“If you can own the ear, you can own the mind.”

_{overheard in a Silicon Valley boardroom}

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From the explosion of audible entertainment to the rapid expansion of brand content formats, from companies including Apple, Pandora and Spotify, to a wave of new luxury earphone products and the rise of devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod, the ears are becoming a key gateway to audiences. In the past decade, we have seen audible content become as prominent as TV, cinema and books if not more. Forget music for a minute, we’re talking audiobooks, podcasts, plays and branded ‘audiotainment’.

I was always an audible content consumer, but my passion became an obsession a few years ago, and specifically my love of podcasts. My daily life is on-the-go, fast-paced and always-on, and multi-tasking has become second nature. I rarely manage to sit down and read the news every day, let alone finish a book from cover to cover. I am partly to blame for this, because I somehow always manage to carve out a couple hours of Netflix a night, but I guess that goes more on the ‘brain-dead-auto-mode’ activity pile.

In that context, podcasts became my go-to source of information, inspiration and escapism, because I can always listen to an episode on my work commute – non applicable nowadays, but you get the point – while cooking, writing emails, grabbing lunch… I became so obsessed that they even made it into my morning and evening routines – more on that too!

As I said, listening to podcasts is now a daily ritual for me, and you can find me avidly sucked into an episode while sipping on my morning coffee, or slapping on a face mask while getting ready for bed at night. I listen to podcasts at the office, in between meetings, in the bath… You get the picture: I loooooove podcasts. And I have a few opinions on the matter. I’m sure a lot of millennials are loyal listeners and have their own favorite pod hang outs, but I wanted to share with you my top 5 favorite podcasts that I would not miss under any circumstance.

So without further ado, here is my top 5 podcast list:

Almost 30 is a lifestyle podcast hosted by 2 L.A-base friends, Krista and Lindsey, that offers plenty of advice on what it takes to navigate your 20s-30s. I resonate with the mission on anoooother level, of course. The podcast dives into themes like wellness, entrepreneurship, spirituality, self-development and these chicks are natural, authentic, and most of all, hilariooous. From modern spirituality to health, aliens, social justice, and always self development, every episode and every interview is different, but the goal remains the same: to empower you to make the best choices and live a better life. What I love most: the honesty of it all. And they’re always guaranteed to make you laugh. They’re just my favorite human beings, hands down. If you want to know more about these ladies, head on over to their website. They sell merch, they offer courses, and they even teach you how to launch your own podcast!

If you haven’t heard of Marie Forleo, I suggest you come out from the rock you’ve been living under, stop whatever it is you’re doing and read a little about this amazing powerhouse. Named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation and one of Inc.’s 500 fastest growing companies, Marie’s story is truly inspiring. I’ve been a huge fan of hers for a while now. I’ve read – or rather, listened to on Audible – her book ‘Everything is Figureoutable’ and her outlook on life is just uplifting and contagious. Whatever gets thrown at you, there is always a solution, and you can pretty much figure everything out. And THAT is the core of what she teaches. The topics she and her guests tackle range from happiness, success, productivity, creativity, love, health, and they are always served with a good dose of New Jersey flair and sense of humor.

So, this one is a little different. Nothing to do with female empowerment, business and healing crystals. This is a more traditional podcast format. Long-form interviews (usually around 2 hours) with hundreds of people from the entertainment industry, from actors, to singers, playwrights, writers, musicians and more. Raw, unfiltered and honest interviews – can you sense a theme here, with all that honesty flying around 😉 – Dax Shepard has a gift for getting his guests to metaphorically get butt-naked and share unheard stories, funny anecdotes and just pour their guts out on the air. His show is highly entertaining and has a real sense of humanity and vulnerability, which I think is lacking in most of the content we consume nowadays. Make yourself a cup of joe, head on over here, and tune the world out for a couple of hours. You won’t regret it.

I think Sophia Amoruso needs no introduction. But again, if you’ve been hiding out in a teepee in the desert for over a decade, you might need a refresher course, so here goes. After founding startup Nasty Gal, she wrote the New York Times best seller #GIRLBOSS, which was then turned into a Netflix show, which in turn became Girlboss, the female-led media empire and global network we know and love today. Their mission: to redefine success for millennial women by providing the tools and connections they need to own their futures. Pretty inspiring stuff, eh? This podcast is no different. Each week, you get to listen to phenomenal women share their experiences, their tips, their mistakes and their lessons about what it takes to succeed in business today. A must-listen. Get over here, now!

You didn’t think I was going to let the boys hanging, did you? I admit, I am often inspired by powerful females, but some guys out there ain’t all bad. These two dudes for instance, Joshua and Ryan, have made it their life mission to help people live better with less, declutter their lives, be more mindful and intentional about what they have, what they do, how they spend their time. Why should you listen to them, you ask? They wrote the book on it: Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life. Each week, they look at a different subject through their minimalistic lens and offer us a new outlook on relationships, career, technology and much more. Give it a listen!

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And that’s a wrap on podcasts my friends! I could spill the tea on so many more shows, like the RISE Podcast by Rachel Hollis, or The Influencer Podcast by Julie Solomon, the BossBabe Podcast with Natalie and Danielle, but I better stop here.

I would love to hear from you in the comments or on social! What are your thoughts on this top 5, which podcasts do you listen to, and if you want any more podcast recommendations!

‘Til next time.
Xx – G.