#756: Anne Lamott and Josh Waitzkin

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:


[00:00] Start


[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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