The Take-Away Series: Podcasts that will Blow your Mind, One Lesson at a Time

Welcome to the second edition of my take-away series! In the first edition, we talked about a book that not only gave me an excellent perspective on life, but also talked to me about values, the importance of saying ‘No’, happiness, suffering and so many other beautiful things. You can check out that post here!

In this modern life ours, with so many conveniences to make things faster and easier and reachable, we have gone ahead and gotten ourselves into the exact opposite situation. We have made our lives inconvenient and complicated. One such inconvenience in many of our lives is the commute to and from work. Like so many others in this day and time, I find myself travelling for at least an hour every day in the company bus. So, a little more than a year ago, I made myself a plan: To put my commute to good use! Here is what my journey to and from work looks like now:

Morning drive to work– An entertaining fiction or non-fiction book which I devour hungrily every morning

Evening drive back home– Me, my earphones and a good podcast

And I have come across an excellent treasure trove of podcasts. So, this post is about some podcasts that will help you grow, learn and support you in your efforts to become a better human being. These podcasts have given me insights into some of the most brilliant minds of our times and there are so many things I learn from them day in and day out. Growing and shaping yourself is one of the best things that you could work on. Because remember when Rumi said, ‘You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?’

Today, I am going to talk to you about four podcasts that have changed my life. Here they are:

1. Happier with Gretchen Rubin:

This was one of the first podcasts I got hooked on to, mainly because I had just finished reading Gretchen’s book The Happiness Project. Gretchen Rubin is a happiness expert and guru. She hosts this podcast with her sister Elizabeth Craft, a TV screenwriter and producer. What I love about this podcast is they share a small, implementable tip in each episode that really brings about a significant change in your life and happiness. And then they go on to discuss certain questions that can help you know yourselves better. Also, in each episode, Elizabeth and Gretchen take turns to discuss their Gold Star and Demerit. This really makes this podcast relatable because they share not only what both of them are doing well but also certain things they are not so happy with.

So here is my list of take-aways from this podcast: Habits that can make you happier, certain personality traits that can make you more aware of yourself and hence what you need in life, and that it’s alright if you cannot follow through all your efforts perfectly all the time.

2. On Purpose with Jay Shetty

This podcast is one of my latest obsessions! What stands out about this particular podcast is all the amazing interviews that Jay Shetty has conducted. From Novak Djokovic, Russel Brand, Lilly Singh to Gisele Bundchen and Mike Posner, these interviews are eye-opening and give you such a beautiful perspective on some of the most successful people of our times. It explores a human side to them which is so elusive most of the times to us commoners.

In addition to these interviews, Jay also talks about various issues concerning relationships, mental health, following your passion and also his journey through monk-hood and back. Jay has a very holistic approach to living and it clearly seeps through all the episodes in this podcast.

So here is my list of take-aways from this podcast: Most successful people reach there, not because of some magic mantra, but because they choose to live deliberately in life, certain tips and tricks to help you deal with some of the most common problems that we all face in our lives today and how to work hard at being present and commit to your own journey.

3. Tiny Leaps, Big Changes with Gregg Clunis

As the name suggests, Tiny Leaps, Big Changes is a power house of small, research-backed nuggets of knowledge that can help you bring about massive changes in your quality of life. This podcast is hosted by Gregg Clunis who is an artist, entrepreneur and author. I love listening to Gregg’s podcast especially when I don’t want to spend a ton of time listening. The best part about this is that each episode lasts anywhere between 5 minutes to 20 minutes but each episode delivers a punch in the form of valuable information. And everything that Gregg talks about in this podcast is supported by research which he also cites in each episode. For someone like me who loves to read up about the effects of habits, actions and routines on the human life, this is a big bonus.

Another very special thing about his podcast is the soundtrack. In each episode, Gregg introduces a new track and an artist. I have had so much fun going back and checking up each of the artists that he has suggested. He also intermittently talks about some of the books he has been reading and my list of to-read books keeps on growing thanks to Gregg!

So here are my take-aways from this podcast: Life-changing habits and actions need not be huge. Even small, tiny leaps can bring about huge improvements to you. Nothing can make your audience trust you more than thoroughly research supported content.

4. The Life Coach School Podcast by Brooke Castillo

The Life Coach School Podcast is for anyone looking for some mind-blowing insights into learning, growing and becoming a life coach. This podcast is hosted by Brooke Castillo who herself is a life master coach, master certified instructor and author. I found out about this podcast through Pinterest and I love each of the thought-provoking episodes that are on the show. Each of the episodes is about 25 to 40 minutes and some of the resources that Brooke discusses are really helpful.

One of the things that I love about this podcast is it focuses on you owning your negative sides and shortcomings and talks about how to deal with a bunch of absolutely human emotions like fear, manipulation, anxiety, jealousy and self-doubt. Some of the things Brooke talks about will feel tough to implement, but once you do, they will bring about a paradigm shift in your thinking.

So here are my take-aways from this podcast: My biggest take-away from this podcast was the goal setting process. After listening to this podcast and implementing it, I realized that we all go about setting goals in all the wrong ways.

Here you go then! My list of four podcasts that have actually brought in a lot of changes in my life and I hope with all my heart that they will help you grow and build a wonderful and kickass Life Résumé. Do let me know if there are any podcasts that you listen to and that have shaped certain aspects of your being. Until then, keep working, keep growing!

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