Episode

#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
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2:32:56
Published: Wed Feb 16 2022
Description

Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and Helix Sleep premium mattresses. More on all three below.Boyd Varty (@boydvarty) is the author of two books, The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life and his memoir, Cathedral of the Wild. He has been featured in The New York Times, on NBC, and in other media and has taught his philosophy of “tracking your life” to individuals and companies around the world.Boyd is a wildlife and literacy activist who has spent the last ten years refining the art of using wilderness as a place for deep introspection and personal transformation. He grew up in South Africa on Londolozi Game Reserve, a former hunting ground that was transformed into a nature preserve by Boyd’s father and uncle—both visionaries of the restoration movement. Under his family’s stewardship, the Reserve became renowned not only as a sanctuary for animals but as a place where once-ravaged land was able to flourish again and where the human spirit could be restored. When Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years of imprisonment, he went to Londolozi to recover.Boyd has a degree in psychology from the University of South Africa. He is a TED speaker and the host of the Track Your Life podcast.This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront pioneered the automated investing movement, sometimes referred to as ‘robo-advising,’ and they currently oversee $20 billion of assets for their clients. It takes about three minutes to sign up, and then Wealthfront will build you a globally diversified portfolio of ETFs based on your risk appetite and manage it for you at an incredibly low cost. Smart investing should not feel like a rollercoaster ride. Let the professionals do the work for you. Go to Wealthfront.com/Tim and open a Wealthfront account today, and you’ll get your first $5,000 managed for free, for life. Wealthfront will automate your investments for the long term. Get started today at Wealthfront.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the #1 overall mattress of 2020 by GQ magazine, Wired, Apartment Therapy, and many others. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering up to 200 dollars off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.*This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. Right now, Athletic Greens is offering you their Vitamin D Liquid Formula free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive the free Vitamin D Liquid Formula (and five free travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive all-in-one daily greens product.*Setting the scene. [05:44]How the Londolozi Game Reserve came to be, and what happened during Boyd’s childhood that instilled him with a “get on with it” attitude. [08:02]Why did Boyd’s father and uncle insist on keeping the property that would become the Londolozi Game Reserve when, at the time, it was considered useless, overgrazed wasteland? [10:18]Boyd shares what it was like growing up as a regular passenger/survivor of The White Knuckle Charter Company. [12:25]How a man named Ken Tinley and the native Shangaan trackers helped a trio of teenagers transform their expanse of scrub-encroached land into a thriving safari business. [21:03]On the ancient lineage of the Shangaan trackers, and how the local wildlife came to trust the human caretakers of Londolozi. [27:05]Renias Mhlongo is supreme among world-class trackers — and sometimes the importance of the work outweighs the will of his clients. [32:21]Which animals are hardest to track at Londolozi — even if you happen to be Richard Siwela? [37:53]Because nature can be unpredictable, how do people protect themselves in Londolozi? [41:03]“I don’t know where we’re going, but I know exactly how to get there.” —Renias Mhlongo [42:56]How the tracking process has changed for Boyd over the years — from confident child to young adult traumatized by a home invasion and crocodile attack to competent grown-up thanks to people like Dr. Martha Beck and Solly Mhlongo. [45:00]What is Ubuntu? [1:02:50]Boyd talks about that time he lived 40 days and 40 nights up a tree — the questions he was trying to answer for himself by doing so, the primal fear he experienced while waiting out a storm, the pros and cons of extreme solitude, and if he’d do it again. [1:05:15]Stories about bees, the birds who help humans rob them, and the power of the hive algorithm. [1:17:45]The dos and don’ts of interacting with lions in the wild. [1:29:42]On the eerie conversation of death, modern confirmation of ancient myths, and the inexplicable movements of beasts and men. [1:34:16]How did Boyd’s own path toward healing after trauma differ from the way his mother and sister recovered from a trauma they experienced? [1:39:57]What is ceremony work, and how can it help someone deal with trauma? [1:43:32]What Boyd means when he says “an authentic life infused with meaning is a kind of activism.” [1:46:40]How Boyd and I have both been affected by the Work of Byron Katie. [1:52:03]Boyd’s first medicine encounter in an Arizona sweat lodge, and what he took away from the experience. [1:56:31]Feelings. Nothing more than feelings. [2:02:49]Kudus and nightjars and leopards in the fire (oh, my)! What a close encounter with a beautiful predator taught Boyd about Ubuntu. [2:04:14]Examining the therapeutic value of spending time with animals. [2:13:05]Laurens van der Post poetically described the sound of a lion’s roar. And, in a packed presentation hall at a major Silicon Valley company, Boyd did not. [2:17:57]An invitation to visit Londolozi and other parting thoughts. [2:22:10]*For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.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, Balaji Srinivasan, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Dr. Michio Kaku, 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.

Chapters
Helix Sleep provides personalized mattresses based on your sleeping preferences through their two-minute quiz.
00:00 - 02:06 (02:06)
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Helix Sleep
Summary

Helix Sleep provides personalized mattresses based on your sleeping preferences through their two-minute quiz. Get up to $200 off on all mattress orders and two free pillows on their website.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast episode discusses the benefits of Athletic Greens' all-in-one formula, which includes 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food source ingredients.
02:06 - 07:04 (04:58)
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Athletic Greens
Summary

This podcast episode discusses the benefits of Athletic Greens' all-in-one formula, which includes 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food source ingredients. They are also offering a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with the first subscription purchase.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast, the speaker talks about growing up in a family who launched a safari business in Africa with a pioneering and adventurous attitude that involved living with snakes, no electricity, and taking people out into the wild for encounters.
07:04 - 15:15 (08:10)
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Safari
Summary

In this podcast, the speaker talks about growing up in a family who launched a safari business in Africa with a pioneering and adventurous attitude that involved living with snakes, no electricity, and taking people out into the wild for encounters.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A personal story of growing up in a pioneering family and operating a safari business where unexpected things were continuously happening.
15:15 - 21:16 (06:00)
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Personal Anecdote
Summary

A personal story of growing up in a pioneering family and operating a safari business where unexpected things were continuously happening. The story includes a humorous account of getting on a commercial airplane covered in blood and guts.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about his apprenticeship with Shangan trackers from a young age, learning the art of following an animal across wild terrain and understanding the language of the wilderness.
21:16 - 30:57 (09:40)
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Tracking
Summary

The speaker talks about his apprenticeship with Shangan trackers from a young age, learning the art of following an animal across wild terrain and understanding the language of the wilderness.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A wilderness guide with over 30 years of experience shares the challenges of nightfall in the African wilderness and the constant need to remain vigilant.
30:57 - 39:07 (08:10)
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Wilderness Survival
Summary

A wilderness guide with over 30 years of experience shares the challenges of nightfall in the African wilderness and the constant need to remain vigilant.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The skill of wildlife tracking involves being adept at reading terrain, making good decisions, and being attuned to fresher tracks, bird language, and different terrain to follow and locate a wild animal in its habitat.
39:07 - 45:48 (06:40)
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Wildlife Tracking
Summary

The skill of wildlife tracking involves being adept at reading terrain, making good decisions, and being attuned to fresher tracks, bird language, and different terrain to follow and locate a wild animal in its habitat.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker lives like a tracker by being present, attuning, and falling into a following state with what energizes him, makes him curious, and pulls him forward.
45:48 - 54:12 (08:24)
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Self-Improvement
Summary

The speaker lives like a tracker by being present, attuning, and falling into a following state with what energizes him, makes him curious, and pulls him forward.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A man recounts his experience of surviving a crocodile attack while walking upstream in a river and the fear that followed.
54:12 - 1:02:43 (08:30)
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Crocodile attack
Summary

A man recounts his experience of surviving a crocodile attack while walking upstream in a river and the fear that followed. He tried integrating and living with the event and realized it could've been something out of a horror movie.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The natural world is full of encounters that allow us to tap into the incredible field of intelligence that surrounds us.
1:02:43 - 1:09:03 (06:20)
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Ubuntu Consciousness
Summary

The natural world is full of encounters that allow us to tap into the incredible field of intelligence that surrounds us. Spending time with people who possess Ubuntu consciousness, a sense of inherent connection and mutual care, can also activate this sense of connection to the world around us.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on their solo camping experience in nature during a thunderstorm and expresses the desire to have more solo trips in the future.
1:09:03 - 1:13:37 (04:34)
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Camping
Summary

The speaker reflects on their solo camping experience in nature during a thunderstorm and expresses the desire to have more solo trips in the future.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their experience of feeling the presence of a sentient alive consciousness while tracking with a friend, and how every tracking encounter felt like a deep encounter with an awareness.
1:13:37 - 1:18:44 (05:06)
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Esoteric
Summary

The speaker shares their experience of feeling the presence of a sentient alive consciousness while tracking with a friend, and how every tracking encounter felt like a deep encounter with an awareness.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The story of Laurens van der Post's life and how it inspired the narrator to understand the importance of a structure of meaning in healing from trauma and engaging in transformational process.
1:18:44 - 2:25:24 (1:06:40)
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Healing
Summary

The story of Laurens van der Post's life and how it inspired the narrator to understand the importance of a structure of meaning in healing from trauma and engaging in transformational process. The narrator also shares a personal experience where he faced his fears before doing a public speaking event.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss pitches his Five Bullet Friday newsletter to listeners, a short email he sends out every Friday to share interesting things he’s discovered throughout the week.
2:25:24 - 2:28:45 (03:21)
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newsletter subscription
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Tim Ferriss pitches his Five Bullet Friday newsletter to listeners, a short email he sends out every Friday to share interesting things he’s discovered throughout the week. He claims it often includes articles, books, albums, gadgets, and more, all for free and easy to sign up for.

Episode
#571: Boyd Varty — The Lion Tracker's Guide to Life
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show