Podcasts represent
a small but growing segment of the media landscape, and in our office, it’s not uncommon to hear a sentence begin with “I was listening to this podcast, and …”
It’s a hot summer holiday week in the United States; you may be in a car, on a plane, or sitting in front of the air conditioner with a cold drink in hand. If so, you may be looking for podcast recommendations. The Luminary Labs Podcast Club has some suggestions for you. (If you’re new to podcasts,
WIRED has a guide to getting started with the most popular apps.)
For executives and entrepreneurial minds
How I Built This — NPR’s show features interviews with founders and entrepreneurs. Host
Guy Raz recently spoke with Lyft founder John Zimmer about how a class on green cities inspired the ride-sharing startup.
Masters of Scale — LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman interviews leaders about growing a company “from zero to a gazillion.”
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky shared how his company gained traction by focusing intently on its first customers and handcrafting the core experience.
Inside Trader Joe’s — Employees share insider information about the California-based grocery store chain’s culture, values, and operations in a five-part series.
For tech types
The Information’s 411 — The publication’s weekly show highlights major news in tech and media. An episode about
the future of Hollywood went behind the scenes to see how major tech players are shaking up the content landscape.
Too Embarrassed to Ask — Should big tech companies like Facebook be broken up? NYU professor Scott Galloway brought his signature brand of candor to a recent episode of Recode’s podcast to
take stock of big tech and offer predictions for the future.
Reply All — This “show about the internet” covers a wide range of technology-related stories and mysteries, including one where the hosts try to figure out
how Russians hacked their boss’s Uber account.
For designers and city dwellers
The Urbanist — Monocle’s “guide to making better cities” looks at everything from technology and transportation to architecture and culture. A recent episode on
football and urbanism aired just in time for the World Cup.
99% Invisible — Design decisions are everywhere; we just don’t always notice them. This show looks closely at everything from
curb cuts to the
architecture of Las Vegas to see what we can learn from the world around us.
For the culturally curious
Freakonomics — If you’ve ever used the terms “steep learning curve” or “hardwired,” you should listen to the popular show’s discussion with psychology professor about
five psychology terms you're probably misusing.
The Sporkful — This show “obsesses about food to learn more about people” and uncovers cultural stories like
the secret language of tacos and
the donut empire that helped Cambodian refugees settle in California.
Uncivil — The Peabody Award-winning show tells stories about the Civil War that didn’t make it into most history books, including one about a Philadelphia shopkeeper whose
counterfeiting con helped take down the Confederacy.
This American Life — The public radio show is famous for good reason. It’s been on the air since 1995 with engrossing episodes — like “
No place like home” or “
Random acts of history” — that play out “like little movies for radio.”
Do you have a favorite podcast? Hit the reply button and tell us what we should add to our queue.
Photo by Malte Wingen on Unsplash.
