Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Stephen West is a father, husband, and host of the Philosophize This! podcast. He attempts to explain, translate, and humanize philosophy in a way that doesn’t ever aim to tell people what to think but to invite them to better understand their own thoughts by exploring alternatives.
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded one billion downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.
Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/
Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: facebook.com/TimFerriss
Stephen West is a father, husband, and host of the Philosophize This! podcast. He attempts to explain, translate, and humanize philosophy in a way that doesn’t ever aim to tell people what to think but to invite them to better understand their own thoughts by exploring alternatives.
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded one billion downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.
Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/
Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: instagram.com/timferriss
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: facebook.com/TimFerriss
![The Many Benefits of Coca — The “Divine Leaf” with 8,000+ Years of Use
Coca is to cocaine what potatoes are to vodka — Dr. Andrew Weil and Wade Davis on the health benefits, sacred history, and unjust prohibition of the most misunderstood plant on Earth.
Dr. Andrew Weil is a pioneer in integrative medicine and founder of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, where he holds the Lovell-Jones Endowed Chair and serves as Clinical Professor of Medicine and Professor of Public Health.
Wade Davis is an ethnographer, writer, photographer, and filmmaker. From 2014 to 2024 he served as Professor of Anthropology and BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia, and from 2000 to 2013 as Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society.
This episode is brought to you by:
Incogni, which removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: https://Incogni.com/Tim (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan)
Maui Nui Venison delicious, nutrient-dense, and responsible red meat: https://mauinuivenison.com/tim
5-Bullet Friday, my very own free email newsletter: https://tim.blog/friday
[00:00] Start.
[00:30] When coca tea cured my brutal altitude sickness in Chile.
[01:56] Andy meets coca, 1965: the Andes master medicine for gut, energy, mood, metabolism.
[04:20] 14 alkaloids, one scapegoat.
[05:12] The paradox: one remedy for both diarrhea and constipation.
[09:49] 8,000 years, zero addiction — and the 1975 study no one wanted to run.
[11:23] Eradication began 60 years before there was a cocaine problem.
[12:05] Two nations inside Peru: alcohol versus coca.
[12:42] The 1950 UN commission that dictated coca policy by pseudoscience, fear, and racism.
[13:49] Filed beside fentanyl and heroin; 250,000 families and the price of peace.
[15:46] What coca actually feels like: milder than half a coffee, no crash, no withdrawal.
[20:06] Decoupling the leaf from the cartels; why crop substitution is a fantasy.
[21:45] Domesticated three times; the accident of Schedule II.
[23:42] The sacred leaf: kintu, cruceta, Pachamama, runakuna.
[27:10] Hayo in the Sierra Nevada, and Latin Americas most-denied gift.
[28:56] The wedge in the door: demand, the FDA, and an entrepreneurs gold mine.
[36:40] The story coca deserves — a film, green powders, and one good study.
[39:31] Monkey mind, the tax of consciousness, and an 84th birthday on coca.
[43:59] Whom to fund: McCurdy and the hunt for legal leaves.
[45:41] Could coca treat cocaine addiction? Cost, and NIDAs timing.
[49:46] Green cocaine at the airport: coca is to cocaine as potatoes are to vodka.
[53:28] A 24-hour ritual run powered entirely by coca.
[55:41] Why two men gave their careers to one leaf — and the pharmaceutical body count.
[1:03:06] Americas legal cocaine capital, and Cokes secret recipe.
[1:05:58] No accident: the hideous prose behind laws we still obey.
[1:12:38] Parting thoughts.
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded one billion downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.
Sign up for 5-Bullet Friday (Tims free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/
Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tferriss/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/ The Many Benefits of Coca — The “Divine Leaf” with 8,000+ Years of Use](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gL48mHH6ul8/mqdefault.jpg)

![Building “Charisma on Command” to 10M+ Subscribers — Charlie Houpert
Charlie Houpert is the co-founder of Charisma on Command, a company that helps people develop confidence, charisma, and strong social skills. Originally launched as a 4-Hour Workweek-inspired “muse,” it has since grown into one of the largest platforms for social skills and confidence training, with more than 10 million YouTube subscribers worldwide and more than a billion views across its channels in six languages. His flagship course, Charisma University, has guided more than 30,000 members through practical steps to become more magnetic.
This episode is brought to you by:
Patagonias call-to-action to protect Americas public lands. Go to https://Patagonia.com/Tim to learn more and act now.
Monarch Money track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: https://MonarchMoney.com/Tim (50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code TIM)
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Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.
Sign up for 5-Bullet Friday (Tims free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/
Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tferriss/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/
[00:00] Start
[03:51] Why defaulting to management consulting after college felt like daily self-betrayal.
[07:07] Leaping into parkour training via DVD as a first business attempt.
[09:29] Moonlighting vs. burning-ships entrepreneurship.
[10:39] Negotiating remote work with a 90% raise.
[15:18] Charlie moves to New York and kicks off KickAss Academy.
[16:13] Airbnb survival tactics while living in a 396 sq. ft. apartment.
[17:28] Using the fear-setting exercise and other disaster-mitigation strategies.
[20:16] Charlie’s first blog post and crossing the publishing Rubicon.
[22:34] How Charlie’s first in-person class prompted an accidental business model.
[27:31] 10 go-getters make an ambitious move to Brazil.
[30:30] The daily growth whiteboard system.
[31:22] How a harsh Tucker Max consultation galvanized the rebranding to Charisma on Command.
[38:12] From financial downturn to pre-selling a course for $12,500.
[44:38] Finally making enough money to chase summer in six-to-eight-month increments.
[45:55] Enjoying the sustainable benefits of creating timeless content.
[48:04] How Bill Clinton seduced 7,000 people into following Charlie on YouTube.
[49:41] How Greg McKeown’s Essentialism helped solve Charlie’s “Herbie” problem.
[52:28] Evolving funnel flow and fame-jacking.
[57:50] YouTube algorithm changes, short-form content, and maintaining audience trust for the long term.
[01:05:09] Why I still create this podcast.
[01:14:10] The dangers of succumbing entirely to audience expectation over authenticity.
[01:16:28] The catalysts that led to time off, an ayahuasca retreat, and a seven-year transformation process.
[01:25:24] Making the transition from 50/50 partner to sole owner.
[01:30:20] Recommended reading: Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden
[01:32:44] The influence of The Last Psychiatrist blog.
[01:36:56] Jay Abraham coaching: “Make it good enough for Tim Ferriss.”
[01:39:03] How testimonials added a 4x conversion lift.
[01:39:42] Coming to an agreement with the co-founder.
[01:42:34] Joe Hudson and the Art of Accomplishment.
[01:47:14] Why I stand by The 4-Hour Workweek without further revision, warts and all.
[01:50:31] Exercising gratitude even when receiving praise is difficult.
[01:54:43] Relationship with earlier work: video vs. writing.
[01:57:46] Don’t miss “Filling the Void.”
[01:59:41] More recommended reading.
[02:02:25] Improv & Dragons.
[02:03:45] Charlie’s billboard: “Don’t think, feel.”
[02:04:36] Parting thoughts. Building “Charisma on Command” to 10M+ Subscribers — Charlie Houpert](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gxkjMnSCg3k/mqdefault.jpg)







