Jeff Cassman

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Your days are full, and it can be hard to get everything on your list done. You were finally making progress on a task when your focus is disrupted yet again with a meeting reminder. You don’t know how you’ll finish what you need to do today, and it’s probably going to be yet another waste of time. Is this just the way things are, or is there a better way?

According to The HR Digest, professionals lose an average of 31 hours a month on meetings–which adds up to approximately four workdays, or a total of two months per year. That’s a lot of disruption, particularly if those meetings aren’t actually yielding much. The problem isn’t just an overabundance of meetings; it’s that so many of them turn out to be bad meetings. But you don’t have to settle for bad meetings that disrupt your work and kill productivity. Great meetings are possible with a little bit of forethought. Let’s look at one of the first steps in that direction: determining the necessity and nature of a meeting.

Here are five filtering questions you can use to coordinate essential meetings:

Is this meeting necessary? There’s a well-known piece of literary advice for writers: “kill your darlings.” That is, don’t get too attached to the storyline, especially if it doesn’t serve the bigger picture. The same is true for meetings. It’s too easy to get caught up in a series of meetings that don’t matter. Keep the high-leverage ones that support important goals. Eliminate the rest, and your team will thank you.
Are you sure you’re necessary? Too often, we blindly accept the never-ending barrage of meeting invites. It’s natural to think our presence in a meeting is always necessary, especially if we were invited. But that’s not always true. Guard your schedule, and only say yes when you truly need to be there.
Who else should be involved? If you’re organizing a meeting, think through who absolutely needs to attend. Remember, smaller groups can align more quickly to drive a decision. Relevant information can be shared with the masses later through an email or project-management update.
What type of meeting do you want? Consider ahead of time the type of meeting that will help you accomplish your goals. Establishing this early on will keep the purpose clear and the conversation from meandering, so your time will be productive.
What’s the right format? Historically, in-person meetings have been the norm across businesses. But nowadays, we’re all meeting virtually in some capacity, and in-person meetings are no longer the default. It takes intentional thought to determine what’s best for your team, and what format will work best for what you’re trying to achieve. If that’s in-person, great. Otherwise, your preferred video-conferencing app works great too.

Take control of your meeting habits. Routinely ask yourself, Is this meeting necessary? If not, be decisive and eliminate the meetings that don’t matter or that inhibit your productivity. Make the best use of your team’s time and resources by focusing on the high-leverage stuff, and you’ll start seeing less frustration and better results.

Illustration via 99designs

“We wanted digital nations but we got digital nationalism.”

— Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin) is the creator of Ethereum. He first discovered blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies through Bitcoin in 2011 and was immediately excited by the technology and its potential. He co-founded Bitcoin Magazine in September 2011, and after two and a half years of looking at what the existing blockchain technology and applications had to offer, wrote the Ethereum white paper in November of 2013. He now leads Ethereum’s research team, working on future versions of the Ethereum protocol. In 2014, Vitalik was a recipient of the two-year Thiel Fellowship, tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s project that awards $100,000 to 20 promising innovators under 20 so they can pursue their inventions in lieu of a post-secondary institution path. You can find his website at Vitalik.ca.

Naval Ravikant (@naval) is the co-founder and chairman of AngelList. He is an angel investor and has invested in more than 100 companies, including many mega-successes, such as Twitter, Uber, Notion, Opendoor, Postmates, and Wish. You can subscribe to Naval, his podcast on wealth and happiness, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find his blog at nav.al.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Pique‘s Daily Immune (Vitamin C optimized for absorption), and Theragun percussive muscle therapy devices. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Pique and their brand-new supplement, Daily Immune—Vitamin C optimized for absorption. Pique’s Daily Immune is maximized for absorption with liposomal encapsulation technology, and Pique’s unique formula supports a healthy immune system. It’s so easy to take—just a quick squeeze—and tastes so good—think black European elderberries—you might choose to enjoy it twice a day, as I do.

Try it for yourself risk-free with their 30-day satisfaction guarantee—you either love it or get your money back. Go to PiqueTea.com/Tim and use code TIM at checkout to get 5% off your first order plus free shipping when you purchase a bundle.

This episode is brought to you by Theragun! Theragun is my go-to solution for recovery and restoration. It’s a famous, handheld percussive therapy device that releases your deepest muscle tension. I own two Theraguns, and my girlfriend and I use them every day after workouts and before bed. The all-new Gen 4 Theragun is easy to use and has a proprietary brushless motor that’s surprisingly quiet—about as quiet as an electric toothbrush.

Go to Theragun.com/Tim right now and get your Gen 4 Theragun today, starting at only $199.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. 

Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

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Want to learn more about cryptocurrency? Listen to the conversation Naval and I had with cryptographer Nick Szabo, in which we discuss the problems cryptocurrencies were designed to solve, wet versus dry code, quantum thought, future occupations, and the existential risks of blockchain governance.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Vitalik Buterin:

Website | Twitter

Connect with Naval Ravikant:

Website | Twitter | Naval Podcast

EthereumAngelListNaval Ravikant on Happiness, Reducing Anxiety, Crypto Stablecoins, and Crypto Strategy | The Tim Ferriss Show #473The Quiet Master of Cryptocurrency — Nick Szabo | The Tim Ferriss Show #244Ethereum FoundationWhat Is Bit Gold? The Brainchild of Blockchain Pioneer Nick Szabo | CoinCentralZcashBlockchain: Everything You Need to Know | InvestopediaEthereum vs. Bitcoin | The EconomistENS (Ethereum Name System)Private, Secure Communication | StatusWhat Is DeFi? | CoinDeskSmart Contracts | InvestopediaLEGOVoltron | WikipediaJustin Sun Recounts Steem-Hive Hard Fork at Virtual Blockchain Week | Coin TelegraphHard Fork (Blockchain) | InvestopediaEndnotes on 2020: Crypto and Beyond | Vitalik Buterin“Smart Contracts Are Castles Made of Math, Freely Trading with Each Other.” | Naval Ravikant, TwitterWordPress.orgAutomatticThe Uncanny Mind That Built Ethereum | WiredNamecoinHow Ethereum Works: The History of Ethereum | CertiKDNS on Blockchain: The Next Evolution of Domain Names? | Nameshield BlogWhat’s an NFT? And Why Are People Paying Millions to Buy Them? | NPRDAOs, Blockchain, and the Potential of Ownerless Business | InvestopediaMakerDAOStablecoin RAI Launches, a Pure, Decentralized Alternative for DeFi | Coin TelegraphEthereum 2.0 Is Coming – Here’s What You Need to Know | BoxminingLayer 2 Scaling | Ethereum.orgThe Eth2 Upgrades | Ethereum.orgBitTorrentWhy Proof of Stake (Nov 2020) | Vitalik ButerinAn Incomplete Guide to Rollups | Vitalik ButerinStarkWare Industries, Ltd.Moore’s Law | InvestopediaEthereum Virtual Machine (EVM) | Ethereum.orgzkRollup Exchange and Payment Protocol | LoopringOptimismBitcoin’s “Block Size” Debate: Big Blockers v. Decentralists | LexologyBitcoin CashEthereum ClassicShock: Ethereum Miners Against Proposal to Reduce Block Rewards by 75% | Coin TelegraphConsenSysUniswapThe Diaspora* ProjectPremining | Investopedia‘Fair Launch’ Tokens Outshine the Average Coin’s Performance | Coin TelegraphCryptocurrency Prices, Charts, and Market Capitalizations | CoinMarketCapSushiSwapCoinbaseWhat’s Next for Crypto Regulation | The New York TimesIndia’s Cryptocurrency Ban: Top 5 Things To Know | Bloomberg QuintEthereum’s ‘EIP 1559’ Fee Market Overhaul Greenlit for July | CoinDeskSound vs. Ultrasound Crypto Money | RedditUS Army Fort KnoxA Sudden Loss of Faith in Tether Would Pose Risk to Bitcoin, JPMorgan Says | CoinDeskBitcoin Maximalism | InvestopediaGini Index | InvestopediaTornado CashPublic Good | InvestopediaQuadratic Payments: A Primer | Vitalik ButerinTragedy Of The Commons | InvestopediaGrants | GitcoinZero Knowledge Proof: Explain it Like I’m 5 (Halloween Edition) | Hacker NoonZK-Rollups | EthhubThe Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant | Nick BostromENIAC | CHMBioconservatism, Bioenhancement, and Backfiring | Journal of Moral EducationTracking the Vaccine Race | ReutersWhy America Abandoned Nuclear Power (and What We Can Learn from South Korea) | VoxReal Life Extension: Caloric Restriction or Intermittent Fasting? (Part 1) | Tim FerrissReal Life Extension: Caloric Restriction or Intermittent Fasting? (Part 2) | Tim FerrissMy Life Extension Pilgrimage to Easter Island | The Tim Ferriss Show #193Peter Attia, M.D. — Fasting, Metformin, Athletic Performance, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #39812 Proven Health Benefits of Ashwagandha | HealthlineThe 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy FerrissDifferential Responses of Trans-Resveratrol on Proliferation of Neural Progenitor Cells and Aged Rat Hippocampal Neurogenesis | Scientific ReportsSome Thoughts on For-Profit Psychedelic Startups and Companies | Tim FerrissMeetupOfficial Moon MathAn Approximate Introduction to How zk-SNARKs Are Possible | Vitalik ButerinOn Collusion | Vitalik ButerinEthereum Founder Vitalik Buterin Speaks Chinese during QnA | Top StudiosLearn Languages Online | PimsleurDuolingo

SHOW NOTES

What is Ethereum, and how does it differ from Bitcoin? [10:47]Ethereum applications Vitalik is most excited about. [14:48]What is DeFi? [18:41]How does intellectual property retain its value in such an interconnected system? [20:54]Digital nationalism, castles made of math, and comparing and contrasting how Ethereum and WordPress operate. [25:30]What was the initial vision for Ethereum, and what has Vitalik found most surprising about how it’s been used between concept and the current day? [27:53]Addressing the challenges of making Ethereum scale: enter Ethereum 2. [34:21]What does proof-of-stake mean in the context of the blockchain, and why is its efficiency debated? [41:45]How layer 2 operates more efficiently than layer 1, and to what degree when you factor in rollups and future computational capacity. [45:54]When can people betting their businesses on these improvements realistically expect them to be implemented? Is there a risk that some people won’t want to make the transition, and could this cause problems down the line? [54:37]As someone who prefers to coordinate rather than dictate, what happens when Vitalik disagrees with the way developers utilize Ethereum? [1:01:42]How the Ethereum Foundation, ConsenSys, and Uniswap (to name just a few organizations and applications) coexist and collaborate within the Ethereum community and how this dynamic differs from the Bitcoin ecosystem. [1:03:02]How tokens on the blockchain are like fire: crucial to progress but not without their own dangers. It really depends on the motivations of the person using them. [1:05:24]On the sovereign-resistant resilience of cryptocurrencies in the face of regulation and how some authorities are coming around to the idea that blockchain technologies can be useful. [1:13:14]What is Vitalik’s current point of view about where the ETH supply heads and what the ETH price means for the ecosystem? [1:18:05]As someone who’s concerned about wealth inequality, what does Vitalik think about the distribution of wealth in a crypto-run economy as opposed to an economy based on a fiat currency like the US dollar or the Euro? [1:23:08]These days, what’s Vitalik thinking about that falls outside the cryptosphere? [1:28:12]What is quadratic funding, and can it be done anonymously? [1:30:30]How quadratic funding can be combined with other means to finance scientific research. [1:35:39]Naval’s thoughts on campaign financing following a similar approach. [1:39:23]What areas of scientific research is Vitalik most interested in supporting? [1:40:17]What is Vitalik doing to live to 1,000 (and beyond), and what would he improve in the area of scientific research? [1:42:49]After 2020’s tumultuous changes, does Vitalik have ideas of where the world is headed in the next few years that his peers might disagree with? [1:49:54]What advice does Vitalik have for someone who wants to get involved in the Ethereum ecosystem? What are the points of leverage? [1:52:09]Another contrarian thing Vitalik believes. [1:55:57]As a lover of language learning, how does Vitalik recommend someone begin learning a language most effectively? [2:01:32]Parting thoughts. [2:04:54]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Peter ThielZookoNick SzaboJustin SunMatt MullenwegKatie HaunJustin DrakeAya MiyaguchiMark ZuckerbergJack DorseyBalaji SrinivasanWarren BuffettMethuselahHal FinneyWei DaiHayden Adams

Illustration via 99designs

“We really began to be tired of ourselves teaching this technology of inner awakening to the same people over and over. It’s like, how many times do you have to wake up in the morning? You’re awake. Do something.”

— Elizabeth Lesser

Elizabeth Lesser (@ElizabethLesser) is a bestselling author and the co-founder of Omega Institute, the renowned conference and retreat center located in Rhinebeck, New York. Elizabeth’s first book, The Seeker’s Guide, chronicles her years at Omega and distills lessons learned into a potent guide for growth and healing. Her New York Times bestselling book, Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow, has sold almost 500,000 copies and has been translated into 20 languages. Her third book, Marrow, chronicles the journey Elizabeth and her younger sister went through when Elizabeth was the donor for her sister’s bone marrow transplant. Her newest book, Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes, reveals how humanity has outgrown its origin tales and hero myths. Elizabeth has given two popular TED talks and is one of Oprah Winfrey’s Supersoul 100, a collection of a hundred leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity.

She co-founded Omega Institute in 1977—a time when a variety of fresh ideas were sprouting in American culture. Since then, the Institute has been at the forefront of holistic education, offering workshops and conferences in integrative medicine, meditation and yoga, cross-cultural arts and creativity, ecumenical spirituality, and social change. Each year close to 30,000 people participate in Omega’s programs on its campus, and more than a million people visit its website for online learning.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Tonal smart home gym, Laird Superfood clean, plant-based creamers, and Allform premium, modular furniture. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Laird Superfood. Founded by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton and volleyball champion Gabby Reece, Laird Superfood promises to deliver high-impact fuel to help you get through your busiest days. Laird Superfood offers a line of plant-based products designed to optimize your daily rituals from sunrise to sunset.

My two favorite products are their Turmeric Superfood Creamer and Unsweetened Superfood Creamer. I put one of them in practically everything. Both can really optimize your daily coffee or tea ritual, and a $10 bag will last you a long time. For a limited time, Laird Superfood is offering you guys 20% off your order when you use code TIM20 at checkout. Check out LairdSuperfood.com/Tim to see my favorite products and learn more.

This episode is brought to you by Tonal! Tonal is the world’s most intelligent home gym and personal trainer. It is precision engineered and designed to be the world’s most advanced strength studio. Tonal uses breakthrough technology—like adaptive digital weights and A.I. learning—together with the best experts in resistance training so you get stronger, faster. Every program is personalized to your body using A.I., and smart features check your form in real time, just like a personal trainer.

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This episode is brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They just launched a new company called Allform, and they’re making premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home.

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear another episode with someone who endeavors to awaken the best in the human spirit? Listen to my conversation with Buddhist monk and meditation teacher Jack Kornfield in which we discuss hang gliding, monk training in Thailand, unpleasant mystical experiences, the difference between compassion and empathy, lovingkindness meditation, and more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Elizabeth Lesser:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes by Elizabeth LesserThe Seeker’s Guide by Elizabeth LesserBroken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow by Elizabeth LesserMarrow: Love, Loss, and What Matters Most by Elizabeth LesserOmega InstituteSufism | Oxford Islamic Studies OnlineThe New YorkerThe Gift by HafizTales of the Dervishes: Teaching-Stories of the Sufi Masters over the Past Thousand Years by Idries ShahAn Esoteric View of the 1960s and ’70s | HuffPostRudolf Otto and the Concept of the Numinous | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of ReligionNaropa UniversityShambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Mass Market Paperback by Chogyam TrungpaBuddhism | World History EncyclopediaWordPressShaker Museum | New Lebanon, NYWoodstock Festival10 Facts About the Ancient Library of Alexandria | Book RiotBennington CollegeFood As Medicine: It’s Not Just a Fringe Idea Anymore | The Salt, NPRSummer of Peace, Love, and Yiddish Song: The Legacy of New York’s Camp Boiberik | Smithsonian FolklifeThe Definitive Guide to Yoga for Beginners and Experts | HealthlineMachine Elf | Non-Alien Creatures WikiIs Ecumenism Biblical? Should a Christian Be Involved in the Ecumenical Movement (Ecumenicalism)? | GotQuestions.orgPracticing Innervism | OmegaWhat is Internal Family Systems? | IFS InstituteWomen, Power, Stories: An Interview with Author Elizabeth Lesser | An Injustice!God’s Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins | Poetry FoundationMedical Definition of Hippocratic Oath | MedicineNetDo No Harm, Take No Shit | Mindful NecessitiesElizabeth Lesser: Say Your Truths and Seek Them in Others | TED TalkInterview: Elizabeth Lesser | Lessons of the Soul | Best SelfThe Open Secret | OprahIn Grief, Try Personal Rituals | The AtlanticOn Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David KesslerHow To Die Before You Die: Meaning and Meditation | The Joy WithinA Letter of Consolation by Henri J. M. NouwenAnita Hill Accuses Clarence Thomas | HistoryThe Vagina Monologues by Eve EnslerWomen & Power Past Events | OmegaMe Too MovementAfter Weinstein, Trump Sexual Misconduct Accusers Demand Action | BBC NewsBlack Lives MatterThe Prince by Niccolo MachiavelliThe Art of War by Sun TzuHow Was Larry Nassar Able to Abuse So Many Gymnasts for So Long? | The GuardianCassandra in Greek Mythology | Greek Legends and MythsGloria Steinem Reflects on Women’s Liberation 50 Years Later | TimeAmateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and Masculinity by Thomas Page McBeeThe Tending Instinct: Women, Men, and the Biology of Relationships by Shelley E. TaylorHow the Fight-or-Flight Response Works | Verywell MindTend and Befriend Theory | UCLAList of Central Park Statues | Central Park in Bronze

SHOW NOTES

Note from the editor: Timestamps will be added shortly.

Why visiting Omega Institute might feel a little like starring in your own Disney film.Who is Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan?Coming from an atheistic background, how did Elizabeth find herself on a spiritual path when she first encountered Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, and what did he help her discover?What did the prototype look like for Omega Institute, and how did Elizabeth and her co-founders decide on what to include versus exclude?What issues made the early Omega Institute pioneers rethink their intention of living communally?How was the curriculum safely and legally aligned with the tagline of “awakening the best in the human spirit” during this time, and how were teachers selected?On the exploration of ecumenical traditions and innervism.What is the movement from me to we?How would Elizabeth define “spiritual” — or does she prefer another term?Elizabeth talks about sharing a “soul marrow transplant” with her sister Maggie, and how she discovered a particularly poignant needlepoint slogan after Maggie’s death that she’s adapted to her own meditation: “Do no harm and take no shit.”What is Authenticity Deficit Disorder?In my own experience, it’s not always an answer that helps us unburden ourselves of what Rumi called an open secret, but the act of asking. Does Elizabeth agree?Recommendations for people going through the grieving process — especially in a culture that doesn’t really afford us time to mourn.The importance of, as Henk Kraaijenhof has said, doing as little as needed, not as much as possible.What is the origin story of Elizabeth’s latest book, Cassandra Speaks: When Women Are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes?Does Elizabeth believe an impulse toward aggression is inevitable in women who acquire power? If so, can it be mitigated to avoid the abuses exercised by many men in power? Why do people in power tend more toward the fight or flight school of thought over tend and befriend?What impact does Elizabeth hope to have with Cassandra Speaks? How does she believe that full-hearted fatherhood might save the world?What would Elizabeth’s billboard say?Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Jerzy and Aniela GregorekPir Vilayat Inayat KhanStephan RechtschaffenHafizIdries ShahChogyam RinpocheThe Dalai LamaMatt MullenwegWavy GravyDeepak ChopraElisabeth Kubler-RossDavid KesslerTerence McKennaJack KornfieldGerard Manley HopkinsTara BrachMaggie LakeBuddhaKuan YinRumiPema ChödrönHenri NouwenHenk KraaijenhofMerlene Joyce OtteyAnita HillClarence ThomasEve EnslerDonald TrumpNiccolò MachiavelliSun TzuFriedrich NietzscheCassandraEveLarry NassarRosemarie AqualinaPandoraGloria SteinemWalter CannonShelley TaylorWilliam Tecumseh Sherman

Illustration via 99designs

“If code scripts machines, media scripts human beings.”

— Balaji Srinivasan

Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) is an angel investor and entrepreneur. Formerly the CTO of Coinbase and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, he was also the co-founder of Earn.com (acquired by Coinbase), Counsyl (acquired by Myriad), Teleport (acquired by Topia), and Coin Center.

He was named to the MIT Technology Review’s “Innovators Under 35,” won a Wall Street Journal Innovation Award, and holds a BS/MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering and an MS in Chemical Engineering, all from Stanford University. Balaji also teaches the occasional class at Stanford, including an online MOOC in 2013, which reached 250,000+ students worldwide.

To learn more about Balaji’s most recent project, sign up at 1729.com, a newsletter that pays you. They’re giving out $1,000 in BTC each day for completing tasks and tutorials. Subscribers also receive chapters from Balaji’s new (free) book, The Network State.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Helix Sleep premium mattresses. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. 

Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 best overall mattress of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, and many others. 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, to my dear listeners, Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

If this nearly four-hour episode isn’t enough for you, perhaps you’d like to hear my three-and-a-half-hour conversation with Basecamp’s David Heinemeier Hansson (aka DHH)? In it, we discussed the power of being outspoken, running a profitable business without venture capital, Stoic philosophy, parallels across disciplines, and much more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Balaji Srinivasan:

Website | Twitter

Learn Skills & Earn Crypto | 1729.com1729: The Magic Of Hardy-Ramanujan Number | NDTVGood Will Hunting | Prime VideoThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert KanigelThe Man Who Knew Infinity | Prime VideoSoftware Is Eating the World | Andreessen HorowitzHubble Space Telescope | NASAA Complete List of MOOCs and Free Online Courses | MOOC ListChasing the Parallel Postulate | Scientific American Blog NetworkNational Science Foundation Network and Acceptable Use Policy | Wikipedia“‘Balaji Was Right’ Might Be the Most Terrifying Phrase in the English Language.” | Conor White-Sullivan, TwitterTemptation at Checkout | Center for Science in the Public InterestDon’t Read This, Oracle… It’s the Rise of the Open-Source Data Strategies | The RegisterBlock the New York Times | BlockNYTThe Journalist and the Murderer by Janet MalcolmTrust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator by Ryan HolidayAmerican Resistance to a Standing Army | Teaching History8 Things You May Not Know About the Praetorian Guard | History300 | Prime VideoIn Nagorno-Karabakh, Drones Gave Azerbaijan Huge Advantage and Showed Future of Warfare | The Washington PostThe Future Has Arrived — It’s Just Not Evenly Distributed Yet | Quote Investigator113 Journalists on Why They’re So Despised | NYMagThe Case Against the Media, by the Media | NYMagThe 11 Layers of Citizen Journalism | PoynterThe Truth About Blockchain | Harvard Business ReviewInside the Twitter Hack — and What Happened Next | WiredSmart Contracts | InvestopediaOracles: The All-Seeing Eyes That Guide Crypto Networks | CoinMarketCapBest Places to Live for a Digital Nomad | Nomad ListCompare Cities’ Quality of Life | Teleport CitiesLeanFIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) | RedditEarly Retirement Through Badassity | Mr. Money MustacheThe 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy FerrissYes Chad | Know Your MemeBooks & Resources | Beautiful TroubleShift the Spectrum of Allies | Beautiful TroubleWhat Is Cancel Culture? Why We Keep Fighting About Canceling People | VoxThe Cultural Revolution: All You Need to Know About China’s Political Convulsion | The GuardianGOP Voters Trust CNN, NY Times Over Breitbart, InfoWars | PoliticoSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed by James C. ScottFirst Bolshevik Decrees: Seventeen Moments in Soviet History | Michigan State UniversityThe Treaty of Westphalia | History TodaySolarWinds Hack Was ‘Largest and Most Sophisticated Attack’ Ever: Microsoft President | ReutersHackers Leak Customer Info from Crypto Wallet Ledger | InvestopediaBalaji Srinivasan on Building a “Pseudonymous Economy” | BlockstackCorpse Husband | YouTube“What If This Coronavirus Is the Pandemic That Public Health People Have Been Warning About for Years?” | Balaji Srinivasan, TwitterEarn | CoinbaseFew Developing Countries Can Climb the Economic Ladder | St. Louis FedLearn the Latest Tech Skills; Advance Your Career | UdacityBuild Skills with Online Courses from Top Institutions | CourseraAmazon Mechanical TurkAsk HN: How to Earn Karma on HN? | Hacker NewsKatie Haun on the Dark Web, Gangs, Investigating Bitcoin, and The New Magic of “Nifties” (NFTs) | The Tim Ferriss Show #499Code Practice and Mentorship for Everyone | ExercismThe 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy FerrissThe 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy FerrissLiberty, Equality, Fraternity | Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs‘Sorry’: Brokerage Chief at Heart of GameStop Saga Apologises | Al JazeeraDiscord Bans WallStreetBets for Hateful Conduct Amid GameStop Stock Surge | GamesIndustry.bizUS Government Financial Bailouts | InvestopediaA Deep Dive Into Satoshi’s 11-Year Old Bitcoin Genesis Block | Featured Bitcoin NewsDodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act | InvestopediaBalaji S. Srinivasan: The Network State | Foresight InstituteHow a Centrifuge Works | Federation of American ScientistsChina’s Communist Party Is at a Fatal Age for One-Party Regimes. How Much Longer Can It Survive? | Australian Broadcasting Corporation NewsSome Oregonians Want to Leave and Take Part of the State to Idaho with Them | All Things Considered, NPRCatalans Rally for Independence Despite Health Warnings | ReutersHow is America Going to End? Who’s Most Likely to Secede? | SlateSilicon Valley’s Elite Don’t Want to Secede. They Just Want to Stay on Top | WiredFiat Money | InvestopediaFabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino | FIATHacker Houses Offer Shared Living for the Young, Green, and Tech-Obsessed | GristBitcoin News: China’s Great Firewall to Block Crypto Websites | Fortune(American) Successes Of The 20th Century | Pew Research CenterMusic Piracy: From Napster to BitTorrents | The RunnerMagnet Links Become the Official Currency of Pirate Bay | Ars TechnicaPopcorn TimeThe Block Chain and the CAP Theorem | Stuff Yaron Finds InterestingNew York Moves to Lure Crypto Startups as BitLicense Turns Five | CoinDeskHow Miami Mayor Francis Suarez Is Luring Tech Players from Silicon Valley and New York | CNBC“@LorenaSGonzalez: Message Received.” | Elon Musk, TwitterColombia, Estonia Upload the Bitcoin White Paper to Their Governmental Websites | CoinDeskWyoming Is Crypto’s ‘Wild West,’ Which Is Exactly What We Need | CoinDesk“‘Win and Help Win’ Will Always Outcompete ‘Live and Let Live.’” | Balaji Srinivasan, TwitterLittle House on the Prairie | Prime VideoWhy Is the Three-Body Problem Unsolvable? | Popular MechanicsThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin LiuThe Cause of… and Solution to… All of Life’s Problems. | The SimpsonsSecure Storage Solutions for Bitcoin | CasaVitalik Buterin, Creator of Ethereum, on Understanding Ethereum, ETH vs. BTC, ETH2, Scaling Plans and Timelines, NFTs, Future Considerations, Life Extension, and More (Featuring Naval Ravikant) | The Tim Ferriss Show #504Proof of Work vs. Proof of Stake: Basic Mining Guide | BlockgeeksStarkWare Industries Ltd.ZK-Rollups | EthhubHow Life Has Changed in the Last 20 Years | Business InsiderBalaji Srinivasan: Coronavirus Will Shape This Decade Like 9/11 Shaped the 2000s | ReasonTVBalaji Srinivasan: Applications: Today & 2025 | TechCrunchBalaji Srinivasan: Technology Will Lead to a Borderless World | ReasonTVOur Deepest Fears Realized: Most Couples Meet Online Now | ViceLink Between Health Spending and Life Expectancy: The US Is an Outlier | Our World in DataBalaji Srinivasan, Who May Run the FDA for Trump, Hates the FDA. But Silicon Valley Likes Srinivasan. | Vox“Y-Shaped Recovery…” | Balaji Srinivasan, TwitterLung Cancer Immunotherapy Darkens Patients’ Hair | GENForget Exercise — These Mice Got Ripped with Gene Therapy | Singularity HubAnarcho-Primitivism | WikipediaVoluntary Human Extinction Movement | VHEMTNo Death and an Enhanced Life: Is the Future Transhuman? | The GuardianZoltan Vs. Zerzan | Stanford TranshumanistsSuperman II | Prime VideoReady Player One | Prime VideoAnother Inconvenient Truth: The World’s Growing Population Poses a Malthusian Dilemma | Scientific AmericanThe Lessons of History by Will and Ariel DurantFrom Third World to First: The Singapore Story – 1965-2000 by Lee Kuan YewDisneyland with the Death Penalty | WiredThe Opium Wars in China | Asia Pacific CurriculumToomas Ilves: Lessons In Digital Democracy from Estonia | Stanford School of EngineeringDramatic Photos Show How Radically Dubai Has Changed in 50 Years | Business InsiderPhotos: Stunningly Green Dubai: What City Looks Like In 20 Years | Khaleej TimesFacebook and Google Won’t Save Local News | The New RepublicSwitzerland: This European Nation Has Most Potential for Future Growth, Study Says | CNBCIsrael and Iran Just Showed Us the Future of Cyberwar With Their Unusual Attacks | Foreign PolicyTaiwan’s Digital Minister Knows How to Crush Covid-19: Trust | WiredMonaco: From Billionaire’s Playground to Crypto Paradise? | CopperThe Hottest App in China Teaches Citizens About Their Leader — and, Yes, There’s a Test | The New York TimesWhy Did Alibaba’s Jack Ma Disappear for Three Months? | BBC NewsBalaji Srinivasan on Communist Capital vs. Woke Capital vs. Crypto Capital | CoinDeskWhy All Soviet Jokes Needed to Be Approved by the Department of Jokes | We Are the MightyUS, Allies Announce Sanctions on China Over Uyghur ‘Genocide’ | PoliticoWho Lives? Who Dies? NYC Hospitals Could Soon Be Forced to Triage Coronavirus Patients | NBC New YorkThe Maginot Line, Scapegoat of the French Defeat in May 1940 | Normandy American HeroesThe Story Behind That Viral Chinese Train Station Video | SlateAfter Sinking 18 Inches, SF’s Millennium Tower Finally Has a Fix | SFGateSalesforce Transit Center: It Was Supposed to Be the Safest Building in the World. Then It Cracked. | Popular MechanicsCoronavirus: How Can China Build a Hospital So Quickly? | BBC NewsDr. Vivek Murthy — Former Surgeon General on Combating COVID-19, Loneliness, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #417Red Dawn (’84) | Prime VideoNiall Ferguson: A Taiwan Crisis May End the American Empire | BloombergThe Russo-Japanese War and its Impact on Anti-Colonial Nationalists | Faisal Ali, MediumBuster Douglas Shocks the World with 10th-Round KO of Mike Tyson | ESPN ArchivesWhat Happened to Occupy Wall Street? | The AtlanticHow 9/11 Caused An Increase In Islamophobic Hate Crimes | Refinery29Hate Is Haunting Asian Americans. Their Fear Underscores a Racial Reckoning That Is Far from Over | CNNRegaining the Edge In US Chip Manufacturing | SMGThe Hidden Troubles of the F-35 | Defense NewsThe Physics of the Fosbury Flop | Stanford UniversityManufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S. Herman and Noam ChomskySelling Votes Is Common Type of Election Fraud | The Washington PostGovernment Scraps ‘Shadow Mayor’ Plans for Big Cities | BBC NewsBenevolent and Protective Order of ElksThucydides Trap: An Overview | Belfer Center for Science and International AffairsHow the SWIFT System Works | InvestopediaWhy India Should Buy Bitcoin | Balaji SrinivasanHow India Legalizes Crypto | Balaji SrinivasanJio 4G LTE Network | RelianceStablecoin Price and Circulation Monitor | Stablecoin StatsChina’s Massive Belt and Road Initiative | Council on Foreign RelationsExplainer: The Non-Aligned Movement in the 21st century | The ConversationSocialism: Definition, Pros, Cons, Examples, Types | The BalanceSoviet Denim Smuggling: Jeans Behind the Iron Curtain | HeddelsChina’s Fast Climb up the Value Chain | McKinseyWhat Is Bollywood? What to Know About Hindi Language Movies and Music | OprahTenet | Prime VideoArcelorMittalBlack Mirror | Prime VideoSuper 30 | Official TrailerRocky | Prime VideoThe Terminator | Prime VideoIndia’s Ambitious Nuclear Power Plan – And What’s Getting in Its Way | The DiplomatHouse of Cards | NetflixGhostbusters | Prime VideoDallas Buyers Club | Prime VideoThe Correction Heard ‘Round The World: When The New York Times Apologized to Robert Goddard | Forbes

SHOW NOTES

What is the significance of 1729, and what is Balaji’s mission in launching a website named after this “not boring” number? [06:02]What was the subject matter and the intent behind the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) Balaji taught prior to joining Andreessen Horowitz? [10:21]Balaji’s thoughts on the state of media (particularly podcasts), how product is merit and distribution is connections, and why I trust my dog to tell me if a journalist is trying to set me up for a “gotcha.” [16:57]Just as the Founding Fathers advised against the establishment of a standing army in the United States, Balaji wonders if we should be cautious of relying on a standing media to deliver us the news of the day — or if there are better, decentralized options. [29:57]What can we do to protect ourselves as we wait for the future to be evenly distributed? We dive deep into everything from achieving financial independence to auditing our social ties to securing our privacy with a pseudonymous economy that could diminish the effects of cancellation and discrimination. [40:27]Roam Research co-founder Conor White-Sullivan once said: “‘Balaji was right’ might be the most terrifying phrase in the English language.” Eerily accurate early speculation about the COVID-19 pandemic aside, how would Balaji strategize a sizeable investment made today? (A reminding disclaimer: we’re not registered investment advisors, so do not take this or anything else here as legitimate financial advice.) [1:07:29]What participating in 1729 — “the first newsletter that pays you” — would ideally look like. [1:10:55]How Balaji envisions 1729 as a skyhook to rescue the world’s brightest minds from places that usually get overlooked — like developing countries and war zones — or allow them to operate on home ground pseudonymously. [1:14:01]A digital native solution to education that qualifies students to work as they go instead of waiting years until a full degree is earned. [1:17:37]How do you pseudonymously show proof of skill? Enter the crypto credential. [1:21:33]Don’t underestimate the power of microincentives. [1:25:27]How does Balaji rationalize a “half in Bitcoin, half in Ethereum” investment, and how does it tie into shifting establishment dynamics? [1:27:51]Why does Balaji believe that “not many institutions that predated the internet will survive the internet” — including nation states and fiat currencies? [1:35:44]Addressing downside risk, what circumstances might make Bitcoin or Ethereum bad investments? [1:45:06]How can we expect crypto regulation to play out in the United States? How are cities, states, and countries with an eye on the future currently signaling their friendliness toward innovation? [1:51:57]Why Balaji believes “win and help win” is neither progressive, nor conservative, nor libertarian, but a concept that beats them all. [2:02:22]How Bitcoin regulation thus far hasn’t followed the course that popular opinion predicted, and why you should hold your keys locally. [2:05:07]How do Ethereum risks differ from those faced by Bitcoin? [2:09:44]Want to get an understanding of how unrecognizable the near future will be? Consider how much the world has changed between the year 2000 and now — and how little it changed, comparatively, between then and 1970. [2:12:36]Does Balaji believe the changes we’re about to experience en masse will be mostly positive or mostly negative? [2:22:16]Thinkers, scientists, or resources Balaji would recommend for people who want to further explore life-extension and transhumanism. [2:32:16]Who was Lee Kuan Yew, and why he is interesting? [2:35:04]What countries are on Balaji’s shortlist to watch as examples of what the future holds? [2:39:56]Woke capital vs. communist capital vs. crypto capital, the Maginot Line revisited, and why China is so underestimated while the US is overestimated when it comes to facing the challenges of present and future. [2:45:28]If there were a conflict with China over Taiwan and the US lost, what would be the consequences? [2:56:44]Does Balaji see any obvious fixes the US could implement to mitigate against the risks of a cold war with China turning hot? Is there any way we can select our leaders for legitimacy and competence over popularity and inheritance? [3:01:38]Balaji explains how a 51 percent democracy is like a Fosbury Flop, and the types of votes that really make a difference in such a system. [3:05:18]What a convince-oriented “crypto” government versus a coercion-focused fiat government might look like. [3:12:41]India: the dark horse, what is currently at stake as it considers banning crypto, and what Balaji sees as its way forward — by embracing crypto, learning from China’s ascendancy in the global value chain, and claiming its rightful place in the media hierarchy. [3:17:42]Parting thoughts. [3:40:00]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Srinivasa RamanujanG.H. HardyLee Kuan YewEuclidConor White-Sullivan CassandraPeter ThielMollyJanet MalcolmRyan HolidayMr. Money MustacheTaylor SwiftDeng XiaopingVladimir LeninMartin LutherCorpse HusbandKatie HaunVlad TenevChristopher J. DoddBarney FrankJim BarksdaleNiccolò MachiavelliFrancis SuarezSteven MnuchinHomer SimpsonJordan PetersonTed KaczynskiDavid SinclairAubrey de GreyZoltan IstvanJohn ZerzanDeng XiaopingToomas IlvesAudrey TangAlbert II, Prince of MonacoXi JinpingJack MaJeff BezosYakov SmirnoffZayn MalikWinston ChurchillMike TysonBuster DouglasManmohan SinghMark ZuckerbergDick FosburyJoseph StalinNoam ChomskyRonald ReaganAdolf HitlerLeon TrotskyMiles DysonRobert Goddard

DISCLAIMER FROM TIM FERRISS: I am not an investment adviser. There are risks involved in placing any investment in securities or in Bitcoin or in cryptocurrencies or in anything. None of the information presented herein is intended to form the basis of any offer or recommendation or have any regard to the investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of any specific person, and that includes you, my dear listener or reader. Everything in this episode is for informational entertainment purposes only.

Illustration via 99designs

“I wanted to do research that then leapt off the page and became tools that would enter people’s lives and make a meaningful difference to them.”

— Dr. Adam Gazzaley

Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD (@adamgazz), is the David Dolby Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and the founder and executive director of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center engaged in technology development and scientific research of novel brain assessments and optimization tools. Adam is co-founder and chief science advisor of Akili Interactive, Sensync, and JAZZ Venture Partners. He has been a scientific adviser for more than a dozen technology companies, including Apple, GE, Nielsen, and Deloitte.

Adam has filed multiple patents—notably his invention of the first video game cleared by the FDA—authored more than 150 scientific articles, and delivered over 675 invited presentations around the world. He wrote and hosted the nationally televised PBS special The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley and co-authored The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, winner of the 2017 PROSE Award. Adam has received many awards and honors, including the 2015 Society for Neuroscience Science Educator Award and the 2020 Global Gaming Citizen honor.

Visit this page to learn more about the Neuroscape Psychedelic Division, which is dedicated to advancing the field of psychedelic science and medicine through multi-level research covering basic to translational to clinical science.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, ExpressVPN virtual private network service, and Allform premium, modular furniture. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. 

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This episode is brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They just launched a new company called Allform, and they’re making premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door—at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores. You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home.

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This episode is brought to you by ExpressVPN. I’ve been using ExpressVPN to make sure that my data is secure and encrypted, without slowing my Internet speed. If you ever use public Wi-Fi at, say, a hotel or a coffee shop, where I often work and as many of my listeners do, you’re often sending data over an open network, meaning no encryption at all.

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to time travel with me back to my first episode with Dr. Adam Gazzaley? Give your ears a listen to my conversation with the Maverick of Brain Optimization himself in which we discussed theories of cognition, common misconceptions about the brain and cognitive function, morning rituals, the crossroads of hallucinogens and neuroscience, the neurological impacts of modafinil, and much more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Adam Gazzaley:

Website | Neuroscape | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Neuroscape Psychedelic Division (Please email neuroscape [at] ucsf.edu if you’d like to donate with cryptocurrency.)The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World by Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. RosenThe Distracted Mind with Adam Gazzaley | Prime VideoDr. Adam Gazzaley: The Maverick of Brain Optimization | The Tim Ferriss Show #83Multitasking Video Game Improves Cognition in 79-Year-Olds! | Psychology In ActionNeuroRacer: A Video Game to Sharpen the Mind | WSJ VideoThe Grateful DeadRolling StoneThe Grammy AwardsEffects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Cognition, Mood, Pain, and Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Frontiers in NeurologyFDA Approves Video Game Based on UCSF Brain Research as ADHD Therapy for Kids | UCSFAkili InteractivePureTech HealthA Novel Digital Intervention for Actively Reducing Severity of Paediatric ADHD (STARS-ADHD): A Randomised Controlled Trial | The LancetDe Novo Classification Request | FDAPremarket Notification 510(k) | FDAAttention Search Results | PubMedDistraction Search Results | PubMedUniversity of California, San Francisco | UCSFMagnum, P.I. | Prime VideoPI Status | UCSF Office of Sponsored ResearchElectroencephalogram (EEG) | Johns Hopkins MedicineAre Psychedelic Drugs the Next Medical Breakthrough? | The Tim Ferriss Show #104How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan | AmazonMichael Pollan — Exploring the Frontiers of Psychedelics | The Tim Ferriss Show #365Rick Doblin — The Psychedelic Domino That Tips All Others | The Tim Ferriss Show #440Psychedelics — Microdosing, Mind-Enhancing Methods, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #377The World’s Largest Psychedelic Research Center | The Tim Ferriss Show #385Developing a Multimodal Biosensor for Remote Physiological Monitoring | BMJ Military HealthMultisensory Integration: Current Issues from the Perspective of the Single Neuron | Nature Reviews NeuroscienceDr. Mark Plotkin on Ethnobotany, Real vs. Fake Shamans, Hallucinogens, and the Dalai Lamas of South America | The Tim Ferriss Show #469Know Your Brain: Default Mode Network | Neuroscientifically ChallengedNick Norris — Navy SEAL and Athlete on Training, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Healing | The Tim Ferriss Show #378Principles of Experience-Dependent Neural Plasticity: Implications for Rehabilitation After Brain Damage | Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing ResearchEgo-Dissolution and Psychedelics: Validation of the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI) | Human NeurosciencePsychedelic Therapy and Bad Trips | Scientific American Blog NetworkMy Hellishly Bad Acid Trip, and What I Learned in the Aftermath | ViceDifference Between Open Loop & Closed Loop System (with Comparison Chart) | Circuit GlobeGames and Technology | NeuroscapeMinority Report | Prime VideoPöpcørn: Recipes with The Swedish Chef | The MuppetsMultidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies | MAPSMeet “Pine,” the Bitcoin Philanthropist Who Set Up the $85 Million Pineapple Fund | Bitcoin Magazine

SHOW NOTES

How NeuroRacer, the game Adam helped develop, helps older adults regain the cognitive function they had in their 20s, and why its featured spot as the cover story of Nature made Adam feel like he’d won a Grammy. [06:46]What has motivated Adam to pursue groundbreaking scientific discoveries and developments? [14:50]Improving upon the work that went into NeuroRacer and building the first video game therapeutic to be approved by the FDA: EndeavorRX. [18:13]Why does the mechanism behind this game prove effective in improving attention abilities in children with a wide variety of conditions including autism, depression, ADHD, and multiple sclerosis? [25:38]How does UCSF compare to its peers in the ecosystem of research within the United States? What is its focus? [29:22]Is risk-taking a critical ingredient for the enthusiasm required for scientific breakthroughs? How has Adam’s work evolved through these breakthroughs over the past decade we’ve known each other? [32:41]An important announcement about Neuroscape’s brand new division and its incoming, world-class director, and how and why it all came about so quickly — especially during a year of global pandemic. [39:08]How will Adam and Robin’s work fill in a gap that’s been thus far lacking in this type of research, and what is Adam most looking forward to exploring in this field with Neuroscape’s sophisticated resources of experience and technology at their disposal? How will their approach differ from methods that have been used in this area since the ’60s? [50:58]Just as the EndeavorRx game adapts to specific users for effectively treating a variety of conditions, does Adam foresee a way for psychedelic therapies to be customized for their patients to address seemingly disparate conditions? [1:07:02]How do we reduce the chances of a patient who is undergoing psychedelic therapy enduring a destabilizing amount of stress that causes more harm than it cures? Here’s where shamans and Adam’s closed-loop systems might mutually benefit from a knowledge exchange. [1:17:54]There’s not really one psychedelic community, but a number of tribal factions at odds with one another along the spectrum between science and superstition. In such a friction-heavy environment, why does Adam think his work has been viewed in such a positive light? [1:22:34]A request for the audience from Adam, information about how interested listeners might get involved with or support his research, and parting thoughts. [1:27:30]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Matt MullenwegKevin RoseDarya RoseMickey HartMatt OmernickEddie MartucciScott H. KollinsRobin Carhart-HarrisRalph MetznerMichael PollanRick DoblinThe Swedish ChefLeo ZeffStan GrofJennifer MitchellPineStorm

Photo credit: Amazon Conservation Team 

Welcome to The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to deconstruct world-class performers, to tease out their routines, habits, et cetera that you can apply to your own life. This time around, we have a very special edition featuring not one but three short episodes of the Plants of the Gods podcast, hosted by my friend and past podcast guest, Dr. Mark Plotkin. I’ve listened to all his episodes and chose a few favorites to share with you all.

Mark (@DocMarkPlotkin) is an ethnobotanist who serves as president of the Amazon Conservation Team, which has partnered with ~80 tribes to map and improve management and protection of ~100 million acres of ancestral rainforests. He is best known to the general public as the author of the book Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice, one of the most popular books ever written about the rainforest. His most recent book is The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know. You can find my interview with Mark at tim.blog/markplotkin. 

I am excited to share with you three episodes from Plants of the Gods—the first covering the adventures of the legendary ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schulte‪s‬, the second on ayahuasca, and the third on coca and cocaine. These episodes cover a lot of fascinating ground. 

If you enjoy them and want more, be sure to check out the Plants of the Gods podcast wherever podcasts can be found. You can learn about everything from hallucinogenic snuffs to the diverse formulations of curare (a plant mixture which relaxes the muscles of the body and leads to asphyxiation), and much, much more.  

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Tonal smart home gym; LinkedIn Sales Navigator, the best version of LinkedIn for sales professionals; and Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear my earlier conversation with Dr. Mark Plotkin? Lend your ears to our discussion about Richard Evans Schultes as a “trickster” in the shamanic tradition, how a shaman in the northeastern part of the Amazon cured Mark’s foot pain instantly when no one else could, the “holes” in Western medicine’s understanding, hallucinogenic frogs, the risks of ayahuasca and other Amazon-derived hallucinogens, and much more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Dr. Mark Plotkin:

Website | Plants of the Gods Podcast

Amazon Conservation Team | Twitter | Facebook

Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest by Mark J. PlotkinThe Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know by Mark J. PlotkinWhere Is Punt? | NovaThe Amazonian Travels of Richard Evans Schultes | The Amazon Conservation TeamHarvard Museum of Natural HistoryEast Boston | Global BostonBoston Public Library Celebrates 150th Anniversary of East Boston Branch | Boston Public LibraryNotes of a Botanist on the Amazon and the Andes by Richard Spruce | AmazonWhat Is Ayahuasca? Experience, Benefits, and Side Effects | HealthlineMescal: The Divine Plant and Its Psychological Effects by Heinrich Kluver | Giorgio Samorini NetworkThe Economic Botany of the Kiowa Indians as it Relates to the History of the Tribe by Paul A. Vestal and Richard Evans Schultes | HathiTrust Digital LibraryShamanic Origins of Religion and Medicine by Weston La Barre | Journal of Psychedelic DrugsTeonanacatl: The Narcotic Mushroom of the Aztecs by Richard Evans Schultes | American AnthropologistFly Agaric | US Forest ServiceVisken (Pindolol) | RxListPlants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing, and Hallucinogenic Powers by Richard Evans Schultes, Albert Hofmann, and Christian Rätsch | AmazonPhotography of Richard Evans Schultes | Covinda GalleryChiribiquete National Park – “The Maloca of the Jaguar” | UNESCO World Heritage CentreMuseum of Comparative ZoologyThe Biology of Consciousness: From William James to Richard Schultes by Brian D. Farrell | ReVistaThe Dose Makes the Poison Concept | ToxicitySacred Plants of the Putumayo | ESRIRichard Evans Schultes: World War II and the Rubber Industry | Our Amazing WorldThe Sherman Tank SiteBr’er Rabbit and the Briar Patch | Quatr.us Study GuidesPlant Admixtures to Ayahuasca, the South American Hallucinogenic Drink by Homer Virgil Pinkley | LloydiaYoco, The Natural Caffeine High by Dr. Andrew Weil | High Times via 420 TeleportQuinine | RxListColombia’s Cofan Still Fighting for Survival | SFGateColombia Creates Rainforest Reserve to Protect Medicinal Plants | MongabayTop 10 Machu Picchu Secrets | National GeographicThe Yage Letters by William S. Burroughs and Allen GinsbergThe Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name by Brian Muraresku | AmazonThe World’s Largest Psychedelic Research Center | The Tim Ferriss Show #385Altered Minds: Mescaline’s Complicated History | NatureDiplopterys Cabrerana (Chaliponga) | Erowid VaultAyahuasca Molecules Named “Telepathine” by Early Scientists | KahpiWhat Is Yopo? | Zamnesia BlogCoca: The History and Medical Significance of an Ancient Andean Tradition | Emergency Medicine InternationalCoca Leaf: Myths and Reality | Transnational InstitutePicea Rubens (Red Spruce) | Native Plants of North AmericaLarch | Dr. HauschkaSapodilla (Manilkara Zapota) | Rainforest AllianceAbout the Kogi | Tairona Heritage TrustMoche Civilization | World History EncyclopediaRoyal Tombs Museum | PeruErotic Gallery | Museo LarcoThe Coca Wine Fad: A Brief History | The Drinks BusinessFact Check: Cocaine in Coca-Cola? | SnopesGuns, Heroin Syringes, and Sex Hygiene Equipment: Archaeological Dig Reveals Sordid History of Storyville Red Light District of New Orleans | The IndependentThe Yucuna Indians (or Yukuna) | Laurent FontaineThe Tanimuca and Letuama Indians | Laurent FontaineErythroxylum Coca Lamarck | The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive PlantsMambe Series: Staying Still to Be Smart with the Plant | The City Paper BogotáSoroche Suffering: How to Prevent Altitude Sickness in Peru | EphemerraticThe Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd | Amazon MusicReefer Madness (1936) | Inter-Pathé

SHOW NOTES

Who was Richard Evans Schultes, and how did Mark’s path first cross with his? [07:32]Why was Schultes (generally) so well-regarded by colleagues, students, and the indigenous people he worked alongside? [11:57]How did Schultes’ background prepare him to approach his career with the fresh perspective of a respectful outsider, what brought ethnobotany into his sphere of interests, and what experience cemented it as his primary pursuit? [14:28]The spirit to explore and experiment that made Schultes a superior botanist to his less adventurous peers, and the compounds he was able to retrieve for the benefit of all as a result. [19:18]How did an expedition into the Amazon influence William James, the father of American psychology? [24:45]That time Schultes went to Colombia to find medicinal arrow poison and came home with an orchid never before seen by Western eyes. [26:47]How Schultes was recruited to use his skills as a botanist to aid the American effort during WWII instead of being sent to fight on the front lines when he tried to enlist. [28:45]On Schultes’ introduction to yoco and the allure of the Chiribiquete. [30:22]Who was Alexander Hamilton Rice, and what was his contribution to ethnobotany? [32:35]How do the Yacuna people dance the Baile de Muñeco for three days straight? [35:30]On Schultes’ introduction to ayahuasca and differing accounts about how it all went down. [36:21]How Schultes’ legacy lives on. [38:43]Biocultural conservation is not about saving rainforests, saving the indigenous people there, or saving their shamans. They are intricately linked. [42:48]Schultes on ayahuasca. [45:15]Were Christianity and Judaism founded under the influence of mind-altering substances? [46:14]Why previously isolated shamanic substances are increasingly becoming mainstreamed into Western medicine. [47:03]How Mark’s Amazon Conservation Team is working with the indigenous people of the Amazon and local governments to preserve, cultivate, and learn about the compounds to be found there for the benefit of those who live among them. [49:33]On the now global reach and importance of the once-obscure ayahuasca, and how it’s been used in the Amazon since antiquity. [52:04]Western reaction upon first experiencing ayahuasca and other mind-altering compounds hasn’t always been welcoming. [54:40]The reason behind the naming of the Banisteriopsis caapi. [56:01]Admixtures added to ayahuasca to alter the type, intensity, and duration of the experience, and the mystery of how shamans brought some of them together from such disparate ecosystems. [57:17]What might be expected from a first-time experience with ayahuasca. [1:00:47]The difference between an ethnobotanist and an anthropologist. [1:02:04]Mark’s worst ayahuasca experience. [1:03:19]Why ayahuasca and comparable compounds are rightfully called plants of the gods. [1:05:04]Humans have been using coca for at least 8,000 years. [1:06:04]How a famous houseguest’s abandoned stash of chicle led to the invention of a multi-billion dollar industry. [1:06:31]The varieties of coca and their uses. [1:08:44]For the Kogis of Northern Colombia, exchanging coca leaves is the ultimate bonding exercise. [1:10:21]What we know about coca use in antiquity. [1:10:58]Coca was an instant hit when it was “discovered” by Europeans in the 1500s. Here are just a few of its most creative applications. [1:12:38]What Mark considers to be the most interesting use of coca. [1:15:02]How admixtures work with coca-derived substances. [1:16:55]How to know if they’re selling you the real deal next time you’re at a market in the Andes. [1:21:39]What to do if you’re suffering from altitude sickness in the Andes and you hear Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon at half speed. [1:22:08]Is non-addictive ipadu unfairly maligned in the same way cannabis was in the age of Reefer Madness? How does Mark envision a future where coca can be sustainably cultivated in a way that benefits the people of the Amazon? [1:23:25]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Richard Evans SchultesBrian HettlerDr. Paul CoxWade DavisRichard SpruceOakes AmesHeinrich KlüverWeston La BarreWilliam SaffordAlbert HofmannLouis AgassizWilliam JamesBrian FarrellParacelsusHomer Virgil PinkleyAlexander Hamilton RiceFrancisco de OrellanaSimón BolívarHiram Bingham IIIEleanor Elkins WidenerSalvador ChindoyWilliam S. BurroughsBrian MurareskuStanislav GrofConstantino TorresJose Chantre y HerreraBronwyn GatesAntonio López de Santa AnnaThomas AdamsTim PlowmanThe Lord of SipánKing TutLady of CaoSigmund FreudThomas EdisonUlysses S. GrantHenrik IbsenJules VerneJohn Pemberton

Illustration via 99designs

“When you go get interviewed, if they tell you you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, you say, ‘Thank you,’ and you just smile. And if they tell you you’re the biggest choke artist of all time, you just thank them and smile.”

— George Mumford

George Mumford (@gtmumford) is a globally recognized speaker, teacher, and coach. Since 1989, he’s been honing his gentle but groundbreaking mindfulness techniques with people from locker rooms to board rooms, Yale to jail.

While at the University of Massachusetts, where he roomed with future Hall of Famer Julius Erving, injuries forced George out of basketball and eventually into an addiction to pain medication and drugs. With the help of meditation and mindfulness, he got clean and made it his mission to teach and work with others.

Michael Jordan credits George with transforming his on-court leadership, helping the Bulls to six NBA championships. George has also worked with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and countless other NBA players, as well as Olympians, executives, and artists.

George believes everyone has a masterpiece within. His book The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance —both a memoir and an instruction guide—can show you how to access it.

George also teaches The Mindful Athlete Course, which can be found at GeorgeMumford.com.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear my first interview with Jack Kornfield who introduced me to George? Listen to this episode, in which we discuss hang gliding, monk training in Thailand, unpleasant mystical experiences, the difference between compassion and empathy, lovingkindness meditation, and more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with George Mumford:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance by George MumfordThe Mindful Athlete Course | George MumfordA Seeker’s Guide to Samadhi | Yoga InternationalThe Zen Master’s Zen Master: How Phil Jackson’s Mindfulness Guru Is Helping The New York Knicks | ViceThis Mindfulness Teacher Gets Results (Just Ask Kobe) | The Boston GlobeAlcoholics AnonymousWith Mindfulness, Life’s in the Moment | Harvard Gazette5 Timeless Truths from the Serenity Prayer That Offer Wisdom in the Modern Age | HuffPostBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | BIDMC of BostonTai Chi: A Gentle Way to Fight Stress | Mayo ClinicThe Definitive Guide to Yoga for Beginners and Experts | HealthlineInsight Meditation SocietyCambridge Insight Meditation CenterThe Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Values, and Spiritual Growth by M. Scott PeckZen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryu SuzukiLove Is Letting Go of Fear by Gerald G. Jampolsky, MDThe BibleThe Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism by Daniel C. MattThe Qur’anI and Thou by Martin BuberThe Way of Man: According to Hasidic Teaching by Martin BuberMan’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. FranklThe Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life by Steve Zaffron and Dave LoganOn Becoming a Leader by Warren G. BennisThe Meaning of Anxiety by Rollo MayThe Last Dance | Prime VideoChicago Bulls | NBALaura Ingraham Told LeBron James to Shut Up and Dribble; He Went to the Hoop | The Two-Way, NPRBeatlemania! In 29 Truly Unbelievable Photographs | ATIJulius Erving: ‘I’ve Always Felt Powerless’ | Sports Illustrated VaultSoren Kierkegaard and The Psychology of Anxiety | Academy of IdeasOn the Origins of VUCA and How it Affects Decision Making | Indigo AnchorMichael Jordan’s Game-Winner vs. Georgetown (1982) | March MadnessBoston College AthleticsTroy Bell: Inside College Basketball | Sports Illustrated VaultGame 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals | WikipediaStart Me Up by The Rolling StonesThe Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the NewsDharma Talk | WikipediaThe Stress Response | Disease Prevention and Healthy Lifestyles

SHOW NOTES

George describes how his mind and body reacted on a spiritual level the first time he witnessed Michael Jordan practicing for the very first time. [06:46]What most impressed George about the intensity Michael Jordan brought to the court even during an everyday practice session? [09:23]George shares what it was like to have “a security clearance on [his] badge and track marks on [his] forearm” as he held down an FBI-scrutinized position while struggling with heroin addiction. [11:52]Where did George’s path to addiction begin, and what led to his sobriety? [15:01]How did mindfulness enter George’s life, and what helped him remain sober in the interim? [20:58]Books that George found particularly useful during this time. [26:45]Books that George has recommended and gifted most often. [29:10]After becoming sober and cultivating greater awareness, how did George connect with the world of elite sports? [31:49]What value did Phil Jackson see in bringing George’s skill set to the Chicago Bulls, and had he tried to impart this value in other ways prior to George’s involvement? [34:20]How has George helped the players in his care manage the distractions of constant public scrutiny? [39:12]How has George approached helping players who have wildly different personalities and preferences? [43:28]Counterintuitive advice from George that Kobe always remembered, and a general formula for remembering that the most direct way to achieve something isn’t always the most efficacious. [46:59]What does George mean when he refers to “the dizziness of freedom?” [48:44]Barrier breakthrough versus the improvement trap, and the moment “Mike” Jordan became “Michael” Jordan. [52:53]George recalls another memorable breakthrough moment. [54:55]Advice George Mumford of 2021 would give to the younger George Mumford who was just beginning to work with high-level athletes. [58:37]How does George use the four As — awareness, acceptance, action, assessment — in the context of making adjustments to form in order to achieve something? [59:53]How George used the four As to teach a class of people who didn’t speak his language, and a friend of his used the four As to rescue a prison class from descending into utter chaos. [1:05:00]What is George most excited about these days? [1:09:17]George’s ask to the audience and parting thoughts. [1:12:56]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Julius ErvingMichael JordanKobe BryantShaquille O’NealJack KornfieldJoan BorysenkoLarry RosenbergJon Kabat-ZinnScott PeckMartin BuberVictor FranklGautama BuddhaAlbert CamusJean-Paul SartreSøren KierkegaardSteve ZaffronDave LoganWarren BennisRollo MayErich FrommSaki SantorelliPhil JacksonJames R. Jordan, Sr.LeBron JamesThe BeatlesDennis RodmanRoland LazenbyStephen CoveyTroy BellTroy MurphyAl SkinnerMick JaggerJimi HendrixMalcolm XBruce LeeBo LozoffHans Selye