The Tim Ferriss Show

• #832: The Return of The Lion Tracker — Boyd Varty on The Wild Man Within, Nature’s Hidden Wisdom, and How to Feel Fully Alive

  Boyd Varty is the founder of Track Your Life, which offers a limited number of premium retreats in South Africa’s bushveld, and author of one of my favorite books, The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life. As a fourth-generation custodian of Londolozi Game Reserve, Boyd grew up with lions, leopards, snakes, and elephants and has spent his life in apprenticeship to the natural world. He is also the host of the Track Your Life podcast.This episode is brought to you by:Our Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “Forever Chemicals”: https://fromourplace.com/tim (use code TIM at checkout) Gusto simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses: https://gusto.com/tim (three months free)Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://Wealthfront.com/Tim (new clients get 3.75% base APY from program banks + additional 0.65% boost for 3 months on your uninvested cash (max $150k balance). Terms apply. The Cash Account offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”) member FINRA/SIPC, not a bank. The base APY as of 9/26/25 is representative, can change, and requires no minimum. Tim Ferriss, a non-client, receives compensation from WFB for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of WFB. Experiences will vary. Outcomes not guaranteed. Instant withdrawals may be limited by your receiving firm and other factors. Investment advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.)*Timestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:01:59] Boyd returns.[00:03:14] Elite firefighting unit: Boyd’s French Foreign Legionnaire predecessor.[00:04:27] The paper mache lion incident and Lucky’s dramatic exit.[00:08:07] Firefighting drill disaster: When 50/50 failed spectacularly.[00:09:58] Leadership lesson: Bringing energy down when chaos climbs.[00:11:52] Story hunting and the natural world as meaning machine.[00:17:16] Uncle JV: Wildlife filmmaker with a dangerous drama meter.[00:19:10] Camera bearing adventures: Elephants, hyenas, and the red mist.[00:22:30] Zambia expeditions: Crocodiles, dead elephants, and shovel oars.[00:25:48] Orienting toward safety: Building capability versus childhood overwhelm.[00:29:11] Wilderness retreat lessons: Wordlessness and natural state.[00:31:40] The Londolozi time war: Tech detox and parasympathetic shifts.[00:39:49] Mystical animal encounters: Lions, southern boubous, and synchronicity.[00:43:11] Re-enchantment: Nature’s desire to help us heal.[00:45:25] Following non-rational energy and forays into wordlessness.[00:52:31] Diana Chapman’s Whole-Body Yes and avoiding the simmering six.[00:58:04] Toby Pheasant and the great black mamba escape.[01:06:09] Training for persistence hunting using Bushman Great Dance wisdom.[01:09:23] The desert as storehouse: Abundance psychology in action.[01:11:23] Persistence hunt mechanics: Heat, time, and the animal’s energy transfer.[01:15:04] Running into ceremony: 47 degrees and letting the body know.[01:21:31] The kudu gives itself: Profound respect at the edge of survival.[01:27:22] Seeking the wild man: Access to the full spectrum of presence.[01:29:20] Context and discernment: Armor in cities, openness in wild spaces.[01:34:55] Men need men: Collective exploration around the fire.[01:37:40] Relationship as practice: Moving from romantic myth to active work.[01:40:15] Dick jokes and raft building: The indirect work that does heavy lifting.[01:45:43] Lunch the baboon: Hand lotion, bloody handprints, and royal delays.[01:55:43] Living amongst the animals: Warthog intelligence and leopard relationships.[01:57:27] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign 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/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• #831: Frank Miller, Comic Book Legend — Creative Process, The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, 300, and Much More

  Frank Miller is regarded as one of the most influential and awarded creators. He began his career in comics in the late 1970s, first gaining notoriety as the artist, and later writer, of Daredevil for Marvel Comics. Next, came the science-fiction samurai drama Ronin, followed by the groundbreaking Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One with artist David Mazzuchelli. Following these seminal works, Miller fulfilled a lifelong dream by doing an all-out crime series, Sin City, which spawned two blockbuster films that he co-directed with Robert Rodriguez. Miller’s multi-award-winning graphic novel 300 was also adapted into a highly successful film by Zack Snyder. His upcoming memoir, Push the Wall: My Life, Writing, Drawing, and the Art of Storytelling, is now available for pre-order.This episode is brought to you by: Eight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/Tim (use code TIM to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra.)Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period)AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase.)Timestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:14] Aristotle’s definition of happiness: Devotion to excellence.[00:03:02] Tools of the trade: Blackwing pencils, India ink, liquid frisket.[00:04:45] Sin City‘s physical creation at “twice up” size.[00:08:06] The toothbrush spatter technique.[00:09:24] Channeling impatience, anger, and violence into dramatic creative work.[00:10:33] What Jack Kirby knew about making comics competitive with cinema’s spectacle.[00:11:56] Will Eisner and The Spirit‘s influence on the US market where writer-artist duality is rare.[00:13:33] How Jack Kirby blasted apart the panel grid (and a young Frank’s mind).[00:15:49] Push the wall and defy the code.[00:19:54] The ruthless mentorship of Neal Adams.[00:24:57] The genesis of the Elektra amd Daredevil “soap opera.”[00:27:56] Story structure: Start late, end early.[00:29:10] Trusting the muse over rigid methodology.[00:31:15] European invasion: Moebius and Forbidden Planet.[00:32:52] Japanese influence: Lone Wolf and Cub‘s impact.[00:34:30] Cultural differences in depicting violence and motion.[00:36:38] Ronin: Shameless imitation and rebirth.[00:37:28] How does Frank know if something is working (or not working)?[00:39:27] The critical reception of Ronin as a “broken nose.”[00:42:37] The ruthless structure of The Dark Knight Returns.[00:43:40] Mutual elevation with “smartest fan” Alan Moore.[00:48:26] Robert Rodriguez: Angel of goodwill and generosity.[00:49:28] Sin City film: Co-directing and the Director’s Guild sacrifice.[00:50:31] Working as a “two-headed beast” with Rodriguez.[00:55:27] Favorite films.[00:58:19] Books and ancient history inspiring 300.[00:59:00] Hollywood lessons: The importance of working with the right people.[01:01:13] The partnership and guidance of Silenn Thomas.[01:02:01] The clarity and creative rejuvenation of getting sober from alcohol.[01:04:48] Advice for aspiring comic artists: Story, story, story.[01:06:20] Learning to draw: Bridgman and Loomis books.[01:08:07] Perspective as a mathematical trick and lie.[01:11:00] Dick Giordano’s advice: Lay in blacks first.[01:13:52] Sin City workflow innovation: Batch processing stages.[01:15:48] Dark Horse Comics and creative freedom.[01:17:29] Economy of line work and elegant minimalism.[01:20:46] On collaborating with Bill Sienkiewicz on Elektra.[01:25:20] Billboard wisdom: “Ask every question,” and “Why?”[01:27:08] Challenging pathological conformity.[01:27:39] Parting thoughts and where to find Frank’s work.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign 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/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• #830: Nick Kokonas and Richard Thaler, Nobel Prize Laureate — Realistic Economics, Avoiding The Winner’s Curse, Using Temptation Bundling, and Going Against the Establishment

  Richard H. Thaler is the 2017 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics and the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is the New York Times bestselling co-author of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness and the author of Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics. His new book is The Winner's Curse: Behavioral Economics Anomalies, Then and Now. My co-host for this conversation is Nick Kokonas. Nick is an entrepreneur, investor, and author best known as the co-founder of The Alinea Group (sold in 2024) and the reservation platform Tock, which is now owned by American Express.This episode is brought to you by:Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic broad spectrum 24-strain probiotic + prebiotic: https://Seed.com/Tim (Use code 25TIM for 25% off your first month's supply)ExpressVPN high-speed, secure, and anonymous VPN service: https://www.expressvpn.com/tim (get 4 months free on their annual plans)AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D plus 5 free AG1 travel packs with your first subscription purchase.)Timestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:33] First principles: What is economics, really?[00:04:18] The “max” assumption and agents as optimizers.[00:06:41] Rationality in models: Solving problems like an economist would.[00:07:29] “Meh” vs “Max” — shortcuts instead of optimization.[00:08:06] Selfishness, fairness, and self-control in economic models.[00:10:08] Milton Friedman’s “as if” defense.[00:12:36] The cashew nuts story: Origin of behavioral economics.[00:14:02] Removing choice and status quo bias.[00:17:31] The case for Americans needing forced savings.[00:19:34] Academic resistance: Psychologists laughing at economic theory.[00:24:37] Loss aversion: Disease cure experiment.[00:27:04] Endowment effect: Coffee mug experiment.[00:29:45] Restaurant reservations and the power of deposits.[00:31:05] Fairness research: Snow shovels and blizzards.[00:32:50] Uber surge pricing and the 9/11 thought experiment.[00:34:37] Behavioral economics in one sentence.[00:35:00] Nudges: 401(k) auto-enrollment case study.[00:37:46] The fly in the urinal and nudge durability.[00:39:07] Lakeshore Drive lines: Making safety easy.[00:41:30] Choice architecture: Good nudges vs. malicious nudges.[00:42:40] Online gambling and Robinhood’s gamification.[00:45:51] Lessons learned from teaching decision-making for 40 years.[00:46:52] Winner’s curse: The jar of coins demonstration.[00:49:04] ARCO engineers discover the winner’s curse in oil bidding.[00:50:11] Writing papers as competitive strategy.[00:52:31] Amos Tversky’s note: People learn through stories.[00:53:44] Overconfidence: Amazon River and CFO predictions.[00:55:59] NFL draft: 53% success rate (barely better than coin flips).[00:57:12] Trading down in the draft as optimal strategy.[00:59:26] Applying behavioral insights to daily habits.[01:01:04] The law of one price and restaurant deposit resistance.[01:02:39] Being a chef doesn’t automatically make you a good businessperson.[01:03:33] Sports analytics: The three-point shot revolution.[01:04:29] Michael Jordan vs Steve Kerr: 50% three-point shooting.[01:05:56] Finding $20 bills on the street.[01:06:35] Mental accounting: Money in jeans feels like a windfall.[01:07:50] Obama stimulus: Lump sum vs. spread out payments — why does it matter?[01:09:58] Airline baggage fees: “There’s a guy who owns that.”[01:11:43] Sunk cost fallacy: The dessert we don’t need.[01:12:37] Nick’s $500 wine example and building Tock on sunk costs.[01:14:41] Richard’s daughter and the baseball/concert tickets experiment.[01:16:05] Temptation bundling: Using cognitive biases for self-improvement.[01:19:06] Big data and natural experiments in the real world.[01:19:50] Mental accounting in action: Premium gas during the financial crisis.[01:22:34] Amazon’s hundred-PhD economics department.[01:23:48] The pragmatic reason Richard invented behavioral economics.[01:25:47] Strategy: Corrupt the youth, not change old minds.[01:27:06] The behavioral economics summer camp running since 1994.[01:28:12] The “Anomalies” column in Journal of Economic Perspectives.[01:29:44] Citations matter: Writing articles people can understand.[01:30:31] Availability bias: Homicides vs. suicides.[01:31:47] Kahneman and Tversky: The reason for everything.[01:33:11] Systematic bias vs. random errors.[01:34:08] Amos’ dinner trap: Everyone you know is dumb, except your models.[01:37:19] Michael Lewis’ The Undoing Project.[01:38:11] Daniel Kahneman’s assisted suicide decision as peak-end rule applied to life itself.[01:45:11] What keeps Richard going?[01:46:44] Why the updated version of The Winner’s Curse should appeal to economists and everyday humans.[01:49:58] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign 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/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• #829: James Nestor — Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance

  James Nestor is a science journalist and the author of the international bestseller Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, with more than three million copies sold in 44 languages.This episode is brought to you by:Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (27% off all mattress orders)Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/Tim (Code TIM for up to 35% off.)AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://DrinkAG1.com/Tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D plus 5 free AG1 travel packs with your first subscription purchase.)Timestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:01:37] Why I waited years to interview James about Breath.[00:02:35] Maurice Daubard: The mysterious 90-year-old who preceded Wim Hof.[00:05:01] Tummo breathing: Ancient Bon Buddhist heat generation.[00:08:13] James’ personal breathwork practice and the Wim Hof method (with warnings).[00:09:25] How breathwork cured James’ chronic respiratory issues.[00:11:46] Sudarshan Kriya: The weekend workshop that changed everything.[00:16:56] My nine-minute breath hold experiment (hyperbaric chamber edition).[00:18:57] Post-book revelations and angry doctors’ offices.[00:20:41] The ADHD-breathing connection: A controversial Venn diagram.[00:22:00] DIY breathing assessments for kids.[00:25:55] Mouth tape: From hostage situations to sleep optimization.[00:28:48] James’ seven-year mouth taping commitment.[00:31:14] CO2 levels: Your LEED-certified hotel is suffocating you.[00:36:50] Monitoring CO2 with the Aranet4 and building a CO2 database.[00:39:51] James’ travel kit: Red lights, granny packs, and a Soviet-era PEMF device.[00:51:59] In Weirdville, eyes sing The Body Electric.[00:52:58] The supplements included in David’s granny packs.[00:54:16] Natto vs. nattokinase.[00:56:18] Athletes and breathing: The BOLT score explained.[01:03:25] LeBron James’ alternate nostril breathing and diaphragmatic dysfunction.[01:04:47] Inspiratory muscle training and the back soreness warning.[01:08:47] The Relaxator: An adult breathing pacifier for focus.[01:12:54] San Francisco Writers Grotto and the trustafarian invasion.[01:16:10] Writer’s block: A convenient excuse for hobbyists.[01:19:04] Cutting the corporate cord: James’ visceral “I quit” moment.[01:23:25] The freediving story that launched a book deal.[01:25:41] Deep‘s disappointing launch and publisher betrayal.[01:28:10] Breath: From 290,000 words to 85,000 in a house in the woods.[01:31:51] Finding the skeleton: The Stanford experiment as through-line.[01:35:44] Prayer and coherent breathing: The 5.5-second secret.[01:38:44] James’ critique of breathwork culture and barriers to entry.[01:41:07] Sleep optimization: SnoreLab, side sleeping, and incline bed therapy.[01:44:56] Parting thoughts and where to find James and free breathing protocols.*Show notes for this episode: https://tim.blog/2025/09/30/james-nestor-breath/For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign 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/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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• #828: David Senra — How Extreme Winners Think and Win: Lessons from 400+ of History’s Greatest Founders and Investors (Including Buffett, Munger, Rockefeller, Jobs, Ovitz, Zell, and Names You Don’t Know But Should)

  David Senra is the host of the Founders podcast. For the past nine years, David has intensely studied the life and work of hundreds of history’s greatest entrepreneurs. His new podcast, David Senra, showcases conversations with the best-of-the-best living founders and extreme winners.This episode is brought to you by:Cresset family office services for CEOs, founders, and entrepreneursOur Place’s Titanium Always Pan® Pro using nonstick technology that’s coating-free and made without PFAS, otherwise known as “Forever Chemicals”AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplementTimestamps:[00:00:00] Who is David Senra?[00:01:11] Brad Jacobs: Roll-up king and positive-driven billionaire founder.[00:02:26] Rare positive archetypes: Ed Thorp, Sol Price, Brunello Cucinelli.[00:06:04] Michael Dell as another exception; fear of failure and motivation.[00:06:47] Negative self-talk, excellence, and its ripple effects.[00:08:26] Jensen Huang story: “Why do you suck so much?”[00:08:54] Inspiration from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.[00:10:00] Derek Sivers: unconventional, philosophical entrepreneur.[00:11:04] Learning equals behavior change, not memorization.[00:11:48] Jeremy Giffon insight: biographies as substitute mentors.[00:12:37] Reading biographies as one-sided conversations.[00:13:16] The chain of influence.[00:14:09] Podcasting as “relationships at scale.”[00:14:28] Coping with trauma and breaking cycles.[00:20:18] Note-taking process: books, Post-its, ruler, Readwise.[00:29:27] OCD tendencies and love of doing things the hard way.[00:31:04] Comparing our reading/re-reading workflows.[00:35:04] A family falling out and the randomness of student housing.[00:38:58] David’s introduction to my work during his MySpace-era college years.[00:40:07] Podcasting influences: Jocko Willink, Kevin Rose’s Elon Musk interview.[00:44:14] Five-and-a-half years of obscurity before breakthrough.[00:46:50] Graphtreon and experiments with subscription models.[00:49:25] Patrick O’Shaughnessy’s endorsement sparks growth.[00:51:23] Sam Hinkie and Patrick connections fuel momentum.[00:52:19] Transition to ads and joining Patrick’s network.[00:55:17] Edwin Land: patron saint of founders and Steve Jobs’ influence.[00:57:02] Lessons from Sam Zell, Jay Pritzker, and William Zeckendorf.[00:58:48] Need a generous, well-connected person? You can’t go wrong with Rick Gerson.[01:03:04] Edwin Land’s philosophies: Differentiation and doing to excess.[01:04:30] Entrepreneurial archetypes and conflicting advice.[01:06:00] Daniel Ek as an alternative founder archetype and mentor.[01:10:59] Further founder archetypes and contrasts.[01:13:41] What is an anti-business billionaire?[01:19:55] Advice from “shark” Michael Ovitz about the value of truth in one’s inner circle.[01:22:30] The hands-on approach of practical founders who live for the love of their business.[01:23:28] Doing one thing relentlessly.[01:23:51] “This can’t be my life” as a powerful motivator.[01:26:57] Low introspection as a common trait among founders — and its implications about human nature.[01:30:15] Robert Caro: The only writer David believes should be allowed to write thousand-page biographies.[01:32:40] James Dyson’s persistence vs. the risk of blind stubbornness.[01:34:22] Todd Graves (Raising Cane’s) as an example of relentless focus on one idea.[01:35:41] Separating fact from fiction in biographies/histories.[01:41:55] Considering trainable vs. non-trainable attributes in potential role models.[01:46:11] Perusing Charlie Munger’s library.[01:49:35] Dealmaking lessons on Eddie Lampert’s superyacht.[01:55:34] The smartest person David knows.[01:56:55] David’s obsessive craftsman approach to podcast creation.[01:58:51] Why David decided to begin a second podcast.[02:01:21] The economics of trust.[02:03:40] The benefits of cultivating a purposeful aloofness about current events.[02:07:11] Using the pulpit of publicity for good, not evil.[02:09:57] New show frequency/dynamic and how David plans to balance the burden of running two shows.[02:13:30] Teamwork with essence of turtle.[02:15:40] Adapting the Rockefeller “secret allies” strategy to podcasting.[02:17:56] Chris Hutchins: The mad scientist of podcasting?[02:18:30] Working with Rob Mohr and Andrew Huberman of SciComm.[02:20:54] Why David focuses on 24-hour cycles over long-term planning.[02:24:54] Does David worry the extra workload will disrupt his lifestyle?[02:30:18] What makes one potential guest more interesting to David than another?[02:34:34] Making an impact vs. happiness.[02:36:32] Playing the status game when your heart’s not in it is for suckers.[02:44:23] Travel observations and the rarity of truly unique experiences.[02:46:26] Books as philosophical operating systems.[02:48:39] Parting thoughts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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