Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 2

“There’s something fun about knowing you kind of ‘got one’ over the system.”
— Chris Hutchins

Chris Hutchins is the creator and host of All the Hacks, a podcast that helps people upgrade their life, money, and travel. He previously founded Grove (acquired by Wealthfront) and Milk (acquired by Google), led New Product Strategy at Wealthfront, and was a Partner at Google Ventures.

Most importantly, he is the person Kevin Rose and I call if we want to figure how to get a better deal on just about anything in the world, or if we just want to learn about his latest hijinks doing things like getting $200 flights to Japan, running gold pseudo-arbitrage at retail, or dirt-cheap trips to Bora Bora. We cover all three and more in this conversation.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube.

This episode is brought to you by AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement; Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business; and Ramp easy-to-use corporate cards, bill payments, accounting, and more.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercastChris Hutchins, Deal Master — Helping Tim Burn 15M+ Miles and Points, Flipping Costco Gold Into Five-Star Trips, Flying to Japan for $222, Tech Tools and Tricks, and Avoiding The Optimizer’s Curse

This episode is brought to you by Ramp! Ramp is corporate card- and spend-management software designed to help you save time and put money back in your pocket. Ramp has already saved more than 25,000 customers—including other podcast sponsors like Shopify and Eight Sleep—more than 10 million hours and more than $1 billion through better financial management of their corporate spending.

With Ramp, you’re able to issue cards to every employee with limits and restrictions and automate expense reporting, allowing you to close your books 8x faster on average. Your employees will no longer need to spend hours submitting expense reports. In less than 15 minutes, you can get started issuing virtual and physical cards and making payments, whether you have 5 employees or 5,000. Businesses that use Ramp save an average of 5% on total card spending and related expenses in the first year. And now, you can get $250 when you join Ramp. Just go to ramp.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.

Go to  shopify.com/Tim  to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting  shopify.com/Tim .

Want to hear the last time Chris came on the show to help our audience’s aspiring podcasters get started on the right foot? Listen to our conversation here in which we discussed contingency plans for inevitable technical SNAFUs, gear we use, pros and cons of recording a podcast on video, prioritizing good guests over well-known guests, the magic of recording long and editing liberally for fixing imperfect sessions, the painful but positive effects of soliciting feedback, prep tips, how to be of the best service to yourself and your audience, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Chris Hutchins:

All the Hacks

Online Tools & ResourcesAll the Hacks: Chris’ primary website for his podcast and resources.Annual Credit Report: the official, government-authorized website for free credit reports.AwardTool: a tool for searching for award flights using points and miles.Booking.com: online travel agency for booking accommodations, flights, etc.Bureau of Labor Statistics: US government agency providing economic data, including consumer spending.Pure: a marketplace for gold and other collectibles.Credit Karma: a website and app offering free credit scores and reports.Expedia: online travel agency.Google Flights: a flight search engine.Miles4Migrants: defunct program that used donated points to fly migrants to safety.Points Path: a browser extension for Google Flights that shows points redemption options.PointsYeah: a tool for searching award flights, featuring a “Daydream Explorer.”Rooms.aero: a tool for searching hotel award availability.Seats.aero: a tool for searching award flight availability, often presented in a spreadsheet-like format.Apple Pay: mobile payment service by Apple.ChatGPT: AI language model.Pepper: a gift card app upgraded to an AI personal shopper.Books Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life by Morgan Housel The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life by Sahil BloomThe Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life by Nick MaggiulliFinancial Institutions & ServicesAmex (American Express): an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment cards.Aetna: a major American health insurance company that provides medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, and long-term care benefits.Bank of America: one of the largest banks in the United States, offering consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and investment services.Capital One: an American bank holding company specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts.Charles Schwab: a major American multinational financial services company offering brokerage, banking, and financial advisory services.Citibank: the consumer division of Citigroup, one of the largest banks in the world, providing retail banking services globally.Fidelity: a multinational financial services corporation offering investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, and brokerage services.MasterCard: a multinational financial services corporation that operates a global payment network for electronic payments.Merrill Lynch: a wealth management division of Bank of America providing investment, insurance, and retirement planning services.Morgan Stanley: an American multinational investment bank and financial services company offering securities, asset management, and wealth management.PAMP: a Swiss precious metals refining company and one of the world’s leading bullion brands for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium products.Robinhood: a commission-free trading platform that allows users to invest in stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptocurrencies through a mobile app.Square: a financial services and payment processing company (now part of Block, Inc.) that provides payment solutions for businesses and individuals.Stripe: an online payment processing platform that enables businesses to accept payments over the internet and manage online transactions.US Bank: the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States, offering banking, investment, mortgage, trust, and payment services.Visa: a multinational financial services corporation that facilitates electronic funds transfers through its payment network worldwide.Wealthfront: an automated investment service (robo-advisor) that provides portfolio management, financial planning, and cash management services.Wells Fargo: a major American multinational financial services company offering banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer finance services.Airlines & Airline AlliancesAir Canada: Canada’s flag carrier and largest airline, offering domestic and international flights with hubs in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.Air France: the flag carrier of France and a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance, operating from its main hub at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.Alaska Airlines: a major American airline based in Seattle, known for its extensive West Coast network and strong customer service reputation.ANA (All Nippon Airways): Japan’s largest airline and a Star Alliance member, renowned for its exceptional service quality and extensive domestic and international network.American Airlines: one of the largest airlines in the world and a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, with major hubs across the United States.Delta Air Lines: a major American airline and founding member of the SkyTeam alliance, with its largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.Emirates: the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates based in Dubai, known for its luxury service and extensive international network connecting six continents.Japan Airlines: Japan’s flag carrier and a Oneworld alliance member, offering domestic and international flights with a focus on premium service and hospitality.JetBlue: a low-cost American airline known for its customer service, free Wi-Fi, and comfortable seating on domestic and select international routes.Lufthansa: Germany’s flag carrier and a founding member of the Star Alliance, operating from major hubs in Frankfurt and Munich.Oneworld Alliance: a global airline alliance founded in 1999, comprising major carriers like American Airlines, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific.SkyTeam Alliance: a global airline alliance founded in 2000, including member airlines such as Delta, Air France-KLM, and Korean Air.Southwest Airlines: a major American low-cost airline known for its point-to-point service model, free checked bags, and no change fees policy.Star Alliance: the world’s largest global airline alliance founded in 1997, with member airlines including United, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines.TAP Air Portugal: Portugal’s flag carrier and a Star Alliance member, serving as a gateway between Europe, Africa, and the Americas from its Lisbon hub.United Airlines: a major American airline and founding member of the Star Alliance, with significant hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, and San Francisco.Hotels & Hospitality BrandsCap Rocat (Majorca): a luxury fortress hotel in Mallorca, Spain, converted from a 19th-century military fortress offering exclusive accommodations with Mediterranean views.Conrad Hotels & Resorts: Hilton’s luxury hotel brand offering sophisticated accommodations and personalized service in major business and leisure destinations worldwide.Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts: a Canadian luxury hotel and resort company known for exceptional service, elegant accommodations, and properties in premier destinations globally.Hilton Hotels & Resorts: a global hospitality company and flagship brand offering full-service hotels, resorts, and suites with comprehensive amenities for business and leisure travelers.Hyatt Hotels Corporation: an American multinational hospitality company operating luxury, premium, and select service hotels and resorts worldwide with various brand portfolios.Marriott Bonvoy: Marriott International’s loyalty program and hotel portfolio, encompassing 30+ brands from luxury to extended-stay properties across the globe.Miraval Resorts: a collection of luxury wellness resorts focused on mindful living, spa treatments, fitness, and holistic wellness experiences in scenic destinations.Nobu: a luxury lifestyle brand combining world-class hospitality with the culinary expertise of Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, offering hotels and restaurants worldwide.Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH): a collection of more than 520 independent luxury hotels worldwide, each offering unique character and exceptional personalized service.Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts: Hilton’s ultra-luxury hotel brand providing iconic accommodations and legendary service in the world’s most sought-after destinations.Retail & Other BrandsAmazon: the world’s largest e-commerce and cloud computing company, offering everything from retail products to digital services and logistics solutions.Amazon Fresh: Amazon’s online and physical grocery delivery service providing fresh produce, pantry items, and household essentials with same-day or next-day delivery.Apple: a multinational technology company known for innovative consumer electronics, software, and digital services including iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch.Costco: a membership-based warehouse club offering bulk quantities of groceries, electronics, and household items at discounted prices to members.Dick’s Sporting Goods: a leading American sporting goods retailer offering athletic equipment, apparel, and footwear for various sports and outdoor activities.FedEx: a multinational courier delivery and logistics company providing express shipping, ground delivery, freight, and supply chain management services worldwide.Goodwill Industries: a nonprofit organization operating thrift stores that sell donated goods to fund job training, employment placement, and community programs.Healthy Choice: a food brand owned by Conagra Brands, specializing in frozen meals, soups, and snacks marketed as healthier alternatives with reduced sodium and calories.Lowe’s: a major American home improvement retailer offering tools, appliances, building materials, and services for home renovation and maintenance projects.Spotify: a Swedish music streaming platform providing access to millions of songs, podcasts, and playlists with both free and premium subscription options.US Mint (United States Mint): the official government agency responsible for producing and distributing coins, commemorative coins, and precious metal products for the United States.Whole Foods Market: an upscale grocery chain owned by Amazon, specializing in organic, natural, and high-quality foods with a focus on health and sustainability.Credit Cards & MembershipsAmex Business Gold Card: a premium business credit card offering 4x points on top spending categories and valuable business benefits with flexible payment options.Amex Business Platinum Card: American Express’s flagship business credit card providing premium travel benefits, airport lounge access, and substantial rewards for business expenses.Amex Gold Card: a premium personal credit card offering 4x points on dining and groceries, plus valuable dining and travel credits for cardholders.Amex Platinum Card: American Express’s flagship personal credit card featuring luxury travel benefits, airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and premium concierge services.Bank of America Premium Rewards Card: a premium travel rewards credit card offering bonus points on travel and dining, with enhanced benefits for Preferred Rewards members.Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards / Travel Rewards Card: cash back and travel rewards cards that offer enhanced earning rates and benefits when paired with Bank of America’s Preferred Rewards program.Capital One Spark Cash Card: a straightforward business credit card offering unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases with no spending categories or caps.Capital One Venture Card: a travel rewards credit card offering 2x miles on every purchase with flexible redemption options and travel benefits.Capital One Venture X Business Card: a premium business travel rewards card offering enhanced earning rates, travel credits, and Priority Pass lounge access for business travelers.Capital One Venture X Card: Capital One’s flagship travel rewards card featuring premium travel benefits, annual travel credits, and Priority Pass lounge access.Chase Freedom / Freedom Flex Cards: popular cash back credit cards offering rotating 5% bonus categories and flat-rate cash back on everyday purchases.Chase Ink Business Preferred Card: a premium business credit card offering 3x points on select business categories and valuable Ultimate Rewards earning potential.Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: a popular travel rewards credit card offering enhanced earning on travel and dining with flexible Ultimate Rewards redemption options.Costco Executive Membership: Costco’s premium membership tier offering 2% annual reward on qualifying Costco purchases plus additional benefits and exclusive offers.Delta Reserve Amex Card: a premium co-branded credit card offering Delta elite status benefits, Sky Club access, and enhanced earning on Delta purchases and travel.Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card: a straightforward rewards credit card offering 2% cash back on all purchases that can be deposited directly into Fidelity investment accounts.Robinhood Gold Card: a cash back credit card integrated with Robinhood’s investment platform, offering 3% cash back on select categories and investment-focused benefits.Southwest Airlines Companion Pass: Southwest’s premier membership benefit allowing a designated companion to fly free (minus taxes and fees) on all Southwest flights for qualifying members.US Bank Four Percent Cash Back Card: a high-yield cash back credit card offering 4% cash back on select categories, though availability and terms may have changed or been discontinued.ConceptsFour Percent Rule (Retirement withdrawal strategy): a retirement planning guideline suggesting that retirees can safely withdraw 4% of their portfolio annually, adjusted for inflation, without running out of money over a 30-year period.Arbitrage: the practice of taking advantage of price differences between markets to buy and sell identical or similar financial instruments simultaneously for risk-free profit.Cash Back Rewards: a credit card benefit that returns a percentage of purchase amounts to cardholders as cash, typically ranging from 1% to 5% depending on spending categories.Coast FI / Coast FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early concept): a variation of FIRE where individuals have saved enough that compound growth will fund their retirement without additional contributions, allowing them to “coast” with lower savings rates.Dunning-Kruger Effect: a cognitive bias where people with limited knowledge or competence in a domain overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain.FICO Score: the most widely used credit scoring model in the United States, ranging from 300 to 850, used by lenders to assess creditworthiness and loan risk.Fisherman Parable: a parable about work-life balance where a businessman advises a fisherman to expand his business, only to learn the fisherman already enjoys the lifestyle the businessman is working toward.FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) Movement: a lifestyle movement focused on extreme savings and investing to achieve financial independence and early retirement, typically by saving 50-70% of income.Interchange Fees: transaction fees that merchants pay to card-issuing banks when customers use credit or debit cards, typically ranging from 1.5% to 3.5% of the transaction amount.Loyalty Programs / Points & Miles: marketing strategies that reward customers for repeat business through points, miles, or other benefits that can be redeemed for products, services, or travel.Memory Dividends: Bill Perkins’ concept that experiences create lasting memories that continue to provide value and happiness long after the money spent, unlike financial dividends.Money Rules: Ramit Sethi’s personal finance philosophy emphasizing automation, conscious spending on things you love, and cutting costs ruthlessly on things you don’t care about.Net Fulfillment vs. Net Worth: Bill Perkins’ framework suggesting that maximizing life fulfillment and experiences should take priority over simply accumulating wealth, especially in later years.Optimizer’s Curse: a cognitive bias where people who extensively research and optimize decisions often end up less satisfied with outcomes due to inflated expectations and analysis paralysis.Orthorexia: a term that describes an obsession with eating healthy food. It comes from the Greek words ortho, meaning ‘correct’ and orexis, meaning ‘appetite’.Trough of Sorrow: a startup development phase characterized by declining initial enthusiasm, user engagement challenges, and the difficult period between launch excitement and sustainable growth.VantageScore: an alternative credit scoring model developed by the three major credit bureaus, ranging from 300 to 850, designed to compete with FICO scores in credit assessment.Legislation & Government Entities/ProgramsCredit Card Competition Act: proposed federal legislation aimed at increasing competition in the credit card processing market by requiring large banks to offer multiple payment network options beyond Visa and Mastercard.Crypto GENIUS Act: proposed federal legislation designed to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, providing clarity for businesses and consumers in the digital asset space.US Mint $1 Coin Program: various United States Mint programs that have produced commemorative and circulating dollar coins, including the Presidential $1 Coin Program and American Innovation $1 Coin Program.PodcastsAll the Hacks with Chris HutchinsPoint Me To First Class with Devon GimbelThe Peter Attia Drive PodcastPeopleMike TysonKevin RoseTom HanksMarie KondoDave PhillipsBrad WilsonJ. Kyle BassChris SaccaChad JanisHannah JanisBill PerkinsDevon GimbelAmy FoxJohn ArnoldPeter AttiaSahil BloomMorgan HouselArthur C. BrooksMark SundeenDaniel SueloRamit SethiRelevant ResourcesHow I Built The Tim Ferriss Show to 700+ Million Downloads — An Immersive Explanation of All Aspects and Key Decisions (Featuring Chris Hutchins) | The Tim Ferriss Show #538Gift Card Deals and Secrets That Will Save You $5k+/yr with Logan Robinson | All the HacksCool Tools for Travel — Tim Ferriss and Kevin Kelly | The Tim Ferriss Show #247The Gold Market: Strategies for Investing and Reselling with Trey Benedict | All the HacksBest Award Search Tools for Booking Flights with Points & Miles with Greg the Frequent Miler | All the HacksWhy Airlines Can’t Survive Without Loyalty Programs | WSJ Case StudyThe Path to Becoming an Expert in Points & Miles with Devon Gimbel | All the Hacks‘Pudding Guy’ Asks: ‘Who Wants to Be a Mileage Millionaire?’ | UC DavisMeet the Genius Who Earned 4,000,000 Airline Miles by Buying $1 Coins from the US Mint’s Website | Luxury LaunchesKyle Bass’s Big Nickel Bet | MoneynessA Shabby Chic Wedding at Alpine Mountain Ranch & Club in Steamboat Springs, Colorado | The KnotTopic No. 420, Bartering Income | Internal Revenue ServiceChris Sacca on Being Different and Making Billions | The Tim Ferriss Show #79Diggnation Live in Austin Texas: Old Rivals, New Vision | DiggnationPlanning the Best Japan Trip Ever with Brandon Pressor | All the HacksFinancial Case Study: Hannah and Chad, Wall Street Minimalists | Professional HoboDeep Dive on Credit Reports, Scores, and Their Real-World Impact | All the HacksDie With Zero: Net Fulfillment Over Net Worth with Bill Perkins | All the HacksJohn Arnold: The Most Prolific Philanthropist You May Not Have Heard Of | The Peter Attia DriveSHOW NOTES[00:00:00] Curses! COVID again. (Start.)[00:00:32] Meet Chris Hutchins: master of All the Hacks.[00:06:22] Coping with a Frankenstein’s Monster of travel points.[00:10:27] How did Chris become obsessed with the art of arbitrage?[00:12:18] Flipping gift cards for fun and profit.[00:17:17] The mechanics of Costco gold arbitrage.[00:22:31] Using AwardTool for finding point deals.[00:25:19] Daydream exploring with PointsYeah.[00:27:27] Why do modern airlines rely on loyalty programs to survive?[00:33:22] Chris maps out the different kinds of points and how to optimize them.[00:36:22] My inner struggle: hoard vs. spend.[00:37:55] Creative uses for large point balances.[00:41:20] Cash back card alternatives.[00:44:14] Chris analyzes the value of my 12 million Amex points.[00:46:23] 200 hotel nights or 150 business class flights?[00:48:47] Seat availability challenges and alert rebooking strategies.[00:55:33] Making use of smaller airline point balances.[00:58:57] Non-travel uses for points.[01:02:26] Strategies for expiring points.[01:06:12] Flexible booking for maximum value.[01:07:12] Using Seats.aero for a Lufthansa first class and Frankfurt terminal experience.[01:10:45] Using Rooms.aero to find surprise hotel deals around the world.[01:11:51] Point strategies gone wrong and the optimizer’s curse.[01:14:36] Using Points Path with Google Flights to decide if a trip is worth the points.[01:15:30] The Dunning-Kruger curve of points hacking.[01:18:13] Escaping the optimization trap: when frugality becomes a burden.[01:21:33] What I could have done differently with my reward cards.[01:24:28] Points arbitrage: buying vs. earning.[01:27:01] Optimal reward cards for small business owners.[01:28:07] Status benefits and Southwest’s companion pass.[01:32:05] Pudding cups, $1 coins, and other heartwarming arbitrage tales.[01:36:47] How Chris saved $11,000 on his wedding by bartering with points.[01:38:53] Using points for employee/family gifts and business benefits.[01:42:09] How Chris would optimize point resources in my shoes.[01:45:16] The joy (and livelihood) Chris gets from sharing a day in his life.[01:46:57] Pondering AI’s future impact on travel, point optimization, regulatory changes, and itinerary planning.[01:53:56] Hotel relationship building through direct communication[01:57:01] Insider restaurant hacks.[01:58:05] Credit card signup bonuses and credit score impact.[02:00:31] Card closure strategy and credit history preservation.[02:03:35] Amex Platinum Card evaluation and optimization.[02:06:12] Using government-sanctioned Annualcreditreport.com to monitor your credit report.[02:08:49] Spousal credit card strategy: doubling bonuses.[02:10:24] Chris’ travel enjoyment philosophy and spending mindset.[02:13:36] Paying cash vs. points at the Four Seasons Lanai.[02:15:08] Learning how to spend money as a frugal person.[02:17:28] High quality experiences over extreme optimization.[02:18:38] Die with Zero: Bill Perkins and the money timing game.[02:21:14] Coast FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early).[02:22:38] Recommended reading for developing a conscious, fulfilling relationship with money.[02:25:47] The limits of universal financial advice.[02:29:48] Chris’ potential alternative career paths.[02:32:09] The fisherman parable and contentment.[02:33:17] Parting thoughts.MORE CHRIS HUTCHINS QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“I’ve always been thinking in the back of my head, ‘How do I do the thing that everyone else with all this money and all these resources does? How do I get to do that, even though I don’t have the resources?’ So that’s been my MO for life: I don’t want to sacrifice, but I also don’t want to go into debt or just spend money I don’t have.”
— Chris Hutchins

“Sometimes it just feels good to take a free trip. Who cares if it’s a good deal? You went on a trip you weren’t going to take otherwise.”
— Chris Hutchins

“Everyone listening should not be getting less than two points or two percent on any transaction, because you’re just giving money away.”
— Chris Hutchins

“There’s something fun about knowing you kind of ‘got one’ over the system.”
— Chris Hutchins

“I’m not going to let an AI book my travel, but I might let it do some exploration.”
— Chris Hutchins

“If you think too much about money, you just lose sight of the fact that money is a tool to help you achieve things. And if you don’t have any, it’s a really important tool, but as you have more, sometimes it just becomes a thing that you focus on way too much. And if you can learn to be happy with whatever you have, you might not need to chase. And that chasing is so toxic.”
— Chris Hutchins

The post Chris Hutchins, Deal Master — Helping Tim Burn 15M+ Miles and Points, Flipping Costco Gold Into Five-Star Trips, Flying to Japan for $222, Tech Tools and Tricks, and Avoiding The Optimizer’s Curse (#815) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

“Suffering is a path to our greatness.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) is the founder and CEO of ONE (you might know it as ONE Championship), one of the top-10 biggest sports-media properties in the world in terms of viewership and engagement (alongside the NBA, Formula One, Champions League, and Premier League), with a global broadcast reach to 195 countries. 

The largest sports-media property in Asia, ONE is also a celebration of Asia’s great cultural treasure martial arts. Chatri himself has more than 40 years of martial arts experience. He is a certified senior Muay Thai instructor under the legendary Kru Yodtong Senanan, and he holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Master Renzo Gracie. In 2019, he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame.

Chatri holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Tufts University.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube.

This episode is brought to you by AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement; Helix Sleep premium mattresses; and Wealthfront high-yield cash account.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercastChatri Sityodtong, CEO of ONE Championship — From Dirt Poor to Top-10 Sports-Media Franchise, The $100M Breakfast, Dominating Social Media (30B+ Views/Year), Key Strategic Decisions, and The Moneyball of Fight Matchmaking

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront is a financial services platform that offers services to help you save and invest your money. Right now, you can earn 4.00% APY—that’s the Annual Percentage Yield—with the Wealthfront Brokerage Cash Account from its network of partner banks. That’s nearly ten times more interest than a savings account at a bank, according to FDIC.gov as of 03/17/2025 (Wealthfront’s 4.00% APY vs. 0.41% average savings rate). It takes just a few minutes to sign up, and then you’ll immediately start earning 4.00% APY interest on your short term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account today, they can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more. Terms & Conditions apply. Visit Wealthfront.com/Tim to get started. 

APY as of 03/17/2025 and is subject to change. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here.

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2024 by Forbes, Fortune, and Wired magazines and many others. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

Want to hear another episode with someone who appreciates a good scrap? Listen to my conversation with former mixed martial artist Bas Rutten, in which we discussed martial arts tradition in the Netherlands, bullies, Pancrase, fighting Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki, underrated Japanese fighters, pranks, self-defense for beginners and bouncers, street fighting, breathing with the O2 Trainer, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Chatri Sityodtong:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Connect with ONE Championship:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | YouTube | TikTok

Companies, Institutions, and OrganizationsONE ChampionshipEvolve MMASityodtong Camp/GymFairtex GymHarvard UniversityNextDoor Networks (Chatri’s first startup)KaplanShootoPancraseRenzo Gracie AcademyNFLNBANASCARMLBF1UEFA Champions LeaguePremier LeagueBundesligaUFCYakuzaUniversity of TokyoFacebook/MetaSequoia CapitalRippledot CapitalCAA (Creative Artists Agency)Amazon Prime VideoSky SportsESPNMilken InstitutePride Fighting ChampionshipsK-1Qatar Investment AuthoritySingapore GovernmentNielsenToyotaShopifyPixarSpotifyMarcelo Garcia Jiu-JitsuMiddlebury Language SchoolBooks and Magazines One Up On Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market by Peter Lynch The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Tao of Jeet Kune Do: New Expanded Edition by Bruce Lee The 32 Principles: Harnessing the Power of Jiu-Jitsu to Succeed in Business, Relationships, and Life by Rener Gracie High Output Management by Andy Grove Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull Kakuto-Gi Tsushin Martial Arts DisciplinesMuay ThaiBoxingWrestlingJiu-Jitsu (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu / BJJ)JudoSanchou / Sanshou / SandaKickboxingKarateAikidoKendoMixed Martial Arts (MMA)Submission GrapplingLethweiEvents & CompetitionsAll-Japan Judo Championships (Held at the Budokan)Pancrase: Bas Rutten vs. Masakatsu Funaki, 1996The Super BowlThe Olympic GamesExtreme Fighting Championship (EFC)Renzo Gracie vs. Oleg TaktarovADCC (Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championship)PeopleKru Yodtong SenananBunkerd FairtexAnh FairtexJongsanan FairtexThaworn TrisiripisalMichiyo KomatsuTakeru SegawaRodtang JitmuangnonPeter LynchWarren BuffettBenjamin GrahamSoon LooRichard ArmstrongRenzo GracieBas RuttenMasakatsu FunakiSatoru SayamaRodrigo GracieRumina SatoKazuhiro SakamotoMike MoritzDouglas LeoneMark ZuckerbergMatt HumeRich FranklinTye RuotoloKade RuotoloFloyd MayweatherRocky BalboaStamp FairtexNaomi OsakaRoelof BothaShailendra SinghAtin KukrejaBill GatesFabian StechelHassan Al-ThawadiDemetrious JohnsonAndy GroveRener GracieBruce LeeNick VujicicEd CatmullTang KaiOleg TaktarovKazushi SakurabaErnesto HoostSaenchaiFedor EmelianenkoRamon DekkersRob KamanJonathan HaggertyLiam HarrisonNadaka YoshinariMike TysonMuhammad AliWanderlei SilvaQuinton “Rampage” JacksonMarcelo GarciaJosh WaitzkinDana WhitePlacesSingaporeThailandBangkok, ThailandLumpinee StadiumRajadamnern StadiumPattaya, ThailandUnited StatesSilicon Valley, CaliforniaNew York City, New YorkMorris Hall, Harvard UniversityAlbuquerque, New MexicoJapanTokyo, JapanSaitama Super ArenaNippon BudokanDenver, ColoradoBall ArenaImpact ArenaQatarDoha, QatarPhilippinesManila, PhilippinesChinaBang Phli, ThailandAbu Dhabi, UAERelevant ResourcesChatri’s Triumphant Tale of Overcoming Adversity Detailed in New Short Biopic ‘I Am a Warrior’ | The NationThe Chatri Sityodtong Story | I Am A WarriorBuddhist Funeral Customs | Dignity Funerals“That’s His Dream” — Chatri Reveals What’s Next for Takeru After Shocking Knockout Loss to Rodtang | SportskeedaONE 172: Drama Behind the Scenes | ONE ChampionshipHanmen Kyōshi | WiktionaryHow a Former Hedge Fund Manager Launched One Championship, an MMA Promotion Pushing Into the US | ForbesBushido | WikipediaYamato Damashii – The Spirit of Japan and Kyokushin Karate | The Martial WayThe Birth of a Martial Arts Revolution | Chatri SityodtongExclusive: Chatri Sityodtong on Showcasing “Real-Life Superheroes” at ONE 168 | Sports IllustratedLearn How to Calculate the Total Addressable Market (TAM) | CFIThis CEO Says He Only Hires PhDs, But Not the PhDs You’re Thinking Of | Inc.ONE Championship Raises US Profile | The Japan TimesThree Reasons Why Floyd Mayweather’s 50–0 Record Cannot Be Broken in Boxing History | EssentiallySportsSix Sigma | WikipediaRock ‘Em Sock Em Robots | AmazonMeasure Your Striking Power with Cutting-Edge Precision | PowerKubeHow to Increase Your Luck Surface Area | Codus OperandiG-SHOCK | CASIOHow Will You Be Remembered? | Chatri SityodtongBroadcast TV Reach of Global Sports Properties | InstagramONE Featherweight World Champion Tang Kai | InstagramRE: Deep Fake Scams on Social Media | TwitterThe Marcelotine by Marcelo Garcia | BJJ FanaticsSHOW NOTES[00:00:00] Start.[00:06:49] Chatri Trisiripisal vs. Yodchatri Sityodtong[00:08:35] My own experience with Muay Thai.[00:10:05] Chatri’s introduction to Muay Thai.[00:10:58] Chatri processes the strained relationship with his father.[00:17:28] Fight Porn and my introduction to ONE.[00:18:56] A pep talk in Japanese.[00:23:00] Chatri’s secret life in a Harvard dorm with his mother on $4 a day.[00:30:11] How Chatri made the money to fuel his martial arts ambitions.[00:35:19] Why wealth has never provided Chatri with a sense of security.[00:38:43] The moment Chatri began to fulfill one his mother’s prophecies.[00:41:08] “To unleash your greatness, you must be surrounded by greatness.”[00:44:56] Witnessing Yamato-damashii: the Japanese warrior spirit.[00:48:43] Moving to Singapore and starting Evolve.[00:51:59] Overcoming ONE’s initial financial challenges.[01:03:06] Building ONE with Bushido-grade excellence.[01:08:25] How ONE maintains quality and quantity fights and fighters.[01:16:05] Leveraging social media to bring compelling human stories to ONE’s forefront.[01:26:40] Chatri’s $100 million breakfast with Sequoia Capital.[01:41:42] Making deals with CAA’s Fabian Stechel.[01:45:13] A serendipitous meeting that resulted in investment from Qatar.[01:47:51] Changing lives and building relationships across generations with martial arts.[01:51:35] Recommended reading and admirable storytellers.[02:01:03] A gracious invitation.[02:02:39] Where in the world is ONE enjoyed most?[02:07:14] Dealing with AI development and deep fakes.[02:08:45] Global broadcasting business from behind the scenes.[02:16:31] Funds raised and the competitive benefits of being early in the game.[02:19:30] Fond regards for Renzo Gracie.[02:23:49] Legendary fighters we would love to witness in their prime.[02:26:27] High marks for Marcelo Garcia.[02:29:23] How I learned what Chatri calls “flawless” Japanese.[02:31:16] Chatri’s billboard and parting thoughts.MORE CHATRI SITYODTONG QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Suffering is a path to our greatness.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“You never know what is good luck or bad luck until many years later, when you discover what the lessons were of that experience.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“If you’re fighting for yourself — you’re fighting because you want a six-figure salary, you’re fighting because you want to buy a nice car — it’s very easy to quit. But when you’re fighting for something bigger than yourself, it’s impossible to quit.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“I truly believe my grandmaster, Kru Yodtong Senanan, who used to always tell me — I never really understood it until much later in life — ‘To unleash your greatness, you must be surrounded by greatness.'”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“In society, I’m a CEO, but when I’m in training, I’m a nobody. These guys beat on me, but it levels me up. It’s a daily reminder to me that I’m here to learn, grow, and evolve and be the very best martial artist I can be.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“Love, pain, and suffering. That combination can work magic in terms of unleashing human potential. You will discover things about yourself that you never even knew existed in you.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

The post Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of ONE Championship — From Dirt Poor to Top-10 Sports-Media Franchise, The $100M Breakfast, Dominating Social Media (30B+ Views/Year), Key Strategic Decisions, and The Moneyball of Fight Matchmaking (#814) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

Welcome back to another in-between-isode, with one of my favorite formats: the good old-fashioned Q&A.

I answer questions submitted by the small-but-elite group of test readers of my upcoming THE NO BOOK. The community is closed for new members, as we have the right number of people now, but I hope to potentially expand it once the book comes out. 

This episode explores everything from childhood nostalgia and the outdoor activities I’d want to share with future kids to what my personal, highly comfortable, cult uniforms might look like if I were ever so inclined – don’t worry, I’m not. We also cover how I use AI, Stoicism, tools from The 4-Hour Workweek that I still use, and much, much more.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the Q&A on YouTube.

This episode is brought to you by Monarch Money track, budget, plan, and do more with your money; Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating; and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercastQ&A with Tim — Three Life Commandments, 4-Hour Workweek Exercises I Still Use, The Art and Joy of Inefficiency, Stoicism Revisited, and Much More

This episode is brought to you by Monarch Money! Traditional budgeting apps can help, but they don’t compare to the complete financial command center you get with this episode’s sponsor, Monarch Money. Monarch is like your own personal CFO, giving you full visibility and control so you can stop merely earning and start growing.

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This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. I’ve suffered for decades, tossing and turning, throwing blankets off, pulling them back on, and repeating ad nauseam. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 5 Ultra. It cools, it heats, and now it elevates, automatically. With the best temperature performance to date, Pod 5 Ultra ensures you and your partner stay cool in the heat and cozy warm in the cold. Plus, it automatically tracks your sleep time, snoring, sleep stages, and HRV, all with high precision. For example, their heart rate tracking is at an incredible 99% accuracy.

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Want to hear a Q&A from the not-too-distant past? Listen here as I discuss reinvention, snacks, intriguing investments, modern dating, personal heresies, incentivizing potential mentors, making room for the irrational, workout routines for older parents, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODETim’s Three CommandmentsMovement is medicine.To save the self, help outside the self.Request what you want more/less of.Core Practices from The 4-Hour Workweek80/20 (Pareto Principle): Focus on the 20% of activities that produce 80% of your results.Parkinson’s Law: Work expands to fill the time available, so set tight deadlines to force efficiency.Fear-Setting: Define your worst-case scenarios in detail to realize most fears are overblown.Definition: Clearly specify what you want from life before optimizing how to get it.Elimination: Say no to everything that doesn’t serve your defined goals.Automation: Create systems that work without your constant involvement.Personal Projects & VenturesThe No Book: My first book in more than seven years, and my first collaboration (with Neil Strauss).Coyote: My card game in collaboration with Elan Lee and the kind folks at Exploding Kittens.COCKPUNCH / Legends of Varlata: My foray into fictional experimentation and exploration.Saisei Foundation: My non-profit funding psychedelic science, accelerated TMS, indigenous language/medicine/traditions/land rights, and metabolic psychiatry.5-Bullet Friday: My weekly newsletter.Books & Other Media Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony de Mello Midnight’s Children: A Novel by Salman Rushdie Meditations by Marcus Aurelius I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression by Terry Real Running Toward Mystery: The Adventure of an Unconventional Life by Tenzin Priyadarshi and Zara Houshmand Gold by Rumi, translated by Haleh Liza Gafori The Angels Knocking on the Tavern Door: Thirty Poems of Hafez by Hafez, translated by Robert Bly and Leonard Lewisohn Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss: My Life with Terence McKenna by Dennis McKenna Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art by Lewis Hyde Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health–and Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More by Christopher Palmer The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss “Slow Dance” by David Weatherford The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan Mad Max The NeverEnding Story (Film) Arcane Inside the Actors Studio ConceptsStoicism: An ancient Greek and Roman philosophy that teaches virtue, wisdom, and emotional resilience through accepting what you cannot control while focusing your efforts on what you can control.Mezcal: A smoky, Mexican distilled spirit made from the agave plant. Delicious, but hard to justify at $72 per glass without warning.Sufism: The mystical dimension of Islam that emphasizes direct personal experience of the divine.Epicureanism: An ancient Greek philosophy that advocates pursuing pleasure and avoiding pain as the path to happiness, emphasizing simple pleasures, friendship, and freedom from anxiety.The Nothing (from The NeverEnding Story): A destructive force that consumes imagination and hope, representing despair and the loss of wonder.Vibe Coding: Programming based on intuition and feel rather than strict methodology or documentation.Metabolic Psychiatry: Treatment approach viewing mental health disorders as metabolic dysfunction in the brain.Ketogenic Diet: High-fat, low-carb eating plan that forces the body to burn fat for fuel instead of glucose.Electroceuticals / Accelerated TMS: Medical devices using electrical stimulation to treat conditions, with TMS targeting specific brain regions magnetically.Somatic Exercises: Movement practices that focus on internal physical sensations to release tension and trauma stored in the body.Kundalini Activation: Spiritual practice aimed at awakening dormant energy believed to reside at the base of the spine.Byron Katie’s “The Work” and Turnarounds: Self-inquiry method questioning stressful thoughts through four questions, then reversing beliefs to find opposite perspectives.Software, Apps, & ToolsScrivener: My preferred tool for organizing large writing projects.Google Gemini AI: Google’s “personal, proactive, and powerful” AI assistant.The Way: Henry Shukman’s meditation training app.PeopleAnthony de Mello: Author of Awareness.Neil Strauss: Collaborator.Marcus Aurelius: Stoic philosopher.Haleh Liza Gafori: Translator of Rumi’s poetry (Gold).Jalal al-Din Rumi: Sufi poet.Hafez: Sufi poet.David Weatherford: Poet of “Slow Dance.”Molly Ferriss: My best friend.Salman Rushdie: Author of Midnight’s Children.Gary Keller: Businessman, co-author of The ONE Thing.Terry Real: Therapist, author of I Don’t Want to Talk About It.Henry Shukman: Meditation teacher, creator of The Way app.Dennis McKenna: Ethnobotanist, author of Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss.Terence McKenna: Ethnobotanist, brother of Dennis.Lewis Hyde: Author of Trickster Makes This World.Richard Branson: Entrepreneur, proponent of capping downside.Mark Twain: Titan of American literature.Chris Sacca: Investor.BJ Miller: Palliative care physician, source of “Don’t believe everything you think.”Byron Katie: Creator of “The Work.”Nolan Williams: Researcher in electroceuticals.Chris Palmer: Proponent of metabolic psychiatry.Hatsumi Masaaki: Grandmaster of ninjutsu, possible calligrapher of “nin” (resilience).SHOW NOTES[00:00:00] Start.[00:04:44] Instilling nostalgia in future children.[00:06:29] Secret suspicions about success.[00:09:50] Comfy clothes and commandments for my new cult religion.[00:13:20] Laying groundwork for large projects.[00:15:12] The purpose of my No Book preview community.[00:15:45] How I use and don’t use AI.[00:18:56] My own success: because of strategies or despite them?[00:19:25] Optimizing efficiency in the face of unknown variables.[00:21:12] Why we should all learn how to live offline.[00:22:35] Superb Sufism sources.[00:23:21] How a podcast episode anticipated to be good can go bad.[00:26:31] When inefficiency is the optimal choice.[00:31:27] Helping rather than hurting our workaholic friends.[00:33:42] The right time to announce a new project.[00:37:09] Establishing partnership parameters.[00:39:02] Spiritual speculations.[00:41:24] Using today’s advantages to build tomorrow’s apps.[00:43:23] Keeping audience capture from converting you to caricature.[00:46:18] Legends of Varlata vs. The Legend of COCKPUNCH.[00:49:28] Hunting for Easter eggs across IPs.[00:49:51] Coyote curiosity.[00:53:32] 4-Hour Workweek tools I still use regularly.[00:55:14] A favorite memory with my childhood best friends.[00:55:48] A movie sequel I’d finance.[00:56:41] I will (not) sell No book before its time.[01:01:37] Archery aims.[01:02:13] Inspirational blurbs, billboards, and tchotchkes.[01:04:43] Does study of stoicism risk dulling positive emotions?[01:07:29] What my Saisei Foundation is focusing on lately.[01:13:33] Kundalini activation caution.[01:14:17] Molly’s ideal trip with me.[01:14:42] Parting thoughts.

The post Q&A with Tim — Three Life Commandments, 4-Hour Workweek Exercises I Still Use, The Art and Joy of Inefficiency, Stoicism Revisited, and Much More (#813) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

Welcome to another wide-ranging “Random Show” episode I recorded with my close friend Kevin Rose (digg.com)!

We cover dozens of topics: from the cutting edge of health tech to pro-tips for colonoscopies; AI; adventures in Japan and Taiwan seeking out perfect coffee and tea; tips for drinking less alcohol; powerful documentaries like 32 Sounds and books such as Awareness; the unexpected joys and therapeutic benefits of adult Lego; and much, much more.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the conversation on YouTube.

This episode is brought to you by Vanta trusted compliance and security platform; Momentous high-quality supplements; and ExpressVPN high-speed, secure, and anonymous VPN service.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercastThe Random Show — New Health Gadgets, Tim’s Latest Adventures, How to Drink Less, Zen Retreats, AI + Your Genome, and Colonoscopy Confessions

This episode is brought to you by Vanta! Vanta automates compliance for frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA, making it simple and fast to get enterprise-grade compliant. Just like 10,000+ other companies that rely on Vanta, my friends at Duolingo and Ramp, one of this podcast’s sponsors and an ultra-fast growing company, use Vanta to handle security compliance. 

It all adds up to impressive results: companies save up to 85% of costs, get compliant in weeks instead of months, and complete security questionnaires up to 5 times faster. So, check out Vanta.com/tim to see how Vanta can help you level up your security program. My listeners, that’s you, can get $1,000 off.

This episode is brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements! Momentous offers high-quality supplements and products across a broad spectrum of categories, and I’ve been testing their products for months now. I’ve been using their magnesium threonate, apigenin, and L-theanine daily, all of which have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep. I’ve also been using Momentous creatine, and while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).

Their products are third-party tested (Informed-Sport and/or NSF certified), so you can trust that what is on the label is in the bottle and nothing else. Use code TIM at checkout and enjoy 35% off your first subscription order or 14% off your first one-time purchase! And not to worry, my non-US friends, Momentous ships internationally and has you covered. 

This episode is brought to you by ExpressVPN. I’ve been using ExpressVPN to make sure that my data is secure and encrypted, without slowing my Internet speed. If you ever use public Wi-Fi at, say, a hotel or a coffee shop, where I often work and as many of my listeners do, you’re often sending data over an open network, meaning no encryption at all.

A great way to ensure that all of your data are encrypted and can’t be easily read by hackers is by using ExpressVPN. All you need to do is download the ExpressVPN app on your computer or smartphone and then use the Internet just as you normally would. You click one button in the ExpressVPN app to secure 100% of your network data. Use my link ExpressVPN.com/Tim today and get an extra three months free on a one-year package!

Want to hear the last time KevKev and I did a Random Show? Listen to our conversation here in which we discussed the societal impact of reality-bending AI, the pros and cons of training to failure, inexpensive injury avoidance/reversal, ethical wild meat harvesting, aliens, aversion-defusing meditation, alternative field trips, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Kevin Rose:

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Threads | Bluesky | Digg.com

Art, Collectibles, & Games Coyote : Card game by Tim Ferriss and Exploding Kittens.Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”: The original woodblock print/art piece.LEGO The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Hokusai): Specific LEGO set.LEGO Bonsai Tree: Specific LEGO set.LEGO Lucky Bamboo: Specific LEGO set.Nanoblock Cherry Blossom Tree: Specific Nanoblock set.HealthColonoscopy: Medical screening procedure.Propofol: Anesthetic drug.Full-Body MRI Scan: Medical imaging (Prenuvo provides this).GRAIL Test: Blood test for cancer screening.Accelerated TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation): Medical treatment for OCD/depression.Trazodone: Prescription drug mentioned for sleep, with side effects.VO2 Max Test: Physiological test for cardiovascular fitness.ECG (Electrocardiogram): Heart monitoring feature (e.g., on WHOOP).EEG (Electroencephalogram): Brainwave test for sleep studies.Whole Genome Sequencing: Comprehensive genetic test.Homocysteine Test: Biomarker test discussed by Kevin.Profi Nasal Spray: Hydrogel nasal spray for trapping viruses/bacteria.Saline Mist Spray: Nasal hydrating spray.Oriental Beauty Oolong Tea: Specific type of Taiwanese tea.Zone 2: “Some pain, much gain,” according to the Mayo Clinic.Dashi: Japanese soup stock sachets.Sertraline: Prescription medicine commonly known by the brand name Zoloft.Mounjaro: An injectable medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes.Methylated B Vitamins: Supplements Kevin used.NAC (N-acetylcysteine): Supplement Kevin used as a methyl donor.Books Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks by Ben Goldacre The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss Fight Club: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk I Don’t Want To Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression by Terry Real Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony de Mello Everything Is Its Own Reward: An All Over Coffee Collection by Paul Madonna The Well of Being: A Children’s Book for Adults by Jean-Pierre Weill Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works — A True Story by Dan HarrisMovies and TV Shows 32 Sounds : Immersive documentary about sound by Sam Green. Flow : Latvian animated film about a cat in a post-apocalyptic world (low poly aesthetic). Fight Club : Don’t talk about Fight Club. Blade Runner : Dystopian sci-fi set in the far future of 2019 Los Angeles. 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki : Docuseries about the creative process of the Studio Ghibli founder. My Neighbor Totoro : 1988 animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli. Spirited Away : 2001 animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli. Ponyo : 2008 animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli. Up : Animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar. Max Headroom : Advertised as “the first computer-generated TV presenter.” Minority Report : 2002 action film loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s 1956 novella. Ex Machina : Sci-fi movie discussing AI. Her : Movie about AI relationships.PeopleMichael Jackson: Mentioned in relation to Propofol.Peter Attia: Referenced for scientific literacy (studying studies) and Zone 2 training.Henry Shukman: Zen teacher, involved with The Way app, led the mini Zen retreat.Sam Green: Academy Award-nominated filmmaker of 32 Sounds.J.D. Sampson: Musician, original music for 32 Sounds.Barry Bonds: Baseball player who raised eyebrows for using performance-enhancing drugs.Brad Pitt: Actor who somehow doesn’t know the first rule of AA club.Katsushika Hokusai: Japanese artist of “Under the Wave off Kanagawa.”Darya Rose: Kevin’s better half.Terry Real: Author of I Don’t Want To Talk About It , discussed male depression.Craig Mod: Fellow Westerner residing in Japan, recent guest on this show.Gen Yamamoto: World-famous bartender.The Quantified Scientist (Rob ter Horst): YouTuber who reviews wearable technology.Anthony de Mello: Author of Awareness .Paul Madonna: Author of Everything Is Its Own Reward .Hayao Miyazaki: Founder of Studio Ghibli, subject of an NHK documentary miniseries.Walt Disney: Animation empire builder.Nolan Williams: Scientist at Stanford, head of brain stimulation lab, expert on Accelerated TMS.Matthew Walker: Sleep scientist, author of Why We Sleep , involved with Somnee device.Chris Palmer: From Harvard, discussed metabolic psychiatry.Craig Venter: Genomics pioneer, his personal genome sequencing cost mentioned.Alexis Ohanian: Co-founder of Reddit, working with Kevin on Digg.Sam Altman: CEO of OpenAI, involved with Worldcoin (World ID).Chris Hutchins: Host of  All the Hacks podcast.Elan Lee: From Exploding Kittens, partnered with me on the game Coyote.Willoughby B. Britton: Researcher investigating adverse events of meditation.Dan Harris: Journalist, author, podcaster, meditation advocate.Valerie Forstman: Zen master who co-led the retreat with Henry Shukman.Alex Albrecht: Kevin’s Diggnation co-host.PlacesNew Mexico: Location of the mini Zen retreat with Henry Shukman.Taiwan: Country off the coast of China.Taipei: Capital of Taiwan.Really Good Seafood: Highly recommended restaurant in Taiwan.Japan: Country of coffee, culture, and Hokusai.Tokyo: City in Japan.Ginza: District in Tokyo, location of Glitch Coffee.UAE (United Arab Emirates): Persian Gulf-adjacent nation.Abu Dhabi: City in UAE, noted for AI and genomics advancements.San Francisco, CA: Location of Red Blossom Tea Company; Paul Madonna‘s drawings often feature SF.Austin, TX: Home sweet home and 10 Squared location.Romania: Country mentioned for an espresso sign.Brasov: City in Romania with the espresso sign.Nijiya Market: Japanese grocery store chain in the US.Walmart: Retailer for the Coyote game.SXSW (South by Southwest): Festival where a live Diggnation event occurred.Companies & OrganizationsPrenuvo: Company providing full-body MRI scans.Netflix: Streaming service.Rotten Tomatoes: Review aggregation site for movies.Nintendo: Gaming company, referenced for “low poly” aesthetic.PS5 (PlayStation 5): Gaming console.Cannes Film Festival: Where the movie Flow premiered.AA (Alcoholics Anonymous): 12-step program.NA (Narcotics Anonymous): 12-step program.LEGO: Toy company (adult LEGOs, The Great Wave, bonsai, bamboo shoots).: LEGO competitor (cherry blossom tree).Glitch Coffee: Coffee shop in Ginza, Tokyo, praised for its latte.Sendai Koffee: Coffee shop in Japan, praised for Colombian varieties.Koffee Mameya: High-end coffee shop in Tokyo.Café de L’Ambre: Coffee shop in Tokyo known for aged coffee beans.Ghibli Museum: Museum in Japan (Studio Ghibli).NEZUCAFÉ: Cafe within a garden inside the Nezu Museum.Bear Pond Coffee: Coffee shop in Tokyo (Angel Stain espresso).Red Blossom Tea Company: Tea importer in San Francisco, specializing in Taiwanese oolongs.WHOOP: Wearable fitness tracker company and device.Apple: Tech company (Apple Watch).Oura: Tech company (Oura Ring).Garmin: Wearable tech company.10 Squared: Peter Attia’s performance center in Austin.Peloton: Exercise equipment company (bike seat issue mentioned).Profi: Brand of nasal spray (hydrogel).CVS: Pharmacy.Walgreens: Pharmacy.Okume: Dashi brand established in 1871.Versa Gripps: Brand of lifting straps.Studio Ghibli: Japanese animation film studio founded by Hayao Miyazaki.NHK: Japanese public broadcaster.Poj Studio: Online retailer for artisanal Japanese goods.MagVenture: Manufacturer of TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) devices.Saisei Foundation: My nonprofit foundation focused on cutting-edge scientific research and other uncrowded bets.Somnee: Sleep device associated with Matt Walker.Stanford University: Nolan Williams’ institution; Profi nasal spray development.NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.23andMe: Genetic testing company.LifeLock: Identity theft protection company.Digg: Website being revived by Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian.Trustpilot: Online review platform.BBB (Better Business Bureau): Organization.Worldcoin: Sam Altman’s identity project (World ID).OnlyFans: Content subscription service.Exploding Kittens: Game company, partnered with me for Coyote.The Way: Meditation app by Henry Shukman.Sanbo Zen: Lineage of Zen taught by Henry Shukman.True Ventures: Venture capital firm where Kevin is a partner.UCSF: University of California, San Francisco, mentioned regarding novel protein research for dementia.AlphaFold: An AI system developed by Google DeepMind that predicts a protein’s 3D structure from its amino acid sequence.Gadgets, Wearables, & EquipmentAirPods: Wireless headphones.WHOOP Device: Wearable fitness tracker.Apple Watch: Smartwatch.Oura Ring: Smart ring.Garmin Wearables: Fitness trackers/smartwatches.Peloton Bike: Exercise bike.Versa Gripps: Specific type of lifting straps.MagVenture TMS Device: Medical device for brain stimulation.Somnee Device: Transcranial electrical stimulation device for sleep.Digital Concepts & ToolsZK Proofs (Zero-Knowledge Proofs): Cryptographic method discussed for verifying online identity/claims.World ID: Digital identity obtained via eyeball scan (Worldcoin).Relevant ResourcesThe Benefits of Staying 30, 60, and 90 Days Sober: A Path to Lasting Recovery | High Focus Centers PAAI Sex Bots Are Here, Fires Reboot Kevin’s Life, Wild NVIDIA Updates | Diggnation #009Brad Pitt Says He Was Told off by Alcoholics Anonymous for Speaking About the Group: ‘It’s Anonymous’ | The IndependentThe Surprising Evolution of ‘The Great Wave of Kanagawa’ by Hokusai | My Modern MetTerry Real — The Therapist Who Breaks All The Rules | The Tim Ferriss Show #810Why China-Taiwan Relations Are So Tense | Council on Foreign RelationsLittle Island, Big Tea Game: The Guide To Taiwanese Tea | Tea CuriousHokkaido Milk: A Complete Guide for Beginners! | SakuracoAn Easy Guide to Ordering Coffee in Japan | Flexi ClassesGeisha (Coffee) | WikipediaCraig Mod — The Real Japan, Cheap Apartments in Tokyo, Productive Side Quests, Creative Retreats, Buying Future Freedom, and Being Possessed by Spirits | The Tim Ferriss Show #802Craig Mod Returns — Epic Walks in Japan, The Art of Slowness, Digital Detox, Publishing “Impossible” Books, and Choosing Beauty Over Scale | The Tim Ferriss Show #803Peter Attia’s 10 Squared: The Three Pillars of Forever Fitness | Men’s HealthDrug-Free Nasal Spray Blocks, Neutralizes Viruses, Bacteria | Harvard GazetteThe Stranger (Clip) | Scrubs“Squirrel!” (Clip) | UpNolan Williams — A Glimpse of the Future: Electroceuticals for 70%–90% Remission of Depression, Brain Stimulation for Sports Performance, and De-risking Ibogaine for TBI/PTSD | The Tim Ferriss Show #714Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Sertraline on Cognitive Level, Inflammatory Response and Neurological Function in Depressive Disorder Patients with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Behavior | Actas Españolas de PsiquiatríaChris Palmer, MD, of Harvard Medical School — Optimizing Brain Energy for Mental Health, The Incredible Potential of Metabolic Psychiatry, Extraordinary Case Studies, and Harnessing Mitochondria for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #633Dr. Matthew Walker, All Things Sleep — How to Improve Sleep, How Sleep Ties Into Alzheimer’s Disease and Weight Gain, and How Medications (Ambien, Trazodone, etc.), Caffeine, THC/CBD, Psychedelics, Exercise, Smart Drugs, Fasting, and More Affect Sleep | The Tim Ferriss Show #650Dr. Matthew Walker, All Things Sleep Continued — The Hidden Dangers of Melatonin, Tools for Insomnia, Enhancing Learning and Sleep Spindles, The Upsides of Sleep Divorce, How Sleep Impacts Sex (and Vice Versa), Adventures in Lucid Dreaming, The One Clock to Rule Them All, The IP Addresses of Your Memories, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #654Overlooked Proteins May Be Key to Better Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s | UC San FranciscoCraig Venter Sets X PRIZE for Human Genome Sequencing | Scientific AmericanGenetic Information Privacy | Electronic Frontier FoundationLifeLock CEO’s Identity Stolen 13 Times | WiredMax Headroom Makes His American TV Debut | LettermanMax Headroom Signal Hijacking | WikipediaOnlyFans Sued by Men Claiming Models Used ‘Chatters’ to Talk to Them | ViceDiggnation Live in Austin Texas: Old Rivals, New Vision | DiggnationHenry Shukman — Zen, Tools for Awakening, Ayahuasca vs. Meditation, Intro to Koans, and Using Wounds as the Doorway | The Tim Ferriss Show #531Zen Master Henry Shukman — 20 Minutes of Calm, Plus the Strange and Powerful World of Koans | The Tim Ferriss Show #560Dr. Willoughby Britton — The Hidden Risks of Meditation, Overlaps with Psychedelic Risks, Harm Reduction Strategies, How to Choose a Retreat, Near-Death Experiences, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #705Dan Harris on Becoming 10% Happier, Hugging Inner Dragons, Self-Help for Skeptics, Training the Mind, and Much More | The Tim Ferriss Show #481SHOW NOTES[00:00:00] Start.[00:05:13] Two old men discuss the importance of regular medical checkups.[00:11:47] Zen and the art of 32 Sounds.[00:14:50] Going with the low-poly Flow.[00:18:02] KevKev goes cleanclean and sober.[00:25:10] The first rule of AA is you do not talk about AA.[00:26:24] LEGO bricks (and Nanoblocks) as art for grown-ups.[00:28:27] Maintaining sobriety with a partner who still drinks.[00:31:47] Addressing under-the-hood reasons behind addiction with a group.[00:35:41] TimTim talks Taiwan and tea.[00:43:13] A Japanese coffee bender.[00:48:56] An “expresso” intervention.[00:50:02] Where Americans can get Taiwanese tea if they can’t make the trip.[00:51:16] Kevin’s new WHOOP wearable and quantifying health benchmarks/goals.[00:57:45] I’m getting a new exercise bike because the old one rubbed me the wrong way.[00:59:11] Kevin keeps COVID and cooties at bay with Profi in his schnozz.[01:02:01] Sippin’ dashi and conquering anxiety with Awareness.[01:06:36] Getting a (Versa) Gripp on eclectic injuries.[01:10:07] Finding magic in the ordinary with Paul Madonna and Hayao Miyazaki.[01:13:19] The Well of Being is back in stock for a reasonable price.[01:14:02] Finding Asian artisanal goods in the US without having to travel.[01:16:49] Squirrels: distracting dogs and humans for millennia.[01:18:04] My personal ups and downs with accelerated TMS.[01:28:27] The current state of consumer-level sleep aid technology.[01:33:47] How full genome sequencing helped Kevin tame a once-insurmountable health issue.[01:36:16] Eyeing traffic at the intersection of AI and life sciences.[01:38:30] Genetic data privacy concerns.[01:42:36] Face to face with my deepfaked side hustler.[01:44:06] Kevin’s unsettling AI headphone review experiment and its implications for real humans.[01:47:03] Steps Kevin has taken toward proving he’s a real boy.[01:48:23] “You were talking to models — you were just talking to large language models.”[01:50:25] Exploding Kittens and I made a game together: Coyote.[01:52:06] When meditation retreats go right (and wrong).[01:59:21] Parting thoughts.

The post The Random Show — New Health Gadgets, Tim’s Latest Adventures, How to Drink Less, Zen Retreats, AI + Your Genome, and Colonoscopy Confessions (#812) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

“I’m well over a million shots the same way—same technique, same thought process, same thought at full draw. … Sustained effort is what really makes you good.”
— Jake Kaminski

Jake Kaminski (@jake_kaminski_) is a two-time Olympic silver medalist in archery and a longtime member of the US Archery Team, with more than a decade of international competition experience. Known for his technical precision and deep knowledge of the sport, Jake helped lead the US to team silver medals at both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Since retiring from Olympic competition, Jake has become a leading voice in the archery world through content creation, product innovation, and educational events. He runs a successful YouTube channel, writes training guides, and develops high-performance gear under the Kaminski Archery brand.

Sign up for the Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship here.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube. The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep premium mattresses; AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement; and Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast2x Olympic Archery Medalist Jake Kaminski — Lessons Learned and Mantras Used After 1,000,000 Arrows

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2024 by Forbes, Fortune, and Wired magazines and many others. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.

Go to  shopify.com/Tim  to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting  shopify.com/Tim .

Want to hear an episode with MeatEater kingpin Steven Rinella? Listen to our conversation, in which we discuss how Steven got me to overcome my lifetime aversion to hunting, why the conservation-minded non-hunting crowd should care about the decline in hunting and fishing license sales in the United States, the politics of reintroducing predator species to popular hunting grounds, close encounters of the grizzly kind, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Jake Kaminski:

Website | YouTube | Patreon | Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Archery Concepts, Techniques, & TerminologyOlympic Recurve: Specific discipline/bow style used in the Olympics.Barebow: Discipline/bow style with minimal aids, uses string walking.Compound Bow: Bow style using cams/pulleys.Longbow: Simple, traditional bow style.Horse Bow / Asiatic Bow: Shorter recurve bow, often shot with a thumb release.Target Panic: Psychological issue affecting aiming/release.Clicker: Mechanical device used as a draw check and release trigger (primarily recurve).Shot Cycle / Shot Sequence: The repeatable physical and mental process of shooting an arrow.KSL Method: Biomechanically focused archery technique developed by Kisik Lee.Ape Index: The ratio of an individual’s arm span relative to their height.Biomechanics: Study of movement and structure in biological systems.Anchor: Consistent placement of the draw hand on the face/jaw.Let Down: Aborting a shot before release.Follow Through: Maintaining tension and direction after the arrow is released.Tension and Direction: Key principle of maintaining force towards the target (bow hand) and away (draw hand).Release: The act of letting the string go (viewed by KSL as a result of follow through).Blank Bale Practice: Shooting at a target butt with no face/aiming point, focusing on form.String Walking: Technique in barebow where the archer moves their fingers down the string to adjust elevation.Instinctive Aiming: Aiming without a dedicated sight or aiming reference point, relying on subconscious coordination.Cross Eye Dominant: When a person’s dominant eye is opposite their dominant hand.Hook: Specific placement and tension of fingers on the bowstring.Grouping: The proximity of arrows to each other on the target.Khatra: Specific movement/technique used in thumb draw/horse bow shooting.Archery EquipmentIndo Board: Balance training tool.Stabilizers: Rods attached to bows (Olympic recurve, compound) to add weight and reduce vibration.Riser: The central handle section of a bow.Limbs: The flexible parts of the bow that store energy.Arrow Rest: Device that supports the arrow before/during the shot.Zniper Fall-Away Arrow Rest: Specific magnetic fall-away rest mentioned for barebow.Plunger / Button: Adjustable device on recurve/barebow risers that helps tune arrow flight.Finger Tab: Protective leather/material worn on draw fingers.Peep Sight: Small aperture on compound bow string used as a rear sight.Mechanical Release / Release Aid: Device used to draw and release the string on compound bows.Arrows: Projectiles shot from the bow.Easton RX7: Specific model of large-diameter aluminum arrow.Easton Avance: Specific model of smaller-diameter carbon arrow.Fletching: Feathers or vanes on the back of an arrow for stabilization.Nock: Attachment point on the back of the arrow that clips onto the string.Sight: Aiming device (used on Olympic recurve and compound).Bowstring: Cord connecting the limb tips.Bag Target: Type of archery target filled with material.Target Bale: The backstop material archery targets are attached to.TheraBand: Elastic resistance band used for training.General Brands & ProductsMuscle Milk: Protein shakes.Maui Nui Venison: Sustainably sourced meat snacks.Pique Tea: Instant tea crystals.Momentous: Science-backed supplements.Fuel: A carbohydrate/electrolyte supplement by Momentous.Kinesiology Tape: Elastic therapeutic tape.Rick Simpson Oil (RSO): Specific type of full-spectrum cannabis oil (used topically).SAM (Sustained Acoustic Medicine) Device: Sustained acoustic medicine for soft-tissue injuries.LICUS (Low-Intensity Continuous Ultrasound): Therapy for numerous clinical disorders.Institutions, Organizations, & PlacesOlympic Training Center (San Diego): Facility where Jake lived and trained.Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD): Youth archery program in the US.Korea Archery Team: National archery system/team of South Korea.United States Archery Team: National archery system/team of the USA.Lancaster Archery Supply: Large archery distributor and host of the Lancaster Classic.Elma, NY: Jake’s home town.MeatEater: Outdoor lifestyle company founded by Steven Rinella.ShotIQ: Archery training system/company by Joel Turner.Gotham Archery: Archery range in Brooklyn, NY.Easton Archery Center of Excellence (Salt Lake City): Archery range and facility.Park City Fit: CrossFit gym in Park City, UT.Buffalo Bills: NFL team.Buffalo Sabres: NHL team.Events & CompetitionsOlympic Games: Major international multi-sport event (specifically London 2012 mentioned).Lancaster Classic: Major annual indoor archery tournament in Lancaster, PA.Empire State Games: Multi-sport competition within New York State.Junior World Championships (Archery): International competition for junior archers.: National archery competition in the US.World Cup (Archery): Series of international archery competitions.Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship: Digital archery tournament created by Jake.X Games: Extreme sports competition.World Championships (Tango): Competition.National Championships (Sanshou): Competition.Books & Media The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss Robin Hood (Disney Film) The Karate Kid Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery PeopleSusan Garrett: Dog agility champion.The Rock: Actor and professional wrestler.Lady Gaga: Singer, songwriter, and actress.Steven Rinella: Hunter, writer, founder of MeatEater.Robin Hood: A legendary outlaw archer from English folklore.Joel Turner: Archery coach, founder of ShotIQ.Bodie Turner: Son of Joel Turner, highly successful compound archer.Harry Staebell: Jake’s childhood coach/mentor.Nariyoshi Miyagi: The wise, Okinawan-born karate master from The Karate Kid.Kisik Lee (KSL): Jake’s coach, former Korean National Head Coach, influential archery figure.Austin Powers: International man of mystery.Dan Schuller: Jake’s childhood competitor and fellow resident athlete.Brady Ellison: Jake’s Olympic teammate, famous competitor.Jacob Wukie: Jake’s Olympic teammate.Eeyore: Winnie-the-Pooh’s sad donkey friend.: Jake’s sister.Heather Kaminski: Jake’s wife, manual therapist.LeBron James: Basketball player.Kobe Bryant: Basketball player.Michael Jordan: Basketball player.Rick Simpson: Associated with Rick Simpson Oil (RSO).Henk Kraaijenhof: Famous track coach.Chris Spealler: Owner of Park City Fit.Relevant ResourcesBow and Arrow | WikipediaArchery Beginner Gear Guide | Jake KaminskiNew to Archery? Five Tips for your First Day of Shooting | Jake KaminskiThe Ethical Bow Hunting Shot | Bow LifeSouth Korea’s Archery Invincibility Explained | Land of LegendsStaying Sane with Meditative Archery | Spirituality+HealthWhat Top Archers Think About at Full Draw | Jake KaminskiArchery Strength Training Playlist | Jake Kaminski100 Positive Affirmations for Better Self-Care | Crisis Text LineParis 2024 Olympics: Republic of Korea Continue Dominance, Winning Tenth Straight Archery Gold Medal in Women’s Team | OlympicsThe Olympic Experience of Silver Medallist Jake Kaminski | World ArcherySHOW NOTES[00:00:00] Start.[00:06:50] A glimpse into the high-precision world of Olympic archery.[00:11:04] How Jake and I connected.[00:18:27] Jake’s auspicious introduction to archery.[00:21:15] Why you (Yes! You!) should try archery.[00:22:01] The differences between bows.[00:25:19] The admirable proficiency of Shot IQ’s Bodie and Joel Turner.[00:26:24] Ethical bow hunting, performing under pressure, and transitioning from rifle to bow.[00:29:22] Why I wouldn’t have cut it as a competitive archer in Korea.[00:30:14] Mindful archery and training hard to make competition easy.[00:37:00] What Jake did when compound bow archery started to get boring.[00:40:00] Meeting legendary Coach Kisik Lee (KSL).[00:43:06] The upsides of having no social life as a kid.[00:45:20] The welcoming weirdness of archery communities.[00:46:33] For the sake of form, Coach Lee shakes things up.[00:51:21] “I am.” — an affirmation for apathy adjustment.[00:58:11] London, 2012 Olympics: when it all starts coming together.[01:08:28] How does teamwork play out in archery?[01:15:40] My own experience with Coach Lee.[01:19:23] The trials of training and traveling.[01:27:33] Blank bale practice.[01:31:14] Layering, biomechanics, and other early points of focus.[01:33:03] The underrated importance of follow through.[01:36:40] Coach Lee’s take on follow through vs. release.[01:37:29] Gauging tension and intention as an instructor.[01:38:52] Attention to grouping over hitting the bullseye.[01:40:57] Making adaptations for physical limitations.[01:43:30] The ups and downs of our patented “Jesus take the wheel” instinctive approach.[01:46:24] Warm-up tournaments, barebowing, black bales, and string walking.[01:50:54] Recovering from the disaster that made me rethink Lancaster.[01:55:15] Rebalancing gear: arrows and arrow rests.[02:00:50] The importance of practicing in tournament-like conditions.[02:04:03] Securing convenient fuel.[02:08:17] Lancaster preparation logistics (with special thanks to Heather Kaminski and Rick Simpson Oil).[02:13:17] The glue that holds us together: note-taking and training logs.[02:16:47] Even counterintuitive consistency is key.[02:18:45] Our experience at Lancaster.[02:28:00] “The goal is to do the least necessary, not the most possible.” — Henk Kraaijenhof[02:31:44] Learning by observation and conversation on the practice range.[02:35:35] What’s the Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship, and why should you get involved?[02:40:30] How can you (and why should you) get started with archery today?[02:42:48] Parting thoughts.MORE JAKE KAMINSKI QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Anything you can do to make things more difficult—to shoot in the rain, to shoot in the wind, to shoot in the heat—I would do because, I don’t know, maybe I just enjoy torturing myself. But I found it to be really important. And once I got to the training center, listening to some of the other successful athletes giving talks at the training center about their success and how things went and what made them successful, a lot of them were leaning into the same kind of thing—training hard to make competition easy.”
— Jake Kaminski

“Practice scores don’t matter.”
— Jake Kaminski

“Ultimately, nobody’s going to prevent you from succeeding or failing except for yourself. So you’ve just got to get out of your own way and let it happen. You’ve already put in the time, you put in the effort, just go have fun. Just shoot some arrows and maintain composure.”
— Jake Kaminski

“If I were to wave a magic wand and try to make things better the next time, it would be doing archery more often. It’s not about how many arrows you do in one session; it’s how many sessions in a week can you do and how many days in between each session are there? Anything more than one is too many, in my opinion.”
— Jake Kaminski

“You look experienced from experience. You don’t just get it. You’ve got to make that groove in the brain, and really make that neuromotor connection strong enough to where it just fluidly happens. That’s why an expert is an expert. They’ve done the same thing thousands and thousands and thousands of times. I’m well over a million shots the same way—same technique, same thought process, same thought at full draw. So it’s an immense amount of effort and work over time. Sustained effort is what really makes you good.”
— Jake Kaminski

The post 2x Olympic Archery Medalist Jake Kaminski — Lessons Learned and Mantras Used After 1,000,000 Arrows (#811) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

“I’m well over a million shots the same way—same technique, same thought process, same thought at full draw. … Sustained effort is what really makes you good.”
— Jake Kaminski

Jake Kaminski (@jake_kaminski_) is a two-time Olympic silver medalist in archery and a longtime member of the US Archery Team, with more than a decade of international competition experience. Known for his technical precision and deep knowledge of the sport, Jake helped lead the US to team silver medals at both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Since retiring from Olympic competition, Jake has become a leading voice in the archery world through content creation, product innovation, and educational events. He runs a successful YouTube channel, writes training guides, and develops high-performance gear under the Kaminski Archery brand.

Sign up for the Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship here.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep premium mattresses; AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement; and Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast2x Olympic Archery Medalist Jake Kaminski — Behind-the-Scenes Stories of Coaching Tim, What Archery Teaches About High Performance, and Excellence Under Pressure

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2024 by Forbes, Fortune, and Wired magazines and many others. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.

Go to  shopify.com/Tim  to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting  shopify.com/Tim .

Want to hear an episode with MeatEater kingpin Steven Rinella? Listen to our conversation, in which we discuss how Steven got me to overcome my lifetime aversion to hunting, why the conservation-minded non-hunting crowd should care about the decline in hunting and fishing license sales in the United States, the politics of reintroducing predator species to popular hunting grounds, close encounters of the grizzly kind, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Jake Kaminski:

Website | YouTube | Patreon | Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship

Archery Concepts, Techniques, & TerminologyOlympic Recurve: Specific discipline/bow style used in the Olympics.Barebow: Discipline/bow style with minimal aids, uses string walking.Compound Bow: Bow style using cams/pulleys.Longbow: Simple, traditional bow style.Horse Bow / Asiatic Bow: Shorter recurve bow, often shot with a thumb release.Target Panic: Psychological issue affecting aiming/release.Clicker: Mechanical device used as a draw check and release trigger (primarily recurve).Shot Cycle / Shot Sequence: The repeatable physical and mental process of shooting an arrow.KSL Method: Biomechanically focused archery technique developed by Kisik Lee.Ape Index: The ratio of an individual’s arm span relative to their height.Biomechanics: Study of movement and structure in biological systems.Anchor: Consistent placement of the draw hand on the face/jaw.Let Down: Aborting a shot before release.Follow Through: Maintaining tension and direction after the arrow is released.Tension and Direction: Key principle of maintaining force towards the target (bow hand) and away (draw hand).Release: The act of letting the string go (viewed by KSL as a result of follow through).Blank Bale Practice: Shooting at a target butt with no face/aiming point, focusing on form.String Walking: Technique in barebow where the archer moves their fingers down the string to adjust elevation.Instinctive Aiming: Aiming without a dedicated sight or aiming reference point, relying on subconscious coordination.Cross Eye Dominant: When a person’s dominant eye is opposite their dominant hand.Hook: Specific placement and tension of fingers on the bowstring.Grouping: The proximity of arrows to each other on the target.Khatra: Specific movement/technique used in thumb draw/horse bow shooting.Archery EquipmentIndo Board: Balance training tool.Stabilizers: Rods attached to bows (Olympic recurve, compound) to add weight and reduce vibration.Riser: The central handle section of a bow.Limbs: The flexible parts of the bow that store energy.Arrow Rest: Device that supports the arrow before/during the shot.Zniper Fall-Away Arrow Rest: Specific magnetic fall-away rest mentioned for barebow.Plunger / Button: Adjustable device on recurve/barebow risers that helps tune arrow flight.Finger Tab: Protective leather/material worn on draw fingers.Peep Sight: Small aperture on compound bow string used as a rear sight.Mechanical Release / Release Aid: Device used to draw and release the string on compound bows.Arrows: Projectiles shot from the bow.Easton RX7: Specific model of large-diameter aluminum arrow.Easton Avance: Specific model of smaller-diameter carbon arrow.Fletching: Feathers or vanes on the back of an arrow for stabilization.Nock: Attachment point on the back of the arrow that clips onto the string.Sight: Aiming device (used on Olympic recurve and compound).Bowstring: Cord connecting the limb tips.Bag Target: Type of archery target filled with material.Target Bale: The backstop material archery targets are attached to.TheraBand: Elastic resistance band used for training.General Brands & ProductsMuscle Milk: Protein shakes.Maui Nui Venison: Sustainably sourced meat snacks.Pique Tea: Instant tea crystals.Momentous: Science-backed supplements.Fuel: A carbohydrate/electrolyte supplement by Momentous.Kinesiology Tape: Elastic therapeutic tape.Rick Simpson Oil (RSO): Specific type of full-spectrum cannabis oil (used topically).SAM (Sustained Acoustic Medicine) Device: Sustained acoustic medicine for soft-tissue injuries.LICUS (Low-Intensity Continuous Ultrasound): Therapy for numerous clinical disorders.Institutions, Organizations, & PlacesOlympic Training Center (San Diego): Facility where Jake lived and trained.Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD): Youth archery program in the US.Korea Archery Team: National archery system/team of South Korea.United States Archery Team: National archery system/team of the USA.Lancaster Archery Supply: Large archery distributor and host of the Lancaster Classic.Elma, NY: Jake’s home town.MeatEater: Outdoor lifestyle company founded by Steven Rinella.ShotIQ: Archery training system/company by Joel Turner.Gotham Archery: Archery range in Brooklyn, NY.Easton Archery Center of Excellence (Salt Lake City): Archery range and facility.Park City Fit: CrossFit gym in Park City, UT.Buffalo Bills: NFL team.Buffalo Sabres: NHL team.Events & CompetitionsOlympic Games: Major international multi-sport event (specifically London 2012 mentioned).Lancaster Classic: Major annual indoor archery tournament in Lancaster, PA.Empire State Games: Multi-sport competition within New York State.Junior World Championships (Archery): International competition for junior archers.: National archery competition in the US.World Cup (Archery): Series of international archery competitions.Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship: Digital archery tournament created by Jake.X Games: Extreme sports competition.World Championships (Tango): Competition.National Championships (Sanshou): Competition.Books & Media The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss Robin Hood (Disney Film) The Karate Kid Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery PeopleSusan Garrett: Dog agility champion.The Rock: Actor and professional wrestler.Lady Gaga: Singer, songwriter, and actress.Steven Rinella: Hunter, writer, founder of MeatEater.Robin Hood: A legendary outlaw archer from English folklore.Joel Turner: Archery coach, founder of ShotIQ.Bodie Turner: Son of Joel Turner, highly successful compound archer.Harry Staebell: Jake’s childhood coach/mentor.Nariyoshi Miyagi: The wise, Okinawan-born karate master from The Karate Kid.Kisik Lee (KSL): Jake’s coach, former Korean National Head Coach, influential archery figure.Austin Powers: International man of mystery.Dan Schuller: Jake’s childhood competitor and fellow resident athlete.Brady Ellison: Jake’s Olympic teammate, famous competitor.Jacob Wukie: Jake’s Olympic teammate.Eeyore: Winnie-the-Pooh’s sad donkey friend.: Jake’s sister.Heather Kaminski: Jake’s wife, manual therapist.LeBron James: Basketball player.Kobe Bryant: Basketball player.Michael Jordan: Basketball player.Rick Simpson: Associated with Rick Simpson Oil (RSO).Henk Kraaijenhof: Famous track coach.Chris Spealler: Owner of Park City Fit.Relevant ResourcesBow and Arrow | WikipediaArchery Beginner Gear Guide | Jake KaminskiNew to Archery? Five Tips for your First Day of Shooting | Jake KaminskiThe Ethical Bow Hunting Shot | Bow LifeSouth Korea’s Archery Invincibility Explained | Land of LegendsStaying Sane with Meditative Archery | Spirituality+HealthWhat Top Archers Think About at Full Draw | Jake KaminskiArchery Strength Training Playlist | Jake Kaminski100 Positive Affirmations for Better Self-Care | Crisis Text LineParis 2024 Olympics: Republic of Korea Continue Dominance, Winning Tenth Straight Archery Gold Medal in Women’s Team | OlympicsThe Olympic Experience of Silver Medallist Jake Kaminski | World ArcherySHOW NOTES[00:00:00] Start.[00:06:50] A glimpse into the high-precision world of Olympic archery.[00:11:04] How Jake and I connected.[00:18:27] Jake’s auspicious introduction to archery.[00:21:15] Why you (Yes! You!) should try archery.[00:22:01] The differences between bows.[00:25:19] The admirable proficiency of Shot IQ’s Bodie and Joel Turner.[00:26:24] Ethical bow hunting, performing under pressure, and transitioning from rifle to bow.[00:29:22] Why I wouldn’t have cut it as a competitive archer in Korea.[00:30:14] Mindful archery and training hard to make competition easy.[00:37:00] What Jake did when compound bow archery started to get boring.[00:40:00] Meeting legendary Coach Kisik Lee (KSL).[00:43:06] The upsides of having no social life as a kid.[00:45:20] The welcoming weirdness of archery communities.[00:46:33] For the sake of form, Coach Lee shakes things up.[00:51:21] “I am.” — an affirmation for apathy adjustment.[00:58:11] London, 2012 Olympics: when it all starts coming together.[01:08:28] How does teamwork play out in archery?[01:15:40] My own experience with Coach Lee.[01:19:23] The trials of training and traveling.[01:27:33] Blank bale practice.[01:31:14] Layering, biomechanics, and other early points of focus.[01:33:03] The underrated importance of follow through.[01:36:40] Coach Lee’s take on follow through vs. release.[01:37:29] Gauging tension and intention as an instructor.[01:38:52] Attention to grouping over hitting the bullseye.[01:40:57] Making adaptations for physical limitations.[01:43:30] The ups and downs of our patented “Jesus take the wheel” instinctive approach.[01:46:24] Warm-up tournaments, barebowing, black bales, and string walking.[01:50:54] Recovering from the disaster that made me rethink Lancaster.[01:55:15] Rebalancing gear: arrows and arrow rests.[02:00:50] The importance of practicing in tournament-like conditions.[02:04:03] Securing convenient fuel.[02:08:17] Lancaster preparation logistics (with special thanks to Heather Kaminski and Rick Simpson Oil).[02:13:17] The glue that holds us together: note-taking and training logs.[02:16:47] Even counterintuitive consistency is key.[02:18:45] Our experience at Lancaster.[02:28:00] “The goal is to do the least necessary, not the most possible.” — Henk Kraaijenhof[02:31:44] Learning by observation and conversation on the practice range.[02:35:35] What’s the Kaminski Archery Backyard Championship, and why should you get involved?[02:40:30] How can you (and why should you) get started with archery today?[02:42:48] Parting thoughts.MORE JAKE KAMINSKI QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Anything you can do to make things more difficult—to shoot in the rain, to shoot in the wind, to shoot in the heat—I would do because, I don’t know, maybe I just enjoy torturing myself. But I found it to be really important. And once I got to the training center, listening to some of the other successful athletes giving talks at the training center about their success and how things went and what made them successful, a lot of them were leaning into the same kind of thing—training hard to make competition easy.”
— Jake Kaminski

“Practice scores don’t matter.”
— Jake Kaminski

“Ultimately, nobody’s going to prevent you from succeeding or failing except for yourself. So you’ve just got to get out of your own way and let it happen. You’ve already put in the time, you put in the effort, just go have fun. Just shoot some arrows and maintain composure.”
— Jake Kaminski

“If I were to wave a magic wand and try to make things better the next time, it would be doing archery more often. It’s not about how many arrows you do in one session; it’s how many sessions in a week can you do and how many days in between each session are there? Anything more than one is too many, in my opinion.”
— Jake Kaminski

“You look experienced from experience. You don’t just get it. You’ve got to make that groove in the brain, and really make that neuromotor connection strong enough to where it just fluidly happens. That’s why an expert is an expert. They’ve done the same thing thousands and thousands and thousands of times. I’m well over a million shots the same way—same technique, same thought process, same thought at full draw. So it’s an immense amount of effort and work over time. Sustained effort is what really makes you good.”
— Jake Kaminski

The post 2x Olympic Archery Medalist Jake Kaminski — Behind-the-Scenes Stories of Coaching Tim, What Archery Teaches About High Performance, and Excellence Under Pressure (#811) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

“A boy’s question of the world is ‘What do you got for me?’ A man’s question of the world is ‘What’s needed here?'”
— Terry Real

Terry Real is a nationally recognized family therapist, author, and teacher. He is known for his groundbreaking work on men and male psychology as well as his work on gender and couples.

His book I Don’t Want To Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression, the first book ever written on the topic of male depression, is a national bestseller. His new book, Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship is a New York Times bestseller.

Terry’s Relational Life Institute offers training for therapists and workshops for couples and individuals.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is brought to you by Cresset prestigious family office for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs; Ramp easy-to-use corporate cards, bill payments, accounting, and more; and Wealthfront high-yield cash account.

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Cresset is a prestigious family office for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs. They handle the complex financial planning, uncertain tax strategies, timely exit planning, bill pay and wires, and all the other parts of wealth management that would otherwise pull me away from doing what I love most: making things, mastering skills, and spending time with the people I care about.  Experience the freedom of focusing on what matters to you with the support of a top wealth management team. Schedule a call today at cressetcapital.com/Tim to see how Cresset can help streamline your financial plans and grow your wealth.

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Want to hear five chapters from the audiobook Fierce Intimacy by Terry Real? Listen here — it will help you identify both your and your partner’s losing strategies in relationships and help you move from disharmony to repair.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Terry Real:

Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook

Books Us: Getting Past You & Me to Build a More Loving Relationship by Terry Real I Don’t Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression by Terry Real Fierce Intimacy by Terry Real Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic by James Gilligan The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Hard-Boiled: Great Lines from Classic Noir Films by Peggy Thompson and Saeko UsukawaTherapeutic Approaches & ModalitiesRelational Life Therapy (RLT): Terry Real’s primary approach.Internal Family Systems (IFS): Mentioned as having some similarities to RLT’s parts work; Terry discusses similarities and differences.Men’s Intensive Group Therapy: Run by Terry. Format includes check-ins, emerging themes, and deep trauma work.12-Step Programs (e.g., Al-Anon): Mentioned in context of addiction and support.Core RLT Concepts & FrameworksThree Parts of the Human Psyche (RLT Model):Wise Adult (prefrontal cortex, choosing part)Wounded Child (flooded, emotional part)Adaptive Child (kid’s version of an adult, automatic/knee-jerk responses, self-protection)Relational Mindfulness: Core skill of shifting out of the adaptive child.Remembering Love: First skill; remembering you care about the person you’re speaking to.Miserable Comfortable vs. Happy Uncomfortable: States related to staying in old patterns vs. embracing growth.Taking a Position (as a therapist): Contrasted with neutral mirroring.Objectivity Battles: Arguments over who is “right” or whose reality is accurate (RLT argues objectivity has no place in personal relations).Relational Answer (to who’s right/wrong): Focus on collaborative solutions.Repair: Critical process in relationships; a “one-way street” initially.Normal Marital Hatred: The idea that it’s normal to go through phases of intense dislike or “hatred” for one’s partner in a long-term relationship.Deal-Breakers & Relational Reckoning: A process/question (“Am I getting enough…to make grieving what I’m not getting worth my while?”) to assess relationship viability.Preconditions for RLT Couples Therapy: Issues like active addiction, violence, or untreated psychiatric conditions that need addressing before RLT can be effective for the couple.Leverage (Negative and Positive): Therapeutic technique to motivate clients.Covert Depression (in Men): Depression masked by behaviors like rage, philandering, withdrawal, self-medication.Normal Boyhood Trauma (under patriarchy): The trauma of boys being taught to disconnect from vulnerability and emotions.Psychological Patriarchy: Traditional masculinity’s impact on individuals and relationships (distinct from political patriarchy).Toxic Individualism: Overemphasis on the self at the expense of relational connection.One Up / One Down Positions: Dynamics of superiority/inferiority in relationships (builds on Pia Mellody’s work).Love Avoidant: A pattern of behavior stemming from early experiences, often involving fear of engulfment.Full-Respect Living: Holding others in respect even when disagreeing.Poisoned Privilege: The negative impact of entitlement, often seen in “one-up” positions.Relational Joy vs. Gratification: Deep, connected pleasure vs. short-term pleasure.Loving Power: Asserting oneself while maintaining connection and care for the relationship.General Psychological & Relational ConceptsRelational Heroism (coined by Belinda Berman)Male Depression (and Overt Depression)Couples TherapyCodependency (described as “fawn” or “fix” response)Fight, Flight, Fawn (stress responses)Harmony, Disharmony, and Repair (Ed Tronick’s rhythm of all relationships)Dual Diagnosis (e.g., addiction and depression)TraumaPatriarchyIndividualismEnmeshmentPolyamoryManosphereGrandiosityCompanionable Marriage (as a historical norm)Organizations & InstitutionsAl-Anon: Support group for families of alcoholics.The Meadows: Treatment center where Pia Mellody worked.Sounds True: Publisher of Terry Real’s Fierce Intimacy audio program.Movies & ShowsThe Hurt LockerAdolescenceThe Big SleepPeoplePeter Attia: Doctor, author, friend of Tim Ferriss, mentioned in relation to male depression and his book Outlive.Kevin Rose: Friend of Tim Ferriss, mentioned in relation to couples therapy.Belinda Berman: Terry Real’s wife, a family therapist, coined “relational heroism.”Gregory Bateson: Anthropologist, influential in family therapy, husband of Margaret Mead, known for concept of “humankind’s epistemological error.”Margaret Mead: Anthropologist, wife of Gregory Bateson.Edward Tronick: Infant observational researcher, known for the “harmony, disharmony, and repair” rhythm in relationships.T. Berry Brazelton: Pediatrician and researcher, worked alongside Tronick.Sigmund Freud: The father of psychoanalysis.James Framo: Considered a father of couple’s therapy.Esther Perel: Therapist, mentioned as working with Peter Attia.Pia Mellody: Therapist, mentor to Terry Real, influential in 12-step community, associated with The Meadows, concepts like “one up, one down.”Riane Eisler: Scholar, author, known for concepts like “power over vs. power with.”Carol Gilligan: Psychologist, ethicist, known for work on gender studies (e.g., “the binary,” “no voice without relationship”).Olga Silverstein: Therapist, known for “the halving process” (splitting human qualities by gender).Keith Richards: Guitar hero.Richard “Dick” Schwartz: Founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.Adolf Hitler: The gold standard of human villainy.Erik Erikson: Child psychoanalyst.Elon Musk: Mentioned as an example in a discussion about aspirational masculinity vs. relational well-being.James Gilligan: Psychiatrist, author of Violence, worked with criminally insane.Sam Harris: Neuroscientist, author, podcaster (mentioned for his meditation app).Mahatma Gandhi: Political ethicist who led the campaign for India’s independence from British rule.Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil rights champion.Raymond Chandler: Noir author (The Big Sleep).Sam Spade: Fictional detective from Raymond Chandler’s work.Humphrey Bogart: Actor.Lauren Bacall: Actress.Relevant ResourcesTerry Real — Breaking the Rules of Traditional Couples Therapy for Superior Results, A Few Frameworks That Work | The Tim Ferriss Show #798Is Marital Hate Really “Normal”? | CoveteurWhen to End a Relationship | Terry RealTerry Real: Breaking the Cycle of Shame, Anger, and Depression | The Peter Attia DriveQuiet Desperation: The Male Manifestation of Depression | Hudson Clinical CounselingTerry Real: Gender, Power and Relationships: The Crushing Effects of Patriarchy | Finding Brave with Kathy CaprinoThe Power of Partnership: Riane Eisler’s Gifts to the World Are Needed Now More Than Ever | MenAliveCarol Gilligan: Why I Changed My Mind on the Gender Binary | New StatesmanMasculinity: A Civilization at War With Itself | Imago Relationship TherapyWhy Do Trans Women Face So Much Violence? | American Civil Liberties UnionRLT Conference 2025Maasai in Tanzania | Minority Rights GroupMorani: The Warriorhood Tradition of the Kenyan Tribes | Dietmar Temps PhotographyThe Great Divide with Terry Real | Making Polyamory WorkTreating “The Untreatable”: How to Transform Narcissistic Relationships | Terry RealSHOW NOTES[00:00:00] Start.[00:05:51] The pumpernickel story.[00:09:44] Wise adult, wounded child, and adaptive child.[00:11:25] Relational mindfulness.[00:12:11] Remembering love.[00:13:29] Why do we remain loyal to bad relationships?[00:16:58] The RLT stance on taking a position as a therapist.[00:18:46] Objectivity battles.[00:24:11] Entering into compassionate curiosity about your partner’s subjective experience.[00:29:40] Normal marital hatred.[00:34:19] Taking the first steps toward repair.[00:37:03] Empathizing with someone whose reality doesn’t match yours.[00:39:45] Should you stay or should you go? Understanding relational reckoning.[00:43:41] Leveraging a resistant partner toward therapy.[00:46:03] The preconditions that must be addressed before RLT can be effective.[00:48:37] Understanding covert depression in men.[00:52:52] Determining underlying depression.[00:54:36] Favored modalities for working with trauma.[00:55:04] Parsing the patriarchy.[00:59:35] Taking care of your relationship’s biosphere without being codependent.[01:03:23] Terry’s prescription for overcoming my own faulty childhood templates.[01:07:05] Pondering gender expectations and expressions.[01:13:06] Were Terry’s distinctly different boys raised similarly?[01:15:05] A good Morani vs. a great Morani.[01:16:53] The greatest achievement of Terry’s life.[01:18:44] Advice for people who want to be better parents than the ones they had.[01:21:17] The typical format of Terry’s men’s group therapy.[01:23:56] Full-respect living, group guidelines, and boundaries.[01:25:07] Comparing and contrasting Relational Life Therapy (RLT) with Internal Family Systems (IFS).[01:27:54] Modern relationship challenges — from polyamory to monogamy.[01:29:53] The research is clear: Humans are born to be intimate.[01:32:16] Toxic femininity and the new world order.[01:34:40] Relational empowerment vs. individual empowerment.[01:35:45] One up, one down.[01:37:50] From grandiosity to baseline: Relational joy vs. gratification.[01:43:06] How to learn more about Terry’s work.[01:45:16] Recommended reading.[01:49:09] Terry’s billboard.[01:49:34] Parting thoughts.MORE TERRY REAL QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“A boy’s question of the world is ‘What do you got for me?’ A man’s question of the world is ‘What’s needed here?'”
— Terry Real

“Family pathology rolls from generation to generation like a fire in the woods taking down everything in its path until one person in one generation has the courage to turn and face the flames. That person brings peace to their ancestors and spares the children that follow.”
— Terry Real

“Have the courage to move beyond the defaults you were handed, and do it with help.”
— Terry Real

“Part of the reason why we don’t change is we’re loyal to the relationships that we learn how to be screwed up in. And it feels odd. I say we’re immigrants. We leave the old country and the old people behind.”
— Terry Real

“Enter into compassionate curiosity about your partner’s subjective experience. They’re nuts? Okay, but find out what kind of nut they are.”
— Terry Real

“Repair is a one-way street. … If you have a disgruntled partner, you are at their service. … Somebody comes to the customer service window and says, ‘My microwave doesn’t work.’ They don’t want to hear you say, ‘Well, my toaster doesn’t work.’ They don’t want your excuses. Fix the goddamn microwave. … Put yourself aside and tend to them.”
— Terry Real

“Boys and men get depressed because of what I call normal boyhood trauma under patriarchy. We are taught at three, four, five years old to deny our vulnerability, to disconnect from our feelings, to disconnect from others, all in the name of autonomy. We cut off half of our humanity, the feelings, the vulnerability, connection, really, in some ways, the most rich, nourishing parts of what it means to be a human. And that cutoff, which is imposed on boys, that cutoff is traumatic. And it also renders you isolated and lonely. So there’s a lot of trauma. That trauma becomes depression, that depression becomes acting out or self-medication. And if you really want to heal someone, you hit all three layers. First the defenses, then the depression, then the childhood trauma.”
— Terry Real

“Moving men, women, non-binary folk into true intimacy is synonymous with moving them beyond traditional gender roles, beyond patriarchy. Men have to move into vulnerability and open their hearts. Women have to move into assertion with love — not with harshness, but with love. And doing that on both sides moves beyond anything that this culture teaches us. It’s pioneer work.”
— Terry Real

“It absolutely kills me when people describe my work as ‘Terry’s trying to feminize men.’ No, I want whole human beings. I want smart, sexy, competent women. I want powerful, big-hearted, compassionate men. We don’t need to halve ourselves in compliance to the world order. We can be whole.”
— Terry Real

“There’s a saying: ‘Therapists are people who need to be in therapy 40 hours a week.’ I became a professional therapist to heal myself and then I became a family therapist to learn how to have a relationship.”
— Terry Real

“Not being intimate is as bad for your body as smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day. This is hard, black and white research. We are born to be intimate. Moving beyond traditional gender roles is the only way to get there. So stop whining, stand up, and learn a few relational skills. It’s good for you, it’s good for your body, you’ll live longer, it’s good for your marriage, and it’s good for your children.”
— Terry Real

The post Terry Real — The Therapist Who Breaks All The Rules (#810) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

Harvard Business School (HBS) reached out last year to create a case study on my entrepreneurial journey, which tracks me from childhood to the current day. The case study, titled “Tim Ferriss: What Might This Look Like If It Were Easy?” is roughly 40 pages, and you can buy it for $11.95 here. I don’t earn a penny. The whole experience culminated in two classes at HBS in Professor Satchu’s “Founder Mindset” course.

Following one of the classes, student Jay Bhandari interviewed me for the “Between Two Classes” series at The Harbus, a publication by Harvard Business School students, who kindly gave permission to share it with you here.

I hope you find something below useful.

In a Q&A with your fans, you talked about the value of identity diversification. This approach is antithetical to advice we often get to commit and focus on a domain. How do you reconcile those two competing philosophies?

I think they complement each other rather than compete. Identity diversification simply means cultivating multiple, independent areas of growth in your life where you can chart progress. This is engineered so that your self-worth isn’t entirely dependent on one thing, such as the regular ups and downs of your own startup. Being overinvested gets a lot of media play and X threads, but there’s a nasty survivorship bias at work. I’ve seen dozens of founders implode because their “startup as self-worth” metrics went sideways for a few months. I prefer an approach with more margin of safety, and it’s entirely compatible with domain mastery. For instance, you could very well spend 40 to 80 hours per week on your startup, but if you supplement that with indoor rock climbing, weight training, chess club, or something else that has its own metrics for growth, even if new regulations or a competitor tank your startup for a short stretch, you can still offset the blow with progress outside of the office. It’s cheap psychological insurance. I think of identity diversification as a huge competitive advantage in games that depend on endurance. At the highest levels, that’s pretty much everything. If Michael Jordan could afford to play copious amounts of golf and poker, you can afford to have side interests.

Is there anything about your life you wish you had focused on sooner? If you could spend time with 28-year-old you, what would you tell him?

To my younger self: meditate twice daily—10 minutes is plenty—and get accelerated TMS as soon as it’s ready for showtime. See my other answers for elaboration. I’d probably also share an embroidered quote I bought at a thrift shop in Marfa, Texas: “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”

What do you think young ambitious people are over- and under-indexed on?

I think HBS students are over-indexed on buying the implicit investment banking and management consulting pitch of something like “get broad exposure to industries and then you can pick your lane and do anything!” If you’re non-technical and stay in either of those for more than a few years, the odds of you leaving to start your own startup (outside of finance or consulting) is roughly the same as the likelihood of a five- to 10-year entrepreneur joining investment banking or consulting. In other words, low. I’ve seen this play out 100+ times. Sure, there are some exceptions, but I wouldn’t bet on being one of them unless you’ve committed to an exit plan before you enter those games. And if you want to be an edge case, find and study at least five to 10 edge cases you could emulate before you accept the job. If you can’t find them, that tells you something.

Many in the HBS, Type-A crowd are no stranger to stress, anxiety, and depression. What are tips, mantras, and systems you’ve developed for managing your mental health when you’re actively in a dark place?

To be clear, I’m not a doctor and don’t play one on the internet. The “actively in a dark place” makes this a very dicey question. That said, having spent some time in dark places, especially in college, I’ll share a few things that I’ve seen work. Please do your own homework and speak with your medical professionals.

For acute suicidal ideation, I would call the 988 helpline first and potentially consider a series of ketamine infusions/injections per the protocols suggested by John Krystal, MD, professor of neuroscience at Yale University. Ketamine can be very addictive, and I’ve seen people unravel their lives with it, but in dangerous self-harm circumstances, it can be a life-saving intervention. It effectively pauses the incessant thought loops driving the desperation. For more of my thoughts on suicide, including my description of a close brush in 1999, read tim.blog/suicide.

If we’re talking about general prevention and self-care, I would highly suggest daily cold exposure (e.g., I do 3–5 minutes in a 40–45° F bath daily) and short meditation sessions 2x/daily (e.g., Transcendental Meditation for 20 minutes twice a day or The Way App with Henry Shukman for two 10-minute sessions). I typically meditate immediately upon waking and then again before dinner or bed. This is less than 30 minutes a day. Do your pre-hab, and you’ll need less rehab.

If you have a history of trauma, see tim.blog/trauma for a list of resources that I and designer Debbie Millman have found effective. Trigger warning: it’s not a fun read, but it might be helpful for some. Your mileage may vary.

For treatment-resistant depression, I would consider accelerated TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation), à la the SAINT protocol co-developed by Dr. Nolan Williams at Stanford University. BrainsWay and MagVenture both make compelling devices with different approaches. I firmly believe TMS and other forms of brain stimulation can have near-immediate and durable effects that rival the effects of psychedelics in outcomes. I say that as someone who’s funded a lot of the science related to psychedelics since 2015 through my non-profit, Saisei Foundation.

Once legal, and assuming you have no family history of schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, psychosis, etc., I might suggest investigating various psychedelic-assisted therapies for depression (e.g., psilocybin) on a once-annual cadence, but there are more known risks than with brain stimulation like TMS. For instance, and I’ve seen this firsthand, combining ayahuasca and SSRIs increases the risk of serotonin syndrome, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. Regard any of these compounds with the same respect you would treat major neurosurgery. For more education on the science, applications, and possible mechanisms of action, I suggest the research of Dr. Gül Dolen and Dr. Nolan Williams, as well as the Netflix miniseries based on Michael Pollan’s book of the same name, How to Change Your Mind. The MDMA and psilocybin/mushroom episodes are particularly strong.

Last but not least, don’t ignore diet. Read up on “metabolic psychiatry” and Dr. Chris Palmer, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Ketosis and other interventions can produce nearly miraculous results for a number of psychiatric conditions, including those that are strongly contraindicated with psychedelics, like schizophrenia.

If you were starting over today in 2025 and were in your late twenties, what would you be doing?

I would be looking for fast-growing industries that are unsexy and under the radar, and I’d aim to join a startup of fewer than 100 people, where I’d be able to watch deal-makers making deals and making decisions. In contrast, if you’re trying to create an AI startup like everyone else, it’s going to be a crabs in a bucket scenario for 99% of the people involved. Sure, you might be the super crab 1%, but I generally prefer less crowded spaces, where you can typically get more regular interaction with the A+ players.

Let’s take luck out of the picture. What skills, habits, mantras, or areas of personal growth would you most attribute your success to?

Playing the long game and not being in a rush. I choose projects and a lot of investments based on the learning, skill development, and relationships that will transcend them. If you allow such things to snowball over time, eventually the critical mass makes success almost inevitable. This might sound hand-wavy, but you can approach it systematically. Go to tim.blog/mba or Google “Tim Ferriss real-world MBA” for some angel-investing examples of how I’ve applied this. This isn’t the only approach I’ve seen work for “success” (dangerous word, that!), but it seems replicable.

If you could put a message on a billboard that reaches HBS students, what would it be?

I would borrow from Dr. BJ Miller, a hospice physician who’s helped thousands of people to navigate death, whose answer was “Don’t believe everything that you think.”

Reprinted with permission from The Harbus News Corporation. All rights reserved.     

The post “What might this look like if it were easy?” — A Conversation at Harvard Business School appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

This time around, we have a bit of a different format, featuring the book that started it all for me, The 4-Hour Workweek. Readers and listeners often ask me what I would change or update, but an equally interesting question is: what wouldn’t I change? What stands the test of time and hasn’t lost any potency? This episode features two of the most important chapters from the audiobook of The 4-Hour Workweek. The chapters push you to defend your scarce attention—one by saying no to people, the other by saying no to excess information.

The chapter is narrated by the great voice actor Ray Porter. If you are interested in checking out the rest of the audiobook, which is produced and copyrighted by Blackstone Publishing, you can find it on Audible, Apple, Google, Spotify, Downpour.com, or wherever you find your favorite audiobooks.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is brought to you by David Protein Bars, with 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar; Our Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro, using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “Forever Chemicals”; and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercastThe 4-Hour Workweek Tools That Still Work — The Art of Refusal and The Low-Information Diet

This episode is brought to you by David Protein Bars! I’m always on the hunt for protein sources that don’t require sacrifices in taste or nutrition. That’s why I love the protein bars from this episode’s sponsor, David. With David protein bars, you get the fewest calories for the most protein, ever. David has 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar. I was first introduced to David by my friend Peter Attia, MD, who is their Chief Science Officer. Many of you know of Peter, and he does his due diligence. And David tastes great. Their bars come in six delicious flavors, all worth trying, and I’ll often throw them in my bag for protein on the go. And now, listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show who buy four boxes get a fifth box for free. Try them for yourself at DavidProtein.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Our Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro! Many nonstick pans can release harmful “forever chemicals”—PFAS—into your food, your home, and, ultimately, your body. Teflon is a prime example—it is *the* forever chemical that most companies are still using. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to major health issues like gut microbiome disruption, testosterone dysregulation, and more, which have been correlated to chronic disease in the long term. This is why I use the Titanium Always Pan Pro from today’s sponsor, Our Place.  It’s the first nonstick pan with zero coating. This means zero “forever chemicals” and a durability that will last a lifetime. That’s right—no degradation over time like traditional nonstick pans.

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Want to hear another episode that features content straight from The 4-Hour Workweek? Listen here for the chapter preceding this one that includes tools and frameworks that I use to this day, including Pareto’s Law and Parkinson’s Law.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEBooks, Publications, and Movies The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | Amazon Calculating God by Robert J. SawyerResponse Magazine (Defunct)Inc. MagazineThe Matrix Revolutions | Prime VideoTools MentionedFirefox BrowserLeechBlockSkypeEvernoteFujitsu ScanSnap S300M Mobile ScannerDialpadGrandCentral (Now Google Voice)YouMailDoodleTimeDriver (Defunct) Alternatives: Calendly | Acuity Scheduling | EngagewareXobni (Defunct) Alternatives: Lookeen | Clearbit Connect | ContactuallyJott (Defunct) Alternatives: Otter.ai | Google Assistant / Google Keep + Voice InputCopytalkFreedomRelevant ResourcesThe Low-Information Diet: How to Eliminate Email Overload and Triple Productivity in 24 Hours | Tim FerrissLearn How to Triple Your Reading Speed in 5 Minutes (Seriously) | Tim FerrissThe Puppy Dog Close | Masit Communications Science Blog Mixed up with the ArtsThe Cost of Not Paying Attention: How Interruptions Impact Knowledge Worker Productivity by Jonathan B. Spira and Joshua B. FeintuchThe 4-Hour Workweek: Empowerment Failure | Corrie HafflyMedical Tourism | WikipediaPeopleRay PorterHerbert A. SimonAlbert EinsteinRalph Waldo EmersonRobert J. SawyerKathy SierraRalph CharellDave BarryDan GableAnnie DillardBill GatesCalvinShow Notes[00:00:00] Start.[00:07:24] The low-information diet.[00:09:45] Cultivating selective ignorance.[00:14:32] How to read 200% faster in 10 minutes.[00:17:09] Questions and actions: Go on an immediate one-week media fast.[00:21:05] Develop the habit of asking yourself, “Will I definitely use this information for something immediate and important?”[00:22:03] Practice the art of nonfinishing.[00:22:49] Comfort challenge: Get phone numbers.[00:25:14] Interrupting interruption and the art of refusal.[00:28:16] Not all evils are created equal.[00:29:36] Time wasters: Become an ignoramus.[00:30:09] Limit email consumption and production.[00:33:05] Screen incoming and limit outgoing phone calls.[00:36:10] Master the art of refusal and avoiding meetings.[00:38:33] In order of preference, steer people toward email, phone, and in-person meetings.[00:38:59] Respond to voicemail via email whenever possible.[00:40:50] Meetings should only be held to make decisions about a predefined situation, not to define the problem.[00:41:53] If you absolutely cannot stop a meeting or call from happening, define the end time.[00:43:00] The cubicle is your temple — don’t permit casual visitors.[00:44:24] Use the Puppy Dog Close to help your superiors and others develop the no-meeting habit.[00:46:48] Time consumers: Batch and do not falter.[00:50:05] How much is your time worth?[00:50:45] Estimate the amount of time you will save by grouping similar tasks and batching them.[00:51:14] Determine how much problems cost to fix in each period.[00:53:02] Empowerment failure: Rules and readjustment.[00:59:44] Questions and actions: Create systems to limit your availability.[01:01:55] Batch activities to limit setup cost and provide more time for dreamline milestones.[01:02:25] Set or request autonomous rules and guidelines with occasional review of results.[01:03:18] Tools for eliminating paper distractions, capturing everything.[01:05:28] Tools for screening and avoiding unwanted calls.[01:07:12] Tools for scheduling without back-and-forth.[01:08:23] Tools for choosing the best email batching times.[01:09:13] Tools for emailing without entering the inbox black hole.[01:10:20] Tools for preventing web browsing/internet use.[01:11:10] Comfort challenge: revisit the terrible twos.[01:12:07] Lifestyle design in action.

The post The 4-Hour Workweek Tools That Still Work — The Art of Refusal and The Low-Information Diet (#809) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

“Nietzsche said ‘amor fati’ is how he’s going to live his life henceforth. Everything he’s going to say yes to. He will be a yes-sayer, is what he says. This is an affirmative stance towards reality where, even if things are bad or uncomfortable or horrible, we’re going to affirm reality as it is and not idealize it into something that it’s not. It’s very common for people to do, even when they’re not religious, to think of reality as though it owes you something. But to affirm reality fully is to accept the good, the bad. It’s not to rationalize about it and try to make excuses for it or frame your suffering in a way where it makes it go away. To truly affirm life and reality is just to be in it and to have life itself be enough, truly.”
— Stephen West

Stephen West (@iamstephenwest) is a father, husband, and host of the Philosophize This! podcast. He attempts to explain, translate, and humanize philosophy in a way that doesn’t ever aim to tell people what to think but to invite them to better understand their own thoughts by exploring alternatives.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses; Momentous high-quality supplements; and Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercastStephen West — From High School Dropout to Hit Podcast, and from Stocking Groceries to Reading Philosophy for a Living

This episode is brought to you by Gusto! I asked millions of you about Gusto on social media, and I’ve never seen such overwhelmingly positive responses. More than 400,000 small businesses already trust Gusto, and it’s been named the #1 Payroll Software by G2 for Winter 2025. If you’re a small business owner looking to simplify payroll and HR tasks, Gusto could be the game-changer you need. Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform designed specifically for small businesses. Gusto automatically files federal, state, and local payroll taxes, handles W-2s and 1099s, and offers straightforward health benefits and 401(k) options for nearly any budget. With an intuitive interface and features like time tracking, onboarding tools, and direct access to certified HR experts, Gusto saves time and eliminates headaches so you can focus on what matters—growing your business. ​As a special offer to listeners, new customers get Gusto free for their first 3 months. This is the perfect time to choose Gusto to take care of your team and stay compliant. See for yourself why 9 out of 10 businesses recommend it. Get started now! Terms apply at Gusto.com/terms.

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. I’ve suffered for decades, tossing and turning, throwing blankets off, pulling them back on, and repeating ad nauseam. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 4 Ultra. It cools, it heats, and now it elevates, automatically. With the best temperature performance to date, Pod 4 Ultra ensures you and your partner stay cool in the heat and cozy warm in the cold. Plus, it automatically tracks your sleep time, snoring, sleep stages, and HRV, all with high precision. For example, their heart rate tracking is at an incredible 99% accuracy.

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This episode is brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements! Momentous offers high-quality supplements and products across a broad spectrum of categories, and I’ve been testing their products for months now. I’ve been using their magnesium threonate, apigenin, and L-theanine daily, all of which have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep. I’ve also been using Momentous creatine, and while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).

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Want to hear another podcast episode focusing on philosophy and the nature of reality? Listen to my conversation with Galileo’s Error author Philip Goff, in which we discussed panpsychism, quantum consciousness, Integrated Information Theory, mystical traditions within Christianity and Islam, psychedelics and numinous experiences, the matter of matter, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Stephen West/Philosophize This!:

Website | Patreon | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Podcasts and Radio ShowsPhilosophize This! with Stephen WestLoveline with Adam Carolla and Dr. DrewHardcore History with Dan CarlinWrath of the Khans with Dan CarlinHistory of Philosophy Without Any Gaps with Peter AdamsonThe Partially Examined Lifefear{less} with Tim FerrissBooks, Articles, and Written WorksThe Warehouse Worker Who Became a Philosopher by Thomas Chatterton Williams | The AtlanticBeing and Nothingness by Jean-Paul SartreGorgias by PlatoLetters from a Stoic / Moral Letters to Lucilius by SenecaLetter to a Christian Nation by Sam HarrisThe Principia: The Authoritative Translation and Guide: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Sir Isaac NewtonOn Anger by Lucius Annaeus SenecaNature by Ralph Waldo EmersonSelf-Reliance by Ralph Waldo EmersonThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy FerrissThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy FerrissThe God Delusion by Richard DawkinsThe Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsThe Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values by Sam HarrisThe Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan HolidayA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. IrvineThe Wealth of Nations by Adam SmithThink: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy by Simon BlackburnTractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig WittgensteinVagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf PottsWalden by Henry David ThoreauAdvantageous Apps and ResourcesThe Way: Sanbo Zen Master Henry Shukman’s meditation app.Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: A free treasure trove of philosophical knowledge.ArtMona Lisa by Leonardo da VinciThe Starry Night by Vincent van GoghPeopleDave Elitch: Professional drummer.Thomas Chatterton Williams: Writer (The Atlantic article).Ernest Hemingway: Writer.Adam Carolla: Radio host (Loveline).Dr. Drew Pinsky: Radio host (Loveline).Howard Stern: Radio host.Socrates: Ancient Greek philosopher.Plato: Ancient Greek philosopher.Jerry Seinfeld: Comedian.Ralph Waldo Emerson: Writer, poet, lecturer, and philosopher.Jimmy Whisenhunt: eSports shoutcaster friend of Stephen’s.John Madden: An professional American football coach and sports commentator.Dan Carlin: Podcaster (Hardcore History).General Subutai: Historical figure.Dave Chappelle: Comedian.Miles Davis: Musician.Dizzy Gillespie: Musician.Peter Adamson: Podcaster/philosopher (History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps).Bill Burr: Comedian.Fyodor Dostoevsky: Writer.Epicurus: Hellenistic philosopher, founder of Epicureanism.Seneca: Stoic philosopher (Letters from a Stoic, On Anger).Henry Shukman: Meditation teacher (The Way app).Kevin Rose: aka KevKev. Introduced me to Henry Shukman.Friedrich Nietzsche: Philosopher associated with amor fati.Bertrand Russell: Philosopher and logician associated with atheist arguments.Vincent Van Gogh: Artist.Richard Dawkins: Writer/biologist, associated with New Atheism (The God Delusion).Sam Harris: Writer/philosopher/neuroscientist, associated with New Atheism (The Moral Landscape, Letter to a Christian Nation).Søren Kierkegaard: 19th-century philosopher.Simone Weil: 20th-century philosopher/mystic, major influence on Stephen West, concept of “attention.”Simon Blackburn: Contemporary philosopher (Think), concept of “conceptual engineering.”Paracelsus: Historical figure (source of “dose makes the poison” idea).Ludwig Wittgenstein: Philosopher (Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus).Diogenes: Cynic philosopher.Gilles Deleuze: 20th-century philosopher.Mahatma Gandhi: Leader.Jack Kornfield: Buddhist teacher/writer.Albert Camus: Writer/artist/philosopher associated with Absurdism.William B. Irvine: Writer (Guide to the Good Life).Ryan Holiday: Writer (The Obstacle is the Way).Julian of Norwich: Mystic writer.Dogen Zenji: Founder of the Soto school of Zen.Thomas Aquinas: Philosopher and theologian.Henry David Thoreau: Writer/philosopher (Walden).Rolf Potts: Writer (Vagabonding).Jean-Paul Sartre: Philosopher (Being and Nothingness).Isaac Newton: Scientist and natural philosopher (Principia Mathematica).Adam Smith: Ethical philosopher and economist (The Wealth of Nations).Kanye West: Musician.Institutions and CompaniesSafeway: Grocery store where Stephen worked.Jo-Ann Fabrics: Craft store where Stephen worked.Counter-Strike: A series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games.StarCraft: A military science fiction media/gaming franchise.MIT: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Duke’s Chowder House: Seattle seafood restaurant where Stephen’s friend worked.Barnes & Noble: American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States.Kennedy Space Center: NASA’s main launch site.Lilly Library at Indiana University: Mentioned as housing archives of Sylvia Plath’s works.Philosophical ConceptsAbsurdism: Philosophical concept associated with Camus that addresses the conflict between the human search for meaning and the universe’s meaninglessness.Amor Fati: (“Love of Fate”) Philosophical concept, notably used by Nietzsche, that involves embracing all aspects of one’s life, including hardships and suffering.Assemblage: Deleuzian concept describing dynamic compositions of heterogeneous elements that form temporary functional wholes through processes of coding and territorialization.Attention: Concept from Simone Weil involving self-emptying focus on others, described as a form of waiting and receptivity rather than active concentration.Conceptual Engineering: Metaphor for philosophy (Simon Blackburn) involving the analysis, assessment and improvement of concepts.Conceptual Tracings: Idea of forming new ways to see reality through the development and refinement of concepts.Concepts vs. Machines: Deleuzian distinction between abstract thought forms and functional assemblages that produce effects.Cynicism: Hellenistic school of philosophy focused on living virtuously in accordance with nature and rejecting conventional desires.Deliberate Practice: Focused approach to skill development requiring specific goals, feedback, and concentrated effort.Disruption of Common Sense: Description of philosophy’s function to challenge accepted ways of thinking and unexamined assumptions.Divine: Concept related to ultimate reality/God and the transcendent qualities that exist beyond ordinary experience.Epistemology: Branch of philosophy focused on the theory of knowledge, examining how we know what we know and the justification of belief.Ethics: Branch of philosophy concerning moral principles, values, and the concepts of right and wrong conduct.Epicureanism: Hellenistic school of philosophy founded by Epicurus that emphasized the pursuit of pleasure (defined as absence of pain) and tranquility.Fascism: Political philosophy/system characterized by ultranationalism, authoritarian power, and suppression of opposition.Freedom: Philosophical concept concerning the ability to act according to one’s will without constraint or coercion.Lucid Revolt: Camus’s concept of rebelling against the Absurd through conscious recognition and defiance without false hope.Marxism: Political/economic philosophy developed by Karl Marx that analyzes class relationships, historical materialism, and critique of capitalism.Mysticism: Approach to spirituality emphasizing direct experience of ultimate reality beyond ordinary understanding.Narcissism: Psychological/philosophical concept involving excessive self-love, self-centeredness, and lack of empathy for others.Natural Philosophy: Historical precursor to modern science focused on understanding nature through philosophical inquiry.New Atheism: 21st-century movement critical of religion, characterized by scientific rationalism and public criticism of religious belief.New Rich: Concept from The 4-Hour Workweek describing people who prioritize lifestyle design over traditional wealth accumulation.Numinous: Concept relating to awe-inspiring spiritual/divine quality that evokes both fascination and fear.Out of Africa Theory: The most widely accepted model explaining the origin and spread of modern humans.Phenomenology: Philosophical movement focusing on structures of experience and consciousness from the first-person perspective.Philosophical Fiction: Literary genre that explores philosophical ideas through narrative storytelling.Philosophy: The discipline itself, concerned with fundamental questions about knowledge, reality, existence, and values.Philosophy of Language: Branch of philosophy examining the nature of language, meaning, and the relationship between language and reality.Philosophy of Mind: Branch of philosophy exploring the nature of mind, consciousness, and their relationship to the physical world.Presocratics: Earliest Western philosophers who investigated nature and reality before Socrates, laying foundations for philosophical inquiry.Religious Phenomenology: Study of religious experience from a phenomenological perspective, focusing on how the sacred appears to consciousness.Sanbo Zen: A specific lineage/style of Zen Buddhism emphasizing direct experience of enlightenment through meditation.Skepticism: Hellenistic school of philosophy questioning the possibility of certainty in knowledge and suspending judgment.Stoicism: Hellenistic school of philosophy focused on virtue ethics, emotional regulation, and accepting what is beyond one’s control.Sufism: Mystical branch of Islam emphasizing direct personal experience of God through practices like meditation and poetry.Transcendentalism: A literary, philosophical, religious, and political movement of the early 19th century.Zen: School of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing meditation, intuition, and direct experience of reality beyond conceptual thinking.SHOW NOTES[00:00:00] So it begins.[00:06:11] Stephen’s challenging childhood — from San Diego to Child Protective Services.[00:07:55] How Stephen supported himself after dropping out of school at 16.[00:09:37] The physical wear and tear of warehouse work (and unexpected upsides of the job).[00:11:48] How Stephen discovered philosophy through googling “wisest person in history.”[00:14:07] Defining philosophy as a “disruption of common sense” and “gym for rethinking.”[00:16:06] The 4-Hour Workweek as a philosophical text.[00:19:27] A philosophical shift around Ralph Waldo Emerson.[00:22:18] The transition from warehouse work to starting Philosophize This! with friendly encouragement.[00:27:47] Authenticity as the secret sauce to Philosophize This![00:32:24] The discomfort of comparing old episodes with new.[00:34:15] The current state of Philosophize This!: 225 episodes, Patreon, ads, upcoming book deal.[00:37:18] The value of focusing on content quality before monetization.[00:38:44] Most popular Philosophize This! episodes thus far.[00:40:00] Philosophize This! episodes I’d like to hear.[00:41:20] Thinking of philosophy as a verb, not a noun.[00:46:44] The concept of amor fati (love of fate) and its practical application.[00:48:41] Wittgenstein’s ladder as a metaphor for philosophical growth.[00:51:36] Stephen’s perspective on philosophy as a process rather than a set of protocols.[00:54:43] Philosophies that have personal meaning to Stephen: Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Simone Weil.[00:56:40] Simone Weil’s concept of attention and self-emptying.[00:59:26] Stephen’s approach to simplicity and sacrificing efficiency for meaning.[01:04:07] Valuing time and playing the long game.[01:06:01] How philosophy lives “in the shadow” of what we give credit to (science, psychology).[01:08:31] The value of philosophy in generating better questions.[01:10:06] Stephen’s future plans: possibly writing philosophical fiction.[01:19:05] Stephen’s billboard.[01:21:41] Recommendations for getting started with philosophy.[01:24:29] Gilles Deleuze and concepts as machines.[01:26:55] Why do we believe what we believe?[01:30:40] Stephen’s evolving relationship with religion after starting as a New Atheist.[01:32:33] Exploring mysticism and religious phenomenology.[01:37:51] Parting thoughts.MORE STEPHEN WEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Why do we need old men yelling at each other about unverifiable speculation? Why do you need philosophy? And what that point misses is that philosophy is how we got to the point where we’re looking at the world in the way we do now.”
— Stephen West

“I don’t give advice, because if a person is asking for advice, typically, they’re not the person that really takes the advice, so it’s almost always a waste of your time. But if you’re the one that genuinely takes advice, and it’s ironically me giving you advice to be the one that takes advice—if you can do that, if you can manage that, then you won’t need advice here in six months; you’ll be the one giving it.”
— Stephen West

“The highest level of abstraction in any field is going to be philosophy. If you’re somebody well-educated in a field, at the top of your field, in order to make progress in that field, you have to subvert the existing set of protocols and assumptions, axiomatically, that are going on in that field. To move the field forward, you have to be doing philosophy.”
— Stephen West

“I really do sacrifice efficiency for meaning pretty often.”
— Stephen West

“You don’t need to be a genius; you just need to be saying something that resonates with other people.”
— Stephen West

“Simon Blackburn … describes philosophy as conceptual engineering. It’s a great metaphor. If an engineer looks at a bridge and they know about the raw materials of the bridge and they know how they connect to other parts of the bridge and everything, if you can show an engineer one bridge, a particular bridge, and he’d be like, ‘Well, it holds weight over here, but if we put weight over on this side, it’s going to all start crumbling down.’ Philosophers do this with world views.”
— Stephen West

“A way I’ve heard [philosophy] described is it’s the disruption of common sense. I mean, what is looking at the world at all? It’s an approximation. We are works in progress. I look at the world one way for a while, and everybody knows what it’s like to change the way that you see everything in the world. I just think that philosophy is the method of doing that.”
— Stephen West

“Nietzsche said ‘amor fati’ is how he’s going to live his life henceforth. Everything he’s going to say yes to. He will be a yes-sayer, is what he says. This is an affirmative stance towards reality where, even if things are bad or uncomfortable or horrible, we’re going to affirm reality as it is and not idealize it into something that it’s not. It’s very common for people to do, even when they’re not religious, to think of reality as though it owes you something. But to affirm reality fully is to accept the good, the bad. It’s not to rationalize about it and to try to make excuses for it or frame your suffering in a way where it makes it go away. To truly affirm life and reality is just to be in it and to have life itself be enough, truly.”
— Stephen West

The post Stephen West — From High School Dropout to Hit Podcast, and from Stocking Groceries to Reading Philosophy for a Living (#808) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.