Podcasts I Listen To (2017)

Two people have asked me to update my podcast list. The last edition came out in 2014, so it is long overdue.

Before I get to the list, I want to share the best tip I ever received on podcasts: listen at double speed. Or near double speed. Many other people are doing this, so this tip isn’t unknown. The only thing I would add is to gradually increase the speed. For the first few weeks, I listened at 1.2 to 1.4 speed, now I usually listen at 1.6 to 2.0 speed. I also enable an effect to shorten silence. So all those pauses in interviews are gone. I use version 2.5.7 of Overcast for iOS.

The benefit of listening faster is I can listen to more shows. Before increasing the speed I was always falling behind and having to delete shows to free up space on my smartphone.

Business and Finance

EconTalk – Still probably my favorite. The recent show on heroin was excellent.

Masters In Business – Outstanding interviews with people mostly in finance. The interview with Brett Steenbarger is a great place to start. You don’t have to be a stock trader to enjoy this episode. Replace “trading” with whatever is important to you and you’ll get some sound wisdom.

Planet Money – Lessons in economics wrapped inside engaging storytelling.

Health

For the most part, I don’t listen to health or paleo podcasts. Most are fear-mongering or hucksters. And the more honest ones are repeating the same old message over and over. Processed food is bad, and sleep is good. I get it.

Generative Energy Podcast – This is the podcast by Danny Roddy that focuses a lot on metabolism. My favorite shows were the ones with Georgi. Start with #9: A Bioenergetic View of Weight Loss.

The Daily Lipid – This is by Chris Masterjohn, one of the few remaining people that I followed back in the day that I still respect. His shows are long and detailed. I don’t listen to them all. But I was able to fight off a cold instantly using the exact advice from Zinc Definitely Fights Colds, But You’re Probably Using the Wrong Kind.

Interviews

James Altucher Show – James gets great guests and is well-prepared for interviews. He interrupts guests with great questions better than other podcast hosts. I’ve already plugged his Scott Adams interview in a previous post.

Tim Ferriss Show – I listen to about half the shows. They tend to be long. His best show last year was probably with Kevin Kelly.

The Art of Charm – I’ve been listening to this show for only 6 months or so, but I like it so far. A good start would be 537: Sebastian Junger.

Spanish

I don’t use the double-speed option for these podcasts. 🙂

Lightspeed Spanish – There are a few different podcasts under the Lightspeed name, each with 40 lessons. I’ve completed Absolute Beginners and will finish Early Intermediate next week. Then I’ll begin Advanced Intermediate. This is an amazing free resource.

News in Slow Spanish (Latino) – Each week I get a little bit better at listening to these short newscasts.

Story Telling

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe – Educational and interesting stories that are usually only 5 minutes long.

Snap Judgment – Stories and beats. I slow down the podcast for this one.

RadioLab – Fascinating and engaging show. Always with new topics. I highly recommend the episode From Tree to Shining Tree. You’ll never look at a forest the same way again.