Whether you enjoy a podcast on your run or prefer sans free sound, there’s a bevy of incredible content out there to be listened to in other avenues, out loud as you clean house, in garden work, in the car on your commute, on the plane. There’s always a place. Personally, if I have a long run and no company, I thoroughly enjoy listening to podcasts, my favorites of which are listed below.
Rich Roll Podcast 149 – 50 Ironmans. 50 Days. 50 States: The Iron Cowboy’s Assault on Impossible – Musings on Limits, Conviction, Family & Service (May 24. 2015): Roll interviews James Lawrence, the Iron Cowboy, on what inspired his “lunatic fringe,” how he prepared physically, mentally and emotionally for the feat, the “whys” behind the hows and whats, and how he balances his training and racing with professional and family life. Lawrence is a fascinating individual; I really enjoy how he incorporates family into his individual journey, which, needless to say, is remarkable in and of itself.
Rich Roll Podcast 166 – The Iron Cowboy Did It! How James Lawrence Completed 50 Ironmans in 50 States in 50 Days (August 9, 2015): Roll interviews Lawrence post his accomplishment of the 50/50/50, and they discuss Lawrence’s perception of his achievement, how he maintained motivation and focus, his feeding and fueling strategies, how he dealt with sleep deprivation and exhaustion, the example he set for his children, his approach to daily recovery, the importance of accepting help, and on!
Rich Roll Podcast 174 – Don’t Listen to Anyone: Casey Neistat on Trusting Your Instincts & the Principles that Guide a Creative Life (September 6, 2015): The conversation between Roll and Neistat spans the grind and reward of daily vlogging, creativity and responsibility in the social workplace, finding balance in chaos, the principles that govern Neistat’s creative life, the impact of growing up struggling, what it means to be truly successful, and the importance of instinct over advice. I am obsessed with Casey Neistat.
Finding Mastery 014 – Elizabeth Lindsey: Elders’ Wisdoms (December 9, 2015): Gervais and Lindsey discuss ancient traditions and ancient wisdoms, whether its your psychological model or your environment that’s off, the best place to bring yourself when you’re unraveling, how to create depth within and more. I enjoy this podcast because Lindsey is soothing and leaves you feeling at least the slightest closer to embodying centered living, as well as for Gervais’ ever thought-provoking prodding of essential questions, each person should ask themselves.
Finding Mastery 013 – Kevin Levrone: Strength (December 2, 2015): “The path toward mastery requires honoring what is true. Often times what is true can be intensely painful. Kevin Levrone walks us through his journey of loss, grief, turmoil, love, commitment, and risk – which eventually lead to being inducted into the hall of fame for his craft.”
Finding Maura Murray Podcast – At 7:35 pm on February 9, 2004, New Hampshire State Police were called to the scene of a single car accident on Route 112. It was at the intersection of Wild Ammonoosuc Rd. and Bradley Hill Rd. where a U-Mass Amherst student named Maura Murray vanished after she apparently lost control of her vehicle after a sharp bend. When authorities arrived not 10 minutes later, Maura was gone. There has been no credible sighting of her since. In the 10 years that followed her accident and disappearance, a frenzy of theories surfaced in the online community. The Missing Maura Murray podcast helps navigate through the story line, possible plots, possible sightings, and interviews several “arm chair” and real life detectives. There are currently 26 episodes and though dauntingly repetitive at times, this podcast is a good one to get lost in, especially if you like mystery, the role social media and online communities have evolved to become and/or affect crime, missing persons, and the unanswered. I’ve linked the Stitcher version, but the podcast is also available on iTunes and Youtube.
Serial Season 1 – “It’s Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior disappears after school one day. Six weeks later detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. He says he’s innocent – though he can’t exactly remember what he was doing on that January afternoon.” “Serial was named a 2015 winner of a Peabody Award as radio/podcast, cited as ‘an audio game-changer.'” This podcast has had over 80,000,000 downloads, it’s an absolute must.
Serial Season 2 – “While Season 1 of Serial was about a murder case few people had heard about, Season 2 is a story a gazillion people have heard about: the story of Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier who walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was captured and held by the Taliban for nearly 5 years. It’s been in the newspapers and on TV; it’s been the subject of congressional investigations…This story – it spins out in so many unexpected directions. Because, yes, it’s about Bowe Bergdahl and about one strange decision he made, to leave his post…But it’s also about all of the people affected by that decision, and the choices they made. Unlike our story in Season 1, this one extends far out into the world. It reaches into swaths of the military, the peace talks to end the war, attempts to rescue other hostages, our Guantanamo policy…” I was less itchy in waiting for this season to unravel, in contrast to the sheer excitement from episode to episode of Season 1’s, but I think this is a very important and current topic to be on top of at this time, and there are definitely episodes of great momentum in contrast to the sleepier ones.
Running on Om – I enjoy the lighthearted vibe of Julia Hanlon’s podcast. She has a bulky list of episodes accumulated, which is always a luxury when you happen upon someone new you like, and can sample from a large repertoire. There are a couple things that grow tiresome: I think the softness, which still encases passion, but it’s like retreat-sweetness all the time, and always the “I think what you’re speaking to’s.” I enjoyed her podcast with David Laney on Overcoming Mental Barriers (ROO# 169), and with Andrew Wheating on Strengthening Your Winning Muscle (ROO # 166), and all the monthly’s with Lauren Fleshman, where they catch up, address viewer questions, etc. Hanlon’s site is well-designed, beautiful and easy to navigate, and I think, in interviewing, she poses slightly more intimate questions than others.
