There are a lot of incredible podcasts out there. I go through seasons where I listen to a lot of podcasts and seasons where I listen to only a few. Over the last 6 or so months, there are 3 podcasts I’ve listened to regularly. They have continuously great content, are put together well, have a balance of conversation and content, and I leave learning quite a few things.
My favorite 3 podcasts from 2020 so far are:
- John Maxwell Leadership Podcast
- Work & Play with Nancy Ray
- EntreLeadership Podcast
My favorite way to listen to these is on a walk. I usually to take notes on what I’m learning in the notes app on my phone from books and podcasts, so I can do that while walking without much issue whereas running and taking notes would be an actual disaster. (Hello tripping and falling on my face.) I also find that while walking, I can spend more time thinking about the ideas they’re presenting since I don’t have to focus on much else on the walk.
While all three of the podcasts have incredible content, it’s nice to have a place to start while listening to them so below you’ll find the most impactful episode from each of the shows and my takeaway from it.
John Maxwell Leadership Podcast: Halftime Adjustments Part 1 & 2
These are recent episodes. One of the biggest takeaways in here is when John talks about a lesson he learned from another podcast by the founder of the Spartan Races. The founder of these races shared the number one motivation of people. John predicted it would be one of the 7 or so he had written about in his most recent book, and what he found out was quite different. The Spartan Race founder shared that the number one motivation of people is is avoiding discomfort. We like to stay we’re comfortable – jobs, relationships, routines, etc.
While this theme to embrace discomfort is why I choose to do a lot of things like hike the Manitou Incline, run a half marathon up a mountain, and travel solo, I STILL choose what’s comfortable in other areas of my life. And often that can be a big motivator for me and I become complacent in those areas, So it was a good reminder that choosing courage over comfort is something I need to continue to practice.
Other Suggested Episodes:
- Leading Through Change
- The Last Dance
- Inspiring Leaders
- Optimal to Possible
Work & Play with Nancy Ray: What I’ve Learned About Fear
She has so many great episodes but one recent one that I think many would find helpful is this one specifically about fear. It’s both threaded with biblical truth and also her own observations. She shares 10 ways to move forward through fear and at toward the end shares this quote.
“To be courageous requires a presence of fear. Move forward anyways.” It’s similar to many other quotes on fear. What was important to me about this one is that you acknowledge that courage doesn’t occur without fear. BUT what set’s those who are courageous apart from those who are not, is that they move anyways. They move directly into fear and that is what is courageous. Especially during a time of peaked anxiety and fear of the unknown and changing, this is a great grounding episode.
Other Suggested Episodes:
- Living Fully Awake
- The Coaching Habit
- Rule of Life
- Crucial Conversations
- You Were Made for Hard Things
EntreLeadership Podcast: The Toxicity of Ego with Jocko Willink
My respect for Jocko and appreciation for his lessons is very well known. His book, Extreme Ownership is my #1 book recommendation aside from the bible. There’s great nuggets in this episode on things like detachment, pausing, asking questions, disappointment, training leaders, leadership, and decision making. One of the best quotes from the conversation was through the conversation between Jocko and Alex Judd. Alex shares that a quote Dave Ramsey has shared is “I reserve the right to get smarter as the situation unfolds”. Isn’t that the truth. Especially during a time like 2020 with seemingly contrasting or conflicting information that is shared over time, being able to stand firm in this is what I know now, but this may change later is refreshing. We will make decisions on the here and now, but we also need to be flexible to adjust those decisions based on what becomes known or changes in the future.
Other Suggested Episodes:
- Upstream Thinking
- Standards
- 5 Buckets of Leadership
- Vision Driven Leader
If you haven’t already checked out any of these shows, I hope you do. Most are 15 minute to 45 episodes and are perfect while going on a walk. You get your brain and your body moving at the same time. If you listen to any of them and have thoughts, please share those with me so we can talk about them!
Happy listening!
