2025-08-07 06:34:57
This is a very special episode for me. COYOTE is a fast, casual card game I created with the amazing Elan Lee and the Exploding Kittens team. It has been my obsession for two years. It is available in ~8,000 locations worldwide, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, and many others. Learn more: https://coyotegame.com.
This episode is brought to you by:
Gamma AI design partner for effortless presentations, websites, social media posts, and more: https://gamma.app (use code TIM at checkout for one month off on their annual plan)
Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period)
Wealthfront high-yield cash account: https://wealthfront.com/tim (Start earning 4.00% APY on your short-term cash until you’re ready to invest. And when new clients open an account today, you can get an extra fifty-dollar bonus with a deposit of five hundred dollars or more.) Terms apply. Tim Ferriss receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage, LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage. See full disclosures here: https://wealthfront.com/tim
Elan Lee is the co-creator and chief executive officer of Exploding Kittens, a leading gaming and entertainment company. Under his leadership, Exploding Kittens has expanded its portfolio to nearly 30 different games with more than 60 million games sold in more than 50 countries since its founding in 2015.
cc: @ExplodingKittensInc
[00:00] Start.
[00:26] Coyote: a game 47 years in the making.
[03:46] Who is Elan Lee?
[04:45] How our motivations behind game creation intersect.
[07:54] The nutshell view of pitching a game to a retailer.
[09:51] Salesmanship is a learnable skill, but Elan’s a natural.
[11:06] Why I’ve always wanted to make my own game and how development began in earnest.
[21:28] First contact with Elan and our fast-forged, fun-focused friendship.
[26:44] The Hanabi and Rock, Paper, Scissors-inspired Toronto trip breakthrough.
[34:15] Early prototyping and testing.
[40:12] The Zero Effect.
[42:18] Recommended game design rationales, resources, and reading.
[47:49] The beginner’s mind approach to writing effective game instructions.
[51:24] A simple fact: less complication = more fun.
[52:51] Cooperative vs. competitive play.
[53:26] Leveling the playing field with attack cards and sabotage mechanics.
[56:46] Tricking people into cognitively bettering themselves by gaming.
[01:03:30] Finding the sweet spot.
[01:06:11] It takes a lot of work to make a game effortlessly fun.
[01:09:12] How many games does Exploding Kittens publish per year?
[01:10:18] Exploding Kittens’ number-one seller was designed by Elan’s four-year-old daughter.
[01:14:11] Prototypes and pitching.
[01:18:16] Improving on the industry’s fundamentally flawed testing procedure.
[01:20:47] Analyzing passing/failure with play testers’ video and feedback.
[01:24:29] Risks of internal testing.
[01:27:41] Coyote’s first positive signs from the wild.
[01:30:19] Online vs. physical store sales and tweaking variables to gauge market interest.
[01:37:28] What a successful line review looks like.
[01:39:58] Line review hoops through which lesser-proven companies have to hop.
[01:44:15] Elan’s field-tested line review meeting strategies.
[01:50:16] The importance of finding proper agent representation.
[01:55:42] In modern marketing, social media (especially short-form video) is king.
[02:00:50] The best and worst ways for an aspiring designer to sell a game.
[02:09:12] Crowdfunding pros and cons, and Kickstarter alternatives.
[02:16:08] Dealing with deal terms.
[02:20:04] The Exploding Kittens attitude toward rare partnerships.
[02:21:54] The types of games that capture Elan’s attention.
[02:23:47] Common game design mistakes.
[02:25:55] How we tried to avoid these mistakes when packaging Coyote.
[02:30:00] Self-publishing vs. conventional publishing.
[02:34:42] Business considerations and risks.
[02:41:04] Parting thoughts and a tantalizing Hollywood-mansion-party offer
2025-08-06 01:39:24
COYOTE is the hilarious and bestselling card game created by Tim Ferriss and Exploding Kittens. Buy COYOTE here: https://coyotegame.com It’s also sold at Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc.
Perfect for friends’ or family game night! Learn in minutes; each game is ~10 minutes. Lay out a line of cards and take turns, performing and saying each card. Add “coyote” cards to sabotage the other players and make the game harder. Mess up the sequence, and you're out. The last player standing wins! Unleash your trickster spirit with a game that's fast, chaotic, and different every time you play.
Viral videos of COYOTE have been watched more than 300 million times on social media. So far, 10-year olds, tipsy adults, and everyone in between seems to like getting frisky!
WHERE TO BUY COYOTE
COYOTE is sold online and through 8,000+ retail locations worldwide (Amazon, Target, Walmart, indies, etc.).
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Exploding-Kittens-Ferriss-Present-Minutes/dp/B0FBT88VRJ/?tag=offsitoftimfe-20
Target: https://www.target.com/p/exploding-kittens-coyote-card-game/-/A-94284795
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coyote-Scramble/14312603259
Exploding Kittens: https://coyotegame.com
2025-08-05 01:42:04
Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. is a biomedical scientist and the founder of FoundMyFitness, a platform dedicated to delivering rigorous, evidence-based insights on improving healthspan and mitigating age-related diseases. cc: @FoundMyFitness @FoundMyFitnessClips
Sponsors:
Momentous high-quality creatine and other supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for up to 35% off)
David Protein Bars 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar: https://davidprotein.com/tim (Buy 4 cartons, get the 5th free.)
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)
Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (27% off all mattress orders)
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/
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Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/
2025-07-25 21:25:25
Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D. is a biomedical scientist and the founder of FoundMyFitness, a platform dedicated to delivering rigorous, evidence-based insights on improving healthspan and mitigating age-related diseases. cc: @FoundMyFitness @FoundMyFitnessClips
Sponsors:
Momentous high-quality creatine and other supplements: https://livemomentous.com/tim (code TIM for up to 35% off)
David Protein Bars 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar: https://davidprotein.com/tim (Buy 4 cartons, get the 5th free.)
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)
Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (27% off all mattress orders)
[00:00:00] Aging parents and other topics on the table.
[00:05:55] How a common multivitamin helps reverse cognitive and memory aging.
[00:07:18] The importance of supplementation.
[00:08:28] Effectively supplementing with omega-3 fish oil
[00:12:18] The CoQ10 and omega-3 protocol that has helped Rhonda's father manage Parkinson's symptoms for nearly a decade.
[00:14:54] Sulforaphane: a potent NRF2 activator with an unexpected benefit for Rhonda's mother's tremors.
[00:21:12] How Rhonda convinced her mom to start CrossFit
[00:22:30] The earlier the intervention, the better the outcomes.
[00:27:00] Intermittent fasting vs. extended fasting and my own results.
[00:39:28] Does fasting destroy muscle mass? Debunking the catabolism fear.
[00:51:17] "Dirty" fasting: what really happens to autophagy and metabolic benefits when you add a splash of cream or MCT oil to your coffee?
[00:54:37] VO2 max: the one metric that may predict lifespan more accurately than anything else, and how we work to improve it.
[01:06:24] How a two-year exercise program reversed heart aging by 20 years in previously sedentary, middle-aged adults.
[01:10:40] Lactate isn't the enemy: how vigorous exercise creates a superfuel that protects and grows the brain.
[01:14:57] The optimal sauna protocol (temperature and frequency) for slashing dementia risk by 66%.
[01:23:46] If you're human, you'll find a use for curcumin.
[01:25:13] Creatine for cognition: moving beyond the gym with a powerful, science-backed tool for focus and combating sleep deprivation.
[01:37:31] Still vitamin D deficient despite taking supplements? Here's the critical cofactor you're probably missing.
[01:48:51] Shocking sources of microplastics in our daily lives, including chewing gum and teabags.
[01:59:10] The uncomfortable truth about "moderate" alcohol consumption, cancer risk, and why the "sick quitter" hypothesis makes most older studies unreliable.
[02:12:14] The ups and downs of ketamine and psilocybin on cognition and longevity.
[02:19:24] Parting thoughts and where to find more from Rhonda.
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" (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: https://twitter.com/tferriss/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/
2025-07-15 22:13:16
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:
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)
LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 1B+ users: https://linkedin.com/tim (post your job for free)
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" (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: https://twitter.com/tferriss/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/
2025-07-11 22:59:01
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:
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)
LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 1B+ users: https://linkedin.com/tim (post your job for free)
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" (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: https://twitter.com/tferriss/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/
