The Kyle Thiermann Show
by Kyle Thiermann
Conversations with intellectual athletes and athletic intellectuals. If you're new here, try starting with #96 Albee Layer, #139 Matt Taibbi, #157 Peter Attia, #206 Chris Ryan, #216 Rick Hanson, #233 Steve Rinella, #340 Mark Healey, and #386 Derek Sivers.Kyle Thiermann is a writer, creative director, and sponsored surfer for Patagonia. His work spans from editorial (Men's Health, Surfer, Outside) to creative (Patagonia, Yeti, MUD/WTR). He has written billboards above LAX, viral commercials seen by over a hundred million people, and steered better-for-you brands to cultural relevance with breakthrough advertising ideas. Kyle is represented by DiFiore Literary Agency and his first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is out now. thiermann.substack.com
Episodes
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#421 Mavericks Pioneer - Grant Washburn (Repost)
Grant Washburn (@Biggwalsh) is a pioneering Northern California big-wave surfer best known for having surfed more sessions at Mavericks than anyone on earth. Originally from Connecticut, he moved to San Francisco after college, drawn by the challenge of bigger surf. He became a regular at…
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#420 The Ghostwriter for Hinge, Duolingo, & More - Adam Delehanty
Adam Delehanty is the founder of Ghost, a ghostwriting agency that helps business leaders find the language their ideas deserve. He started his career in politics, learning how the right words can move people to action. Since then, he’s spent a decade partnering with some of the most brilliant...
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#419 Forest Troop: A Short Story
Forest Troop is a new story I wrote for Adventure Journal about a trip I took to remote British Columbia with a group of female pro surfers. The editor, Stephen Casimiro, kindly let me read the story to my podcast audience here. Adventure Journal is a quarterly print magazine with the weight and...
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#418 Chris Ryan Interviews Me
Christopher Ryan, Ph.D is a big thinker buddy of mine who is a van lifer, wisdom dispenser, troublemaker, host of the podcast Tangentially Speaking, and co-author of Sex at Dawn and Civilized to Death. Even before co-authoring the New York Times best-seller, Chris was on a wild ride. After...
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#417 Write Your First Fiction In Your Seventies - Steve Hawk
Steve Hawk is a longtime surf and outdoor journalist, former editor of Surfer magazine, Sierra, and Stanford Business magazines. His first novel, Nearshore, is out today. Described as a churning mix of literary suspense and coastal noir, where the clash between land and sea unearths Silicon...
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#416 Understanding Swells - Mark Sponsler (Repost)
Mark Sponsler grew up on an avocado farm outside Miami. One day an avocado ricocheted off his window shutters during a storm, and something clicked. He’s been obsessed with weather ever since. He graduated from Rollins College in 1980 with a degree in Business Administration, then spent years...
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#415 From Conception to Completion: Tacking Creative Projects - Adam Skolnick
Hello friends, enemies, and AI spam robots. We did one of our first-ever live podcast events at The Lighthouse in Venice, California, a swanky campus for creators where extravagant secret handshakes surely exist. The podcast focused on how to write a book specifically, but could be applied to any...
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#414 Intimacy Rewired - Amy Baldwin
This episode is with Amy Baldwin, a Somatic Sex and Relationship Coach (trained in the Somatica® Method), Certified Sex Educator, and host of the Shameless Sex podcast. Amy has a passion for promoting shame-free, pleasure-focused sexuality education while emphasizing the deep emotional and...
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#413 From Chubby Gamer to Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt - Leor Weiss
Leor Weiss has been training jiu jitsu since 2007, when, at eighteen, he walked into a gym and began what would become a near two-decade education in controlled violence. He now holds a second-degree black belt under Daniel Gracie and teaches at the Renzo Gracie Academy in Brooklyn. What...
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#412 The Power of Asking for Help - (Entrepreneur) Michael Chernow
Michael Chernow is a New York City restaurateur, entrepreneur, and television host who has spent over two decades building one of the more recognizable names in the city's food scene. He started in restaurants at thirteen, worked his way up through the ranks as a bartender and bar manager at…
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#411 Write What Sells: TV, Audio, and the New Hollywood - Matthew Starr
A comedian who found his footing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, where he spent the better part of a decade as a house writer and performer, Matthew Starr belongs to a generation of entertainers who were formed by the rigors of institutional improv and then quietly outgrew…
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#410 Legalize Psychedelics - Jesse Gould
I’ve been out of the loop on the state of psychedelics these days, particularly in the realm of therapeutic legality. So, it was time for a talk with the man who has his finger on the pulse… Jesse Gould is a former Army Ranger and a pioneer in psychedelic therapies for veterans. As Founder and...
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#409 The Dane Reynolds Profile - Tony Andrews
Tony John Andrews hails from Rhode Island, which despite being the smallest U.S. state in terms of landmass, has the second greatest ratio of coastline to landmass of all 50 states. He’ll take it. He is a former state champion swimmer who really wanted to surf, so he did the best he could to…
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#408 Whatever Scares You, Go Do It - Derek Sivers (Repost)
In case you missed the last episode, my big news is that I relocated to Brooklyn for the next few months. My fingers are numb as I write this, but I do love it. Also, I’m capping off my book tour on February 19th at Patagonia SoHo. If you’re in town, I would love to meet you in person. You can…
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Live with David Litt
Get full access to Kyle Thiermann at thiermann.substack.com/subscribe
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#407 Running a Big Creative Agency In a Small Town - David Littlejohn
Big news. I moved to New York for the next few months. My fiancé and I are renting a spot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and I’ve already managed to get lost on the subway twice. Also, my book tour is coming to a close at Patagonia SoHo on February 19th. If you’re in New York, come out, I’d love to...
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#406 Understanding Endometriosis - Soraya Simi
Hey Austin, Texas people. I’ll be doing a live reading of my new book at Patagonia Austin on January 8 at 7 pm. It’s a free event and you can RSVP here. Good food, cold drinks, and your future husband/wife will probably be there. Okay, onto the show. Soraya Simi is a writer, director, surfer, and...
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#405 Charging Jaws & Hunting Bucks - Wilem Banks (Repost)
In 2017, Wilem Banks (@Wilembanks) made headlines when he suffered a horrific fall at Mavericks and won WSL’s Wipeout of the Year (the most embarrassing award in surfing). The award seemed to put a chip on Wilem’s shoulder, and since then, he’s set out to prove that he can do more than paddle…
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#404 What Throwing Parties Can Teach You About Brand Strategy - Ned Lampert
Ned Lampert is an unpretentious dude with a bag of big ideas. As the founder of Zero Ambition, a creative and strategy studio that works with Nike, Vans, Whole Foods, and a roster of other AAA brands, his job is to come up with culture-shifting campaigns that make customers laugh, cry, and do a...
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#403 How to Die - My Mom (Kimberly)
In one of the early chapters of my book, my mom assembles her Gravity Kit, an assortment of belongings she’ll leave behind once gravity wins. The kit includes passwords to her accounts, photos from her life, music that moved her, and a number of other personal belongings usually left in disarray...
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#402 The Hidden Benefits of Self-Publishing - Adam Skolnick
This podcast is with Adam Skolnick, an award-winning independent journalist and author covering adventure sports, environmental issues, travel and human rights for The New York Times, Outside, Playboy and Lonely Planet. He is the author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter...
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#401 Photography & Psychedelics - Chris Burkard (Repost)
Tuesday, November 25: Book tour event at Patagonia Santa Cruz @7pm. It’s free. BYOP (Bring Your Own Parent). RSVP here. Okay, onto the podcast… Chris Burkard (@ChrisBurkard) is an acclaimed American photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller known for his breathtaking landscape photography. Born in...
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#400 He Paddled 1,000 Miles Down Baja - Sean Janson (Repost)
Sean Jansen is a freelance writer and seasonal wilderness guide in Yellowstone National Park. He’s intense, slightly awkward, and deeply committed to dancing with the more raw frequencies of human experience. I love this guy. During his off-season from guiding, he partakes in a litany of...
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#399 From Surfing Dungeons to Saving Coasts - Mike Schlebach
Mike Schlebach is a South African big-wave surfer and coastal-activist deeply rooted in the surf culture of Cape Town’s wild Atlantic coast. Mike made his name charging serious surf at spots like Dungeons and the offshore reef at Sunset Reef. More recently, he has emerged as a voice against…
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#398 Navigating an AI Childhood w/ NY Times Writer Jess Grose
Jess Grose is an opinion writer at The New York Times covering parenting and culture, and the author of three books: Sad Desk Salad, a sharp and funny novel about the early days of online media; Soulmates, a novel that dives into love, marriage, and the strange search for connection; and…
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#397 Gardening for the Formerly Incarcerated - Chris Buroughs
After serving 14 years in prison, 90 days of which were in solitary confinement, Chris Buroughs is now the director of Garden 31, a group that works to localize food production in San Diego’s low income neighborhoods by training new farmers with a focus on formerly incarcerated men and women, as...
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#396 What's Your Big Wave Spirit Animal? - Bianca Valenti
Bianca Valenti is the 2024 Big Wave Challenge Winner, a 9-time Mavericks Awards Champion, 2-time Puerto Escondido Cup Winner, and one of the few women to compete in the Eddie Aikau Invitational, the world’s most prestigious big wave surf event. She led the fight for equal pay in surfing, securing...
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#395 Obama Speechwriter (& Surfer) - David Litt
David Litt is a writer, political speechwriter, and author best known for his work as a senior presidential speechwriter for President Barack Obama. Joining the White House at just 24, Litt became one of the youngest speechwriters in history, contributing to remarks on issues ranging from...
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#394 Wilderness Survival for the Sea - Greg Long
Greg Long is the most decorated big wave surfer in history. With 2 Big Wave World Titles and his name etched atop the podium at nearly every big wave contest around the globe, Long has experienced more moods of the ocean than just about any living human today. These days, the 41-year-old is…
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#393 Comedian. Prankster. Visionary? - Bent Pella (Repost)
Although his comedic talents span the range of current events across the political spectrum, Brent Pella hit the cultural version of a nuclear reactor when he started writing jokes about new age spirituality, conspiracy theories, and human optimization. His videos have gained 500M+ views online,...
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#392 How to Throw a Dinner Party - Charlie Hart
Recorded north of the border, this episode with my pal Charlie Hart covers the ins and outs of throwing a party, upping your ancient philosophy game in 2025, and why, if you're starting a company, you should never try to build a cult, instead just be the Kool-Aid. At age 24, he became the 10th...
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#391 The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg (Repost)
Charles Duhigg is the author of numerous books, including The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on the New York Times bestseller lists. His second book, Smarter Faster Better, was also a New York Times bestseller. And his latest, which hit the shelves last year, is titled...
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#390 The Home Purchase From Hell - Chris Keener
Chris Keener is a master storyteller who helps brands translate their objectives into entertainment. Former Creative Director of MUD\WTR and Producer for outfits like National Geographic, Discovery Channel, PBS, ESPN, and the Travel Channel, Chris' film accolades span far deeper than this little...
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#389 Scripts to Ask for What You Want in the Bedroom - Kiana Reeves
For over a decade, Kiana Reeves has been working at the intersection of love, embodiment, relationships, sex, & spirituality. She is a Certified Somatic Sex Educator & Sexological Bodyworker, Certified Embodiment and Intimacy Teacher, Certified STREAM Pelvic Health Practitioner, Full Spectrum...
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#388 WTF Is ÖTILLÖ SwimRun? - Chris Douglas
Chris Douglas is an endurance athlete, podcast host, and founder of Presidio Management. In 2023, Chris started his performance coaching practice and works with knowledge workers, executives, attorneys, students, entrepreneurs, and athletes on their performance and well-being. Chris has a long...
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#387 Photography & Psychedelics - Chris Burkard
Chris Burkard (@ChrisBurkard) is an acclaimed American photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller known for his breathtaking landscape photography. Born in San Luis Obispo, California, Burkard rose to prominence through his striking surf photography in remote and often icy locations like Iceland,...
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#386 Derek Sivers on Courage, Bold Questions, & the Dangers of Chasing Status
When I started this podcast more than 7 years ago, I listed Derek Sivers as my dream guest (sorry Kelly Slater). Sivers’ gift, I believe, is the willingness to question the premise of all things, delightfully, humorously, and give anyone in his orbit the choice to follow a more original path. An...
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#385 SURFER Magazine Is Back! - August Howell
Hailing from Half Moon Bay, California, August Howell grew up surfing up and down the state’s northern coast. He studied journalism at the University of Oregon and was a reporter for his hometown newspaper, the Half Moon Bay Review, for nearly five years. But he was raised on a diet of surf...
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#384 Your Subjects Are Not Your Friends - Chas Smith
Chas Smith (@BeachGrit) is a luminous figure in surfing, an adept journalist, and author. Born in San Jose, California in 1976, Smith’s family uprooted and landed in Coos Bay, Oregon where he learned to surf. After studying intercultural studies in undergrad, Smith graduated with a master’s in...
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#383 Meet the Man Who Owns Nothing - Robin Greenfield
Robin Greenfield (@RobinGreenfield) is an American environmental activist, adventurer, and humanitarian known for his bold, experiential campaigns that challenge consumerism and promote sustainable living. He has become widely recognized for living in radical simplicity to inspire others toward...
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#382 Aboard Swell with Captain Liz Clark
Captain Liz Clark (@CaptainLizClark) spent her youth dreaming of traveling the world by sailboat and surfing remote waves. At the age of 22, she met a mentor who helped turn her desire into reality. Embarking on an adventure that most only fantasize about, she set sail from Santa Barbara,...
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#381 The Psychology of Giving - Kate Williams
Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global organization that holds businesses accountable to donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental causes. In 2002, Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, created 1% for the Planet and started a...
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#380 (Plastic) Art Lasts Forever - Ethan Estees
Every plastic bag has a silver lining, and Ethan Estees has made a career out of finding it. The marine biologist and artist specializes in turning ocean trash—from plastic bottles to discarded fishing rope—into spectacular art pieces. His seascapes give a second life to the otherwise mundane...
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#379 - NOAA Firings, the Checkerboard, & Saving Bighorn Sheep - Devin O'Dea (BHA)
Devin O’Dea grew up backpacking and fishing the Trinity Alps and Sierra Nevada Mountain ranges of Northern California and has been abalone diving, spearfishing and foraging in the Pacific Ocean for several decades. After getting a degree in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara, he worked in…
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#378 Stop Motion Movies, Hunting, & the Wisdom of Lloyd Kahn - Foster Huntington
Foster Huntington is a photographer and filmmaker from Skamania, Washington. In 2011, he left his fashion job in New York City and moved into a camper van. For the next three years, he traveled around North America, driving some 120,000 miles, surfing and camping. He began the popular Tumblr...
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#377 From Open Mics to 500M+ Views Online. How Brent Pella Did it.
I first saw Brent Pella perform standup at MUD\WTR: Gather for an LA fires benefit show. The dude set the place on fi—. Though his comedic talents span the range of current events across the political spectrum—from Rogan impersonations to Kamala’s impressive assortment of accents (depending on...
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#376 Scheduling Sex & Saving Marriages - Amy Baldwin
Amy Baldwin (@amyshamelesssex) is a Somatic Sex and Relationship Coach (trained in the Somatica® Method), Certified Sex Educator, and host of the Shameless Sex podcast. Amy has a passion for promoting shame-free, pleasure-focused sexuality education while emphasizing the deep emotional and...
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#375 Ghost Writing with Goggins - Adam Skolnick
Adam Skolnick (@adamskolnick) is an award-winning independent journalist and author covering adventure sports, environmental issues, travel and human rights for The New York Times, Outside, Playboy and Lonely Planet. He is the author of One Breath: Freediving, Death and the Quest to Shatter Human...
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#374 Strong Women, Dead Bodies, Wild Places - Nina Simon
Nina Simon has worn many hats in her career: slam poet, NASA engineer, game designer, and museum director at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. If that didn’t make her busy enough, she went ahead and wrote two nonfiction books: The Participatory Museum and The Art of Relevance. In 2020,...
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#373 How to Get Your Film Funded, B Plot, & Truth As Subtraction - Soraya Simi
Soraya Simi is the director of the new documentary, ROW OF LIFE, which follows renowned Paralympian and Marine Veteran Angela Madsen on her solo row across the Pacific Ocean. The film quite simply rocks, if I do say so myself. It's on a nationwide tour now; see dates here. In this podcast, I...
About this show
Conversations with intellectual athletes and athletic intellectuals. If you're new here, try starting with #96 Albee Layer, #139 Matt Taibbi, #157 Peter Attia, #206 Chris Ryan, #216 Rick Hanson, #233 Steve Rinella, #340 Mark Healey, and #386 Derek Sivers.Kyle Thiermann is a writer, creative director, and sponsored surfer for Patagonia. His work spans from editorial (Men's Health, Surfer, Outside) to creative (Patagonia, Yeti, MUD/WTR). He has written billboards above LAX, viral commercials seen by over a hundred million people, and steered better-for-you brands to cultural relevance with breakthrough advertising ideas. Kyle is represented by DiFiore Literary Agency and his first book, ONE LAST QUESTION BEFORE YOU GO, is out now.
thiermann.substack.com
Hosted by
Kyle Thiermann