From Bodybuilding to Hollywood: A Journey of Perseverance

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 #60 "Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare" and #331 "Ann Miura-Ko — The Path from Shyness to World-Class Debater and Investor."

Please enjoy!

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Start

[04:08] Notes about this supercombo format.

[05:11] Enter Arnold Schwarzenegger.

[05:45] Where did Arnold develop his cast iron confidence?

[09:15] Mastering the psychological warfare of bodybuilding.

[13:58] Transferring this skill set to Hollywood.

[17:13] On making millions before becoming a movie star.

[19:48] Playing good bricklayer/bad bricklayer with Franco Columbu.

[24:41] How Twins came together.

[29:14] Meditation as one of many answers.

[35:47] Enter Ann-Miura Ko.

[36:14] Ann's childhood shyness.

[38:14] The Japanese phrase Ann used as a hostile kid in Michigan.

[40:20] How Ann overcame introversion.

[43:13] Ann's first solo stage speech.

[44:22] Why Ann continued with speech and debate.

[45:17] Ann's love for competition.

[46:54] Ann's extreme efforts for pizza.

[48:57] The catalyst for Ann's debate improvement.

[53:01] Debate competition format.

[56:56] Ann's recommended resources for improving debate skills.

[59:56] Observations on modern debate in politics and family.

[1:02:01] The most important lesson from Ann's debating years.

[1:04:50] Differences between debate and negotiation.

[1:06:53] Ann's father's journey to America and favorite phrase.

[1:10:29] Ann's world-class effort in menial job tasks.

[1:13:15] How a Yale tour led to shadowing a CEO.

[1:18:36] Ann's first job experience.

[1:20:20] Ann's favorite office supplies.

[1:21:32] Ann's cherished personal artifacts.

[1:23:06] Ann's experience teaching Mayfield Fellows at Stanford.

[1:24:42] A reading list and plans for Ann's Stanford startup class.

[1:28:05] Spotting artificial inflation in startup valuations.

[1:31:29] Why Ann changed her career path from medicine.

[1:34:45] What Ann knew about herself that her parents and test scores didn't.

[1:38:55] Ann's entry into venture capital and startup investing.

[1:39:29] An encounter with Steve Jobs.

[1:40:40] A job offer based on shared interests.

[1:44:40] Ann's experience at CRV during 9/11.

[1:47:55] The most expensive words in investing.

[1:48:16] First principles thinking and common leadership decisions.

[1:50:52] Winning strategy vs. strategy not to lose.

[1:51:59] Manifestations of hedging as a defensive strategy.

[1:53:46] The importance of focusing on your own race.

[1:55:47] A need for aggressiveness to win.

[1:56:38] How Ann met Mike Maples, Jr.

[1:59:26] Ann's PhD plans and shift to working with Mike.

[2:02:12] Ann's reaction to Mike's unusual proposition.

[2:06:40] Ann's hectic first year at Floodgate.

[2:08:41] Ann's real first name.

[2:09:21] Ann's struggles and coping mechanisms.

[2:14:56] Ann's superpowers.

[2:18:44] Thunder lizards and Ann's pursuit of them.

[2:20:20] Ann's view on AI and machine learning's impact.

[2:23:11] Philosophy exercises and real-world applications.

[2:24:50] Aligning collective and self-interests in problem-solving.

[2:27:08] Books Ann has gifted or reread most.

[2:29:09] A recent, game-changing purchase under $100.

[2:30:28] Ann's billboard.

[2:31:19] The meaning of Ann's Japanese name characters.

[2:32:19] Ann's online presence and Floodgate's name origin.

[2:34:58] Parting thoughts.

*

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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.

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