Shit You Don't Learn in School

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80. 80/20 Experiments in Health Dec 01, 2024

Show notes

You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t say their health is paramount, yet you'll be just as hard-pressed to find someone who knows what to do to "get there". While every person’s health journey is going to be unique, in this episode Cal and Steph share their experimentation across many of the major categories – from sleep to supplements and beyond.

Of course, this podcast is for information purposes only and is not health or medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional for any medical concerns or questions.

Topics Covered:

6:53 - Foundational elements
8:52 - Morning routine
13:24 - Sleep
24:30 - Pain and injury
31:30 - Supplements
38:16 - Mental health
39:31 - 80/20++ (blood work, CGMs, fertility, CO2 monitors)

Additional Resources:

Patrick Collison’s pollution page
Casey Means on Huberman Lab on 7 indicators metabolic health (time-stamped)
CGM tracking template
Cal’s sleep gear: eyemask, silicon earplugs, pillow

79. Running Toward a Healthier Life Nov 17, 2024

Show notes

Everybody warns you that your body slows down with age, but that deterioration so sneaky, we continue to convince ourselves that we’re doing just fine.

At least, that’s what happened to Steph over the past decade, going from an athlete in her youth to waking up one day without the fitness she once remembered. This episode is a walk through that story, but more importantly, how she got back on track and just ran her first half-marathon. This year, she’ll surpass over 500 miles and next year, the aim is 1000+.

The best part is? This cornerstone of all our lives – health, that is – is possible for all of us to turn around.

Steph’s training modeled after this article
Want to join Steph on her goal for 1000 miles next year? Join this Strava group. (No need to be in SF, Strava just forces me to choose a location!)

78. Navigating the Best Country in the World Nov 03, 2024

Show notes

In part 2 of our series in Japan, we dive into the how behind planning a trip there, from what is worth seeing, how to navigate the epic train system, their unintuitive review system, and more.
After traveling to 40+ countries each, we’ve found Japan to be a unique beast, and hope this helps you navigate one of the best countries in the world.
If you missed part 1, start there!
Resources discussed:

Full list of Japan recommendations (in different cities) 📌
Pico Iyer’s Beginner’s Guide to Japan
Don’t forget to look out for takkyubin (luggage transport)!
Tabelog for reviews
JR pass calculator
Suica card
Airolo e-sim
Japanese konbini
- Reddit recommendations here and here
- Listicle here (the custard at #7!)
Kappabashi kitchen district
Mount Fuji hut list
Naoshima Benesse House
Recommended ryokans:
- Yoshimatsu
- Yamanochaya
More city-specific recommendations in the guide

This episode is not affiliated with Steph's work at a16z and is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

77. The Good, Bad, and Weird of Japan Oct 27, 2024

Show notes

We’re back with a whole new season. In our first episode back, we discuss everything from the wonderful to the wacky of Japan.
You'll hear about an epic art island, specialty coffee and konbini (AKA convenience store food), 100+ year-old businesses, the philosophical ideas that make Japan such a distinct place, and much more.
In our next episode, we get tactical and break down exactly how we would plan a future trip to Japan, in case that's something you've got on the horizon.

Resources discussed:

Full list of Japan recommendations 📌
Pico Iyer’s Beginner’s Guide to Japan
Episode on Yayoi Kusama
Ivy’s post about Japan
Akiya websites: Akiya Banks and All Akiyas
Glitch coffee shop: Ginza and Chiyoda
Cokuun coffee omakase
Cocktail omakase: Bar Cacoi
Recommended ryokan: Yoshimatsu
Cattle tracking website (need ID to use)

76. The Half-Baked Business Idea Roast: Sensory Museums, Zyn Tins, Unrecordable Spaces, and Much More Nov 05, 2023

Show notes

This is the 10th episode back for SYDLIS, so if you want us to continue creating new episodes for the podcast, let us know by leaving a review at ratethispodcast.com/learn.
In this episode, Steph and Cal bring a medley of half-baked business ideas to the table. They introduce the origin story of each idea, rate it on a scale of A-F, discuss modifications that would make it better, and most importantly, roast each other when the idea is a little too half-baked.
This episode is a part of the broader nudge Steph and Cal push for everyone to see that there are endless ideas to pursue when you learn to see them in the world.
Business ideas covered:

Marketplace for premium goods
Hot sauce tasting kits
Long-duration gifting platform
AI-powered collectible evaluators
The upgraded ZYN tin!
Unrecordable digital spaces
Making friends as an adult workshop
Bidirectional poll-based newsletters
Hyper-localized surf guides
Immersive, animal sensory museums

75. Identity: The Strongest Force in the World Oct 15, 2023

Show notes

There is something out there that can make one person more productive and kind, while another inharmonious -- even resentful. That thing is identity.
And while we passively adopt parts of identity, we often forget that much of our identity is left up to us. In this episode, Cal and Steph explore the depths of identity and how being intentional around what parts of your identity you adopt, shed, or embrace can lead to a more fulfilled life.

74. Opportunity is Everywhere: Using Twitter, Wikipedia, Patents, & Niche Databases to Discover Trends Oct 07, 2023

Show notes

The internet has a treasure trove of information that you can use to generate business ideas, spot trends, and understand what the future will look like before everyone else. But to benefit from the internet's wealth of knowledge, you need to learn how to use it in the right ways.

In this episode, Cal and Steph discuss four unconventional ways that you can use the internet to find good ideas for businesses and products that people actually want.

You’ll learn how to:

Use Twitter searches to discover products that people want
Tap into a rich reservoir of unsolved problems with Wikipedia
Leverage a sci-fi technology database to dream up the future
Leverage patents to see what companies are investing in

Resources Mentioned

Wikipedia’s list of unsolved problems
Patent Drop newsletter
Not Boring Sci-Fi Idea Bank and further reading on the database
Twitter Searches
- "request for product" min_faves:200
- "someone please build" min_faves:200
- "I’d pay for" min_faves:200
- “why doesn’t this exist” min_faves:100
- "business idea” min_faves:1000

73. Writing to Save Your Life Sep 30, 2023

Show notes

Writing is one of the most powerful tools on Earth. But few have mastered the craft.
Perhaps because success in writing often actually veers you off course, leading you to a life of talking instead of living -- the very thing that drove the quality of your writing in the first place.
One man -- (who has written several novels, thousands of poems, and hundreds of short stories) has some merciless takes on the art of writing. And although merciless, many ring true.
In this episode, Cal and Steph dive into the mind of Bukowski and the key lessons we can learn about creating art that truly shakes you alive.
This episode is not affiliated with Steph's work at a16z and is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

72. Inside the Early Days of Digital Nomadism Sep 24, 2023

Show notes

Few waves have hit the world quite like remote work; a wave impacting billions of people overnight due to a worldwide pandemic.
But in reality, this wave was brewing for decades and thousands of nomads had long been proving there was a different and viable way to work. Calvin and Steph were two of those people, starting in 2016.
Now that the world has caught up, they decided to reflect back on what was so special about that period and what, in retrospect, they might've seen then that much of the world had still not (and in some ways still hasn't) understood.
Listen in for a look inside the early days of digital nomadism.
This episode is not affiliated with Steph's work at a16z and is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

71. The Most Influential Artist You've Never Heard Of Sep 18, 2023

Show notes

Few people inspire us more than Yayoi Kusama.
Cal recently discovered this 94-year old's work while at the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Like many others, he was immediately gripped by her art – enough to be the only artist he looked up after his visit. Little did he know she was one of the world's most successful living artists, had been creating thousands of pieces across nearly a century, and has quite the storied past.
In this episode, you'll learn about this incredible artist, from her long-time struggle with mental health (she has been living out of a mental facility for 50 years!) to her alienation from the art community and Japan, and how she ultimately succeeded beyond all of that noise by continuing to create a gobsmacking amount of art. A true hero's journey.
It's truly a wonder that we hadn't heard of Yayoi earlier. We hope this episode leaves you just as astounded by her as we are.

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