The Tim Ferriss Show

"In order to scale, you have to do things that don't scale." — Reid Hoffman This episode is a showcase from Masters of Scale , one of the few podcasts I recommend repeatedly to entrepreneurs. It's a conversation between LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman ( @reidhoffman ) and Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky ( @bchesky ), and it focuses on how you can scale your company by, paradoxically, doing things...

This particular episode of The Tim Ferriss Radio Hour explores success, a slippery and dangerous term if ever there was one. The particular guests selected for this episode represent not only achievement, but also appreciation and a well-rounded version of what I consider to be a successful human being. This episode features: CDBaby founder Derek Sivers on the importance of challenging your own de...

I’ve interviewed legendary storyteller Cal Fussman ( @calfussman ) on this show before ( here  and  here ), but this time, the roles are reversed, and he interviews me! If you are not yet familiar with him, Cal is a  New York Times  bestselling author and a writer-at-large for  Esquire  magazine, where he is best known for being a primary writer of the “ What I L...

In this podcast, I had the rare opportunity to interview three men in Level 4 maximum security at Kern Valley State Prison. There was no time to do homework on any of them, so I crossed my fingers and jumped in. It was incredibly nerve-wracking and, ultimately, incredibly rewarding and fun. Any expectations I might have had going in were exceeded. I owe special thanks to Cat Hoke , all the men who...

Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where I share the habits, tools and patterns of world-class performers. This special short episode features insights from Adam Robinson ( @IAmAdamRobinson ). His answers to my questions were highlighted in my most recent book, Tribe of Mentors . For those of you not familiar with Adam, he has made a lifelong study of outflanking and outsmarting t...

Brandon Stanton ( @humansofny ) is the photographer behind Humans of New York . He attended the University of Georgia and worked as a bond trader in Chicago before moving to New York to pursue photography. Followed by over 25 million people on social media, Humans of New York features daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City. It has been turned into two #1 New Yor...

Liz Lambert ( @thelizlambert ) first purchased a seedy motel on South Congress Avenue 23 years ago, and she transformed it into Hotel San José , which has become known today as the quintessential "Austin" hotel. The success of Hotel San José, which sparked a revitalization in the city's now thriving South Congress district, led her to launch Bunkhouse Group , a hospitality company founded on the p...

“A good person dyes events with his own color…and turns whatever happens to his own benefit.” - Seneca From the outside looking in, the last several weeks have been disaster after disaster for me: Death in the family Several deals that have been worked on for 6+ months fell apart at the last minute I might need to sue someone for egregious breach of contract and unexpected damages On and on and on...

This podcast episode of The Tim Ferriss Show is coming up on the 11th anniversary of my first book, The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich . While there are parts written by my 29-year-old self that make me cringe, I'm both honored and amazed that it continues to strike a chord with so many. Rather than re-editing the book and risking the loss of whatever made it wor...

Steve Jurvetson ( @jurvetson ) is an early-stage venture capitalist with a focus on founder-led, mission-driven companies at the cutting edge of disruptive technology and new industry formation. Steve was the early VC investor in SpaceX , Tesla , Planet , Memphis Meats , Hotmail , and the deep learning companies Mythic and Nervana . He also led investments in startups that were acquired for $16 bi...

Whitney Wolfe Herd ( @whitwolfeherd ) is the founder and CEO of Bumble , one of the fastest-growing social networking apps in the world. She launched Bumble in 2014 as the only dating platform where women make the first move, and in three years, her vision has led to Bumble's growth to more than 28 million users worldwide in 144 countries. Bumble launched Bumble BFF in 2016 as a friend-finding fea...

This episode explores travel, and I'll take the partial credit or blame in advance, as it might want to make you quit your job and head off to the airport with a backpack. I have interviewed some fascinating people from around the world and in the next hour we will actually travel around the world with them. We'll also explore specific tips and strategies from our conversations related to how...

Cindy Eckert (formerly Whitehead) ( @cindypinkceo ) is an entrepreneur with 1.5 billion dollars in exits who currently serves as the founder and CEO of The Pink Ceiling , an investment firm and consulting enterprise nicknamed the Pinkubator with a mission to invest in, launch, and build other women-led or focused businesses. She believes that access to good advice alone is not enough to change the...

This might be the most important podcast episode I've put out in the last two years. Please trust me and give it a full listen. It will surprise you, perhaps shock you, and definitely make you think differently. Michael Pollan ( @michaelpollan ) is the author of seven previous books, including  Cooked ,  Food Rules ,  In Defense of Food ,  The Omnivore's Dilemma , and  The...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt  ( @hitRECordJoe ) is an actor whose career spans three decades, and ranges from television ( 3rd Rock from the Sun ) to arthouse ( Mysterious Skin ,  Brick ) to multiplex ( Inception ,  500 Days of Summer ,  Looper ,  Snowden ). He made his feature screenwriting and directorial debut with  Don Jon  (Independent Spirit Award nomination, Best...

Nick Thompson ( @nxthompson ) is the editor-in-chief of WIRED . Under his leadership, Wired has launched a successful paywall, a Snapchat channel, and an AMP Stories edition; it has also been nominated for National Magazine Awards in design and feature writing. Nick is a contributor for CBS News and regularly appears on CBS This Morning . He is also co-founder of The Atavist , a National Magazine...

Tim Kennedy ( @TimKennedyMMA ) is a former UFC middleweight contender who simultaneously served in the US Army as a Green Beret sniper and had tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He is a three-time winner of the Modern Army Combatives tournament, a grueling three-day event that tests mixed martial arts skills among other things. Tim is now a member of the Special Forces wing of the Texas National...

This is a very short, roughly 10-minute, episode. It explains how to 10x your thinking and your goals, or -- put another way -- how to escape incremental thinking and think truly BIG. I loved it so much that I now listen to it on a regular basis as a reminder. Perhaps you'll end up doing the same. The speaker is Dr. Astro Teller ( @astroteller ). Astro is currently Captain of Moonshots (CEO) of&nb...

Katie Couric (IG: @katiecouric ) is an award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and co-founder of the non-profit Stand Up to Cancer , which has raised more than $500 million to fund scientific research teams. Katie launched her production company, Katie Couric Media, in 2015. Since then, the aptly named Katie Couric Podcast has featured conversations with some of the biggest na...

Karlie Kloss (IG: @karliekloss ) is an entrepreneur and supermodel who was discovered at a local charity fashion show at age 13 and has been modeling professionally ever since. Karlie has walked for and starred in campaigns for top designers including Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Adidas, Carolina Herrera, and Swarovski, among many others. Outside of m...

This episode is a rare exception to the rule -- unlike my usual long-form interviews, this is a drunk-dialing Q&A with you guys, which I’ve done a few times in the last few years, including for the celebration of the 100th episode of this podcast. In preparation for this episode, I solicited phone numbers from listeners who wanted to receive a call from me, and then I started drinking and dial...

This podcast explores how to make better decisions, ask better questions, and be more creative. The stories range from escapes to India and speechwriting for Al Gore, to writing bestselling books and using “motivational interviewing” with kids. The guest is Daniel H. Pink ( @danielpink ), the author of six provocative books, including his newest, WHEN: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing...

Debbie Millman  ( @debbiemillman ) was named by Graphic Design USA as "one of the most influential designers working today." She is also the founder and host of Design Matters , the world's first and longest-running podcast about design, where she's interviewed nearly 300 design luminaries and cultural commentators including  Massimo Vignelli and Milton Glaser . Debbie's done it all. Her...

Frank Blake ( @frankblake ) served as chairman and CEO of The Home Depot from January 2007 to May 2014, and then as chairman through January of 2015. He previously served as deputy secretary for the US Department of Energy. Prior to that, he served in a wide variety of executive roles at General Electric. Frank's public sector experience includes having served as general counsel for the US Environ...

Aubrey Marcus (IG: @aubreymarcus ) is the founder and CEO of Onnit , a lifestyle brand based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization. Onnit is an Inc. 500 company and an industry leader with products touching millions of lives, including many top professional athletes around the world. Aubrey currently hosts The Aubrey Marcus Podcast , a motivational destination for conve...