The Tim Ferriss Show
#190: Matt Mullenweg on the Characteristics and Practices of Successful Entrepreneurs

Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) is most associated with a tool that powers more than 25% of the entire Web: WordPress. He's also the CEO of Automattic, which is a multi-billion dollar, fully distributed startup. Matt loves tea, tequila, and Chicken McNuggets.

His first time on the show went over so well that you've all been asking for a round two. So in this episode, he answers your most popular questions.

Please enjoy!

Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.

This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and viewers worldwide and makes it easier to share your videos with a global audience and connect with professional video makers to bring your stories to life.

Vimeo Business allows you to upload up to five terabytes and store your videos in one secure place, add up to 10 team members to your account for easy collaboration, and gather feedback with seamless review tools. You can even add clickable calls to action and capture email addresses directly in the player, which can help you generate leads and drive conversion for whatever you're trying to optimize, such as a newsletter or a sales page. Check out vimeo.com/tim10 to save 10 percent on Vimeo Business.

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 the 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.

Direct download: The_Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Matt_Mullenweg_QA.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:08pm EDT

#189: Shay Carl on Wealth, Parenting, and the Future of Video

This is another special in-betweenisode. It's a little shorter than the normal long-form episodes, and it features a Q&A with Shay Carl (@shaycarl).

If you missed our first interview, Shay's story is incredible. He was a manual laborer for ages and uploaded his first YouTube video while on break from his job.

Flash forward to today:

  • His SHAYTARDS channel now has roughly 2.3 BILLION views. Celebs like Steven Spielberg have appeared alongside Shay and his family.
  • He co-founded Maker Studios, which sold to Disney for nearly $1 billion.
  • He has been married 13 years and has five kids.
  • He has lost more than 100 pounds since his overweight peak.

This time around, he answers listener questions in the way only he can, such as:

  • How to grow a YouTube following from scratch.
  • The future of ad revenue and sponsorship.
  • How he balances capturing the moment vs. experiencing the moment.
  • His greatest obstacles in life.
  • Lessons learned as a father.
  • And much, much more.

I also wanted to announce my new book, Tools of Titans (Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon). It's the culmination of the last two years of this podcast. It's made up of my favorite takeaways, the lessons I've learned, and the tools I've applied to my own life from all of the guests on this show, including some new guests you've not yet met.

Consider it the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure guide to optimizing your life -- it's got everything from finance to physical performance!

Please enjoy this round two with Shay Carl.

Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.

This podcast is 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 itís 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 the 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.

This podcast is also brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and viewers worldwide and makes it easier to share your videos with a global audience and connect with professional video makers to bring your stories to life.

Vimeo Business allows you to upload up to five terabytes and store your videos in one secure place, add up to 10 team members to your account for easy collaboration, and gather feedback with seamless review tools. You can even add clickable calls to action and capture email addresses directly in the player, which can help you generate leads and drive conversion for whatever youíre trying to optimize, such as a newsletter or a sales page. Check out vimeo.com/tim10 to save 10 percent on Vimeo Business.

 

Direct download: The_Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Shay_Carl_QA.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:35pm EDT

#188: Dom D'Agostino on Disease Prevention, Cancer, and Living Longer

Dr. Dominic "Dom" D'Agostino (@DominicDAgosti2) is one of my most popular guests, and I'm happy to have him rejoin the show for the third time. (You can listen to Dom's first appearance here, and his second appearance here).

Dom is an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and a senior research scientist at the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) -- which is mentioned in the current issue of Outside Magazine (on which there's a clown who looks a lot like me).

Much of Dom's work is related to metabolic therapies and nutritional strategies for peak performance and resilience in extreme environments. Dom's research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Department of Defense (DoD), and other private organizations and foundations.

In this episode, Dom focuses on disease prevention, cancer, and more mastery of the ketogenic diet. Please enjoy this tutorial and masterclass with Dominic D'Agostino.

Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.

This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and viewers worldwide and makes it easier to share your videos with a global audience and connect with professional video makers to bring your stories to life.

Vimeo Business allows you to upload up to five terabytes and store your videos in one secure place, add up to 10 team members to your account for easy collaboration, and gather feedback with seamless review tools. You can even add clickable calls to action and capture email addresses directly in the player, which can help you generate leads and drive conversion for whatever you're trying to optimize -- such as a newsletter or a sales page.  Check out vimeo.com/tim10 to save 10 percent on Vimeo Business.

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.

Direct download: The_Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Dom_DAgostino_on_Disease_Prevention.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:18pm EDT

#187: Jocko Willink on Discipline, Leadership, and Overcoming Doubt

"Don't count on motivation; count on discipline." - Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink (@jockowillink) is one of the scariest human beings imaginable.

He is a lean 230 pounds. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who used to tap out 20 Navy SEALs per workout. He is a legend in the Special Operations world. His eyes look through you more than at you.

Jocko spent 20 years in the US Navy and commanded SEAL Team 3's task unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated special operations unit in the Iraq War. Upon returning to the US, Jocko served as the officer in charge of training for all West Coast SEAL teams, designing and implementing some of the most challenging and realistic -- and perhaps psychotic -- combat training in the world (his words, not mine).

After retiring from the Navy, he co-founded Echelon Front, a leadership and management consulting company and authored the number one New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win.

Jocko did his first interview ever with me (find it here), and it took the Internet by storm. Now he joins us for round two to answer the questions you've been asking. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Headspace, the world's most popular meditation app (with more than 4,000,000 users). It's used in more than 150 countries, and many of my closest friends swear by it. Try Headspace's free Take10 program-- 10 minutes of guided meditation a day for 10 days. It's like a warm bath for your mind. Meditation doesn't need to be complicated or expensive, and it's had a huge impact on my life. Try Headspace for free for a few days and see what I mean.

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.

Direct download: The_Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Jocko_Willink_part_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:19am EDT

#186: Tony Robbins on How to Resolve Internal Conflict

"You can't be grateful and angry simultaneously." - Tony Robbins

The last time Tony Robbins (@tonyrobbins) was on the show, so many listeners found this one exercise helpful that they suggested I feature it on its own.

This guided meditation is designed to help you overcome stress in a way that's backed with quantifiable neuroscience. If you've been worrying about unfinished business without resolution, this is a powerful tool to help you resolve the situation.

This is very short and very powerful. Enjoy!

Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Exo Protein. These guys are making protein bars using cricket protein powder. Before you look disgusted, I bet they taste better than any protein bar you’ve ever had before! With recipes that were developed by a three-Michelin-star chef, the bars are paleo-friendly, with no gluten, no grains, no soy, no dairy, and they won’t spike your glycemic response. In fact, they’re less processed than any other protein bars you’ll be able to find.

Exo Protein is offering a deep discount to Tim Ferriss Show listeners — if you go to ExoProtein.com/Tim, you can try a sampler pack with all of the most popular flavors for less than $10. This is a startup with limited inventory that sells out all the time,so act fast!

 

Direct download: The_Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_How_to_Resolve_Internal_Conflict.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29pm EDT

#185: Practicing What You Preach

My job is usually to deconstruct world-class performers and tease out their routines and habits you can use.

But in this in-betweenisode, I'm going to present some short nuggets of practical, tactical philosophy about practicing what you preach.

This is a letter from Stoic heavyweight Seneca the Younger -- who lived a mere 2,000 years or so ago -- to his friend Lucilius. It's from a collection of letters that comprise, effectively, my favorite book of all time. I've read it dozens of times, and I loved it so much that I turned it into The Tao of Seneca, a three-volume set of audiobooks.

This is a letter you've not heard on the podcast before; it's worth the listen just for the definition of wisdom, alone. Then you have some incredible quotes from Epicurus, and it also discusses how you can have riches without riches having you.

Enjoy!

Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.

This episode is brought to you by Headspace, the world's most popular meditation app (with more than 4,000,000 users). It's used in more than 150 countries, and many of my closest friends swear by it. Try Headspace's free Take10 program, 10 minutes of guided meditation a day for 10 days. It's like a warm bath for your mind. Meditation doesnít need to be complicated or expensive, and it's had a huge impact on my life. Try Headspace for free for a few days and see what I mean.

This podcast is also 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.

Direct download: The_Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Practicing_What_You_Preach.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:11pm EDT

#184: Shep Gordon - The King Maker on His Best PR Stunts, Hugest Failures, and Practical Philosophies

Shep Gordon (@SupermenschShep) has been named one of the "100 most influential people" by Rolling Stone magazine. He is the man behind some of the biggest names you've ever heard.

If you like the storytelling and lessons of Cal Fussman, you're going to love this one.

Shep has worked with, and befriended, some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, from Alice Cooper to Bette Davis, Raquel Welch to Groucho Marx, Blondie to Jimi Hendrix, Sylvester Stallone to Salvador Dali, Luther Vandross to Teddy Pendergrass. He is also credited with inventing the "celebrity chef" phenomenon, which revolutionized the food industry and turned the culinary arts into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. He has worked with Nobu Matsuhisa, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Roger Vergé (and many others, including his holiness, the Dalai Lama.)

Anthony Bourdain, a huge fan of Shep's, released a memoir detailing Shep's life and adventures, titled They Call Me Supermensch: A Backstage Pass To The Amazing World Of Film, Food, and Rock 'N' Roll.

I've been reading it, and it's fantastic. Imagine it like Animal House meets Harvard MBA.

In this episode, we discuss how he made clients famous, and some of his biggest PR stunts (and flops).

Enjoy!

This podcast is brought to you by MeUndies.Have you ever wanted to be as powerful as a mullet-wearing ninja from the '80s, or as sleek as a black panther in the Amazon? Of course you have, and that is where MeUndies comes in. I've spent the last six months wearing underwear from these guys 24/7, and they are the most comfortable and colorful underwear I've ever owned. Their materials are 2x softer than cotton, as evaluated using the Kawabata method. Check out MeUndies.com/Tim to see my current faves (some are awesomely ridiculous, like the camo).

This podcast is also brought to you by Audible. I have used Audible for years, and I love audiobooks. I have two to recommend:

  1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  2. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

All you need to do to get your free 30-day Audible trial is go to Audible.com/Tim. Choose one of the above books, or choose any of the endless options they offer. That could be a book, a newspaper, a magazine, or even a class. It's that easy. Go to Audible.com/Tim and get started today. Enjoy.

Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast.

Direct download: The_Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Shep_Gordon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:57pm EDT

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