My 37 Favorite Documentaries — Features and Short Films That Cover High Performance, Overcoming Failure, Creative Process, Psychedelics, Trauma, and Much More

My 37 Favorite Documentaries — Features and Short Films That Cover High Performance, Overcoming Failure, Creative Process, Psychedelics, Trauma, and Much More

The below 37 documentaries have shaped my thinking and changed my behavior over the last several years. I revisit them often. They were all featured in 5-Bullet Friday, my free weekly newsletter, which I send out each Friday to ~1.5–2M subscribers. Each edition describes the coolest things I’ve found or explored that week in five …

Chuck Palahniuk, Author of Fight Club — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing (#457)

Chuck Palahniuk, Author of Fight Club — A Masterclass in Creative Living and Dangerous Writing (#457)

“The goal is to make people laugh and then to really break their heart.” — Chuck Palahniuk Writer Chuck Palahniuk (@chuckpalahniuk) has published twenty-three national and international best-selling books. These include fifteen prose novels, a collection of short stories, two graphic novels, two coloring books, a travel guide, a collection of essays, and a memoir …

Adam Grant — The Man Who Does Everything (#399). Adam  is an expert in how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers.

Adam Grant — The Man Who Does Everything (#399). Adam is an expert in how we can find motivation and meaning, and lead more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers.

“When you feel like you’re not productive, it’s not necessarily because you’re lazy or because you have bad habits, it’s because you’re not working on the right projects and you haven’t found the ones that are intrinsically motivating and meaningful to you.” — Adam Grant Adam Grant (@AdamMGrant) is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he …

Two Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Answer (#397)

Two Questions Every Entrepreneur Should Answer (#397)

“If the customer doesn’t scream, you don’t have product-market fit.” — Andy Rachleff Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show. This time, we have a slightly different episode—a takeover by Mike Maples, Jr. Mike Maples, Jr. (@m2jr) and his firm, Floodgate, have invested in and supported many of the startups you might recognize …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton), one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for his performances and has starred in, produced, written, or directed more than 30 films. His most recent film, Motherless Brooklyn, which he wrote, directed, produced, and …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Ben Horowitz — What You Do Is Who You Are >> Lessons from Silicon Valley, Andy Grove, Genghis Khan, Slave Revolutions, and More (#392)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Ben Horowitz — What You Do Is Who You Are >> Lessons from Silicon Valley, Andy Grove, Genghis Khan, Slave Revolutions, and More (#392)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with Ben Horowitz (@bhorowitz), a cofounder and general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, and the upcoming Harper Business book, What You Do Is Who You Are, available October 29th. He …

Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

“It’s nice to be reminded that it’s been hard for other people when they were getting things done that you admired, because it maybe gives you that extra little bit of determination or patience to persevere a little more.” — Edward Norton Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton) is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. He …

The Random Show — On Fasting, Forest Bathing, How to Say NO, Rebooting the Self, and Much More (#391)

The Random Show — On Fasting, Forest Bathing, How to Say NO, Rebooting the Self, and Much More (#391)

Technologist, serial entrepreneur, world-class investor, self-experimenter, and all-around wild and crazy guy Kevin Rose (@KevinRose), rejoins me for another episode of “The Random Show.” In this one we discuss Japanese whisky, domestic speakeasies, wooden saddles, the rebooting power of Anthony de Mello’s Awareness, poetry, the art of surrender and letting go, mushroom cultivation in the …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Neil deGrasse Tyson — How to Dream Big, Think Scientifically, and Get More Done (#389)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Neil deGrasse Tyson — How to Dream Big, Think Scientifically, and Get More Done (#389)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with Neil de Grasse Tyson (@neiltyson), who was appointed the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium in 1996. Dr. Tyson’s professional research interests are primarily related to the structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and the formation of stars, supernovas, and dwarf galaxies. Dr. Tyson graduated …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal (#386)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal (#386)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns (@KenBurns). Since his Academy Award-nominated film Brooklyn Bridge from 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz; The Statue of Liberty; Huey Long; Lewis & Clark; …