In fact,
any time you’re doing something less than mentally stimulating – driving,
walking to class, doing your laundry – you can probably pop in your headphones
and listen to a podcast at the same time.
These 42
educational podcasts are all great shows that’ll help you learn more, thus
essentially adding more productive hours to your day. They might even
help keep you entertained on laundry days as well.
I’ve
worked to make this list as comprehensive and diverse as possible. However, if
you’re not sure where to start and want some recommendations, here’s shortcut
list to my personal top 8 podcasts for learning new things:
- Hardcore History
- The Tim Ferriss Show
- 99% Invisible
- Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
- You Are Not So Smart
- Jocko Podcast
- 50 Things that Made the Modern Economy
- Philosophize This!
Of course, there are many, many other educational
podcasts out there to be discovered. So scroll through the list and see what
catches your eye. Note that in most cases, I’ve linked directly to each show’s
website – that way you’ll be able to listen to episodes right in your browser
and find each podcast’s subscription options. However, you can also search for
all of the podcasts you see here in your favorite podcast app.
1. Hardcore History
Hardcore
History is, in my humble opinion, the best podcast. It’s
almost unfair to call it a podcast, because each episode of Dan Carlin’s
brilliant show is on par with an audio book – both in terms of production value
and quality of research. The fact that his most recent episodes have been
trending towards five hours in length or more doesn’t hurt the comparison
either.
Carlin’s
passionate and varied delivery could make any topic interesting, but he also
has a knack for picking some of the most fascinating – the rise and fall of the
Mongol empire, the Punic Wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, or World War II from
the oft-overlooked vantage point of the Eastern Front.
There’s a
reason I’ve put this show at the #1 spot on this list. If you’re just now
getting into podcasts, this needs to be in your feed. New episodes sometimes
take months to release, but when they do finally come out, they’re always worth
it.
2. The Tim Ferriss Show
The Tim Ferriss Show is a business podcast unlike
any other. Author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss interviews guests that rarely
give interviews, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Popova, and Rick
Rubin. In all of the shows, Tim deconstructs the routines of expert performers
in order to give you useful tactics, tools, and routines.
Most of the personal development podcasts out there
owe a huge debt to this show (or are straight up copying it). But few have come
close to this show’s excellence.
3. Radiolab
Even if you’re not familiar with how podcasts work,
there’s a good chance that you’ve heard of Radio Lab before. One of the most
popular podcasts in the world, Radio Lab is a “show about curiosity”.
The founders tackle topics ranging from brain
injuries to the story of Henrietta Lacks. Each episode is masterfully produced
and features tons of different voices – topical experts, subjects of the
interviews, and more. This is one of those shows that makes people mad simply
because they can’t produce episodes fast enough.
4. 99% Invisible
“Ever wonder how inflatable men came to be regular
fixtures at used car lots? Curious about the origin of the fortune cookie? Want
to know why Sigmund Freud opted for a couch over an armchair?” These are the
sorts of questions this show about “the unnoticed architecture and design that
shape our world” explores.
Host Roman Mars will take you behind the scenes
of the world you thought you knew.
5. The College Info Geek Podcast
The College Info Geek Podcast is a show dedicated to
helping students learn and improve in all areas of life. On this podcast,
you’ll learn how to study more effectively, be more productive, and become a
better job candidate
We’ve come a long way since I interviewed my first
guest back in 2013. Today, my friend (and developer wizard extraordinaire)
Martin Boehme and I co-host the show, answering questions from listeners while
always finding time to obsess about the latest hipster teas.
6. TED Talks Daily
I love TED talks, and I bet there’s a good
chance that you’ve watched a few before as well. Most TED talks are just as
good in audio form as they are in video, so the TED Talks Daily podcast easily
tops the list here.
There are few other places where you’ll find such a
great variety of awesome, mind-expanding content.
7. Getting In
Wonder what it takes to get into college? Whether
you’re a high school student, parent of a high school student, or aspiring
college admissions professional, you’ll find this podcast enlightening.
The show follows a diverse group of New York-area
teens through the college admissions process. It’s hosted by Julie
Lythcott-Haims, the former dean of freshmen at Stanford University, and it
shows every side of the admissions process: the exhilaration, the frustration,
and the confusion.
8. The Podcast History of Our World
“Thomas, you’re the only student I’ve ever had who
slept through my entire class and still got an A.”
Ok, it’s a humblebrag, but it’s true – I slept
through most of my 11th grade American History class (I blame it on the class
being right after lunch).
But my appetite for history knowledge has gone way
up since then, and The Podcast History of Our World is one of my favorite ways
to get it. Definitely check this one out.
9. Brain Science
If you’re reading this, you (probably) have a brain.
Since we’ve all got them, it makes sense to learn more about how they work. As
far as we know, we’re the only organisms in the universe that are currently
studying ourselves, and the study of the brain is at the center of it all.
Dr. Ginger Campbell will teach you about the latest
findings in neuroscience in a way that you can enjoy no matter what your
background. You’ll also get to hear interviews with eminent neuroscientists
from around the world.
10. Rationally Speaking
After reading the excellent Harry
Potter and the Methods of Rationality,
I became intensely interested in topics like rationality, cognitive science,
and heuristics. I also started following several people in those circles – one
of them being Julia Galef, the cof-ounder of the Center for Applied
Rationality.
In the Rationally Speaking podcast, Galef and her
guests tackle topics like utilitarianism, heuristics and biases, and just why
people should learn to be rational in the first place.
11. Listen Money Matters
If you’ve ever gone through the Start Here! page at
CIG, you’ll know that one of my main focuses involves helping you to pay off
your student loans, avoid more debt, and generally become financially free.
If you want a whole podcast dedicated to those
topics, plus advice on renting vs buying a home, the basics of investing, and
how to make extra money on the side, you should check out Listen Money Matters
(LMM). I was a huge fan of the show back when I was a student, and I eventually
stepped in as co-host after creative differences between the show’s founders,
Andrew and Matt.
Now, however, Matt and Andrew are reunited as
co-hosts (since I need more time to work on growing this site). I’m excited to
see where they take the show in the future.
12. Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
Even if you don’t have entrepreneurial aspirations,
the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders podcast can be an incredibly useful
learning resource. I’ve been listening to it since I was in high school, and
it’s one of my favorite podcasts.
This show is simply a series of recorded lectures
from Stanford University. Past guests include Guy Kawasaki, Mark Zuckerberg,
and Marissa Mayer.
13. The History of Rome
The Roman empire was one of the greatest to ever
exist, spanning multiple continents and a huge diversity of cultures,
languages, and beliefs.
If you want to learn more about this epic empire but
aren’t keen on reading. The
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire or other multi-volume,
thousand-page history books, you’ll find this podcast really useful.
14. You Are Not So Smart
You’re probably confident in a lot of things that
either have no rational basis or are just plain wrong. Not convinced? Have a
listen to this podcast from David McRaney, and you may just change your
mind.
This show explores issues like overconfidence and
irrationality, issues that are fundamentally human yet detrimental to our
learning, progress, and well-being in many situations. It makes a nice
complement to Rationally Speaking.
15. The Creative Exchange
On this podcast, YouTube
and creative entrepreneur Sara Dietschy has candid
conversations with artists and business professionals. Past guests have
included Gary Vaynerchuk, Roberto Blake, and some rando named Thomas Frank.
If you’re curious about how you can build a life
that balances creativity and business success, you’ll want to be sure to listen
to this show. Also, be sure to check out my interview with Sara
on the CIG Podcast to hear her thoughts on making a career as a YouTube.
16. Jocko Podcast
In this podcast, retired Navy SEAL officer and
leadership instructor Jocko Willink interviews elite leaders and performers.
You’ll learn how to perform under pressure, lead with confidence, and work as
part of a winning team.
If you’re into military strategy and history, you’ll
also find this one interesting, as many of the lessons Jocko teaches are based
on books by military leaders of the past.
17. Acquired
Love all things related to start-ups and corporate
finance? Curious how an IPO works? Fancy yourself the next Mark Zuckerberg?
Then you should listen to Acquired.
It’s a podcast all about technology acquisitions and
IPOs (Initial Public Offerings). Learn about the successes and failures of
companies such as Tesla, Instagram, and…PowerPoint (?).
18. 50 Things that Made the Modern Economy
Unlike a lot of the other shows on this list, this
podcast isn’t ongoing. It’s more like an epic documentary series in podcast
form. In the show, host Tim Harford tells the story of 50 inventions,
ideas, and innovations that helped create the economy we know today. Who knew
double-entry bookkeeping and barbed wire could be so fascinating?
19. Download
Staying updated on the latest tech news can be a
challenge, since the sheer volume of new technologies is overwhelming. Download
helps you cut through the noise, bringing you the most important stories and
trends in technology.
But you don’t just get the news — you also get
analysis from a panel of tech experts. That way, you can decide if it really is
worth it to buy the latest Apple Microwave or whatever.
20. The Knowledge Project
I love interviews with fascinating people, and
that’s exactly what you get in this podcast. Shane Parrish (founder of the blog
Farnam Street)
interviews remarkable people about the frameworks and mental models that they
use to do their best work and live their best lives.
Past guests have included well-known figures such
as Gary Taubes, Susan Cain, and Ed Latimore, as well as a professional
sommelier and the CEO of payment processing company Stripe. Shane doesn’t
release new episodes on a regular schedule, but when he does, it’s always worth
a listen.
21. Discovery – BBC World Service
If you want to learn crazy, mind-expanding facts
about science, then you’ll love Discovery. It’s from the frickin BBC, so you
know it’s going to be well-produced and unbiased. Plus soothing British
accents, if you’re into that.
Past topics include the reason we dream, how to use
chemistry to bake the perfect cake, and the discovery of plate tectonics.
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