# #100 Interviewing Your Parents, Writing Through Fear, and One's First Book (Kyle Thiermann)

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-friends-2136135/100-interviewing-your-parents-writing-through-fear-and-one-s-first-book-kyle-thiermann.md
Podcast: [Smart Friends](https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-friends-2136135)
Published: 2026-01-20T13:55:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.ejorgenson.com/podcast
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/DTSOS2953773148.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/smart-friends-2136135/episodes/100-interviewing-your-parents-writing-through-fear-and-one-s-first-book-kyle-thiermann
Duration seconds: 5128

## Resource

Title: #100 Interviewing Your Parents, Writing Through Fear, and One's First Book (Kyle Thiermann) Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:47) - The birth of a book: from idea to reality (00:04:01) - A pandemic epiphany: interviewing my dad (00:07:51) - The journey of a professional surfer and journalist (00:10:48) - Writing a book: challenges and insights (00:17:04) - The emotional depth of interviewing parents (00:22:40) - Balancing humor and vulnerability in writing (00:34:39) - Creating unique value in a book (00:41:59) - The power of a good title (00:44:31) - The importance of a book title (00:49:10) - Balancing writing and marketing (00:57:56) - Long-term marketing approach (01:10:16) - Navigating the publishing process (01:19:45) - Unexpected outcomes and reflections Links: One Last Question Before You Go - https://amzn.to/49JVWg2 Scribe Media - https://scribemedia.com/ To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend >> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! Quotes from Kyle: “The interview process can be a kind of empathy drug.” “Write as if you are already dead.” “The ideas that won't go away are the ones worth chasing.” “I wanted to write the book that only I could write.” “Most people live their lives being rewarded for having the right answer, not the right question.” “B…

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