The Tim Ferriss Show #140: Shaun White: The Most Unholy Snowboarder Ever
Early Health Struggles Shaped Fearlessness
- Shaun White was born with a severe heart defect and underwent multiple open-heart surgeries as a child.
- His parents never told him he couldn't do things, which he credits for his fearlessness in sport.
Meeting Tony Hawk Humanized Fame
- Shaun met Tony Hawk as a child at a local skatepark and watched him skate before ever speaking much.
- Tony's down-to-earth behavior helped Shaun see fame as human and made friendship possible.
Demand Creative Approval Early
- Insist on creative approvals and control of your likeness before signing major endorsements.
- Shaun's early insistence on approvals prevented images and campaigns that felt wrong to him.
"My parents never really told me I couldn't do anything." - Shaun White This particular episode comes from a fun event -- my first live podcast at the iconic Troubadour in L.A. It sold out through my newsletter in 30 minutes, so thanks to all of you who came. If you haven't signed up for the email newsletter, you should check it out. It's free. Just go to fourhourworkweek.com/friday. There were quite a few amazing guests at the event, and we're going to divide them up into a few episodes. Shaun White (@ShaunWhite) is our first -- a professional snowboarder and skateboarder. Among his formidable feats of strength: He's a 2x Olympic Gold medalist. He holds the X Games record for gold medals at 15, as well as the highest overall medal count at 24. Shaun has earned the number two spot on BusinessWeek's list of the 100 most powerful and marketable athletes. And -- ACH-TUNG! -- for those near L.A. or willing to travel, Shaun is hosting an incredible event called Air + Style. Think of it as X Games meets Coachella, where you can listen to world-famous bands and then see jumps off of a 16-story ramp (no joke), among other excitement. Check it out at airandstyle.com. For 20% off general or VIP admission, you can use code "TimFerriss."I get no cut, and I’ve already bought four tickets for myself and friends. The code is only good until midnight PT on February 19th (Friday). Enjoy! This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world's largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs. I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I've also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you're happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run. This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple. It has exploded in popularity in the last two years and now has more than $2.5B under management. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Well worth a few minutes to explore: wealthfront.com/tim. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.
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