Mondays sure do roll around fast, don’t they? Even when you love your job, staying motivated week after week takes some effort. And if you’re in your head about a project, your boss, your current role, or your next career move, it helps to seek outside inspiration.
No matter how my week is going, I love to put positive, informative voices in my head on purpose to bring me clarity, motivation, practical advice, and even a little zen. Podcasts can easily fit into your life, even when you’re rushing to Pilates, unloading the dishwasher, or walking the dog. And thoughtful podcasts have the power to put you in the right frame of mind to focus and take positive forward action.
Can you tell I’m into podcasts? Well, I’m convinced there’s a career-boosting podcast (or fifteen) out there for everyone. So I’m sharing some of my faves. Plus, I’ve included a great starter episode for each one—to give you a sense of the host and the types of topics they cover. Because unlike watching a TV show or reading a book, you don’t always have to go in order. Cool, right?
This podcast is all about getting you unstuck. It’s not just for people who want to quit their day jobs (although if you do, you’ll get plenty of practical tips here)! Cathy Heller is a deep, wise, and gentle guide and speaks in an unfiltered, loving, direct way to her listeners. Her show includes snippets from live career coaching calls (score!) and she interviews career experts including Patrice Washington and Adam Grant, as well as celebrities (oh hi, Matthew McConaughey!), entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, authors, and more. Listen to feel inspired, encouraged, and alive.
Best episode to start with: “Kindra Hall’s 4 Steps to Choose Your Story and Change Your Life”
If you’re looking to level up in the workplace in a thoughtful and savvy way, this podcast is made for you. Kimberly Brown, author of Next Move, Best Move: Transitioning Into a Career You’ll Love, wants to make sure you have the tools you need to flourish in the workplace. She’ll teach you how to create and successfully follow a career strategy that won’t leave you overworked and stumped as to why you’re not getting the promotions or opportunities you seek. A true career expert, Brown shares practical, specific tips that actually help.
Best episode to start with: “The 4 Key Relationships You Need and How to Identify Mentors and Sponsors in the Workplace”
Hey, you can’t have a career without money! And So Money is the financial podcast my friends and I all rely on. Host Farnoosh Torabi—a personal finance expert, author, and CNET Money editor at large—brings real, hard-hitting money stories straight to your earbuds. From quitting your job during the Great Resignation to learning about the basics of cryptocurrency, Torabi simplifies money and empowers her listeners to make up-to-date, informed decisions when it comes to their wallets.
Best episode to start with: “Stop Buying Into the Myth of Imposter Syndrome and Earn More with Ruchika Tulshyan”
Seth Godin is the author of 20 bestselling books and a long-running and immensely popular blog. His Akimbo podcast is all about looking at our culture and figuring out how we can change it. Godin is a questioner and disruptor of the status quo, a truly original thinker who cares about empathy and storytelling and creativity. Ever since discovering him years ago, I’ve become more prolific as a creator and far more open-minded when it comes to what I make in the world. I love his message of embracing failure along with all of the opportunities we have in our lifetimes. Listen to be activated and inspired—you won’t be the same person after a few episodes!
Best episode to start with: “Making Up Your Mind”
Lewis Howes is a former athlete and New York Times bestselling author. In his podcast, which has more than 1,000 episodes, he explores common qualities that make people successful. And it’s jam-packed with inspiring stories from business minds, celebrities, and athletes. Howes’ focus on resilience is particularly inspiring if you’re currently experiencing some negative criticism from your boss, for example, or a rejection from a job you really wanted.
Best episode to start with: “High Performance Habits with Robin Sharma”
6. Tara Brach
Work stress? Infuriating boss? Disappointing start to the year? Brach has you covered. As a psychologist and teacher of Buddhist meditation, she uses her episodes to center you and help you just breathe. So if you’re operating on adrenaline and finding it hard to take a breath or focus, this podcast will help you relax, reframe, and just be more present, wherever you are.
Best episode to start with: “Real But Not True”
7. Lead to Win
Lead to Win is hosted by a father-daughter duo, Michael Hyatt and Meghan Hyatt Miller. He's a former publishing house CEO and the founder and chairman of performance coaching company Full Focus, where she's the president and CEO. On the podcast, they give practical tips on how to boost your energy, become a morning person, escape perfectionism, delegate effectively (even without a team!), say no with ease, and more. Sounds amazing, right?
Best episode to start with: “5 Things You Need to Succeed in 2022”
You might not consider yourself an influencer, but in today’s hyper-connected world, how we communicate and show up matters. Hosted by marketing strategist and brand expert Julie Solomon, this podcast gives you the action steps needed to own your personal brand at work.
Best episode to start with: “Going Deep with My Biggest Fear (and How I Released It)”
Launched in 2016, the Brown Ambition podcast is hosted by Mandi Woodruff, an inclusive wealth-building advocate and career coach, and Tiffany Aliche, personal financial educator and author of Get Good With Money: 10 Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole. Together, their mission is to center the voices of women of color while they help you build wealth and pursue your career goals. You won’t want to miss their guests—including Stacey Abrams and Farnoosh Torabi (hey, remember her?)—or their Q&A episodes tackling relatable issues like paying for a resume (should you?!) or working for a boss who’s a jerk. Take a listen and maybe even send in a question of your own!
Best episode to start with: “The BA Q&A: Leaving a Toxic Work Environment”
Listening to Denise Duffield-Thomas is both soothing and practical. She discusses how money can be, well, easier. I had never heard of a “money block” before discovering Duffield-Thomas’s work—it’s basically any belief that making money has to be difficult. Her raw, relatable, and honest style is refreshing. She’ll help you uncover unconscious blocks around success and money that could be holding you back without you even realizing it.
Best episode to start with: “How to Stop Overgiving and Avoid Burnout”
Amy Purdy lost both of her legs at the age of 19. She then went on to win three Paralympic medals, be named one of Oprah’s top 100 thought leaders, make it to the finale of Dancing with the Stars, and become a motivational speaker (check out her TED talk, too)! How’s that for resilience? In Bouncing Forward, she says in the show description, she challenges you with this question: “How can you use your current challenge or situation to get ahead?”
Best episode to start with: “My Simple Hack for Getting Out of a Dark Hole”
Struggle with boundaries at work? Author of Boundary Boss: The Essential Guide to Talk True, Be Seen, and (Finally) Live Free, Terri Cole is a straight shooter who shows us how to take care of ourselves by creating loving and intentional limits around our energy and time. If you’re interested in learning practical psychology or mindfulness, facing fears, improving yourself, or moving past places where you’re stuck—this is for you.
Best episode to start with: “How to Beat the Sunday Scaries”
I definitely binged this one while walking around Central Park. Host and personal finance reporter Veronica Dagher thoughtfully interviews women of all backgrounds about their careers and lives—from venture capitalist Arlan Hamilton to the bestselling author of You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life Jen Sincero. Dagher asks direct questions and leads refreshing and fun conversations about women, money, and how they made it.
Best episode to start with: “Jen Sincero on Achieving Your Money Dreams”
Bestselling author and organizational psychologist Adam Grant helps you ask the right questions and reframe your thinking in order to understand how to create a better work life. Grant cares about how we find motivation and meaning in our work, how we can rethink our most basic assumptions, and how we might live more creative, authentic lives. You might never see your job in the same light again!
Best episode to start with: “The Not-So-Great Resignation”
What would your highest self want for your career? What most suits your personality and passions? Author of Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose, host Sahara Rose helps you have fun and stay grounded while finding your career calling. And if you’re seeking direction and guidance from spiritual souls, Rose hosts them on her tender, thoughtful, and very highly rated podcast. The interviews are perfect for long walks and contemplative weekends.
Best episode to start with: “How I Was Able to Overcome Family Disapproval Around My Career”
I couldn’t resist including my own new podcast, which helps you alleviate unnecessary stress and live with more ease and confidence. We describe successful people as fierce, badass, bosses, fearless, strong, unstoppable—and that’s cool. But what about the easeful, relaxed, successful person? Where are they? As a life coach for top performers, I know that stress is not a prerequisite to getting things done! There’s another, easier way. I hope the Let It Be Easy podcast can be the encouraging, warm friend we all wish we had, one who could help you examine and upgrade personal beliefs and make your career and life way easier.
Best episode to start with: “A Single Belief Upgrade Changed My Life”