#756: Anne Lamott and Josh Waitzkin

The Tim Ferriss Show

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

Please enjoy!

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Start

[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.

*

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