Have you hopped on the podcast bandwagon yet?
Podcasts have soared in popularity, to the point where there are now more than 250,000 unique podcasts in more than 100 different languages, and that’s just on iTunes!
This media is like a TV show you can listen to. You can download or stream episodes anytime, anywhere from your smartphone or tablet. You can find a podcast on virtually any topic too. The easiest way is to use the podcast app, although you can usually get the podcasts directly from their creators as well.
It’s a perfect pastime when you’re free to multitask. Think: you can listen while running/walking, driving in the car, cooking, etc.
I got hooked on podcasts when they were introduced to me in 2016 while I was performing in Osaka, Japan with Totem. It quickly became a daily ritual. I listened on my walk to-and-from work, during cardio sessions, and while applying my show-makeup. Altogether, I consumed about 3-4 hours a day of podcast content. Pick the right podcasts, and you have access to an incredible amount of information, swallowed in tandem with activities you would’ve been doing anyways.
Here are 6 of my favorite podcasts. Your interests likely differ from mine, so use the search capabilities liberally to find something that’s up your alley! The great thing about podcasts; if the episode topic doesn’t interest you, you can skip to another one!
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1. Tim Ferriss Podcast
Famous entrepreneur and self-proclaimed vagabond Tim Ferriss has a podcast about learning from masters. Usually in an interview-style format, Tim tries to suss out the habits, strategies, and commonalities of world-class performers (on any stage). His guests range from chess prodigies to billionaires, new entrepreneurs to navy seal officers.
Episodes are fairly long, usually 1-2 hours, but the conversations are fascinating. The guests are often either famous or famous in their own domain, and it’s exhilarating to hear opinions and ways-of-doing from the head of a master.
2. The James Altucher Show
This one is another interview-style podcast. (Are these guys really into themselves or could they not come up with better podcast names?) James is a bit more quirky, which you can tell just by listening to his intro. Sometimes you’ll get the same guest on both shows (most likely the guest is doing a round of media/press for a new book or project) but still get new content because the interviewers are so different.
It’s chill, it’s interesting. I like it. His episodes are usually about an hour long.
3. Stuff You Should Know
They could rename this podcast, “stuff you really don’t need to know but may be interesting.” Two nerds cover basically every topic you can think of, complete with outdated sound effects and transition music. It’s lame in an endearing way.
These guys pump out a lot of episodes and honestly, I skip a lot of them. Because their topics are so wide-ranging, I will go through their episodes list and select the ones that interest me, like the one i’m listening to now: ‘What exactly is stoicism?’ They have an episode for everyone.
The information seems legitimate and detail-oriented. Depending on the topic, the duration can be 30 minutes to an hour or so. The more the better right?
4. How I Built This
This one is cool! Each episode features a different entrepreneur of a successful start-up business. They describe how they started, the struggles they faced, and their eventual road to success. The episodes are less than an hour, and are more story-like (less informational). Most are narrated by the actual entrepreneur themselves.
It’s a common dream now to start your own company and become wildly rich and successful. It’s hard not to look at the billion-dollar unicorns and only see their current state. You don’t consider the beginning, the small scale they must’ve started at, the effort required… that would ruin the dream! But it’s the truth, and this podcast sprinkles some reality into our heads. Plus it’s cool to hear where these popular businesses came from, the people behind them, etc.
5. The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast
Ah, the allure of passive income. Do a little bit of work now, and watch money roll in as you sit back and sip your americano (with a splash of almond milk #vegan). It’s not really that easy, but one can hope!
This podcast isn’t only about passive income, but Pat Flynn, the podcaster, covers a lot of material about it. There’s a couple of different styles of episodes too.
What I like about this podcast is how applicable all of the information is. Pat and his guests give you tips and practices that you can apply immediately, regardless of what stage you are in your business venture. Or, if you’re like me, you can just listen and learn. He has podcasts that start from the very basics and beginnings of podcasting, online business, and blogging. He also does podcasts for more intermediate/advanced levels too.
The podcast covers an incredible variety of facets relating to the topic, and just like every other podcast, you can pick and choose the episodes that apply to you.
Happy business-ing.
6. Ben Greenfield Fitness/Fat-Burning Man/ The Paleo Women Podcast
I’m a big health/fitness/nutrition nerd. So number 6 (really 6,7,8) are all in this category.
The Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast features this guy, Ben Greenfield (again with the podcast names). I like how technical it is with it’s choice of information and topics. Claims are usually supported with scientific studies that Ben actually reads, and when he has doctors on the show, Ben will clarify any terms and theories that are confusing or full of jargon. This isn’t the best podcast for beginners, as he incorporates a lot of concepts that require some prior knowledge of biological systems, or fitness/nutrition experience. That being said, it’s a great way to stay on top of the latest health and fitness trends, and keep up-to-date with current research.
Fat-Burning Man is run by Abel James, a likable guy who went through his own transformation many years ago. This podcast is down-to-earth, straightforward, and great for anyone who is at the beginning of their lifestyle change, or simply enjoys learning more about health. Abel often has doctors and other experts on the show too. He isn’t a meathead, in-your-face fitness enthusiast either, making him easy to listen to.
To balance all the testosterone on this list, i’ll end with another health/fitness podcast, The Paleo Women Podcast. Noelle and Stefani, the two charming hostesses, discuss topics and questions sent in by listeners of the podcast (with the occasional special guest). I like this podcast because it provides a point of view that is often ignored in the health/fitness world: women are different. It’s important to remember that lot of scientific studies are done on men, who react differently than women would.
They are voices of reason when bandwagons veer off the path, and cover way more than just paleo.
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If interview-style or health and fitness podcasts are not up your alley, fear not. There are tons of podcasts of all different kinds. Mystery shows, history, even TED talks are uploaded on its own podcast.
Give it a try!
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What podcasts do you listen to? I’m always looking for new shows to check out, so let me know @maikaisogawa
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15/31 #YearOfChallenge