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 #474 “Matthew McConaughey — The Power of ‘No, Thank You,’ Key Life Lessons, 30+ Years of Diary Notes, and The Art of Catching Greenlights” and #327 “Aisha Tyler — How to Use Pain, Comedy, and Practice for Creativity.” This episode is brought to you by: Momentous high-quality supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for 20% off) Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: https://eightsleep.com/tim (save $350 on the Pod 4 Ultra) LMNT electrolyte supplement: https://drinklmnt.com/Tim (free LMNT sample pack with any drink mix purchase) Timestamps: [00:00] Start [05:14] Notes about this supercombo format. [06:07] Enter Matthew McConaughey. [06:35] The words forbidden in Matthew's house growing up. [09:14] The book that changed the course of Matthew's life. [17:43] Matthew's 10 goals in life (circa 1992). [22:36] Why take more risks? [26:20] The evolving purpose of keeping a diary. [30:04] The art of running downhill. [34:12] Learning to say "No" to rom-com typecasting. [48:06] Enter Aisha Tyler. [48:35] Aisha's role in The Tim Ferriss Show's existence. [50:00] Aisha's trademark podcast question. [51:22] Aisha's unorthodox childhood and family relationships. [52:22] How did Aisha answer the questions "Whose day is it?" and "What are you going to do?" every morning? [55:50] From where does Aisha get her general sense of optimism? [57:41] Following father's advice and views on regret. [59:38] Free-range parenting vs. modern overprotection. [1:03:49] Having a bad day? You're not special! [1:05:43] Young Aisha's career aspirations. [1:07:08] Why was Aisha miserable at what she thought was her dream job? [1:09:07] Why did Aisha pick standup comedy to break into show business? [1:10:24] What it was like to keep a day job and do standup comedy as a hobby. [1:12:06] Commuting for comedy in San Francisco. [1:14:19] What made the comedy club bubble of the '80s burst? [1:18:27] How did Aisha practice to get better at standup? [1:19:17] A memorable set Aisha bombed and the gift it gave her. [1:22:38] Dealing with hecklers Bill Burr and Kenny Moore style. [1:28:36] Aisha shares some of her own heckler stories. [1:32:47] Aisha's academic approach to the math of comedy. [1:34:59] What's the Rule of Threes? [1:35:52] Gauging comic evolution. [1:37:02] Comedians compared to other artists. [1:38:20] Changing success metrics and creative traps. [1:41:01] How fear-based people-pleasing affects creativity. [1:44:08] If one likes big butts, one cannot lie — even if it might tick someone off. [1:46:19] Sometimes constructive feedback does make me change my mind. [1:46:49] Pursuing authentic, meaningful work. [1:48:48] Comedy's core beyond humor. [1:49:20] Expecting failures in creative beginnings. [1:50:08] Why it doesn't pay to emulate a master of a craft in their own field. [1:52:07] Aisha's transition to filmmaking. [1:55:03] Aisha believes in personal aggression. [1:55:44] How Aisha piggybacked resources for her first music video. [1:56:46] Learning filmmaking through short projects. [1:58:09] What lessons did Aisha learn from these projects? [1:59:22] How visiting the sets of Penny Dreadful and Vikings in Ireland led to making AXIS. [2:01:08] Financing the Ireland trip. [2:02:54] The email Aisha sent to visit the set of Vikings. [2:03:34] The impact of fan appreciation. [2:05:06] Budweiser's "Whassup" campaign origin. [2:05:54] Why Aisha made AXIS. [2:07:22] Resources for aspiring screenwriters and tech investors. [2:08:22] What is AXIS, and did anyone try to talk Aisha out of making it? [2:10:09] AXIS production experience and methods. [2:12:16] The magic, intensity, and clarity of operating on an aggressive deadline. [2:15:16] Aisha's current fears and goals. [2:16:49] One of Aisha's current struggles. [2:17:40] "If art imitates life, in order to create art, you have to have a life." [2:18:49] As a workaholic, how does Aisha manage to live a life that influences her art? [2:21:14] How would Aisha's life be different if she didn't have exercise as an element? [2:23:03] What equipment does Aisha use to work out? [2:23:52] What does a prototypical workout look like for Aisha? [2:24:09] How does Aisha take her glutathione, and what does it help with? [2:27:26] Morning routine and exercise timing. [2:30:35] Does Aisha make New Year's resolutions? [2:33:01] Aisha likens her first (unwatchable and destroyed) short film to the standup set she bombed. [2:35:34] When has Aisha been extremely proud of herself? [2:40:40] Parting thoughts.