The Tim Ferriss Show

Many of us feel like we’re drowning in invisible complexity. So I wanted to hit pause and ask a simple question: What are 1-3 decisions that could dramatically simplify my life in 2026? To explore that, I invited five long-time listener favorites: Maria Popova, Morgan Housel, Cal Newport, Craig Mod, and Debbie Millman.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/tim
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Timestamps:

Intro: [00:00:00]

Maria Popova [00:01:49]

Morgan Housel [00:04:40]

Cal Newport [00:12:20]

Craig Mod [00:24:04]

Debbie Millman [00:33:08] 

More about today's guests:

Maria Popova (@mariapopova) thinks and writes about our search for meaning, lensed sometimes through science and philosophy, sometimes through poetry and children's books, always through wonder. She is the creator of The Marginalian (born in 2006 under the name Brain Pickings), which is included in the Library of Congress permanent digital archive of culturally valuable materials. Her books and projects include Traversal, The Universe in Verse, Figuring, The Coziest Place on the Moon, and An Almanac of Birds: 100 Divinations for Uncertain Days.

Morgan Housel (@morganhousel) is a partner at The Collaborative Fund. His book The Psychology of Money has sold more than three million copies and has been translated into 53 languages. Morgan is also the author of Same As Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes and The Art of Spending Money.

Cal Newport is a professor of computer science at Georgetown University, where he is also a founding member of the Center for Digital Ethics. In addition to his academic work, Newport is a New York Times bestselling author who writes for a general audience about the intersection of technology, productivity, and culture. His books have sold millions of copies and been translated into over forty languages. He is also a contributor to The New Yorker and hosts the popular Deep Questions podcast. His latest book is Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout.

Craig Mod (@craigmod) is a writer, photographer, and walker living in Tokyo and Kamakura, Japan. He is the author of Things Become Other Things and Kissa by Kissa. He also writes the newsletters Roden and Ridgeline and has contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic, Wired, and more. 

Debbie Millman (@debbiemillman) has been named one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company and one of the most influential designers working today by Graphic Design USA. She is the host of Design Matters—a great show and one of the world’s longest-running podcasts. She is also chair of the Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, editorial director of Print magazine, a Harvard Business School Case Study, and a member of the board of directors at the Joyful Heart Foundation.

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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

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Jim Collins has published multiple international bestsellers that have sold in total more than eleven million copies worldwide, including the perennial favorite Good to Great. His new book is What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire, and the Self-Knowledge Imperative.

This episode is brought to you by:

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Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Start.
• [00:02:43] More energy at 68 than 37: Jim’s mysteriously expanding battery.
• [00:04:57] Two mornings a day.
• [00:08:24] How Marcelo Garcia avoids the “simmering six.”
• [00:10:24] The portable coffee ritual.
• [00:12:44] Side passions of high performers: Disco dancing, the occult, and Sunday school.
• [00:18:20] Genesis of “What to Make of a Life” and the sage down the hall: John W. Gardner.
• [00:20:51] Joanne’s IRONMAN triumph: winning by 90 seconds on a shattered hamstring — then the cliff.
• [00:26:01] Cliff events, matched pairs, and the bigger question that swallowed the smaller one.
• [00:31:35] The fog-clarity inversion: clear on life, foggy on projects.
• [00:34:56] Fog happens to everyone — don’t freak out about it.
• [00:40:38] Jim’s wife’s one-word review of life with him.
• [00:47:29] When the fire went from red molten rage to a green-yellow warming glow.
• [00:54:18] Encodings vs. strengths: The window frame metaphor and John Glenn’s click moment.
• [01:01:49] My encoding candidates.
• [01:08:07] 70 points on trust: Discovering your encodings matters, but trusting them matters more.
• [01:12:43] Enneagram as an acceptable horoscope for tech guys.
• [01:15:21] The 1,000 creative hours rule and Warren Buffett’s punch card: Life is the ultimate finite resource.
• [01:23:37] “The most wonderful, disappointing answer”: How Jim’s team says no with grace.
• [01:27:14] Right people, right seats, encoded edition: When management angst shrinks to almost nothing.
• [01:38:23] Return on luck deep dive: What luck, who luck, and zeit luck.
• [01:46:24] Natalie moments: Not all time in life is equal.
• [01:46:52] Maximizing surface area of luck, return on luck, and Jim’s chain of who luck.
• [02:04:47] Cardiss Collins and return on bad luck: Cliff events that expose encodings you never knew you had.
• [02:08:33] A warning for founders: Sell your company, lose a decade — the cliff nobody plans for.
• [02:11:23] “An option to come back has negative value”: Irv Grousbeck’s counterintuitive wisdom.
• [02:14:22] Signing the Declaration as a death warrant: When there’s no option, the mind focuses.
• [02:16:01] The hunt for Roger Sherman: Choosing matched pairs and the man who saved the Constitution twice.
• [02:20:48] The mythology of youthful creativity: Jim’s rebuttal — Toni Morrison wrote Beloved at 56.
• [02:34:35] Flipping the arrow of money: Is money fuel for your work, or is your work fuel for money?
• [02:38:42] Commonwealth Club event: Jim Collins live in San Francisco, April 9th.
• [02:39:44] The ultimate definition of success: “My spouse likes and respects me evermore as the years go by.”
• [02:43:08] A plus-two day and parting thoughts.

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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

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This episode is a bit different, and I am in the hot seat. Dan Harris (@danharris) interviewed me for his show, the 10% Happier with Dan Harris podcast, and I thought it was worth sharing here. Dan is a wonderful interviewer, and we got in the zone. He is also the bestselling author of 10% Happier and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book.

This episode is brought to you by:

Cresset family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: CressetCapital.com/Tim

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Wealthfront high-yield cash account: Wealthfront.com/Tim

New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.75% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 1/30/26 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB, which creates a conflict of interest. Individual experiences and outcomes will differ. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.

Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Start.
• [00:02:16] The simple social secret that has me feeling better than self-help and isolation ever did.
• [00:05:55] 70–80% depression remission with accelerated TMS and the SAINT Protocol.
• [00:10:14] One day of TMS + an old tuberculosis antibiotic flipped the OCD switch to near-zero.
• [00:14:10] The pros and cons of TMS accessibility for all.
• [00:18:09] Dan’s parallel confession: The “desertification” of social life under workaholism.
• [00:22:10] “It’s the relationships, stupid.” Evolutionary biology meets self-improvement.
• [00:26:51] What you’re optimizing for should come before how.
• [00:28:33] Health optimization made personal.
• [00:31:12] Intermittent fasting: Just changing when I eat has been the single biggest needle-mover for my bloodwork.
• [00:32:54] Working with your doctors: Replicate tests, respect diurnal cycles, and resist the four-drug opening salvo.
• [00:37:17] AI as health co-pilot: Use LLMs for medical literacy and contraindication checks — but always fact-check one tool with another.
• [00:41:48] Full-body MRIs: Over 40, you will find something. But Dan’s wife (a doctor) says skip ’em — and Rumi might have agreed with her.
• [00:45:22] How my actual daily life compares to a poorly programmed Roomba.
• [00:47:30] Jerry Seinfeld’s grand unified life theory: Lift weights and do TM. That’s pretty much it.
• [00:51:28] The No Book: 800 pages, six years deep, co-written with Neil Strauss — because even the most accomplished people can’t say no.
• [00:55:25] “I can’t do the life Tetris.” Martha Beck’s masterclass in declining without defending.
• [00:59:04] Rocks, gravel, and sand: How to protect your life-changing commitments from death by a thousand small distractions.
• [01:04:50] Three years without social media on my phone, fear-setting as clarity, and two hours of daily focus as the new top 1%.
• [01:08:46] Coyote: My card game with Exploding Kittens, and why I only choose projects that let me win even if they fail.
• [01:13:05] Parting thoughts.

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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

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Tish Rabe (@tishrabebooks) is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 children's books with more than 11 million copies sold. She has written for Sesame Street, Disney, PBS Kids, Curious George, Clifford, and many more. She now heads her own children's book publishing company, Tish Rabe Books.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Circle complete community platform for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand: Circle.so/Tim 
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim
• Helix Sleep premium mattresses: HelixSleep.com/Tim

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Timestamps

• [00:00:00] Who is Tish Rabe?
• [00:00:24] How an opera major became a bestselling children’s author and songwriter.
• [00:03:12] Tish’s trashy debut on television treasure Sesame Street.
• [00:03:36] Pitching a childhood memory to dead silence — and landing book number one.
• [00:07:27] The value of writing a story’s ending first.
• [00:09:42] Jim Henson: The kind, gentle giant with a mind of steel.
• [00:10:58] Keeping kids and their parents entertained with double-level humor.
• [00:11:38] How Tish put her music training to work with Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
• [00:18:56] From nine-note auditions to signing on with Sesame Street‘s mission to level the kindergarten playing field.
• [00:22:48] Churning out children’s books and writing bangers about animal gestation periods and lumber measurement for 3-2-1 Contact.
• [00:26:56] The zero-rhyming genius of Joe Raposo’s “Bein’ Green” and why it works.
• [00:29:59] Curriculum is king: Focus groups, orange Oscar, and making sure the kids aren’t lost.
• [00:32:16] Random House rejected her book, but the late Dr. Seuss took a second look.
• [00:37:17] Accepting the Widow Seuss’s challenge to write a book for babies in utero and ending up with a bestseller.
• [00:40:39] The secret to perfect rhyme in Dr. Seuss’s paradigm.
• [00:44:14] Is rhyming a part of Tish’s DNA, or did she learn it along the way?
• [00:48:12] The time Tish transformed a planet from pizza into nickels to make her deadline.
• [00:49:45] Has music as a mission preserved Tish’s cognition?
• [00:55:10] What does Tish aim to do with the company she started in her 70s?
• [01:01:18] Sometimes Apart, Always in My Heart: A military kid’s book born from a POW father’s legacy and a high-five traced on paper.
• [01:05:30] Alaska the stuffed dog, financial literacy bunnies, hallucinated seagulls, and 843 acres of Central Park in 24 pages.
• [01:12:54] Tish’s campaign to get free books to kids in underserved neighborhoods.
• [01:14:02] Advice for aspiring children’s book authors.
• [01:15:42] Tish doesn’t get derailed by writer’s block — she prepares for it.
• [01:17:24] When Michelle Obama added 16 pages to a book Tish thought would be boring.
• [01:19:37] Big Bird in China, 1982: One hand-painted costume, 13 days of rain, zero coffee, and a five-year-old who memorized the wrong script.
• [01:23:41] Tish’s billboard.
• [01:24:38] Kindness is Caring, Friendship is Sharing and other parting thoughts.

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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss 

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Jordan Jonas (@hobojordo) grew up on a farm in Idaho, rode freight trains across the US, spent time in remote Russian villages, fur trapped and travelled for several years with nomads in Siberia, and won Alone Season 6, after being the first contestant to truly thrive in the wilderness and harvest big game. You can learn more about Jordan's axes at JordanJonas.com/Axe.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: LiveMomentous.com/Tim
• Monarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim
• Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim
• Cresset family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: CressetCapital.com/Tim

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TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:00:00] Who is Jordan Jonas?
• [00:02:20] The Siberian axe gospel: Single bevel, wide eye, and why your Lowe's hatchet is basically a butter knife.
• [00:07:16] A Montana downpour baptism.
• [00:08:04] Feather sticks and ferro rods.
• [00:12:36] A gnarly axe-ident, a quest for an abandoned boot, and frontier convalescense in a tipi.
• [00:19:59] First Russian word learned, courtesy of a Moscow airport officer with zero chill.
• [00:21:18] Jordan's youthful faith crisis and a Trans-Siberian prayer.
• [00:29:16] From building an orphanage to living with the Evenki.
• [00:31:29] Experiencing tug-of-war hospitality between ex-con Siberian families.
• [00:39:34] Reindeer vs caribou.
• [00:45:42] The Gulag Archipelago at 17.
• [00:49:36] The homeschooling advantage: Finishing academics by noon, then deep-diving history for fun.
• [00:53:50] Campfire psychology for gentlemen.
• [00:56:00] Why llamas are more practical than reindeer on Jordan's expeditions in the northern United States.
• [01:01:37] How Jordan's grandparents found purpose and built a joyful family after surviving Assyrian genocide.
• [01:11:18] Dad's 12-year health collapse and facing death with radical joy.
• [01:18:49] Freight train philosophy and evolutionary dopamine alignment.
• [01:30:03] Grandma moose rodeo.
• [01:33:07] Alone Season 6: The "Super Bowl of survival" just south of the Arctic Circle.
• [01:40:38] How Jordan survived 77 days in the woods barely breaking a sweat.
• [01:48:21] Harvesting a moose at day 20 via Russian fence-funneling tactics.
• [01:56:21] Wolverine vs. man with axe, a tin can alarm, and a wife who likes rustic jewelry.
• [02:03:05] The crappy fate of less-than-lucky rabbit feet.
• [02:04:59] Fat as a survival bottleneck, and how to experience the wild with Jordan.
• [02:09:31] Jordan hopes his upcoming book will help readers build reservoirs of resilience before they're needed.
• [02:12:27] The most overlooked part of the Serenity Prayer: "Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace."
• [02:14:48] The wilderness as political neutral ground and other parting thoughts.

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

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Tim McGraw (@thetimmcgraw) is a Grammy Award-winning entertainer, author, and actor who has sold more than 106 million records worldwide, with 49 number-one singles and 19 number-one albums. He is one of the most-played country artists since his debut in 1992, has four New York Times bestselling books, and has acted for both film and television, including the movies Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side and Paramount Network’s Yellowstone. He recently starred alongside his wife Faith Hill and Sam Elliott in Yellowstone’s prequel—the three-time-Emmy-nominated 1883. You can find tickets for his upcoming Pawn Shop Guitar Tour at TimMcGraw.com.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Circle complete community platform for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand: Circle.so/Tim 
• Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/tim
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim

TIMESTAMPS

• [00:00:00] Who is Tim McGraw?
• [00:01:51] Two Tims walk into a podcast.
• [00:02:56] “The song always has to win.”
• [00:05:02] Recording “Live Like You Were Dying” at 2 a.m. with Uncle Hank in a puddle in the corner.
• [00:09:22] Sensing when the moment is right.
• [00:10:29] The song Nashville hated that Tim heard his first night off the Greyhound.
• [00:13:18] The one-two punch that saved Tim from novelty-act purgatory.
• [00:15:22] Turning down the CMAs because the song wouldn’t fit the time slot.
• [00:20:11] Why you can’t let the audience steer the ship when testing material live.
• [00:25:51] Coping with the physical toll of performing for three decades.
• [00:34:04] The Four Christmases wake-up call that changed everything.
• [00:37:42] What training smarter looks like for Tim.
• [00:41:22] When Tim found out his dad was a baseball legend whose picture was already on his wall.
• [00:54:53] Important advice for aspiring parents.
• [00:55:41] When Tim pawned his high school ring for a $20 guitar.
• [00:58:27] Learning guitar from CMT videos and fret diagrams.
• [00:59:37] The morning Tim tore up his Marines paperwork and bought a Greyhound ticket to Nashville.
• [01:07:20] Nashville as creative accelerant: Tracy Lawrence, Kenny Chesney, and $50 singing competitions.
• [01:12:45] Po’boy Don’s crawfish shack: The demo that launched Tim’s career.
• [01:15:39] How Faith Hill saved Tim’s life.
• [01:18:33] The 7 a.m. bottle of whiskey cry for help.
• [01:20:27] Parenthood as selfishness-removal surgery.
• [01:24:28] Tim’s “Glory Days” disaster with Bruce Springsteen.
• [01:28:30] When Tim’s first album “went wood” — the failure that taught him everything.
• [01:33:29] A rodeo monkey no longer: When Tim kicked his record company to the curb.
• [01:37:35] Tim’s most important advice for artists.
• [01:43:41] Announcing the summer 2026 Pawn Shop Guitar tour with The Chicks.
• [01:46:28] If it’s so grueling, why does Tim still tour?
• [01:49:50] Tim’s “Humble and Kind” billboard.
• [01:50:50] Parting thoughts and a parting gift: “Different” — the new song only on social media.

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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Tommy Wood (@DrRagnar) is an associate professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at the University of Washington, where his research focuses on brain health across the lifespan. This includes therapies for brain injury in newborns, prevention and treatment of adult brain trauma, and the factors that contribute to long-term cognitive function and cognitive decline. He is the author of the forthcoming book The Stimulated Mind.

This episode is brought to you by:

Circle complete community platform for your community, events, and courses — all under your own brand: https://circle.so/tim ($1,000 off when you demo Circle Plus)

Monarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim (50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code TIM)

Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.)

Cresset family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: CressetCapital.com/Tim

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TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:00:00] Start
• [00:02:30] The cognition conversation commences.
• [00:03:11] Why human babies are chubby little brain-fuel tanks.
• [00:05:16] Brain injury in newborns: Cooling, caffeine, and coming home.
• [00:09:07] Adult concussion protocol: Fever management, ketones, and why you shouldn’t chug Powerade.
• [00:18:59] Washington’s 2nd Strongest Man talks omega-3s, methylation, and why your brain needs the whole orchestra.
• [00:29:34] Auguste Deter, Alzheimer’s mystery patient, and the 45-70% dementia prevention sweet spot.
• [00:39:22] From CGM monitoring to the “use it or lose it” glucose paradox.
• [00:55:54] VO2 max training as cardio insurance against dementia.
• [01:01:32] Jiu-jitsu, sleds, and the Norwegian torture method (4×4 intervals).
• [01:03:37] Lactate training: Forget the finger prick, embrace the misery.
• [01:06:40] Announcing The Stimulated Mind: Tommy’s brain-saving book.
• [01:07:35] Foundation supplements: Omega-3s, B vitamins, vitamin D, iron, and magnesium.
• [01:08:58] Polyphenols, choline, and the case for eating more liver.
• [01:10:40] Creatine: Tommy’s 10-gram cognitive stimulant ritual.
• [01:11:58] Cheap creatine temptation leads to lavatory lamentation.
• [01:14:16] Blood flow restriction training: High lactate, low load, maximum travel convenience.
• [01:21:45] Language learning, music, StarCraft, and why your brain needs to fail.
• [01:38:04] Sleep anxiety, air pollution, and gum disease: the overlooked dementia risk factors.
• [01:45:32] Air purifiers, CO2 levels, and sleep optimization hacks.
• [01:51:52] DORAs for sleep quality: when cognitive stimulation isn’t enough.
• [01:54:55] The thesis behind The Stimulated Mind: Practical, referenced, and sustainable.
• [01:56:32] Kelly and Juliet Starrett’s stamp of approval.
• [01:57:44] The beautiful compounding effect of fixing just one thing.
• [01:58:59] Who is Dr. Ragnar, and does he make housecalls to Valhalla?
• [02:01:06] Tommy’s open invitation for complaints and scientific debates.
• [02:02:21] Parting thoughts.

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For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is part of a series called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher.

In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so meditation, which will help you for the rest of the week.

Over this four-episode series, you’ll develop a Zen toolkit to help you find greater calm, peace, and effectiveness in your daily life.

Henry’s app, The Way, has changed my life since I first started using it. Unlike other meditation apps, where you’re overwhelmed with a thousand choices, The Way is a clear step-by-step training program guided entirely by Henry. Through a logical progression, you’ll develop real skills that stick with you.

I’ve been using it daily, often twice a day, and it’s lowered my anxiety more than I thought possible.

As a listener of my podcast, you can get 30 free sessions by visiting https://thewayapp.com/tim and downloading the app.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Michael Levin (@drmichaellevin) is the Vannevar Bush Distinguished Professor of Biology at Tufts University and director of the Allen Discovery Center. He is primarily interested in how intelligence self-organizes in a diverse range of natural, engineered, and hybrid embodiments. Applied to the collective intelligence of cell groups undergoing morphogenesis, these ideas have allowed the Levin Lab to develop new applications in birth defects, organ regeneration, and cancer suppression.

This episode is brought to you by:

ShipStation shipping software: ShipStation.com/Tim

AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim

Our Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “forever chemicals”: FromOurPlace.com/Tim

TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:00:00] Start
• [00:03:18] The Body Electric: A Vancouver bookstore discovery that launched a career.
• [00:04:19] Bioelectricity 101: Your brain uses it to think; your body used it before you had a brain.
• [00:06:05] The lesson learned by scrambled tadpole faces that rearrange themselves.
• [00:08:51] Software vs. hardware: The genome is your factory settings, not your destiny.
• [00:11:43] Two-headed flatworms: Rewriting biological memory without touching DNA.
• [00:16:20] Seeing memories: Voltage-sensitive dyes reveal the body’s hidden blueprints.
• [00:20:12] Three killer apps for humans: Birth defects, regeneration, and cancer.
• [00:24:27] Cancer as identity crisis: Cells forgetting they’re part of a team.
• [00:25:40] The boredom theory of aging: Goal-seeking systems with nothing left to do.
• [00:30:09] Planaria’s immortality hack: Rip yourself in half every two weeks.
• [00:31:27] Manhattan Project for aging: Crack cellular cognition, everything else falls into place.
• [00:33:47] Giving cells new goals: Convince a gut to become an eye.
• [00:37:42] Must mammalian mortality be mandatory?
• [00:40:25] Cross-pollination: Why biologists would benefit from programming courses.
• [00:47:15] Does acupuncture actually do anything?
• [00:50:57] Placebo as feature, not bug: Words and drugs share the same mechanism.
• [00:55:06] The frame problem: Why robots explode and rats intuit what matters.
• [00:59:41] Binary thinking is a trap: “Is it intelligent?” is the wrong question.
• [01:07:46] Minimal brain, normal IQ: Clinical cases that break neuroscience.
• [01:08:45] Super panpsychism: Your liver might have opinions.
• [01:13:48] The Platonic space: Bodies as thin clients for patterns from elsewhere.
• [01:15:24] Keep asking “why” and you end up in the math department.
• [01:23:07] Polycomputing: Sorting algorithms secretly doing side quests.
• [01:28:24] Power scaling for the future and avoiding red herrings for understanding machine minds.
• [01:34:06] Sci-fi recommendations.
• [01:37:24] Cliff Tabin’s toast and Dan Dennett’s steel manning.
• [01:41:21] Parting thoughts.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss 

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is part of a series called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher.

In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so meditation, which will help you for the rest of the week.

Over this four-episode series, you’ll develop a Zen toolkit to help you find greater calm, peace, and effectiveness in your daily life.

Henry’s app, The Way, has changed my life since I first started using it. Unlike other meditation apps, where you’re overwhelmed with a thousand choices, The Way is a clear step-by-step training program guided entirely by Henry. Through a logical progression, you’ll develop real skills that stick with you.

I’ve been using it daily, often twice a day, and it’s lowered my anxiety more than I thought possible.

As a listener of my podcast, you can get 30 free sessions by visiting https://thewayapp.com/tim and downloading the app.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Steve Young (@steveyoung) is a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback who played more than 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Steve co-founded HGGC, which manages more than $6.9B in capital commitments. He’s also the founder and current chair of the Forever Young Foundation, which supports children’s charities globally. He is the author of QB: My Life Behind the Spiral and The Law of Love.

This episode is brought to you by:

Cresset family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs: CressetCapital.com/Tim

AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim

Wealthfront high-yield cash account: Wealthfront.com/Tim

New clients get 3.30% base APY from program banks + additional 0.65% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms and conditions apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 1/30/2026 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB, which creates a conflict of interest. Experiences will vary. Outcomes not guaranteed. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.

TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:00:00] Start.
• [00:02:34] The full circle of Josh Waitzkin.
• [00:05:47] The Stephen Covey plane ride that changed everything.
• [00:11:38] Overcoming victimization: The hole you dig, then jump into.
• [00:14:16] How taking ownership led Steve from rock bottom to NFL MVP in one season.
• [00:21:50] Interceptions and the truest truth about accountability.
• [00:26:09] What separates good from great quarterbacks: Adrenaline alchemy.
• [00:31:21] Alex Honnold and the genetics of not panicking.
• [00:32:14] Learning to actually throw a football at BYU.
• [00:35:01] Recovering from the offensive coordinator who wouldn’t coach southpaws.
• [00:37:00] The vulnerability prerequisite.
• [00:42:45] Separation anxiety: Thriving by day, terrified by night.
• [00:48:29] Tears in the Candlestick Park training room.
• [00:52:37] The diagnosis that made the puzzle pieces fit.
• [00:58:32] Dad’s philosophy: Dream (1%) and Plan (80%).
• [01:01:14] Law school between Super Bowl parades.
• [01:02:33] Trading locker room access for venture capital deals.
• [01:08:45] Mourning old identities and heeding Roger Staubach’s transition advice: “Run.”
• [01:11:49] Rich Lawson walks out of Morgan Stanley: “I’ll be the CEO.”
• [01:19:05] 30 years of partnership: Yin, yang, and existential crises.
• [01:23:01] HGGC: The name nobody can pronounce (and why).
• [01:25:19] Faith evolution: From Boy Scout theology to something deeper.
• [01:29:41] The Law of Love: Bill Walsh’s secret weapon.
• [01:32:53] Divine humanity and the irony of losing self-interest.
• [01:43:52] Parting thoughts.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss 

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is part of a series called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher.

In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so meditation, which will help you for the rest of the week.

Over this four-episode series, you’ll develop a Zen toolkit to help you find greater calm, peace, and effectiveness in your daily life.

Henry’s app, The Way, has changed my life since I first started using it. Unlike other meditation apps, where you’re overwhelmed with a thousand choices, The Way is a clear step-by-step training program guided entirely by Henry. Through a logical progression, you’ll develop real skills that stick with you.

I’ve been using it daily, often twice a day, and it’s lowered my anxiety more than I thought possible.

As a listener of my podcast, you can get 30 free sessions by visiting https://thewayapp.com/tim and downloading the app.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Dominic D’Agostino (@DominicDAgosti2) is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and a Visiting Senior Research Scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses: https://gusto.com/tim 
• Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic broad spectrum 24-strain probiotic + prebiotic: https://Seed.com/Tim 
• David Protein Bars 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar: https://davidprotein.com/tim 
• Coyote the card game​, which I co-created with Exploding Kittens: https://coyotegame.com

*

Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Who is Dominic D'Agostino?
• [00:04:37] Ketosis benefits: Quieting the mind, GABA elevation, metabolic psychiatry.
• [00:09:24] My Lyme disease story: Pseudo-dementia reversed in 3-4 days of ketosis.
• [00:13:50] Spirochetes are glycolytic: Starve the bug, boost the immune response.
• [00:19:20] Ketosis and cancer: Slowing glycolytic tumors, enhancing standard care.
• [00:20:50] My 18-day keto experiment: Mood stabilization, Alzheimer’s prevention hopes.
• [00:23:19] Metabolic memory: Carryover effects and Valter Longo’s fasting mimicking research.
• [00:27:11] Intermittent fasting as keto on-ramp: My 2-8 p.m. eating window.
• [00:29:15] Dom’s budget keto meal: Canned mackerel, MCT oil, apple cider vinegar.
• [00:33:28] My ketone measurement paradox: Feeling sharp at 0.2 mM readings.
• [00:36:56] The carburetor analogy: Ketone production vs. utilization explained.
• [00:38:43] Breath ketones vs. blood ketones: Better indicator in caloric deficit.
• [00:39:47] Gluconeogenesis fears: Fat, fiber, and salt to slow protein absorption.
• [00:45:25] The bunless double cheeseburger question: 80 grams of protein in one sitting.
• [00:49:03] Post-meal walking and GLUT4 activation: Timing your glucose disposal.
• [00:51:02] CGM and ketone monitor limitations: When your devices gaslight you.
• [00:58:05] Rabbit starvation and protein-veggie days: Why your body won’t bankroll its own ketosis.
• [01:05:44] Alzheimer’s prevention: Biomarkers, B12, hsCRP, and metabolic health.
• [01:09:40] My family history: Letrozole, metabolic dysfunction, and rapid cognitive decline.
• [01:13:17] Minimum effective dose: 80% of benefits from low-carb Mediterranean.
• [01:18:56] One week per month protocol: Aggressive calorie cut to ramp ketones.
• [01:23:12] GKI sweet spot: Target 1-4, aim for 1-2 during intensive weeks.
• [01:36:22] Exogenous ketones 101: Palatability, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, toxicity.
• [01:39:21] 1,3-Butanediol warnings: Liver toxicity, NAD depletion, dependency risk.
• [01:54:22] Intermittent fasting vs. ketogenic breakfast.
• [01:59:09] My accidental intoxication story.
• [02:03:23] Dr. Veech tribute: Student of Hans Krebs, ketone ester pioneer.
• [02:05:08] Fiber on keto: Wild blueberries, broccoli, apples, walnuts.
• [02:09:58] The tainted gummies incident: Dom’s forensic investigation underway.
• [02:13:08] Thanks to Dr. Boz and Medifoodz.
• [02:16:19] Parting thoughts.

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss 

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is part of a series called Meditation Monday. The teacher, Henry Shukman, has been on my podcast twice before. He is one of only a few dozen masters in the world authorized to teach Sanbo Zen, and now, he’ll be your teacher.

In addition to my long-form interviews each week, every Monday I’ll bring you a short 10-minute or so meditation, which will help you for the rest of the week.

Over this four-episode series, you’ll develop a Zen toolkit to help you find greater calm, peace, and effectiveness in your daily life.

Henry’s app, The Way, has changed my life since I first started using it. Unlike other meditation apps, where you’re overwhelmed with a thousand choices, The Way is a clear step-by-step training program guided entirely by Henry. Through a logical progression, you’ll develop real skills that stick with you.

I’ve been using it daily, often twice a day, and it’s lowered my anxiety more than I thought possible.

As a listener of my podcast, you can get 30 free sessions by visiting https://thewayapp.com/tim and downloading the app.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greg McKeown is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less and Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most. 200,000 people receive his weekly 1-Minute Wednesday newsletter, and he recently released The Essentialism Planner: A 90-Day Guide to Accomplishing More by Doing Less. 

Sponsors:

Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/Tim (Code TIM for 35% off your first subscription.)

Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim

Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://helixsleep.com/tim

Coyote the card game​, which I co-created with Exploding Kittens: https://coyotegame.com

*

Show notes: https://tim.blog/2025/01/09/personal-reboot-greg-mckeown/

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss 

Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss

YouTube: youtube.com/timferriss

Facebook: facebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.