My 10 Favorite Podcasts

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As you know, I am a huge fan of podcasts! Until recently, I had an hour and a half commute to work each way. Once I called all my friends and family members that were willing to speak at 7am, I found myself bored and frustrated by the drive. I started listening to podcasts to take advantage of my commute and have it bring meaningful impact to my day rather than bring constant frustruation. Now that I’m no longer commuting to work, I take advantage of my time in the car any chance I get, whether it’s driving to pick up Perry from school or running errands. I thought I would share my 10 favorite podcasts and get some recommendations from you on other great ones.

My podcast taste is very eclectic.I look for two things when deciding whether or not to subscribe to a new podcast:

♥ Will this podcast keep me informed, expand my mind and make me think? If it inspires me and allows me to personally grow, I’m usually willing to subscribe and hear more. This could be politically oriented or it could be about someone who is successful in their industry and has some wisdom to share. This is so motivating for me. The first podcast I ever listened to was How I Built This and I was instantly hooked. I love listening to interviews with people who switched career paths or succeeded after overcoming a major obstacle in their lives.

♥ Will this podcast entertain me or make me feel like I’m talking to my best friend? If it makes me laugh or feel better after I’m having a bad day, I’m hooked.

My 10 Favorite Podcasts

Heavyweight

I first discovered Heavyweight when a fellow mom in my book club suggested it. I watched episode 16, “Rob”, and was instantly obsessed. Since then, I have watched an episode a day and try to listen every chance I get, even during five minute car rides. The host, Jonathan Goldstein, digs deep into people’s lives and tries to help them resolve issues from the past, whether it’s lingering guilt, a falling-out or another unresolved mystery. One of my favorite episodes is, “Sven”, in which the protagonist was on a jury that sentenced a man to death. Sven has regretted it ever since and eight years later, gets an email from the defendant’s mother. You have to listen to the episode to find out what happens!

The best part is the host, Jonathan, himself-funny, sharp, and amusing. His self-deprecating humor balances out the heaviness of the topics covered in each episode, the difficulty in confronting the heaviness of the past and what has lead someone to become the person they are today. Another great episode is “Skye.” I paused rather than moving on to the next episode after listening to this one. I needed to think about it and all the ways it related to my own past. It’s really good. I have moved beyond listening in the car to now turning it in when I’m in the shower, cleaning the house, or simply opening mail. If there is ever a kid-free moment in my day, this is the podcast I turn to. Listen to Heavyweight here.

Second Life

If you ever found yourself questioning your career path, you need to listen to this podcast. Data from LinkedIn indicates that the average 32-year-old has changed jobs up to four times. As our personality and interests change throughout our lives, our careers do too. Second Life was created by Hillary Kerr, one of the co-founders of the blog, Who What Wear and spotlights successful women who have made major career changes and succeeded. It’s like having a tribe of mentors share career lessons they have learned in their journey to entrepreneurship. Some of Kerr’s guests include Jessica Alba, Marianna Hewitt, Eva Chen, Shani Darden, and Raina Penchansky. Listen to Second Life here.

How I Built This

How I Built This is the first podcast I started listening to and annoying all my-coworkers about. I listened to it every day on my way to work and had to talk about the latest episode with someone. Guy Raz interviews the founders and CEOs of some of the world’s best known companies, like Home Depot and Kate Spade. They talk about how they built the company and most importantly, how they started and came up with the idea in the first place. There is an especially interesting episode with the founders of Instagram, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, who launched their photo-sharing app with a server that crashed every hour. It’s now one of the most popular apps in the world. If you love learning about the behind the scenes of big businesses, you will love it! Listen to How I Built This here.

Ted Talks Daily

I love a good Ted Talk. They are motivational and I always learn something new. However, there are so many that I find them harm to keep up with or I spend thirty minutes searching for the perfect one. Ted Talks Daily come out every day so you can just listen to the newest one that morning.  Listen to Ted Talks Daily here.

Stay Tuned with Preet

Preet Bharara is a former U.S. Attorney in New York who fought violent crime, corruption and financial fraud. His podcast sheds light on everything we’ve been hearing in the news, but broken down so it’s understandable if you don’t have a legal background. Some of the topics he covers: the Kavanaugh hearings, the criminal justice system, and how to assess a presidency. Above all, my absolute favorite is episode 64-“The Death of Sergei Magnitsky (with Bill Browder). You will be hooked. I wrote a brief summary in a previous post if you need to know more. Listen to Stay Tuned with Preet here.

The Skinny Confidential Him and Her

Lauryn and Michael are behind the very successful blog, The Skinny Confidential. In their podcast, they discuss the business of blogging, their relationship, and health and wellness. They also interview some incredible people who are killing it in their respective industries, like Dr. Dennis Gross, Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Lee), and Emily Schuman from the blog, Cupcakes and Cashmere. Lauryn always keeps it real and talks about taboo topics like getting breast implants and other wellness topics. She also has an amazing Facebook group with girls-only topics. Listen to The Skinny Confidential Him and Her here.

The Daily

This is a daily news recap by the New York Times and a great way to get the news in less than 30 minutes. Listen to The Daily here.

The goop Podcast

When I found out that Gwyneth Paltrow started a podcast and her first guest was Oprah, I immediately added it to my queue. Paltrow and goop’s Chief Content Officer, Elise Loehnen, meet with thought leaders such as physicians, creatives, CEO’s, and spiritual healers, to discuss health and wellness issues. I especially enjoyed episode 36 with Paltrow and her mom, Blythe Danner, which offered some insight into the past and how she got into acting. Fun fact, Goop is in preliminary talks with Netflix about a possible television deal that would consistent of Goop content translated into a series. Listen to the goop podcast here.

The Realization Podcast

Blogging can be a very illusive industry and not many bloggers are willing to share the secrets behind their success. Idalia Salsamendi, on the other hand, talks about it all in her new podcast, The Realization. Salsamendi is the Director of Business Development for Chriselle Inc., the company behind successful fashion blogger Chriselle Lim. She shares what is happening behind the scenes of blogging and the fashion industry as a whole. Salsamendi has top influencers on the podcast and truly gives an honest account of hot topics in in the industry. I loved episode 2 with Jacey Duprie and the behind the scenes of New York Fashion Week. Listen to The Realization podcast here.

WorkParty

Jaclyn Johnson is the founder and CEO behind Create & Cultivate, the fastest growing online platform and conference for millennial women in business. She is also the creator of WorkParty, the podcast, which offers business advice from female founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs and creatives. I turn to this podcast when I need blogging business advice from experts in the industry. Listen to Work Party here.

As an honorable mention, here are some new podcasts I’ve been meaning to try: Serial, Women of the House, Pod Saves America.

What are some of your favorites? I’d love to read about them in the comments.

 

2 thoughts on “My 10 Favorite Podcasts

  1. 1. Strangers! While it won’t teach strategy, it’s captivating and makes you think about your life after hearing the stories/events in the lives of others. Extremely addicting and entertaining! Start with episode called Do You Like My Little Lie. Then go back to the beginning and listen to the older years as they sometimes follow up on stories in later years. (Warning: narrorators voice is very monatone and offputing at first but luckily she doesn’t talk a lot throughout the episodes).

    2. This American Life. Each episode is about a theme with different topics pertaining to that theme. It’s always good! Best episode in my option (though it’s a sad one) Our Friend David. You have to really have time to focus on the words as there is a lot of poetry in this one but it’s worth a listen. Moving, motivational, and inspiring!

    3. Where Should We Begin. This one is a therapy session between 2 people and you are a fly on the wall. Fascinating mainly because of how wise and eloquent the physiologist is!

    I’ve got more if you want 🙂

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