Top podcast recommendations to freshen your feed
Summer can be a good time to change a habit (and why wait for New Year?) Sun’s out, days are longer and we generally feel brighter. You might create a Big Project, or make some simple tweaks. One of a few that I’ve been doing is freshening up my podcast feed. I find podcasts a brilliant way to distract from the drag of commuting, a change from radio in the car, a good companion when doing chores, and a much-needed source of mirth in the gym. Here are some of the podcasts I’m signed up for.
Warning! If you want to sign up to tons of feeds, fine… please just be aware of where your time and attention are going, and a tendency some of us have to lengthen our to-do list with yet more tasks. It’s not my intention here to pile on more things you ‘should’ do. Taking my own medicine, I’ve unsubscribed from a few feeds to make room for the new.
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen is the author of best-selling books including ‘The Happiness Project’ and ‘Better Than Before’. Her podcast is co-hosted with Elizabeth Craft, her sister (and guinea pig). Subjects range from Big Deal things like remembering sad anniversaries, to simple hacks. At roughly 30 minutes, this one could be good for the commute. Find out more here.
The Mindful Kind
Rachel Kable’s Aussie accent is a pleasant change as she gently guides listeners through learning about, and practising, mindfulness. This down-to-earth and brief (just over 10 minutes) podcast is good for newbies to mindfulness, or great as a refresher if you’ve done a mindfulness course and want to put it into practice. Find out more here.
The Tim Ferriss Show
Yes, that’s the 4-hour workweek guy. Tim gets some big names on his podcasts, and he also answers listeners’ questions (often hilariously). Find out more here.
Business Daily from the BBC
This podcast is one I won’t be unsubscribing any time soon: essential updates and insights on the hot topics of the day, from North Korea, to bad behaviour in banking – and hormones. Find out more here.
The Psychology Podcast
This one’s another keeper; I’ve been subscribed for a while. Dr Scott Barry Kaufman’s podcast is always enlightening. How he gets the time to hold down a day job and read the books his many guests have written I will never know. Being a psychology geek I love this, yet it’s suitable for beginners and the mildly curious too. Find out more here.
FT Listen to Lucy
Lucy Kellaway’s podcast has me laughing out loud, much to the amusement of fellow gym users. Her ‘Masterclass in calling out Bulls*@t’ is a great antidote to anyone who’s had their fill of office nonsense for the day. I do hope Ms Kellaway continues her podcast following her radical career change and imminent departure from the FT. Find out more here.
Audiobooks
OK, not exactly a podcast feed, but a great way to learn, keep up – or simply relax. Audible offers one of my all-time faves, Prof Steve Peters, talking through his best-selling ‘The Chimp Paradox’, or you can listen to the wonderful Stephen Fry reading all of Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’ books. Find out more here.
Which podcasts do you recommend? Please leave a comment.
You may find this blog post useful: 10 self-development resources.
Dawn is the author of ‘The Feedback Book’, available now at bookstores and on Amazon.
