The Top 30 Episodes of The Tim Ferriss Show from 2020

Happy holidays!

Thanks to all of you, The Tim Ferriss Show crossed more than 600 million downloads this year, and it’s fast approaching 700 million. At the time of writing, the podcast is #1 in Business and in the top 25 for all Apple Podcasts. Doing the podcast has been one of my very few respites and saving graces amidst the madness of 2020. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for listening. 

In case you have some extra time over the holiday season, perhaps after a pumpkin pie or cookie coma, below are my most popular episodes of the year. It’s a fun list.

We used an imperfect methodology—number of downloads one week after publication—but it’s good enough to surface the episodes you all felt were the most exciting. With the wild gyrations at the start of COVID, measurement changes (like excluding Apple Watch downloads), plus the fact that I aim to create evergreen episodes, take the below with a huge grain of salt. 

2021 is going to be big. If you haven’t already, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your audio morsels.

Happy holidays to you and yours!  

With heartfelt thanks, 

Tim

Here’s the list, starting with the most downloaded:

#1: Hugh Jackman on Best Decisions, Daily Routines, The 85% Rule, Favorite Exercises, Mind Training, and Much More (Episode #444)

#2: Tim Ferriss — My Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Episode #464)

#3: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos (Episode #414)

#4: Brené Brown — Striving versus Self-Acceptance, Saving Marriages, and More (Episode #409)

#5: The Random Show — New Year’s Resolutions, 2010–2019 Lessons Learned, Finding Joy, Energy Management, and Much More (Episode #408)

#6: Ryan Holiday — Turning the Tables (Episode #410)

#7: Naval Ravikant on Happiness, Reducing Anxiety, Crypto Stablecoins, and Crypto Strategy (Episode #473)

#8: Richard Koch on Mastering the 80/20 Principle, Achieving Unreasonable Success, and The Art of Gambling (Episode #466)

#9: Tyler Cowen on Rationality, COVID-19, Talismans, and Life on the Margins (Episode #413)

#10: Matthew McConaughey — The Power of “No, Thank You,” Key Life Lessons, 30+ Years of Diary Notes, and The Art of Catching Greenlights (Episode #474)

#11: Brad Feld — The Art of Unplugging, Carving Your Own Path, and Riding the Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster (Episode #448)

#12: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness (Episode #405)

#13: Sam Zell — Strategies for High-Stakes Investing, Dealmaking, and Grave Dancing (Episode #407)

#14: Bob Iger — CEO and Chairman of Disney (Episode #406)

#15: Sam Harris — Psychedelics, Meditation, and The Bigger Picture (Episode #433)

#16: Josh Waitzkin on Beginner’s Mind, Self-Actualization, and Advice from Your Future Self (Episode #412)

#17: Jamie Foxx on Workout Routines, Success Habits, and Untold Hollywood Stories (Repost) (#465)

#18: Richard Turner — The Magical Phenom Who Will Blow Your Mind (Episode #411)

#19: Dr. Vivek Murthy — Former Surgeon General on Combatting COVID-19, Loneliness, and More (Episode #417)

#20: Jim Dethmer on the Power of Radical Responsibility and How to Be the Author of Your Own Life (Episode #434)

#21: Esther Perel — Tactics for Relationships in Quarantine (Episode #418)

#22: Dan Harris on Becoming 10% Happier, Hugging Inner Dragons, Self-Help for Skeptics, Training the Mind, and Much More (Episode #481)

#23: Yuval Noah Harari on The Story of Sapiens, The Power of Awareness, and The Brilliance of Bone-Conduction Headphones (Episode #477)

#24: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Creative Path: Saying No, Trusting Your Intuition, Index Cards, Integrity Checks, Grief, Awe, and Much More (Episode #430)

#25: Janna Levin on Extra Dimensions, Time Travel, and How to Overcome Boots in the Face (Episode #445)

#26: Jerry Seinfeld — A Comedy Legend’s Systems, Routines, and Methods for Success (Episode #485) 

#27: Michael Lewis — Inside the Mind of the Iconic Writer (Episode #427) 

#28: David Yarrow on Art, Markets, Business, and Combining It All (Episode #443) 

#29: Esther Perel — The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More (Repost) (Episode #463) 

#30: Mike Novogratz on Bitcoin, Macro Trading, Ayahuasca, Redemption, and More (Episode #451)

P.S. In case you missed it, transcripts for all episodes are now available for free at this link, and you can find all sponsors from 2020 at this link.

P.P.S. To stay up to date when new episodes are released, take 10 seconds and sign up for “5-Bullet Friday” here. Each Friday, you’ll get a short email of five bullets sending you off to your weekend with fun and useful things to ponder and try. If you dislike it, it’s easy to unsub. 

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 900 million downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.