Hi! My name is Tina, and I’m a podcast junkie.
Name a topic, and I can probably recommend a few podcasts that you might find interesting. Writing? Self-help? Marketing? Lowcarb/Paleo/Ketogenic Diets? No problem. I know them all. Yes, it is a sickness, but so what? At least they keep the voices in my head company as I sit in traffic or walk the trail by my house or (on some rare occasions) cook.
Podcasts are my friends. They make feel accomplished. Like I’m getting stuff done. Even though it’s not really me that’s getting stuff done–it’s all those cool guests on the show who are actually getting stuff done–still it makes me feel good. Yes!
Recently, I’ve been bingeing on shows about entrepreneurship–anything involved with going solo and setting up some kind of business. Why, you ask? Well, because of late, I’ve been having a really hard time with the be-here-from-nine-to-five, answer-to-a-boss, do-work-that-benefits-other-people’s-bottom-line, type of work. It’s sapped all the creativity out of me, all the joy.
So what to do?
Why, listen to podcasts, of course, and live vicariously through the lives of all those cool folks who work twelve minutes a day, take six month sabbaticals, and rake in seven-figure incomes . . . each month!
I can do that right? Sure I can. When I listen to podcasts. For sixty blissful minutes, I can switch off, disappear the stack of papers that need grading, ignore my finger-waggling to-do list, and just lose myself.
Lately, I’ve been losing myself in three really outstanding podcasts: The Pivot Podcast with Jenny Blake, the Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn, and Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield. Here’s a quick review of each one and link to one of my favorite episodes for each podcast.
Jenny Blake: pivotmethod.com
Pivot Podcast with Jenny Blake:
I stumbled upon this podcast after reading Jenny’s book, Pivot: The Only Move that Matters Is your Next One (you can read a review of the book here).
Jenny’s story is quite remarkable. Here is a woman who knows how to take a risk and to live life full out! She is clearly razor sharp and immensely talented–she did, after all, spend her twenties leaving college (UCLA) midstream to go to work for a small start up in Silicon Valley, working, subsequently, for Google, and writing a bestselling book (Life After College).
You know what I did in my twenties? Yeah, exactly!
Anyway, as I was saying, here is a woman who is smart and accomplished (and beautiful!), but she is also warm and wise, which, truthfully, is what drew me to her. Of course, it’s easy to be wowed by brains and beauty, but someone who is also authentic and approachable and sweet? That’s golden!
Okay, so enough about Jenny. Her podcast, Pivot, is a weekly meditation on some topic in the area of business and personal growth–be it around monetizing your ideas, overcoming setbacks, or delegating tasks effectively. She has top notch guests on her show ranging from influencers like James Altucher, to self-help gurus like Martha Beck, to tech leaders like Kevin Kelly.
Each interview flows more like a conversation than a strictly structured interview, yet each episode is a goldmine of insight and (in many cases) actionable items that you can actually take away and try.
Give Jenny and the Pivot Podcast a try if you like a softer, more laid-back style. The learning is seamless and invisible–just the way I like it.
One of my favorite episodes is the one she did with Vanessa Van Edwards, author and behavioral investigator, about what makes a person captivating. Have a listen here.
Pat Flynn: smartpassiveincome.com
The Smart Passive Income Podcast with Pat Flynn:
Pat Flynn began his career as an Architect, but fate (and an economic downturn) had something different in mind, and now Pat is one of the leaders in the field of building businesses that generate passive income streams.
The Smart Passive Income podcast is a resource for people who are looking for strategies and tools for building an online presence. Some of the topics covered on this podcast include, how to field-test a business idea to make sure it’s viable, how to build traffic on your website, best podcasting gear, how to build a six-figure business, how to optimize for SEO, and many, many more.
Pat, like Jenny, has many influential guests on his podcast, the likes of which include, Michael Hyatt, thought leader in the field of reaching your potential, Ramit Sethi, money-making expert, and Cal Newport, Georgetown professor and author of Deep Work.
In a jam-packed thirty minutes, Pat gets his guests to share some of their greatest ideas, tips, and tricks to becoming more productive and more profitable in their businesses.
I’m not sure when exactly I started listening to this podcast or how I was first introduced to it, but very quickly I fell in love with Pat’s genuine, boyish enthusiasm, and I’ve learned a ton about setting up an online business from him–more than my head can process! But lest you think this podcast is all mind and no guts, let me assure you that Pat is very personable and puts his guests at ease to the point where some of the conversations get quite deep.
Why don’t you check it out for yourself? Here is a recent episode he did on How to Up Your Online (and Offline) Game with Jordan Harbinger, host of the Art of Charm podcast. Enjoy!
Amy Porterfield: amyporterfield.com
Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield:
I love Amy Porterfield! She’s smart, she’s entrepreneurial, and she knows how to teach you what you need to know!
Again, I have no idea how I stumbled upon this podcast. It was probably recommended to me by itunes based on my listening habits. Or maybe I found her through Marie Forleo . . . who knows, and it doesn’t really matter, because I now listen to the Online Marketing Made Easy podcast religiously, and I like to listen to it live or as close to live as possible because Amy constantly updates herself and shares the most current information about online marketing there is out there.
The format of her show is about 50% interviews and about 50% just riffing on a particular (and salient) topic. And I have to say that her solo shows are every bit as riveting as her interview shows. Like I said before, Amy is a natural teacher and has this way of systematically explaining something is clear and easy to follow. Also, she’s not one of those smug, oh-yeah-I-used-to-work-for-Tony-Robbins, kind of know-it-all. Oh yeah, did I mention she used to work for Tony Robbins? Yup, she used to be his content creator (or something like that). Pretty sweet!
Well, Amy has taken all that experience with Tony Robbins and created her own brand of information products, while giving away a ton of valuable information and resources to her audience. What’s more, she’s sweet and charming and completely relatable, so check out her podcast. I’ve selected this one for you to listen to. It’s about The Newest Rules of Facebook Marketing. Check it out!
So there you have it! Three podcasts from my very own playlist.
What’s on yours?
Categories: Reflections
Great list, thanks! I’ll be sure to check some of these out. I just started listening to the podcast “For the Love of Money” and am already feeling extra inspired by episode 3.
Ima check it out!