The Tim Ferriss Show
#170: Shay Carl — From Manual Laborer to 2.3 Billion YouTube Views

Shay Carl (@shaycarl) got his first computer at age 27.

He was a manual laborer for ages and uploaded his first YouTube video while on break from a granite counter top 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 5 kids.
  • He has lost more than 100 pounds since his overweight peak.

Shay came to San Francisco to spend 2 days with me, we did a bunch of weird shit together (a lot of firsts for Shay), and we covered a ton, including:

  • The most important decisions and inflection points in his life
  • Tools of the trade and tips for creating on YouTube
  • Favorite books, quotes, etc. that he lives by
  • Stories he’s never shared anywhere before
  • And much, much more

Enjoy!

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 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

This podcast is also brought to you by Born Fitness Coaching. Born Fitness Coaching offers concierge coaching, a 3:1 coach-to-client model that is customized to your needs, goals, and preferences. That means you receive unlimited interaction and coaching  with one certified coach for diet, one for fitness and one to keep track of all the rest (lifestyle, accountability and consistency.)

Born Fitness Coaching is offering a special coaching experience based on the principles of The 4-Hour Body. You guys have asked me for this, and this is why I partnered with them for this offer. There are only 100 spots available because I insisted that quality never drops. Each Tim Ferriss Show listener receives $100 off per month. For full details, please visit BornFitness.com/tim.

 

Direct download: Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Shay_Carl.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:47pm EDT

#169: Useful Lessons from Workaholics Anonymous, Corporate Implosions, and More

Ryan Holiday (@RyanHoliday) is a strategist and writer. He dropped out of college at 19 to apprentice under Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, and later served as the director of marketing for American Apparel. His company, Brass Check, has advised clients like Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as many prominent bestselling authors. Holiday has written four previous books, including The Obstacle Is the Way, which has been translated into 17 languages and has a cult following among NFL coaches, world-class athletes, TV personalities, political leaders, and others around the world. Ryan lives on a small ranch outside of Austin, Texas, and his latest book is Ego Is The Enemy.

Ryan and I cover a lot in this conversation, including:

  • Meltdowns and how Ryan handles them
  • Workaholics Anonymous -- How it works, what worked for him, what didn't
  • The tipping points for his last book, The Obstacle Is the Way
  • External versus internal obstacles
  • Sherman versus Grant leadership and "success"
  • Howard Hughes versus Elon Musk
  • Thinking of "first principles"

Enjoy!

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 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.

This podcast is also brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is a bookkeeping software, which is used by a ton of the start-ups I advise and many of the contractors I work with. It is the easiest way to send invoices, get paid, track your time, and track your clients.

FreshBooks tells you when your clients have viewed your invoices, helps you customize your invoices, track your hours, automatically organize your receipts, have late payment reminders sent automatically and much more.

Right now you can get a free month of complete and unrestricted use. You do not need a credit card for the trial. To claim your free month, go to FreshBooks.com/Tim and enter “Tim” in the “how did you hear about us section.” 

Direct download: lessons_from_workaholics_anonymous.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:44am EDT

#168: Dissecting the Success of Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell (@gladwell) is the author of five New York Times bestsellers -- The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. He has been named one of the 100 most influential people by TIME magazine and one of the Foreign Policy's Top Global Thinkers.

He has explored how ideas spread in the Tipping Point, decision making in Blink, the roots of success in Outliers, and the advantages of disadvantages in his latest book David and Goliath. In his latest podcast project, Revisionist History, Gladwell examines the way the passage of time changes and enlightens our understanding of the world around us.

In this in-depth, in-person conversation, we cover a ton, including:

  • His research and writing process
  • How he learned to ask good (and "dumb") questions
  • Favorite books
  • Routines, habits, and tools
  • How he pulls together seemingly unrelated stories into a cohesive theme (and eventually a book)
  • Philosophies related to public speaking
  • His obsession with running
  • Why he eats as little as possible in the mornings
  • And much more...

Enjoy!

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 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

This podcast is brought to you Gymnastic Bodies. This is the training system that I am most obsessed with at the moment. Coach Sommer appeared on a previous episode of the podcast, which turned into a sleeper hit. He is the former USA national team coach for men's gymnastics and creator of this bodyweight-based training system. I'm not easily impressed, and I have been completely blown away by the sophistication and the elegance of his programming.

I have been using Gymnastic Bodies for just a few months now, and I already feel more flexible and stronger than I have in years. Check it out GymnasticBodies.com/tim, where you'll find the Fundamentals course for diagnosing your weakest areas and those you can tweak for fast improvements. It is incredible. Take a look at GymnasticBodies.com/tim for more details and a large discount.

 

Direct download: Malcom_Gladwell_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:30am EDT

#167: Jamie Foxx Part 2 - Bringing the Thunder

Jamie Foxx (@iamjamiefoxx) returns to the show for a special role-reversal where he interviews me for his radio show.

For those of you who didn't hear Jamie's first appearance on the podcast, which was voted 2015 Podcast of the Year by Product Hunt, you can check it out here.

In this episode, you'll hear many stories and topics that haven't been discussed before -- including Jamie's exploration of past lives. It goes in many different directions, but I think you'll enjoy it.

If you only have 5 minutes, listen to the first few minutes because Jamie is the consummate performer, which is what you'd expect from an Academy Award-winning actor, Grammy Award-winning musician, and famous standup and improv comedian. He has all the tools in the toolkit.

Please enjoy this raucous romp!

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

This podcast is brought to you by MeUndiesHave you ever wanted to be as powerful as a mullet-wearing ninja from the 1980’s, or as sleek as a black panther in the Amazon? Of course you have, and that’s 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 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: Jamie_Foxx_Part_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:15am EDT

#166: How Creatives Should Negotiate

This episode is actually a workshop on negotiating. Out of all the resources out there on how to negotiate, 99 percent of them are piss-poor -- but I guarantee you this isn't one of them.

The teacher is Ramit Sethi. These lessons are all taken from a multi-day course Ramit taught on CreativeLive.com, which is one of the fastest growing startups. [Full disclosure: I am an advisor.]

If you are an entrepreneur, perhaps just getting into entrepreneurship, thinking of taking the dive into entrepreneurship, or you just want to get out of a trap of your own making, I think you'll find a lot here. Pay a lot of attention to the exact scripting that Ramit uses. And if a particular section isn't clicking with you, just skip ahead 20 minutes or so and you'll find yourself in a new lesson.

In this episode, you will learn about:

  • Positioning
  • Smart negotiation vs. dumb negotiation
  • Overcoming mental barriers related to entrepreneurship
  • What you should charge or how you should think about charging for your services
  • Mock interviews
  • And much, much more

Enjoy!

This podcast is brought to you by TrunkClub. I hate shopping with a passion. And honestly I'm not good at it, which means I end up looking like I'm colorblind or homeless. Enter TrunkClub, which provides you with your own personal stylist and makes it easier than ever to shop for clothes that look great on your body.

Visit trunkclub.com/tim, answer a few questions, and then you'll be sent a trunk full of awesome clothes. They base this on your sizes, preferences, etc. The trunk is then delivered free of charge both ways, so you only pay for clothes that you keep. If you keep none, it costs you nothing. To get started, check it out at trunkclub.com/tim.

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. I have used Audible for years and I love audio books. 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 between more than 180,000 audio programs. 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: Ramit_Sethi.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:25am EDT

#165: The Canvas Strategy -- What Ben Franklin and Bill Belichick Have in Common

My job is usually to deconstruct world-class performers from business, military, entertainment, politics, or athletics, and then to tease out the routines and habits you can use.

In this particular episode, I'm going to share an overarching strategy that has been used by many of the greats. That includes Ben Franklin, legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick, and many, many more. It is also how I built my network, how my first book hit the tipping point, how I became successful at angel investing, and the list goes on.

Of course, if you're interested in the networking part of it, you can also read the blog post and listen to the episode, How to Build a World-Class Network in Record Time. But that is additional credit.

The secret to all of the above is the "canvas strategy."

And in this episode, Ryan Holiday, author of the new book, Ego Is the Enemy, will teach you how to apply canvas strategy to your life. (The book is also the newest addition to my book club, which can be found at audible.com/timsbooks.)

Please enjoy this excerpt with Ryan Holiday from Ego Is the Enemy.

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 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 ñ†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 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: Tim_Ferriss_Show_-_Ryan_Holiday_Canvas_Strategy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:09am EDT

#164: Kevin Kelly - AI, Virtual Reality, and The Inevitable

Kevin Kelly (@kevin2kelly) is back again and, as I've said before, he might be the real-life "Most Interesting Man In The World."

Kevin is Senior Maverick at Wired Magazine, which he co-founded in 1993. He also co-founded the All Species Foundation, a non-profit aimed at cataloging and identifying every living species on earth. In his spare time, he writes bestselling books, co-founded the Rosetta Project, which is building an archive of all†documented human languages, and serves on the board of the Long Now Foundation. As part of the last, he's investigating how to revive and restore endangered or extinct species, including the Wooly Mammoth.

Kevin's most recent project is The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future. The praise for the book is incredible, with Marc Andreessen saying it's, "an automatic must-read."

In this conversation, we touch on all sorts of things, including:

  • Stories about Jeff Bezos and his email management approach.
  • Tech literacy.
  • Why there are no "VR experts."
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI).
  • Network effects.
  • GMOs.
  • And much, much more

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 (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 m

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_Ferris_Show_-_Kevin_Kelly_and_The_Inevitable.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:24am EDT

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