I’ve done two previous posts about podcasts I enjoy (here and here) and you should be listening to. I stand by all of those, but one of the best things about podcasts is the ever-increasing number of amazing ones. Here are 5 more you might enjoy and should definitely try.
Cultivated
Mike Cosper hosts this interview podcast, but it is not the kind of interview driven by the host. The guest is the feature and Cosper excels at letting guests shine. It is highly edited and produced so there is no meandering or wasted words. The podcast focuses on work and Creativity and vocation as Christians by highlighting the individual stories and efforts of the various guests. From tone to content to production this podcast is the money and is a new favorite of mine.
Crime Town
It’s like Serial except without all the navel-gazing, first person host intrusions, and moral vagueness. So I guess it’s not like Serial at all. Instead it is like a really good-natured documentary of organized crime in the 70s and 80s in Providence, RI. Little did I know that that was a mob hub for decades, and the story of corruption and politics and intrigue is amazing. The best parts of the podcast are the interviews they get with former mobsters who speak with such nostalgia and frankness it sucks the listener right in. This is a brilliant podcast.
How I built This
I learn leadership and business principles best by absorbing them from others who do them well and synthesizing ideas. That is what this podcast offers. It is, very simply, the stories of how many of the world’s most successful business ventures began as told by the founders. It is an interview, but only to tee up the story. It is not about principles. It is about how businesses started, but there is so much to glean from each entrepreneur and owner.
The Moment with Brian Koppelman
Koppelman is a screenwriter, director and producer of both films and TV shows, and in this podcast he talks with other creative people – actors, authors, musicians, etc. – about their creative lives. It is so fun and insightful to sit in on a conversation between tow creative, driven people to hear how they overcame challenges, what their processes are, and what they’ve learned. Anyone who is doing anything creative would benefit from this podcast and likely find it lots of fun too.
The Way I heard It with Mike Rowe
Mike Rowe is best known for his TV show Dirty Jobs where he highlights the stories and efforts of largely overlooked folks. He kind of does the same thing in this podcast. Each episode Rowe tells one short biographical story of someone who has accomplished something significant. Usually it is a story of overcoming challenges or overcoming something. And the listener doesn’t know who the person is until the reveal at the end. It’s an interesting format with cool, brief stories. I prefer to let a few of these pile up and then listen to all of them in a row since they are bite-sized.