My Top 5 Favourite Podcasts

I often see people posting on Facebook for podcast suggestions. I thought I would share my five favourite podcasts (all images from iTunes or the websites of the respective shows).

1. The Tim Ferriss Show

In his own words, Tim Ferriss' podcast "deconstructs world-class performers to extract the tactics, tools, and routines you can use". This podcast has been a long time favourite of mine and I really like the long-form interview format. There have been all sorts of guests, some you will have heard of and some you will have not. Whilst there are some interviews that you would not be surprised are excellent (the Jamie Foxx episode is a standout and won an award) I have found that even those of people I haven't heard of and from areas that I didn't think would be all that interesting (say Japanese knife making) are still very interesting.

2. Freakonomics

The Freakonomics podcast is hosted by Stephen J. Dubner and follows a similar path to the book of the same name, "exploring the riddles of everyday life" through the lens of economics. The podcast will take a topic and interview multiple authorities including academics and other experts in the area. The episodes are typically 30-50 minutes long which gives enough time to dive into the details. I really like Dubner's interviewing technique. He has an inquisitive nature and a way of asking questions that elicit detailed responses. He also provides a narrative that joins the interview segments into a well structured and enjoyable listen.

3. Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know was one of the first podcasts that I ever listened to. Hosted by Josh Clark and Charles Bryant, who are both writers for the HowStuffWorks website, the podcast examines a wide range of topics in a light-hearted and non-technical style. It has been running since 2008 and now has over 1000 episodes. Although this was originally a podcast I listened to when commuting, I introduced it to @mslillypilly and it is now reserved for times when we are both in the car together, particularly on road trips. We will often spend time pausing the podcast to interject with our own stories, anecdotes, and when it is in our area of expertise, the occasional correction.

4. School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

As you can tell from the title, this is another podcast that interviews high achievers to hear their stories and find out how they have got to where they are. Howes is a former professional athlete who now refers to himself as a "lifestyle entrepreneur". Although many of his guests aren't the big names that appear on the Tim Ferriss podcast, Howes still manages to find a wide range of interesting guests to interview (and more celebrities as he has made a name for himself). I really like how enthusiastic Howes is in his interviews and how wide-ranging the conversations are.

5. 99% Invisible

The final podcast is one that I have only just started listening to. It edges out the honourable mention, another Stephen Dubner podcast called Tell Me Something I Don't Know. The 99% Invisible podcast normally focuses on a single person or topic and looks at elements of design and architecture that you would often not notice. For example, one episode interviews a movie set designer who focuses on the design of paper based props (books, newspapers, passports, letters, maps, posters, etc). It was fascinating to hear about the research that goes into the design and how story and directorial decisions can influence the design and building of a prop.