I listen to podcasts because it is one of the ways I can learn something new. There was a quote from someone, from whom I can't remember, "Podcast is like a moving university". I will always have something to listen to when I am doing my chores, commute, having my walks or exercise, etc.
Below is a list of the podcast shows I enjoy listening to currently and they are ordered in no particular order. It's very different from the one I listened to when I wrote about it last.
1. The Takeaway Table Podcast
This show is hosted by the Ming brothers, Ming Han and Ming Yue. If you don't already know them, they are TheMingThing at YouTube and I personally love their original series, especially The Delivery Boy.
One of the reasons I like listening to this podcast is because they discuss a variety of topics ranging from depression, childhood pranks, K-pop, etc. Most of the time, they discuss these with a guest or two.
My favourite episode is #6 April Fool's & Childhood pranks (ft. Melissa Campbell). I just couldn't help laughing listening to their stories.
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2. The James Altucher Show
One reason I like this podcast is because of the stories, stories of how his guests succeed in their life. And you can hear James's side of the story as well on his failed marriages, failed business ventures, going bankrupt, etc. James has a very interesting way when it comes to interviewing his guests. If you'd notice, he always interrupts his guests. And this is for the good actually because his guest has said something which triggered a thought in him and he wants them to elaborate more on it.
It is from James Altucher where I learnt two things – to always choose yourself, and learn from mistakes. Not only your mistakes but also from other people's mistakes. One way is from reading books and also listening to podcasts like this one.
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3. defn
I have been playing and reading about Clojure and defn is the first Clojure podcast I listen to. This podcast is hosted by Vijay Kiran and Ray McDermott and it is the world's greatest vegetarian Clojure podcast, or so they claim.
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4. No Guitar is Safe
Jude Gold, besides being the host of this podcast, is also the lead guitarist for Jefferson Starship and an editor for Guitar Player magazine. He interviews great guitarist across all genres, including bass players. If I am not mistaken, he interviewed two of the greatest bass players in this podcast, Billy Sheehan and Stuart Ham.
I like listening to this podcast because he doesn't only interviews them but also jams with them. It's one of the podcasts where I listen at normal speed. The others I usually listen at 2x speed.
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5. The Mindvalley Podcast
Mindvalley is a company which focuses on personal growth and it is founded by Vishen Lakhiani.
Before I started listening to their podcast, I have already heard of them. They have an office in Malaysia and Says has listed Mindvalley (at no. 4) as "Malaysian companies with awesome workplace culture".
After I started following Mindvalley and also Vishen, I continued doing meditation again and started to learn more about its importance. Before this, I started meditation when I was around 15 and it was a type of visualisation meditation. I used it, especially when preparing for exams. After school, I stopped meditation until recently when I hit the lowest point in my life, roughly after 25 years. It was Vishen's The Six Phase Meditation that got me started on the meditation again and helped me.
If there is one podcast I'd recommend, it would be the Mindvalley podcast hosted by Vishen himself. He interviews interesting people and speaks on amazing topics. My favourites are Emily Fletcher on the 3 M's: How mindfulness, meditation and manifesting can improve our life and Adam Roa on how to find the perfect relationship.
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6. Music Related Shows from BFM - Wavelength, Into the Blue, The Flow, Take Five, 33RPM, Very Noise, Muddy Confluence Musical Companion
One reason I listen to these shows is to discover new music, the music we do not often listen to on the radio. Because of these shows, I started listening and following great musicians like The Venopian Solitude, Charlie Lim, Mocca, BadBadNotGood, Payung Teduh, Kyoto Protocol, Phum Viphurit, Dirgahayu, etc.
You can listen to them live via the website or on the radio at 89.9 FM (Malaysia only) on Saturdays (6 PM) and Sundays (7 PM).
Unfortunately, Very Noise and Muddy Confluence Musical Companion has been discontinued.
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BONUS: Blinkist
Blinkist is one of the fun ways to read non-fiction books. It summarises the books into small parts that they call blinks. You can choose to either read or listen to the blinks. With a paid subscription, you'll have unlimited access to the books. But, if you are like me, I am content with the free plan. It gives me one free book to read or listen to a day.
Conclusion
I find listening to a podcast is way better than listening to crap radio programs filled with nonsense content and advertisements all the time. To get started, pick a genre you like, e.g. comedy, self-help, music, etc. Then, download a podcast app on your phone and start searching. You never know what you learn today will benefit you in the future.
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