Anne Lamott and Josh Waitzkin (#756)

This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #522 “Anne Lamott on Taming Your Inner Critic, Finding Grace, and Prayer” and #148: “Josh Waitzkin, The Prodigy Returns“

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business

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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SHOW NOTES

• [04:49] Notes about this supercombo format.
• [05:51] Enter Anne Lamott.
• [06:21] What is it about Bird by Bird that has affected so many people so deeply?
• [07:18] Where the title of Bird by Bird originated.
• [09:40] How Neal Allen helps people tame (but not discard) their inner critic.
• [10:45] Who controls the dial when you’re tuned in to KFKD radio?
• [11:51] How Anne recommends I pursue my fiction writing aspirations.
• [12:37] The pros and cons of Anne’s upbringing.
• [19:08] What does being “spiritually fit” mean to Anne?
• [24:40] How radical self-care became an imperative for Anne.
• [32:25] The dark night that turned Anne’s son Sam’s life around.
• [38:10] Enter Josh Waitzkin.
• [38:43] On Dreaming Yourself Awake by B. Alan Wallace and Brian Hodel.
• [39:58] Casual exercise.
• [40:52] Josh’s terrifying experience with the Wim Hof method.
• [45:52] How Josh uses “flow” as therapy.
• [48:19] Initiating a flow state.
• [50:45] Cognitive biases and armchair professors.
• [55:07] Developing high-level sensitivity and listening to your senses.
• [57:53] Strategies for on-boarding newcomers to mindfulness training.
• [1:02:40] Paddlesurfers in peril.
• [1:03:36] Embracing the funk.
• [1:06:03] On parenting.
• [1:15:07] Fixed perspectives and growth mindsets.
• [1:17:34] On training somatic sensitivity.
• [1:22:06] On mitigating the dangers of a fixed identity.
• [1:24:32] Marcelo Garcia and the principle of cultivating quality as a way of life.
• [1:30:19] Quality and presence in parenthood.
• [1:33:42] The fire-walking process.
• [1:40:11] Translating techniques learned from martial arts to less obvious activities (like investing).
• [1:42:19] Building slack into the system.
• [1:46:17] Scarcity in the learning process.
• [1:54:27] Josh’s daily journaling process.
• [1:56:25] Thematic interconnectedness in the context of education.
• [2:04:08] The Art of Learning Project.
• [2:05:59] Parting thoughts.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Anne Lamott:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Connect with Josh Waitzkin:

Website | The Art of Learning Project

PEOPLE MENTIONED

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The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it’s been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.