What’s the best way to expand your mind, explore new concepts, and engage with big ideas?
Podcasts!
They’re great to listen to on your way to work, while running errands, or even when chilling at home.
In no specific order, here are some of the best podcasts that curious minds will love in 2019.
Tom Woods holds conversations with great thinkers discussing philosophy, history, and politics. From the relationship of tattoos and the state to why higher education undergoing a revolution, every episode is sure to challenge you. You’ll hear current events and history alike in a format that is fun to consume!
Fiction is one of the best ways to expand your mind. Sneak Attack! is an actual play RPG podcast born in the summer of 2015. Since then, these five friends have been playing a home-brewed campaign, telling a story of adventure, wacky characters, terrifying enemies, and the tension of being an adventure party amidst conflicting interests. Check out Volume 1: Heroes of High Rock here.
Joe interviews some of the coolest people on the planet, including Tim Ferris, Elon Musk, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. If you’re curious about everything and want to hear the perspectives of hundreds of unique individuals, the Joe Rogan Experience is definitely for you!
“Develop your passion, pursue your purpose and make your mark on the world.” That’s why people love Impact Theory. Episodes like “Embrace Your Pain” or “Mental Makeover” will make you a more well-rounded individual (and give you awesome conversation topics to impress your friends and coworkers with!)
It’s the best of Gary Vee! There are episodes of his favorite “jam sessions” called #podSessions, a mix of his best highlights from the DAILYVEE documentary video series, #AskGaryVee Show episodes, keynote speeches on marketing and business, interviews, fireside chats, and any of Gary’s new and current thoughts that he records specifically for this audio experience!
Featuring T.K. Coleman, Revolution of One is all about empowering you to become the dominant creative force in your own life. Change begins with you- this series shows you how to get started!
Sam Harris, a neuroscientist, philosopher, and best-selling author, explores some of the most important questions about the human mind, society, and current events. Interested in studying society from different perspectives? This podcast is a great place to start!
The 80,000 Hours Podcast features unusually in-depth conversations about the world’s most pressing problems and how you can use your career to solve them. Guests from many different career paths join the show. They share their wisdom so you can have a better understanding of the world and a bigger social impact in your niche and beyond!
Jordan Harbinger taps into the wisdom of the world’s top performers — from legendary musicians to intelligence operatives, iconoclastic writers to visionary change-makers. The podcast deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful people on earth — and breaks down new strategies, perspectives, and insights you can’t find anywhere else. All that’s left is for you take these insights into your own life and live what you listen!
Looking for career hacks? Want motivation on the way to work? Forward Tilt is a series of short podcasts- one for every week of the year. Each episode offers actionable advice that you can apply to your work and life, regardless of where you are in your career! You can also buy the accompanying book, which allows you to take notes on Forward Tilt essays and keep track of your progress as you apply the concepts!
Hosts TK Coleman and Isaac Morehouse answer career-related questions from listeners, and share philosophical insights that are valuable to all areas of life. Because the hosts are best friends, the show is not only applicable, but it’s fun and personable to listen to. (You can see all their podcasts here.)
Each episode, Tim deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, sports, business, art, etc.) to extract the tactics, tools, and routines you can use. This includes favorite books, morning routines, exercise habits, time-management tricks, and much more. (Also, it’s the #1 business show on Apple Podcasts, so why not check it out?)
Hack your brain. Optimize your sleep. Train your willpower. Run by Mindvalley University, the podcast is perfect for the lifelong learner in you! There will always be a new cool topic to check out, and you never know what new information you’re going to uncover- but it’s sure to be great!
Comedy is a great way to expand the way you see the world. This show features conversations and character from some of the coolest comedians alive today. While the show begins by traditionally interviewing the celebrities, the open-door policy means an assortment of eccentric oddballs can pop by at any moment to chat, compete in games, and engage in comic revelry.
Dan Carlin’s podcast is one of the most famous today. And for good reason. He deep-dives into episodes of history that no one else dares touch. You’ll begin to see history from a completely different perspective. (Besides, this is much cooler than your history class in school!)
Built on investigative journalism, this podcast follows a murder story that has some serious twists while the show is still in production! It’s a great podcast if you want to binge a story while playing detective.
Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built. Want to be an entrepreneur? Study good entrepreneurs. How I Built This is the best place to get started!
“Every day, stand guard at the door of your mind, and you alone decide what thoughts and beliefs you let into your life. For they will shape whether you feel rich or poor, cursed or blessed.” -Tony Robbins
The Tony Robbins podcast gives you access to Tony’s proven strategies for success so you can accomplish your goals, too. Whether you’re looking for insight into how to build a bigger business or deepen your relationships, you have access to all the tactics Tony uses in his own life.
Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus discuss living a meaningful life with less. Though minimalism is the core of this podcast, it’s relevant for anyone! The Minimalists discuss a wide range of ideas and philosophies. Check out this episode devoted to discussing school!
Disrupt Education dives into ideas surrounding education and its reform. It was started as a platform to tell the stories of non-traditional paths of students and adults that lead to success. Are you excited about self-teaching and building your own path in life? You’ll love Disrupt Education!
Talking about the Minimalists, their producer has his own show- one of the highest-quality podcasts out there today. The Ground Up Show is a weekly podcast that inspires creatives to make shit happen. So if you’re wanting to be inspired to pursue your passion and grow, this is the podcast for you! Episodes like Dreams Don’t Come True; Decisions Do and The Power of Making Decisions will inspire you.
This show is hosted by Reid Hoffman, cofounder of LinkedIn. In each episode, Reid shows how companies grow from zero to a gazillion, testing his theories with legendary leaders. “I believe successful entrepreneurs need ideas, money, good timing, and a hefty dose of luck. But none of those matter if you don’t have grit.” -Hoffman
From finance to social media marketing to blockchain, you’re sure to find lots of tidbits for your career in this show. It’s is “a forum for having meaningful, deep conversations about the passions, fears and problems of people from all walks of life”. Check out the top episodes here!
It’s the podcast for creative entrepreneurs, freelancers, and hustlers. Hosts Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon dig into the mindsets, habits, routines, and boundaries that help you make money doing what you love.
Emma Gannon chats with guests about their relationship to the internet. Excited about the future? Love hearing the new advancements that have come our way because of the internet? Then you’ll love listening to this show.
What didn’t you learn in school? School Sucks provides young people with the building blocks of intellectual, financial and lifestyle independence. This includes in-depth explorations into higher-level thinking, organization and productivity, emotional and physical health, habit and lifestyle optimization, history and philosophy, psychology, self-education practices, entrepreneurship, and communication/negotiation strategies. It’s all essential information, but almost none of it is taught in school.
Love stories? Serial tells one story — a true story — over the course of a season. You’ll be glued to your seat as you follow the tales of real people, happening as the podcast is produced! Additionally, you’ll learn a lot about court systems and how much work goes into trials and convictions, without having to read a single law book!
Test your ideas about education. What is really the best way for children (and adults!) to learn? Your concepts of learning will be rocked as you dive into this show that explores new methods of education. This episode is a great place to start.
What other podcast has interviewed over 2,000 entrepreneurs? EOF sets itself apart by featuring the stories of failure that led to huge successes in the lives of entrepreneurs. If one of your goals is to start a business someday, or if you’re already a business owner in need of some new inspiration, this is the perfect podcast spark your enthusiasm!
All about the internet. Curious about internet history and future? Or just want to have some cool info up your sleeve for conversations with your friends? Internet History is the place to get it. Besides, who doesn’t want to know random trivia about anything internet-related?