5 Podcasts to Learn Something New, Everyday

Have you ever found yourself in a rut that you just can’t seem to break out of? 

It’s okay. You’re not alone. A recent study found that more than half of American’s will openly admit to being in a rut, and a full three quarters of participants surveyed expressed frustration with their life’s progression.

Yikes.

The reason we’re all stuck in a rut is that it is simply human nature to be creatures of habit. We repeat these learned behaviors over and over so that they become habitual. They become second nature without us even realizing it. Like a frog being slowly boiled in a pot, far too many of us don’t recognize the water is heating up until it’s too late.

But don’t worry. Breaking out of a rut is just a matter of learning something new everyday. When we’re learning something new everyday we’re exposing our gray matter to new stimuli and we create new neural pathways that shake our lives up.

Podcasts are one of the greatest mediums to make sure you’re learning something new everyday. You can consume them all at once, in bite sized chunks in between commitments, or even on your commute. 

So with that in mind, let’s dive into some of my favorite podcasts to make sure I’m learning something new everyday.

5. The Jordan Harbinger Show

Jordan Harbinger is a pretty interesting cat. He’s a recovering lawyer who was laid off almost immediately from his Wall Street investment banking job during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. 

Instead of being knocked down and not getting up Jordan decided to reinvent himself by learning new skills. I mean, the pivot from securities attorney to self-help podcaster isn’t exactly a natural one. Jordan walks the walk of daily self improvement in the quest of self mastery.

The runtime for each episode falls between about 45 minutes and may last up to 90 minutes for more in depth interviews or high profile guests. 

And the interviews is where Jordan really shines. The man is a machine when it comes to interviewing guests (maybe that’s the law school skills coming through). The broad range of guests that Jordan interviews on his show means that you’re bound to find a cornucopia of topics in one subscription.

If you’re not walking away from this show with at least one good, new, and actionable piece of knowledge, then you may need to clean your earbuds.

Listen: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify

4. Kwik Brain with Jim Kwik

Jim Kwik’s podcast is something else indeed. He’s an expert in speed reading, memory improvement, and brain performance. Which is truly impressive considering he suffered a massive traumatic brain injury at the age of five that would leave him with a lifelong learning disability. So much so he was known as “the boy with the broken brain” growing up.

Suffice it to say, Jim’s knowledge of learning comes from walking the walk and not necessarily from a framed piece of paper on the wall.

What I like most about Jim’s podcast is that it usually comes in 20 minute chunks that are easily digestible on a daily basis. You don’t have to commit to reading the whole book or grasping the entire thesis on the first go round. Jim’s philosophy is based on small, simple, steps that add up over time. Exactly the same philosophy we’re trying to implement with learning something new everyday.

Listen: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify

3. Big Questions with Cal Fussman

In order to learn anything, you need to be curious. Fact.

Cal Fussman lives this philosophy. As a writer and former editor for Esquire, Cal has had the opportunity to distill wisdom from some of the most interesting characters to grace the global stage. Muhammad Ali. Kobe Bryant. Mikhail Gorbachev. George Clooney. Richard Branson. Cal teases something unique out of each guest.  

His show is all about getting his listeners to start asking questions. To start asking the big questions. The questions that are worth answering, that drive our decision making processes, and ultimately shape our lives and the lives of those around us.

If you get nothing else from the interviews Cal Fussman conducts, you will learn how to ask better questions in the limited amount of time you have.

Listen: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify

2. The Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan is a powerhouse in the podcasting universe. More than a powerhouse. A titan. He also happens to have one of the longest running podcasts in the medium. So, be ready to learn a lesson in longevity. 

But more than that, Joe Rogan is an extremely curious person with a keen observational sense. I assume that comes from years as a polished stand up comedian. Afterall, you don’t get to be a polished stand up comedian without the ability to see the seemingly mundane from new and interesting angles. 

What’s great about Joe’s podcast from a perspective of daily learning is the conversations he has with his diverse stable of guests is nearly unparalleled. Drop in on a random episode and you might get Elon Musk running afoul of the SEC, or Sam Harris discussing the imminent AI apocalypse. 

The conversations take on a depth due to their completely unscripted nature that you won’t find on many other shows. Because his catalog is so deep, it makes sense to check out our round up of the best Joe Rogan episodes. 

Plan on spending some time with Joe Rogan’s show, but you’re bound to learn something that will make you a better person with each listen.

Listen: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify (soon exclusively)

1. The James Altucher Show

Podcasting is an audio format, sure, but James needs to be seen. He’s a character. James Altucher is the author of “Choose Yourself – Be Happy, Make Millions, Live the Dream,” which sounds like some phoned in self help guru nonsense. But in reality, it’s quite a bit deeper, as evidenced by his show.

James’ philosophy is that the economic status quo is no longer applicable if you want to grow and get ahead in life. You can’t follow the route of going to college, getting a job and retiring with a gold watch. Instead you have to start improving. You have to start getting 1% better physically, mentally, and spiritually everyday. You have to become an idea machine, which again, requires a healthy level of curiosity.

You should ask questions. You should try new things, conduct experiments, and learn from the data. This is how you get ahead now.

To evidence his point, James utilizes his eclectic personal background in finance, computer science, investing, and… stand up comedy, to conduct intoxicatingly engaging interviews with a broad swath of thinkers, authors, speakers, inventors, doctors, scientists, politicians, and seemingly average people. 

This is a must subscribe if you’re committed to learning something new everyday.

Listen: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify

What’s Next?

If you want to learn something new everyday, and you should, then these are the five podcasts you want to start with. Click the links above and download one episode each that you can listen to on your commute, while you’re grocery shopping, or instead of watching the news or mindlessly scrolling through social media.

Now, fair warning. Once you start down this path, you’re very likely going to get hooked and find yourself much further down the rabbit hole than you were expecting. And that’s perfectly alright. You’re growing as a person with each minute consumed. I know I’ve been adding new bookshelves to accommodate the books from guests on these podcasts. And I’m all the better for it.

I think.