Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 36

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“There’s nothing wrong in always being dissatisfied; always look for improvement.”

— Sir James Dyson

Sir James Dyson is the founder and chairman of Dyson. Through investment in science and technology and working alongside Dyson’s 6,000 engineers and scientists, he develops products that solve problems ignored by others. Sir James was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2015 and appointed to the Order of Merit in the 2016 New Year Honours. He was awarded a CBE in 1996 and a Knight Bachelor in 2007.

James is the founder of James Dyson Foundation, inspiring the next generation of engineers through scholarships, engineering workshops, university partnerships, and the annual James Dyson Award, an international student design competition. In 2017 James established The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, where undergraduate engineers pay zero tuition and earn a full salary while completing their degree studies and working on real-life projects alongside world-experts in Dyson’s global engineering, research, and technology teams.

James is the author of the new book Invention: A Life, the story of how he came to be an inventor himself and built Dyson, leading it to become one of the most inventive technology companies in the world.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with another inventive tinkerer? Lend an ear to my conversation with chef Chris Young, in which we discuss the symptoms of maxing out the learning curve, reverse engineering, OCD superpowers, getting hired by hard-to-reach people, why the most interesting jobs are the ones you make up, Victorian exercise regimens, killer vegetables, how geniuses show disappointment and prompt correction, apocalyptic-scale BBQs, and much more.

#173: Lessons from Geniuses, Billionaires, and Tinkerershttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/39ee5814-e848-4b6b-84c3-61a74f7ff099.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Invention: A Life by James Dyson | Amazon DysonThe James Dyson FoundationThe Dyson Institute of Engineering and TechnologyDyson V11 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner | AmazonThe Fry Family, Chocolate Makers | Quakers in the WorldWhat Is a Geodesic Dome? | R. Buckminster Fuller CollectionRoyal College of ArtJames Dyson on His Vacuum Failure and Success | New York MagazineBallbarrow | Inside DysonCyclonic Separation | WikipediaThe Past Porton Down Can’t Hide | The GuardianBreaking the Pain Barrier | Psychology TodayRotork’s Famous Sons | Financial TimesSea Truck | WikipediaRazor-Razorblade Model | InvestopediaThe Sunk Cost Fallacy | The Decision LabMy Customers Would Have Asked For a Faster Horse | Quote InvestigatorFrom Walkman to iPod: What Music Tech Teaches Us About Innovation | The AtlanticCitroën Hydropneumatic Suspension Explained | AutoevolutionThe 25th Anniversary of the Lithium-Ion Battery | KyriaThe Wonder Jet – Story Behind the Whittle Engine | AIRBOYDAirblade Hand Dryers | DysonDyson CR01 Washing Machine TV Ad | 2DrumsAllergyInside Dyson’s $700 Million Quest to Design an Electric Car | Fast CompanyVolkswagen Wraps Multiyear Investigation into Dieselgate | The VergeTesla Made More Money Selling Credits and Bitcoin Than Cars | AutoweekMoulton Bicycle CompanyMiniLotus CarsClearing | InvestopediaSir James Dyson Opens Invention Powerhouse at the University of Cambridge | University of CambridgeSHOW NOTES

Note from the editor: Timestamps will be added shortly.

Who was Jeremy Fry?What did James study at university?What does it mean to think like an engineer?Were enthusiasm, fascination, and curiosity qualities that were fostered by anyone in James’ orbit as a youth, or did they come gradually through experiences along the way?How might James suggest parents encourage these qualities in their children?What’s the origin story of the original Dyson vacuum?How many tries did it take to get a prototype that worked as intended, and what did the process of financing and development look like?Why invention is not about being brilliant — it’s about being logical and persistent.What compelled James to persist for as long as it took to create the first ideal prototype? How long would it have taken for him to throw his hands up and admit defeat if that prototype had never materialized?Was developing the first prototype James’ full-time occupation at the time? Did he have a plan B if things didn’t work out?Once the desired prototype appeared, why was the vacuum industry initially resistant to its innovations?When did James finally get a foothold on the commercialization of his now-famous vacuum?Encouraging feedback reinforcing James’ belief in this new product must have been overwhelming by this point, right?How did James’ wife handle the uncertainty of prototype development and commercialization?Even though surveys suggested that customers wouldn’t want to see the dirt and dust sucked up by the Dyson vacuum, James decided to make the cleaner’s bins see-through anyway. Why?How expensive were the first Dyson vacuums compared to their contemporary competition? How hard was it to get retailers to carry them, and why did the customer demographic run counter to expectations for a “premium” brand?Rather than designing to a price, what does James aim to achieve with his inventions?Who is Akio Morita, and what does James appreciate about him?Other inventors, designers, or engineers who stood out for James when he was developing his chops.What led to the development of the Dyson Airblade?On the Airblade being the first product Dyson targeted for an industrial rather than consumer audience, why this made James uncomfortable, and what its major selling points were.Why, in spite of being fantastically efficient, James has to consider the Dyson washing machine a favorite failure.Why the Dyson N526 electric car was canceled, and features James hopes to see carried over into future projects.Dyson is a privately held company. What makes James uncomfortable about going public or accepting investment funding?What prompted James to write Invention: A Life and start the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology?On experience as baggage that can get in the way, applying cross-disciplinary curiosity to solve problems in unique ways, and the power of asking naive questions.What would James’ billboard say?Parting thoughts.MORE GUEST QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Experience is a baggage that can get in the way.”
— James Dyson

“Drop your fear of failure; don’t be afraid of failure.”
— James Dyson

“Invention is not about being brilliant; it’s about being logical and persistent.”
— James Dyson

“I did want to call my book A Life of Failure because failure’s exciting and you learn from failure. If you’re taught something and then what you do works, you haven’t really learned anything. You haven’t learned what doesn’t work, which is usually more interesting.”
— James Dyson

“The best questions are naive questions.”
— James Dyson

“Whenever I look at anything, I wonder how it works, and then I wonder how it could work better. Could I make it work better? Is there a technology I could use? Is there a way I can reconfigure it? Is there a radical breakthrough I could do for lateral thinking that would make a huge difference?”
— James Dyson

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

PEOPLE MENTIONEDJeremy FryR. Buckminster FullerJoan LittlewoodAlec DysonDeirdre DysonHenry FordAkio MoritaSoichiro HondaFrank WhittleAlex MoultonAlec Issigonis

The following is an excerpt from the new book, Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace. The author, Stacey Vanek Smith (@svaneksmith), is a longtime public radio reporter and host. She currently hosts NPR’s The Indicator from Planet Money, a daily podcast covering business and economics. She has also served as a correspondent and host for NPR’s Planet Money and Marketplace. Stacey is a native of Idaho and a graduate of Princeton University, where she earned a BA in comparative literature and creative writing. She also holds an MS in journalism from Columbia University.

Enter Stacey…

Niccolò Machiavelli. Today, he is probably best known as a ruthless power monger, devoid of ethics and compassion. The phrase most often associated with him, “The ends justify the means” (which Machiavelli never actually wrote but probably would have heartily agreed with), has turned him into an apologist for sociopaths, tyrants, and megalomaniacs the world over. 

I think this is a gross misunderstanding of both the man and his work. The Prince does not condone random cruelty or tyranny or violence. It is a remarkably sober look at how people take power and how they can best hold on to it and grow it. Machiavelli was an incredibly clear-eyed original thinker who might just be history’s first true champion of real talk. For that reason, there could be no better guide for the workplace. 

In the five hundred years since Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a lot of things have changed: We have electricity, the combustion engine, computers, and antibiotics. We’ve even split the atom. People, though, haven’t changed one bit. And for that reason, Machiavelli’s advice about navigating the workplace has proven to be quite timeless.

Machiavelli’s strategies are powerful tools in the modern workplace, especially for women, people of color, and other often-marginalized workers. Here are 7 of my favorite Machiavellian power tips. 

#1 — Always Get the Truth, Even If It Hurts 

Part of seeing a situation clearly is having people you trust who can offer their outside observations. They can help you see what you don’t want to (or can’t) see. This means helping you assess different situations and colleagues and also giving you feedback. Machiavelli was big on feedback. “A Prince,” he writes, “ought always to take counsel” (Chapter XXIII). Machiavelli saw honest feedback as the primary way a prince could protect himself against flatterers and yes-men. (Machiavelli was death on flatterers and yes-men) “There is no other way of guarding oneself from flatterers except letting men understand that to tell you the truth does not offend you” (Chapter XXIII). Feedback feels like risky exposure, but Machiavelli saw it as powerful protection for a prince and a way to get necessary information. The ability to hear the truth—or the “truth” of people’s impressions and opinions—will make you stronger and smarter and help you succeed. Machiavelli was careful to say that you should not open yourself up in this way to just anybody. Ask the people who are key to enabling you to move up within a company; ask people you respect; ask the people you trust. 

#2 — Cultivate Your Network  

Having people you trust and people who can help you in the workplace is crucial (in life, too!). Building a network of people at work or in your profession is absolutely essential to building a career. You should have a mix of people: people who are high up in the company, people who are colleagues, and those who are more junior—also people at other companies who can make you aware of opportunities that come up outside of your bubble. Machiavelli preached the importance of a network hard. The smart prince, he writes, “is defended by being well armed and having good allies” (Chapter XIX). Having a strong network is essential to rising in any profession. Wall Street CEO Sallie Krawcheck says she always remembers advice she got from her friend Carla Harris (a senior banker at Morgan Stanley): “All the important decisions about your career are made when you’re not in the room. People decide to hire you, fire you, promote you, fund you, send you on the overseas assignment, all when you’re not there. So how do you ensure that you have someone in the room fighting for you? I would strongly argue that you need to have in place your Personal Board of Directors. Those are your mentors, your sponsors, your confidantes.” 

#3 — Stand Up for the Less Powerful 

This might sound like the antithesis of Machiavelli. After all, shouldn’t you suck up to powerful people and mercilessly crush those who have less power? I mean, NO OF COURSE YOU SHOULD NOT DO THAT! But, also, Machiavelli advised against it. 

One of Machiavelli’s main pieces of advice in a situation where you don’t have a lot of power is to stick up for other people who also don’t have much power. “The prince,” he writes, “ought to make himself the head and defender of his less powerful neighbors, and to weaken the more powerful amongst them.” The reason? Not only are you weakening the powers that be and creating a potential opening for yourself, but also the people you speak up for will be loyal to you and will fight for you and your ideas in the future. As Machiavelli puts it, “By arming them, those arms become yours” (Chapter XX). 

In fact, Machiavelli advises against speaking up on behalf of people who have more power than you. Don’t jump in if the boss gets interrupted by the intern in a meeting. The benefits of smacking down the intern are minimal, and you risk being seen as a suck-up and a bully. Also, your soul would probably die a little, and that’s never good. 

#4 — If It Comes Down to Being Liked or Respected… Choose Respect

This is a situation that happens to women at work a lot. Often, women in the workplace end up in a double bind: caught between qualities people associate with a “good woman” (being modest, compassionate, putting others first, soft-spoken, nurturing) and the qualities people associate with a good leader (being independent, firm, outspoken, assertive, not caring too much what people think). 

Machiavelli addresses this particular bind many times in The Prince. As it turns out, the prince is in a similar situation: it’s crucial that he be loved by his people, but the prince also needs people to fear his wrath, follow his laws, and, of course, pay his taxes. “Here comes in the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. . . . We should wish to be both; but . . . if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved” (Chapter XVII). 

Still, this approach comes with real consequences, especially for women. Where harsh or domineering men might be respected or tolerated in leadership positions, people often react very differently to an assertive or domineering woman. But sometimes getting the job done correctly involves being blunt, direct, and assertive. It might not be easy, and you will likely get pushback, but do it.

#5 — Watch Your Back

I can’t talk about Machiavelli without addressing some of the advice he gives about guarding yourself against nemeses. Machiavelli wrote a LOT about nemeses in The Prince. He thought the ability to spot troublemakers and toxic people was crucial for a prince: “The ruler is not truly wise who cannot discern evils before they develop themselves, and this is a faculty given to few” (Chapter XIII). Truly, it is not always easy to spot a troublemaker or a toxic person. But Machiavelli does point out a couple of things to watch for.

Beware the flatterer: Machiavelli saw flatterers as very dangerous to a prince. He even has an entire chapter in The Prince titled, “How Flatterers Should Be Avoided” (Chapter XXIII). This is not to say that if somebody compliments your work, you should respond with grave suspicion. But flattery can often be used to manipulate people, so make sure that’s not happening to you.

Beware the Debbie Downer: If someone you work with is extremely negative, it’s probably a good idea to keep your distance and to be careful what you say to them. “As soon as you have opened your mind to a malcontent,” Machiavelli warns, “you have given him the material with which . . . he can look for every advantage” (Chapter XIX). 

#6 — Avoiding Risk Is Risky — When in Doubt, Take Action

Asking for a raise or a promotion or applying for a new job or launching a new project requires enormous risk and vulnerability. Wanting to avoid that risk and the possibility of rejection is a big reason people (especially, statistically, women) shy away from negotiating or asking for more. But avoiding risk and waiting for “the perfect moment” is not a safe choice.

Machiavelli’s advice: when in doubt, take action. This advice probably came from his own frustration with the Florentine council’s constant waffling (they were his bosses). They never wanted to choose sides in the countless skirmishes and battles going on around them. It was, in fact, partially due to that very waffling that Florence lost its republican government and ended up back in the hands of a despot.

“I know that many say a policy of neutrality is the safest option,” he wrote in a letter to a friend. “I believe to the contrary that neutrality is an exceedingly dangerous path.” And for a prince, Machiavelli declares that waffling will lead “in most instances to their destruction” (Chapter XXI). 

#7 —  Embrace the Struggles that Arise; They Are Setting You Up for Success 

The professional world can be incredibly difficult and unfair, especially for women and other marginalized workers. It can involve an incredible amount of perseverance and struggle. That’s not okay or fair, but it does offer its own kind of gift. Machiavelli observed that princes who had to struggle for their kingdoms actually did better in the long run than the princes who had everything handed to them. “They who . . . acquire with difficulty . . . keep with ease” (Chapter VI). 

That might sound trite or saccharine, but Machiavelli was neither of those things, and he felt so strongly about the value of overcoming difficulties in helping to shape a prince, he has a rare Zen moment in The Prince of the “Things happen for me not to me” variety. “Fortune,” he writes, “especially when she desires to make a new prince great . . . causes enemies to arise and form designs against him, in order that he may have the opportunity of overcoming them. . . . Princes become great by vanquishing difficulties and opposition” (Chapter XX).

###

Excerpted with permission from Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace.

Illustration via 99designs

“When we’re safe and secure and we feel we matter to others and that they have our back, our potential and our resources come out.”

— Dr. Sue Johnson

Dr. Sue Johnson (@Dr_SueJohnson) is a leading innovator in the fields of couple therapy and adult attachment. She is the primary developer of Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy (EFT), which has demonstrated its effectiveness in over 30 years of peer-reviewed clinical research. Sue has received numerous awards in recognition of her development of EFT, including the American Psychological Association’s “Family Psychologist of the Year” and the Order of Canada.

Her best-selling book Hold Me Tight — with more than one million copies sold—has taught countless couples how to enhance and repair their love relationships. The book has since been developed into a relationship enhancement program called Hold Me Tight Online. Her most recent book for clinicians, Attachment Theory in Practice, delineates the promise of attachment science for understanding and repairing relationships.

As the founding director of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT), Sue trains counselors in EFT worldwide and provides guidance to 80 affiliated centers. She consults for the US and Canadian militaries and is a popular presenter and speaker for the general public.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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

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

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Want to hear another episode with someone who seeks to help people better connect? Listen in on my last conversation with psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel, in which we discussed conducting remote therapy with couples during quarantine, coping with uncertainty, the paradoxes presented by spending more time with the family, prompts for reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, dancing versus exercise, the importance of decompressing from too much bad news, and much more.

#418: Esther Perel — Tactics for Relationships in Quarantinehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/dfa1e990-f375-4a65-bbd4-7e84311e0d61.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Dr. Sue Johnson:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Attachment Theory in Practice: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Individuals, Couples, and Families by Dr. Sue Johnson | AmazonHold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Dr. Sue Johnson | AmazonHold Me Tight Online ProgramWhat is EFT? | The International Centre For Excellence In Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)Outcomes Research | Johns Hopkins MedicineAt the Heart of Health | CardusWhat Is a Milonga? | Argentine TangoHow to Live Like a Rock Star (or Tango Star) in Buenos Aires… | Tim FerrissPredicting Change in Marital Satisfaction Throughout Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy | Journal of Marital and Family TherapyHamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) | UF HealthClinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) – PTSD | National Center for PTSDLove Sense: The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships by Dr. Sue Johnson | AmazonDyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) | Fetzer InstituteBeck’s Depression Inventory | ISMAExperiences in Close Relationships Scale (ESR) | Open-Source Psychometrics ProjectA Brief Overview of Adult Attachment Theory and Research | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of PsychologySoothing the Threatened Brain: Leveraging Contact Comfort with Emotionally Focused Therapy | PloS OneWhat is Hold Me Tight? | ICEEFTMy Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464Desperado by Eagles | AmazonAttachment Parenting Basic Principles and Criticisms | Verywell FamilySleep Training Your Child: Myths and Facts Every Parent Should Know | Duke Department of PediatricsImplementing a Student-Sustained No One Dies Alone (NODA) Program at an Academic Institution | Center to Advance Palliative CareIn Pictures: Politician Mothers Take Their Babies to Work | BBC NewsNew Zealand Speaker Cradles MP’s Baby during Parliament Debate | BBC NewsStroppy | Merriam-WebsterAn Introduction to Rogerian (Person-Centered) Therapy | ThoughtCo.Ten Strategies for Evoking Change Talk | UIHIMindful Somatic Psychotherapy | Hakomi InstituteThe Last Lion Box Set: Winston Spencer Churchill, 1874 – 1965 by Paul Reid and William Manchester | AmazonWhat Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry | AmazonHow Winston Churchill Endured the Blitz — and Taught the People of England to Do the Same | Smithsonian MagazineWinston Churchill during the First World War in Belgium | Imperial War MuseumsTango | WikipediaTango World Record: Tim Ferriss and Alicia Monti | Live with Regis and KellyLos Hermanos Macana | YouTubeRequiem for a Niño Bien | The Tango LifeThe Cathedral of Tango: Review of Sunderland Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Trip AdvisorThe Swan Mating Ritual | Destination StratfordUnconscious Desire: The Affective and Motivational Aspects of Subliminal Sexual Priming | Archives of Sexual BehaviorThe Misunderstood Science of Sexual Desire | New York MagazineA.R.E. You There? What Is the Secret Ingredient That Makes a Relationship Thrive? | Ondina WellnessSexuality in Older Couples: Individual and Dyadic Characteristics | Archives of Sexual BehaviorSHOW NOTESWhat peer-reviewed clinical research supports Sue’s work? [06:25]EFT has a high success rate in studies with distressed couples. How is success clinically defined for these couples? [09:33]What scales are used to assess marital satisfaction and bond, and how has this played out in research? [13:33]What is a hold me tight conversation? [19:41]Examples of how hold me tight conversations can take shape. [21:01]How a hold me tight conversation might work for someone who has a tendency to isolate (or feels isolated). [32:01]On just how common such isolation is, and how “dependency” has become such a dirty word. [40:17]Attachment parenting vs. sleep training. [44:36]What are micro-interventions from Rogerian models of therapy (aka evocative questions)? [54:18]How does Sue respond to a client who can’t really answer how they’re feeling in their body? [1:02:47]How would someone “up the ante” in the context of a hold me tight conversation, and why does it usually have the opposite of its intended effect? [1:09:41]How does Sue help someone work through anger? [1:11:35]Why Sue is fascinated by Winston Churchill, and reading she recommends for someone who wants to know more about him. [1:15:02]Tango talk. Since it famously takes two to tango, what kind of arguments do tango couples get into? [1:20:33]How would Sue advise a couple who’s very much in love but their sexual spark has faded? [1:33:44]Advice for a couple in which the woman has a more sustained sex drive than the man. [1:43:11]What brought about the development of Sue’s Hold Me Tight Online program, and what can people expect from it? [1:48:44]Parting thoughts. [1:53:17]MORE DR. SUE JOHNSON QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Love is an ancient, wired-in survival code.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“If you can’t find comfort in the arms of another to heal from trauma, it’s bad news.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“What attachment science tells us is that emotional isolation is toxic for human beings. We found out that in the pandemic, but we still don’t get it.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Once you feel seen, accepted, and held, there’s a natural human growth process that happens.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“The way human beings have survived through the centuries is through tuning in to others, reading their cues, collaborating, cooperating, moving close, supporting—that’s the way we’ve survived. And if you look at the problems facing our world right now, we’d better be learning from this science or we’re not going to survive. We’ve got to be able to come together.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Shutting down and numbing out is a fragile strategy you can’t keep up for your whole life. It shatters under any kind of pressure.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Parenting is a moving target. You accommodate your child, then your child changes.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“We understand that to be emotionally alone traumatizes a child. We need to apply that to adults because in that sense, we never grow up. Attachment goes from the cradle to the grave.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Some of the cliches we have about love are really awful misinformation. But one of the cliches that’s really true—and this is true in most religions—is that when we’re loved, we grow and expand.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Attachment gives us a map to how we dance together with the people we love and where those dances go in terms of outcome. It gives us a map to our own vulnerabilities and emotions. It tells us how supremely sensitive we are to signals of rejection or abandonment by other people, and that this sensitivity is wired in.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“We all know on some deep, visceral level how much we need others, and the strongest among us can accept that and learn how to connect.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Tango is about attunement, and so is love.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“In the end, what none of us can bear is the feeling that we’re alone and that we don’t matter to another human being.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Passion is about feeling safe enough to be completely absorbed in the experience and let it take you over. Passion is about full engagement.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“It’s very hard to be open and physiologically responsive when you’re afraid and guarding yourself all the time.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

PEOPLE MENTIONEDJames CoanJohn BowlbyCarl RogersWinston ChurchillOprah WinfreyBruce D. PerryOmri GillathRosemary Basson‪James S. ChisholmEdward O. Laumann

Illustration via 99designs

“When we’re safe and secure and we feel we matter to others and that they have our back, our potential and our resources come out.”

— Dr. Sue Johnson

Dr. Sue Johnson (@Dr_SueJohnson) is a leading innovator in the fields of couple therapy and adult attachment. She is the primary developer of Emotionally Focused Couples and Family Therapy (EFT), which has demonstrated its effectiveness in over 30 years of peer-reviewed clinical research. Sue has received numerous awards in recognition of her development of EFT, including the American Psychological Association’s “Family Psychologist of the Year” and the Order of Canada.

Her best-selling book Hold Me Tight — with more than one million copies sold—has taught countless couples how to enhance and repair their love relationships. The book has since been developed into a relationship enhancement program called Hold Me Tight Online. Her most recent book for clinicians, Attachment Theory in Practice, delineates the promise of attachment science for understanding and repairing relationships.

As the founding director of the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT), Sue trains counselors in EFT worldwide and provides guidance to 80 affiliated centers. She consults for the US and Canadian militaries and is a popular presenter and speaker for the general public.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Laird Superfood plant-based creamers, Headspace easy-to-use app with guided meditations, and Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating. More on all three below.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#529: Iconic Therapist Dr. Sue Johnson on How to Improve Sex, Shape Love, Face Dragons, and Find Comfort in the Arms of Anotherhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/8fa83b33-fa88-4d1e-8a26-b47953378a17.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by Laird Superfood. Founded by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton and volleyball champion Gabby Reece, Laird Superfood promises to deliver high-impact fuel to help you get through your busiest days. Laird Superfood offers a line of plant-based products designed to optimize your daily rituals from sunrise to sunset.

My two favorite products are their Turmeric Superfood Creamer and Unsweetened Superfood Creamer. I put one of them in practically everything. Both can really optimize your daily coffee or tea ritual, and a $10 bag will last you a long time. For a limited time, Laird Superfood is offering you guys 20% off your order when you use code TIM20 at checkout. Check out LairdSuperfood.com/Tim to see my favorite products and learn more.

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Pro Cover is the easiest and fastest way to sleep at the perfect temperature. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking to offer the most advanced (and user-friendly) solution on the market. Simply add the Pod Pro Cover to your current mattress and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. It also splits your bed in half, so your partner can choose a totally different temperature.

And now, my dear listeners—that’s you—can get $250 off the Pod Pro Cover. Simply go to EightSleep.com/Tim or use code TIM. 

This episode is brought to you by Headspace! Headspace is your daily dose of mindfulness in the form of guided meditations in an easy-to-use app. Whatever the situation, Headspace can help you feel better. Overwhelmed? Headspace has a 3-minute SOS meditation for you. Need some help falling asleep? Headspace has wind-down sessions their members swear by. And for parents, Headspace even has morning meditations you can do with your kids. Headspace’s approach to mindfulness can reduce stress, improve sleep, boost focus, and increase your overall sense of well-being.

Go to Headspace.com/Tim for a FREE one-month trial with access to Headspace’s full library of meditations for every situation.

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

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear another episode with someone who seeks to help people better connect? Listen in on my last conversation with psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel, in which we discussed conducting remote therapy with couples during quarantine, coping with uncertainty, the paradoxes presented by spending more time with the family, prompts for reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, dancing versus exercise, the importance of decompressing from too much bad news, and much more.

#418: Esther Perel — Tactics for Relationships in Quarantinehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/dfa1e990-f375-4a65-bbd4-7e84311e0d61.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Dr. Sue Johnson:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Attachment Theory in Practice: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Individuals, Couples, and Families by Dr. Sue Johnson | AmazonHold Me Tight: Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by Dr. Sue Johnson | AmazonHold Me Tight Online ProgramWhat is EFT? | The International Centre For Excellence In Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT)Outcomes Research | Johns Hopkins MedicineAt the Heart of Health | CardusWhat Is a Milonga? | Argentine TangoHow to Live Like a Rock Star (or Tango Star) in Buenos Aires… | Tim FerrissPredicting Change in Marital Satisfaction Throughout Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy | Journal of Marital and Family TherapyHamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) | UF HealthClinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) – PTSD | National Center for PTSDLove Sense: The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships by Dr. Sue Johnson | AmazonDyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) | Fetzer InstituteBeck’s Depression Inventory | ISMAExperiences in Close Relationships Scale (ESR) | Open-Source Psychometrics ProjectA Brief Overview of Adult Attachment Theory and Research | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of PsychologySoothing the Threatened Brain: Leveraging Contact Comfort with Emotionally Focused Therapy | PloS OneWhat is Hold Me Tight? | ICEEFTMy Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464Desperado by Eagles | AmazonAttachment Parenting Basic Principles and Criticisms | Verywell FamilySleep Training Your Child: Myths and Facts Every Parent Should Know | Duke Department of PediatricsImplementing a Student-Sustained No One Dies Alone (NODA) Program at an Academic Institution | Center to Advance Palliative CareIn Pictures: Politician Mothers Take Their Babies to Work | BBC NewsNew Zealand Speaker Cradles MP’s Baby during Parliament Debate | BBC NewsStroppy | Merriam-WebsterAn Introduction to Rogerian (Person-Centered) Therapy | ThoughtCo.Ten Strategies for Evoking Change Talk | UIHIMindful Somatic Psychotherapy | Hakomi InstituteThe Last Lion Box Set: Winston Spencer Churchill, 1874 – 1965 by Paul Reid and William Manchester | AmazonWhat Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry | AmazonHow Winston Churchill Endured the Blitz — and Taught the People of England to Do the Same | Smithsonian MagazineWinston Churchill during the First World War in Belgium | Imperial War MuseumsTango | WikipediaTango World Record: Tim Ferriss and Alicia Monti | Live with Regis and KellyLos Hermanos Macana | YouTubeRequiem for a Niño Bien | The Tango LifeThe Cathedral of Tango: Review of Sunderland Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina | Trip AdvisorThe Swan Mating Ritual | Destination StratfordUnconscious Desire: The Affective and Motivational Aspects of Subliminal Sexual Priming | Archives of Sexual BehaviorThe Misunderstood Science of Sexual Desire | New York MagazineA.R.E. You There? What Is the Secret Ingredient That Makes a Relationship Thrive? | Ondina WellnessSexuality in Older Couples: Individual and Dyadic Characteristics | Archives of Sexual BehaviorSHOW NOTESWhat peer-reviewed clinical research supports Sue’s work? [06:25]EFT has a high success rate in studies with distressed couples. How is success clinically defined for these couples? [09:33]What scales are used to assess marital satisfaction and bond, and how has this played out in research? [13:33]What is a hold me tight conversation? [19:41]Examples of how hold me tight conversations can take shape. [21:01]How a hold me tight conversation might work for someone who has a tendency to isolate (or feels isolated). [32:01]On just how common such isolation is, and how “dependency” has become such a dirty word. [40:17]Attachment parenting vs. sleep training. [44:36]What are micro-interventions from Rogerian models of therapy (aka evocative questions)? [54:18]How does Sue respond to a client who can’t really answer how they’re feeling in their body? [1:02:47]How would someone “up the ante” in the context of a hold me tight conversation, and why does it usually have the opposite of its intended effect? [1:09:41]How does Sue help someone work through anger? [1:11:35]Why Sue is fascinated by Winston Churchill, and reading she recommends for someone who wants to know more about him. [1:15:02]Tango talk. Since it famously takes two to tango, what kind of arguments do tango couples get into? [1:20:33]How would Sue advise a couple who’s very much in love but their sexual spark has faded? [1:33:44]Advice for a couple in which the woman has a more sustained sex drive than the man. [1:43:11]What brought about the development of Sue’s Hold Me Tight Online program, and what can people expect from it? [1:48:44]Parting thoughts. [1:53:17]MORE DR. SUE JOHNSON QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Love is an ancient, wired-in survival code.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“If you can’t find comfort in the arms of another to heal from trauma, it’s bad news.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“What attachment science tells us is that emotional isolation is toxic for human beings. We found out that in the pandemic, but we still don’t get it.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Once you feel seen, accepted, and held, there’s a natural human growth process that happens.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“The way human beings have survived through the centuries is through tuning in to others, reading their cues, collaborating, cooperating, moving close, supporting—that’s the way we’ve survived. And if you look at the problems facing our world right now, we’d better be learning from this science or we’re not going to survive. We’ve got to be able to come together.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Shutting down and numbing out is a fragile strategy you can’t keep up for your whole life. It shatters under any kind of pressure.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Parenting is a moving target. You accommodate your child, then your child changes.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“We understand that to be emotionally alone traumatizes a child. We need to apply that to adults because in that sense, we never grow up. Attachment goes from the cradle to the grave.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Some of the cliches we have about love are really awful misinformation. But one of the cliches that’s really true—and this is true in most religions—is that when we’re loved, we grow and expand.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Attachment gives us a map to how we dance together with the people we love and where those dances go in terms of outcome. It gives us a map to our own vulnerabilities and emotions. It tells us how supremely sensitive we are to signals of rejection or abandonment by other people, and that this sensitivity is wired in.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“We all know on some deep, visceral level how much we need others, and the strongest among us can accept that and learn how to connect.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Tango is about attunement, and so is love.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“In the end, what none of us can bear is the feeling that we’re alone and that we don’t matter to another human being.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“Passion is about feeling safe enough to be completely absorbed in the experience and let it take you over. Passion is about full engagement.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

“It’s very hard to be open and physiologically responsive when you’re afraid and guarding yourself all the time.” — Dr. Sue Johnson

PEOPLE MENTIONEDJames CoanJohn BowlbyCarl RogersWinston ChurchillOprah WinfreyBruce D. PerryOmri GillathRosemary Basson‪James S. ChisholmEdward O. Laumann

Illustration via 99designs

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.”

— Jimmy Wales

Internet and technology entrepreneur Jimmy Wales (@jimmy_wales) is founder of the online nonprofit encyclopedia Wikipedia and cofounder of the privately owned Wikia, Inc., including its entertainment media brand Fandom, powered by Wikia. Jimmy serves on the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit charitable organization he established to operate Wikipedia.

In 2019, Jimmy launched WT Social—a news-focused social network. In 2006, Jimmy was named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world for his role in creating Wikipedia.

In 2021, inspired by his family quiz nights during COVID-19 lockdown, Jimmy created Quiz Night Beyond—a website where people can create and play quizzes online with family and friends wherever they may be.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by You Need A Budget cult favorite budgeting app, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Helix Sleep premium mattresses. More on all three below.

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

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#528: Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, on Homeschooling, Atheism, Understanding Financial Markets, Ayn Rand, Favorite Books, and Morehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/17312654-5182-43fc-bc83-9f707e9b9f57.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.

This episode is brought to you by You Need A Budget! You Need A Budget is a cult favorite budgeting app for a reason—it works. The app and its simple 4-rule method will change the way you think about your money and help you gain total control so you can plan for the things you need and get the things you want without guilt or stress. You Need A Budget has helped millions of people transform their finances, save their marriages, and live life on their own terms.

The You Need A Budget team offers free, live classes every day of the week, including video courses, bootcamps, and challenges, and active fan groups in every corner of the internet. On average, new budgeters save more than $600 by month two and $6,000 in their first year. Try the app free for 34 days (no credit card required) at YouNeedABudget.com/Tim. 

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 overall mattress of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, 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, to my dear listeners, Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

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

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with someone who might be as optimistic as Jimmy Wales? Listen in on my conversation with venture capitalist Mike Maples, Jr., the man who taught me to invest. We discussed anti-authoritarian disruption technology, parenting advice, acting simple, investment advice, how cryptocurrency helps separate politics from economics, a 60-second idea for changing the world, lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs, the pointlessness of holding grudges, and much more.

#286: The Man Who Taught Me How to Invest — Mike Mapleshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/a37b219c-ddc8-412e-a344-3aae64dee746.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Jimmy Wales:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | WT.social

Quiz Night Beyond The Free Encyclopedia | WikipediaWikimedia FoundationFandomUS Space & Rocket Center | Huntsville, ALAmerican Montessori SocietyThe United Methodist ChurchPascal’s Wager | Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyWinnebago Industries: 37-Year Stock Price History | MacroTrendsApple: 41-Year Stock Price History | MacroTrendsCompound Interest Calculator | Investor.govFAANG Stocks | InvestopediaWarren Buffett and His 20 Punches | The Motley FoolObjectivism | WikipediaThe Fountainhead by Ayn Rand | AmazonUsenet | WikipediaThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey | AmazonGetting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen | AmazonYour Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez | AmazonThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | AmazonLondon Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) | InvestopediaNetscape Navigator | WikipediaBomis | WikipediaSlashdotNupedia | WikipediaAutotraderWall Street Is Banking Billions on the Food Delivery Boom | CisionWhy Smart Startups Fail Their Way to Success | Inc.The Top 500 Sites on the Web | AlexaIf You Build It, He Will Come | Field of DreamsSubprime Mortgage Crisis | Federal Reserve HistoryMosaic (Web Browser) | WikipediaWhat We Know and Can Agree On: Wikipedia at 20 | Esquire UKHamlet by William Shakespeare | WikisourceWikipedia Embraces First-of-Its Kind Universal Code of Conduct, Conceived For The New Internet Era | Wikimedia Foundation8 Fascinating Facts About the Playful-Looking Roly-Poly | TreehuggerSome Practical Thoughts on Suicide | Tim FerrissWebRTCSHOW NOTESWhere did Jimmy grow up, and what did his family life and education look like in the early days? [05:22]How did Jimmy’s free-range schooling inform how he thinks about education for his own children? [09:12]How might a parent prepare to homeschool a curious kid who might be too far ahead of the curve for a traditional education? [10:41]Why Jimmy would label himself more as a non-believer than an atheist, and how he came to a point of religious disbelief after being raised Methodist and carrying out a flawed experiment involving Santa Claus and G.I. Joe. [12:13]What did Jimmy aspire to be when he was growing up? [17:08]What was it that compelled Jimmy to study finance and markets? [18:37]Were there any investors who Jimmy looked up to at this time? What influenced the way he built his portfolio in these early years?What wisdom about building a portfolio does Jimmy wish he understood when he was younger, and what investor could have imparted such wisdom? [20:01]When and how did Jimmy’s interest in Objectivism enter into the picture, what does he see as the most common myths and misconceptions about its creator, Ayn Rand? [22:18]Whether or not you agree with the points Ayn Rand (or anyone) is trying to make, Jimmy considers critically thinking them through — rather than just picking a side based on a knee-jerk impression — to be the important thing. [24:46]How Usenet was hijacked by its own design, why Twitter succumbs to many of the same problems, and how Jimmy hoped Wikipedia could be designed as a vehicle for healthier human discourse. [26:42]Recommended reading. [32:30]How did Jimmy go from finance and markets to founding companies? [36:14]When was Jimmy able to leave his finance job behind and dive fully into entrepreneurial endeavors? What made this possible? [42:04]How was Jimmy’s company discovered by a major television network, and how was their symbiotic deal established? [47:24]With a lot of great ideas but only a limited number of resources, how did Jimmy choose what shots to take when setting out in the world of tech startups during the dotcom boom? [50:35]When the deal fell through, was Jimmy’s company able to use the momentum it had built, or did it have to start from scratch in altering course? What sacrifices had to be made in order to weather the storm, and how did these hardships affect the direction taken by the nascent Wikipedia? [54:06]Why did Wikipedia thrive while Nupedia became an internet footnote? [1:00:30]How did Jimmy first come across the wiki software that would provide the building blocks for Wikipedia? [1:05:22]What were some of the early decisions that made Wikipedia catch in its first few months? [1:07:37]Were there any significant mistakes made in the early days of Wikipedia that either ended up needing to be fixed or that, like a vestigial tail, have remained in the system? [1:11:42]The Steak Knives Analogy: why it’s better to design for the benefit of nice people rather than for the deterrence of bad people. [1:16:57]What motivates great Wikipedia contributors, and how are they kept happy? [1:20:25]What organizational decisions aim to cultivate a positive contributor culture? [1:22:19]Has Jimmy always been a self-described “pathological optimist,” or was it something he had to work at? [1:00:00]Does Jimmy have any practices to help him stay the course of optimism if he loses his way? [1:28:23]Aside from Wikipedia, what other projects occupy Jimmy’s time at present? What’s the inspiration and purpose behind his new Quiz Night Beyond website?[1:30:25]What would Jimmy’s billboard say? [1:40:35]Parting thoughts. [1:42:06]MORE JIMMY WALES QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.” — Jimmy Wales

“You wouldn’t know it from watching TV debates or going on Twitter, but most people are pretty reasonable and will say, ‘Look, I disagree with this, but it should be presented in a fair way that the defenders of it would identify.'” — Jimmy Wales

“I’m a pathological optimist, so I always think everything’s going to be great. That’s not correct, by the way; everything is not always going to be great. But that’s the way I feel and approach things.” — Jimmy Wales

“If you design for the worst people, then you’re failing design for good people.” — Jimmy Wales

“A great Wikipedian, in my view, is someone who really takes seriously the values and ideas of Wikipedia, like neutrality for example, quality for example, reliable sources. And they take all those things as more important than any particular, say, political opinion they might have.” — Jimmy Wales

“We’ve got a lot of problems on this planet. We need as many smart, educated people to figure them out as we possibly can.” — Jimmy Wales

“Try not to be a troll on the internet.” — Jimmy Wales

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

PEOPLE MENTIONEDAbraham LincolnKira Namiko WalesHarry PotterMadalyn Murray O’HairSanta ClausG.I. JoeBlaise PascalElon MuskWarren BuffettHoward MarksAyn RandStephen CoveyTim ShellMichael DavisPamela AndersonJack MaRobert K. MertonTim Berners-LeeJeremy RosenfeldWard CunninghamWiki | WikipediaDonald TrumpEeyoreOrit Kopel

Illustration via 99designs

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.”

— Jimmy Wales

Internet and technology entrepreneur Jimmy Wales (@jimmy_wales) is founder of the online nonprofit encyclopedia Wikipedia and cofounder of the privately owned Wikia, Inc., including its entertainment media brand Fandom, powered by Wikia. Jimmy serves on the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit charitable organization he established to operate Wikipedia.

In 2019, Jimmy launched WT Social—a news-focused social network. In 2006, Jimmy was named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world for his role in creating Wikipedia.

In 2021, inspired by his family quiz nights during COVID-19 lockdown, Jimmy created Quiz Night Beyond—a website where people can create and play quizzes online with family and friends wherever they may be.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by You Need A Budget cult favorite budgeting app, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Helix Sleep premium mattresses. More on all three below.

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

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#528: Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, on Wikipedia’s Real Genesis Story, Best Business Decisions, Understanding Financial Markets, Developing a Questioning Mind, and the Value of Optimismhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/17312654-5182-43fc-bc83-9f707e9b9f57.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, 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 AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free 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 all-in-one daily greens product.

This episode is brought to you by You Need A Budget! You Need A Budget is a cult favorite budgeting app for a reason—it works. The app and its simple 4-rule method will change the way you think about your money and help you gain total control so you can plan for the things you need and get the things you want without guilt or stress. You Need A Budget has helped millions of people transform their finances, save their marriages, and live life on their own terms.

The You Need A Budget team offers free, live classes every day of the week, including video courses, bootcamps, and challenges, and active fan groups in every corner of the internet. On average, new budgeters save more than $600 by month two and $6,000 in their first year. Try the app free for 34 days (no credit card required) at YouNeedABudget.com/Tim. 

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 overall mattress of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, 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, to my dear listeners, Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

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

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with someone who might be as optimistic as Jimmy Wales? Listen in on my conversation with venture capitalist Mike Maples, Jr., the man who taught me to invest. We discussed anti-authoritarian disruption technology, parenting advice, acting simple, investment advice, how cryptocurrency helps separate politics from economics, a 60-second idea for changing the world, lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs, the pointlessness of holding grudges, and much more.

#286: The Man Who Taught Me How to Invest — Mike Mapleshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/a37b219c-ddc8-412e-a344-3aae64dee746.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Jimmy Wales:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | WT.social

Quiz Night Beyond The Free Encyclopedia | WikipediaWikimedia FoundationFandomUS Space & Rocket Center | Huntsville, ALAmerican Montessori SocietyThe United Methodist ChurchPascal’s Wager | Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyWinnebago Industries: 37-Year Stock Price History | MacroTrendsApple: 41-Year Stock Price History | MacroTrendsCompound Interest Calculator | Investor.govFAANG Stocks | InvestopediaWarren Buffett and His 20 Punches | The Motley FoolObjectivism | WikipediaThe Fountainhead by Ayn Rand | AmazonUsenet | WikipediaThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey | AmazonGetting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen | AmazonYour Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez | AmazonThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | AmazonLondon Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) | InvestopediaNetscape Navigator | WikipediaBomis | WikipediaSlashdotNupedia | WikipediaAutotraderWall Street Is Banking Billions on the Food Delivery Boom | CisionWhy Smart Startups Fail Their Way to Success | Inc.The Top 500 Sites on the Web | AlexaIf You Build It, He Will Come | Field of DreamsSubprime Mortgage Crisis | Federal Reserve HistoryMosaic (Web Browser) | WikipediaWhat We Know and Can Agree On: Wikipedia at 20 | Esquire UKHamlet by William Shakespeare | WikisourceWikipedia Embraces First-of-Its Kind Universal Code of Conduct, Conceived For The New Internet Era | Wikimedia Foundation8 Fascinating Facts About the Playful-Looking Roly-Poly | TreehuggerSome Practical Thoughts on Suicide | Tim FerrissWebRTCSHOW NOTESWhere did Jimmy grow up, and what did his family life and education look like in the early days? [05:22]How did Jimmy’s free-range schooling inform how he thinks about education for his own children? [09:12]How might a parent prepare to homeschool a curious kid who might be too far ahead of the curve for a traditional education? [10:41]Why Jimmy would label himself more as a non-believer than an atheist, and how he came to a point of religious disbelief after being raised Methodist and carrying out a flawed experiment involving Santa Claus and G.I. Joe. [12:13]What did Jimmy aspire to be when he was growing up? [17:08]What was it that compelled Jimmy to study finance and markets? [18:37]Were there any investors who Jimmy looked up to at this time? What influenced the way he built his portfolio in these early years?What wisdom about building a portfolio does Jimmy wish he understood when he was younger, and what investor could have imparted such wisdom? [20:01]When and how did Jimmy’s interest in Objectivism enter into the picture, what does he see as the most common myths and misconceptions about its creator, Ayn Rand? [22:18]Whether or not you agree with the points Ayn Rand (or anyone) is trying to make, Jimmy considers critically thinking them through — rather than just picking a side based on a knee-jerk impression — to be the important thing. [24:46]How Usenet was hijacked by its own design, why Twitter succumbs to many of the same problems, and how Jimmy hoped Wikipedia could be designed as a vehicle for healthier human discourse. [26:42]Recommended reading. [32:30]How did Jimmy go from finance and markets to founding companies? [36:14]When was Jimmy able to leave his finance job behind and dive fully into entrepreneurial endeavors? What made this possible? [42:04]How was Jimmy’s company discovered by a major television network, and how was their symbiotic deal established? [47:24]With a lot of great ideas but only a limited number of resources, how did Jimmy choose what shots to take when setting out in the world of tech startups during the dotcom boom? [50:35]When the deal fell through, was Jimmy’s company able to use the momentum it had built, or did it have to start from scratch in altering course? What sacrifices had to be made in order to weather the storm, and how did these hardships affect the direction taken by the nascent Wikipedia? [54:06]Why did Wikipedia thrive while Nupedia became an internet footnote? [1:00:30]How did Jimmy first come across the wiki software that would provide the building blocks for Wikipedia? [1:05:22]What were some of the early decisions that made Wikipedia catch in its first few months? [1:07:37]Were there any significant mistakes made in the early days of Wikipedia that either ended up needing to be fixed or that, like a vestigial tail, have remained in the system? [1:11:42]The Steak Knives Analogy: why it’s better to design for the benefit of nice people rather than for the deterrence of bad people. [1:16:57]What motivates great Wikipedia contributors, and how are they kept happy? [1:20:25]What organizational decisions aim to cultivate a positive contributor culture? [1:22:19]Has Jimmy always been a self-described “pathological optimist,” or was it something he had to work at? [1:00:00]Does Jimmy have any practices to help him stay the course of optimism if he loses his way? [1:28:23]Aside from Wikipedia, what other projects occupy Jimmy’s time at present? What’s the inspiration and purpose behind his new Quiz Night Beyond website?[1:30:25]What would Jimmy’s billboard say? [1:40:35]Parting thoughts. [1:42:06]MORE JIMMY WALES QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.” — Jimmy Wales

“You wouldn’t know it from watching TV debates or going on Twitter, but most people are pretty reasonable and will say, ‘Look, I disagree with this, but it should be presented in a fair way that the defenders of it would identify.'” — Jimmy Wales

“I’m a pathological optimist, so I always think everything’s going to be great. That’s not correct, by the way; everything is not always going to be great. But that’s the way I feel and approach things.” — Jimmy Wales

“If you design for the worst people, then you’re failing design for good people.” — Jimmy Wales

“A great Wikipedian, in my view, is someone who really takes seriously the values and ideas of Wikipedia, like neutrality for example, quality for example, reliable sources. And they take all those things as more important than any particular, say, political opinion they might have.” — Jimmy Wales

“We’ve got a lot of problems on this planet. We need as many smart, educated people to figure them out as we possibly can.” — Jimmy Wales

“Try not to be a troll on the internet.” — Jimmy Wales

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

PEOPLE MENTIONEDAbraham LincolnKira Namiko WalesHarry PotterMadalyn Murray O’HairSanta ClausG.I. JoeBlaise PascalElon MuskWarren BuffettHoward MarksAyn RandStephen CoveyTim ShellMichael DavisPamela AndersonJack MaRobert K. MertonTim Berners-LeeJeremy RosenfeldWard CunninghamWiki | WikipediaDonald TrumpEeyoreOrit Kopel

Illustration via 99designs

Technologist, serial entrepreneur, world-class investor, self-experimenter, and all-around wild and crazy guy Kevin Rose (@KevinRose) rejoins me for another episode of “The Random Show.” In this one we explore crypto investing, NFT experiments, Dogecoin, Zen Buddhism, current workouts, sleep supplements, and much more.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch our conversation on YouTube here.

Brought to you by UCAN endurance products powered by SuperStarch®, Vuori comfortable and durable performance apparel, and Tonal smart home gym. More on all three below.

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#527: The Random Show — Life-Extension Misadventures, Blockchain/Crypto Investing, NFT Experiments, Dogecoin, Zen Buddhism, and Weathering Sharp Elbowshttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/1bf5c56d-1f71-475c-afed-a0b42178f42a.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by UCAN. I was introduced to UCAN and its unique carbohydrate SuperStarch by my good friend—and listener favorite—Dr. Peter Attia, who said there is no carb in the world like it. I have since included it in my routine, using UCAN’s powders to power my workouts, and the bars make great snacks. Extensive scientific research and clinical trials have shown that SuperStarch provides a sustained release of energy to the body without spiking blood sugar. UCAN is the ideal way to source energy from a carbohydrate without the negatives associated with fast carbs, especially sugar.  

You avoid fatigue, hunger cravings, and loss of focus. Whether you’re an athlete working on managing your fitness or you need healthy, efficient calories to get you through your day, UCAN is an elegant energy solution. My listeners can save 30% on their first UCAN order by going to UCAN.co/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Vuori clothing! Vuori is a new and fresh perspective on performance apparel. Perfect if you are sick and tired of traditional, old workout gear. Everything is designed for maximum comfort and versatility so that you look and feel as good in everyday life as you do working out.

Get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet at VuoriClothing.com/Tim. Not only will you receive 20% off your first purchase, but you’ll also enjoy free shipping on any US orders over $75 and free returns.

This episode is brought to you by Tonal! Tonal is the world’s most intelligent home gym and personal trainer. It is precision engineered and designed to be the world’s most advanced strength studio. Tonal uses breakthrough technology—like adaptive digital weights and AI learning—together with the best experts in resistance training so you get stronger, faster. Every program is personalized to your body using AI, and smart features check your form in real time, just like a personal trainer.

Try  Tonal , the world’s smartest home gym, for 30 days in your home, and if you don’t love it, you can return it for a full refund. Visit  Tonal.com  for $100 off their smart accessories when you use promo code TIM100 at checkout.

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

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear the last time we did one of these Random Shows? Check out our celebratory episode 500, in which KevKev and I discussed hair transplants, indelible mistakes, high-performance course corrections, shameful snacks, life hacks in retrospect, best movies to watch on mushrooms, and much more.

#500: KevKev TimTim TalkTalk on Dragon Slaying, Lessons Learned, Viagra, and Assorted Nonsensehttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/23853200-867b-4d61-a159-3ca05906f6b0.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Kevin Rose:

Website | Modern Finance | Instagram | Twitter

Once-Weekly Noninsulin | OzempicExclusive Drunk Footage | DiggnationZofran | RxListContinuous Glucose Monitoring | Dexcom CGMThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonPeter Attia, M.D. — Fasting, Metformin, Athletic Performance, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #398Ketamine | RxListA Lighter, Brighter Buzz | JuneShine Hard KombuchaHard Seltzer | White ClawThe Untold Truth Of Zima | MashedFeierdun Doorway Pull Up and Chin Up Bar | AmazonGLUT4 | WikipediaCribs for Gyms — Rust and Iron, Episode 1 with Kelly Starrett | The Tim Ferriss ShowQuad DipseaMobility Training Program, Exercises, and Equipment | The Ready State12 Awesome Types of Climbing You Really Should Know | The Climbing GuyTop 10 Jean-Claude Van Damme Splits | WatchMojoJason Nemer — Inside the Magic of AcroYoga | The Tim Ferriss Show #182Christopher Sommer — The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training | The Tim Ferriss Show #158Christopher Sommer — The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training, Part Two — Home Equipment, Weighted Stretches, and Muscle-Ups | The Tim Ferriss Show #180The Jefferson Curl: One Exercise for Full Body Mobility | GymnasticBodiesGolgi Tendon Reflex | WikipediaPNF Stretching: Technique and Guidelines | HealthlineThe Rucking Company | GORUCKMy Toughest Fitness Challenge Involved 100 Pounds of Caribou Meat by Michael Easter | Men’s HealthPilates | WikipediaNFTs: Blockchain-Powered Art, Trading Cards, Music, and More with Aftab Hossain | Modern Finance 1Buy NFTs and More on Ethereum | OpenSeaThe Price of EverythingBeeple: His Story, The Future of NFTs, His Favorite Digital Artist, and More. | Modern Finance 4The Tim Ferriss Podcast is Live! Here Are Episodes 1 and 2 | The Tim Ferriss ShowThis Banana Was Duct-Taped to a Wall. It Sold for $120,000. | GQVeeFriends – Gary Vaynerchuk’s New NFT Project | Modern Finance 9CryptoArt | XCOPYArt Blocks – Generative NFT Art with Erick Snowfro | Modern Finance – 8Chromie Squiggle by Snowfro | Art BlocksGenerative Art and NFTs | ARTnewsCollect and Trade Moments in NBA History | NBA Top ShotCryptoPunks – The NFTs That Started It All. Their Origin Story and Future Plans | Modern Finance 5Larva LabsJay-Z Adopts CryptoPunk NFT as His Twitter Profile Picture | The BlockLights Out: A Cyberattack, a Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath by Ted Koppel | AmazonThe 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonImpact of Hurricane Sandy | NYC.govPowerwall | Tesla‘CryptoPunk’ NFT Sells for $11.8 Million at Sotheby’s | ReutersCryptoPunks | LarvaLabsCryptoPunks: Details for Punk #6487 | LarvaLabsWhy Did Jack Dorsey Buy Jay-Z’s Failed Music Service? | VoxTwitter Boss Jack Dorsey’s First Tweet Sold for $2.9 Million as an NFT | ReutersNYSE: SHOP | GoogleNASDAQ: AMZN | GoogleTrue VenturesBitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News, and Price Data | CoinDeskWhat Are Meme Coins, and Can They Make You Rich? | The Motley FoolDecentralized Trading Protocol | UniswapDogecoin Extends Its One-Month Surge to 100% After Elon Musk Agrees with Mark Cuban’s Bullish Take On the Crypto | Markets InsiderVery Foundation, Much Wow: A Conversation With Dogecoin’s Jackson Palmer | TechCrunchNever Tweet: How Elon Musk Is Ruining the Promise of Crypto | PCMagBitcoin Is Already Incentivizing Renewable Energy | CoinDeskVitalik Buterin, Creator of Ethereum, on Understanding Ethereum, ETH vs. BTC, ETH2, Scaling Plans and Timelines, NFTs, Future Considerations, Life Extension, and More (Featuring Naval Ravikant) | The Tim Ferriss Show #504Chia – A New Cryptocurrency Launching Soon, Built by Bram Cohen, Founder of BitTorrent | Modern FinanceNew Cryptocurrency Chia Blamed for Hard Drive Shortages | The GuardianA Crypto Wallet & Gateway to Blockchain Apps | MetaMaskBuild Crypto Apps That Scale | SolanaThe Origins and Future of Aave, the Decentralized Finance Protocol to Lend and Borrow Crypto | Modern Finance 12Do More with Your Crypto | BlockFiAlgorithmic, Autonomous Interest Rate Protocol | CompoundOpen Source DeFi Protocol | AaveWhat We Know About China’s Cryptocurrency Crackdown | The VergeAlchemix – DeFi Loans That Repay Themselves with Scoopy Trooples | Modern Finance 16The Future Yield Tokenization Protocol | AlchemixSmart Contracts | InvestopediaDollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) | InvestopediaMake Wealth Your Own | WealthfrontStop Buying Bitcoin with Robinhood! | Making of a MillionaireCryptocurrency Exchange to Buy Bitcoin and Ether | GeminiHow Safe Is My Crypto Yield? with Zac Prince (CEO, BlockFi) and Matt Ballensweig (Genesis) | Modern Finance 11Dr. Andrew Huberman — A Neurobiologist on Optimizing Sleep, Enhancing Performance, Reducing Anxiety, Increasing Testosterone, and Using the Body to Control the Mind | The Tim Ferriss Show #521Thorne Research Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder | AmazonOura RingEight SleepHeart Rate Variability: A New Way to Track Well-Being | Harvard HealthCarlson Labs Wild Caught Elite Omega-3 | AmazonNordic Naturals ProOmega 650 EPA/450 DHA | AmazonThorne Research Super EPA Supplements | AmazonAllopurinol | RxListGout: The Missing Chapter from Good Calories, Bad Calories | Tim FerrissAre Saunas the Next Big Performance-Enhancing “Drug?” | Tim FerrissHow to Know if Zen Meditation Is Right for You | Verywell MindSanbo Zen Lineage | Mountain Cloud Zen CenterVipassana Meditation | Dhamma.orgNaval Ravikant on Meditation | TUANVCMeditation and Breathing Exercises | OakSanbo Kyodan | WikipediaThree Treasures of Zen | Mountain Cloud Zen CenterHow to Practice Zen Koans | Lion’s RoarFour Myths About Zen Buddhism’s “Mu Koan” | OUPblog61 Zen Koans with Commentary by Clark Strand | TricycleTranscendental MeditationDennis McKenna — The Depths of Ayahuasca: 500+ Sessions, Fundamentals, Advanced Topics, Science, Churches, Learnings, Warnings, and Beyond | The Tim Ferriss Show #523A Conversation with Henry Shukman | Waking Up with Sam HarrisTwo Men Enter, One Man Leaves | Mad Max Beyond ThunderdomeThe Darya Rose ShowSHOW NOTESThe evolving war against elevated blood glucose, and why this show was almost rescheduled. [06:12]A light and refreshing alcoholic beverage I’ve been enjoying lately. [14:57]A recent bad decision I made. [18:12]As we get older, how have our workouts been focused? [20:43]What type of exercise, in particular, has made Kevin more durable during playtime with his kids? [34:40]Will I ever create my own NFTs or participate in the market surrounding them? [41:07]With so many NFTs being created these days, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? [49:12]What is generative art? [49:39]There’s nothing quite like having your house struck by lightning in the middle of recording a podcast to remind you of the importance of emergency preparedness. [54:21]Back to NFTs: even Jay-Z has gotten in on the action by changing his Twitter icon to a CryptoPunk — a trailblazing class of NFTs that big-name auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s take seriously and sell for millions of dollars. How significant is this, really? [1:01:14]On riding the emotional roller coaster that is investment and trying to guess where the markets will be down the track. Regrets? I’ve had a few. [1:07:40]In the blockchain space, what is Kevin — as an investor — paying close attention to? [1:12:50]On the general worthlessness of meme coins, the transcendence of Dogecoin, and what makes one cryptocurrency more “real” over another. [1:14:06]Do public statements from heavy hitters like Elon Musk cause the value of various cryptocurrencies to artificially fluctuate, or are these fluctuations more significantly controlled by other market factors? [1:18:25]If Bitcoin is such a “dirty” currency that has environmentalists concerned, can we expect it to clean up its act? Or are alternatives like Ethereum and Chia better poised to bring us greener crypto? [1:20:08]The best way to learn how blockchain technologies work? Don’t sink your life savings into them, but get your hands dirty and play. [1:25:08]With so many blockchain projects active today, how do Kevin and his partners at True Ventures vet potential investments? What wild innovations are being pitched right now that might revolutionize the future of finance? [1:25:55]What is BlockFi, and what are its rewards and risks compared to traditional banking alternatives? Does Kevin see future governmental regulation putting a damper on the potential of this kind of platform, or will it bolster its use by the average consumer? [1:30:13]Only in the world of DeFi: how self-repaying loans work through the Alchemix protocol. [1:34:06]While Kevin welcomes sensible blockchain regulation in the US to clarify the intangibles for the average consumer, what are the potential pitfalls of crypto that worry him? [1:36:26]Dollar cost averaging and risk management to avoid the dreaded panic sell. [1:39:13]Why I don’t make an investment I can’t hold for at least three years. [1:40:52]Why, based on current information, I’m holding onto my Bitcoin and Ethereum for the foreseeable future. [1:42:17]When it might make sense for even a true believer to sell off their cryptocurrency and diversify assets. [1:44:09]Why even modest, but stable interest returned on an investment isn’t the worst thing in the world, and how to ensure you’re earning interest on the crypto you’re holding. [1:46:13]What I’ve been doing to facilitate better sleep in the past few weeks, and how I’ve been tracking it. [1:49:33]What constitutes a bad night of sleep for me? [1:54:00]How do I supplement my omega-3s, and what seem to be their unexpected benefits? [1:55:56]Why you should never oil your sauna. [2:00:53]The biggest game-changer for Kevin: a year of daily 55-minute Zen meditation sessions. [2:03:10]I reflect on my own deep experiences — including a psychotic breakdown — with Vipassana meditation, and how a sauna can put me in the right frame of mind to meditate effectively, feel physically and emotionally refreshed, and dramatically increase HRV. [2:03:42]In order to stay committed to his goal of a daily, 55-minute practice for the past year, how did Kevin’s approach to meditation differ from previous attempts? [2:07:43]What does one of Kevin’s meditation sessions look like, how does it feel, and in what way do koans — paradoxical anecdotes or riddles — fit into the equation? [2:11:41]What prompted Kevin’s commitment to Zen meditation, what has he learned so far, and how much does he have left to learn? [2:22:19]Why Kevin thinks I’d be an ideal candidate for Zen meditation, why I should invite his Zen teacher to the show, and how Zen and psychedelics might perceive reality through similar lenses. [2:25:16]Why you should listen to The Darya Rose Show. [2:37:23]Parting thoughts. [2:39:44]PEOPLE MENTIONEDPeter AttiaRichard SimmonsKelly StarrettJean-Claude Van DammeChristopher SommerMollyBeepleGary VeeXCOPYJay-ZTed KoppelJack DorseyElon MuskSatoshi NakamotoBram CohenZac PrincePompAndrew HubermanDarya RoseHenry ShukmanNaval RavikantJoshuSam HarrisDennis McKennaTerence McKennaAdam GazzaleyAl-GhazaliAndrew Weil

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

Illustration via 99designs

“Everything you do, if your eyes are open, informs everything else you do.”

— B. Jeffrey Madoff

B. Jeffrey Madoff (@madoffproductions) began his career in fashion, becoming one of the top 10 designers in the US before switching careers to film and video production. He has directed award-winning commercials, documentaries, and web content for clients around the world, including Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, and Tiffany.

His book, which is based on the class he teaches at Parsons School of Design, is Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas.

He has been a featured speaker at Wharton School, Princeton University, NYU Steinhardt, Google Next, Barclays’ Rise and Verizon on the topics of creating a brand and creativity. He works with private equity firms and investment banks, such as Lazard, to create the brand story for companies that are being sold or startups looking to attract investment.

Madoff is also a playwright and theater producer. His play Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical, based on the life of the titular Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend, will have its world premiere in March of 2022 at People’s Light theater in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

He graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in philosophy and psychology. He was also on the wrestling team, which, combined with his academic studies, prepared him for a life in the film business.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Public Goods high-quality everyday essentials, LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 750M users, and ExpressVPN virtual private network service. More on all three below.

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

Listen onApple Podcasts[image error]Listen onSpotify[image error]Listen onOvercast#526: B. Jeffrey Madoff — Dealmaking, the Hidden Persuaders, Working with Ralph Lauren, and Finding the Secret to Life in the Mojave Deserthttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/82927b43-9dc3-49a7-9651-0582d6784585.mp3Download

This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now for a critical role or thinking about needs that you may have in the future, LinkedIn Jobs can help. LinkedIn screens candidates for the hard and soft skills you’re looking for and puts your job in front of candidates looking for job opportunities that match what you have to offer.

Using LinkedIn’s active community of more than 750 million professionals worldwide, LinkedIn Jobs can help you find and hire the right person faster. When your business is ready to make that next hire, find the right person with LinkedIn Jobs. And now, you can post a job for free. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim.

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 is 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!

This episode is brought to you by Public Goods! Public Goods is the one-stop shop for sustainable, high-quality, everyday essentials made from clean ingredients at an affordable price. Public Goods searches the globe to find healthy, eco-friendly, and innovative products and then packages them using a single, streamlined aesthetic for your home so you can get all of your premium essentials in one place and avoid buying from a bunch of mismatched, single-product brands. Multiple people on my team were already using Public Goods, and now, so am I.

Visit PublicGoods.com/Tim to receive $20 off the products in your first Public Goods order using code TIM, with no minimum purchase required! 

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

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear an episode with someone else who’s never been shy about initiating conversations with celebrities in the wild? Give a listen to my discussion with Academy Award-winning producer and New York Times bestselling author Brian Grazer, in which we talk about cultivating curiosity, making high-end connections from lowly places, good producers versus great producers, contacting the difficult-to-reach, what can happen when a good story’s perspective is poorly calibrated for its intended audience, and much more.

#279: The Most Curious Man in Hollywood — Brian Grazerhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/0229ba90-4725-4718-b788-e50326fcc779.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with B. Jeffrey Madoff:

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Madoff Productions | Madoff Productions’ Instagram

Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas by B. Jeffrey Madoff | AmazonPersonality: The Lloyd Price Musical | DR Theatrical ManagementParsons School of Design | The New SchoolThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonThe Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard | AmazonJunky by William S. Burroughs | AmazonEasy Rider | Prime VideoApocalypse Now | Prime VideoAn Oral History of the Chelsea Hotel: Where the Walls Still Talk | Vanity FairGroundhog Day | Prime VideoThe 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonVictoria’s Secret Live! Part Seven: Alessandra Ambrosio & Tim Ferriss | Madoff ProductionsMojave National Preserve | US National Park ServiceThe Fuller Brush Man | America Comes AliveDNA Genetic Testing & Analysis | 23andMeAlways Be Closing | Glengarry Glen RossMonkey Business Shoes | MothersbloghThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Prime VideoB. Madoff, and Proud of It | The New York TimesI’m Not That Madoff | HuffPostLawdy Miss Clawdy by Lloyd Price | AmazonHow ‘Race Records’ Turned Black Music Into Big Business | HistorySpringsteen on Broadway | NetflixStephen Colbert Brings ‘The Late Show’ Back to Ed Sullivan Theater | VarietyThe No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t by Robert I. Sutton, PhD | AmazonPeople’s LightLa Jolla PlayhouseGoodman TheatreThe Public TheaterHamiltonJersey BoysNonprofit Show, But Money’s Riding On It | The New York TimesMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis | AmazonThe Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis | AmazonFreakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner | AmazonThe Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis | AmazonJudgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Daniel Kahneman, Paul Slovic, and Amos Tversky | AmazonThe Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu | AmazonThe Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick | AmazonMotherless Brooklyn: A Novel by Jonathan Lethem | AmazonMotherless Brooklyn | Prime VideoPhillip Marlowe Series by Raymond Chandler | AmazonL.A. Confidential | Prime VideoL.A. Confidential by James Ellroy | AmazonTo Kill A Mockingbird | Prime VideoTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee | AmazonRainbow Room | Rockefeller CenterWhy Shroud of Turin’s Secrets Continue to Elude Science | National GeographicSHOW NOTESHow learning to scratch one’s own itch can launch a career. [05:35]After graduating with degrees in philosophy and psychology, where did Jeff first find gainful employment, and how did this inform his future career path? [08:49]On the informed perseverance it takes to make it over the early bumps of a new path taken — and learning past the point of ignorance. [10:59]In what ways did The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard influence young Jeff? [13:21]How did Jeff go from fashion design to film and video production? [15:18]An aside: a Dennis Hopper anecdote Jeff’s never told anyone. [20:23]Why did William S. Burroughs’ lawyer introduce Jeff to people who were starting a production company, and why did they bring him on board even though he was yet unproven in the filmmaking world? [23:40]The difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer. [26:57]Why does Jeff ask his students to define success at the beginning of every semester at Parsons? What is he hoping to hear, and how has his own definition of success changed over time? [29:02]If engagement in what he’s doing is key to Jeff’s success, what does this feel like? [31:46]How does Jeff choose who to interview for his class? [32:34]An aside: here’s that video of Ferriss Baggins making a salad for Victoria’s Secret models. [33:58]Jeff shares the story about that time he trekked deep into the Mojave Desert to visit a life coach who had insights about the meaning of life to share — for a small fee. [34:56]Learning to sell and manage: Jeff fills us in on Fuller Brush foibles and shoe store monkey business. [42:29]Just to clear things up: Ben Jeffrey Madoff is not the same person as Bernie Madoff. But the Post Office and people using the Manhatten phone book didn’t always know this circa 2007. [51:13]Who was Lloyd Price, how did he change the course of music history, and what led to Jeff writing a play — Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical — about him? [58:22]How did Lloyd respond when reading the first few scenes of Personality, and how did it make Jeff feel? [1:03:16]As Lloyd passed away in 2021, what’s the current status of this play? [1:05:43]How Jeff broke the news to Personality director Sheldon Epps that he has a “no asshole” rule, and why you should never let anybody rob the joy of the process. [1:08:47]How regional theaters with successful productions feed Broadway, and how enhancement deals work. [1:10:22]When publishers rejected the pitch for my first book, a select few did so gracefully. Others, not so much. Did I remember names when it came time to pitch my second book? You bet. Remember: cruelty is far costlier than kindness. [1:12:19]If you’re going to try to do anything in the world, you need to get used to people saying no to you. Here’s how to protect your psyche from rejection and cultivate the empathy to reject others without crushing their morale. [1:16:37]Where can people go to support, drop off a bag of cash, or just find out more about Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical? [1:20:08]What books does Jeff gift and recommend most often? [1:21:11]The movie that never fails to make Jeff tear up, and a conversation he had with Gregory Peck about it. [1:27:15]Has Jeff always had the chutzpah to initiate conversations with celebrities in the wild — like the time he and I encountered a very kind and gracious Jason Statham? [1:31:23]What would Jeff’s billboard say? [1:34:21]Parting thoughts. [1:35:22]QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE

“Everything you do, if your eyes are open, informs everything else you do.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

“Ignorant, you can learn. Stupid’s forever.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

“If you’re bored in New York, it’s on you. There is so much going on all the time and I can go hear a jazz concert, see a play, eat at a great restaurant, and walk to all those places. I love it. That’s why flying saucers land in Wyoming. New York, you can’t find a place to park.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

“I was hired to sell shoes, not be a zookeeper.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

“Never let anybody rob the joy of the process, because the process is what’s magic.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

“The sure way to make sure that nothing happens is do nothing.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

“Pay attention to the road.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

“Stay curious, keep learning.” — B. Jeffrey Madoff

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

PEOPLE MENTIONEDRalph LaurenCary GrantFred AstaireGary CooperVance PackardMollyDennis HopperWilliam S. BurroughsTerry SouthernMarlon BrandoFrancis Ford CoppolaM.C. EscherNostradamusTaylor SwiftAlessandra AmbrosioAdriana LimaWilly WonkaDr. DolittleNapoleon SoloAlec BaldwinDavid MametBernie MadoffDavid LettermanLloyd PriceShirley TempleElvis PresleyThe BeatlesBruce SpringsteenStephen Colbert Sheldon EppsShelton BectonChester GregoryStanley MathisHarold LoganDavid GalloRob KaplowitzJillian ManusSteve HanselmanRaymond ChandlerJames EllroyMichael LewisCharles DickensBilly BeaneDaniel KahnemanAmos TverskyTimothy WuJames Gleick Edward NortonWalt DisneyLiza MinnelliGregory PeckAtticus FinchAlan PakulaHarper LeeJason StathamRosie Huntington-WhiteleyGuy Ritchie

Illustration via 99designs

“Everything you do, if your eyes are open, informs everything else you do.”

— B. Jeffrey Madoff

B. Jeffrey Madoff (@madoffproductions) began his career in fashion, becoming one of the top 10 designers in the US before switching careers to film and video production. He has directed award-winning commercials, documentaries, and web content for clients around the world, including Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, and Tiffany.

His book, which is based on the class he teaches at Parsons School of Design, is Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas.

He has been a featured speaker at Wharton School, Princeton University, NYU Steinhardt, Google Next, Barclays’ Rise and Verizon on the topics of creating a brand and creativity. He works with private equity firms and investment banks, such as Lazard, to create the brand story for companies that are being sold or startups looking to attract investment.

Madoff is also a playwright and theater producer. His play Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical, based on the life of the titular Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend, will have its world premiere in March of 2022 at People’s Light theater in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

He graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in philosophy and psychology. He was also on the wrestling team, which, combined with his academic studies, prepared him for a life in the film business.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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

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Want to hear an episode with someone else who’s never been shy about initiating conversations with celebrities in the wild? Give a listen to my discussion with Academy Award-winning producer and New York Times bestselling author Brian Grazer, in which we talk about cultivating curiosity, making high-end connections from lowly places, good producers versus great producers, contacting the difficult-to-reach, what can happen when a good story’s perspective is poorly calibrated for its intended audience, and much more.

#279: The Most Curious Man in Hollywood — Brian Grazerhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/0229ba90-4725-4718-b788-e50326fcc779.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with B. Jeffrey Madoff:

Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Madoff Productions | Madoff Productions’ Instagram

Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas by B. Jeffrey Madoff | AmazonPersonality: The Lloyd Price Musical | DR Theatrical ManagementParsons School of Design | The New SchoolThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonThe Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard | AmazonJunky by William S. Burroughs | AmazonEasy Rider | Prime VideoApocalypse Now | Prime VideoAn Oral History of the Chelsea Hotel: Where the Walls Still Talk | Vanity FairGroundhog Day | Prime VideoThe 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | AmazonVictoria’s Secret Live! Part Seven: Alessandra Ambrosio & Tim Ferriss | Madoff ProductionsMojave National Preserve | US National Park ServiceThe Fuller Brush Man | America Comes AliveDNA Genetic Testing & Analysis | 23andMeAlways Be Closing | Glengarry Glen RossMonkey Business Shoes | MothersbloghThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Prime VideoB. Madoff, and Proud of It | The New York TimesI’m Not That Madoff | HuffPostLawdy Miss Clawdy by Lloyd Price | AmazonHow ‘Race Records’ Turned Black Music Into Big Business | HistorySpringsteen on Broadway | NetflixStephen Colbert Brings ‘The Late Show’ Back to Ed Sullivan Theater | VarietyThe No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t by Robert I. Sutton, PhD | AmazonPeople’s LightLa Jolla PlayhouseGoodman TheatreThe Public TheaterHamiltonJersey BoysNonprofit Show, But Money’s Riding On It | The New York TimesMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis | AmazonThe Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis | AmazonFreakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner | AmazonThe Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis | AmazonJudgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Daniel Kahneman, Paul Slovic, and Amos Tversky | AmazonThe Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu | AmazonThe Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick | AmazonMotherless Brooklyn: A Novel by Jonathan Lethem | AmazonMotherless Brooklyn | Prime VideoPhillip Marlowe Series by Raymond Chandler | AmazonL.A. Confidential | Prime VideoL.A. Confidential by James Ellroy | AmazonTo Kill A Mockingbird | Prime VideoTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee | AmazonRainbow Room | Rockefeller CenterWhy Shroud of Turin’s Secrets Continue to Elude Science | National GeographicSHOW NOTESHow learning to scratch one’s own itch can launch a career. [05:35]After graduating with degrees in philosophy and psychology, where did Jeff first find gainful employment, and how did this inform his future career path? [08:49]On the informed perseverance it takes to make it over the early bumps of a new path taken — and learning past the point of ignorance. [10:59]In what ways did The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard influence young Jeff? [13:21]How did Jeff go from fashion design to film and video production? [15:18]An aside: a Dennis Hopper anecdote Jeff’s never told anyone. [20:23]Why did William S. Burroughs’ lawyer introduce Jeff to people who were starting a production company, and why did they bring him on board even though he was yet unproven in the filmmaking world? [23:40]The difference between a good lawyer and a great lawyer. [26:57]Why does Jeff ask his students to define success at the beginning of every semester at Parsons? What is he hoping to hear, and how has his own definition of success changed over time? [29:02]If engagement in what he’s doing is key to Jeff’s success, what does this feel like? [31:46]How does Jeff choose who to interview for his class? [32:34]An aside: here’s that video of Ferriss Baggins making a salad for Victoria’s Secret models. [33:58]Jeff shares the story about that time he trekked deep into the Mojave Desert to visit a life coach who had insights about the meaning of life to share — for a small fee. [34:56]Learning to sell and manage: Jeff fills us in on Fuller Brush foibles and shoe store monkey business. [42:23]Just to clear things up: Ben Jeffrey Madoff is not the same person as Bernie Madoff. But the Post Office and people using the Manhatten phone book didn’t always know this circa 2007. [51:07]Who was Lloyd Price, how did he change the course of music history, and what led to Jeff writing a play — Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical — about him? [58:16]How did Lloyd respond when reading the first few scenes of Personality, and how did it make Jeff feel? [1:03:10]As Lloyd passed away in 2021, what’s the current status of this play? [1:05:37]How Jeff broke the news to Personality director Sheldon Epps that he has a “no asshole” rule, and why you should never let anybody rob the joy of the process. [1:08:41]How regional theaters with successful productions feed Broadway, and how enhancement deals work. [1:10:16]When publishers rejected the pitch for my first book, a select few did so gracefully. Others, not so much. Did I remember names when it came time to pitch my second book? You bet. Remember: cruelty is far costlier than kindness. [1:12:13]If you’re going to try to do anything in the world, you need to get used to people saying no to you. Here’s how to protect your psyche from rejection and cultivate the empathy to reject others without crushing their morale. [1:16:31]Where can people go to support, drop off a bag of cash, or just find out more about Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical? [1:20:02]What books does Jeff gift and recommend most often? [1:21:05]The movie that never fails to make Jeff tear up, and a conversation he had with Gregory Peck about it. [1:27:09]Has Jeff always had the chutzpah to initiate conversations with celebrities in the wild — like the time he and I encountered a very kind and gracious Jason Statham? [1:31:17]What would Jeff’s billboard say? [1:34:15]Parting thoughts. [1:35:16]PEOPLE MENTIONEDRalph LaurenCary GrantFred AstaireGary CooperVance PackardMollyDennis HopperWilliam S. BurroughsTerry SouthernMarlon BrandoFrancis Ford CoppolaM.C. EscherNostradamusTaylor SwiftAlessandra AmbrosioAdriana LimaWilly WonkaDr. DolittleNapoleon SoloAlec BaldwinDavid MametBernie MadoffDavid LettermanLloyd PriceShirley TempleElvis PresleyThe BeatlesBruce SpringsteenStephen Colbert Sheldon EppsShelton BectonChester GregoryStanley MathisHarold LoganDavid GalloRob KaplowitzJillian ManusSteve HanselmanRaymond ChandlerJames EllroyMichael LewisCharles DickensBilly BeaneDaniel KahnemanAmos TverskyTimothy WuJames Gleick Edward NortonWalt DisneyLiza MinnelliGregory PeckAtticus FinchAlan PakulaHarper LeeJason StathamRosie Huntington-WhiteleyGuy Ritchie

Illustration via 99designs

“It’s really not about rock and roll anymore — it’s about rotten mold, and we have to let things rot.”

— Giuliana Furci

Giuliana Furci (@giulifungi) is foundress and executive director of the Fungi Foundation (est. 2012), the world’s first nonprofit dedicated solely to fungi. She is a Harvard University associate, Dame of the Order of the Star of Italy, co-chair of the IUCN Fungal Conservation Committee, mother, author of several titles—including a series of field guides to Chilean fungi—and contributor to numerous publications on the environment, such as the first State of the World’s Fungi report (Kew, 2018), Biodiversidad de Chile: Patrimonio y Desafíos (Ministry of the Environment, Chile, 2008) and the IBPA Award-winning book Fantastic Fungi.

Giuliana has worked for the fungi since 1999 and in the nonprofit sector for the last 17 years. She has held consulting positions in US philanthropic foundations as well as full-time positions in international marine conservation NGOs and Chilean environmental NGOs.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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

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Want to hear an episode with the man Giuliana affectionately refers to as “Pablo?” Listen to my conversation with mycological mastermind Paul Stamets, in which we discuss fighting viruses with mycelium in a post-9/11 world, fending off carpenter ants with fungi, conquering a lifelong stutter with the assistance of Psilocybin cubensis, stacking microdoses of psilocybin with lion’s mane to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and much more.

#340: Paul Stamets — How Mushrooms Can Save You and (Perhaps) the Worldhttps://rss.art19.com/episodes/a347d207-3697-4540-a7fd-5f5344067421.mp3DownloadSELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODEConnect with Giuliana Furci:

Instagram

Connect with the Fungi Foundation:

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact by Paul Stamets et al. | AmazonState of the World’s Fungi 2018 | Kew Royal Botanic GardensBiodiversidad de Chile: Patrimonio y Desafíos | Ministry of the Environment, Chile1973 Chilean Coup | 3-Minute History22 Things to Know Before You Go to Calabria | Roads & KingdomsChilean Aquaculture: Expansion into Troubled Waters? | SustainalyticsWhat is an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization)? | InvestopediaChiloé | Chile TravelDarwin’s Fox | CanidsPaul Stamets — How Mushrooms Can Save You and (Perhaps) the World | The Tim Ferriss Show #340Books by Paul Stamets | AmazonMushrooms Have a Long History in Magic and Folklore | Learn ReligionsObservation 251191: Amanita Galactica | Mushroom ObserverAraucaria | American Conifer SocietyNothofagus Antarctica | Oxford University Plants 400Breakup of Gondwana | Te Ara Encyclopedia of New ZealandSnuff Tablet | Tiwanaku (?) | The Metropolitan Museum of ArtOpisthokont | WikipediaAmanita Muscaria (Fly Agaric Mushroom) | First NatureDid ‘Shrooms Send Santa and His Reindeer Flying? | NPRSmurf Village | Smurfs WikiSoma, an Enigmatic, Mysterious Plant of the Vedic Aryas: An Appraisal | Indian Journal of History of ScienceThe Art of Drinking Mate in Argentina | Tourist2TownieHow to Live Like a Rock Star (or Tango Star) in Buenos Aires… | Tim FerrissAvenida Florida | WikipediaMatte Leão Tea | Amazon8 Health Benefits of Yerba Mate (Backed by Science) | HealthlineCortinarius Chlorosplendidus | NCBI Taxonomy BrowserKew Royal Botanic GardensThe Humongous Fungus | The Malheur National ForestSix Ways to Take In Utah’s Amazing Pando Aspen Grove — The Most Massive Single Living Thing on the Planet | The Salt Lake TribuneBeyond Psilocybin: Mushrooms Have Lots of Cool Compounds Scientists Should Study | Discover MagazineThe Definitive History of Psilocybin Mushrooms | DoubleBlind MagTaxonomy: Life’s Filing System | Crash CourseHow to Describe a New Fungal Species | Ima FungusFFCL Fungarium | Fungi FoundationDr. Jane Goodall — The Legend, The Lessons, The Hope | The Tim Ferriss Show #421OceanaTerram FoundationWe Work to Achieve Fungi Legal Protections | FaunaFloraFungaChile Is about to Rewrite Its Constitution to Form a More Equal Society | VoxEnvironmental Law 2020 – Chile | Global Practice Guides | Chambers and PartnersRe:Wild and IUCN SSC Become First Global Organizations to Call For the Recognition of Fungi as One of Three Kingdoms of Life Critical to Protecting and Restoring Earth | IUCNThe Limits of Language: Wittgenstein Explains Why We Always Misunderstand One Another on the Internet | SlateThe Discovery of Penicillin — New Insights After More Than 75 Years of Clinical Use | Emerging Infectious DiseasesHow Do Mycorrhizae Work? | Untamed ScienceList of Fungi Benefits | SciencingWildlife in the Red: What Does Being on the Red List Really Mean? | Yale Environment ReviewFantastic FungiFantastic Fungi | Prime VideoMitochondria | NIHThe Southern Cone | World Regional GeographyEntangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake | AmazonThe Old Man Who Read Love Stories by Luis Sepúlveda | AmazonThe Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly by Luis Sepúlveda | AmazonMundo Del Fin Del Mundo by Luis Sepúlveda | AmazonBooks by Milan Kundera | AmazonBooks by Gabriela Mistral | AmazonBooks by Eduardo Galeano | AmazonTelluride Mushroom FestivalOrder of the Star of Italy | WikipediaThe Triumph of the Fungi: A Rotten History by Nicholas P. Money | AmazonThe Rise of Yeast: How the Sugar Fungus Shaped Civilization by Nicholas P. Money | AmazonSHOW NOTESA product of exile: how Giuliana come to be born in the UK of a Chilean mother and an Italian father after her mother’s persecution under dictator Augusto Pinochet. [06:20]After being born and raised in England, what was it like for Giuliana, at age 15, to accompany her mother’s return to Chile? Why was it not as smooth of a transition as she might have been expecting? [10:58]As an undergraduate student, how did Giuliana choose her path of study? [14:05]What is an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization), and how does one measure its success? [17:08]How did Giuliana go from studying aquaculture to fungi? [18:20]Why does it seem that mushrooms and fungi have been so understudied? [22:26]What’s so unique about Chilean mycology that it became Giuliana’s life work? Has she discovered any new species of fungi? [23:57]How can we determine with certainty the age of a fungal species? [27:07]Are fungi gendered? [29:22]What does Amanita galactica look like, and how did Giuliana choose the name? [30:34]What’s the protocol when it is believed a new species has been discovered? How are specimens preserved in the field? [33:04]Much talk about mate and tango — two things I loved in Argentina many years ago. [39:55]Giuliana’s serendipitous discovery of a second species: Cortinarius chlorosplendidus. [46:30]Why is Kew Gardens so important to the field of mycology? [48:24]How a mushroom is like an apple — just a small part of a much larger organism. [49:22]Why do mycologists believe some mushrooms have developed properties that are hallucinogenic or even toxic to other species? [51:22]Giuliana is kind enough to give us a crash course in taxonomy 101. [55:38]How does a fungarium’s holotype differ from a voucher specimen? [57:43]How did Giuliana come to befriend the legendary Jane Goodall, and how has this friendship encouraged her as a fellow mother field scientist? [58:44]Under Giuliana’s leadership, Chile became the first country in the world to include the fungi kingdom in its environmental legislation. How did she accomplish this, and what does she hope this achieves on a globally ecosystemic level? [1:03:25]What are the implications of human beings being more closely related to fungus than fungus is to plants? For starters, consider penicillin. [1:10:06]In what ways are fungi crucial for life as we know it to exist? [1:12:22]What is the mission of the Fungi Foundation? [1:16:45]What books have influenced Giuliana’s approach to the wonderful world of fungi? [1:22:56]An ineludible responsibility towards the kingdom of the fungi: on finding simplicity in what, at first glance, seemed complex. [1:26:20]The importance of taking time for self-reflection when you’re facing problems for which you’re uniquely suited to solve — especially in a world that’s so hyperconnected and focused on what everyone else is doing and choosing to share. [1:29:56]What is the Telluride Mushroom Festival, what makes it such an incredible experience, and what will Giuliana be presenting there this year? [1:31:46]What does it mean to be a Dame of the Order of the Star of Italy? [1:35:38]I’ve an affection for the Fungi Foundation and find $50,000 a fine first offering. Feel free to inflate the figure financially at ffungi.org! [1:37:08]Giuliana’s request of the audience: let things rot. [1:42:15]Final book and movie recommendations and parting thoughts. [1:43:39]PEOPLE MENTIONEDXimena George-NascimentoAugusto PinochetJaime JiménezPaul StametsSanta ClausSomaTuula NiskanenCarl LinnaeusJane GoodallLeonardo DiCaprioLudwig WittgensteinJohann Wolfgang von GoetheNathalie KelleyJoanna FosterAntonio BacigalupoJosé Mingo MarinettiMerlin SheldrakeLuis SepúlvedaMilan KunderaGabriela MistralEduardo GaleanoClaude DebussyAndrew WeilEmanuel SalzmanGary LincoffDennis McKennaDave NicholsNicholas P. Money