The Tim Ferriss Show

Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show! It will showcase some of my favorite advice and profiles from the audiobook of Tools of Titans. Thousands of you have asked for years for the audiobook versions of Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors, and they are now available. Go to audible.com/ferriss for more details or to download. Today’s episode will focus on Tools of Titans and features the introduction of the book, as well as the profiles of Derek Sivers, BJ Miller, and Christopher Sommer.Just a few notes on the audiobook's format: I recorded the introduction and selected three fantastic, top-ranked narrators to handle the rest, along with some surprise appearances from friends. The short bios, which you will hear at the beginning of each profile, are read by Kaleo Griffith. Ray Porter reads the bulk of each profile including all of my own words. Ray actually narrated my first book, The 4-Hour Workweek, and did an incredible job. Quotations from female guests are read by the wonderful Thé

“My hope is that we will be who we say we are. All of us.” — Coach George Raveling Coach George Raveling (@GeorgeRaveling) is an 82-year-old living legend and Nike’s former Director of International Basketball. Coach Raveling was the first African-American head basketball coach in the PAC-8 (now PAC-12). On August 28, 1963, at age 26, while volunteering as security at the March on Washington, Raveling would humbly become the guardian of what we have come to know as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.Coach Raveling has held head coaching positions at Washington State, the University of Iowa, and USC. Following a prolific basketball coaching career, he joined Nike at the request of Phil Knight, where he played an integral role in signing a reluctant Michael Jordan. He’s also been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.Coach George Raveling made his first appearance on the podcast in 2018, and for me, it was one of the mos

Secretary Madeleine Albright - Optimism, The Future of the US, and 450-Pound Leg Presses | Brought to you by Athletic Greens and Helix Sleep. “I’m an optimist who worries a lot.”  — Secretary Madeleine AlbrightMadeleine K. Albright (@madeleine) is a professor, author, diplomat, and businesswoman who served as the 64th secretary of state of the United States. In 1997, she was named the first female secretary of state and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the US government. From 1993 to 1997, Dr. Albright served as the US permanent representative to the United Nations and was a member of the president’s cabinet. She is a professor in the practice of diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Dr. Albright is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and chair of Albright Capital Management, LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets.She also chairs the National Democratic Institute, serves as the presi

#436: Books I've Loved — Maria Popova and Tyler Cowen  | 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.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

Kevin Hart — The Unstoppable Combination of Positivity and Relentless Improvement | Brought to you by Theragun and Athletic Greens"I don't understand how you do something halfway. I did that through high school, and doing that, I saw the instant consequence." — Kevin HartKevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he launched his career as a comedian during an amateur night at a local comedy club. Over the years, Kevin has become one of Hollywood’s box office powerhouses, opening ten films as the number-one movie on opening weekend. Kevin’s memoir, I Can’t Make This Up, debuted at number one on The New York Times Best-Seller List and remained in the top 10 of the Print Hardcover Best-Seller List for ten weeks straight. The Decision: Overcoming Today’s BS for Tomorrow’s Success—an Audible Original launching May 21st and a follow-up to his memoir—helps people get mentally fit using the same tools and rules he’s developed to elevate his own life. Kevin can

Jim Dethmer — How to Shift from Victim Consciousness, Reduce Drama, Practice Candor, Be Fully Alive, and More | Brought to you by LMNT and "5-Bullet Friday""So many of us destroy our aliveness through pretending. I wasn't going to pretend." — Jim DethmerJim Dethmer is one of the world’s leading voices on conscious leadership. He is a co-founder at Conscious Leadership Group; co-author of the #1 best-selling book on conscious leadership, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership; an international speaker, and has advised hundreds of CEOs and their teams to eliminate drama and build trust.Top hedge-fund managers, heads of major hospital systems, tech leaders, elite thought-leaders, and YPO chapters and forums rely on Jim’s wisdom and guidance to become highly self-aware and create conscious cultures. Currently, Jim’s focus is on working with the most devoted conscious leaders, with a particular interest in those leading underserved populations, and training the next generation of Conscious Leadership

Sam Harris — Psychedelics, Meditation, and The Bigger Picture | Brought to you by FreshBooks and "5-Bullet Friday" "Nothing's changed but yet, on some level, everything has changed, and I feel like I'm in a spaceship where at any moment, the leak or the breach in the wall can be catastrophic. It's a very bizarre feeling, which I know everyone is sharing to one or another degree." — Sam HarrisSam Harris (@SamHarrisOrg) is a neuroscientist, philosopher, and author of five New York Times bestsellers. His work covers a wide range of topics—neuroscience, moral philosophy, religion, meditation practice, human violence, rationality—but generally focuses on how a growing understanding of ourselves and the world is changing our sense of how we should live. His books include The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, Waking Up, and Islam and the Future of Tolerance (with Maajid Nawaz).Sam hosts the popular Making Sense podcast and is also the creator of the Waking Up app, whi

#432: Books I've Loved — Kevin Kelly | 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.Kevin Kelly (@kevin2kelly) might be the real-life most interesting man in the world. Kevin is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its executive editor for its first seven years. His most recent book is The Inevitable, which is a New York Time

Howard Marks on the US Dollar, Three Ways to Add Defense, and Good Questions | Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs and "5-Bullet Friday." More on both below. "Move forward but with caution." — Howard MarksHoward Marks (@HowardMarksBook) is co-chairman and co-founder of Oaktree Capital Management, a leading investment firm with more than $125 billion in assets under management. He is the author of the books Mastering the Market Cycle: Getting the Odds on Your Side and The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor, both critically acclaimed bestsellers.Warren Buffett has written of Howard Marks: "When I see memos from Howard Marks in my mail, they're the first thing I open and read. I always learn something." Marks holds a BSEc degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a major in finance and an MBA in accounting and marketing from the University of Chicago.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to h

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Amazing Creative Toolkit: Saying No, Trusting Intuition, Seeking Awe, Bathing in Grief, and Index Cards | Brought to you by Thrive Market and Athletic Greens. More on both below. “We live in a culture that says you should be able to power through anything. Life will very generously remind you that you cannot, and it will very generously break you at times and very generously show you.”  — Elizabeth GilbertElizabeth Gilbert (@GilbertLiz) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love, as well as several other internationally bestselling books. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the PEN/Hemingway Award. Her latest novel, City of Girls, was named an instant New York Times Best Seller and is a rollicking, sexy tale of the New York City theater world during the 1940s.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Thrive Market, wh

Nick Kokonas on Resurrecting Restaurants, Skin in the Game, and Investing | Brought to you by ShipStation and Helix Sleep. More on both below."It remains to be seen, of course, whether or not this works. But what I didn't want to do was wait to see what happened." — Nick KokonasNick Kokonas (IG: @nkokonas, TW: @NickKokonas) is the co-owner and co-founder of The Alinea Group of restaurants, which includes Alinea, Next, The Aviary, Roister, St. Clair Supper Club, and The Aviary NYC.Alinea has been named the Best Restaurant in America and Best Restaurant in The World by organizations and lists as diverse as The James Beard Foundation, World's 50 Best, TripAdvisor, Yelp, Gourmet Magazine, and Elite Traveler. His restaurants have won nearly every accolade afforded to them.Nick has been a subversive entrepreneur and angel investor since 1996. He spent a decade as a derivatives trader, has co-written three books, and believes in radical transparency in markets and business. As an outsider to the restaurant indu

#428: Jim Jefferies on Comedy, Life Lessons, and the Magic of Filling Out Customs Forms | Brought to you by Laird Superfood and “5-Bullet Friday." More on both below.“The rise is always better than the peak.” — Jim JefferiesSydney native Jim Jefferies (@jimjefferies) is one of the most popular and respected comedians of his generation, entertaining audiences across the globe with his provocative, belief-challenging, and thought-provoking comedy. He created and starred in the sitcom Legit and the Comedy Central late-night show The Jim Jefferies Show. Jim was honored as Stand-Up Comedian of the Year at the Just for Laughs Festival in summer 2019. At the end of 2019, he embarked on his new tour Oblivious, performing all around Europe and North America. He is currently working with NBC on a multi-camera pilot that he will star in from writer-producer Suzanne Martin, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner’s Hazy Mills Productions, and Universal TV.Jim’s new podcast I Don’t Know A

#427: Michael Lewis on the Crafts of Writing, Friendship, Coaching, Happiness, and More | Brought to you by UCAN and Readwise. More on both below. “The secret to doing good research is always to be a little underemployed. You waste years by not being able to waste hours.” — Amos TverskyMichael Lewis is the best-selling author of many books, including Liar's Poker, Moneyball, The Blind Side, The Big Short, The Undoing Project, and The Fifth Risk. Both of his books about sports became movies nominated for Academy Awards, as did The Big Short, his book about the 2008 financial crisis. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and three children.His critically acclaimed podcast, Against The Rules, returns with season two on Tuesday, May 5. Last season, Michael explored the attack on referees in sports, financial markets, newsrooms, courts of law, and the art world.This time around, Michael focuses on coaches: why the role of coach has expanded beyond sports in American life and why every

#426: The Random Show: Boozy Quarantine Edition! | Brought to you by Magic Spoon Cereal and “5-Bullet Friday"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 fine (and not-so-fine) wines, dog adoption, great fiction and non-fiction reads, anniversary celebration during quarantine, exotic meats and decadent desserts, skiing accidents, and much more.Please enjoy!NOTE: This episode was recorded on April 2nd on Caffeine.tv. Thanks to everyone who joined this special live edition!

#425: Books I've Loved — Cindy Eckert and Alexis Ohanian | 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.Cindy Eckert (@cindypinkceo) is a billion-dollar dealmaker, self-made entrepreneur, and tireless force of nature if you're asking Fortune magazine. Prior to forming The Pink Ceiling (affectionately known as the Pinkbuator) to fund and foster female-led disruption in he

Brian Koppelman on Making Art, Francis Ford Coppola, Building Momentum, and More | Brought to you by Helix Sleep and "5-Bullet Friday" “A lot of growing up is learning to shift the responsibility from the other to the self.” — Brian KoppelmanBrian Koppelman (@briankoppelman) is a screenwriter, novelist, director, producer, and host of The Moment podcast. Prior to his hit show Billions, which he co-created and executive produced (and co-wrote on spec), he was best known as the co-writer of Rounders and Ocean’s Thirteen, as well as a producer of The Illusionist and The Lucky Ones. He has also directed films, such as Solitary Man, starring Michael Douglas.Consider getting Brian’s The Royale mug (all proceeds go to Food Bank for New York City), and join the community using hashtag #TheRoyale on Twitter when you have your first cup of coffee in the morning. Please enjoy! This podcast is brought to you by Helix Sleep.&nbs

Rana el Kaliouby — AI, Emotional Intelligence, and The Journey of Finding Oneself | Brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs and "5-Bullet Friday""Embrace your emotions." — Rana el KalioubyA pioneer in Emotion AI, Rana el Kaliouby, Ph.D. (@Kaliouby), is co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, and author of the new book Girl Decoded: A Scientist's Quest to Reclaim Our Humanity by Bringing Emotional Intelligence to Technology.A passionate advocate for humanizing technology, ethics in AI, and diversity, Rana has been recognized on Fortune's 40 Under 40 list and as one of Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech. Rana is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a newly minted Young Presidents' Organization member, and co-hosted PBS series NOVA Wonders, in addition to appearing on the YouTube Originals Series The Age of A.I., hosted by Robert Downey Jr.Rana holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and a Post Doctorate from MIT.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Whether you are looking to hire now f

“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” — SenecaI do an exercise called “fear-setting” at least once a quarter, often once a month. It is the most powerful exercise I do. Fear-setting has produced my biggest business and personal successes, as well as repeatedly helped me to avoid catastrophic mistakes.ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:My TED talk, which is what you are listening to, gives you an overview, and the text at tim.blog/ted provides more detail, step-by-step instructions, and real-world examples.You can watch the TED talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_ferriss_why_you_should_define_your_fears_instead_of_your_goalsThe three exercise slides from the TED presentation: https://tim.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ted_ferriss_fear_setting_sample_slides.pdfThis talk was also shared on the podcast TED Talks Daily, where TED shares new ideas every weekday. You might also enjoy my conversation with Chris Anderson on The TED Interview podcast, in which we discuss philosophy, psychedelics, and much more.

Dr. Jane Goodall — The Legend, The Lessons, The Hope | Brought to you by ExpressVPN and LinkedIn Marketing Solutions.“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” — Dr. Jane GoodallDr. Jane Goodall (@JaneGoodallInst) was born on April 3rd, 1934, in London England. At the young age of 26, she followed her passion for animals and Africa to Gombe, Tanzania, where she began her landmark study of chimpanzees in the wild,­ immersing herself in their habitat as a neighbor rather than a distant observer. Her discovery in 1960 that chimpanzees make and use tools rocked the scientific world and redefined the relationship between humans and animals.In 1977, she established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to advance her work around the world and for generations to come. JGI continues the field research at Gombe and builds on Dr. Goodall’s innovative approach to conservation, which recognizes the central role that people play in the well-being of animals and the environment. In 1991, she fo

#420: Books I've Loved — Matt Mullenweg | 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.Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) is the founding developer of WordPress, the open-source software used by over 35% of the web. Matt is also the CEO of Automattic, which is now the force behind WordPress.com, Jetpack, and many other products.Having built his own 1200-person company with no offices and wit