You‘re not listening to podcasts!? Change that now!
The greatest thing you can do for yourself today is to start listening to podcasts.
Since 2005, podcasts have been free, and on demand on your phone. It still amazes me that many I speak to don’t take advantage of this free medium of incredible education and entertainment. In fact, only 44% of the US population is listening. What!? Let’s fix that.
I’ve spent quite a bit of money on my formal education. I hold both a bachelor’s in Biology, and a law degree. One thing I constantly remind myself is to never stop educating myself. I accomplish this by listening to those who have done it better/smarter/faster. I have two main avenues for achieving this: 1) books; and 2) podcasts.
The beauty of podcasts, mainly long form (over an hour), is that you get an unedited and organic conversation. It’s not in lecture form, so there are things that come out that wouldn’t normally be said. They’re not guided, or prepped for. Joe Rogan (host of JRE Experience) has stated numerous times that it’s one of the reasons he got into podcasting. He was tired of the bullsh*t interviews with people that were guided and edited by the journalist’s bias. Most recently, Jordan Peterson, considered one of the top intellectuals of modern times, was a victim of such a hackjob.
Often times, my friends will tell me they don’t have time to listen to such long interviews. Do you go to the gym? Do you drive a car? Do you play video games? Do you cook? Do you [insert anything else here]? Then you do have time. I like to pull double duty when doing just about anything. Usually a podcast is my go-to audio background.
My top must listen podcasts:
JRE Experience
I used to know of Joe Rogan from NewsRadio or the UFC. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I came across his podcast. Joe is both a trained fighter and a stand-up comic, but he’s developed himself into one of the top conversationalists of our time. If there is anyone that is near the top of their field, or performs in some extraordinary manner, you can find them on the JRE Experience. I often find myself seeing a name of his guest, having no clue who they are, then becoming completely fascinated with said guest. (One example is professional bow hunter, Cameron Hanes, who runs nearly a marathon a day. Insane.)
Absolute must listen.
On the plus side Joe Rogan also provides live video feeds, and recorded YouTube videos so you can watch certain guests. This, at times, has become my go to for his.
Joe is one of the higher frequency podcasters, and often puts out 5 podcasts a week of quality content.
Favorite Episode: Joe Rogan Experience #919 — Neil deGrasse Tyson
Extra effect on me: I started jiu jitsu as a result of numerous guests preaching the benefits, discipline, use, and difficulty of this martial art. Highly recommend.
StarTalk
Droppin’ science like Galileo dropped the orange.
If you don’t know who Niel deGrasse Tyson is, you’re missing out on the best educator of the modern era. He’s the modern day Carl Sagan. StarTalk is a gift that we don’t deserve. NDT mixes the world of pop culture and science to create an extraordinary learning experience. Often times I’ve listened to interviews and have follow-up questions. By having a celebrity or comic as the token lay person, you get those questions answered.
This podcasts enables you to learn fairly complex science principles, and theories, without even realizing it. I was fortunate enough to have an interest in science that steered me into getting my Bachelor’s in Biology, but having this podcast at the ready might’ve continued to propel me into a scientific career.
Favorite Episode: The Future of Humanity with Elon Musk
How I Built This
This is a FREE MBA.
I used to think of NPR as boring radio. However, they’ve continually come out with unbelievable quality content. How I Built This with Guy Raz is at the top of that list.
Each episode begins with Guy interviewing one of the greatest businessmen/entrepreneurs in the world. You’ll find anyone from Mark Cuban, to Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese), to Arthur Blank (Home Depot), and so many more. If you’ve been into a store or bought a product (as everyone with a pulse has), chances are Guy has either interviewed them, or will interview them.
What’s also great is that each episode ends with a story of someone who is working on their own start-up. You’re able to get the perspective of the successful, and the ones who are on their way.
Favorite Episode: Serial Entrepreneur: Mark Cuban
Tim Ferris Show
How fantastic is the 4-Hour Work Week? I’ve never written so many notes in a non-academic text. Tim Ferris took the momentum of that book to push forward his blog, and his fantastic Podcast. Much like Guy Raz, Tim interviews numerous entrepreneurs and discusses how they became successful, and what their advice is for wantrepreneurs.
He’s also a serial adventurist/experimenter. He’s constantly exploring new disciplines and either creates a blog post, or a podcast about said discipline. He used to have a show called The Tim Ferris Experiment documenting this. As someone who does jiu jitsu, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.
Favorite Podcast: Jamie Foxx — NOTE: I believe this is also one of the most listened to podcast episodes of all time.
Now, get after it!
