This is the most recent episode of my brand-new Tribe of Mentors podcast! It features a live interview I did with writer Tim Urban at Union Square Barnes & Noble in NYC on the launch day of Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World.
Here we go…
Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy, waitbutwhy.com) is the author of the blog Wait But Why and has become one of the Internet’s most popular writers. Tim, according to Fast Company, has “captured a level of reader engagement that even the new-media giants would be envious of.” Today, Wait But Why receives more than 1.5 million unique visitors per month and has over 550,000 email subscribers. Tim has gained a number of prominent readers as well, like authors Sam Harris (page 365 in Tribe of Mentors) and Susan Cain (page 10), Twitter co-founder Evan Williams (page 401), TED curator Chris Anderson (page 407), and Brain Pickings’ Maria Popova. Tim’s series of posts after interviewing Elon Musk have been called by Vox’s David Roberts “the meatiest, most fascinating, most satisfying posts I’ve read in ages.” You can start with the first one, “Elon Musk: The World’s Raddest Man.” Tim’s TED Talk, “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator,” has received more than 21 million views.
- Listen and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Want to hear another conversation with a mentor from Tribe of Mentors? Listen to this episode with Debbie Millman, in which we discuss how favorite failures and why busy is a decision. Listen to it here (stream below or right-click to download):
Get Tribe of Mentors at these fine retailers or at your local bookstore! Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Apple iBooks | Books-A-Million | Indigo
Here’s a partial list of people included: tech icons (founders of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Pinterest, Spotify, Salesforce, Dropbox, and more), Jimmy Fallon, Arianna Huffington, Brandon Stanton (Humans of New York), Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ben Stiller, Maurice Ashley (first African-American Grandmaster of chess), Brené Brown (researcher and bestselling author), Rick Rubin (legendary music producer), Temple Grandin (animal behavior expert and autism activist), Franklin Leonard (The Black List), Dara Torres (12-time Olympic medalist in swimming), David Lynch (director), Kelly Slater (surfing legend), Bozoma Saint John (Beats/Apple/Uber), Lewis Cantley (famed cancer researcher), Maria Sharapova, Chris Anderson (curator of TED), Terry Crews, Greg Norman (golf icon), Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum), and roughly 100 more. Click here to see the full list, sample chapters, and more.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
Hi Tim Would you be interested in having your work translated into Arabic?
What an enlightening, entertaining interview! I learned so much from both of you! I am going to buy your book and cannot wait for Tim Urban’s book to come out!
Hi Tim, always luv to read your article..every time gets to new things.
Tim urban said he had an business before the blog. What was it? I just got "**Prep"
Hi everyone, I at the beginning of my attempt to create a business for myself rather than being an employee all my life. I found a product from Germany that I believe could fill a niche and sell very well in Canada/US. But I have no idea how to go about sourcing it cheaply and getting it from a producer rather than a retailer so I could make my first trials. Can anybody share some advice and tricks that could help me with my research? Many thanks in advance!
I can't seem to find a download link for this episode. Is that intentional?
Hi Tim – sorry I missed you in NYC. Can your TEAM please make sure to include your upcoming "Events" in your 5 Bullet Friday newsletter or emails. Some of us like taking a break from checking social media on a regular basis – so it's helpful to know when you'll be back in the area 🙂 Also – I recently watched your interview with Marie Forleo and was really moved by your story and had some thoughts that may or may not be helpful for you?? 1) You talked about how seeing early onset of Alzheimer’s in your Grandparents is what drove you to initially study Neuroscience in college & that you had your genomes tested for sequencing since it could be a possibility down the line. There is a quick 11 minute meditation in Kundalini Yoga called “Kirtan Kriya” which has actually been studied in Alzheimer prevention to improve brain function and memory loss. Yes – I know there’s chanting involved but the reason chanting works is it helps recode your thoughts as they come up during a meditation so that they’re filed in your brain differently. Also – chanting while meditating is the equivalent of taking out a huge black trash bag of garbage that accumulates in your brain as opposed to one piece of trash at a time in silent meditation. If you’re looking to expand on your “Human Guinea Pig Experiments” – this might be one you want to check out?? Just saying 🙂 2) You mentioned you’re currently spending a lot of time and money on research and development of new “plant” drugs (Ayahuasca & Peyote ???) It's really commendable to want to pinpoint the healing aspects of the plants so that many people can benefit from them but I think there is a huge variable which science won't be able to explain. I’d strongly suggest actually talking to the “Shaman/Scientists” out there like Alberto Villoldo, PhD (One Spirit Medicine) or Gregg Braden. I’m not by any means an expert and have actually never tried it but am friends with a Shaman and I think those who conduct the ceremonies (Tribal Elders & Shamans) play a significant role in the person’s experience. They’re not only holding space for those people experimenting with these plant medicines but I think they're managing the consciousness and energy transmission during those experiences. There's a magic in the mysticism of a ceremony that I don't think can be replicated in a pill format? Anyway – just throwing my 2 cents out there along with everyone else 🙂 Good Luck with the new book – planning to buy a copy in the next few weeks –even if it isn't personally autographed 🙁
Fantastic episode!
When will this book be available in audible?
Love both Tims. Thank you (again) for all the goodness.
Tim, A friend living near Amman, Jordan visited one of the few, or only, English language bookstores recently and came across both 'Tools of Titans' and 'Tribe of Mentors' on their solitary business bookshelf!
Tim, I recall you making a comment about writing in a sauna. Consider using rainwriter books/booklets. I work in a high moisture environment and they work great! Phil
WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for tribe of mentors
Hi Tim, Reading your articles always makes me carried away. What magic do you put in?
Tried to leave a review on Amazon, they wouldn't let me. Who knows. Anyway, this was it: Life-stretching, expanding, and changing A most remarkable book. From the library, took it on a vacation to San Diego from Portland, ended up devoting as much to the book as to the California sun. Bought a used copy on-line immediately upon return home (ditto the process for 'Tools of the Titans'). Kept a notebook close by when reading to log book suggestions, stuff suggestions, google ideas so as to learn and grown, much more. Basically, it has become a life enhancer for me. It's on my list of personal recommendations on my Blog site – [Moderator: link removed.] – and I mention it often. Usually I stumble upon the best stuff, and though I have read and own the 'Four-Hour Work Week' – I kind of stumbled upon this too. It is amazing.
Hello Radek, I really doubt it since there are so many variables. I do have some experience with ecommerce, so leave me a message and I may be able to give you some tips that you may find helpful, as this is not really relevant to this podcast with Tim Urban. //Felix
Hi Thiago. I wasn't sure why I knew the answer to this question, but after looking it up again, I remembered how I actually knew without listening to the podcast. Tip: check his LinkedIn. //Felix
Great tip, tnks!
Great tip, tnks!