I spend a decent amount of time in the car by myself giving me plenty of time to listen to my favorite podcasts. Early morning drives to and from the gym, errands almost every day, occasional drives into Philadelphia. At this point in my life, I’ve gotten to the point where normal radio usually bores me. Sure, I’ll throw on some music if I’m not in the mood to pay attention and just drive. But I mostly prefer to listen to something enriching or entertaining.
With all this time in the car, I’ve had a good chance to try and then either subscribe to or delete a fair number of podcasts. I figured it might be interesting to highlight a few of the podcasts I really enjoyed over the past few years. One thing I wanted to do with this list is leave off what I would consider the “usual suspects”. These are podcasts like The Tim Ferriss Show, Serial, This American Life, etc. If you haven’t heard about these by now, you probably don’t listen to podcasts.
Hardcore History
I would bet this is the most well known podcast on my list. Dan Carlin has been weaving his captivating tales from historical fact for years. The very long episodes are not released that frequently, but I can honestly tell you that when I see a new one in my feed, all other podcast listening stops until I finish it. From the Roman Empire, to Genghis Khan, to the chilling story of Münster, Germany, these tales will suck you in to the point where you cannot wait for your commute home. The only thing bad about Hardcore History is the backlog of other podcasts to work through once an episode is over.
The Moment
If you’ve been enjoying Billions on Showtime as much as I have or if you jumped on the poker craze shortly after the release of Rounders, you might be a Brian Koppelman fan. He is one half of the creative team behind both of those. On The Moment he sits down for conversations (mostly with other creative people) and hones in on their “moment”; that point in their life where they took control and directed their own journey to wherever they are today. One thing I appreciate about this show is that Brian does not let his guests get away with any easy or canned answers. He pursues his line of questioning until he gets to the core of the truth (maybe it’s because he went to law school). Even if you’re not a “creative type” there is so much to absorb and apply from these episodes.
Undressed
It’s already obvious to me that I’m a bit of a Style Girlfriend fanboy at this point, but I really do love what Megan Collins is trying to do. She brings a constructive and encouraging female voice to menswear and men’s style. How many of us ask our wives, girlfriends, friends, etc. for clothing advice? Undressed allows me to be a fly on the wall for some comfortable, personal lifestyle discussions. Megan has an ease with her guests where every conversation is like two old friends catching up. It’s a fantastic extension of her website.
Pursuing Health
This is not my first time writing about Julie Foucher. She’s been an inspiration to me ever since her incredible story from the 2015 Crossfit Regionals. I even bought one of her t-shirts to wear to the gym. Her work ethic and dedication are aspects anyone can use as motivation. Competing at the highest levels of Crossfit is is an arduous undertaking. Completing medical school requires everything you have. Doing both at the same time? That’s beyond impressive. Pursuing Health is a wonderful blend of medical and holistic discussions aimed at helping people live healthier lives. It’s also been enjoyable to hear Julie’s interview skills develop over the last year.
How Did This Get Made
I love movies, but I get a lot of grief from my friends for liking bad movies. I know they’re bad movies. It’s not like I’ve been tricked into thinking they should win an Oscar, but I believe they can still be appreciated for what they are. That’s why I love HDTGM. It’s a brilliantly funny podcast about picking apart bad films and trying to make sense of them (and poke a little fun too). I even like the live episodes, which I usually avoid on podcasts. The sound on these live shows is fantastic, which is what I think makes them so enjoyable.
On My Radar
Two podcasts which have recently peaked my interest are Prinze and the Wolf (I’m pretty confident in saying Freddie Prinze Jr. and I would become best friends if me met) and Pod Save America. I haven’t listened enough to give a recommendation, but I am enjoying them so far; enough to give them a mention. For now I’ll leave it to you to see if you like them or not.
What did I not mention here that I should? What should I be listening to that I haven’t tried yet? Leave some comments below and let me know!
