Episode

#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
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1:56:57
Published: Sat Jun 30 2018
Description

I’ve interviewed legendary storyteller Cal Fussman (@calfussman) on this show before (here and here), but this time, the roles are reversed, and he interviews me!If you are not yet familiar with him, Cal is a New York Times bestselling author and a writer-at-large for Esquire magazine, where he is best known for being a primary writer of the “What I Learned” feature. And this interview originally aired on Cal’s podcast, “Big Questions with Cal Fussman.”Cal has transformed oral history into an art form, conducting probing interviews with the icons who’ve shaped the last 50 years of world history: Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Jack Welch, Robert DeNiro, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Springsteen, Dr. Dre, Quincy Jones, Woody Allen, Barbara Walters, Pelé, Yao Ming, Serena Williams, John Wooden, Muhammad Ali, and countless others.Enjoy!This podcast is brought to you by Four Sigmatic. While I often praise this company’s lion’s mane mushroom coffee for a minimal caffeine wakeup call that lasts, I asked the founders if they could help me—someone who’s struggled with insomnia for decades—sleep. Their answer: Reishi Mushroom Elixir. They made a special batch for me and my listeners that comes without sweetener; you can try it at bedtime with a little honey or nut milk, or you can just add hot water to your single-serving packet and embrace its bitterness like I do.Try it right now by going to foursigmatic.com/ferriss and using the code Ferriss to get 20 percent off this rare, limited run of Reishi Mushroom Elixir. If you are in the experimental mindset, I do not think you’ll be disappointed.This episode is also brought to you by “5-Bullet Friday,” my very own email newsletter, which every Friday features five bullet points of cool things I’ve found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, albums, articles, TV shows, new hacks or tricks, and — of course — all sorts of weird stuff I’ve dug up from around the world. It’s free, it’s always going to be free, and you can subscribe now at tim.blog/friday.***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. I also love reading the reviews!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.

Chapters
This podcast episode is sponsored by Tim Ferriss' Five Bullet Friday email newsletter, which he describes as a super simple and popular newsletter that compiles a weekly list of cool things he has found, like gadgets, documentaries, supplements, and more.
00:00 - 01:01 (01:01)
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Email Newsletter
Summary

This podcast episode is sponsored by Tim Ferriss' Five Bullet Friday email newsletter, which he describes as a super simple and popular newsletter that compiles a weekly list of cool things he has found, like gadgets, documentaries, supplements, and more.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Get a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with your first subscription purchase of Athletic Greens' all in one formula designed to provide multivitamins, multimineral greens, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and more for gut health, immunity, and overall nutrition.
01:01 - 04:09 (03:08)
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Athletic Greens
Summary

Get a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with your first subscription purchase of Athletic Greens' all in one formula designed to provide multivitamins, multimineral greens, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and more for gut health, immunity, and overall nutrition.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, blogger and author Tim Urban shares his journey and his experience of writing Wait But Why.
04:09 - 08:44 (04:35)
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Tim Urban
Summary

In this episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, blogger and author Tim Urban shares his journey and his experience of writing Wait But Why.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on his experience with kid wrestling and how experimentation and recording of experiments came from it.
08:44 - 14:30 (05:46)
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Wrestling
Summary

The speaker reflects on his experience with kid wrestling and how experimentation and recording of experiments came from it. He also shares how his interest in wrestling may have been influenced by his birth order.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast discusses the physical demands on professional wrestlers and their struggle to maintain the perfect physique, which often leads to using diuretics and dealing with the consequences.
14:30 - 19:46 (05:16)
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Professional Wrestling
Summary

The podcast discusses the physical demands on professional wrestlers and their struggle to maintain the perfect physique, which often leads to using diuretics and dealing with the consequences.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The host shares his mom's theory on why he has always had unconventional sleep habits and also discusses his father's exceptional memory recall as well as his own ability to remember things that engage color and motion.
19:46 - 24:57 (05:11)
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Sleep, Memory
Summary

The host shares his mom's theory on why he has always had unconventional sleep habits and also discusses his father's exceptional memory recall as well as his own ability to remember things that engage color and motion.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast episode explores the different approaches to persuasion in the world of sales and marketing versus the creative process of writing and art, with examples from the experiences of a comic book artist and infomercial pioneer.
24:57 - 29:11 (04:14)
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Persuasion
Summary

This podcast episode explores the different approaches to persuasion in the world of sales and marketing versus the creative process of writing and art, with examples from the experiences of a comic book artist and infomercial pioneer.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker, who was getting paid around 7 or 8 dollars an hour, would usually practice made-up martial arts stuff with a mop handle during his shift while reading the only martial arts magazine of that time.
29:11 - 32:58 (03:47)
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Martial Arts
Summary

The speaker, who was getting paid around 7 or 8 dollars an hour, would usually practice made-up martial arts stuff with a mop handle during his shift while reading the only martial arts magazine of that time. He eventually got fired from the job because he thinks his payment was per shift.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell discusses his ability to explore and dissect various subjects in his writing, including his classic books on tennis and basketball.
32:58 - 39:20 (06:22)
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Malcolm Gladwell
Summary

Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell discusses his ability to explore and dissect various subjects in his writing, including his classic books on tennis and basketball. He also touches on his personal feelings towards efficiency and how his writing has taught him about the spectrum of fast food options.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast, the speaker talks about the importance of efficiency and elegance in different aspects of life, ranging from martial arts to corporate culture, while discussing the influence of writing professor, John McPhee, on his development as a writer and thinker.
39:20 - 45:30 (06:10)
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Efficiency
Summary

In this podcast, the speaker talks about the importance of efficiency and elegance in different aspects of life, ranging from martial arts to corporate culture, while discussing the influence of writing professor, John McPhee, on his development as a writer and thinker.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares his experience of working in a satire magazine and handling various responsibilities including diffusing fights, handling logistics, and writing blogs.
45:30 - 54:30 (09:00)
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Satire Journalism
Summary

The speaker shares his experience of working in a satire magazine and handling various responsibilities including diffusing fights, handling logistics, and writing blogs.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses the challenges of the hiring process for companies and the impact that entrepreneurship classes have on individuals.
54:30 - 1:01:10 (06:39)
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Hiring, Entrepreneurship
Summary

The speaker discusses the challenges of the hiring process for companies and the impact that entrepreneurship classes have on individuals. However, an unexpected advertisement for Squarespace interrupts the discussion.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This episode talks about how reducing the number of fixations while reading can help improve reading efficiency by making the process smoother and faster.
1:01:10 - 1:05:37 (04:27)
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Reading efficiency
Summary

This episode talks about how reducing the number of fixations while reading can help improve reading efficiency by making the process smoother and faster. The speaker also speaks about his personal technique of collecting advertisements that made him want to buy something in a three-ring binder.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A person recounts organizing a speed reading seminar that offered a 300% increase in reading speed and was held at a church after offering to tie some money to the church.
1:05:37 - 1:09:32 (03:55)
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Speed reading seminar
Summary

A person recounts organizing a speed reading seminar that offered a 300% increase in reading speed and was held at a church after offering to tie some money to the church.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker recalls his experience investing in things he could control, like dangerous work that paid him $20/hour.
1:09:32 - 1:17:47 (08:15)
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Investing
Summary

The speaker recalls his experience investing in things he could control, like dangerous work that paid him $20/hour. He later invested in companies like Facebook, Twitter, Uber, and Alibaba.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker recalls a final project in which the class debated what a company should do in a particular situation, and his personal experience with the project and a company called TrueSan Networks.
1:17:47 - 1:21:34 (03:47)
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Education
Summary

The speaker recalls a final project in which the class debated what a company should do in a particular situation, and his personal experience with the project and a company called TrueSan Networks. He decides to reach out to the professor who taught the class to thank them for their time.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker recalls working in a crowded and uncomfortable desk in a rapidly growing company that eventually imploded due to this growth.
1:21:34 - 1:25:53 (04:18)
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Company Growth
Summary

The speaker recalls working in a crowded and uncomfortable desk in a rapidly growing company that eventually imploded due to this growth.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, the guest shares his experiences of running a sports nutrition company and facing challenges like competing brands, contract manufacturers, and internal salespeople.
1:25:53 - 1:33:18 (07:25)
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Sports Nutrition
Summary

In this podcast episode, the guest shares his experiences of running a sports nutrition company and facing challenges like competing brands, contract manufacturers, and internal salespeople. He talks about his journey to London and how he overcame these obstacles to keep the business going.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares how the act of volunteering helped her fall asleep and shares the benefits of volunteering, such as encouraging people to do more than the bare minimum.
1:33:18 - 1:36:21 (03:03)
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Volunteering
Summary

The speaker shares how the act of volunteering helped her fall asleep and shares the benefits of volunteering, such as encouraging people to do more than the bare minimum.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on his past proposal and how it was written as the chest puffing of an overconfident 29-year-old.
1:36:21 - 1:39:26 (03:05)
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Sales
Summary

The speaker reflects on his past proposal and how it was written as the chest puffing of an overconfident 29-year-old. He emphasizes that to sell effectively, one does not have to overpromise.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The episode discusses the process of book publishing and talent recruitment, with insights on how a publishing company operates like a baseball team in terms of investing in and recruiting talent.
1:39:26 - 1:47:20 (07:54)
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Book Publishing
Summary

The episode discusses the process of book publishing and talent recruitment, with insights on how a publishing company operates like a baseball team in terms of investing in and recruiting talent.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss shares a compilation of profiles of people including world-class athletes and heroes covering domains ranging from financial success to physical wellness in his latest cheat sheet called the Tribe of Mentors.
1:47:20 - 1:53:14 (05:54)
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Tim Ferris
Summary

Tim Ferriss shares a compilation of profiles of people including world-class athletes and heroes covering domains ranging from financial success to physical wellness in his latest cheat sheet called the Tribe of Mentors. He also talks about how reading and writing by people such as himself inspired him to start interviewing people himself for his books.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Four Sigmatic's Reishi Mushroom Elixir includes organic extracts to improve sleep without any sweeteners.
1:53:14 - 1:56:50 (03:36)
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Health
Summary

Four Sigmatic's Reishi Mushroom Elixir includes organic extracts to improve sleep without any sweeteners. Use code "ferris" for 20% off.

Episode
#324: Cal Fussman Corners Tim Ferriss
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show