Top 5 Podcasts to expand your mind

In the past two years, I have listened to 198 Podcast Episodes. Here are my favorites.

Podcasts are very similar to audiobooks, but can be more fun and effective. Podcasts are incredibly valuable learning channels, and my favorites are usually in informal interview form. I love listening to a casual conversation between a show’s host and his/her guest. The personal connection you get with the “author” (show guest) is deeper than what you get from an audiobook.

When you get both parties (host and guest) having a dialogue at their leisure, talking about ideas and things they are truly passionate about, it’s easier to process, understand and relate to those ideas and things. I also love how Podcasts ease you into heavier topics by introducing the guests, making small talk and going over the guests bios first, which is usually a short autobiography in a relaxed setting. A good show host also makes sure their guests explain complex or unfamiliar ideas in simple language.

So how did I listen to so many podcasts? I love listening when doing a “mundane” task, such as walking the dog, cooking, and driving. Below are recommendations of my favorite shows — enjoy!

Tracked my progress with Daily Tracker

The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE)

You might know Joe as the UFC commentator/interviewer or as the host of Fear Factor. You might know him as a comedian or you might not know him at all ,which is a shame, but also a blessing. Why? Because you missed out on hundreds of amazing episodes with super interesting guests. Each episode is an informal three hour conversation that will not only make you feel smarter, but also will make you laugh. A LOT. But lucky for you, all episodes are still available for FREE. You can listen to the audio version or watch the video podcast. You should check out the video version when Joe and his guests talk about pictures, videos or physical things you’d want to see with your own eyes.

Joe is insanely talented, smart and hilarious, and he DOESN’T GIVE A FUCK. He’s one of the most humble, open-minded humans out there. Joe tells everything as it fucking is. He’s given his thoughts on many interesting complex subjects, and had insanely interesting conversations with fascinating people from different walks of life. Joe is the man. I’m a HUGE fan. He also has this amazing energy that I love to feed off. Always motivated to try new things, get out of his comfort zone, work hard, and always keeps it light, never taking life too seriously. Joe knows how to enjoy the ride.

5 great episodes from Joe Rogan Experience (description from show notes):

Lance Armstrong — an American former professional road racing cyclist and 7-time winner of the Tour de France.

Sam Harris — a neuroscientist and author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape. His podcast called “Waking Up” is available on iTunes & Stitcher.

Dan Bilzerian — a social media personality and professional poker player

Cameron Hanes — a bowhunting athlete, “training intensively each and every day to become the Ultimate Predator.”

Chris Kresser — a health detective specializing in investigative medicine, blogger, podcaster, teacher and a Paleo diet and lifestyle enthusiast.

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss is known as the “Indiana Jones of the Digital Age.” He is an author, entrepreneur, angel investor/advisor, public speaker and more. He has written a number of self-help books, including The 4-Hour Work Week. Jamie Foxx said he became “The Oprah of Audio”, and The New York Times called him:

“A cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk.”

Tim’s podcast is focused on deconstructing world-class performers, where he interviews the most interesting people on earth. Tim is not only crazy smart and interesting on many levels, but also has a unique talent to simplify complex ideas to digestible and actionable tasks, and extract hidden gems by asking distinctive questions.

5 great episodes from Tim Ferriss Show:

Jamie Foxx on Workout Routines, Success Habits, and Untold Hollywood Stories

Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More)

Tony Robbins on Morning Routines, Peak Performance, and Mastering Money

Naval Ravikant on Happiness Hacks and the 5 Chimps Theory

Interview of Kevin Kelly, Co-Founder of WIRED, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World?

The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

Lewis Howes is a former professional football player turned entrepreneur. Lewis presumably came out of nowhere and became a self-made entrepreneur by having a passion, and determination to learn and achieve success. Today he is a New York Times bestseller author, angel investor, author and more.

I first learned about Lewis when he hosted my amazing crossfit gymnastics coach Carl Paoli on his podcast. I think Lewis started his podcast by interviewing athletes and interesting people from the fitness industry, but as he got bigger and better, and became a marketing machine, he landed guests from various industries. What I love most about Lewis is his relentless hustle, passion and gratitude. He inspires me time after time with his gratitude to many aspects in his life, and his attitude is just infectious.

5 great episodes from The School of Greatness Podcast:

Rob Dyrdek: From Small Town Skateboarder to Media Mogul Empire

Alanis Morissette on Fame, Finding Purpose, and Emotional Healing

Travis Pastrana on the Fearless Mindset to Pursue Your Passion

Sara Blakely: SPANX CEO on Writing Your Billion Dollar Story

The Power of Breathing to Get In the Zone with Laird Hamilton

Aubrey Marcus Podcast

Aubrey Marcus is the CEO of Onnit — a company that combines bleeding-edge science, earth-grown nutrients, and time-tested strategies from top athletes and medical professionals, to provide supplements, foods, and fitness equipment to help people achieve your new level of well-being and Total Human Optimization. Aubrey is also very spiritual and talks a lot about psychedelics and Ayahuasca in particular.

Aubrey’s podcast is about the idea of bringing balance back into a world that is increasingly polarized, and a sense of tribe back to a people growing increasingly solipsistic. True to the concept his podcast blends humor with gravity and levity with depth, as we explore the realms of the mind, psychedelics, athletics, MMA and Sexuality. — Stitcher

What I love about Aubrey is his unique attitude to finding life’s truths. Aubrey is a modern-day savage, who doesn’t fear anything, has the courage to really think out of the box, and goes outside his comfort zone time after time to find mother nature’s hidden truths. Aubrey defines his own way of life and ethics without giving too much weight to the status quo. He is one of the most interesting thinkers, combining ancient philosophy with state-of-the-art technologies.

5 great episodes from Aubrey Marcus Podcast:

SPECIAL: Maestro Hamilton Souther — Podcast + Live Recording From Ceremony

Walking the Unconventional Path with Whitney Miller

Turning Resistance to Assistance with Ryan Holiday

Cory Allen

Dr. Dan Engle

FoundMyFitness by Rhonda Patrick

Rhonda is a super interesting doctor from the Bay Area. She is known for her extensive research on aging, cancer, and nutrition.

She frequently engages the public on topics including the role micronutrient deficiencies play in diseases of aging, the role of genetics in determining the effects of nutrients on a person’s health status, benefits of exposing the body to hormetic stressors, such as through exercise, fasting, sauna use or heat stress, or various forms of cold exposure, and the importance of mindfulness, stress reduction, and sleep. — FoundMyFitness

What I like about Rhonda is that she breaks down complex medical conditions such as cancer, aging, nutrition and genetics to curious everyday people. Her podcast is a little more technical and requires more attention than other Podcasts. I sometimes have to pause and google certain terms she talks about to keep up with the conversation. Her podcast is freaking fantastic if you want to get a better understanding of how your body works, what you should do to maintain good health, and what you should be looking for when getting your physical test results.

I discovered Rhonda through other podcasts mentioned above. She was a guest on Joe Rogan Experience and on Tim Ferriss Show. Make sure to check those out!

5 great episodes from FoundMyFitness:

How Cryotherapy Affects the Brain, the Immune System, Metabolism, and Athletic Performance

Sauna Use and Building Resilience to Stress with Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Dr. Pierre Capel on the Power of the Mind & the Science of Wim Hof

Dr. Darya and Kevin Rose Talk Meditation Retreats, Diet, Seasonal Eating, and More

Peter Attia, M.D. on Macronutrient Thresholds for Longevity & Performance, Cancer & More

I hope you found this post useful! If you did please recommend :)

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For daily recommendations, check out Dope Podcasts.

For easy-to-read, detailed show notes, check out Podcast Breakdown.