Gone are the days when radio programs were all you could tune into. Now you don’t have to listen to predesignated shows anymore. Thanks to podcasts you have the option of listening to anything you want, on whatever topic that suits your mood. From lectures on politics and economics to book conversations and showbiz chats, there’s a lot out there that you can pick from. But with a gazillion podcasts available on the internet today, how do you choose? The Week’s Anweiti Upadhyay asked some listeners for their current favorite(s) to get you started.
The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes
Sonam Sherpa
I often find myself listening to The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes. Howes is a bestselling author, lifestyle entrepreneur, former pro athlete and world record holder in football and in his podcast he shares inspiring stories of successful people.
I listen to it when I’m cooking or doing the dishes and even when I’m out on a walk. Since Howes invites people from different walks of life to share their inspiring stories, we get to find out what makes great people great. I simply love the feeling I get when I’m listening to The School of Greatness. Not only are the stories motivational but they also make you look at life from different angles and perspectives.
My favourite part of the podcast is the five-minute Friday where Howes shares short and stimulating insights on different topics. Listening to this podcast makes you realize that we often focus too much on the little bad or negative things in life that we miss out on what’s good. I believe having a positive mindset lets you create an amazing life and I find that The School of Greatness helps me work towards that goal.
Shonda Rhimes, iHeartMedia strike 3-year podcast deal
The Minimalist Podcast
Swarnima Shrestha
I’m very fond of ‘The Minimalist Podcast’ that discusses what it means to live a meaningful life consuming as less resources as possible. Here, two minimalists, Joshua Fields Milliburn and Ryan Nicodemus share their views and values on different subject matters revolving around minimalism. It really makes you rethink about the way you are living your life.
Their values are very admirable and I get inspired by their way of viewing things. The podcast had my attention right away since its teaser and I couldn’t help listening to it. I can safely say that listening to it has encouraged me to live a minimal life, or at least try to do so. I believe it really has some valuable life lessons in store for the listeners.
The idea that has resonated the most with me is: “If your short term actions don’t align with your long term values, you will eventually experience discontent.” That’s a line that’s always on my mind and the podcast is filled with such nuggets of wisdom.
Freakonomics Radio
Jagat Golay
I listen to Freakonomics Radio, a spin-off of the book Freakonomics, quiet often. This weekly podcast discusses socioeconomic issues for a general audience and economist Steven Levitt is a regular guest. The facts and theories they talk about in the podcast help you understand the capitalist world better.
It’s informative and educational at the same time and you don’t need to be interested in economics or even know its basics to understand the things they talk about. WTF is also one of my favourite podcasts. The host, Marc Maron, is hilarious and he speaks with an ease that’s wonderful to listen to. He interviews musicians and artists mostly from the rock genre. It’s so entertaining that I could probably listen to it all day long.
TED Talks is another favorite. The content is for the general audience so it could be about anything. Experts on different fields give talks that inspire and encourage listeners to look at things from a different perspective and think outside the box. It’s highly motivating, educational, and awe-inspiring.
The Nerdist Writer Panel
Shirpa Pradhan
The Nerdist Writer Panel was my first venture into the world of podcasts. This wonderful podcast is mainly based on the different aspects of writing including business writing and also covers writing for media like movies, books, TV series etc.
I enjoy listening to this podcast because I’m interested in writing and here you get tips on writng that are informative while being entertaining. I didn’t listen to many other podcasts being I found a lot of them very serious and, to be honest, boring too. But then I recently also came across David Dobrik and Josh Nash’s podcast, Views.
Views is basically my two favorite YouTubers talking about things happening in their vlogs to the recent decision of Trump regarding DACA and its influence (David is a DACA recipient himself). The duo are hilarious and this along with The Nerdist Writer Panel is slowly changing how I view podcasts. I have now come to consider podcasts as entertaining rather than gravely scholarly.
