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 this episode:

• Chip Conley shares how a near-death experience on stage changed his life.
• Greg McKeown reveals what a stormtrooper costume has to do with all the goddamn clutter in our lives.
• David Allen explains why the to-do list living in your head costs you more than you think.
• Elizabeth Gilbert explains why she treats her inbox like her home and what she does when uninvited guests show up.
• And Oliver Burkeman explains why so much simplicity advice backfires and what has actually worked for him.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Eight Sleep Pod 6 which cools or heats each side of the bed, with custom elevation and snoring reduction, and wearable-free sleep tracking: EightSleep.com/tim
• AG1 Pro all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim

Timestamps:

Chip Conley: 00:01:36

Greg McKeown: 00:13:00:22

David Allen: 00:20:18:27

Elizabeth Gilbert: 00:28:35:17

Oliver Burkeman: 00:36:37:01

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

Kevin Ryan is one of the leading entrepreneurs and investors in New York. Often called the “Godfather of NYC tech,” he is the founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, a New York based venture capital firm that incubates and invests across healthcare, AI and software, consumer tech, deep tech, and more. Kevin is also the co-founder of several notable companies including MongoDB, Business Insider, Zola, Gilt Groupe, and Transcend Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Kevin was the CEO of DoubleClick, which he helped grow from a 20-person startup to a publicly-traded company with more than 1,500 employees.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Eight Sleep Pod 6 which cools or heats each side of the bed, with custom elevation and snoring reduction, and wearable-free sleep tracking: EightSleep.com/tim
• Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/Tim
• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: LiveMomentous.com/Tim
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Intro from Tim

00:01:25 Kevin Ryan’s entrepreneurial track record

00:03:40 Spotting long-term trends and turning them into businesses

00:06:33 Designing gatherings and trips for great conversations

00:11:42 Second-order thinking and the missed YouTube opportunity

00:17:47 Gilt’s rise, shrinking moat, and knowing when to sell

00:22:06 From Dilbert to DoubleClick: early lessons and fast decisions

00:27:52 AlleyCorp’s model: start narrow, then scale

00:32:26 Recruiting founders and building Business Insider

00:38:28 Recognizing a business crush and choosing what to build

00:41:44 Investing in nuclear energy

00:43:26 Taking money off the table and keeping funds small

00:47:15 Ping-pong and the value of coaching

00:49:05 Making time for family, fitness, and vacation

00:51:52 Psychedelics and the origins of Transcend Therapeutics

00:54:20 Methylone, PTSD trials, and navigating the FDA

00:59:57 Transcend’s public-benefit mission and giving back

01:05:46 Deep tech, robotics, and the next wave of opportunities

01:11:35 Failed startups, MongoDB, and knowing when to persist

01:15:06 A more caring society: inequality, taxes, and opportunity

01:17:26 Immigration and attracting the world’s best talent

01:20:04 Why Kevin is bullish on New York

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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 

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.

My guest today is Tania de Jong, co-founder of Mind Medicine Australia. Tania and her husband, Peter, helped lead the push that, in 2023, made Australia the first country in the world to allow MDMA and psilocybin to be prescribed for psychiatric conditions. I wanted to understand how the hell they helped make that happen and what the rest of the world can learn from it.

This episode is brought to you by:

• ProLon science-backed Fasting Mimicking Diet that helps activate cellular renewal through fasting, while still eating nourishing meals: https://prolonlife.com/Tim
• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://LiveMomentous.com/Tim
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Intro from Tim.

[00:02:46] The article that changed Tania’s life.

[00:04:39] A first psychedelic experience—and the year it took to integrate it.

[00:10:17] Rick Doblin’s encouragement and the birth of Mind Medicine Australia.

[00:13:15] Turning regulatory rejection into a stronger application.

[00:20:48] Building a grassroots movement and training clinicians.

[00:23:23] Cold emails, scientific allies, and singing your way into the room.

[00:31:11] A week with Ram Dass: silence, singing, and an extraordinary LSD story.

[00:37:54] Bringing David Nutt—and a family’s devastating story—to the regulators.

[00:42:42] Dancing in the kitchen: Australia’s rescheduling breakthrough.

[00:43:40] From changing the rules to treating patients.

[00:48:18] Why Tim thinks MDMA is still underestimated.

[00:50:23] Integration beyond the session: therapy, nutrition, and exercise.

[00:52:29] Scaling access and collecting real-world evidence.

[00:58:13] Getting insurers, government agencies, and philanthropists on board.

[01:00:44] Syrian rue, psilocybin, and learning to let go of control.

[01:09:06] Dosing, expectations, and the pressure to take more.

[01:11:07] The promise of group therapy and shared integration.

[01:13:27] Hiring mistakes, personal attacks, and the resilience advocacy requires.

[01:22:43] Turning a window of change into lasting habits.

[01:24:56] Getting through to regulators and pushing for end-of-life access.

[01:27:32] The bureaucratic barriers that remain.

[01:30:43] What treatment costs—and why therapist time drives the bill.

[01:34:12] Could shorter-acting compounds make treatment more affordable?

[01:37:51] Ketamine, kratom, and the limits of “all natural.”

[01:42:19] The unexpected payoff from Tim’s ketamine experiment.

[01:46:51] What might come next for psychedelic access worldwide?

[01:48:10] Persistence versus pushiness—and knowing when to try another door.

[01:53:27] Supporting patients and training the next wave of clinicians.

[01:56:56] “Be curious”: exploring your inner world and walking each other home.

[02:00:40] The ripple effects of sharing your curiosity—and simply asking for help.

Timeline:

• February 2, 2015: Michael Pollan publishes “The Trip Treatment” in The New Yorker, which is the article Tania credits with setting her journey in motion.
• March 21, 2015: Tim releases his James Fadiman interview, “The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide” (#66). Its show notes link to “The Trip Treatment.”
• January 15, 2016: In 5-Bullet Friday, Tim announces support for Johns Hopkins’ psilocybin research and a personal commitment of at least $100,000 toward psychedelic research that year.
• 2016: Tania and Peter travel to the Netherlands for their first guided psilocybin experience. (Source)
• 2017–2019: UCSF conducts the psilocybin-assisted group-therapy study involving long-term AIDS survivors that Tim helped support. (Source)
• May 6, 2018: Michael Pollan joins Tim for “Exploring the New Science of Psychedelics” (#313), discussing his forthcoming book (How to Change Your Mind).
• May 15, 2018: Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind is published.
• February 13, 2019: Tania and Peter publicly launch Mind Medicine Australia. (Source)
• 2020–2022: MMA applies to reschedule MDMA and psilocybin, faces rejection, and submits new applications in March 2022. (Source)
• November 21, 2022: David Nutt presents to Australia’s medicines regulator, the TGA, supporting the case for therapeutic access. (Source)
• February 3, 2023: The TGA announces restricted prescribing access to MDMA for PTSD and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, effective July 1, 2023. (Source)
• January 2024: Patients begin receiving treatment under the new prescribing program. (Source)

*

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

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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 a bit different. It's a live, unscripted working session with a founder, and I've only done one other earlier this year.

Niels Hoven (@NielsHoven) is the founder and CEO of Mentava, a company building software to support fast learners. Eager kids are dramatically underserved by today's education system, and Niels created Mentava to allow students to achieve their potential. Prior to Mentava, Niels worked at Cloudflare, ClassDojo, and Pocket Gems, where he ran the highest-grossing mobile game in the world in 2011. He has a graduate degree in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Fin powerful AI Agent for all your customer service: Fin.Ai/Tim
• Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/Tim
• 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.

[00:01:32] What Mentava is—and the toddlers reading before age three.

[00:08:31] Game design, slot-machine motivation, and lowering the hoop.

[00:11:54] Tim's red pen: rewriting the bio and positioning.

[00:16:59] The real problem: wasted early years, high-school pressure.

[00:23:55] Learning at your own pace—and "what if you did nothing?"

[00:29:32] Dog-fish, fish-dog: readiness, failed trials, and follow-ups.

[00:35:06] The $500 price, school pilots, and videos-for-tuition scholarships.

[00:41:39] Teach a kid to fish: selling relief, not nagging.

[00:47:49] Viral posts, the culture-war trap, and why exaggeration is death.

[00:55:05] Put the ask on top: investor updates and what actually converts.

[00:59:35] The thirty-year phonics war—and it's not with teachers.

[01:01:10] A $1,000 coupon, zero takers: why the referral bribe flopped.

[01:08:04] Lead with the love letters: testimonials, homepage, and who's buying.

[01:20:03] "No scam charges $500 a month": pricing and who you're not for.

[01:34:16] Uncrowded channels and workshopping like a standup.

[01:42:08] Don't let Amazon be your debutante ball: testing what sells.

[01:46:42] Alpha School, the competitive map, and the eager investor.

[01:48:39] Reaching the already-converted: be the painkiller, TiE, surround sound.

[02:08:18] Niels's charge: advocate for your child, unapologetically.

*

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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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 is a special episode about overcoming mistakes and failure. What do you do when your work is rejected, when the big bet fails, or when the path ahead suddenly disappears? As you’ll hear in this episode, setbacks can often present opportunities, if you know how to look for them.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Helix Sleep premium mattresses: HelixSleep.com/Tim (20% off any purchase)
• Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses: Gusto.com/Tim
• Incogni, which removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: Incogni.com/Tim (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan)

In this episode: 

• BJ Miller, a triple amputee, on his years-long quest to ride a motorcycle.
• Terry Crews on missing a season-ending shot—and the mindset shift that stayed with him for life.
• Tim McGraw on his debut album flopping and betting his career on next steps.
• Jessica Lahey on being told her first book was “unpublishable” and turning brutal feedback into a New York Times bestseller.
• Dax Shepard on the collapse of an identity and career he thought he wanted—and the unexpected much better life it made possible.
• Cathy Lanier on becoming a teenage single mother, passing her GED by a single point, and beginning an unlikely climb.
• Janna Levin on the liberating realization that life is not a smooth path interrupted by obstacles—life is the obstacles.
• Boyd Varty on using the mindset of a lion tracker to move through uncertainty and the paralysis of not knowing what comes next.

Dr. BJ Miller is a triple amputee, longtime palliative-care physician, cofounder of virtual palliative-care service Mettle Health, and coauthor of A Beginner’s Guide to the End.

Terry Crews is an actor, artist, author, television host, and former NFL player best known as Terry Jeffords on the Emmy-nominated TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and as the longtime host of America’s Got Talent.

Tim McGraw is a three-time Grammy-winning country-music superstar, an actor, and a 2026 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.

Jessica Lahey is an educator and the New York Times bestselling author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation.

Dax Shepard is an actor, writer, and director and the co-creator and host of the hit podcast Armchair Expert.

Cathy Lanier is the NFL’s chief security officer and the first woman—and longest serving chief—to lead Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department.

Janna Levin is a theoretical cosmologist, the Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College, a Guggenheim Fellow, a PEN-winning author, and the founding director of sciences at Pioneer Works.

Boyd Varty is a lion tracker, wildlife activist, TED speaker, and author of The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Introduction from Tim

01:23 — BJ Miller: Making an Impossible Motorcycle Dream Real

05:35 — Terry Crews: Why You Have to Take the Shot

16:28 — Tim McGraw: Failing on Your Own Terms

27:31 — Jessica Lahey: From “Unpublishable” to Bestseller

31:48 — Dax Shepard: When Failure Saves You From What You Want

38:11 — Cathy Lanier: Rebuilding a Life

47:33 — Janna Levin: Life Is the Obstacles

54:36 — Boyd Varty: Finding the Next Track When You’re Stuck

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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 

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 devoted to one deceptively simple question: How do you stay close to your partner over time through the inevitable exhaustion, misunderstanding, conflict, disappointment, and change?

This episode is brought to you by:

• Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 with dual-zone temperature control, so each partner sleeps at their perfect temperature

In this episode: 

• Esther Perel begins with the basics: appreciation, affection, and replacing chronic complaints with clear requests.
• Brené Brown explains why marriage is never 50/50 and how she and her husband create what Brené calls a “plan of kindness.” 
• Brad Feld describes the monthly “life dinners” that have helped him and his wife review the previous 30 days, talk honestly about the future, and prevent resentments from building up
• Jim Dethmer offers a practical way to distinguish observable facts from the stories we make up about our partners.
• Sheila Heen explains how humor and genuine curiosity can serve as an interrupt on an argument that is heating up 
• The late Dr. Sue Johnson then walks us through a “Hold Me Tight” conversation—a way of moving beneath anger and defensiveness to the fear, vulnerability, and need for connection underneath.
• Terry Real then offers a strikingly simple model for repair and introduces the term “normal marital hatred” - as he put it, nobody ever goes up to him and says “What do you mean by that?!”
• Finally, Diana Chapman describes what it means to let an outdated version of a marriage end so that two people can consciously choose what comes next for their relationship.

Timestamps:

Intro from Tim: 00:00:00

Esther Perel: 00:01:58

Brené Brown: 00:08:21

Brad Feld: 00:12:02

Jim Dethmer: 00:16:51

Shelia Heen: 00:23:04

Dr. Sue Johnson: 00:29:26

Terry Real: 00:40:14

Diana Chapman: 00:46:19

Short bios:

• Esther Perel is an internationally renowned psychotherapist, the New York Times bestselling author of Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, and the host of the award-winning podcast Where Should We Begin?
• Brené Brown is the author of six number-one New York Times bestsellers exploring courage, vulnerability, shame, and resilience; a research professor at the University of Houston; and a professor of practice at the University of Texas at Austin.
• Brad Feld is an early-stage investor and entrepreneur and a co-founder of Foundry Group, Mobius Venture Capital, and Techstars. He writes on entrepreneurship, leadership, mental health, and sustaining a life beyond work.
• Jim Dethmer is a co-founder of the Conscious Leadership Group and co-author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, an influential framework for building candid, responsible, high-trust relationships.
• Sheila Heen is the deputy director of the Harvard Negotiation Project, founder of Triad Consulting Group, and co-author of the New York Times bestsellers Difficult Conversations and Thanks for the Feedback.
• Dr. Sue Johnson was the pioneering clinical psychologist who created Emotionally Focused Therapy. She was named Psychologist of the Year by the American Psychological Association and appointed to the Order of Canada for her global impact on psychotherapy.
• Terry Real is an internationally recognized family therapist, a bestselling author, and the creator of Relational Life Therapy. He has spent more than four decades helping couples restore intimacy and connection.
• Diana Chapman is co-author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, a cofounder of the Conscious Leadership Group, and founder of the Signal Institute, working with leaders on radical honesty, somatic intelligence, and transformation.

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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 

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 is a special compilation devoted to reinvention: how to shed an identity that no longer fits, decide on a new chapter, navigate uncertainty, and commit to what’s next.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business
• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support

In this episode: 

• Matthew McConaughey explains why he stopped making romantic comedies, turned down $15 million, and waited nearly two years for Hollywood to see him differently.
• Steve Young talks about losing the identity that had defined him and the advice another legendary quarterback gave him.
• Lori Gottlieb explains how listening to a quiet inner voice led her from Hollywood to medicine, then to journalism, and finally to psychotherapy.
• Suleika Jaouad describes rebuilding her life after cancer when going back to her old life was no longer possible.
• Samin Nosrat on walking away from a wildly successful food business that was making her miserable, and making room for the writing career that ultimately became Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
• Martine Rothblatt tells the remarkable story of teaching herself biology and starting a pharmaceutical company to save her daughter’s life.
• Finally, Debbie Millman gives you a simple exercise for imagining—and creating—the life you truly want.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro from Tim

01:43 Matthew McConaughey

14:35 Steve Young

17:16 Lori Gottlieb

24:38 Suleika Jaouad

36:47 Samin Nosrat

45:04 Martine Rothblatt

56:51 Debbie Millman

Short bios:

Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award-winning actor—whose career spans 40+ feature films—a cofounder of the Just Keep Livin’ foundation, and the bestselling author of Greenlights.

Steve Young is a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback, Super Bowl MVP, and co-founder and chairman of private-equity firm HGGC.

Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist, the New York Times “Ask the Therapist” advice columnist, and the bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.

Suleika Jaouad is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, artist, and bestselling author of Between Two Kingdoms and The Book of Alchemy.

Samin Nosrat is the James Beard Award–winning author of the New York Times bestseller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat—also the title of her acclaimed Netflix series.

Dr. Martine Rothblatt is the founder, chairperson, and CEO of United Therapeutics—a biotechnology company she started to save the life of one of her daughters—and a pioneer of satellite radio.

Debbie Millman is one of the most influential designers working today, according to Graphic Design USA, an author, an educator, and the host of the pioneering podcast Design Matters, now celebrating its 21st year.

*

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

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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 is a special compilation devoted to a subject very close to my heart and currently consuming a large percentage of my waking hours: writing. Over the years, I’ve asked some of the writers I admire most questions like: How do you choose a project and stay with it? How do you begin when inspiration refuses to show up? How do you build a practice that reliably produces pages? And how do you keep going when you fear your pages are terrible? Listen in to some of my favorite authors answer these and other questions. Please enjoy this special compilation on the craft of writing.

This episode is brought to you by:

• ProLon science-backed Fasting Mimicking Diet that helps activate cellular renewal through fasting, while still eating nourishing meals
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement

Timestamps:

00:00 — Introduction

01:52 — Elizabeth Gilbert: Choosing and committing to a project

06:25 — Anne Lamott: Shitty first drafts and taking it bird by bird

13:04 — Joyce Carol Oates: Don’t wait for inspiration

15:47 — Jerry Seinfeld: Building a writing system

26:27 — Mary Karr: Revision and throwing out 1,200 pages

35:08 — Brandon Sanderson: Consistency, word counts, and output

45:04 — Seth Godin: Fear of bad writing

Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love; Big Magic; and City of Girls. Her ten books have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

Anne Lamott is the author of 20 books, including Bird by Bird, Operating Instructions, and Help, Thanks, Wow, and co-author—with her husband Neal Allen—of Good Writing.

Joyce Carol Oates has written more than 70 books, including Blonde and We Were the Mulvaneys, and won the National Book Award for her novel them.

Jerry Seinfeld co-created and starred in the sitcom Seinfeld—which ran nine seasons and won 10 Emmys—and later created Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee and wrote Is This Anything? 

Mary Karr wrote the bestselling memoirs The Liars’ Club, Cherry, and Lit and her book on writing, The Art of Memoir. 

Brandon Sanderson created the Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series, completed Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, and raised more than $41 million on Kickstarter for four secret novels. 

Seth Godin has written 21 bestsellers published in 40 languages—including Purple Cow, Linchpin, and The Practice—and a daily blog of more than 10,000 posts.

*

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.

In this wide-ranging Q&A, Tim explores reinvention, enduring skills for the age of AI, friendship, mental health, fitness, language learning, privacy, cognitive longevity, and more.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses: Gusto.com/Tim
• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: LiveMomentous.com/Tim
• Helix Sleep premium mattresses: HelixSleep.com/Tim
• 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.

[00:00:24] How to go from hyper-optimized to grounded.

[00:03:45] Reinvention in your late 40s: there are more than two options.

[00:07:45] Five meta-skills for the age of AI.

[00:16:06] Post-sabbatical rules that re-focused this podcast.

[00:21:05] Why male friendship is built shoulder-to-shoulder, not face-to-face.

[00:25:04] Love for women authors.

[00:25:24] SAINT, TMS, and Ampa’s one-day brain reset.

[00:27:32] How to build a fanbase by being your authentically weird self.

[00:28:50] My “something is better than nothing” workout routine.

[00:30:33] Staying fit in mind and soul via the past-year review.

[00:31:12] The 4-Hour Body workout routines I still follow.

[00:35:46] Spotting the future titan hiding in an average teen.

[00:37:01] Vacation, burnout, or an outgrown life? Take a mini-retirement.

[00:41:18] Guiding kids through our digital dystopia.

[00:43:45] Does AI kill language learning? What does a new language really give you?

[00:53:36] Muted movies as late-night writing company.

[00:54:13] Best sub-$100 buy: seven seasons of wholesome Pawnee.

[00:55:34] Why two hours of walking fixes almost everything.

[00:57:21] Sleep, unsexily solved: less water, more sun, more exhaustion.

[00:59:16] Privacy as the new luxury in the age of shrinking fame.

[01:02:35] Luxuries worth overspending on: massage, easy travel, and health.

[01:07:24] The best defense against cognitive decline: exercise, exercise, exercise.

[01:11:11] 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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Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Departments of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he runs the Huberman Lab. He is the author of Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body.

This episode is brought to you by:

• ProLon science-backed Fasting Mimicking Diet that helps activate cellular renewal through fasting, while still eating nourishing meals
• Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating
• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support
• Helix Sleep premium mattresses

Timestamps:

00:00:00 — Who is Dr. Andrew Huberman?

00:02:03 — Dean Potter, The Dark Wizard, and the physics of raw energy.

00:04:11 — Why competition destroys performance.

00:05:45 — Laird Hamilton, tow-in surfing, and the lure of big waves.

00:06:27 — Training with Dorian Yates.

00:18:29 — The full weekly split that keeps building strength at 50.

00:21:00 — Neck training.

00:25:56 — AssaultBike vs. Airdyne.

00:31:12 — Revisiting MDMA and psychedelics.

00:48:06 — Inducing plasticity is only half the job.

00:53:17 — The one-day protocol that cut my anxiety by 90%.

01:00:27 — Cortisol as the master key.

01:03:26 — Peptides demystified: GLP-1s, growth hormone, and BPC-157.

01:14:44 — The Enhanced Games, the Deca burrito, and the honesty problem.

01:17:56 — Pinealon, epitalon, and the hunt for more REM sleep.

01:25:02 — Why women, not gym bros, are the real peptide market.

01:35:52 — Why "no reported side effects" is a trap.

01:43:48 — Stem cells, cartilage regrowth, and mining the body for medicine.

01:46:37 — AI, wearables, and the race to write to the nervous system.

01:54:12 — The MIT mask that puts you to sleep in six minutes.

01:56:09 — Inside Andrew's new operating manual, Protocols.

02:03:30 — Navigating grief and remapping loss.

02:04:40 — Shut up, suit up, show up.

02:08:03 — 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

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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.

In this edition of The Random Show, Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose reunite over tequila to talk Zen retreats, learning to rock climb at (almost) 50, mortality and grief, why you should stop saying "one day," AI predictions , and much more. Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

• Incogni, which removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: Incogni.com/Tim (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan)
• 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.
• [00:00:24] A tequila toast, and getting "taxed" by alcohol as you age.
• [00:02:18] Toaster at 15: a late-night health scare.
• [00:06:01] Losing Om Malik, and finding out on retreat.
• [00:08:03] Matt Mullenweg, Antarctica, and gratitude.
• [00:09:34] Coming to terms with our limited time on Earth.
• [00:14:37] Five days of silence and the koan "Mu."
• [00:15:20] Kevin's micro-insight and a plug for The Way.
• [00:27:25] Rock climbing after 40, and a Yosemite goal.
• [00:29:18] Michael Eckert and finger-strength training.
• [00:30:40] The Nug, Abrahangs, and a travel training kit.
• [00:32:57] Free Solo and climbing with a fear of heights.
• [00:37:53] The Blade Itself, and a friend lost in a plane crash.
• [00:39:19] A2 protein and Pioneer Pastures.
• [00:40:34] Maui Nui venison and the nitrate question.
• [00:43:48] deltaG ketones: what they are and the catch.
• [00:45:42] Ketones, dementia, and verbal fluidity.
• [00:46:29] Pre-grieving a parent's decline.
• [00:48:33] Training not to die: the one bike I can stand and the Norwegian 4×4.
• [00:51:10] Something beats nothing: saunas, treadmills, and Duolingo chess.
• [00:53:04] The MM120 anxiety study — and a small-world surprise.
• [00:56:17] Psilocybin, LSD, and dementia case reports.
• [01:01:28] Neutonic toothpicks and Kevin's AI-powered home.
• [01:06:12] Spooky AI personalization and investment autopsies.
• [01:17:38] Values cards, contractual bonds, and dark information.
• [01:23:25] 360 reviews and child-rearing.
• [01:24:54] Wispr Flow, Shokz, and my recording rig.
• [01:29:32] The "big three" and where AI goes next.
• [01:44:40] Let your winners run; buy the company, not the product.
• [01:51:08] Digg's relaunch, 5-Bullet Friday, and parting thoughts.

*

DISCLAIMER FROM TIM FERRISS: I am not an investment adviser. Nor is Kevin Rose. All opinions are mine alone. Or his. There are risks involved in placing any investment in securities or in Bitcoin or in cryptocurrencies or in anything. None of the information presented herein is intended to form the basis of any offer or recommendation or have any regard to the investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of any specific person, and that includes you, my dear listener or reader. Everything you’re going to hear is for informational entertainment purposes only.

*

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

Guy Oseary (@guyoseary) has been spotting talent before anyone else could see it for nearly four decades. Under his leadership at Maverick Records, Maverick sold more than 100 million albums. Guy has managed some of the biggest names in music, including Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and U2, and was named Variety's Music Mogul of the Year in 2022. He executive produced Twilight, which became one of the most successful franchises in movie history, generating more than $3.5B.  Guy was also an early investor in Vita Coco and co-founded A-Grade Investments and then Sound Ventures, now with nearly $2 billion under management. At A-Grade, his hits included Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify. Sound Ventures launched with less than $100M and has since had 86 exits and 26 IPOs.

This episode is brought to you by:

• Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/Tim
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim

Timestamps

• [00:00:00] Start.
• [00:02:01] How a West Hollywood balcony became a backstage pass.
• [00:03:51] A knife on Pico Boulevard and the snap decision to switch schools.
• [00:05:54] Faking a Beverly Hills address to get inside another world.
• [00:08:10] Wise Guy Records: a 15-year-old builds a portfolio out of nothing.
• [00:10:09] Guy's alternative terms when Bernie Brillstein offered $25,000.
• [00:11:34] The one moment that confirmed Guy was on the right path.
• [00:12:29] Freddy DeMann enters the picture and Guy proves himself with Ice-T's crew.
• [00:15:07] A desk at Maverick Records in exchange for no salary.
• [00:17:08] Chasing Hole and Rage Against the Machine — and losing both.
• [00:23:34] Candlebox in five minutes: seeing thousands in a room of 30.
• [00:24:11] Why "magic" beats everything else.
• [00:26:37] Signing Alanis off a single song, and stopping Muse mid-audition.
• [00:31:59] The real Alanis story: "Perfect," Joni Mitchell, and a 30-million-selling debut.
• [00:35:24] What Madonna taught Guy about thinking without walls.
• [00:38:50] From bands to Twilight: the power of a blank canvas.
• [00:45:30] How Guy got into investing, and the IdeaLab bet that wiped him out before the crash.
• [00:54:31] Why Guy is known as a great curator of people.
• [00:58:32] The three-month window that caught OpenAI and Anthropic.
• [01:06:07] AI music and the battle to ensure human musicians get paid.
• [01:09:30] How Spotify solved the problems Napster couldn't overcome.
• [01:14:50] SpaceX and Bitcoin: the ones that got away.
• [01:17:32] The rewards, rigors, and responsibilities of back-to-back touring.
• [01:21:44] Why Guy never stops to celebrate.
• [01:24:45] Splitting with Ashton Kutcher after 20 years.
• [01:27:30] Final thoughts on Guy's first podcast.

*

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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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.

For more than 40 years, David Allen has worked with individuals and organizations around the world to help them stay clear, focused, and productive—without burning out. He is the author of the mega-bestseller Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Subscribe to David's Substack at davidallen.substack.com.

This episode was originally published in September 2019. Show notes: https://tim.blog/2019/09/03/david-allen-getting-things-done/

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
• Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim
• 5-Bullet Friday, my very own free email newsletter: https://tim.blog/friday

Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Start.
• [00:03:12] As David once told Chase Jarvis: "Your mind is made for having ideas, not for holding ideas." What did he mean by this?
• [00:06:06] What are the first questions and exercises David presents when he begins coaching high-functioning but overwhelmed people?
• [00:08:28] What are the consequences of breaking an agreement with yourself, why are you most likely to break such an agreement, and what are your options for recovering from a broken agreement?
• [00:11:35] David's best tips for renegotiating an agreement when the need arises.
• [00:17:01] Where does David keep his backlog?
• [00:18:25] What are the pros and cons of keeping track of information in digital versus analog format?
• [00:20:00] As a teenager, what did David want to be when he grew up?
• [00:24:08] What did David's college and career path look like, and how did it steer him toward understanding models for navigating life's complexities?
• [00:25:48] What David can piece together from Berkeley, 1968 and the long list of careers that followed — leading to the formation of the principles detailed in GTD.
• [00:30:32] What mentors does David credit as being instrumental in his creation of GTD?
• [00:33:09] What are next action decisions, and how do they differ from what people generally put on their to-do lists?
• [00:36:24] The capture list, the two-minute rule, and emptying the in-basket.
• [00:37:22] Top-down versus bottom-up systems and understanding the hierarchy of priorities.
• [00:43:02] What led to the Allens' relocation to Amsterdam, and what quality of life improvements have he and his wife noticed since moving there?
• [00:48:29] How long did it take for the Allens to go from thinking about the possibility of moving from Ojai to Amsterdam to actually going through with it?
• [00:50:50] What does David consider his most fruitful — though seemingly counterintuitive — life decision?
• [00:55:34] One of David's mentors in Berkeley claimed to have extra-sensory abilities. Did David ever experience evidence of this in person?
• [00:56:58] David shares a particularly difficult period of time in his life, what led to it, and what happened in its aftermath.
• [01:01:21] What does the word "spiritual" mean to David?
• [01:02:14] What does David's meditation practice look like these days — and what does he recommend for someone who wants to start meditating?
• [01:02:58] What was David's biggest takeaway from the time he spent in a mental institution?
• [01:04:05] Does David ever feel overwhelmed or unfocused? If so, how does he deal with it?
• [01:05:02] Are there any new beliefs, behaviors, or habits that have materially improved David's life in the last handful of years?
• [01:06:19] Books (aside from his own) that David has gifted or recommended most to others.
• [01:07:13] What are David's bedtime and morning routines, and how much sleep does he get every night?
• [01:08:48] Is there anything about GTD David wishes more adherents would heed? Does anything important get commonly missed?
• [01:10:25] What are the steps of the GTD weekly review? Does David recommend doing it at any particular day or time?
• [01:12:40] Are there certain categories of things to which David simply says "No" as a default?
• [01:14:00] How does David filter unpleasant people out of his life?
• [01:14:52] Why GTD is intended as a force for freedom and creativity, not a yawnworthy paean to rigid structure — as Brad Keywell, Howard Stern, Will Smith, and Robert Downey, Jr. can testify.
• [01:18:58] Is the GTD weekly review inherently a solo process, or can it involve someone's group, staff, or family?
• [01:19:38] What does David use to organize his email?
• [01:20:58] Does David use any particular app or program for pulling material like articles or references from the Web?
• [01:22:13] Are there any quotes by which David tries to live his life?
• [01:22:48] What would David's billboard say?
• [01:23:16] Does David still have hope that people will do something with the space created by GTD to answer life's bigger questions?
• [01:25:35] 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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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.

Graham Duncan (@GrahamDuncanNYC) is the co-founder of East Rock Capital, a multibillion-dollar multi-family investment office he launched in 2006. He is also Chairman of the Sohn Conference Foundation, which funds pediatric cancer research.

This episode was originally published in February 2019. Show notes: https://tim.blog/2019/02/28/graham-duncan/

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
• Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim
• AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim
• 5-Bullet Friday, my very own free email newsletter: https://tim.blog/friday

Timestamps:

• [00:00:00] Start.
• [00:02:29] I think of Graham as far more than an investor. How does he describe what he does?
• [00:06:13] Absent the systems and frameworks he's honed over time, what made Graham a good talent hunter at the tender age of 24?
• [00:08:42] What constitutes taste when Graham is scouting for talent these days?
• [00:11:14] Upon meeting someone, how does Graham stress-test whether or not someone is "commercial" in the way they balance aggression and integrity?
• [00:16:49] One high-signal question Graham has found particularly useful when trying to determine the quality of anyone from a trader to an OB/GYN.
• [00:19:17] When interviewing a potential candidate, how does Graham vet their given references?
• [00:22:21] On approaching the reference process with curiosity rather than an attempt to catch anyone with a "gotcha."
• [00:25:34] Why does mutual friend Josh Waitzkin call Graham The Wild Gardener?
• [00:27:04] How does Graham deal with contradictory perspectives — when the data is telling him one thing and his gut is telling him another?
• [00:29:09] What does Graham do to familiarize himself with the way people underwrite their mental models (besides nearly beheading them)?
• [00:30:29] Graham talks about his role as an investment coach, of sorts, and how he picks the best "players" for the game at hand.
• [00:31:53] What other patterns has Graham noticed in the successful talent he's ended up selecting?
• [00:36:06] In what way have others helped Graham surface his hidden assumptions, and how might a coach do the same for others?
• [00:39:17] An example of when Graham's "grip" has been a bit too tight around his own beliefs.
• [00:40:09] What Byron Katie has taught us about articulating the opposite of such beliefs — and having a mindful lunch.
• [00:46:18] When evaluating a team, how does Graham think about each person developing the ability to look at the opposite versus hiring to end up at that optimal mixture?
• [00:49:12] How might someone train to more clearly see disconfirming evidence — and roll with the punches when their instincts lead them toward regrettable decisions?
• [00:42:21] What books does Graham gift to others most often?
• [00:56:11] An aside about Wim Hof and Josh Waitzkin embracing "the other side of pain" to get the most out of life.
• [00:59:31] How does James Carse's distinction of finite and infinite games apply to finance, and how would Graham test a potential teammate for compatible sensibility?
• [01:02:41] How likely would it be for Graham to invest in a Jocko Willink project?
• [01:04:16] Different people have different ways of sniffing around direct questions. Here are a few examples.
• [01:05:54] Graham explains what this Kwame Appiah quote means to him: "In life the challenge is not so much to figure out how best to play the game; the challenge is to figure out what game you're playing."
• [01:08:13] Going by David Foster Wallace's famous commencement speech, what's your water? Podcasting helps me see mine.
• [01:09:32] Graham's take on Greg McKeown's Essentialism.
• [01:10:31] How Graham sees careers as a river (with a nod of thanks to neuroscientists Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson's model of well-being).
• [01:12:53] Toward which bank do the top one percent in any given field swim? What if that field is financial markets? What if that field is writing fiction novels?
• [01:16:39] The differences between millionaires, billionaires, cultural billionaires, and time billionaires.
• [01:18:47] An idea for how Tim Urban might allow for personalization of his 90-year-life calendar.
• [01:20:00] Are you more concerned about the length of your life or its width?
• [01:20:38] Life changes Graham and I have both made as a direct result of reading Tim Urban's "The Tail End" piece at Wait But Why.
• [01:22:05] How does Graham try to appreciate the width of his life?
• [01:25:05] Aside from the aforementioned Kwame Appiah quote, what might Graham put on his billboard?
• [01:25:52] The power to be found in treating negative feelings like welcome party guests.
• [01:27:43] Parting thoughts from Mark Twain and Graham.

*

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