I’ve always loved reading books, but since the majority of my working day requires me to stare at a screen, I find it increasingly hard to read.
From a book to an audiobook
Then I discovered audiobooks and ever since my Audible account has been filled with new reading material every month.
I prefer dedicating longer chunks of time to listening to audiobooks, as it’s the only way I can really dive into the content. If not in one go, then I listen to each book in a few fairly long and undisturbed sessions (hard to find in my day-to-day life).
And then I discovered podcasts. For a long time, I only heard people talking about them and recommending this podcast or that radio show to me. It took me a while to listen to the first one.
Reading, watching and listening – different ways to consume content
Since childhood, I’ve always preferred the written word over radio or video. Instead of watching telly, I used to spend the whole afternoon (and if the story was good, easily the whole night) with a book. Later, when I studied journalism, I focused on writing for print and online magazines. I like being able to quickly scan the text and easily get to the main point I’m interested in. Text also allows me to search for keyword – you can’t do it with video or audio.
When I started listening to podcasts, I realised that I can easily have them on in the background when cooking, cleaning, walking or commuting. Because the average length of a podcast is somewhere between 5 mins and 1 hour, it’s much shorter than an audio book and more suitable to listening in short bursts and on the go.
Over the past few months, I’ve occasionally recommended some of my favourite podcasts on my social media, and people often asked me for more suggestions. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of my 20 favourite podcasts. Some of them are well known and some of them are fairly new. I’ve organised them into 3 categories so you can more easily find something of an interest to you.
Here we go:
Personal Development, Health and Wellbeing Podcasts
- Eat Sleep Work Repeat by Bruce Daisley
- Happy Healthy Entrepreneur by Sarah Swanton
This fairly new podcast created by my business friend Sarah Swanton features real entrepreneurs no matter how far on their journey of self-employment they are. It’s a relaxed and friendly podcast that helps me fight with the Imposter Syndrome. Sarah’s guests often struggle with the same things as I do and after listening I often feel relieved that ‘I’m not alone’.
- Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferris
My latest addiction, based on a book of the same name, this podcast features the best of the best in different fields and stages of life and career. Tim’s guests share their answers to 10 different questions – anything from the most meaningful purchase of the past 5 years to the meaning of life or most impactful failures.
- Waking Up with Sam Harris
Entrepreneurship and Business Skills
- Entrepreneurs On Fire by John Lee Dumas
- The Mind Your Business by James Wedmore
I wasn’t sure if I should put this podcast under personal development and wellbeing or the entrepreneurship, as it equally touches at both subjects. In his podcast, James teaches us how to build a prosperous business whilst maintaining healthy, balanced lifestyle and staying sane. It’s the exact opposite of The GaryVee Audio Experience as Gary Vaynerchuck is all about hustling and putting in an insane amount of work.
- The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes
- Youpreneur FM with Chris Drucker
- Unthinkable by Jay Acunzo
- The Pat Flynn Show
- The GaryVee Audio Experience
You either love him or hate him. He’s one of those people whose energy is so infectious (and language pretty strong) that only certain people can cope with him. And that’s fine. Even though you might not like his style, there’s a lot of truth and great advice in his content!
- The 7 Minute Mentor with Mark Asquith
- Small Biz Stories by Constant Contact
- Women in Business Radio Show
I discovered this radio show at a live event in London where I met the host Sian Murphy (I also participated in a short mock interview). It’s another great podcast about real people – real women in this case – in business. They’re talking about all the ups and downs, benefits and struggles of running a business.
Marketing, Digital Trends and Social Media
- FOMOFanz Cure Your Digital Marketing FOMO by Brian Fanzo
Probably my favourite podcast. Even though not all episodes are 100% relevant and Brian talks a lot about AI, VR and cloud, I’ve loved every episode I’ve listened to! Aside from sharing incredibly helpful information, Brian is always authentic and engaged.
- The Science of Social Media by Buffer
- The Marketing Companion Podcast by Mark Schaefer and Tom Webster
- Soulful PR Podcast with Janet Murray
- #TwitterSmarter Podcast by Madalyn Sklar
- The Andrew and Pete Show
I often call this last podcast the ’honourable mention’ as this show is like no other! I binge-listened to this show over a weekend and it was almost impossible to stop laughing. Aside from being hilarious, Andrew and Pete and their guests share some helpful tips about marketing, social media and content. Definitely a podcast with a twist!
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Have you listened to any of these podcasts? Would you add any to my list? Let me know in comments or tweet me at @lenkakopp and I’ll include your answers in my next blog post!
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Want more podcast recommendations? Check out part 2 – The Best Podcasts For Badass Entrepreneurs.
