“The goal is to make people laugh and then to really break their heart.” — Chuck PalahniukWriter Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) has published twenty-three national and international best-selling books. These include fifteen prose novels, a collection of short stories, two graphic novels, two coloring books, a travel guide, a collection of essays, and a memoir about his life as a writer. He was raised in a desert town with a population of three hundred at the time of his birth in 1962. He received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon.Palahniuk is best known for his novels Fight Club and Choke, both of which were made into films. Publication of his short story Guts in the Sunday Guardian prompted a sharp drop in circulation. He frequently contributed fiction to Playboy, where his stories Romance, Cannibal, and Zombie had to be personally approved by Hugh Hefner. His new book, The Invention of Sound, is coming out on September 8th.Please enjoy!*This episode is brought to you by ShipStation. Do you sell stuff online? Then you know what a pain the shipping process is. ShipStation was created to make your life easier. Whether you’re selling on eBay, Amazon, Shopify, or over 100 other popular selling channels. ShipStation lets you access all of your orders from one simple dashboard, and it works with all of the major shipping carriers, locally and globally, including FedEx, UPS, and USPS.Tim Ferriss Show listeners get to try ShipStation free for 60 days by using promo code TIM. There’s no risk and you can start your free trial without even entering your credit card info. Just visit ShipStation.com, click on the microphone at the top of the homepage, and type in TIM!***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests.For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please fill out the form at tim.blog/sponsor.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast 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, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chuck PALAHNIUK, well known author for the Fight Club, Guts and many more, takes you through a journey of highs and lows as he reveals the world through the lens through which he sees the fascination called life. Order Chuck Palahniuk’s new book, Invention of Sound: https://www.amazon.com/Invention-Sound-Chuck-Palahniuk-ebook/dp/B083J15DPM/refSHOW NOTES: Dark Side | Chuck’s take on types of people not dealing with unresolved darkness [2:42]Guts | Chuck’s experience publicly reading his book Guts & shedding pretense of looking good [5:06]One Thing | Chuck explains history without one person and committing to one thing in life [9:50]Live Forever | Opposing ideals of living forever and doing infinite things or one thing [12:13]So What | Chuck shares his take on this mantra to not be hindered by someone else’s agenda [19:00]Choose Your Problem | Chuck explains the power of inventing your own major problem [22:18]Invention of Sound | Chuck explores the commodification of human experience [25:03]Henry Kissinger | Chuck recalls the game he played and shares why emotional pain is so hard [35:26]Universal | The effect owning your shame and saying it happened can have to freeing others [40:31]Self Soothing | How vulnerable truths are self serving and allowing Chuck to process [49:59]Broken Silence | Chuck defined the tension of silence and the power it can give to narrative [54:10]Break the Rules | Chuck breaks down not wasting life and having the guts to go too far [57:18]Unique Characters | Chuck explains the importance of community and despicable nature [1:02:41]Too Far | Chuck shares his shock about Fight Clubs impact and changing culture [1:06:36]Hospice Volunteer | How Chuck came to accept death and found joy in not dying [1:13:44]Accepting Shadows | Chuck on the comfort of accepting the shadows know they exist [1:19:59]Dominate | Navigating people’s urge to dominate and be right, trolling for an epiphany [1:23:48]Master Storyteller | Chuck reveals the power of elicited emotion and burning “failed” stories [1:27:50]Chuck’s Dad | Chuck recounts the murder of his father and the fate that led to his death [1:33:48]Self Comforting Storied | Chuck explains why these stories are emotionally exhausting [1:40:28]Storytelling | How the repetition of a story without emotion through workshop is a therapy [1:46:47]Check out our SponsorsAthletic Greens: Go to athleticgreens.com/impact and receive a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase!Unidragon: For 10% off, go to https://unidragon.com and use promo code: DragonImpactAudible: Start listening with a 30-day free trial, one free audiobook and access to the Plus Catalog. Visit audible.com/IMPACTTHEORY or text IMPACTTHEORY to 500-500InsideTracker: Get 25% off their entire store at insidetracker.com/impacttheory Are You Ready for EXTRA Impact?If you’re ready to find true fulfillment, strengthen your focus, and ignite your true potential, the Impact Theory subscription was created just for you.This is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who dare to learn obsessively, every day, day after day.Subscription Benefits: New episodes delivered ad-free Exclusive access to Tom’s AMAs, keynote speeches, and suggestions from his personal reading list You’ll also get access to an 5 additional podcasts with hundreds of archived Impact Theory episodes, meticulously curated into themed playlists covering health, mindset, business, relationships, and more: Legendary Mindset: Mindset & Self-Improvement Money Mindset: Business & Finance Relationship Theory: Relationships Health Theory: Mental & Physical Health Power Ups: Weekly Doses of Short Motivational Quotes  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PCvJazSubscribe on all other platforms (Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Downcast, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic, Podkicker, and more) : https://impacttheorynetwork.supercast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chuck Palahniuk, the acclaimed author of 21 novels, most famously 'Fight Club', joins the conversation to delve into the enduring cultural impact of his debut work. He discusses how 'Fight Club' has unintentionally intertwined with modern political rhetoric. Palahniuk also shares insights about his latest novel, 'Shock Induction', examining themes of social decay and the complexities of contemporary America. The discussion touches on audience dynamics during book tours and the evolution of storytelling, urging creators to confront societal taboos and embrace emotional truths.

Last year, the writer Chuck Palahniuk received the kind of news that all of us dread. Someone he trusted—the book agent who had represented him for years—had been slowly but steadily robbing him blind. All the millions he’d earned from the royalties of his bestselling books were gone. All the financial security he thought he’d built up was an illusion—undone by the cruel deception and greed of someone close to him. In July, Palahniuk was asked what it felt like to lose all his money. He stared down at the ground. He was quiet. Then he answered: “It’s kind of nice. Writing was initially my way of saving money, because if you’re writing, you’re not spending. So it throws me back into writing. There are larger issues in life – the embezzlement is dwarfed by my father-in-law’s death. And there’s the awareness that I’m the person who got me to this place, and I’m still that person, so I can still turn it all back around, and come up with something really strong and vibrant and interesting.”First off, kudos is due to Palaniuk, because that’s a far more enlightened view than most of us would take of such a betrayal. It could not have been natural or easy to get to that point. The other stages of grief would come before such acceptance: anger, denial, bargaining. But it’s impressive that he got there.It’s also very Stoic. Seneca spoke often of the reversals that life has in store for us—no matter how successful or secure we might believe that we are. “No man has ever been so far advanced by Fortune,” he wrote, “that she did not threaten him as greatly as she had previously indulged him.” Which is why we have to make sure that our identity and our happiness is not tied up in physical or financial things—because these things are not in our control. Seneca’s advice was that we ought to “possess nothing that can be snatched from us to the great profit of a plotting foe.”Chuck Palahniuk’s money was stolen. That kind of theft is always a possibility since money is never really “ours” to begin with. It’s just a number in our bank account. It’s something on loan to us until we spend it or until it’s rendered worthless by some government institution we don’t control. But our confidence—that sense that we’re the person who earned it in the first place, the person who has worked hard and sacrificed and created—that’s 100% ours. No one can take that from us. Fortune can take our jobs, unfairly tarnish our good name, or burn down our house. Can it change who we are? Our sense of ourselves? Only if we let it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Too often people have experienced life in a way that shapes their nature, their responses, and how to perceive life as it comes. Having your mind stretched and bent beyond its normal world view is scary but a treat worth exploring with guest Chuck Palahniuk. Last time he joined Tom to discuss life, death and finding meaning in your life. In this episode, we’re deep diving into how Chuck pursues new ideas, stretches himself beyond the outcomes, and allows the magic of connection to take place through the process of creating stories. Chuck discusses his new essay, People, Places, and Things, and shares the juice of how he’s able to compel such strong reactions from stories that make most people uncomfortable.Check Out Chuck’s Short Stories on Substack: https://chuckpalahniuk.substack.com/Chuck’s Latest Essay, People, Places and Things: https://try.scribd.com/palahniuk60/SHOW NOTES:0:00 | Introduction Chuck Palahniuk1:28 | Shaped Inside Out 4:28 | Mental Breakthroughs 9:46 | Pursuing Creative Ideas17:12 | Validating New Ideas25:04 | Surprising Outcomes29:58 | Mutual Consciousness36:35 | Freedom at Ground Zero40:39 | What Scares You Has Meaning49:16 | Life Influences & Performance1:00:35 | Allow Silence, Look for Patterns1:07:31 | Bathos, Comic Tragedy1:17:19 | Sincere, Not Offensive1:32:01 | Motivated by MeaningCheck out our sponsors: Better Help: Get 10% off your first month at https://betterhelp.com/impacttheoryMindPump: mindpumpimpact.com Pique: Go to piquetea.com/impact and use code IMPACT at checkout to get 5% off sitewide + FREE SHIPPING when you purchase a pu’er bundle! HigherDOSE: Go to HigherDOSE.com/impact to save $75 on the Infrared Sauna Blanket or Infrared PEMF Mat. InsideTracker: Get 25% off their entire store at insidetracker.com/impacttheory Ombre Lab: tryombre.com/ImpactAre You Ready for EXTRA Impact?If you’re ready to find true fulfillment, strengthen your focus, and ignite your true potential, the Impact Theory subscription was created just for you.Want to transform your health, sharpen your mindset, improve your relationship, or conquer the business world? This is your epicenter of greatness. This is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who dare to learn obsessively, every day, day after day.Subscription Benefits: Unlock the gates to a treasure trove of wisdom from inspiring guests like Andrew Huberman, Mel Robbins, Hal Elrod, Matthew McConaughey, and many, many, more New episodes delivered ad-free Exclusive access to Tom’s AMAs, keynote speeches, and suggestions from his personal reading list You’ll also get access to an 5 additional podcasts with hundreds of archived Impact Theory episodes, meticulously curated into themed playlists covering health, mindset, business, relationships, and more: Legendary Mindset: Mindset & Self-Improvement Money Mindset: Business & Finance Relationship Theory: Relationships Health Theory: Mental & Physical Health Power Ups: Weekly Doses of Short Motivational Quotes  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PCvJazSubscribe on all other platforms (Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Downcast, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic, Podkicker, and more) : https://impacttheorynetwork.supercast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices