INTERVIEWS WITH JOSH
The Boston Globe
Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran / Boston Globe Staff
‘We’ve got to do this’: How a week in the jungle with a chess prodigy helped Joe Mazzulla become the coach the Celtics needed
A look inside the transformative Cave Process that propelled Boston Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla toward leading the 2023-2024 NBA Championship-winning team. Through their ongoing collaboration, Waitzkin helped Mazzulla translate the psychological principles of chess and martial arts into basketball strategy, teaching him to identify opponents' vulnerabilities while developing the mental fortitude to "walk in the rain" — remaining unfazed amid the storms of NBA competition.
Read the article by Adam Himmelsbach.
The Joe Rogan Experience
Joe Rogan Experience #2292: Joe and Josh discussed:
Identity and Reinvention: The challenging process of moving from a "preconscious" to "postconscious" competitor when fame, success, or injury forces reevaluation of identity.
Cross-Domain Mastery: How experts can learn to transfer principles between disciplines.
Training vs. Protecting: The danger of shifting from aggressive dominance to protective stance once success is achieved, seen in sports, business, and creative fields.
The Pain-Genius Connection: How exceptional talent often comes intertwined with deep sensitivity to pain and loss, making it challenging to separate dysfunction from genius.
The AI Challenge: Concerns about artificial intelligence developing god-like capabilities that will require humans to fundamentally reimagine their relationship with technology.
Dynamic vs. Static Quality: Drawing from philosopher Robert Pirsig, the importance of remaining dynamic rather than clinging to old conceptual frameworks.
The Coaching Paradox: Why great performers often make poor coaches by imposing their personal methods, while effective coaches adapt to individual learning styles.
Ocean as Teacher: How water sports like foiling require receiving rather than dominating, teaching humility and adaptation to constant change.
Social Media Dangers: Warnings about social media's manipulative potential, especially when enhanced by advanced AI designed to influence behavior.
Huberman Lab
Josh Waitzkin: The Art of Learning & Living Life: Josh and Andrew Huberman covered topics including:
Josh's Journey: A former chess player who transitioned to martial arts, philosophy, and coaching, exploring learning principles across multiple disciplines.
Learning and Failure: How failure can catalyze significant personal growth, creating neurochemical changes that enable learning and adaptation.
Mental Dynamics: The importance of developing a "theory of mind" in competitive fields, which involves understanding opponents' strategies and emotional states.
Performance and Arousal: Techniques for controlling arousal states, using biofeedback and visualization to optimize performance and decision-making.
Interconnectedness: The importance of recognizing interconnected principles across different life domains, allowing skills and insights to transfer between disciplines.
Reflection and Growth: The value of daily reflection, understanding one's unconscious mind, and cultivating a dynamic approach to learning and personal development.
The Tim Ferriss Show
Episode 498: The Cave Process, Advice from Future Selves, and Training for an Uncertain Future
Episode 412: Beginner’s Mind, Self-Actualization, Advice from Your Future Self
Episode 375: How to Cram 2 Months of Learning into 1 Day
Episode 204: Josh Waitzkin Distilled
Episode 148: Josh Waitzkin Returns
Episode 2: Josh Waitzkin
The Progression Project
Episode 134
Themes discussed include:
> The technical and thematic importance of learning how to fall – and the freedom that comes with it
> Navigating and training in transitions
> How a life training at one’s stretch points and staying present to the questions that matter most unleash growth
> The essentialness of sound internal and external feedback loops
> How social media is eroding human consciousness, undermining our inner compasses
Episode 1
This episode introduces Josh’s passionate pursuit of paddle surfing and how he used his learning process to integrate the new discipline.
Fireside Chats with Chris Begg
Josh discusses the evolution of his training at Columbia University in the Fall of 2019.
Fall 2018
Josh and Chris converse about Dynamic Quality, pursuing new arts, and his evolution as a coach.
Josh Waitzkin With Adam Robinson
Speaking at JW3 Cultural Centre in London on October 10, 2017, eight-time US National Chess Champion Josh Waitzkin told the audience that he actively seeks discomfort and pain because they allow him to steepen his growth curve.
Authors @ Google
Josh discusses “The Art of Learning An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance.” at Google’s Mountain View, Ca. headquarters on April 10, 2008.
Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning
Josh discusses chess, martial arts, and ideas from his book, “The Art of Learning An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance.”