logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
2h 17m

#756: Anne Lamott and Josh Waitzkin

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig
About this episode

This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #522 "Anne Lamott on Taming Your Inner Critic, Finding Grace, and Prayer" and #148: "Josh Waitzkin, The Prodigy Returns"

Please enjoy!

Sponsors:

Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for 20% off)

Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (25–30% off all mattress orders and two free pillows)

Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period)

Timestamps:

[04:49] Notes about this supercombo format.

[05:51] Enter Anne Lamott.

[06:21] What is it about Bird by Bird that has affected so many people so deeply?

[07:18] Where the title of Bird by Bird originated.

[09:40] How Neal Allen helps people tame (but not discard) their inner critic.

[10:45] Who controls the dial when you're tuned in to KFKD radio?

[11:51] How Anne recommends I pursue my fiction writing aspirations.

[12:37] The pros and cons of Anne's upbringing.

[19:08] What does being "spiritually fit" mean to Anne?

[24:40] How radical self-care became an imperative for Anne.

[32:25] The dark night that turned Anne's son Sam's life around.

[38:10] Enter Josh Waitzkin.

[38:43] On Dreaming Yourself Awake by B. Alan Wallace and Brian Hodel.

[39:58] Casual exercise.

[40:52] Josh's terrifying experience with the Wim Hof method.

[45:52] How Josh uses "flow" as therapy.

[48:19] Initiating a flow state.

[50:45] Cognitive biases and armchair professors.

[55:07] Developing high-level sensitivity and listening to your senses.

[57:53] Strategies for on-boarding newcomers to mindfulness training.

[1:02:40] Paddlesurfers in peril.

[1:03:36] Embracing the funk.

[1:06:03] On parenting.

[1:15:07] Fixed perspectives and growth mindsets.

[1:17:34] On training somatic sensitivity.

[1:22:06] On mitigating the dangers of a fixed identity.

[1:24:32] Marcelo Garcia and the principle of cultivating quality as a way of life.

[1:30:19] Quality and presence in parenthood.

[1:33:42] The fire-walking process.

[1:40:11] Translating techniques learned from martial arts to less obvious activities (like investing).

[1:42:19] Building slack into the system.

[1:46:17] Scarcity in the learning process.

[1:54:27] Josh's daily journaling process.

[1:56:25] Thematic interconnectedness in the context of education.

[2:04:08] The Art of Learning Project.

[2:05:59] Parting thoughts.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Showplease visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twittertwitter.com/tferriss 

Instagraminstagram.com/timferriss

YouTubeyoutube.com/timferriss

Facebookfacebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry SeinfeldHugh JackmanDr. Jane GoodallLeBron JamesKevin HartDoris Kearns GoodwinJamie FoxxMatthew McConaugheyEsther PerelElizabeth GilbertTerry CrewsSiaYuval Noah HarariMalcolm GladwellMadeleine AlbrightCheryl StrayedJim CollinsMary Karr, Maria PopovaSam HarrisMichael PhelpsBob IgerEdward NortonArnold SchwarzeneggerNeil StraussKen BurnsMaria SharapovaMarc AndreessenNeil GaimanNeil de Grasse TysonJocko WillinkDaniel EkKelly SlaterDr. Peter AttiaSeth GodinHoward MarksDr. Brené BrownEric SchmidtMichael LewisJoe GebbiaMichael PollanDr. Jordan PetersonVince VaughnBrian KoppelmanRamit SethiDax ShepardTony RobbinsJim DethmerDan HarrisRay DalioNaval RavikantVitalik ButerinElizabeth LesserAmanda PalmerKatie HaunSir Richard BransonChuck PalahniukArianna HuffingtonReid HoffmanBill BurrWhitney CummingsRick RubinDr. Vivek MurthyDarren AronofskyMargaret AtwoodMark ZuckerbergPeter ThielDr. Gabor MatéAnne LamottSarah SilvermanDr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Sep 30
#829: James Nestor — Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance
James Nestor is a science journalist and the author of the international bestseller Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, with more than three million copies sold in 44 languages.This episode is brought to you by:Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (27% of ... Show More
1h 50m
Sep 24
#828: David Senra — How Extreme Winners Think and Win: Lessons from 400+ of History’s Greatest Founders and Investors (Including Buffett, Munger, Rockefeller, Jobs, Ovitz, Zell, and Names You Don’t Know But Should)
David Senra is the host of the Founders podcast. For the past nine years, David has intensely studied the life and work of hundreds of history’s greatest entrepreneurs. His new podcast, David Senra, showcases conversations with the best-of-the-best living founders and extreme win ... Show More
2h 55m
Sep 16
#827: Pablos Holman — One of The Scariest Hackers I’ve Ever Met
Pablos Holman is a hacker and inventor and the author of Deep Future: Creating Technology that Matters, the indispensable guide to deep tech. Previously, Pablos worked on spaceships at Blue Origin and helped build The Intellectual Ventures Lab to invent a wide variety of breakthr ... Show More
2h 31m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
272. Eric Chaffin — Doing Good by Doing Right [Encore Edition]
The real game changers aren’t just the ones who talk a good game — they’re the ones who take decisive action and make a tangible impact in their communities and with their clients. If your team isn’t genuinely committed to doing the right thing every single time… you’re on a fast ... Show More
36m 7s
Apr 2025
The Josh Peck Interview | EP. 109
BUY YOUR TICKETS TO THE "MAN ON WATER" TOUR NOW! https://www.thegeorgejankoshow.com/ Sponsored By: Find CELSIUS near you: https://www.celsius.com/buy-locate/ celsiusbrandpartner celsiuslivefit CelsiusOfficial Text Me To Perform In Your City! (602) 932-8118 Get Your "Kingdom Come" ... Show More
2h 1m
May 2025
363. AMMA — How to Master Decision-Making Like a Pro
What separates elite leaders from those who never break through? It’s not motivation or even talent — it’s the discipline to stay focused, make decisions when it’s uncomfortable, and build habits that align with who you want to become. In this episode of The Game Changing Attorne ... Show More
27m 10s
Aug 28
Advice Line with Tim Ferriss
Entrepreneur, author, and podcaster Tim Ferriss joins Guy on the Advice Line to answer questions from three early-stage founders. Plus, Tim shares the inspiration behind his latest venture, Coyote— a 10-minute card game that encourages time spent with friends and family.First, La ... Show More
46m 6s
Aug 29
TIP748: The Netflix Playbook: Fewer Rules, Greater Results w/ Kyle Grieve
On today’s episode, Kyle Grieve discusses the radical culture that helped Netflix dominate Blockbuster and achieve massive long-term success. He explores lessons on talent density, candor, feedback, freedom, and responsibility that reveal how culture can become a company’s greate ... Show More
1h 2m
Apr 2025
Book Club: Let’s Talk About Adam Ross’s ‘Playworld’
Set in New York in the 1980s, Adam Ross’s new novel, “Playworld,” tells the story of a young actor named Griffin as he navigates the chaos of the city, of his family and of being a teenager, and the dangers that swirl around each. Although “Playworld” grapples with bleak material ... Show More
43m 55s
Apr 2025
RWH056: Calm Amid The Storm w/ Christopher Begg
In this episode, William Green chats with Christopher Begg, an exceptional hedge fund manager who is the CEO & CIO of East Coast Asset Management. Chris has also taught for many years at Columbia Business School, where he teaches the prestigious Security Analysis course that Warr ... Show More
2h 8m
Apr 2025
#294 - Les secrets pour réussir sans tout sacrifier et rester vraiment libre avec Véronique Piedeleu de Caravane
La question qui tue : peut-on vraiment réussir à combiner équilibre de vie personnelle, santé mentale, esprit créatif, et ambition business ? Véronique Piedeleu, fondatrice de la marque emblématique de décoration Caravane, partage comment elle parvient à préserver une liberté cré ... Show More
1h 15m
Feb 2025
Scott Galloway & Tim Armstrong // CMO Podcast Alumni Reunion
This May, Jim will celebrate six years of The CMO Podcast. He has had the opportunity to welcome over 330 marketing leaders to this show, many of whom have become friends, and of each other. Well in 2025, we are looking to lean more into this community, by hosting reunions, in-pe ... Show More
50m 45s
Sep 2024
"Retronyms" w/ Stephen J. Dubner [Best-Of Episode]
The Puzzler team is taking a short summer break, and in the meantime we're bringing you some of our favorite episodes from the archives. We'll be back with brand new episodes soon! Hello, Puzzlers! Puzzling with us today: author, journalist, and podcaster Stephen J. Dubner of Fre ... Show More
11m 15s