Tim Ferriss

February 23, 2021

KevKev TimTim TalkTalk on Dragon Slaying, Lessons Learned, Viagra, and Assorted Nonsense (#500)

Kevin Rose (@KevinRose)—technologist, serial entrepreneur, world-class investor, self-experimenter, and all-around wild and crazy guy—was the first guest on the podcast nearly seven years ago. We were in San Francisco, sitting at this huge wooden table, and I remember being very nervous. I didn’t know what to expect, but if people liked the idea, I promised to do at least six total episodes.

600M+ downloads and hundreds of guests later, Kevin is taking the reins and interviewing me for episode #500!

Hard to believe it all started off as a lark. It’s arguably the biggest thing I’ve ever done, and without you all—my dear listeners—it wouldn’t be possible.

Thank you for allowing me to do this work. I love it. ?

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by Wealthfront automated investing; Literati Kids, a try-before-you-buy subscription book club; and Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement. More on all three below.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

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#500: KevKev TimTim TalkTalk on Dragon Slaying, Lessons Learned, Viagra, and Assorted Nonsense

This episode is brought to you by Literati Kids, a try-before-you-buy subscription book club! Great children’s books open up new worlds for discovery. With Literati Kids, your child can explore uncharted places every month with spellbinding stories handpicked by experts.

From art and escapades to tales of compassion and friendship, each Literati box follows a new, enriching theme. And with personalized extras like stickers, surprises, and special guest artwork, every box is a fun and fresh adventure. Head to Literati.com/Tim for 25% off your first two orders. Select your child’s book club and start them on a literary journey like no other.

This episode is brought to you by Wealthfront! Wealthfront is a financial services platform that offers services to help you save and invest your money. Right now, you can earn a 3.25% base APY—that’s the Annual Percentage Yield—with the Wealthfront Cash Account from its network of program banks. That’s nearly eight times more interest than an average savings account at a bank, according to FDIC.gov as of 12/15/2025 (Wealthfront’s 3.25% APY vs. 0.40% average savings rate). Right now, for a limited time, Wealthfront is offering new clients an additional 0.65% boost over the base rate for three months, meaning you can get 3.90% APY, limited to $150,000 in deposits. Terms & Conditions apply. Visit Wealthfront.com/Tim to get started.

The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The 3.25% Base APY on cash deposits is as of December 19, 2025, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. If you are eligible for the overall boosted rate of 3.9% offered in connection with this promo, your boosted rate is also subject to change if the base rate decreases during the three-month promotional period. Tim Ferriss, who is not a client, receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage LLC. This ad may not reflect the experience of other Cash Account clients, and similar outcomes are not guaranteed. See full disclosures here.

This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. And right now, when you first subscribe to AG1, you’ll get an AG1 Welcome Kit, a bottle of Vitamin D3+K2, a Morning Person hat, AND you’ll get to try each new flavor of AG1 and their new sleep supplement, AGZ. That’s $126 in free gifts for new subscribers! Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today

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

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear the episode where this thing all began? Give episode one with Kevin Rose a listen, in which we discuss what makes a good wine bar, why Kevin seems to be so good at predicting what’s next, the characteristics of winners, the story of Odeo (the company that birthed Twitter), tips on choosing angel investments, and more.

#1: Kevin Rose

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Kevin Rose:

The Kevin Rose Show | Oak Meditation | Zero | Instagram | Twitter

SHOW NOTES

Reminiscing over accidentally copious quantities of wine about the time Kevin told me doing a podcast would be “stupid.” But then he helped me with the first episode of TimTim TalkTalk, anyway. [03:49]
What one thing do I eat that I’ve never wanted to admit to the 4-Hour Body tribe? [08:41]
After years of experimenting with so-called life hacks, have I found peace outside of having things or knowing things? [10:50]
As I’m constantly trying new things, how do I ensure I don’t become buried under a mountain of stuff? [15:29]
How do high performers know when to course correct (e.g., abandon faulty notions)? [21:38]
When was the last time a blood or urine sample was stored in my fridge? [32:14]
How did I meet and fall in love with my girlfriend? [36:04]
Have I ever made a mistake in one of my books that I wish I could take back? [43:28]
What supplements am I taking these days? [46:41]
Do I still practice the 4-Hour Body regimen? What’s my approach to longevity, and what is my overall level of fitness like these days? [49:17]
Best movie to watch on mushrooms? [55:18]
A failure I haven’t talked about. [57:15]
When it happens, what type of dad do I want to be? What attributes from my own father would I hope to carry over, and what tweaks might I make? [1:00:17]
What would my billboard say these days? [1:05:05]
Would I get a hair transplant? [1:06:06]
While it’s impossible to pick a favorite episode out of the 500 so far, here are a few that stand out. [1:09:20]
Do I believe in UFOs? [1:13:46]
A harder question: have I ever tried Viagra? [1:16:29]
Are there any more 4-Hour books on the horizon? [1:19:40]
Where do I see myself in the next 10-20 years? Is retirement in the cards, or is there another path for Tim-Tim+? [1:20:29]
What substances soothe my weary soul on an especially trying day? [1:23:09]
Is there anything that makes me feel old? Is there anything that makes me feel young? [1:29:27]
For what do I hope to be remembered when I shuffle off this mortal coil? [1:30:18]
At 500, how many more episodes do I think I have left in me? [1:41:06]
Parting thoughts. [1:43:28]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

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.)

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Jon Weberg

4 years ago

Entertaining and a lot of fun perspectives 🙂

Scott

4 years ago

Congrats on the milestone, and may there be many more! (especially of the TimTim TalkTalk variety)

David DDS

4 years ago

Reply to Scott

Tim,

I have been following your content since 2007. It has been delightful to view the evolution of your content and you as a person. I have gained value from the content you have created and I know many others have.

Here’s to 500 more episodes!

Laine Lipsky

4 years ago

IMPORTANT: Tim, based on some hints you’ve given and my intuition, I gather that parenting is imminent for you. Wanna talk about it? In my experience as an elite athlete, self-experimenter, and inward-journey enthusiast, parenting has been the most powerful portal to self-growth; it’s a flurry of blind spots revealed and a call to be your best self.

As a parenting coach, I help motivated people become the parents they long to be, especially if they grew up with some level of trauma (read: an ACEs score) and/or are looking to end generational cycles of dysfunction. This usually means adopting a totally new toolkit than the one they used to become successful in other areas of their lives. Michael Phelps alluded to this exact phenomenon in your recent episode with him.

I had to discover and master this toolkit myself for the same reasons; most of the things I did to achieve in life prior to parenting backfired when I became a mom. I had to re-orient, re-tool, and re-invent. The stakes were too high to do otherwise.

I teach a blend of high-performance tactics, mindfulness, and best parenting practices to support all parents … especially the ones with not-so-easy kids (the ones, as you said recently, who “kick you in the nuts”).

I have a private practice and just wrote my first book. Yeah, I’m small potatoes, but the work I’m doing is unique in the parenting space; these small potatoes pretty effin’ tasty.

Dude, I really hope this reaches you; I relate to so much of what you struggle with and where you’ve been. Would love to be of service to you if you feel it.

To Your Best,
~ Laine Lipsky

Andrew Natt

4 years ago

Hi Tim I’m exactly one year behind on your podcasts and trying to catch up. It is so interesting listening to you and your guests just staring the pandemic, from the perspective of today. Thank you for all your content.

Aleks Vladimirov

4 years ago

Congratulations for this milestone, Tim!
You deliver very quality content and different point of views. I wish you to have 500 more episodes!

Michael Works

4 years ago

I have a random question that I’m hoping someone can answer.

In a previous interview, Tim talked about a documentary or book (I can’t remember) about someone who tried to replicate every recipe from an extremely complicated cook book, I believe from The French Laundry.

Can someone please help me remember the title of this book, or documentary?

Karina Liebenstein

4 years ago

Reply to Michael Works

Hi Michael, is it the book and film “Julie & Julia” you are looking for?

Matthieu Sola

4 years ago

Reply to Michael Works

Michael, the restaurant was the Alinea and the someone was Allen Hemberger. You can find more about it here: https://www.allenhemberger.com/alinea/.

Angelica | Takanta

4 years ago

Massive congratulations on the milestone, Tim! And it all started with you guys just joking around 😉 How time flies when you enjoy what you do.

Mike Conroy

4 years ago

Tim, congrats on a major milestone. Your podcast has directly and positively shaped many aspects of my life from diet, to parenting, to work pursuits. So many gems of wisdom I’ve heard over the years from you and your guests. Keep up the good work.

Sandra A Padgett

4 years ago

Love your show but know that you can be more creative in your speech and use words other than f#@k.

Kristen Olson

4 years ago

“The story I’m making up in my head,” is from Brene Brown’s book, Rising Strong. So good! ❤️ Giving credit where credit’s due.