Personal Development

Anne Lamott and Josh Waitzkin (#756)

23 July 2024
Bourahima


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.”

Bios of guests may be found at tim.blog/combo.

Please enjoy!

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

This episode is brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business.

Transcript for the full Anne Lamott episode | Transcript for the full Josh Waitzkin episode | Transcripts for all episodes

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#756: Anne Lamott and Josh Waitzkin

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This episode is brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements! Momentous offers high-quality supplements and products across a broad spectrum of categories, and I’ve been testing their products for months now. I’ve been using their magnesium threonate, apigenin, and L-theanine daily, all of which have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep. I’ve also been using Momentous creatine, and while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).

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This episode is brought to you by Shopify! Shopify is one of my favorite platforms and one of my favorite companies. Shopify is designed for anyone to sell anywhere, giving entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business. In no time flat, you can have a great-looking online store that brings your ideas to life, and you can have the tools to manage your day-to-day and drive sales. No coding or design experience required.

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

SHOW NOTES

  • [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.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Anne Lamott:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Josh Waitzkin:

Website | The Art of Learning Project

PEOPLE MENTIONED

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it’s been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.