Books and Podcasts
In times of crisis I do believe we all should resort back to what helps us - friends, family, books, podcasts, therapy, solitude. One method does not exclude the other and you can have a mixed bag of coping mechanisms. Over the last 2 years what I found works really well for me is listening to podcasts. I love reading but for some reason I have struggled to be able to sit and focus on reading on most days. I guess this was my lack of inner peace that manifested itself through movement. So, ultimately reading a book was challenging.
I wanted o share some of the podcasts I loved listening to in my time of not feeling at my best, and why.
First of all, I will say there is a lot, and I mean a lot of bad podcasts out there. So to find something you actually vibe with is work in itself. Even ones that people recommend, you may not particularly vibe with.
There are 3 main podcasts I listened to:
Diary of a CEO - I am not the biggest fan of the host but I love his guests. So I primarily listen to it for that. Steven is a marketing genius so I guess he gets the good people in. Due to the calibre of guests, even if his questions lack depth, the answers/stories are almost always pretty amazing.
Why do I love it: I love the fact that his podcasts are professionally filmed and recorded as well, because the quality is superb and it makes a difference when you listen. I also love that they are long - anything from 1.5h to 2.2h. I do think this is a good enough time to in depth into a topic that interests you and get something tangible from it. The guests are spectacular, relatable and provide solid story telling that keeps you engaged. I also feel I learn so much from it, which helps me put structure in my brain when things are foggy. Below are 4 I really loved listening to.
AirBnB CEO ‘ It was so dark, we nearly died’
The discipline expert: The 4 surprising and easy habits all high achievers have
CMO of Netflix, Uber & Apple! Work Life balance is a bad advice
Sadhguru predicts: there is a mental health pandemic coming
2. 10% Happier - I like this podcast because it does themes. So it has a bunch of episodes that follow 1 theme with different guests, so it gives some form of continuity and depth. I also like the host and the way he asks his questions. His guests are a little less known compared to Diary of a CEO but the conversions are also lighter and with a few more outcomes that the listener can take to perform day to day.
On the website there are groups of episodes you can browse and listen to but I do love this collection on Anxiety.
What is mindfulness, really? And how do you know if you are doing it right?
The Myth of the dream job
3. The Mel Robins podcast - I used to listen to this one religiously in summer 2023 but somehow I started getting put off at some point as I felt a lot of it was very focused around Mel’s life and what was happening to her - her kids going to college. Which was not something I could relate to so I kind of stopped listening to it. Also, it just felt weird listening to her kids giving advice on the podcast, all respect to the youth but… So ultimately I think she has really good content from Covid times and 2022 but this year I feel the podcast took a bit of a nose dive for me content/guest wise. Worth a browse though to listen some of the old ones.
I hope my recommendations make your day at least 10% better :)
