The Shawn Ryan Show #274 Tim Ferriss - Life-Changing Practical Wisdom Backed by Experience and Science
Tim Ferriss, bestselling author and performance researcher, shares practical life tools. He discusses biohacking and early glucose experiments. He explains fear-setting, deliberate hardship, and morning pages. He opens up about trauma, therapies like psychedelics and TMS, and rigorous approaches to reintegration. He also covers relationship triage, investment instincts, and ways to stretch subjective time.
03:46:28
Intermittent Fasting For Metabolic And Mental Stability
- Try time-restricted eating (16+ hour fasts) to improve metabolic markers and stabilize mood.
- Use an oral glucose tolerance test and track labs to confirm individual benefits.
Calendar Your Closest Relationships
- Schedule and pre-pay time with your closest relationships to protect them from being crowded out.
- Create loss aversion by booking in advance so cancellations feel costly.
Choose People Who Call You On Your Bullshit
- Prioritize people who tell you the truth and leave you energized; use the "beer test" as a heuristic.
- Favor deep, long-term relationships over broad, shallow networks.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Early biohacking and wearable glucose
01:40 • 33sec
Gifts, rapport, and SIG pistol
02:13 • 4min
Intermittent fasting: practical benefits
05:50 • 6min
Invest in relationships as leverage
12:09 • 3min
Choosing who deserves your time
15:20 • 6min
What intuition is and how to cultivate it
20:50 • 11min
Ad break
32:16 • 2min
Fear-setting: Stoic tool to defang risk
34:10 • 13min
Deliberate hardship and austerity practices
46:51 • 4min
Morning pages to quiet the monkey mind
50:26 • 4min
Upbringing, education, and early passions
54:45 • 8min
Trauma, OCD, and near-suicide
01:02:21 • 4min
Therapies: psychedelics, TMS, and bioelectric medicine
01:06:49 • 6min
Ad break
01:13:15 • 3min
Survival, library postcard, and writing on suicide
01:15:53 • 6min
Publishing abuse during COVID and listeners' responses
01:22:12 • 19min
Why and how Tim re-entered psychedelics
01:41:40 • 16min
Consciousness, death, and near-death evidence
01:57:56 • 15min
Stretching time: increasing experiential lifespan
02:12:34 • 12min
Anomalous reports, downloads, and savant cases
02:25:00 • 24min
The placebo effect and scientific caution
02:48:52 • 26min
The power of no and creating a shield
03:15:20 • 12min
How Tim finds and picks investments
03:27:11 • 12min
Final reflections: priorities and forgiveness
03:38:56 • 7min
Outro
03:45:35 • 53sec
#1421
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The 80/20 Principle
Richard Koch
The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch introduces a powerful paradigm that suggests 80% of our outcomes result from just 20% of our efforts.
The book explains how this principle, also known as the Pareto Principle, can be applied in various aspects of life and business to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
Koch provides practical examples and strategies for identifying and focusing on the most impactful 20% of efforts to achieve significant results with minimal time and resources.
The book emphasizes the importance of concentrating on high-impact activities and eliminating or outsourcing less important tasks to enhance productivity and happiness.
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Letters from a Stoic
Seneca
Seneca's "Letters from a Stoic" comprises a collection of personal letters offering practical advice on living a virtuous life according to Stoic principles.
Written to Lucilius, a friend and student, the letters cover a wide range of topics, including dealing with adversity, managing emotions, and finding inner peace.
Seneca's writing style is engaging and relatable, making complex philosophical concepts accessible to a wider audience.
The letters offer timeless wisdom on self-improvement and ethical living.
They remain a valuable resource for anyone seeking guidance on navigating life's challenges.
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Ego is the Enemy
Ryan Holiday
In *Ego Is the Enemy*, Ryan Holiday delves into the concept of ego and its detrimental effects on personal and professional success.
The book is divided into three sections: Aspiration, Success, and Failure, each offering valuable lessons and perspectives.
Holiday draws on a vast array of stories and examples from literature, philosophy, and history, featuring figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt.
These individuals achieved great success by conquering their own egos, and their strategies and tactics are presented as models for readers.
The book emphasizes the importance of staying grounded, continually learning, and embracing a mindset of growth rather than letting ego hinder development.
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Fierce Intimacy
Terrence Real
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Outlive
The Science and Art of Longevity
Peter Attia
Bill Gifford
In this book, Dr. Peter Attia draws on the latest science to deliver innovative nutritional interventions, techniques for optimizing exercise and sleep, and tools for addressing emotional and mental health.
The book aims to replace the outdated medical framework with a personalized, proactive strategy for longevity, focusing on creating the best individual plan for long-term health.
It covers topics such as the limitations of cholesterol tests, underdiagnosed liver conditions, the importance of exercise, and the integration of overall health with relational health.
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On the Shortness of Life
Seneca
In this essay, Seneca addresses the common complaint that life is too short by arguing that life is sufficiently long if one uses it wisely.
He contends that people waste much of their time in luxury, carelessness, and pointless activities.
Seneca emphasizes the importance of living in the present, pursuing philosophical wisdom, and avoiding the distractions that make life seem short.
He advises readers to organize each day as if it were their last and to avoid procrastination and the preoccupation with future or past concerns.
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Tribe
On Homecoming and Belonging
Sebastian Junger
In 'Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging', Sebastian Junger delves into the human desire for community and belonging.
Drawing from history, psychology, and anthropology, Junger examines why many individuals, including combat veterans, often feel a stronger sense of belonging in tribal or wartime environments than in modern society.
He argues that the lack of community in affluent societies can lead to feelings of isolation and depression, while disasters and wars can paradoxically bring people together and foster a sense of unity.
The book challenges the notion that modern society is superior to tribal societies, highlighting the benefits of egalitarianism and community found in the latter.
Junger also discusses how the absence of these communal bonds can affect veterans returning from war and suggests that societal changes could help reintegrate them and improve overall societal well-being.
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The Game
Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists
Neil Strauss
N. Strauss
In 'The Game', Neil Strauss chronicles his transformation from an 'average frustrated chump' (AFC) to a successful pickup artist.
The book recounts his experiences living among the seduction community, learning from gurus like Mystery, and adopting the pseudonym 'Style'.
Strauss shares numerous seduction techniques, his encounters with celebrities, and the psychological and social dynamics involved in the pickup artist culture.
The book also explores the author's eventual realization that these techniques, while effective in picking up women, were not conducive to forming meaningful relationships.
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The obstacle is the way
Ryan Holiday
In 'The Obstacle Is the Way', Ryan Holiday presents a framework for turning obstacles into successes.
Drawing from the philosophy of Stoicism and the writings of Marcus Aurelius, Holiday outlines three disciplines: perception, action, and will.
He illustrates these principles with historical anecdotes from figures such as John D. Rockefeller, Amelia Earhart, Ulysses S. Grant, and Steve Jobs.
The book emphasizes the importance of perception in shaping one's response to obstacles, the need for intentional and creative action, and the cultivation of will to persist through challenges.
Holiday argues that by adopting these Stoic principles, individuals can transform their obstacles into opportunities for growth and success.
#86
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The artist's way
a spiritual path to higher creativity
Ada Arbós Bo
Julia Cameron
This book presents a comprehensive method for artists to recover their creativity from various blocks such as limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, and other inhibiting forces.
It is designed to help individuals discover and develop their artistic potential, whether as writers, painters, poets, or musicians.
The book emphasizes the connection between creativity and spirituality, providing step-by-step exercises to nurture creative expression as a consistent part of daily life.
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Exploring the world of lucid dreaming
Stephen LaBerge
This book provides a scientifically researched framework for lucid dreaming, based on Dr. Stephen LaBerge's laboratory work at Stanford University and the teachings of Tibetan dream yogis.
It guides readers in using lucid dreaming to enhance personal growth, creativity, and spiritual exploration.
The techniques outlined help individuals recognize and control their dreams, leading to profound personal transformations.
#109
• Mentioned in 155 episodes
The 4-Hour Body
An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
Tim Ferriss
In 'The 4-Hour Body,' Tim Ferriss shares the results of over a decade of self-experimentation and research, involving hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of personal testing.
The book covers more than 50 topics, including how to lose weight quickly, gain muscle without steroids, sleep less and perform better, and improve sexual health.
Ferriss emphasizes the importance of finding the smallest changes that produce the biggest results, making it accessible for readers to achieve significant improvements in their physical health and performance.
#3423
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Of Wolves and Men
Barry López
Originally published in 1978, this book delves into the intricate and varied interactions between humans and wolves over centuries.
Lopez uses a wide range of sources, including personal experiences with captive and free-ranging wolves, to create a compelling portrait of the wolf.
The book celebrates scientific fieldwork, dispels folklore that has demonized wolves, explains myths, and honors indigenous traditions.
It explores how wolves are perceived differently by various cultures, such as scientists, Eskimo hunters, and Native Americans, and argues for the wolf's preservation.
The book also examines the historical and cultural significance of wolves in human imagination and society.
Tim Ferriss is the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef. His podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, has surpassed one billion downloads and is widely regarded as the “Oprah of audio.” Named as one of Fortune’s “40 Under 40,” Tim is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and was ranked among the “Top 20 Angel Investors” by Forbes.
A Princeton University graduate (BA 2000, East Asian Studies), Tim is a polyglot who speaks five languages to different degrees, a national Chinese kickboxing champion, the first American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango spins, and a practiced horseback archer (yabusame) in Japan.
His business ventures include bootstrapping a nootropics company (BrainQUICKEN) to millions in revenue before selling it in 2010, launching the audiobook imprint Tim Ferriss Publishing with Amazon Audible (responsible for modern classics like Ego Is the Enemy and The Obstacle Is the Way), and co-creating the hit card game COYOTE (2025) with Exploding Kittens creator Elan Lee—now sold in over 8,000 stores worldwide including Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
Known for normalizing vulnerability while achieving massive success, Tim pioneered the remote-work and lifestyle-design movements pre-pandemic, popularized biohacking, and has served as an advisor at Singularity University and a 2009 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
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Tim Ferriss Links:
The No Book free chapters - https://tim.blog/nobook
Everything Tim – https://tim.blog
Podcast – https://tim.blog/podcast
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/timferriss
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/timferriss
COYOTE Game – https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/coyote
Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001ILKBW2/allbooks
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