The Tim Ferriss Show Archives - The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

This episode explores what The 4-Hour Workweek looks like in the age of AI, rebuilding momentum when you’re stuck, navigating friendships, making room for serendipity, and much, much more.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Want to hear another episode with someone who’d rather you spend lavishly on what you love than skimp on lattes? Listen to my conversation with I Will Teach You to Be Rich author Ramit Sethi, in which we discussed defining a rich life, why comparing yourself to the neighbors is irrational, his money rules, getting on the same page financially with a partner, a bucket-list exercise inspired by Stephen King, monthly money meetings, prenups, the $100 challenge, rejecting fear-driven frugality, generosity, how Billy Joel impressed a teenage busboy named Tim, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by Incogni: erase your personal data from the web and prevent scams, fraud, and identity theft! Incogni automatically removes your information across 420+ data brokers (1,000+ additional sites covered in their Unlimited plan), and they keep it scrubbed automatically. Deloitte has independently verified the headline numbers (245M+ removal requests), and the company adheres to AICPA SOC security standards, with an A+ rating from the BBB. And with their Unlimited plan, if you find your info on a site they don’t automatically monitor, just send them the link, and their privacy team will handle it. ​Protect yourself now with Incogni. Go to Incogni.com/Tim to get 60% off their annual plan.

This episode is brought to you by Our Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro! Many nonstick pans can release harmful “forever chemicals”—PFAS—into your food, your home, and, ultimately, your body. Exposure to PFAS has been linked to major health issues like gut microbiome disruption, testosterone dysregulation, and more, which have been correlated to chronic disease in the long term. This is why I use the Titanium Always Pan Pro from today’s sponsor, Our Place. It’s the first nonstick pan with zero coating. This means zero “forever chemicals” and durability that will last a lifetime. Head to FromOurPlace.com/Tim to see why more than a million people have made the switch to Our Place kitchenware. And with their 100-day, risk-free trial and free returns, you can shop with total confidence. Get 10% off with code TIM at checkout.

This episode is brought to you by AG1. I’ve taken AG1 for more than a decade. Longtime listeners have heard me call it my nutritional insurance. Here’s the news: they recently launched AG1 Pro, designed for people focused on performance and longevity. I’ll be traveling soon, and I’m throwing this in my bag to cover my bases while I travel. Past a certain age, maintaining lean muscle becomes priority number one, and AG1 Pro is formulated to support exactly that. It includes HMB, a clinically studied compound that supports protein synthesis and helps reduce protein breakdown, plus zinc carnosine to support the gut lining. Remember: training is only half the equation. Recovery is where the work compounds, and AG1 Pro is built to support it. It’s NSF Certified for Sport, so what’s on the label is what’s in the pouch. Get your free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in the Welcome Kit at Drinkag1.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Momentous Creatine! I’ve used Momentous Creatine for a long time, as it’s been one of the highest-quality creatine options available. Now, Momentous has taken that quality even further with Signature Spec Creatine, their most advanced version yet. Signature Spec is manufactured in a pharmaceutical facility using reverse-osmosis water purification.  It’s verified through a six-stage testing process with four independent agencies—delivering 10x fewer impurities, 2–5x tighter heavy-metal limits, and added PFAS and microplastics screening. 

The ultrafine powder also mixes cleanly, with no grit. Creatine supports strength, power, lean muscle, and recovery, with growing research on enhanced memory and cognitive performance. Head to LiveMomentous.com/Tim and use code TIM for 14% off your first one-time order or a total of 35% off your first subscription order.

The post Q&A with Tim — The 4-Hour Workweek in a World of AI, Rebuilding Personal Agency, The 4-Hour Body After 40, and More (#887) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

In this edition of The Random Show, I reunite with Kevin in L.A. to talk AI super assistants that run your life over text message, agentic shopping, beta-alanine for climbing endurance, walnuts and sperm quality, dream engineering and anesthesia dreams, boner pills, man makeup, The Dark Wizard, my upcoming book, a Jean-Claude Van Damme splits bet, and much more.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Connect with Kevin Rose:

Website | Newsletter | Digg | Diggnation Podcast | The Kevin Rose Show | Instagram | X | Threads | Bluesky

Connect with Tim Ferriss:

Website | 5-Bullet Friday | Saisei Foundation | Instagram | X

Want to hear the last time Kevin and I got together for a Random Show? Listen to this tequila-fueled edition, in which Kevin and I discussed losing Om Malik, five days of silence and the koan “Mu,” rock climbing after 40, finger-strength training, A2 protein and Maui Nui venison, deltaG ketones, the MM120 anxiety study, Kevin’s AI-powered home, Wispr Flow and my recording rig, letting your winners run, Digg’s relaunch, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by Gusto! If you’re a small business owner looking to simplify payroll and HR tasks, Gusto could be the game-changer you need. Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform designed specifically for small businesses. Gusto automatically files federal, state, and local payroll taxes, handles W-2s and 1099s, and offers straightforward health benefits and 401(k) options for nearly any budget. With an intuitive interface and features like time tracking, onboarding tools, and direct access to certified HR experts, Gusto saves time and eliminates headaches so you can focus on what matters—growing your business. ​As a special offer to listeners, new customers get Gusto free for their first 3 months. This is the perfect time to choose Gusto to take care of your team and stay compliant. See for yourself why 9 out of 10 businesses recommend it. Get started now! Terms apply at Gusto.com/terms.

This episode is brought to you by Fin! Fin is an AI agent that delivers high-quality answers and helps resolve complex queries that your customers may have. Rapidly-growing companies like Anthropic (the AI lab behind Claude) rely on Fin to deliver accurate and thoughtful customer support to millions. Fin is built using custom models trained on thousands of customer interactions, and it understands the complexity and nuance of customer service like no other agent. You feed Fin your internal knowledge and policies, it learns your rules, and it can start supporting your overstretched support team. And because every business runs things differently, Fin is fully self-manageable. See the difference Fin can make for your business with a free trial at Fin.ai/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. Go to Shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting Shopify.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Timeline! In a recent Q&A, some of you heard me mention Urolithin A, which is now part of my routine. The reason? Your cells have a built-in maintenance crew. Every day, they clear worn-out mitochondria, the tiny power plants in your cells, and replace them with healthier ones. The technical term is mitophagy, and it gets less efficient as we age. Urolithin A supports that renewal process. Your gut bacteria can make it from compounds in foods like pomegranates, but in many people they make little or none. In one study of 100 adults, only 12 had detectable levels.

So I take Mitopure from Timeline, a highly pure form of Urolithin A backed by 15-plus years of research and multiple human clinical trials. My personal dose is 1,000 milligrams a day, in soft gels. And now, for a limited time, Timeline is offering you 30% off. Go to timeline.com/Tim and get yours today.

The post The Random Show — AI Super Assistants, Boner Pills, Dream Engineering, Wizards, Supplements, Books, and More (#886) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

Many of us feel like we’re drowning in invisible complexity. So I wanted to hit pause and ask a simple question: What are 1–3 decisions that could dramatically simplify my life?

In this episode:

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Connect with Chip Conley:

Connect with Greg McKeown:

Connect with David Allen:

Connect with Elizabeth Gilbert:

Connect with Oliver Burkeman:

“Knowledge is something you accumulate, you add. Wisdom is something you distill, you simplify.”

— Chip Conley

“I think a lot of people have a lot of stormtroopers in their life.”

— Greg McKeown

“You can only feel good about what you’re not doing when you know what you’re not doing.”

— David Allen

“I now treat my inbox like it’s my home because I think it’s an extension of my home.”

— Elizabeth Gilbert

“True simplicity, the simplicity that actually practically helped me in life, is not a question of techniques; it is an attitude.”

— Oliver Burkeman

Want to hear more strategies for simplifying your life? Listen to my conversations with Derek Sivers, Seth Godin, and Martha Beck, in which we discussed why simple is the opposite of complex (not a synonym for easy), living without subscriptions or dependencies, building a house from scratch in New Zealand, getting clear on who your work is for, eliminating gray areas, reclaiming time with personal boundaries, following true joy instead of dopamine hits, how a near-death experience sparked a radical commitment, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by AG1. I’ve taken AG1 for more than a decade. Longtime listeners have heard me call it my nutritional insurance. Here’s the news: they recently launched AG1 Pro, designed for people focused on performance and longevity. I’ll be traveling soon, and I’m throwing this in my bag to cover my bases while I travel. Past a certain age, maintaining lean muscle becomes priority number one, and AG1 Pro is formulated to support exactly that. It includes HMB, a clinically studied compound that supports protein synthesis and helps reduce protein breakdown, plus zinc carnosine to support the gut lining. Remember: training is only half the equation. Recovery is where the work compounds, and AG1 Pro is built to support it. It’s NSF Certified for Sport, so what’s on the label is what’s in the pouch. Get your free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in the Welcome Kit at Drinkag1.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. It fits over your existing mattress and cools or heats each side of the bed independently. I run hot. My lovely partner tends to run cold. With the Pod, we each get the temperature we want. No more fighting over the thermostat.

Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 6, with a temperature-regulating Hub that is fifty percent smaller than Pod 5 and fits under most bed frames. The thermal engine reaches your set temperature twenty percent faster, so the bed is ready when you are. And the cover embeds nine times the biometric sensors—tracking heart rate, HRV, and sleep stages with no wearable. Go to eightsleep.com/Tim and use code TIM to get up to $200 off the Pod for a limited time! Click here to claim this deal and unlock your full potential through optimal sleep.

Photo by Monica Toner

The post How to Simplify Your Life — Tips from Oliver Burkeman, Chip Conley, Elizabeth Gilbert, and More (#885) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

Kevin Ryan is one of the leading entrepreneurs and investors in New York. Often called the “Godfather of NYC tech,” he is the founder and CEO of AlleyCorp, a New York based venture capital firm that incubates and invests across healthcare, AI and software, consumer tech, deep tech, and more. Kevin is also the co-founder of several notable companies including MongoDB, Business Insider, Zola, Gilt Groupe, and Transcend Therapeutics. Earlier in his career, Kevin was the CEO of DoubleClick, which he helped grow from a 20-person startup to a publicly-traded company with more than 1,500 employees.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

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

“I went to the parent company and I said, ‘This internet thing’s going to be big and we have a head start, so why don’t you give me … a couple million dollars and I’ll build up an internet division. We can do it for other companies.’ The disturbing thing is the guy I was talking to … said, “No, because we’re going to wait for the next internet.” First of all, I know you don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no next internet.”

— Kevin Ryan

“It’s important to start narrow.”

— Kevin Ryan

“It’s better to do one thing really well than a bad job on everything.”

— Kevin Ryan

“I never think about exits. We need to focus on the product. Do we have a product that everyone wants to use? If you solve that, everything else follows.”

— Kevin Ryan

“There’s a saying that “The early [bird] gets the [worm]. But the second mouse gets the cheese.”

— Kevin Ryan

“There are 164 soft drinks. The odds of you coming up with one that stands out is pretty slim. Whereas the changes that are occurring or have occurred in solar or wind or geothermal or nuclear, there are going to be billions and billions and billions of dollars of contracts signed to produce energy. Robotics, same thing.

— Kevin Ryan

Want to hear another episode with someone who builds category-defining companies and bets on where technology is headed? Listen to my conversation with Netscape co-creator and Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Marc Andreessen, in which we discussed his rules for investing, how he decides whether a company should stay the course or pivot, why his firm bets for change when others bet against it, the factors behind a big investment, the future of AI and drones, bitcoin, “strong opinions loosely held,” his debate with Peter Thiel, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by AG1. I’ve taken AG1 for more than a decade. Longtime listeners have heard me call it my nutritional insurance. Here’s the news: they recently launched AG1 Pro, designed for people focused on performance and longevity. I’ll be traveling soon, and I’m throwing this in my bag to cover my bases while I travel. Past a certain age, maintaining lean muscle becomes priority number one, and AG1 Pro is formulated to support exactly that. It includes HMB, a clinically studied compound that supports protein synthesis and helps reduce protein breakdown, plus zinc carnosine to support the gut lining. Remember: training is only half the equation. Recovery is where the work compounds, and AG1 Pro is built to support it. It’s NSF Certified for Sport, so what’s on the label is what’s in the pouch. Get your free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in the Welcome Kit at Drinkag1.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Momentous Creatine! I’ve used Momentous Creatine for a long time, as it’s been one of the highest-quality creatine options available. Now, Momentous has taken that quality even further with Signature Spec Creatine, their most advanced version yet. Signature Spec is manufactured in a pharmaceutical facility using reverse-osmosis water purification.  It’s verified through a six-stage testing process with four independent agencies—delivering 10x fewer impurities, 2–5x tighter heavy-metal limits, and added PFAS and microplastics screening. 

The ultrafine powder also mixes cleanly, with no grit. Creatine supports strength, power, lean muscle, and recovery, with growing research on enhanced memory and cognitive performance. Head to LiveMomentous.com/Tim and use code TIM for 14% off your first one-time order or a total of 35% off your first subscription order.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. Go to Shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting Shopify.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. It fits over your existing mattress and cools or heats each side of the bed independently. I run hot. My lovely partner tends to run cold. With the Pod, we each get the temperature we want. No more fighting over the thermostat.

Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 6, with a temperature-regulating Hub that is fifty percent smaller than Pod 5 and fits under most bed frames. The thermal engine reaches your set temperature twenty percent faster, so the bed is ready when you are. And the cover embeds nine times the biometric sensors—tracking heart rate, HRV, and sleep stages with no wearable. Go to eightsleep.com/Tim and use code TIM to get up to $200 off the Pod for a limited time! Click here to claim this deal and unlock your full potential through optimal sleep.

The post How to Spot 10-Year Trends and Build Billion-Dollar Companies — Kevin Ryan of DoubleClick, MongoDB, Business Insider, and Many More (#884) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

My guest today is Tania de Jong, co-founder of Mind Medicine Australia. Tania and her husband, Peter, helped lead the push that, in 2023, made Australia the first country in the world to allow MDMA and psilocybin to be prescribed for psychiatric conditions. I wanted to understand how the hell they helped make that happen and what the rest of the world can learn from it.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Website | LinkedIn | Mind Medicine Australia

“Be curious.”

— Tania de Jong

“I never saw a single piece of nature the same since that [first high-dose psilocybin session]. So every seashell, cloud, leaf, blade of grass, just everything was transformed by that experience, and I could see the energy in everything.”

— Tania de Jong

“We want people to have meaningful lives. We want them to feel healthy. We want them to be able to see the sacred in everything.”

— Tania de Jong

“When you’re trying to change the law, you need people around you that are very strong and who are resilient because we got knocked down over and over.”

— Tania de Jong

“You can sort of see that anyone who’s a pioneer who’s trying to drive change is going to be attacked.”

— Tania de Jong

“We all have to become our own chief medical officers. We have to work out what’s going to work for us, what’s going to make us whole and healed so that we can live our best lives possible.”

— Tania de Jong

“One of the great things I learned was to never let anyone snatch your dreams away.”

— Tania de Jong

“Let’s just keep asking questions and not outsourcing ourselves to all of the chatbots and all of the robots.”

— Tania de Jong

Want to hear another episode with someone who spent decades turning a stigmatized medicine into approved treatment? Listen to my conversation with MAPS founder Rick Doblin, in which we discussed the founding of MAPS, MDMA’s unlikely path from the lab into the therapy room, Sasha Shulgin, the difference between MDMA and MDA, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD, treating veterans and first responders, what it cost to champion psychedelics long before the mainstream caught on, the fight to reschedule MDMA, a surprise $10M challenge, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by AG1. I’ve taken AG1 for more than a decade. Longtime listeners have heard me call it my nutritional insurance. Here’s the news: they recently launched AG1 Pro, designed for people focused on performance and longevity. I’ll be traveling soon, and I’m throwing this in my bag to cover my bases while I travel. Past a certain age, maintaining lean muscle becomes priority number one, and AG1 Pro is formulated to support exactly that. It includes HMB, a clinically studied compound that supports protein synthesis and helps reduce protein breakdown, plus zinc carnosine to support the gut lining. Remember: training is only half the equation. Recovery is where the work compounds, and AG1 Pro is built to support it. It’s NSF Certified for Sport, so what’s on the label is what’s in the pouch. Get your free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in the Welcome Kit at Drinkag1.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Momentous Creatine! I’ve used Momentous Creatine for a long time, as it’s been one of the highest-quality creatine options available. Now, Momentous has taken that quality even further with Signature Spec Creatine, their most advanced version yet. Signature Spec is manufactured in a pharmaceutical facility using reverse-osmosis water purification.  It’s verified through a six-stage testing process with four independent agencies—delivering 10x fewer impurities, 2–5x tighter heavy-metal limits, and added PFAS and microplastics screening. 

The ultrafine powder also mixes cleanly, with no grit. Creatine supports strength, power, lean muscle, and recovery, with growing research on enhanced memory and cognitive performance. Head to LiveMomentous.com/Tim and use code TIM for 14% off your first one-time order or a total of 35% off your first subscription order.

This episode is brought to you buy ProLon! One name that has come up on this podcast more than once is Dr. Valter Longo, a USC professor with decades of peer-reviewed research on fasting, nutrition, and aging. I regularly fast and have done a lot of experiments with fasting over more than a decade, and it has been one of the most incredible unlocks that I have found for both near- and long-term physical and mental health.

But fasting can be really hard, and that is why Dr. Longo, best known for the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), developed ProLon. For 5 days, you’re able to get the benefits of fasting—including autophagy, your body’s cellular, self cleanup process—all while eating real, structured, plant-based meals. In scientific studies, 5-day cycles of the Fasting Mimicking Diet improved markers tied to metabolic health and biological aging and helped people drop fat while holding onto lean muscle. And ProLon makes it easy: it comes in one box, everything is clearly laid out, and there’s no guesswork. For a limited time, Prolon is offering my listeners 15% off sitewide, plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-day program. Just visit ProLonLife.com/Tim.

The post How to Legalize Medical Psychedelics in Your Country — Tania de Jong on The Playbook Behind Australia’s World-First Breakthrough (#883) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

This episode is a bit different. It’s a live, unscripted working session with a founder, and I’ve only done one other earlier this year.

Niels Hoven (@NielsHoven) is the founder and CEO of Mentava, a company building software to support fast learners. Eager kids are dramatically underserved by today’s education system, and Niels created Mentava to allow students to achieve their potential. Prior to Mentava, Niels worked at Cloudflare, ClassDojo, and Pocket Gems, where he ran the highest-grossing mobile game in the world in 2011. He has a graduate degree in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

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

[00:00:00] Start.

[00:01:32] What Mentava is—and the toddlers reading before age three.

[00:08:31] Game design, slot-machine motivation, and lowering the hoop.

[00:11:54] Tim’s red pen: rewriting the bio and positioning.

[00:16:59] The real problem: wasted early years, high-school pressure.

[00:23:55] Learning at your own pace—and “what if you did nothing?”

[00:29:32] Dog-fish, fish-dog: readiness, failed trials, and follow-ups.

[00:35:06] The $500 price, school pilots, and videos-for-tuition scholarships.

[00:41:39] Teach a kid to fish: selling relief, not nagging.

[00:47:49] Viral posts, the culture-war trap, and why exaggeration is death.

[00:55:05] Put the ask on top: investor updates and what actually converts.

[00:59:35] The thirty-year phonics war—and it’s not with teachers.

[01:01:10] A $1,000 coupon, zero takers: why the referral bribe flopped.

[01:08:04] Lead with the love letters: testimonials, homepage, and who’s buying.

[01:20:03] “No scam charges $500 a month”: pricing and who you’re not for.

[01:34:16] Uncrowded channels and workshopping like a standup.

[01:42:08] Don’t let Amazon be your debutante ball: testing what sells.

[01:46:42] Alpha School, the competitive map, and the eager investor.

[01:48:39] Reaching the already-converted: be the painkiller, TiE, surround sound.

[02:08:18] Niels’s charge: advocate for your child, unapologetically.

“Kids are these little sponges. They want to learn everything.”

— Niels Hoven

“The metaphor for motivation that I like to use is it’s like trying to get someone to jump through a hoop. You can either increase the size of the reward on the other side or you can lower the hoop.”

— Niels Hoven

“If you allow kids to learn at their own pace, you can pack the entire school day into a very small amount of time.”

— Niels Hoven

“Everybody in cognitive science—everybody in the rest of academia—completely understands that phonics is the only way to teach reading.”

— Niels Hoven

“Being able to say, ‘My kid can already read. You need to give them more opportunity,’ is one of your strongest negotiating levers.”

— Niels Hoven

“Never ever let anybody make you feel guilty for advocating for your kid.”

— Niels Hoven

Want to hear another episode with someone fixated on the outer limits of how fast humans can learn? Listen to my conversation with chess prodigy and The Art of Learning author Josh Waitzkin, in which we discussed initiating flow states, cognitive biases, fixed versus growth mindsets, the hazards of a rigid identity, presence in parenting, cultivating quality as a way of life, the principle of scarcity in the learning process, thematic interconnectedness in education, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by Fin! Fin is an AI agent that delivers high-quality answers and helps resolve complex queries that your customers may have. Rapidly-growing companies like Anthropic (the AI lab behind Claude) rely on Fin to deliver accurate and thoughtful customer support to millions. Fin is built using custom models trained on thousands of customer interactions, and it understands the complexity and nuance of customer service like no other agent. You feed Fin your internal knowledge and policies, it learns your rules, and it can start supporting your overstretched support team. And because every business runs things differently, Fin is fully self-manageable. See the difference Fin can make for your business with a free trial at Fin.ai/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. Go to Shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting Shopify.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront is a financial services platform that offers services to help you save and invest your money. Right now, your cash can earn 3.30% APY—that’s the Annual Percentage Yield—with the Wealthfront Cash Account from its network of program banks. That’s 8 times more interest than a typical savings account at a bank, according to FDIC.gov as of 05/18/2026 (Wealthfront’s 3.30% APY vs. 0.38% average savings rate). Right now, for a limited time, Wealthfront is offering new clients that use my sign-up link an additional 0.75% boost over the base rate for three months, meaning you can get up to 4.05% APY, limited to a $150,000 balance. Terms & Conditions apply. Visit Wealthfront.com/Tim to get started. 

The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“Wealthfront Brokerage”), member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The 3.30% Base APY on cash deposits is as of January 30, 2026, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum balance. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where it earns the variable base APY. The Direct Deposit Plus Investing Program from Wealthfront Advisers LLC and Wealthfront Brokerage LLC provides eligible clients a 0.25% APY increase above the base APY on eligible Cash Account balances (up to an overall boosted rate of 4.30% for a limited time when including the three month 0.75% APY boost for new Cash Account clients) when you direct deposit $1,000/month plus maintain a funded investing account. Wealthfront may change or end the program at any time and determine eligibility at its discretion. Terms and conditions apply. Full details for both promotions at wealthfront.com/promo-terms.

Tim Ferriss, who is not a client, receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, which creates an incentive that results in a conflict of interest. Tim expresses his own opinions and Wealthfront does not endorse, sponsor, or promote them. This ad may not reflect the experience of other Cash Account clients, and similar outcomes are not guaranteed. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. See full disclosures here. 

The post How to Teach a 3-Year-Old to Read and Rethinking Education — Tim Coaches Niels Hoven of Mentava (#882) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

This is a special episode about overcoming mistakes and failure. What do you do when your work is rejected, when the big bet fails, or when the path ahead suddenly disappears? As you’ll hear in this episode, setbacks can often present opportunities if you know how to look for them.

Enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Connect with BJ Miller:

Connect with Terry Crews:

Connect with Tim McGraw:

Connect with Jessica Lahey:

Connect with Dax Shepard:

Connect with Cathy Lanier:

Connect with Janna Levin:

Connect with Boyd Varty:

“I love two wheels. I love the gyroscopic lifestyle. I love the feeling of it.”

— BJ Miller

“If I win or if I fail, it’s going to be on my terms. It’s going to be up to me. If I have the opportunity, I have to go for it.”

— Terry Crews

“If you don’t have a vision about what you want to do, if you don’t have a plan about what you want to do, if you don’t act on it every day, it’s not going to happen. It’s just not going to happen.“

— Tim McGraw

“It’s not that I’m a great writer. It’s that I was humble enough to say, ‘Teach me how to be better. I will take it to heart, and I will be able to be objective about it, and I will use it, and I won’t make the same mistakes again.'”

— Jessica Lahey

“What I know most is that I don’t know what’s best for me.”

— Dax Shepard

“I remember the first day I went to get food stamps, going to the big white building by Prince George’s Plaza right near my home and standing in the same line with my son that I stood in with my mom when I was a kid, and I was like, ‘This is not my path. This can’t be my path.'”

— Cathy Lanier

“Life is not great for most people, and they have to do a hell of a lot more than not screw it up.”

— Janna Levin

“I don’t know where I’m going, but I know exactly how to get there.”

— Boyd Varty

Want to hear another episode with someone who turned getting unstuck into a life’s work? Listen to my conversation with author and life coach Martha Beck, in which we discussed the amazing and brutal results of telling zero lies for 365 days, how to do a beginner “integrity cleanse,” owning your right to say no, honest alternatives to saying no, finding joy in the body, want versus yearning, the opposite of anxiety, Internal Family Systems, lessons from lion trackers, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by Incogni: erase your personal data from the web and prevent scams, fraud, and identity theft! Incogni automatically removes your information across 420+ data brokers (1,000+ additional sites covered in their Unlimited plan), and they keep it scrubbed automatically. Deloitte has independently verified the headline numbers (245M+ removal requests), and the company adheres to AICPA SOC security standards, with an A+ rating from the BBB. And with their Unlimited plan, if you find your info on a site they don’t automatically monitor, just send them the link, and their privacy team will handle it. ​Protect yourself now with Incogni. Go to Incogni.com/Tim to get 60% off their annual plan.

This episode is brought to you by Gusto! If you’re a small business owner looking to simplify payroll and HR tasks, Gusto could be the game-changer you need. Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform designed specifically for small businesses. Gusto automatically files federal, state, and local payroll taxes, handles W-2s and 1099s, and offers straightforward health benefits and 401(k) options for nearly any budget. With an intuitive interface and features like time tracking, onboarding tools, and direct access to certified HR experts, Gusto saves time and eliminates headaches so you can focus on what matters—growing your business. ​As a special offer to listeners, new customers get Gusto free for their first 3 months. This is the perfect time to choose Gusto to take care of your team and stay compliant. See for yourself why 9 out of 10 businesses recommend it. Get started now! Terms apply at Gusto.com/terms.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was named best overall mattress of 2026 by Forbes, Wired, and Sleepopolis; best mattress for couples by Oprah Daily; and one of the most trusted brands of 2026 by USA Today. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering listeners 20% off sitewide for a limited time at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

The post Tales of Overcoming the Odds, and How to Turn Losses Into Wins — Tim McGraw, Terry Crews, Dax Shepard, and More (#881) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

This special episode is devoted to one deceptively simple question: How do you stay close to your partner over time through the inevitable exhaustion, misunderstanding, conflict, disappointment, and change?

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Connect with Esther Perel:

Connect with Brené Brown:

Connect with Brad Feld:

Connect with Jim Dethmer:

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Connect with the legacy of Dr. Sue Johnson (RIP):

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Connect with Diana Chapman:

“Don’t complain, ask. Behind every criticism there’s often a wish.”

— Esther Perel

“Everyone says marriage should be 50/50. It’s the biggest crock of bullshit I’ve ever heard. It’s never 50/50. Ever. … A partnership works when you can carry their 20 or they can carry your 20. And that when you both just have 20, you have a plan where you don’t hurt each other.”

— Brené Brown

“Just naming the thing oftentimes gets rid of a lot of the anxiety. Just labeling it, just calling it out and saying it out loud.”

— Brad Feld

“Before you start revealing, start listening.”

— Jim Dethmer

“We fight about how we fight. That’s the fight we usually have.”

— Sheila Heen

“What attachment science tells us is that emotional isolation is toxic for human beings. … In safe relationships, couples grow each other.”

— Dr. Sue Johnson

“The essential rhythm of all relationships is harmony, disharmony, and repair. Closeness, disruption, and a return to closeness.”

— Terry Real

“I believe that fear, when we’re present, is an intelligence that says, ‘Something needs to get learned.”

— Diana Chapman

Want to hear another episode with someone who thinks deeply about how we understand and relate to one another? Listen to my conversation with philosopher Alain de Botton, in which we discussed real-world versus academic philosophy, emotional intelligence, the underrated skill of listening, why “mean” is often simply “anxious,” status anxiety, practical pessimism, the value of rituals and tribes, “ordinary genius,” and much more.

This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. It fits over your existing mattress and cools or heats each side of the bed independently. I run hot. My lovely partner tends to run cold. With the Pod, we each get the temperature we want. No more fighting over the thermostat.

Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 6, with a temperature-regulating Hub that is fifty percent smaller than Pod 5 and fits under most bed frames. The thermal engine reaches your set temperature twenty percent faster, so the bed is ready when you are. And the cover embeds nine times the biometric sensors—tracking heart rate, HRV, and sleep stages with no wearable. Go to eightsleep.com/Tim and use code TIM to get up to $200 off the Pod for a limited time! Click here to claim this deal and unlock your full potential through optimal sleep.

The post Relationship Tools That Work — Esther Perel, Brené Brown, Dr. Sue Johnson, Terry Real, and More on Conflict, Repair, and Lasting Love (#880) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

This is a special compilation devoted to reinvention: how to shed an identity that no longer fits, decide on a new chapter, navigate uncertainty, and commit to what’s next.

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Connect with Matthew McConaughey:

Website | X | Facebook | Instagram

Matthew’s appearance on the podcast: 474

Connect with Steve Young:

HGGC | Forever Young Foundation | X | Instagram

Steve’s appearance on the podcast: 847

Connect with Lori Gottlieb:

Website | Ask the Therapist Column (NYT) | X | Facebook | Instagram

Lori’s appearance on the podcast: 415

Connect with Suleika Jaouad:

Website | X | Facebook | Instagram

Suleika’s appearance on the podcast: 516

Connect with Samin Nosrat:

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Samin’s appearance on the podcast: 339

Connect with Martine Rothblatt:

United Therapeutics Corporation | X | Instagram

Martine’s appearance on the podcast: 487

Connect with Debbie Millman:

Website | Design Matters Podcast | X | Facebook | Instagram

Debbie’s appearances on the podcast: 472, 304, 230, 214

“Fuck the bucks, I’m going for the experience. If I read a role that shakes me in my boots, and challenges the vitality that I feel in my own real life, and challenges me, the man I am in my own real life, that’s what I’m going after.”

— Matthew McConaughey

“What I’ve learned about transition [is] that everyone … needs to recognize and treat it like a death, to mourn it and go through all the steps of mourning it and burying it and actually having it as a place that you can keep referring to as almost like a grave site. Because otherwise you carry it around and you never transition.”

— Steve Young

“Thinking about death makes us happier. I don’t mean dwelling — just acknowledging it. Just acknowledging that life has a 100 percent mortality rate and most of us don’t know how or when we’re going to die.”

— Lori Gottlieb

“Recovering wasn’t about a return to the old. It was a brute, terrifying act of discovery.”

— Suleika Jaouad

“Now that I know what’s possible — negatively and also positively — I know what to ask for and I know how to articulate that.”

— Samin Nosrat

“What I didn’t know, I just kept going backwards in academia, backwards in learning or pedagogia, until I would even get to a high school level textbook that would explain something. And I said, ‘Okay, I get that.’ And I kept taking notes and just educated myself night after night until I learned everything I needed to know.”

— Martine Rothblatt

“Write this day, this one day, 10 years from now. What does your whole day look like? Start from the minute you wake up, brush your teeth, have your coffee or tea, all the way through until when you tuck yourself in at night. What is that day like for you? Dream big. Dream without any fear. Write it all down. You don’t have to share it with anyone other than yourself. Put your whole heart into it and write like there’s no tomorrow. Write like your life depends on it because it does. And then, read it once a year and see what happens. It’s magic.”

— Debbie Millman

Want to hear another episode with someone who walked away at the top to reinvent himself? Listen to my conversation with author, entrepreneur, and one-time circus clown Derek Sivers, in which we discussed selling CD Baby and giving the proceeds to charity, the joys of an un-optimized life, finding paths less traveled, taking giant leaps, the wisdom of quitting when you’re ahead, picking the right game of life, why saying “good enough” can be a superpower, and much more.

This episode is brought to you by Momentous Creatine! I’ve used Momentous Creatine for a long time, as it’s been one of the highest-quality creatine options available. Now, Momentous has taken that quality even further with Signature Spec Creatine, their most advanced version yet. Signature Spec is manufactured in a pharmaceutical facility using reverse-osmosis water purification.  It’s verified through a six-stage testing process with four independent agencies—delivering 10x fewer impurities, 2–5x tighter heavy-metal limits, and added PFAS and microplastics screening. 

The ultrafine powder also mixes cleanly, with no grit. Creatine supports strength, power, lean muscle, and recovery, with growing research on enhanced memory and cognitive performance. Head to LiveMomentous.com/Tim and use code TIM for 14% off your first one-time order or a total of 35% off your first subscription order.

This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. Go to Shopify.com/Tim to sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period. It’s a great deal for a great service, so I encourage you to check it out. Take your business to the next level today by visiting Shopify.com/Tim.

The post How to Reinvent Yourself and Make Bold Moves — Decisive Stories from Matthew McConaughey, Steve Young, Samin Nosrat, and More (#879) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

This is a special compilation devoted to a subject very close to my heart and currently consuming a large percentage of my waking hours: writing. Over the years, I’ve asked some of the writers I admire most questions like: How do you choose a project and stay with it? How do you begin when inspiration refuses to show up? How do you build a practice that reliably produces pages? And how do you keep going when you fear your pages are terrible? Listen in as some of my favorite authors answer these and other questions. Please enjoy this special compilation on the craft of writing.

This episode is brought to you by:

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

Connect with Elizabeth Gilbert:

Website | Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter

Elizabeth’s appearances on the podcast: 770, 430

Connect with Anne Lamott:

X | Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram

Anne’s appearance on the podcast: 522

Connect with Joyce Carol Oates:

X | Bluesky | Facebook | Newsletter

Joyce’s appearance on the podcast: 497

Connect with Jerry Seinfeld:

Website | X | Facebook | Instagram

Jerry’s appearance on the podcast: 485

Connect with Mary Karr:

Website | X | Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram

Mary’s appearance on the podcast: 479

Connect with Brandon Sanderson:

Website | X | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Brandon’s appearance on the podcast: 794

Connect with Seth Godin:

Website | Seth’s Blog | X | Bluesky | Facebook | Instagram

Seth’s appearances on the podcast: 792, 476, 402, 343, 177, 138

“Meditation, spirituality, and art have so much in common.”

— Elizabeth Gilbert

“All first drafts of any book you’ve ever read by the authors you esteem most began as unreadable first drafts.”

— Anne Lamott

“Life doesn’t have to be so overthought. You don’t have to wait to be inspired. Just start working.”

— Joyce Carol Oates

“Nobody writes all day. Shakespeare can’t write all day. It’s torture.”

— Jerry Seinfeld

“Every writer I know has written a bad book. So maybe it’s just going to be a bad book, but it’s the book that’s standing in line to be written.”

— Mary Karr

“Most people are better served by writing a certain amount every day really consistently, or at least two or three times a week, and building a novel out of good habits.”

— Brandon Sanderson

“Bad writing over time, if you do enough of it, can’t persist. Good writing will slip through. I learned this from Isaac Asimov … [who] published 400 books back when it was hard to publish a book.”

— Seth Godin

Want to hear another episode with someone who has spent a lifetime wrestling the demon of the blank page? Listen to my conversation with novelist and The War of Art author Steven Pressfield, in which we discussed overcoming “Resistance with a capital R,” the many faces of self-sabotage, his journey from blue-collar truck driver to bestselling novelist, the hero’s journey versus the artist’s journey, morning routines and a “little successes” approach, shadow careers, why the process that works for Joyce Carol Oates might be all wrong for you, fear-setting, and much more.

This episode is brought to you buy ProLon! One name that has come up on this podcast more than once is Dr. Valter Longo, a USC professor with decades of peer-reviewed research on fasting, nutrition, and aging. I regularly fast and have done a lot of experiments with fasting over more than a decade, and it has been one of the most incredible unlocks that I have found for both near- and long-term physical and mental health.

But fasting can be really hard, and that is why Dr. Longo, best known for the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), developed ProLon. For 5 days, you’re able to get the benefits of fasting—including autophagy, your body’s cellular, self cleanup process—all while eating real, structured, plant-based meals. In scientific studies, 5-day cycles of the Fasting Mimicking Diet improved markers tied to metabolic health and biological aging and helped people drop fat while holding onto lean muscle. And ProLon makes it easy: it comes in one box, everything is clearly laid out, and there’s no guesswork. For a limited time, Prolon is offering my listeners 15% off sitewide, plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-day program. Just visit ProLonLife.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by AG1. I’ve taken AG1 for more than a decade. Longtime listeners have heard me call it my nutritional insurance. Here’s the news: they recently launched AG1 Pro, designed for people focused on performance and longevity. I’ll be traveling soon, and I’m throwing this in my bag to cover my bases while I travel. Past a certain age, maintaining lean muscle becomes priority number one, and AG1 Pro is formulated to support exactly that. It includes HMB, a clinically studied compound that supports protein synthesis and helps reduce protein breakdown, plus zinc carnosine to support the gut lining. Remember: training is only half the equation. Recovery is where the work compounds, and AG1 Pro is built to support it. It’s NSF Certified for Sport, so what’s on the label is what’s in the pouch. Get your free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in the Welcome Kit at Drinkag1.com/Tim.

The post How to Start When You’re Stuck, Finish What You Begin, and Stop Waiting for Inspiration — Creative Advice from Elizabeth Gilbert, Seth Godin, Joyce Carol Oates, Anne Lamott, and More (#878) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.