If you live on planet Earth, you’ve probably heard of podcasts. If you’ve ever launched a podcast app for the first time, you were probably overwhelmed with options.
In fact, one study found there are currently 850,000 podcasts with over 30 million episodes. Crazy isn’t it? So, if you’ve never listened to a podcast before, where do you start?
Sure, you could start by browsing through categories that peak your interest. But as opposed to looking at reviews, word of mouth is the most reliable way to find great podcasts.
So whether you’re looking for the best podcasts on Spotify, or just some broad recommendations; below are five podcasts I believe everyone should listen to.
The Minimalists
Everyone who knows me is well aware that I put a lot of effort towards, “living a meaningful life with less” as The Minimalists would put it. The hosts––Josh and Ryan––go well beyond reducing unnecessary material things in your life.
Josh and Ryan dive into how minimalism can apply to your health and diet, business, your wardrobe, politics, and finances.
One of my favorite parts about this podcast is that it’s not a traditional interview format. In fact, they typically don’t do interviews at all, instead they have guests that help answer questions from their audience.
Listen Money Matters
During my hour and half train rides, walking, and taking the L to and from DePaul, I discovered a podcast called Listen Money Matters. It’s a podcast with Andrew and Matt, two hilarious and down to earth hosts.
As a business major, I obviously knew that personal finance was something to take seriously, but I didn’t really know where to start. Although I learned how to analyze financial statements for companies like Apple and Starbucks, I never learned how to handle my personal finances––ironic isn’t it? Listen Money Matters helped a ton.
There are two parts about Listen Money Matters that I love. First, Andrew and Matt begin each episode with one question, “what are you drinking?” Second (and more importantly), they take the time to answer questions and walk people through basic financial decisions.
So whether you’re looking to improve your investment or retirement strategy, or you merely want to learn better money habits, I’d strongly recommend Listen Money Matters.
NPR’s How I Built This
Who doesn’t want to know how massive brands and companies began? Well, NPR’s How I Built This discusses just that.
The founder, Guy Raz, interviews the founders of companies to learn how they built the company and how they handled the challenges with developing a business. Some of the businesses they discuss are Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Spotify, and Betterment.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “Jeff, this is way too business-y for me,” and to that I say not true! This podcast may inspire you to start your own business.
At the very least you might learn something, and isn’t that the point of listening to a podcast like How I Built This anyway?
Coaching for Leaders with Dave Stachowiak
If you’re looking for excellent tips on improving your leadership skills, Coaching for Leaders has become one of my favorite leadership podcasts. Dave Stachowiak is an excellent leader and communicator and he frequently has his wife and many other guests on the show who have exceptional insights on leadership.
Dave has created a community around the motto, “leaders aren’t born, they’re made,” and I couldn’t agree more. While there are some individuals who seem to have amazing ideas and can inspire people to follow them, we often don’t see the time and energy that went into that.
After spending two summers with the Global Leadership Summit and graduating from a business college, I’ve developed a passion for leadership. I’m always hungry to learn more, and Coaching for Leaders never lets me down.
Waveform with MKBHD
If you’ve gone to YouTube searching for an honest review on the latest tech gizmo or gadget, you’ve probably found Marques Brownlee, better known as MKBHD. Well as if he’s not busy enough keeping with the latest technology, he’s got a pretty awesome podcast.
Between Maques’s YouTube channel and podcast, he’s interviewed people like Elon Musk––you know, the guy that brought NASA astronauts to space with reusable rockets from SpaceX. He’s also the guy that built Tesla and PayPal––no big deal.
Recently he had a conversation with Craig Federighi from Apple about their most recent iOS announcement. Basically if you find new technology interesting, you’re going to love Waveform.
There are plenty of other podcasts I listen to, but these are five podcasts I believe everyone should listen to. If you’d like more recommendations by all means reach out. I’d also love to hear what podcasts you’ve been listening to lately.