General Stanley McChrystal and Liv Boeree (#761)


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 #86 “General Stan McChrystal on Eating One Meal Per Day, Special Ops, and Mental Toughness” and #611 “Liv Boeree, Poker and Life — Core Strategies, Turning $500 into $1.7M, Cage Dancing, Game Theory, and Metaphysical Curiosities.”

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

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple PodcastsSpotifyOvercastPodcast AddictPocket CastsCastboxYouTube MusicAmazon MusicAudible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is brought to you by AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and LMNT electrolyte supplement.

Transcript for the full General Stanley McChrystal episode | Transcript for the full Liv Boeree episode | Transcripts for all episodes

#761: General Stanley McChrystal and Liv Boeree

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

SHOW NOTES

  • [05:57] Notes about this supercombo format.
  • [07:01] Enter General Stanley McChrystal.
  • [07:24] One meal a day.
  • [08:52] Daily exercise routines and their importance.
  • [14:04] The book most gifted.
  • [15:15] A major course correction at West Point.
  • [19:33] Vetting, selecting, and educating candidates for combat.
  • [21:41] “No-win” leadership roleplaying.
  • [25:21] Underrated military leaders.
  • [27:17] Audiobooks.
  • [29:13] What books make Stan’s reading list?
  • [30:29] Hopeless dilemmas and managing self-talk in high-pressure environments.
  • [37:09] Enter Liv Boeree.
  • [37:35] Youthful obsessions.
  • [42:04] How poker entered the picture.
  • [49:45] The qualities that made Liv excel at poker from the start.
  • [55:55] Liv’s advice to a newcomer wanting to learn poker.
  • [1:04:54] What Liv’s eight-week poker education curriculum might look like.
  • [1:11:31] Failure points that might discourage someone during this curriculum.
  • [1:13:35] Red mist, white noise, and fast math.
  • [1:19:37] Volcano-induced tournament participation and self-regulation.
  • [1:28:27] A skeptic’s experiences with the unexplainable.
  • [1:44:19] How does Liv rationally coexist with these experiences?
  • [1:48:09] How to become a better skeptic.
  • [1:54:18] Inadequate Equilibria and Moloch.
  • [1:59:14] Parting thoughts.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with General Stanley McChrystal:

McChrystal Group | Twitter

Connect with Liv Boeree:

Website | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

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.