This is a special episode about overcoming mistakes and failure. What do you do when your work is rejected, when the big bet fails, or when the path ahead suddenly disappears? As you’ll hear in this episode, setbacks can often present opportunities, if you know how to look for them.This episode is brought to you by:<ul><li><a href="https://helixsleep.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Helix Sleep</a> premium mattresses: <a href="https://helixsleep.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HelixSleep.com/Tim</a> (20% off any purchase)</li><li><a href="https://gusto.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gusto</a> simple and easy payroll, HR, and benefits platform used by 400,000+ businesses: <a href="https://gusto.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gusto.com/Tim</a></li><li><a href="https://incogni.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Incogni, </a>which removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: <a href="https://incogni.com/tim" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Incogni.com/Tim</a> (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan)</li></ul>In this episode:&nbsp;<ul><li>BJ Miller, a triple amputee, on his years-long quest to ride a motorcycle.</li><li>Terry Crews on missing a season-ending shot—and the mindset shift that stayed with him for life.</li><li>Tim McGraw on his debut album flopping and betting his career on next steps.</li><li>Jessica Lahey on being told her first book was “unpublishable” and turning brutal feedback into a New York Times bestseller.</li><li>Dax Shepard on the collapse of an identity and career he thought he wanted—and the unexpected much better life it made possible.</li><li>Cathy Lanier on becoming a teenage single mother, passing her GED by a single point, and beginning an unlikely climb.</li><li>Janna Levin on the liberating realization that life is not a smooth path interrupted by obstacles—life is the obstacles.</li><li>Boyd Varty on using the mindset of a lion tracker to move through uncertainty and the paralysis of not knowing what comes next.</li></ul><a href="https://tim.blog/2018/01/01/the-tim-ferriss-show-transcripts-bj-miller/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr. BJ Miller</a> is a triple amputee, longtime palliative-care physician, cofounder of virtual palliative-care service Mettle Health, and coauthor of A Beginner’s Guide to the End.<a href="https://tim.blog/2018/02/04/the-tim-ferriss-show-transcripts-terry-crews/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Terry Crews</a> is an actor, artist, author, television host, and former NFL player best known as Terry Jeffords on the Emmy-nominated TV series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and as the longtime host of America’s Got Talent.<a href="https://tim.blog/2026/02/05/tim-mcgraw-transcript/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tim McGraw</a> is a three-time Grammy-winning country-music superstar, an actor, and a 2026 Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.<a href="https://tim.blog/2021/12/11/jessica-lahey-transcript/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jessica Lahey</a> is an educator and the New York Times bestselling author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation.<a href="https://tim.blog/2020/11/19/dax-shepard-transcript/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dax Shepard</a> is an actor, writer, and director and the co-creator and host of the hit podcast Armchair Expert.<a href="https://tim.blog/2026/04/23/cathy-lanier-nfl-chief-security-officer-transcript/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cathy Lanier</a> is the NFL’s chief security officer and the first woman—and longest serving chief—to lead Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department.<a href="https://tim.blog/2020/07/09/janna-levin-transcript/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Janna Levin</a> is a theoretical cosmologist, the Claire Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College, a Guggenheim Fellow, a PEN-winning author, and the founding director of sciences at Pioneer Works.<a href="https://tim.blog/2022/02/18/boyd-varty-transcript/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Boyd Varty</a> is a lion tracker, wildlife activist, TED speaker, and author of The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life.Timestamps:00:00 — Introduction from Tim01:23 — BJ Miller: Making an Impossible Motorcycle Dream Real05:35 — Terry Crews: Why You Have to Take the Shot16:28 — Tim McGraw: Failing on Your Own Terms27:31 — Jessica Lahey: From “Unpublishable” to Bestseller31:48 — Dax Shepard: When Failure Saves You From What You Want38:11 — Cathy Lanier: Rebuilding a Life47:33 — Janna Levin: Life Is the Obstacles54:36 — Boyd Varty: Finding the Next Track When You’re Stuck*For show notes and past guests on <a href="https://tim.blog/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Tim Ferriss Show</a>, please visit <a href="https://tim.blog/podcast/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast-description" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tim.blog/podcast</a>.For deals from sponsors of <a href="https://tim.blog/podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Tim Ferriss Show</a>, please visit <a href="https://tim.blog/podcast-sponsors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tim.blog/podcast-sponsors</a>Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at <a href="https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tim.blog/friday</a>.For transcripts of episodes, go to <a href="https://tim.blog/transcripts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tim.blog/transcripts</a>.Discover Tim’s books: <a href="https://tim.blog/books" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tim.blog/books</a>.Follow Tim:Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/tferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twitter.com/tferriss</a>&nbsp;Instagram: <a href="https://instagram.com/timferriss/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">instagram.com/timferriss</a>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/timferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">youtube.com/timferriss</a>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">facebook.com/timferriss</a>&nbsp;LinkedIn: <a href="http://linkedin.com/in/timferriss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">linkedin.com/in/timferriss</a>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

#881: Tales of Overcoming The Odds, and How to Turn Losses Into Wins — Tim McGraw, Terry Crews, Dax Shepard, and More

The Tim Ferriss Show (via Backfeed)

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews