The Tim Ferriss Show

Matthew McConaughey — The Power of “No, Thank You,” Key Life Lessons, 30+ Years of Diary Notes, and The Art of Catching Greenlights | Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Helix Sleep mattresses, and Magic Spoon cerealMatthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) is a Texas native and one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading men. A chance meeting in Austin with casting director and producer Don Phillips led him to director Richard Linklater, who launched the actor's career in the cult classic Dazed and Confused. Since then, he has won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club, appeared in more than 40 feature films that have grossed more than $1 billion, and has become a producer, director, and philanthropist with his Just Keep Livin' Foundation—all the while sticking to his Texas roots and "jk livin'" philosophy.McConaughey also serves as creative director for Wild Turkey and has co-created his own bourbon, Longbranch. He serves as Minister of Culture/M.O.C. for the Unive

Naval Ravikant on Happiness, Reducing Anxiety, Crypto Stablecoins, and Crypto Strategy | Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Tonal smart home gym, and ShipStation shipping softwareNaval Ravikant (@naval) is the co-founder and chairman of AngelList. He is an angel investor and has invested in more than 100 companies, including many mega-successes such as Twitter, Uber, Notion, OpenDoor, Postmates, and Wish. You can subscribe to Naval, his podcast on wealth and happiness, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find his blog at nav.al.For more Naval plus Tim, check out my wildly popular interview with him from 2015, which was nominated for “Podcast of the Year.”Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of asset

Books I've Loved — Debbie Millman | Brought to you by Audible.Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to sit down with world-class performers of all different types—from startup founders and investors to chess champions to Olympic athletes. This episode, however, is an experiment and part of a shorter series I’m doing called “Books I’ve Loved.” I’ve invited some amazing past guests, close friends, and new faces to share their favorite books—the books that have influenced them, changed them, and transformed them for the better. I hope you pick up one or two new mentors—in the form of books—from this new series and apply the lessons in your own life.Please note that this episode was recorded in late 2019.Debbie Millman (@debbiemillman) has been named one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company, and she is the host ofDesign Matters—a great show and one of the world’s longest running podcasts. She is also Chair of the Masters in Branding Prog

Adam Grant — How to Remember Anything | Brought to you by "5-Bullet Friday" Please enjoy this special episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, featuring the superhuman Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) and his podcast with TED, WorkLife.Many of you have heard my interview with Adam, which was one of the most popular interviews of 2019. I titled that podcast “The Man Who Does Everything” because Adam seems to accomplish more than the next 10 people combined, and he has built systems and habits that allow him to do this. Adam is an expert in how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of four books that have been translated into 35 languages: Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His TED talks have been viewed more than 20 million times. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, and the Gat

Steven Rinella on Hunting (And Why You Should Care), Reconnecting with Nature, Favorite Trips, and More | Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs hiring platform, FreshBooks cloud-based small business accounting software, and Allform premium sofas.Steven Rinella (@StevenRinella) is the host of the Netflix Originals series MeatEater and The MeatEater Podcast. He's also the author of seven books dealing with wildlife, conservation, hunting, fishing, and wild foods, including the forthcoming The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival, coming out on December 1st, 2020.Please enjoy!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 690

Dr. Mark Plotkin on Ethnobotany, Real vs. Fake Shamans, Hallucinogens, and the Dalai Lamas of South America | Brought to you by Wondery Plus, Four Sigmatic, and Theragun Dr. Mark Plotkin (@DocMarkPlotkin) is an ethnobotanist who serves as president of the Amazon Conservation Team, which has partnered with 55 tribes to map and improve management and protection of 80 million acres of ancestral rainforests. Educated at Harvard, Yale, and Tufts, Plotkin has since spent much of the past four decades studying the shamans and healing plants of tropical America from Mexico to Argentina, although much of his work focuses on the rainforests of the northeast Amazon. He is best known to the general public as the author of the book Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice, one of the most popular books about the rainforest. His new book from Oxford Press is The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know.His upcoming podcast series is titled Plants of the Gods: Hallucinogens: Culture, Conservation, History and Healing, and it will be comin

Books I've Loved — Cal Fussman | Brought to you by Audible.Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to sit down with world-class performers of all different types—from startup founders and investors to chess champions to Olympic athletes. This episode, however, is an experiment and part of a shorter series I’m doing called “Books I’ve Loved.” I’ve invited some amazing past guests, close friends, and new faces to share their favorite books—the books that have influenced them, changed them, and transformed them for the better. I hope you pick up one or two new mentors—in the form of books—from this new series and apply the lessons in your own life.Please note that this episode was recorded in late 2019. Cal Fussman (@calfussman) is a New York Times bestselling author, longtime Esquire writer, and the host of the podcast Big Questions with Cal Fussman. Cal has transformed oral history into an art form, conducting probing interviews with the icons w

Dustin Yellin on Making Art, Weaving Madness, and Forging Your Own Path | Brought to you by Wealthfront, Zero Fasting, and ExpressVPN“I don’t worry about inspiration as much as system overload.” — Dustin YellinDustin Yellin (@dustinyellin) is an artist who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the founder and director of Pioneer Works, a multidisciplinary cultural center in Red Hook, Brooklyn, that builds community through the arts and sciences to create an open and inspired world. He and his incredible work have been featured by media and organizations including The New York Times, Artforum, Vanity Fair, and TED.Drawing on both modernism and the sacred tradition of Hinterglas painting, Yellin primarily works through a unique form of three-dimensional photomontage, in which paint and images clipped from various print media are embedded within laminated glass sheets to form grand pictographic allegories, which Dustin calls “frozen cinema.” These totemic and kaleidoscopic works often plum

Richard Koch on Mastering the 80/20 Principle, Achieving Unreasonable Success, and The Art of Gambling | Brought to you by Boll & Branch, Vuori Clothing, and Athletic Greens. Richard Koch (@RichardKoch8020) is an entrepreneur, investor, former strategy consultant, and author of several books on business and ideas, including four on how to apply the 80/20 principle in all walks of life.His investments have grown at 22 percent compounded annually over 37 years and have included Filofax, Plymouth Gin, Belgo, Betfair (the world’s largest betting exchange), FanDuel, and Auto1. He has worked for Boston Consulting Group and was a partner at Bain & Co. before joining Jim Lawrence and Iain Evans to start LEK, which expanded from three to 350 professionals during the six years Richard was there.In 1997, Richard’s book The 80/20 Principle reinterpreted the Pareto Rule, which states that most results come from a small minority of causes, and extended it beyond its well-known application in business into personal

Jamie Foxx on Workout Routines, Success Habits, and Untold Hollywood Stories (Repost) | Brought to you by Honey and Pique TeaJamie Foxx (@iamjamiefoxx) is an Academy Award-winning actor, a Grammy Award-winning musician, and a famous standup and improv comedian. He is, without a doubt, the most consummate performer and entertainer I have ever met. In the 2.5 hours we spent together in his home studio, he blew my mind.We cover a TON in this wide-ranging episode, including many never-before-heard stories. Here’s just a tiny sample of what you’ll hear:Jamie’s workout routineJamie’s origin stories — how he used $400 to match a $1,000,000 party thrown by Puff Daddy; building up his network with Kanye, Jay Z, and Pharrell; expanding his fan base; and bombing horribly at the beginningWhat he learned during the magic of In Living ColorJamie playing live music throughout our interviewImpersonations (and lessons learned from many of the following) — Quincy Jones, Ed Shee

For me, this is the most important podcast episode I’ve ever published.In it, I describe the most life-shaping, certainly the most difficult, and certainly the most transformative journey of my 43 years on this planet. I’ve never shared it before.My dance partner and safety net in this conversation is my friend Debbie Millman (@debbiemillman). She has been named one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company, and she is the host of Design Matters—a great show and one of the world’s longest running podcasts. She is also Chair of the Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts and Editorial Director of Print magazine, and she has worked on design strategy for some of the world’s largest brands.But I didn’t ask Debbie to join me because of her bio. I asked Debbie because she’s a close confidante, she’s an excellent interviewer, and she’s been an incredible support for me in the last few years, including late-night emergency phone calls. She and I have also experienced similar trauma but

Esther Perel — The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More (Repost) | Brought to you by ButcherBox and Laird Superfood. Psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author Esther Perel (@EstherPerelOfficial) is recognized as one of today’s most insightful and original voices on modern relationships. Fluent in nine languages, she helms a therapy practice in New York City and serves as an organizational consultant for Fortune 500 companies around the world. Esther is an acclaimed TED speaker and the host of the hit podcasts Where Should We Begin? and How’s Work?.In this episode, Esther and I explore:How to find (and convince) mentors who can change your life.What she’s learned from Holocaust survivors.Polyamory and close cousins.Is there such a thing as too much honesty in relationships?Can we want what we already have?Why do happy people cheat?And much, much more.This episode originally aired in 2017. You can find the show notes here: https://tim.blog

Guy Raz — Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs, The Story of 'How I Built This,' Overcoming Anxiety and Depression, and More | Brought to you by Wealthfront, Pique Tea, and LinkedIn Jobs. “There is a natural skepticism that you develop as a journalist, which I think is important. But oftentimes that develops into cynicism.” — Guy RazGuy Raz (@guyraz) is the Michael Phelps of podcasting. He’s the creator and host of the popular podcasts How I Built This, Wisdom from the Top, and The Rewind and the co-creator of the acclaimed podcasts TED Radio Hour and Wow in the World, a children’s program. He’s received the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize, the National Headliner Award, the NABJ Award… basically, all the awards.His brand-new book is titled How I Built This: The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs. Past podcast guest Adam Grant has this to say about it: “[This book is] the mother of all entrepr

Kelly Slater — The Surfing Legend on Routine, Rickson Gracie, Favorite Books, and Overcoming Setbacks | Brought to you by Dry Farm Wines, Helix Sleep, and LMNT. “When you’re humble, you’re teachable.” — Kelly SlaterKelly Slater (@kellyslater) is widely considered the greatest surfer of all time. He holds nearly every major record in the sport, including 11 world titles and 55 career victories. He also has the amazing distinction of being both the youngest and oldest world champion in men’s history. His most dominant days were the mid-’90s, when he won five straight titles between 1993 and 1998.After topping Mark Richards’ previous record of four straight titles, Kelly tried his hand at retirement in 1999 but failed. He rejoined the tour full-time in 2002, and over the following five years faced his toughest rival in Hawaii’s Andy Irons, who got the better of him for three straight years. Their heated battles became the most compelling in the sport’s history, propelling it to new heights. Kelly finally re

This interview originally aired in 2014. You can find the show notes here: https://tim.blog/2014/10/21/brain-pickings/Maria Popova (@brainpicker) is a reader and a writer who writes about what she reads on Brain Pickings, which is included in the Library of Congress permanent web archive of culturally valuable materials. She is the author of Figuring, the editor of A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, and the creator and host of The Universe in Verse, an annual charitable celebration of science through poetry at the interdisciplinary cultural center Pioneer Works in Brooklyn.Brain Pickings is Maria’s one-woman labor of love — an inquiry into how to live and what it means to lead a good life. From Mark Twain to Oscar Wilde and everyone in between, Maria finds the hidden gems. She is also PROLIFIC and makes me look like a sloth.In this in-depth conversation, we cover just about everything: how it happened, her workflow, how she writes (and workar

Books I've Loved — Alain de Botton | Brought to you by Audible.Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is my job to sit down with world-class performers of all different types—from startup founders and investors to chess champions to Olympic athletes. This episode, however, is an experiment and part of a shorter series I’m doing called “Books I’ve Loved.” I’ve invited some amazing past guests, close friends, and new faces to share their favorite books—the books that have influenced them, changed them, and transformed them for the better. I hope you pick up one or two new mentors—in the form of books—from this new series and apply the lessons in your own life.Alain de Botton (@alaindebotton) is the founder and Chairman of The School of Life. He is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a 'philosophy of everyday life.' He’s written on love, travel, architecture and literature, including the titles How Proust Can Change Your Life and The Consol

The Psychedelic News Hour | | Brought to you by How to Lead: Wisdom from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers by David M. Rubenstein Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is normally my job to deconstruct world-class performers of various types, of all ilks. In this special episode, the tables are turned. Instead of interviewing someone else, I am interviewed by two experts on several topics I’ve both studied and supported, including psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and what it can do to heal trauma and—broadly speaking—possible futures for mental health. This audio was recorded on a new show, The Psychedelic News Hour, soon to be a podcast, and I’m in conversation with two people: David Rabin, MD, PhD, (@drdavidrabin), a board-certified psychiatrist and neuroscientist, executive director of The Board of Medicine, and co-founder of Apollo Neuroscience, and Molly Maloof, MD, (@drmolly.co), a physician, Stanford lecturer, and ketamine-assisted psychother

Chuck Palahniuk, Author of Fight Club — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing | Brought to you by ShipStation, ButcherBox, and Thrive Market. More on all three below. “The goal is to make people laugh and then to really break their heart.” — Chuck PalahniukWriter Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) has published twenty-three national and international best-selling books. These include fifteen prose novels, a collection of short stories, two graphic novels, two coloring books, a travel guide, a collection of essays, and a memoir about his life as a writer. He was raised in a desert town with a population of three hundred at the time of his birth in 1962. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon.Palahniuk is best known for his novels Fight Club and Choke, both of which were made into films. Publication of his short story Guts in the Sunday Guardian prompted a sharp drop in circulation. He frequentl

The Power of Myth — The Hero’s Adventure with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers | Brought to you by How to Lead: Wisdom from the World's Greatest CEOs, Founders, and Game Changers by David M. RubensteinWelcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is normally my job to interview and deconstruct world-class performers of all different types.This episode flips the script, but you get a masterful interview in the process. and it features the first program or chapter—titled “The Hero's Adventure”—of the six-part series The Power of Myth. The series is simply incredible, and I found it oddly and profoundly calming. Here is a short description: “Forty years ago, renowned scholar Joseph Campbell sat down with veteran journalist Bill Moyers for a series of interviews that became one of the most enduringly popular programs ever on PBS. In dialogues that adroitly span millennia of history and far-flung geography, the two men discuss myths as metaphors for human experience and the path to transcen

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks on Powerful Books, Mystics, Richard Dawkins, and the Dangers of Safe Spaces | Brought to you by Helix Sleep, FreshBooks, and “5-Bullet Friday"“Win the respect of people you respect, and you can forget the rest.” — Rabbi Lord Jonathan SacksRabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (@RabbiSacks) is an international religious leader, philosopher, and respected moral voice. He was the chief rabbi of the UK and Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013 and the recipient of the 2016 Templeton Prize, in recognition of his “exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” Rabbi Sacks has been described by HRH The Prince of Wales as “a light unto this nation” and by former British prime minister Tony Blair as “an intellectual giant.” He is an award-winning author of more than 30 books, including Not in God’s Name. His new book, Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times , recently became a bestseller in the UK and is now available in North America.He is a