The Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve

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 #427 "Michael Lewis — Inside the Mind of the Iconic Writer" and episode #487 "Dr. Martine Rothblatt — A Masterclass on Asking Better Questions and Peering Into the Future."

Please enjoy!

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Start

[04:13] Notes about this supercombo format.

[05:16] Enter Michael Lewis.

[05:54] Why Michael quit his well-paid job to become a full-time author.

[12:58] Liar’s Poker is a cautionary tale, not a how-to book.

[15:16] On ambition and the metrics of success.

[18:31] Maximizing self-satisfaction, optimizing the writing process, and learning to sing.

[20:51] The value of having an impolite editor on your side.

[23:52] On the merits of productive laziness.

[28:13] How Michael determines if a project should proceed.

[29:51] Michael's billboard.

[32:45] Enter Martine Rothblatt.

[33:14] Martine's appreciation for Alan Watts' book on human identity.

[35:34] Martine's thoughts on AI-human coexistence in the movie Her.

[36:31] BINA48 and realistic human simulations in media.

[39:53] Martine's role models and inspirations.

[41:20] When Martine started a biotech company to save her daughter's life.

[52:44] Glaxo Wellcome's misconceptions about Martine's successful drug.

[56:17] Martine's interest in satellite communication systems.

[1:00:33] Promoting scientific literacy and curiosity.

[1:05:20] Questioning authority and Martine's transgender journey.

[1:10:28] Martine's non-binary gender identity.

[1:12:34] Key decisions in Martine's transition.

[1:13:28] The need for genetic information protection laws.

[1:16:00] South American population and organ transplant research.

[1:21:42] Vagus nerve manipulation for various therapies.

[1:31:25] Martine's Alzheimer's cognitive enabler patent.

[1:38:17] The Rothblatt family's "love nights" tradition.

[1:43:54] The possibility of machines experiencing love.

[1:49:20] Ethical considerations for future technology.

[1:52:44] Current practices future generations might view as barbaric.

[1:57:42] United Therapeutics' zero-carbon-footprint headquarters.

[2:00:32] Refurbishing unusable lungs to save lives.

[2:04:45] United Therapeutics' focus on long-term COVID-19 effects.

[2:07:26] Martine's billboard.

[2:08:27] Advice for finding positivity in life.

[2:11:48] 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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