The Tim Ferriss Show
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PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Publisher/creatorTim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig
Published
Shortcast updated
About this episode
This episode is a solo Q&A session where I answer a bunch of questions. We covered a ton of ground, from personal health protocols to professional frameworks and creative projects. This episode is brought to you by: Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.) Monarch Money track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: MonarchMoney.com/Tim (50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code TIM) Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period) Timestamps: [00:00:00] Start [00:06:00] Coyote retail distribution challenges and data gathering. [00:09:12] Elbow surgery recovery: sequencing, decongestion, Marc Pro device, peptides, BFR training. [00:16:14] California vs. Austin for builders, mechanical engineers, and tech startups. [00:19:06] Using AI for medical advice workflow (and cross-referencing with professionals). [00:23:51] Current supplement regimen and PAGG/AGG status. [00:31:54] California vs. Texas considerations for aspiring parents. [00:32:48] Saying "No" to good things for "Hell, yes" moments. [00:34:34] Philanthropy lessons learned since starting Saisei Foundation. [00:37:45] Something I've changed my mind about recently: intermittent fasting. [00:42:44] Precious items from childhood I still keep: D&D relics and marine biology books. [00:43:03] Bucket list hike: Glacier National Park. [00:43:42] How the catalytic chaos of publishing The 4-Hour Chef led to launching this podcast. [00:45:52] Bringing delight vs. sixth-gear, high-performance focus. [00:49:05] Thoughts on extended human fasting research from the Soviet era. [00:52:58] Most magical New Mexico experience: Mountain Cloud Zen Center meditation retreat. [00:53:22] Meta skills for the AI era: Hyper-adaptability and world-class learning. [00:54:01] The (real and ideal) future of CØCKPUNCH/Legends of Varlata. [00:59:47] Competitive chess training enhancement: glucose management, intermittent fasting, MCT oil. [01:06:31] Behind-the-scenes projects: Fusion, algae feed additives, meat alternatives. [01:08:32] Countries I wish I had visited earlier, and places I'd still like to see. [01:11:06] "Not yet" vs. "No" in early growth phases. [01:14:14] Post Coyote, do I have any future games in the works? [01:14:46] Over-ear vs. in-ear headphones for podcasting. [01:15:16] What's the uncrowded channel right now? [01:16:17] Recommendations for Dr. Mindy Pelz. [01:16:58] Robert Rodriguez and project juggling. [01:17:24] Fast neutron reactors and the Bugatti of ketones. [01:19:05] Extended family outings and Mahonk Mountain House. [01:20:31] NO BOOK meetup plans? [01:20:54] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast . For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter ( 5-Bullet Friday ) at tim.blog/friday . For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts . Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books . Follow Tim: Twitter : twitter.com/tferriss Instagram : instagram.com/timferriss YouTube : youtube.com/timferriss Facebook : facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld , Hugh Jackman , Dr. Jane Goodall , LeBron James , Kevin Hart , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Jamie Foxx , Matthew McConaughey , Esther Perel , Elizabeth Gilbert , Terry Crews , Sia , Yuval Noah Harari , Malcolm Gladwell , Madeleine Albright , Cheryl Strayed , Jim Collins , Mary Karr, Maria Popova , Sam Harris , Michael Phelps , Bob Iger , Edward Norton , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Neil Strauss , Ken Burns , Maria Sharapova , Marc Andreessen , Neil Gaiman , Neil de Grasse Tyson , Jocko Willink , Daniel Ek , Kelly Slater , Dr. Peter Attia , Seth Godin , Howard Marks , Dr. Brené Brown , Eric Schmidt , Michael Lewis , Joe Gebbia , Michael Pollan , Dr. Jordan Peterson , Vince Vaughn , Brian Koppelman , Ramit Sethi , Dax Shepard , Tony Robbins , Jim Dethmer , Dan Harris , Ray Dalio , Naval Ravikant , Vitalik Buterin , Elizabeth Lesser , Amanda Palmer , Katie Haun , Sir Richard Branson , Chuck Palahniuk , Arianna Huffington , Reid Hoffman , Bill Burr , Whitney Cummings , Rick Rubin , Dr. Vivek Murthy , Darren Aronofsky , Margaret Atwood , Mark Zuckerberg , Peter Thiel , Dr. Gabor Maté , Anne Lamott , Sarah Silverman , Dr. Andrew Huberman , and many more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
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Episode summary
Hello boys and girls, ladies and germs—welcome to a special solo Q and A. I’m answering questions from my private Notebook community and sharing real tactics across health, performance, creative projects, and more. Quick note: I’m not a doctor, do not play one on the internet—everything here is for information and entertainment only. Also, please check out Coyote at CoyoteGame.com and, if you’ve played, a short review helps a ton and makes my day.
Current challenge: retail sell-through for Coyote. I’m applying the scientific method—gathering photos of in-store placement, validating whether placement or box size matters, and resisting premature conclusions. More information first, then targeted experiments.
Elbow surgery recovery: I had a lateral epicondylitis repair after a decades-old injury. My playbook is sequencing—decongestion first with a Mark Pro, lymphatic drainage, sleep, and collagen plus vitamin C before movement; then careful isometrics for adjacent muscle groups, and later blood-flow restriction training. I’m working closely with PTs and a surgeon who had the same procedure; my biggest risk is doing too much too soon.
Austin versus San Francisco: if you’re building in AI, San Francisco still has the highest talent density. You can treat one to three months there as a paid MBA for learning and recruiting, then bring it back to Austin. It does not have to be either-or.
AI for medical questions: I cross-reference tools like ChatGPT and Consensus dot app to get a first-pass map of evidence, then send a concise synthesis to my doctor for reality checks. I never self-doctor in a vacuum, and I’m skeptical of anything offered for free—it is often very expensive in the end.
Supplements right now are surgery-skewed. From the old PAGG stack I still use alpha-lipoic acid, NAC, green tea extract, and garlic; policosanol is a question mark. I also take prescription support for lipids and uric acid, famotidine for interesting adjunct effects, collagen plus vitamin C before work, magnesium threonate at night, fish oil, A-REDS two for eyes, and THC with CBN for sleep pain. I’m exploring DORA-class sleep meds; again, do not copy me—talk to your professionals.
I changed my mind on intermittent fasting. After a strict ketogenic phase, an eight-hour feeding window with resistance training gave me the best bloodwork in a decade and better performance. Two big meals plus protein shakes work fine, and the thirty-grams-per-meal protein “limit” is not supported by the literature.
Training for mental sports like chess: stabilize glucose first. Moderate caffeine, consider MCT oil or a ketogenic phase, and plan fueling like an endurance athlete depending on game length. There’s no free lunch with stimulants; sequencing fundamentals beats piling on band-aids.
Saying no to good things: I turned down a lucrative European talk to spend a week off-grid in Montana learning survival with close friends. The art of letting bad things happen still applies; that trade was a one hundred of one hundred decision.
Philanthropy lessons: do not wait—many problems compound. Avoid guilt fuel; separate feel-good from impact. Treat it like for-profit investing, prioritize neglected areas, and optimize for learning and relationships even when projects fail.
Coyote’s impact: it feels fantastic to inject reliable fun into family time. Productivity matters, but joy is real recovery. Watching kids go absolutely bananas around a table with no screens is why I keep pushing this.
Old ideas for the future: fasting. We lost a lot of rigorous human fasting research; the subtractive approach is neglected and interesting. I’m exploring fasting-mimicking diets, ketogenic strategies, and possible pharmacologic overlaps to capture cellular cleanup benefits without dogma.
Cock Punch world-building: I have a very clear film in my head. I want to prototype an AI-assisted mood trailer with friends who live in these tools—low cost, high learning. If it makes smart people briefly speechless, I’ll push harder.
Uncrowded channels: in-person still wins. Legacy platforms like email, Pinterest, and Quora are underrated while everyone chases the newest shiny thing.
Unexpected projects: I’m working on clean energy (including fusion and more reactors), methane reduction from cattle with algae feed additives, and scalable protein. Quietly trying to incentivize humans to unfuck the planet.
Travel: Taiwan is a gem—culture, food, waterfalls, and rainforest within an hour of Taipei. Glacier National Park is high on my list, and I’m drawn to smaller countries that punch above their weight.
Meta-skill for the AI era: become hyper-adaptable and a world-class learner. Even the top builders cannot predict eighteen months out; your insurance is learning speed.
Process notes: I prefer wired headphones and backup recording—two is one, one is none. Boring, but it saves shows.
Family trips: pick places engineered for multi-generational fun—think Mohonk Mountain House. Genealogy trips tracing family lines are also meaningful and easy to customize.
Thank you for the great questions and the support. Notebook meetups will happen; we will help facilitate. And if you want a tiny dose of curiosities each week, join Five Bullet Friday at tim dot blog slash friday. Have a great week and take care.
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