The Tim Ferriss Show - podcast cover

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pigtim.blog
Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages. Newsweek calls him "the world's best human guinea pig," and The New York Times calls him "a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk." In this show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc.), digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can use.

Episodes

#296: How to Build Popular Podcasts and Blogs

Many of you have asked me how I have built a popular blog and podcast. I've contemplated writing a long post about this, and then Mari Takahashi ( @atomicmari ) -- a successful ballerina, gamer, and content creator -- sent me some very good questions that I decided to answer in this episode. The Tim Ferriss Show has almost 300 million downloads and is the first business interview podcast to cross a hundred million downloads -- but with its fair share of mistakes and trials by fire along the way....

Feb 10, 201858 minEp. 296

#295: The 4-Hour Workweek Revisited

My first book, The 4-Hour Workweek,  recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Thousands of you have asked me how I would update it today -- and many have asked why I haven't updated it since 2009. For this episode, I discuss common questions and misperceptions, and how I would adjust certain chapters and recommendations. As always, thank you for listening! This episode is brought to you by WeWork . I haven't had an office in almost two decades, but working from home and coffee shops isn't ...

Feb 03, 20181 hrEp. 295

#294: Best Investments, Bad Advice to Avoid, and Other Life Lessons

This episode sets a new record with five guests -- each considered among the best in their field. It features Adam Robinson   ( @IAmAdamRobinson ), Debbie Millman   ( @debbiemillman ), Neil Strauss   ( @neilstrauss ), Scott Belsky   ( @scottbelsky ), and Veronica Belmont ( @Veronica ). This roundtable discussion covers topics including best investments, favorite failures, and bad advice to avoid. I really enjoyed all of the answers from the guests as there's lots of actionabl...

Jan 26, 201850 minEp. 294

#293: Catherine Hoke — The Master of Second Chances

Catherine Hoke ( @catherine_hoke ) is the founder of Defy Ventures , a national nonprofit organization that "transforms the hustle" of currently and formerly incarcerated people. Defy's vision is to end mass incarceration by using entrepreneurship as a tool to transform legacies and human potential. Cat was named a  #MakeTechHuman Agent of Change by WIRED and Nokia for being one of 17 Global Influencers Expanding Human Possibility Through Technology.  She has received the  MDC Par...

Jan 21, 20182 hr 19 minEp. 293

#292: Lessons and Warnings from Successful Risk Takers

This is a special episode of the podcast, which features three guests: author  Soman Chainani ( @SomanChainani ), author Susan Cain ( @susancain ), and East Rock Capital co-founder and investor Graham Duncan . All three are featured in my latest book, Tribe of Mentors , and all three share something in common: they're experts at mitigating risk. I don't view them as a throw-caution-to-the-wind; nonetheless, they've been good at capping downsides and making various career decisions that have...

Jan 18, 20181 hr 11 minEp. 292

#291: Overcoming, Managing, and Using Fear

Welcome to another edition of The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour, where I share the habits and patterns of world-class performers revealed over nearly 300 interviews. In this episode, we'll explore fear. Specifically, how to manage, mitigate, and overcome fear, which is something I've battled for decades. This has been such a focal point of my life that my last TED Talk focused on an exercise called fear setting , which is something I practice at least one a month and have found to be a life raft. ...

Jan 14, 20181 hr 8 minEp. 291

#290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity

Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Four Tendencies , Better Than Before , The Happiness Project , and Happier at Home . She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold three million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. On her popular weekly podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin , she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft; they've been called the "Click and Clack of ...

Jan 10, 20182 hr 17 minEp. 290

#289: How to Handle Information Overwhelm (and Social Media)

After reading Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentor s, many of you have asked me how I process all of the information I receive. This episode will help you manage information overwhelm, recommend a few techniques for dealing with social media, and answer a few questions that have been frequently asked about building a world-class network and writing books. I hope this information strengthens the signal, discards the noise, and helps you make every piece of information that you choose to receive ea...

Jan 04, 201836 minEp. 289

#288: Lessons from Bozoma Saint John -- From Spike Lee to Uber, From Ghana to Silicon Valley

Bozoma Saint John ( @badassboz ) is the Chief Brand Officer at Uber. Until June 2017, she was a marketing executive at Apple Music after joining the company in its acquisition of Beats Music. In 2016, Billboard named her Female Executive of the Year , she appeared on Fortune's 40 under 40 , and Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People . Bozoma was featured in Tribe of Mentors , but this conversation covers topics that go far beyond what was covered in the book. Enjoy! This podcast is brought to y...

Dec 27, 20172 hr 35 minEp. 288

#287: Terry Crews — How to Have, Do, and Be All You Want

Terry Crews  ( @terrycrews ) 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...

Dec 20, 20172 hr 51 minEp. 287

#286: The Man Who Taught Me How to Invest

Mike Maples, Jr. ( @m2jr ) is the man who taught me how to invest. He's one of my favorite people and a personal mentor. He is a partner at  Floodgate , a venture capital firm that specializes in micro-cap investments in startups. He has been on the  Forbes  Midas List since 2010 and named one of  Fortune  magazine's " 8 Rising VC Stars."  Before becoming a full-time investor, Mike was inolved as a founder and operating executive at back-to-back starup IPOs, in...

Dec 16, 20172 hr 46 minEp. 286

#285: Preserving Human Life, Battling the Busy Trap, and How to Stay Focused -- M. Sanjayan

M. Sanjayan ( @msanjayan ) is a global conservation scientist specializing in how nature preserves and enhances human life. He serves as CEO for  Conservation International , having joined CI in 2014 as executive vice president and senior scientist. He has led several key divisions including Oceans, Science, Development, Brand and Communications and Strategic Priorities. Sanjayan holds a doctorate from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his peer-reviewed scientific work has been ...

Dec 07, 20171 hr 17 minEp. 285

#284: The Answers to My Favorite Questions

This is an unusual episode. Instead of the typical interview format where I ask other people questions, I did what thousands of you have requested; I answered the 11 questions that are the foundation of Tribe of Mentors (and add in a few bonus answers). From beliefs that have changed my life to how I cope with feelings of overwhelm, I go into depth on all of my answers. I also recorded some of the answers on video, which you can watch on my YouTube channe l. I hope you enjoy this solo episode, a...

Dec 03, 201751 minEp. 284

#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban

Tim Urban  ( @waitbutwhy ) is the author of the blog  Wait But Why and has become one of the Internet's most popular writers. According to  Fast Company , Tim has "captured a level of reader engagement that even the new-media giants would be envious of." Wait But Why  receives more than 1.5 million unique visitors per month and has over 550,000 email subscribers. Tim has gained a number of prominent readers as well, like authors Sam Harris (page 365 in  Tribe of Mentors ...

Nov 30, 20172 hr 33 minEp. 283

#282: How to Say No

This is a special episode of the podcast. In writing Tribe of Mentors, I reached out to many people to be featured in the book. More than 130 people said yes -- but many others said no. This episode covers rejection, and -- more specifically -- how to reject other people and opportunities (even if they seem great). How you can you say no to seemingly burdensome "obligations," and say yes to the critical few opportunities. Understanding the difference -- and how to do it -- can make a significant...

Nov 25, 201718 minEp. 282

#281: Stewart Brand - The Polymath of Polymaths

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 t...

Nov 21, 20173 hr 40 minEp. 281

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

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 pe...

Nov 17, 20172 hr 20 minEp. 280

#279: The Most Curious Man in Hollywood — 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...

Nov 12, 20172 hr 34 minEp. 279

#278: Tim O'Reilly - The Trend Spotter

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...

Nov 08, 20172 hr 9 minEp. 278

#277: Sharon Salzberg, World-Renowned Meditation Teacher

Sharon Salzberg ( @SharonSalzberg ) is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author of Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program . 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 Lovi...

Nov 03, 20171 hr 8 minEp. 277

#276: Terry Laughlin, The Master Who Changed My Life

This episode will forever have special meaning for me. While I didn't know it at the time, this ended up being the final long-form interview with Terry Laughlin ( @TISWIM ). 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 o...

Oct 29, 20172 hr 19 minEp. 276

#275: Discipline Equals Freedom -- 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, ...

Oct 20, 20171 hr 2 minEp. 275

#274: Arianna Huffington, Media Maven

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 fr...

Oct 18, 20172 hr 31 minEp. 274

#273: Lessons from Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, and Ben Franklin

Walter Isaacson ( @WalterIsaacson ) is a professor at Tulane University, and the president and CEO of The Aspen Institute , a nonpartisan educational and policy studies institute based in Washington, DC. He has been the chairman and CEO of CNN and the editor of TIME magazine. He is the author of many biographies I have recommended to thousands of people, including  The Innovators , Steve Jobs , Einstein: His Life and Universe , Benjamin Franklin: An American Life , Kissinger: A Biography , ...

Oct 14, 20171 hr 25 minEp. 273

#272: Sir Richard Branson — The Billionaire Maverick of the Virgin Empire

Sir Richard Branson ( @richardbranson ), founder and chairman of The Virgin Group , is a world-famous entrepreneur, adventurer, activist, and business icon. He has launched a dozen billion-dollar businesses and hundreds of other companies. His new autobiography, Finding My Virginity , shares the candid details of a lifetime of triumphs and failures and provides an intimate look at his never-ending quest to push boundaries, break rules, and seek new frontiers. I loved our conversation, and we cov...

Oct 09, 20171 hr 19 minEp. 272

#271: Intimacy, Emotional Baggage, Relationship Longevity, and More - Esther Perel

Psychotherapist Esther Perel (@estherperel) is back to answer your most requested questions. The New York Times called her the most important game-changer in sexuality and relational health since Dr. Ruth. Her TED talks on maintaining desire and rethinking infidelity have more than 17 million views, and she's tested and been exposed to everything imaginable in 34 years of running her private therapy practice in New York City. In this episode, Esther explains: How to fost...

Oct 08, 201759 minEp. 271

#270: Investing Wisdom from Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Chris Sacca, and Others

This episode contains some of the best lessons I’ve learned about investing, making money, and growing your personal wealth. It was inspired by my recent talk with Ray Dalio , which has been incredibly popular and led to many additional questions about money and investing. There is no doubt we need to create systems and procedures that work for each of us. What works for me might not work for you. But you can learn from some of the smartest money managers in the world, and this includes billiona...

Oct 05, 20171 hr 16 minEp. 270

#269: The 3 Critical Rules of Branding

This is a special episode of The Tim Ferriss Show. This time, I focus on tactical, specific advice on branding, marketing, and the most common mistakes of growing an audience. *** If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider  leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts /iTunes?  It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews! For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.bl...

Oct 03, 201735 minEp. 269

#268: Eric Ripert -- Lessons in Mastery and Mindfulness

Eric Ripert (@ericripert) is recognized as one of the best chefs in the world. In 1995, at just 29 years old, he earned a four-star rating from The New York Times. Twenty years later and for the fifth consecutive time, Le Bernardin, where Eric is the chef and a co-owner, again earned the highest rating of four stars, becoming the only restaurant to maintain this superior status for such a marathon length of time. In 1998, the James Beard Foundation named him Top Chef in New York City and, in 200...

Sep 29, 20172 hr 50 minEp. 268

#267: Tools and Tips for Better Sleep

In this episode of the podcast, I focus on a topic that has been a lifelong personal struggle: sleep. I've gathered some of the best advice from multiple guests about rest and regeneration. I've found that if you prioritize sleep and recovery, it magnifies everything else in your life -- and to a greater extent than diet or exercise. We discuss recommendations from: strength coach Charles Poliquin, obstacle course racer Amelia Boone, comedian Mike Birbiglia, and Dr. Peter Attia. Enjoy!...

Sep 26, 20171 hr 1 minEp. 267