The Peter Attia Drive

#248 ‒ OUTLIVE book: A behind-the-scenes look into the writing of this book, motivation, main themes, and more

Mar 28, 2023

Bill Gifford, co-author of 'Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity,' joins Peter to share insights from the book's six-year writing journey. They discuss the evolution of the book, key themes of longevity and health, and the importance of making science accessible. Gifford reveals the creative process behind the book cover design and the challenges of translating complex ideas for readers. They also explore exciting advancements in cancer treatment and the future of personalized medicine, all while reflecting on their personal experiences throughout the project.

01:41:42

Creator website

Episode guests

Bill Gifford

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Exercise more upside than nutrition. About same downside.

01:15

How to Improve Your Reading Skills for audio books reading.

01:26

The Benefits of Early Screening for Cancer

01:03

The Value of the Writing Process

01:22

Intro

3min

The Journey to 'Outlive'

7min

Designing Longevity: The Art of Book Covers

29min

Understanding Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics: A Framework for Health Decisions

4min

Future of Cancer Detection and Treatment

7min

Balancing Complexity and Accessibility

8min

The Emotional Journey of Writing and Recording

27min

From Studio Mishaps to Collaborative Success

12min

Behind the Scenes of the Book Writing Journey

5min

Order OUTLIVE

View the Show Notes Page for This Episode

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After more than six years of research, planning, and writing, Peter’s book, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, is officially available as of March 28th. In this episode, Peter sits down with co-author Bill Gifford to provide a behind-the-scenes look into the writing process, including the motivation for making it happen, how the book evolved over the course of the writing process, and why certain topics were chosen (and omitted). Additionally, they discuss how the book is structured and touch on a few of the book’s main themes to give potential readers an idea of what they can expect.

We discuss:

The meaning of the book’s title and subtitle [3:00];
Finding the right art for the book cover [9:00];
Who is Bill Gifford, and how did he get involved in the book? [16:15];
How Peter’s writing evolved over the six years it took to write this book [25:00];
The structure of the book and what people can expect to learn [29:00];
How the writing of the book and the podcast interviews have shaped Peter’s thinking and approach to translating science [32:45];
Making the book stand the test of time despite the constant evolution of science and medicine [36:00];
Objective, strategy, and tactics [39:30];
Exciting possible progressions in science and medicine over the next decade [42:15];
What is holding back “medicine 3.0” from being the norm? [46:00];
How the book compares to the podcast in terms of technicality and readability for the layman [49:00];
Motivation to write the book and insights into challenges around the writing process [57:15];
Peter’s decision to be the reader for the audiobook [1:10:30];
The many painstaking last-minute changes and edits that brought the book together and made it better [1:19:00];
Peter and Bill’s favorite parts of the book [1:27:30];
The incredible team of people supporting the book [1:31:30]; and
More.