The Tim Ferriss Show

Welcome to a special edition of The Tim Ferriss Show. Back in 2007, I experienced a massive tipping point for The 4-Hour Workweek at the South by Southwest (SXSW)conference held in Austin, Texas. Two or three days played a key role in the book becoming a worldwide bestseller in 40+ languages. So what exactly happened at the event? How did I optimize those 2-3 days? The below audio is a presentation I recently gave about a better, more effective way to network. My suggestions might surprise you or seem counterintuitive–the best way to build a world-class network quickly is to spend very little time networking, at least not in the “ugh, gross” sleazy sense of the word. In this episode, you’ll learn: How SXSW played a role in the success of The 4-Hour Workweek How you can “stack the deck” for your own product launches Simple biohacks for handling booze overload and sleep deprivation Why it’s so important to meet people in person to build your network The most common mistakes people

Robert Rodriguez (@Rodriguez) is a film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, and musician. He is also the founder and chairman of El Rey Network, the new genre-busting English-language cable network. While a student at the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, Robert Rodriguez wrote the script to his first feature film while he was a paid subject in a clinical experiment at a drug research facility. That paycheck covered the cost of shooting his film. He planned to make the money back by selling the film to the Mexican home video market. The film, “El Mariachi,” went on to win the coveted Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and became the lowest budget movie ever released by a major studio. Rodriguez wrote about these experiences in Rebel Without a Crew, a perennial guide for the independent filmmaker. Rodriguez went on to write, produce, direct and edit a series of successful films including Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, the Spy Kids franchise, Once Upon a Ti

Naval Ravikant (@naval) is the CEO and a co-founder of AngelList. He previously co-founded Epinions, which went public as part of Shopping.com, and Vast.com. He is an active angel investor and has invested in more than 100 companies, including more than a few “unicorn” mega-successes. His deals include Twitter, Uber, Yammer, Postmates, Wish, Thumbtack, and OpenDNS, which Cisco just bought for $635 million in cash. You can find many more examples here, but suffice to say — he’s really, REALLY good at start-up investing. In this episodes you'll discover: How AngelList and Venture Hacks came to be What Naval looks for when deciding to invest in a founder Common "wives tales" in venture capital How to replace bad habits with good habits How to set stakes and awards And much, much more... Links, resources, and show notes from this episode can be found at http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast This episode is sponsored by 99Designs, the wo

Kevin Kelly (@kevin2kelly) returns to the podcast due to popular demand. Kevin continues to be perhaps the Most Interesting Man in the World. He is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine, which he co-founded in 1993. He also co-founded the All Species Foundation, a non-profit aimed at cataloging and identifying every living species on earth. In his spare time, he co-founded the Rosetta Project, which is building an archive of all documented human languages, writes bestselling books,and serves on the board of the Long Now Foundation. As part of the last, he’s investigating how to revive and restore endangered or extinct species, including the Wooly Mammoth. As usual, Kevin's responses and answers are fascinating. For all links, show notes, resources from this episode, please visit fourhourworkweek.com/podcast This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Pro, which is ideal for entrepreneurs. In fact, a bunch of my start-ups are already using Vimeo Pro. Wea

Phil Libin (@plibin) is the co-founder and executive chairman of Evernote. Evernote has roughly 150 million users, and I personally use it at least 10 times a day. It is my external brain for capturing all the information, documents, online articles, lists, etc. in my life. In this episode, Phil and I cover a ton. Here are just a few examples: - Philosophical and performance systems: Stoicism, electrical brain stimulation, and more - Phil's favorite lessons learned from Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), and Hiroshi Mikitani (Rakuten) - Creating tech "for yourself" and Evernote's genesis story, leading to approximately 150 million users - The best toast in Singapore, the best hamburger in Tokyo, and why "Goat Simulator" is amazing. - Long-term (10,000-year) thinking and real versus imagined threats More importantly, he digs into his "a-ha" moments, and what you need to do bring your next big idea to life. Links, resources, and show notes from this episode can be found at ht

Tara Brach (@TaraBrach) is a PhD in clinical psychology and one of the leading teachers of Buddhist thinking and meditation in the Western world. She is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community in Washington, D.C. and her lectures are downloaded hundreds of thousands of times each month. I was first introduced to Tara's work by another guest on this podcast, Maria Popova. Soon thereafter, a friend and neuroscience PhD recommended her book, Radical Acceptance, as life-changing. It exceeded all expectations. It’s my hope that this tactical conversation offers you techniques for addressing loneliness, anger, self-hatred, the “trance of unworthiness,” and much more. Tara’s had a measurable impact on my life, and I wish the same for you. For those who know my fondness for Stoic philosophy, I think Tara’s work is a fantastic compliment to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and the other favorites. Links, resources, and show notes from this episode c

Jane McGonigal (@avantgame), PhD, is a senior researcher at the Institute for the Future and the author of The New York Times bestseller Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. Her work has been featured in The Economist, Wired, and The New York Times. She has been called one of the "top ten innovators to watch" by BusinessWeek and one of the "100 most creative people in business” by Fast Company. Her TED talks on games have been viewed more than ten million times. In this conversation, we dig into everything from recovering from head trauma to how you can use Candy Crush Saga to lose weight. Not enough? How about using Tetris to prevent PTSD, or using Call of Duty to increase empathy? Her latest book is SuperBetter, which offers a revolutionary (science-based) approach for getting stronger, happier, and more resilient. I’ve been testing it, and it works. Not only am I feeling better, but I’m

Maria Popova (@brainpicker) has written for amazing outlets like The Atlantic and The New York Times, but I find her most amazing project to be BrainPickings.org. Founded in 2006 as a weekly email to seven friends, BrainPickings now gets more than 5 million readers per month (!). I read very few blogs regularly, but BrainPickings is one of the few that makes the cut. It’s a treasure trove. Maria is massively successful, and her output is staggering. None of it’s accidental, and she’s great at teaching what she’s learned. This episode answers the top-10 most popular questions you all had for Maria, including: The single attribute that leads to greatness in any given field Required reading and habits for anyone in public office How Henry David Thoreau was the first to talk about the dangers of sitting Why we must stop calling our work, "content" Links, resources, and show notes from this episode can be found at http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast This podcast is brought t

Charles Poliquin (@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, among many others. Poliquin is currently teaching advanced hypertrophy, nutrition, and strength seminars alongside one of my favorite athletes, Olympic weightlifting icon and medalist Dimitry Klokov. Poliquin has authored more than 600 articles on strength training, and his work has been translated into 12 different languages. He has written 8 books, including his latest, "Arm Size and Strength: The Ultimate Guide." Find much more about Poliquin and his latest at strengthsensei.com. In this episode we cover every strength trainng and fat loss topic you've ever thought about, including... Thoughts on

Dr. Peter Diamandis (@PeterDiamandis) has been named one of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune Magazine. His accomplishments are far too many to list, but here are a few: Peter is Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation. He is also the Co-Founder (along with Craig Venter and Bob Hariri) of Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI); and the Co-Founder of Planetary Resources, a company designing spacecrafts to mine asteroids for precious materials (seriously). His latest book, Bold, has endorsements from Bill Clinton, Eric Schmidt, and Ray Kurzweil. Peter knows how to think and play big, and he can show you how to do the same. This episode features the top-10 most popular questions you wanted Peter to answer, including: How do we disrupt the education system? What does the future of healthcare look like? When should you start building your billion-dollar business? Will technology destroy all the jobs? This podcast is brought to you by LegalZoom. Matt Mullenweg (CEO of

Laird Hamilton (@LairdLife) is widely considered the greatest big wave surfer of all-time and an innovator in board sports. He’s the creator of tow-in surfing, and largely responsible for the rebirth of stand-up paddle boarding. Hamilton starred in multiple surfing films and was the centerpiece of Riding Giants, a documentary about big wave surfing. A contributing editor for Men’s Journal, he has been featured on Oprah, Charlie Rose, 60 Minutes, and The Ellen Degeneres Show. Laird was also the featured expert in the surfing episode of The Tim Ferriss Experiment. Laird is known for using his healthy lifestyle to raise money for charities including, Race Across America, Pipeline for a Cure for Cystic Fibrosis, Rain Catcher, and Muscular Dystrophy. Gabrielle Reece (@GabbyReece) has been named one of the “20 Most Influential Women Sports,” and is best known her success in volleyball, modeling, and for a starring role as a trainer on The Biggest Loser. A volleyball champion,

"Push yourself harder than you think you're capable of. You'll find new depth inside yourself." - Stanley McChrystal Stanley McChrystal (@StanMcChrystal) retired from the U.S. Army as a four-star general after more than 34 years of service. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates described McChrystal as “perhaps the finest warrior and leader of men in combat I ever met.” From 2003 to 2008, McChrystal served as Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), where he was credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. The follow-up questions are really fun. In this particular episode, he answers questions such as: If he could put a billboard anywhere and write anything on it, where would it be and what would it say? What are three tests/practices from the military that civilians could use to help develop mental toughness? What are his favorite documentaries or movies? Why? What $100 or less purchase has most positively impacted his life in the last twelve mo

Sam Harris is a neuroscience Ph.D. and the author of the bestselling books, The End of Faith, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, and Waking Up. His work has been discussed in The New York Times, Time, Scientific American, Nature, Newsweek,Rolling Stone, and many other journals. In this episode we discuss: -Five books he thinks everyone should read -Why have he stopped doing public debates -Morning rituals and meditation -The one tip for better brain health outside meditation or exercise Links, resources, and show notes from this episode can be found at http://fourhourworkweek.com/podcast This podcast is brought to you by MeUndies. Have you ever wanted to be as powerful as a mullet-wearing ninja from the 1980’s, or as sleek as a black panther in the Amazon? Of course you have, and that’s where MeUndies comes in. I’ve spent the last 2-3 weeks wearing underwear from these guys 24/7, and they are 

Stanley McChrystal (@StanMcChrystal) retired from the U.S. Army as a four-star general after more than 34 years of service. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates described McChrystal as "perhaps the finest warrior and leader of men in combat I ever met." From 2003 to 2008, McChrystal served as Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), where he was credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq. His last assignment was as the commander of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. He is currently a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and the co-founder of CrossLead, a leadership consulting firm. In this episode, we discuss everything imaginable, including: - Why he eats only one meal per day - His exact exercise routines - Tactical and psychological lessons of combat - Self-talk used before and after difficult missions - The value and development of mental toughness - Favorite books, documentaries, etc.

By popular demand, this episode features Kelly Starrett. He’s trained CrossFit athletes for more than 130,000 hours (!) and his clients include Olympic gold medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world record holders in Olympic lifting and powerlifting, Crossfit Games medalists, professional ballet dancers, and elite military personnel. In this episode, we cover: - The 80/20 of mobility and the movements you need today - How Kelly fixed himself as an athlete - Kelly's picks for easy-to-add mobility movements - And much more... Even if you have zero interest in "mobility," this conversation invites you inside the mind of one of the world’s top coaches.  Kelly discusses habits, strategies, and thinking that can be applied to nearly everything. Please also check this out -- Kelly and I are joining forces to build the first standing desk-only elementary school in the world. We're almost there. Please click through and help! This episode is also brought to y

This episode explores pain, struggle, and how to turn both into amazing creative projects. Whitney Cummings is a Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, writer and producer. Whitney is executive producer and, along with Michael Patrick King, co-creator of the Emmy-nominated CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls, which was recently picked up for a fifth season. She also wrote, produced and starred in Whitney, which aired on NBC from 2011 to 2013. She has headlined with comics including Sarah Silverman, Louis C.K., Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, and others. Her first one-hour stand up special, Money Shot, premiered on Comedy Central in 2010 and was nominated for an American Comedy Award. Her second stand-up special, Whitney Cummings: I Love You, debuted on Comedy Central in 2014 and she is shooting a third hour for HBO this August, which is set to air in 2016. For all links, show notes, resources from this episode, please visit fourhourworkweek.com/podcast ### This podcast is brought to you by MeUnd

"My lab is interested in pursuing how we can enhance cognition to improve quality of life." - Adam Gazzaley Dr. Adam Gazzaley (@adamgazz) obtained an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, then postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at UC Berkeley. He is now the director of the Gazzaley Lab at UC San Francisco, a cognitive neuroscience laboratory. His recent studies go far beyond mere description — he and his lab are exploring neuroplasticity and how we can optimize cognitive abilities, even in healthy adults. So, what happens when you combine cognitive-focused video games with neurofeedback, magnetic and electrical stimulation, and even performance-enhancing drugs? Well, that’s just one of many things we cover in this conversation. As someone with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease on both sides of my family, I find Adam's work to be of incredible importance and promise. I hope this discussion blows your mind, in the

Sam Kass almost became a pro baseball player. Instead, he pivoted a history major into becoming the private chef for the Obamas in the White House. He then broke into national nutrition policy and was named #11 on Fast Company magazine's 2011 list of "100 Most Creative People" for his work, which focused on establishing private-sector partnerships to reduce childhood obesity to just 5% by 2030. His story is amazing, his career turns are unexpected, and his trials by fire are hilarious. In this conversation, we talk about: - Baseball and the art of fielding - His odd leap to the culinary world and his escapades in Austria - How he met the Obamas - His favorite books, routines, and breakfast eggs - Simple cooking tricks and common mistakes - Nutrition, top-soil depletion, and organic food - Why he doesn’t like black pepper - And much, much more... Show notes (links, resources, books, etc.) for this episode can be found at fourhourworkweek.com/podcast And...

Bryan Johnson is an entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder of OS Fund and Braintree, the latter of which was bought by eBay in 2013 for $800 million in cash. Bryan launched OS Fund in 2014 with $100 million of his personal capital to support inventors and scientists who aim to benefit humanity by rewriting the operating systems of life. He cultivates real-world mad scientists. Our conversation includes his rags to riches story (and strategies), his philosophical hardwiring, negotiating/sales tactics, and even parenting. We cover a ton of ground with a fascinating and deep mind. Bryan's investments include endeavors to cure age-related diseases and radically extend healthy human life to 100+ (Human Longevity), make biology a predictable programming language (Gingko Bioworks & Synthetic Genomics), replicate the human visual cortex using artificial intelligence (Vicarious), mine an asteroid (Planetary Resources), reinvent transportation using autonomous vehicles (Mattterne

This episode is intended to help you with unexpected problems that will crop up this week. My guest is Ryan Holiday, who became Director of Marketing at American Apparel at age 21 (!). He’s a beast. Since dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under strategist Robert Greene (author of The 48 Laws of Power), Ryan has advised many New York Times bestselling authors and mega-multi-platinum musicians. He knows how to build massive buzz while responding to unexpected crises. He can compete or counterpunch with the best. For this reason, I asked him to share one of his popular stories on Thomas Edison, as well as Jack Johnson and others. If you want to thrive in high-stress environments, this is well worth the time. The sponsors for this episode, both of which I use, are: Vimeo -- See some of my favorite movies here. Mizzen + Main -- These are the only dress shirts that I travel with. For more on Ryan and his books, check out this page.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a