Education of an Unlikely Champion) was selected as the 2005 dog training and behavior book of the year. Susan is a champ not only for her competitive track record, but for her ability to convey concrete tips and recommendations for: The most critical exercises for your dog The three types of reinforcement How to use crates properly What you should do in the first 24 hours of adopting a puppy How training a dog is like training an Olympic athlete And much, much more! We discuss every facet of behavioral modification and conditioning, which applies to much more

Stephen J. Dubner (@Freakonomics) returns to the show. He is an award-winning author, journalist, and radio and TV personality. He is best-known for writing, along with the economist Steven D. Levitt, Freakonomics (2005), SuperFreakonomics†(2009), and Think Like a Freak (2014), which have sold more than five million copies in 35 languages. He is the creator of the top-ranked Freakonomics Radio podcast. His brand-new podcast, produced in collaboration with The New York Times, is Tell Me Something I Don't Know It is equal parts game show, talk show, and brain-tease. I had a chance to experiment with this format as a "panelist" alongside Malcolm Gladwell. It's a blast. In this episode, we cover such diverse topics as: Why cats wiggle their butts before they pounce How to grow a podcast If he thinks he could take Malcolm Gladwell in a fist fight Economics and the President's actual influence over the economy How virtual reality might affect education And much, much more Ple

Charles Poliquin is back for another round of the podcast. Charles (@strengthsensei) is one of the best known strength coaches in the world. He has trained elite athletes from nearly 20 different sports, including Olympic gold medalists, NFL All-Pro’s, NHL All-Stars and Stanley Cup champions, and IFBB bodybuilding champions. His clients include long-jump gold medalist Dwight Phillips, NHL MVP Chris Pronger, and MLB batting champion Edgar Martinez, and the first women's wrestling US Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis, among many others. And as we creep up towards episode #200, his first appearance on the podcast is still one of the top-15 most listened to episodes, and he's constantly requested by listeners for a round 2. In this episode, we allowed you to play host, and we selected your most popular questions on Facebook and Twitter. This time, Charles goes deep on several topics, including: His favorite mass building program of all-time Recommendations for older lifters His latest thoughts on hormones and

By request, we have another drunk dialing episode (the most recent one can be found here, and the original can be found here). This one is a little different as it's a Ladies Night edition. Some of you may have noticed that ladies were absent from the last drunk dialing fiasco. Why? It's just math. Looking at the results of a recent poll of 11,463 respondents, my audience is 84.04% male, 15.83% female, and .13% other. The people who sign up first get called first. The last time, three out of the 20, which is exactly 15%, were female. Unfortunately, those women (and several guys) did not pick up. This time around, I decided to try the "ladies night" format. In this episode, we discuss: Language learning Exercising with (or around) injuries Viral marketing Handstands and handstand training How I decide my experiments (and what gets shared afterward) Teaching disabilities vs. learning disabilities The craft of writing: common mistakes, goals, etc. Please enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be f

Dave Camarillo (@DaveCamarillo) was my long-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) coach (see him kicking my ass repeatedly here). Put simply, he is a machine. On the Mat once said: "It's funny that everybody in Judo is scared of David's ne waza and everybody in Jiu-Jitsu is scared of his stand up. (We) guess people, in general, are just scared of him." Dave is a very technical coach and an elite-level Jiu-Jitsu competitor. He dominated the lightweight and open weight classes at the 1998 Rickson Gracie American Jiu-Jitsu Association tournament; the legendary Rickson Gracie himself bestowed the honor of Most Technical American Jiu-Jitsu Fighter upon him. He has worked not only with people on the ground game, but many recognizable MMA (mixed martial arts) figures as a coach and as a corner man. We'll delve into: Tactical training Military training Hockey fights Defending yourself armed only with a flashlight How Dave's mom is the best sniping shot in the entire family And much, much more. Enjoy! Show notes and lin

David "DHH" Heinemeier Hansson (@dhh) is the creator of Ruby on Rails, founder and CTO at Basecamp (formerly 37signals), and the best-selling co-author of Rework and Remote: Office Not Required. Oh, and he went from not having a driver's license at 25 to winning, at 34, the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. It is often called the "Grand Prix of endurance and efficiency." David is one of the most outspoken technologists out there. He is not one to hide his opinions or mince words. In this episode, we cover a lot, including... The power of being outspoken Running a profitable business without venture capital Stoic philosophy Flow space Parallels across disciplines DHH's rules for creating excellence And much, much more... Please enjoy my conversation with DHH! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. I reached out to these Finnish entrepreneurs after a very talented

Erik Vance (@erikvance) is an award-winning science writer based in California and Mexico City. After working as a scientist on research projects dealing with dolphin intelligence and coastal ecology, he became an educator and then an environmental consultant. In 2005, he attended UC Santa Cruz's famed Science Communication Program and discovered a passion for journalism. Since then, he has built his career around science-based profiles of inspiring or controversial figures. His work has appeared in Harper's Magazine, The New York Times, The Utne Reader, Scientific American, and National Geographic. He is also a contributing editor at Discover Magazine. His latest book is Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brain's Ability to Deceive, Transform, and Heal. This riveting narrative explores the world of placebos, hypnosis, false memories, and neurology to reveal the groundbreaking science of our suggestible minds. Could the secrets to personal health lie within our own brains? Erik's firsthand

This episode was a blast. It was a tropical exploration of biology, life extension, and all good things. This included a lot of Carmenere wine and good old-fashioned ball busting. I was joined by: Peter Attia, MD (@peterattiamd), who rejoins the show (catch his last appearance here). He is a former ultra-endurance athlete (e.g., swimming 25-mile races), compulsive self-experimenter, and one of the most fascinating human beings I know. He is one of my go-to doctors for anything performance- or longevity-related. Peter earned his MD from Stanford University and holds a BSc in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. He did his residency in general surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and conducted research at the National Cancer Institute under Dr. Steven Rosenberg, where Peter focused on the role of regulatory T cells in cancer regression and other immune-based therapies for cancer. David M. Sabatini, M.D., Ph.D. (@DMSabatini) of MIT's Whitehead Institute f

Thanks to the gin I had tonight, this is a special episode. It is a drunk-dialing Q&A with you guys -- like we did around this time last year to celebrate the 100th episode. In preparation, I solicited phone numbers from listeners who wanted to receive a call from me. In this episode, I cover topics such as: parenting advice from friends and guests how to get started in podcasting how to make a good sales pitch long-distance moves what I consider good advice and much, much more! Without further ado, please enjoy this alcohol-fueled Q&A! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Rhone Apparel. Dozens -- maybe even hundreds of you -- have asked me: "What shirts are you wearing in your recent YouTube videos?" They're a very specific set of shirts from Rhone. I'm packing for a trip for seven to ten days, and I would say half of what I'm going to pack is from Rhone. These are the most comfortable shirts (and Rhone stocks way mo

This is a special episode because it doesn't focus on the lessons of one particular person. Instead, I explore the tips, tricks, and framework I've used to learn just about any skill. This is the meta-skill of meta-learning, or learning how to learn. I'm going to share techniques that can help you -- even if you're sub-par or a rote beginner -- take the smartest first steps and use 80/20 analysis to accelerate your progress. This is adapted from The 4-Hour Chef, which is the cookbook that's not a cookbook -- it's a book on accelerated learning. Without further ado, please enjoy this episode on meta-learning. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and vi

Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) is most associated with a tool that powers more than 25% of the entire Web: WordPress. He's also the CEO of Automattic, which is a multi-billion dollar, fully distributed startup. Matt loves tea, tequila, and Chicken McNuggets. His first time on the show went over so well that you've all been asking for a round two. So in this episode, he answers your most popular questions. Please enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and viewers worldwide and makes it easier to share your videos with a global audience and connect with professional video makers to bring your stories to life. Vimeo Business allows you to upload u

This is another special in-betweenisode. It's a little shorter than the normal long-form episodes, and it features a Q&A with Shay Carl (@shaycarl). If you missed our first interview, Shay's story is incredible. He was a manual laborer for ages and uploaded his first YouTube video while on break from his job. Flash forward to today: His SHAYTARDS channel now has roughly 2.3 BILLION views. Celebs like Steven Spielberg have appeared alongside Shay and his family. He co-founded Maker Studios, which sold to Disney for nearly $1 billion. He has been married 13 years and has five kids. He has lost more than 100 pounds since his overweight peak. This time around, he answers listener questions in the way only he can, such as: How to grow a YouTube following from scratch. The future of ad revenue and sponsorship. How he balances capturing the moment vs. experiencing the moment. His greatest obstacles in life. Lessons learned as a father. And much, much more. I also wanted to announce my new book, Tools of Tit

Dr. Dominic "Dom" D'Agostino (@DominicDAgosti2) is one of my most popular guests, and I'm happy to have him rejoin the show for the third time. (You can listen to Dom's first appearance here, and his second appearance here). Dom is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and a senior research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) -- which is mentioned in the current issue of Outside Magazine (on which there's a clown who looks a lot like me). Much of Dom's work is related to metabolic therapies and nutritional strategies for peak performance and resilience in extreme environments. Dom's research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Defense (DoD), and other private organizations and foundations. In this episode, Dom focuses on disease prevention, cancer, and more mastery of the ketogenic diet. Please enjoy this tutorial and master

"Don't count on motivation; count on discipline." - Jocko Willink Jocko Willink (@jockowillink) is one of the scariest human beings imaginable. He is a lean 230 pounds. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who used to tap out 20 Navy SEALs per workout. He is a legend in the Special Operations world. His eyes look through you more than at you. Jocko spent 20 years in the US Navy and commanded SEAL Team 3's task unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated special operations unit in the Iraq War. Upon returning to the US, Jocko served as the officer in charge of training for all West Coast SEAL teams, designing and implementing some of the most challenging and realistic -- and perhaps psychotic -- combat training in the world (his words, not mine). After retiring from the Navy, he co-founded Echelon Front, a leadership and management consulting company and authored the number one New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win. Jocko did his first interview ever with me (find it here), and

"You can't be grateful and angry simultaneously." - Tony Robbins The last time Tony Robbins (@tonyrobbins) was on the show, so many listeners found this one exercise helpful that they suggested I feature it on its own. This guided meditation is designed to help you overcome stress in a way that's backed with quantifiable neuroscience. If you've been worrying about unfinished business without resolution, this is a powerful tool to help you resolve the situation. This is very short and very powerful. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This episode is brought to you by Exo Protein. These guys are making protein bars using cricket protein powder. Before you look disgusted, I bet they taste better than any protein bar you’ve ever had before! With recipes that were developed by a three-Michelin-star chef, the bars are paleo-friendly, with no gluten, no grains, no soy, no dairy, and they won’t spike your glycemic response. In fact, they’re less processed th

My job is usually to deconstruct world-class performers and tease out their routines and habits you can use. But in this in-betweenisode, I'm going to present some short nuggets of practical, tactical philosophy about practicing what you preach. This is a letter from Stoic heavyweight Seneca the Younger -- who lived a mere 2,000 years or so ago -- to his friend Lucilius. It's from a collection of letters that comprise, effectively, my favorite book of all time. I've read it dozens of times, and I loved it so much that I turned it into The Tao of Seneca, a three-volume set of audiobooks. This is a letter you've not heard on the podcast before; it's worth the listen just for the definition of wisdom, alone. Then you have some incredible quotes from Epicurus, and it also discusses how you can have riches without riches having you. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This episode is brought to you by Headspace, the world's most popular meditation app (wit