Podcasts – You Just Gotta Try Them! USA

I have a secret obsession – listening to podcasts! I say ‘secret’ lightly, as ever since I’ve started listening to them, I can’t get enough and now talk about them insistently with anyone and everyone. It started with one innocent listen to a marketing podcast and it grew from there. You see, I absolutely love the work that a certain author, Scott Stratten, does. I love his tone, his practicality and his advice in marketing and in life. I was on his website one day and came across these ‘podcasts’. Podcast? What is a podcast? I don’t get it… Then I learned all about them.

What is a Podcast?
A podcast is a digital audio recording that is usually set up in a series or as episodes. It’s essentially a ‘pod’ of broadcasts that are recorded by experts, celebrities, sports broadcasters, and everyone in between. The podcast episodes are sent out into the digital world so that listeners can hear them on smart devices or computers. I’m all about finding easier ways to do things and once I learned that I could listen to these from my computer on my iPhone, I was all over it! And so began my obsession with podcasts.

Now you may wonder, ‘What’s the big deal? Can’t you do the exact same thing watching TV or reading a blog on a website?’ Sure! There are so many different ways to learn something new. The thing that I like about podcasts is that I can learn something AND do other ‘mindless things at the same time’. I can listen to topics that I’ve never even had a thought about before. I can be educated, or just have a good laugh and be motivated, while I carry on with the rest of my life. Seriously. I listen while getting ready in the morning, while making lunches at night, while folding laundry, cleaning bathrooms and especially while stuck in traffic in my car. People must think I’m crazy as I’m laughing away or nodding in agreement as they grip their steering wheels tighter and tighter.

As the sound goes in my ears, I’m taking in more than just random information. I’m ‘filing away’ these little tidbits for later and when that ‘later’ comes, I recall what I heard from this expert or that expert. On the flip side of that, if I just need a little pick me up, that can come from an inspirational message or even from a good hard laugh at something that one podcaster said. And many of the things that I listen to are relatable, whether they are talking about what their kids did the night before or what they read in the newspaper that morning or how their neighbour won’t stop talking about their cat. At the end of the day, I am absorbing all of this information and banter and I am empowering myself and growing both personally and professionally. I cannot stress enough what a valuable tool this is.

How do I get started?
By this point, I hope you’re wondering, ‘how do I get going on this podcast thing?’ Maybe not, but a girl can dream! As I said, you can listen to podcasts directly on your computer, but you can also listen to them from your smart phones. (That’s my personal preference). As an iPhone user, I use the podcast app that came automatically with my phone. I searched specifically for Scott Stratten and once I found his podcast, I subscribed to it so that my phone alerts me when new episodes are released. For Android, a great podcast app is Podcast Republic and for Blackberry Podcast Addict. All apps work on the same premise, allowing you to search (by category or by specific person/podcast name), subscribe and download. The handy thing with downloading an episode right to your phone is that when you are in the car or away from WIFI, you don’t have to worry about burning up data. You just hit play and listen to something already waiting for you. When you are done listening, you delete and move on. (You can even save episodes if you want to re-listen).

There are literally hundreds of podcast out there to listen to as well. The apps all have categories and ‘top 10’ lists if you aren’t sure where to start. I started with marketing related podcasts since that’s the field I am in, but it soon grew to include fitness, nutrition, motivation, and of course comedy. Here are a few of my favourites, but I highly recommend that you go exploring for yourself. Listen to one or two episodes and if you like what you hear, go ahead and subscribe.

The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes (motivation, business)
The Chalene Show (motivation, health & fitness, business)
The Tim Ferriss Show (business, how-to, motivation)
Bullet Proof Radio (heath & fitness, nutrition)
The Jillian Michaels Show (health & fitness, comedy)
Inspired to Action (motivation, inspiration, motherhood)
The Unpodcast with Scott Stratten & Alison Kramer (marketing, comedy)
Social Media Examiner (marketing)

There are so many more I can list… Like I said, I’m obsessed. Podcasts have made a difference for me. They’ve taken time that was rather unproductive, but necessary, and turned it into something that has helped me grow. I hope that this tool can also help you in achieving something greater or just learning something new. Enjoy!