Friday, May 25, 2018
“Spirituality comes out in moments of darkness.” – Whitney Wolfe Herd
Whitney Wolfe Herd (@whitwolfeherd) is the founder and CEO of Bumble, one of the fastest-growing social networking apps in the world. She launched Bumble in 2014 as the only dating platform where women make the first move, and in three years, her vision has led to Bumble’s growth to more than 28 million users worldwide in 144 countries.
Bumble launched Bumble BFF in 2016 as a friend-finding feature and Bumble Bizz for professional networking in 2017. Whitney was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list and has recently been on the covers of not just Fast Company, but also Forbes and Wired.
Please enjoy!
Want to hear another podcast with an inspiring decision-maker? — Listen in on my conversation with one of 2017’s most-requested guests, Bozoma Saint John, the Chief Brand Officer at Uber with a story that spans continents. Stream below or right-click here to download.
This podcast is brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is the #1 cloud bookkeeping software, which is used by a ton of the start-ups I advise and many of the contractors I work with. It is the easiest way to send invoices, get paid, track your time, and track your clients.
FreshBooks tells you when your clients have viewed your invoices, helps you customize your invoices, track your hours, automatically organize your receipts, have late payment reminders sent automatically and much more.
Right now you can get a free month of complete and unrestricted use. You do not need a credit card for the trial. To claim your free month and see how the brand new FreshBooks can change your business, go to FreshBooks.com/Tim and enter “Tim Ferriss” in the “how did you hear about us” section.
Bonus: People constantly ask me “How can I get a four-hour workweek with a service business?” I tell them to download and read Breaking the Time Barrier by FreshBooks — it’s free.
This podcast is also brought to you by Soothe.com, the world’s largest on-demand massage service. Because I’ve been broken so many times, I have body work done at least twice a week — so I have a high bar for this stuff. I do not accept mediocrity, and I wouldn’t expect you to, either.
After much personal testing, I can affirm that Soothe delivers a hand-selected, licensed, and experienced massage therapist to you in the comfort of your own home, hotel, or office in as little as an hour. I was amazed at the quality of service and convenience. Think of it as Uber for massages, available in fifty cities worldwide. Download the app at Soothe.com and use code TIM25 to get $25 off your first massage.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
- Connect with Whitney Wolfe Herd:
Twitter | Instagram
SHOW NOTES
- How did Bumble come to be? [06:01]
- What did Whitney originally want to call Bumble? [09:58]
- Whitney explains the Sadie Hawkins Dance to me. [11:37]
- Why didn’t Whitney care for the name Bumble at first? [13:10]
- One of my methods of testing is if something I’ve written is “sticky” enough. [14:00]
- How many people currently use Bumble? [14:40]
- What are the benefits of Bumble’s “women make the first move” dynamic? [15:18]
- Whitney talks about how she’s overcome particularly dark periods of time. [16:47]
- Harnessing anxiety as a fuel rather than surrendering to it as a handicap. [22:36]
- Good sleep is a game changer. [25:51]
- On using books for startup team bonding. [26:44]
- Influential books read and gifted most often. [29:27]
- Do plants really want to kill us? [34:41]
- What recent purchase of $100 or less has had a positive impact on Whitney’s life? [36:37]
- When was the last time Whitney cried tears of joy? [40:58]
- What spiritual beliefs help Whitney through difficult times? [43:09]
- Relying on hunches over caffeine and interference from the prefrontal cortex. [45:36]
- Whitney’s most worthwhile investment of time and dedication. [50:58]
- How does Whitney positively shape and scale her company’s culture? [52:26]
- The best piece of advice Whitney has ever received. [54:47]
- Sometimes we need to remember to let other people help us. [56:41]
- How to (and not to) ask a busy person for help or advice. [58:43]
- Unusual habits and absurd things Whitney loves. [1:04:38]
- A new belief or behavior that has had the most positive impact on Whitney’s life. [1:07:35]
- What would Whitney’s billboard say? [1:08:34]
- Parting thoughts. [1:09:29]
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Posted on: May 25, 2018.
Please check out Tribe of Mentors, my newest book, which shares short, tactical life advice from 100+ world-class performers. Many of the world's most famous entrepreneurs, athletes, investors, poker players, and artists are part of the book. The tips and strategies in Tribe of Mentors have already changed my life, and I hope the same for you. Click here for a sample chapter and full details. Roughly 90% of the guests have never appeared on my podcast.
Who was interviewed? Here's a very partial list: tech icons (founders of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Craigslist, Pinterest, Spotify, Salesforce, Dropbox, and more), Jimmy Fallon, Arianna Huffington, Brandon Stanton (Humans of New York), Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Ben Stiller, Maurice Ashley (first African-American Grandmaster of chess), Brené Brown (researcher and bestselling author), Rick Rubin (legendary music producer), Temple Grandin (animal behavior expert and autism activist), Franklin Leonard (The Black List), Dara Torres (12-time Olympic medalist in swimming), David Lynch (director), Kelly Slater (surfing legend), Bozoma Saint John (Beats/Apple/Uber), Lewis Cantley (famed cancer researcher), Maria Sharapova, Chris Anderson (curator of TED), Terry Crews, Greg Norman (golf icon), Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum), and nearly 100 more. Check it all out by clicking here.