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!
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Timestamps:
[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.
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