Podcasts that make us smarter: Our team’s favorite podcasts
By Soluna’s Team
We have reached the golden age of podcasting. These days, you can find a quality podcast about virtually anything — from politics and technology to self-help and true crime. If you look hard enough you can even find podcasts about how to film podcasts! With so many options, it’s overwhelming to decide which ones to invest your time in. We are sharing some of our favorites to give a little more perspective on our diverse interests and help you dive a little deeper into the vast world of podcasts.
The Knowledge Project | John Belizaire, CEO
What it’s about: This podcast, hosted by Shane Parrish, a former cybersecurity expert at Canada’s top intelligence agency, is the definition of brain food. Each episode consists of a long-form conversation with the top thinkers in various fields. The series covers a variety of fascinating content including investing, mental models, entrepreneurship, science, parenting, economics, history, and much more. Parrish takes the time to carefully choose guests and prepare for the episodes, resulting in only a few episodes in the 5 years it’s been around.
Why John likes it: “This podcast and Parrish’s accompanying blog called Farnam Street, and newsletter are now an addiction of mine, constantly reminding me of how much I don’t know and desperately want to learn. My first episode, among my favorites, is called “Inventing the Future” — he interviews Josh Wolfe, of Lux Capital. I first heard about the podcast from my colleague in Morocco, believe it or not. So, it clearly has a reach.”
“A regular dose of insightful perspectives on life and success from a huge range of backgrounds and experiences.” — WIRED, ranking The Knowledge Project #1 for best podcast for curious minds.
John recently highlighted a few of his personal favorites on his CEOPlaybook blog, featuring The Knowledge Project. Read them all here.
Stuff You Should Know | Cricket Treanor, Director of Marketing
What it’s about: Since the first episode in 2008, SYSK has recorded over 1000 episodes and is consistently ranked in the Top 10 podcast list on iTunes. The episodes consist of hour-long conversations between the two hosts, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, both writers for HowStuffWorks, about their in-depth understanding of random topics. The series covers anything from history, science, pop culture, urban legends, and even the occasional conspiracy theory. The two often go on tangents about the topic just to prove how much time they spent understanding the ins and outs of every aspect of it. Most of the episodes are geared around how something works or an uncommonly known, yet fascinating event or person in history. The series is so successful and has been around for so long that there is a TV spinoff and they started to specially choose episodes to repeat, called SYSK Selects.
Why Cricket likes it: “This is one of the first podcasts I’ve listened to and it really sparked my interest in the platform. You learn something new from every episode, whether it be educational, interesting, or just plain weird. Clark and Bryant add comical elements to the conversations by relating topics to pop culture and pulling out meaningless facts making it easy to listen to and very enjoyable. SYSK opens your eyes to how much you don’t know about the world, even with very common topics. One of the first episodes I watched, called “The Cheesiest SYSK Episode Ever” is an hour-long discussion about cheese. In it, they discuss the history of cheese, how it’s made, random stats, the different varieties, etc. (you get the point). If you’re looking for some educational comic relief in your podcast repertoire, Stuff You Should Know is right up your alley.”
Freakonomics | Phillip Ng, VP of Corporate Development
What it’s about: Based on the acclaimed book by the same name, Freakonomics seeks to explore the “hidden side of everything” by digging into incentives and the way people are motivated. It explores wide-ranging topics from foreign aid to child-raising. The series features the two co-authors of the original book, with journalist Steven Dubner as the host and economist Steven Levitt as a regular guest.
Why Phillip likes it: “I like this podcast for the breadth of information it covers and also the inside view of the world. It teaches me about new aspects of the world, and also how to use first principles to analyze a situation.”
“An incentive is a bullet, a key: an often tiny object with astonishing power to change a situation”
Planet Money | Dip Patel, CTO
What it’s about: Launched in September 2008 to cover the financial collapse, Planet Money claims to be “the economy explained”. The 30-minute episodes boil down complex economic issues in short, digestible explanations.
Why Dip likes it: “I’m not a consistent podcast listener, but I really like this one because it gives me a better understanding of economics and money..”
The Reboot Podcast | Ashley Capuzzi, VP of Marketing
What it’s about: Hosted by Jerry Colonna, a venture capitalist turned executive coach, this podcast showcases the heart and soul, the wins and losses, the ups and downs of startup leadership. Reboot is a journey of radical self-inquiry, helping you to reset your life by sorting through the emotional baggage that is holding you back professionally, and even more important, in your relationships.
Why Ashley likes it: “Reboot is therapeutic and very raw. Jerry helps each guest think about his/her current situation as part of a life journey as much as it is a career journey and helps them discover themselves on a deeper level. This can’t possibly happen overnight (IMO), but there are a few episodes that I recognized some transition or at least acknowledgment taking place while listening. You don’t have to be a Founder or CEO to appreciate this podcast. It draws a comparison to startups and life in general both being an endless string of transition, with daily obstacles. I also love the name of the podcast! This idea that I can “reboot” (and it’s encouraged) is extremely empowering.”
An episode that stands out: #105 Reboot your definition of success with Alex Rethore This was the first episode I listened to when I was introduced to the podcast (Thank you, Carly Chase!). While the transition in her professional career served as a catalyst for their conversation, Jerry encourages Alex to consider what may also be bubbling under the surface in her personal life. Alex opens up about finding joy in being present, recognizing that this break has afforded her the ability to reconnect to her body, her passions, and her community. As she embarks on this new relationship with herself, the doors open for Alex to become the leader she wants to be.
