“Part of being successful is to give something back.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger (@Schwarzenegger) told you he’d be back.
In our first conversation (Episode 60), the former Mr. Olympia, Terminator, and Governator shared daily routines, psychological warfare tactics, favorite books, early entrepreneurial ventures (and tips), and many stories no one had heard before. This time around, the new host of The Celebrity Apprentice answered your most popular and upvoted questions, including some controversial ones. He does not shy away from anything, and this is no exception.
In this episode, Arnold talks about his recent Twitter battle with President-elect Donald Trump, his investment strategies, politics, the state of bodybuilding, his sleep schedule, and much more. [Special thanks to Daniel Ketchell for pitching the questions here.]
He forgot to plug his latest project, however, so I will do it here: tune into The New Celebrity Apprentice Mondays at 8 p.m., or watch it on the NBC app.
I hope you enjoy this incredible round two with Arnold Schwarzenegger! It doesn’t disappoint.
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode with Arnold Schwarzenegger? — Listen to his first appearance on the podcast. In this episode, we discuss the art of psychological warfare, how Twins became his most lucrative movie, mailing cow balls to politicians, how Arnold made millions before his acting career took off, and much, much more (stream below or right-click here to download):
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This podcast is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is, inevitably, Athletic Greens. It is my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body and did not get paid to do so. Listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show get $100 worth of travel packs for free when placing an order — that’s twenty free additional travel pouches. Just visit AthleticGreens.com/Tim.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
- Connect with Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
- Tim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More)
- The New Celebrity Apprentice
- Arnold Schwarzenegger Takes The High Road After Trump’s Twitter Diss by Tod Perry, Good
- Conan the Barbarian
- Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor of California — 2003 Commercial
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
- 2016 Arnold Classic Women’s Physique International Highlights
- Ms. Olympia
- I Don’t Give a **** If We Agree about Climate Change by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Facebook
- Prop 23: Schwarzenegger, Van Jones Say No by Siel Ju, 89.3 KPCC Pacific Swell
- USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy
- The Surprisingly Lucrative Pre-Fame Career of Arnold Schwarzenegger by Karl Smallwood, Today I Found Out
- No, Arnold Schwarzenegger Can’t Be President — and This Is Dumb by Ian Millhiser, ThinkProgress
- Sylmar-San Fernando Earthquake: 45 Years Ago Tuesday, 64 Killed by Dana Bartholomew, Los Angeles Daily News
Show Notes
- Arnold sets the scene and talks about his mic-drop response to a tweet from President-elect and former Celebrity Apprentice host Donald Trump. [05:56]
- What’s been the hardest choice in Arnold’s life, and the biggest sacrifice he’s made while climbing the ladder of success? [08:34]
- What is the most important thing a woman needs to know if she wants to lead both men and women effectively? [10:55]
- On women in bodybuilding (or anything else, for that matter). [13:07]
- Arnold talks sleep habits and time management. [14:32]
- Going green and having a strong economy aren’t mutually exclusive. [18:38]
- Arnold’s tips on preparing mentally for competition. [20:52]
- How does aging affect diet and fitness? [23:10]
- How can environmentalists better communicate the urgency of tackling climate change now rather than later? [26:06]
- On learning from failures. [31:51]
- What wisdom does Arnold know today that he could have used in his twenties? [34:40]
- Has pursuit of success ever made Arnold blind to other parts of life? [37:48]
- What circumstances led to Arnold befriending Warren Buffett? [42:20]
- What’s Arnold’s take on modern bodybuilding and steroid use? What’s changed in the sport — on a professional and personal level — since he began? [45:02]
- How does Arnold approach risk? Is it possible to train yourself to take better risks? [51:01]
- How does Arnold stay motivated? [55:14]
- What specific things did Arnold look for in his real estate investments? [57:20]
- Arnold’s worst real estate investment is still growing in value. [1:01:46]
- What law would Arnold pass, remove, or amend if given the power? [1:03:07]
- How did Arnold and his partner Franco Columbu drum up business when they owned a construction company? [1:07:37]
- Who would win in a fight between Arnold and me? [1:10:44]
- Closing thoughts. [1:11:28]
People Mentioned
- Donald Trump
- Daniel Ketchell
- Maria Shriver
- Indira Gandhi
- Margaret Thatcher
- Golda Meir
- Angela Merkel
- Catherine the Great
- Harold Schneider
- Michael Jordan
- Ted Williams
- Reg Park
- Warren Buffett
- George Shultz
- Steve Reeves
- John Grimek
- Clint Eastwood
- Charles Bronson
- Warren Beatty
- Joe Weider
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Franco Columbu
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.)
love em! possible to start putting a transcript with podcasts? or is it already there and I'm missing it? i see the highlight notes with time stamps, would rather read your great interviews. thanks.
Hello, while I love and consume your book, "tools of titans", I am stuck with getting information from your podcast. I am Deaf and will not hear clearly what is spoken for every podcast you create. Is it possible for someone to provide a transcript? I'd really appreciate it.
I love Arnold. Magnificent as Conan Barbarian, Terminator or Trench Mauser 🙂 Best regards form Poland, Kamil
Who the fuck is asking the questions?
Great podcast as usual but dont' understand why you (Tim) weren't asking the questions? Not sure who the guy was asking them for but such an amazing guest I felt it lacked something not having you there, you always ask follow up questions or add something in that is valuable. Still a 9/10 though.
Arnold is so funny here, he really is top. This is a fantastic episode with a lot of inspiration and a lot of things to learn from. I feel like listening to it again and then going to watch "Pumping Iron". Tim, one quick observation from a UX perspective – by naming the episode "Part 2", some listeners may get confused and think this is a two part episode, and will then be concerned when they don't see a "Part 1" immediately preceding "Part 2".
I'm so excited that Arnold talked about female bodybuilding! I grew up in the 90's as a daughter of a female bodybuilder who was somewhat famous, appearing on national TV several times. She took home many trophies including state championships. [Moderator: link removed] In the more than 20 years since her peak bodybuilding days, I have tried to process and reflect on what it meant to me personally to have a mother who appeared to the public as very masculine. It was definitely a joke to everyone around me, all the kids in high school refused to come over because they thought she would beat them up. A fellow student even did a parody video of me as a southpark character dressed like a female bodybuilder who threatened to crush everyone to death and showed it to the class–much to my chagrin–I was as feminine as they come with my long blonde hair and closetful of dresses–and was humiliated to be portrayed like this. Over the years her example grew in scope as I blossomed into adulthood. When I faced difficult tasks of my own, I often thought of her and her endless hours of hard work to achieve her success and rather than be embarrassed as I once was, I am humbled immensely. Nice episode. I love Arnold. He's such a great guy!
Pumped for this one!!!
Great interview – as usual Tim Ferris. I look forward to getting you on my podcast AND I won't give up until you say yes. I've used your formulas and I know you'll soon say YES (and feel honored to join 😉 Anyways, really enjoyed today's interview my friend.
Great job using the questions from your audience in this, I liked this interview WAAAAAY more than the original. Why haven't you had Steven Kotler on your show? Steven talks about flow states and productivity and wrote an awesome book about titled: The Rise Of Superman, a fantastic look at how athletes enter an amazing state that allows them to accomplish incredible feats and perform at peak levels (I can easily make the introduction). Another guest might be Greg McKeown who wrote the book, Essentialism.
Dear Tim, Could you please interview Scott Woodruff, creator of the Stick Figure reggae band. He is a one man band and has strategically climbed his way to the top of the American reggae scene. Im sure he has some goodies to share. Thanks! Matt
A privilege to hear Arnie sharing insights on environment and economy. In particular, on the very poor communication and persuasive ability of the environment and climate change movement. Some wonderful statistics and arguments in Arnie's commentary on environment and conservation (18:38 and 26:06 "we have so many really passionate environmentalists…but their communication skills are lousy"). As a sustainability-thematic investment specialist, I was cheering out loud hearing this – and will be spreading the word of this podcast to the persuasion-unanointed! And, I valued the Arnie's commentary and examples from his own life as to what focus really means…qualified too by the critical reminder for most of us that living well, and enjoying the good life means knowing yourself: "not everyone is as driven as I am…and you don't have to be that driven" (obvious yet thought-provoking, per the wide range of answers to Tim's "what does success mean to you" questions). Favourite quote (Austrian accent obligatory): "When you fall, the winner always gets up. And the loser stays down"!
Another amazing episode!! I must say that I did not know much about Arnold – the man – before his appearances at the Tim F show. What an inspiring and entertaining character!! – Love the foreword to the ToT book too!
"If steroids are performance-enhancing then the senate should be required to take them". Brilliant.
Hey Tim! Love this post, and especially Schwarzenegger's feature in Tools of Titans. I've read the whole book (finally, as of this morning), and it has helped me find new "Titans" to start following, solidify morning, evening, and work-day routines, and even chase out some new passions…so thanks! I have a question for you: Upon reviewing some reviews of Amazon books in niches similar to those I am looking to explore, I somehow ended up on the Tools of Titans reviews. I noticed that the top 5 reviews all focused on Tools of Titans' organization structure and how it was hard to find what you were looking for. This wasn't a problem for me, since I would just plop down on the couch in the morning, grab my freshly brewed bullet proof coffee, and open to a random page (well–psuedorandom, I knew what each third of the book would be about…). But I can see where they are coming from. With 4HWW, 4HB, the topics were organized in a way where if I wanted to revisit something like "The End of Productivity" to revisit a topic, that was easy. My question for you is a simple one: Do you have any plans on updating ToT to give a glossary or updated table of contents? If not, it's something I was considering making to appease those fans. No new content (It's your book!), just a glossary of sorts that will lead people to major topics (meditation, morning routines, mobility exercises, etc.) so they can skip in a logical manner through the book. Anyway, thanks for your work. You're a great guy, great writer, and inspiration to push myself to live the life I want to live. – Nick P.S. My friend has recently started calling me a "lizard" because he is convinced that your penchant to "hack" so many aspects of life is characteristic of what you would expect from one of those people in the secret society of lizard people who control society. Being a lizard is fun…but I just wanted to let you know that people are on to you.
Tim I got your book "Tools of Titans" and I freaking love it bro. It has so many inspirational things that I can take from. Definitely great value for my money. Love the humour in it. This book has had a huuuge impact on my life and I have you to thank for that. Thanks for making my life better than it already was!
Love it Tim! I just saw your youtube video, "Skills To Master To Be More Productive". You said in it that you studied great interviewers like Larry King. I was wondering, specifically how do you study an interview?
I was so excited to see this was available yesterday! Thanks, Tim! This was really great, of course. My new dream is to own rental property! Lol! 😉
Is there a link to the list of Tools of Titan's facebook groups?
Seems like to get things automated it would help to know how to program computers. Am I right? You keep mentioning that's what you did with Brainquicken. Did you just farm that stuff out? I have an insurance business and have struggled for 5 years with trying to create a perfect automated program because software companies don't care how I think. They create for the traditional business model. I keep thinking "I wish I could just create what I wanted" but I'm not sure where to go. I don't want to waste time doing some online school for 3 years if it's not going to put me where I want to be. So, did you do the grunt work or did you find someone who could do it for you?
This is the man! I love Arnold!
Hey Tim! I just watched an interview where you mentioned you were trying out something with a lot of side effects because it opened a window into gaining perfect pitch – There is a much safer way! http://www.perfectpitch.com/chapter1.htm This guy is the real deal! The structure and teaching style leaves a little to be desired, but so do a lot of things. I'm a big fan of yours! Happy exploration and experimentation! 🙂
Hi Tim, I love everything you do! Thank you for being such a great person! I’m leaving a comment to let you know you’re appreciated, and I wanted to let you know of this extremely awesome new small-business customer management and accounting software website called “Dubsado”. I’m not getting paid to say this, the owners don’t even know I’m telling you. I just think what they’ve made is amazing and I thought it might be cool for you to share it in your podcast recommendations if you happen to check it out and like it as well. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Hi, A little offbeat but what kind of suit is Arnold wearing. It is all about projection and perception, so just wondering is it bespoke or made to measure and what type or brand just to get an idea?
Many good see ,you it Tim.blog fit Life,need see more performance,kiss for you my frend.
Great post Tim! Thanks for all that you do! I'm on my 3rd time rereading 4 hour work week and I seem to pick up something new!
Love Arnold's sense of humor… so dry and better yet delivered with that austrian accent. also his advice for buying first real estate… buy first property, live there and rent out other unit or garage apartment etc GREAT! finally as a guy getting approaching 50's what natural supplements does arnold use to increase/maintain testosterone…. besides interval/weight training. thanks Arnold and Tim for your podcast
Really loved this one Tim! Arnold is an inspiration in so many ways, it really surprised me to see that he is a world class actor, THE bodybuilder, and a politician, but before all that he was an entrepreneur. As an artist myself it is cool to see how those before me were able to fund their passions. In Arnold's case it was real-estate to pay for acting/bodybuilding.
Arnold is my life hero. End of story. I am forming the plan. [Moderator: personal website information removed.]
Arnold vs Trump – I know who I would be betting on to win. If Arnold was born in America he'd be president by now – or would that have softened his resolve to begin with?
YES. Transcripts would be great, especially for those of us who'd like to use excerpts for blog posts etc 🙂
Hi, With apologies but you are solving the wrong question! Tim did the grunt work like we all have to. Read the 4HWW and apply the 80:20 rule. Also the E- Myth etc. by Michael Gerber. You can't outsource what you don't understand. You need to go through every part of your business process and work out the pain points. Is it sales, customer acquisition, customer service etc. Which 20% of your customers make 80% of your profits and what are their attributes that make them so profitable? Look for more customers like that. Which customers cause you grief and waste your time and money in excessive customer service and follow up and why? Don't dwell on that too long only to note those attributes. Next fire those customers! If any potential new customer comes by with those attributes, don't take them on. If you have done all that you are well on the way. The number of businesses that go broke solving the wrong problems are legion. Park the software and dig in.