“I go to the bookstore to find a book to help me get started. And I basically saw The 4-Hour Workweek, grabbed it, and it just sort of spoke to me. … It blew my mind. I read the book. I'm like, "Well, I could start a business."”
The book that convinced a broke, inexperienced Brian he could start a business; he followed it step by step and built two companies on it.
“This is Geraldine's favorite cookbook.”
A cookie-focused baking book mixing perfected classics with inventive recipes worth returning to again and again.
“For people that are just like, "I want to start a business," and they're like, "I don't know what to do, how to do it," they're totally green, then Ready, Fire, Aim is usually the book that I recommend. … It gets people into the action mindset, leaning towards action instead of analysis.”
The book Brian gives first-time founders: a kick toward action over analysis paralysis, with a framework for spotting and scaling traction.
“I have read the book Wool, which is the first in the series that is the Silo series on Apple TV+... It is awesome. The book is so good, a new addition to my favorite sci-fi books and sci-fi series.”
The first book in the Silo series — a new addition to his favorite sci-fi, so good he read it after the show pulled him in.
“I think I mostly borrowed this from Arthur Brooks’ book From Strength to Strength, but you’ll find it in a few different “prioritize your life” advice books. And that is, I think we sometimes get too oriented toward tasks, jobs, things we need to do with our time. And if you flip it and think about people, it’s easier to see your priorities.”
The book that gave her the people-over-tasks reframe: prioritize who you want time with, and your schedule clarifies itself.
“So I'd say my favorite book of all times, and I made it mandatory reading for my command staff when I took over as the chief... The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell. One of my all time favorite reads, because it forces you to understand that no matter what your challenge and no matter what your problem is, it goes back to problem solving... And I love that book. I've read it three times, I think.”
Her favorite book of all time and mandatory reading for her command staff, reframing any problem as findable, solvable tipping point.
“Somehow came across The Gulag Archipelago. And I was fairly young. I was probably 17, 18 when I first read it. And it impacted me in a lot of ways... a lot of what he talks about is, that happiness can't be our ultimate goal in life. We have to have purpose.”
Solzhenitsyn's account of the Soviet camps reshaped how he thinks about suffering and purpose, that happiness can't be the goal.
“Of Wolves and Men is one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read, and it really shattered the mold. It redefined what, let's just call it nonfiction nature writing could be.”
Lopez's nature writing that Tim calls one of the best nonfiction books he has read, for redefining what the genre could be.
“the books that I have found most helpful are Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor. I think everybody should read that... Really fantastic book on behavioral change and shaping behavior overall.”
Pryor's classic on shaping behavior through positive reinforcement, the book Tim found most helpful for dog training and behavior change broadly.
“If you want to plug for a book that I've really, really enjoyed over the last year, very inspiring... is Trejo by Danny Trejo. Absolutely mind-blowing book... I cried several times. I laughed several times, and I was incredibly inspired and came out reading that book, belief in humanity.”
Actor Danny Trejo's memoir, the one book this guest says left him crying, laughing, and newly hopeful about people.