In Pod We Trust – The Sequel

[Updated Feb 26, 2017]

About four years ago I wrote a post called In Pod We Trust* all about the podcasts I was listening to at the time. Well, in the last four years I have really started becoming a heavy user of the podcast medium. I even cancelled my Sirius subscription after almost 9 years as a listener because I was listening to podcasts instead of the radio. Plus, with Pandora or Spotify or simply hitting “shuffle” on my iPhone, I can listen to any type of music or artist when I want now anyway and not have to pay a subscription for it.

I often have people ask me about my latest downloads or what I listen to when it comes to podcasts. I still feel that these content-filled “channels” are full of great ideas, information and inspiration and sooner or later, most users of mobile technology will be downloading, listening to and sharing podcasts and before long, many people will start hosting their own podcast. I’ve thought about it but for now, this blog and the social channels I frequent like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (and starting to dabble in SnapChat – username = seanmcarp) will suffice my social appetite for now.

If you’re looking for some great listens for your exercise time, drive time or simply when you’re looking to tune out the world and tune into some good stuff, here are my suggested podcast downloads for 2016 (in no particular order):

• The #AskGaryVee Show – Hosted by businessman, investor, entrepreneur and author Gary Vaynerchuk, this podcast (which can also be found simulcast on his  Gary Vaynerchuk YouTube channel), this is a high energy 13-25 minute post a couple of times a week where Gary’s fans – commonly referred to as #VaynerNation – asks Gary questions pertaining to business, social media, entrepreneurship and anything else that might be a hot topic. Gary offers fun, feisty and informative comments back in his answers and even just released a book titled #AskGaryVee – One Entrepreneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media & Self-Awareness. It’s a great book and if you like the podcast, you’ll love the book – and vice-versa)
• The Art of Manliness – This is a recent find. It’s not about “manly” stuff like burping and farting and watching the Playboy Channel. No, this podcast hosted by the very smart Brett McKay. I’ve learned a ton of interesting and admittedly useless information but also really enjoy the interviews with authors, journalists and other really smart guests. You can also follow Art of Manliness here on Twitter
• The Bill Simmons Podcast – This is a sports podcast hosted by sports columnist Bill Simmons. Mostly a Boston sports apologist, Simmons is one of the smartest young voices in the sports-talk scene today. While he leans a bit more towards the NBA (thanks to his hard-core loyalty to the Celtics dynasties of his youth) than I care for, he has some amazing guests and his conversations are honest, fun and informative. His chat with Charles Barkley earlier this year was epic simply in it’s candor and “real guy conversation” quality.
• The Entreleadership Podcast – Hosted by Ken Coleman, this podcast is a branch of the Dave Ramsey network focusing on business, team building and leadership. Always great guests from national authors and speakers like Seth Godin and John Maxwell to local stories about independent business owners and common people sharing stories about succeeding in today’s world. Inspirational and educational, Coleman does a great job of getting more out of every guest and this one is certainly worth a download. It is one of the few podcasts that I subscribe to that I listen to the first day each episode is released.
• HBR IdeaCast – This weekly podcast features the leading thinkers in business and management from the Harvard Business Review. Even though it sounds way smarter than the average person would enjoy, host Sarah Green Carmichael is always engaging and brings the ‘layman’s term” answers out of each guest she interviews. Plus, many of the Harvard faculty and writers are surprisingly funny and human when you take a minute to look past their New England snobbery.
• The Marketing Genius & The Craft of Marketing – The former hosted by Placester’s Matt Barba and Seth Price and the latter, hosted by Seth Price alone are two phenomenal podcasts that really dig into the heart of what marketing is, can be and should be – from an individual business like real estate to a large brand or industry like social media. Not only is Price one of the smartest guys I know, he might also be one of the nicest. Give either one of these podcasts a listen and I guarantee that you’ll be smarter for your investment of time.
• The Nice Guys on Business Podcast – Hosted by Doug Sandler and Strickland Bonner, these guys epitomize the title of their podcast. I found this podcast and I have been hooked ever since. It’s another one of those podcasts that usually gets listened to on the day each show is released but they have added a few more episodes and now have shows 5 days a week so sometimes I get backed up and catch up on the weekends. They usually interview authors, speakers, bloggers or anyone else who has a great attitude on life and tries to be a nice guy…or girl. I’m pretty sure the only person who doesn’t qualify to be a guest on this podcast is anyone who is an asshole….which is lucky for me because the guys have invited me to be a future guest.
• Real Estate Real World with Marguerite Crespillo – When it comes to an actual podcast from a Realtor out in the streets listing and selling houses, this one is a great one. Crespillo is a top-producing sales agent in Sacramento, California who has been an active Realtor since 1993. With over 3000 “families served” in her career, she has some practical conversations with her guests about the business as well as life outside the real estate bubble. I was lucky to be a guest on her podcast a few months ago and really enjoyed our conversation. Check it out here if you want to know why I think real estate is really a “no” business.
• OnBrand – This podcast from Iowan Nick Westergaard is self-titled a “Podcast about branding – for brand builders by brand builders. If you read my original post a few years ago, Westergaard was on that list along with his co-host DJ Waldow for the Work Talk Show Podcast about “how works gets done.” (While no new episodes are being released of this podcast, it’s definitely one that stands the test of time – check it out). In the OnBrand podcast, Westergaard chats with people from all different facets of the business and academic world in discussions about companies inner workings and how they impact (and are impacted) by their customers, clients and the world around them. No matter what industry or line of work you’re in, you can learn something from this podcast. This is another one on my “must listen to the day it comes out” list.
• The Real Estate Sessions – Arizonan New Floridian Bill Risser from Fidelity National Title interviews real estate industry leaders from all aspects of the industry. In his initial 34 episodes he has had some tremendous interviews with RE Rock Stars and I listen to them all whether they are national speakers or industry icons or local agents in Bill’s hometown of Phoenix (or his new town of St. Peteresburg, FL) because there is always something to learn. Want to hear what I had to say to Bill when he interviewed me? Check it out here. A new episode is released every Tuesday and I have usually devoured the session the day it comes out. 
• Real Estate Success Rocks – This podcast is hosted by enthusiastic host Patrick Lilly, a high-end successful Realtor from Manhattan, NY. Lilly usually interviews agents who work a higher price point than I am accustomed to but what I really like about Lilly’s style is he gets beyond the glitz and glamour of the price and really digs into the techniques and details of what it takes to deliver great service and results in today’s real estate world. Lilly won’t be shy to chip in his own commentary along the way but it really is a great podcast to listen to and learn about what’s happening in the business and regardless of your specific market or clientele, there are some tremendous takeaways from these interviews.

Of course you’re probably thinking, is this all Sean does is listen to podcasts. No, but I do find that listening to them is a great way to feed my mind and always gets me thinking about things I could or should be doing to build relationships, solve problems and have fun.

Without any deep details, here are some of the other podcasts on my list (some new to me that I recently started listening to) so perhaps look for a Part III to this post someday soon.

• Marketing Smarts with Kerry O’Shea Gorgone
• The Nerdist – Chris Hardwick
• Social Pros – Jay Baer & Adam Brown
• Ted Talks (Audio)
• The Tim Ferriss Show
• Unmistakable Creative – Srinivas Rao
• No Limit Podcast – Prince McClinton & Sarah Dunn
• Focus on Customer Service – Dan Gingiss and Dan Moriarty
• The Art of Charm – Jordan Harbinger

So tell me…

• What podcasts are you listening to that everyone else should check out?
• If you don’t listen to podcasts, why not?
• If you would like to hear one guest on a podcast, who would it be?

Drop me your thoughts in a comment down below or send it to me via email, Twitter or Facebook.

Until next time…keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun.

Photo credit: Patrick Breitenbach via Flickr

Photo credit: Adriano Gasparri via Flickr

*some of the podcasts are no longer active but many of the episode archives can probably still be found online.