Podcast Notes Playlist: Latest Episodes

• The chiliPAD is a mattress topper that circulates temperature-controlled water (varying between 55-110 °F), allowing you to optimize your sleep environment
• The OOLER is Chili’s follow-up product
  • The main difference? It’s app-controlled, allowing you to set a schedule that changes the temperature throughout the night.
• Your brain needs to drop its temperature 2-3 °F in order to sleep
• When you sleep in colder environments (with something like the chiliPAD) you get more deep sleep
  • This is useful, as deep sleep tends to decline with age

"The most exciting new podcast in the startup world.” - Eric Ries, Founder, and NYTimes bestselling author

Today's episode was actually a live recording with a good friend, a former investor and a continual mentor to me (and dozens of entrepreneurs who I also love and respect). His name is Justin Kan, and he was episode number one for Below The Line.

Justin is a founder and investor based in San Francisco. He has been building startups for close to 15 years now, and he's seen pretty much everything there is to see when it comes to the founder’s journey.

He's also a former partner at Y Combinator and has invested in dozens of companies, giving him a unique perspective on both sides of the table.

He is the co-founder and CEO of Atrium, a full-service corporate law firm that uses modern technology to serve startups all around the world in a fast, transparent and price predictable way. It's phenomenally useful. I've used it and so has a number of founders that have been on the podcast.

You can email James questions directly at [email protected] or follow us on Twitter @ twitter.com/gobelowtheline — “Below the Line with James Beshara" is brought to you by Straight Up Podcasts LLC

• Follow your intuition (your compass)
  • You don’t need to have all the answers, you just need to know which direction to go towards
• Every great business or creative project starts from nothing
• The root of success lies in showing up EVERY day to do the work
• Everyone has fear – don’t try to make it go away, just figure out a place to put it while you’re doing your work
• “All you have to do in order to be the noun is do the verb” – Chase Jarvis
• “If you don’t feel like an impostor, I don’t think you’re working hard enough” – Seth Godin

Super pumped for this week's podcast... If you happened to miss yours truly + Seth Godin on my tour stop in New York a few weeks ago, here it is.

Of course, the title "Creator Therapy" is a little tongue and cheek. Seth and I gathered with about 120 other creators for a conversation on creativity, creative blocks, and taking that next step. Seth is a sage as always. Super grateful to share the stage and soak in some of his wisdom.

Hope you enjoy the conversation, and please be sure to give a shout out to Seth on the socials if you received some value.

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• A tiny percentage of people have the DEC2 gene, a genetic mutation that produces a short sleeping phenotype
  • “The probability that you are a DEC2 carrier is very low… You’re far more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime.” – Dr. Matthew Walker
  • People with the DEC2 gene only need ~6.25 hours of sleep per night
• The average American adult is sleeping 6 hours and 31 minutes per night 
• “It makes me think about the term ‘midnight’ and what it actually means. Midnight actually means ‘middle of the night,’ and it is when you let yourself sleep in harmony with the natural edict. But for must of us, that’s the time when we send our last tweet or check our email for the last time.” – Dr. Matthew Walker

In this special episode, Matthew Walker returns for his second AMA episode where he provides his expert insight on numerous sleep-related questions directly from listeners. He answers a wide range of questions from the gene that causes the short sleeping phenotype, to the ideal sleeping position, to the optimal temperature for best sleep, to how fasting affects sleep, plus a full dissertation on sleep apnea, and much, much more.

We discuss:

• DEC2—A genetic mutation that produces a short sleeping phenotype [11:00];
  
• What is the best position to sleep in? [22:45];
  
• Should you consider a “sleep divorce” with your partner? [27:00];
  
• The challenge of kids wanting to sleep in bed with their parents [28:45];
  
• Is there an ideal type of pillow? [32:30];
  
• Any data on hammock sleeping? Should adults be rocked to sleep like a baby? [34:45];
  
• The optimal room temperature and body temperature for the best sleep [38:30];
  
• Do humidifiers help? [50:40];
  
• How do high altitudes affect sleep? [53:15];
  
• What is the data on weighted blankets (e.g., the Gravity blanket)? [57:00];
  
• Caffeine—How much, and in what way, does it affect sleep? [58:15];
  
• How does sexual activity relate to sleep quality? [1:04:00];
  
• Should we be sleeping in two phases? First sleep & second sleep? [1:06:30];
  
• Napping—Is there ideal duration? Should we be napping or not? [1:08:30];
• Advice for new parents dealing with sleep deprivation [1:12:00];
  
• Understanding your sleep chronotype [1:16:15];
  
• If you drink too much alcohol in a given night, is there anything you can do to make sure your sleep isn’t wrecked? [1:20:45];
  
• How postmenopausal women can manage their sleep problems with (and without) hormone replacement therapy [1:23:00];
  
• Could a daily practice of Wim Hof's breathing method help or hinder quality of sleep? [1:29:15];
  
• Why do some people paradoxically feel more tired the more they sleep? [1:31:15];
  
• Sleep apnea—How to know if you have it, the different types, the causes, and helpful resources [1:33:15];
  
• Is there such a thing called “sleep eating”? [1:45:00];
  
• If Matt was “sleep czar”, what changes would he make to society to improve sleep? [1:46:15];
  
• Catch up sleep: Explaining the difference between retrospective damage and prospective benefit [1:48:45];
  
• Does poor sleep really speed up the aging process? [1:50:30];
  
• Is medicated sleep better than no sleep? [1:53:00];
  
• Does vivid dreaming disrupt the sleep cycle? [1:56:45];
  
• Is there potential benefit to using “binaural beats” or some type of sound to induce better sleep? [1:57:45];
  
• How is sleep affected by fasting and time-restricted eating? [1:59:45];
  
• Is there any evidence that polyphasic sleep (e.g., "Uberman") works? [2:03:30]; and
  
• More.

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• The 3 principles discussed in Chase’s new book, Creative Calling:
  • EVERY person is creative
  • Creativity is a habit, not a skill
  • It’s with small acts of creation (i.e., baking a cake, writing code, or cooking dinner) that we create our life (the same muscle is used)
• Creativity is the solution to every problem you’ll ever come across
• Find the time to pursue your creative passion (the thing that feels like work to others, but play to you)
• You’re tired at the end of the day because you’re not doing the work that you’re supposed to be doing 
• Continually ask yourself – “If nothing mattered but how I was spending my time, what would I be doing? What would be most nourishing for me in any given moment?”
• You don’t have to have all the answers, small acts of creation add up over time to change your life
  • In this way: You don’t need a map, you only need a compass
    • “If the compass that you’re following is your heart, it NEVER lies” – Chase Jarvis
• How does one know when they need to shift their vision?
  • Brandon’s guiding compass: He always asks himself – “How can I make myself like my work more?”
  • Chase has a simple litmus test: He’ll ask himself – “Do I love it, and is it working?
    • If you love it and it’s working, keep doing it
    • If you love it and it’s not working, keep doing it (because you love it)
    • If it’s not working and you don’t love it, quit

My book Creative Calling is out! Thanks for all your love, support, and help getting it out into the world.

We kicked off celebrations in Seattle with over 700 people in attendance to talk about Creativity with my good buddy, Humans of New York creator, Brandon Stanton. I recorded the session for you.

Hope you enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.