This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode No. 366 "Neil Gaiman — The Interview I've Waited 20 Years to Do" and episode No. 214 "How to Design a Life — Debbie Millman."

Please enjoy!

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Timestamps:
[00:00] Start
[05:27] Notes about this supercombo format.
[06:30] Enter Neil Gaiman.
[07:00] What Ian Fleming taught Neil about writing — even when he doesn't want to.
[10:12] Neil's biggest rule for writing.
[12:57] Neil's process for writing first drafts.
[14:46] What Neil aims to accomplish with his second drafts.
[14:56] Something Neil noticed when he first started writing and editing with the use of computers.
[17:43] Notebooks Neil prefers for writing first drafts.
[22:12] Fountain pens Neil has known and loved.
[23:13] How Neil's default writing time has changed over the years.
[25:12] The value of the Groundhog Day routine.
[26:40] Today's methods may not be tomorrow's.
[28:09] Lessons learned from Terry Pratchett.
[29:38] Parting thoughts and gratitude.
[31:37] Enter Debbie Millman.
[32:01] How Debbie describes her diverse background to new acquaintances.
[33:54] A childhood drawing predicting Debbie's future.
[38:10] Debbie's unintentional path to becoming a designer.
[45:57] Overcoming initial rejection.
[50:20] Debbie's advice to her college self after that first major rejection.
[54:41] Empathy vs. feeling slighted by those who reject us.
[59:44] Manhattan's influence on Debbie's pursuit of happiness and career.
[1:06:58] Debbie's abuse history and its impact on her self-sufficiency and charitable work.
[1:12:57] Coping with abuse aftermath and feelings of isolation.
[1:18:56] Debbie's experience being called a "corporate clown" and "she-devil."
[1:37:16] From lowest point to godmother: a transformative journey.
[1:37:54] The world-changing potential of brochures.
[1:43:30] The Design Matters podcast: origins and evolution over 12 years.
[1:47:02] Milton Glaser's impact on design and Debbie's life.
[1:52:32] The "10-Year Plan for a Remarkable Life" exercise.
[1:58:07] The nature of hard decisions.
[2:07:23] Recommended Design Matters episodes for design novices.
[2:08:11] Parting thoughts.

Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.

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