I had a great time getting book recommendations from you in response to my Best of 2018 Reads newsletter, I thought I’d pick your brains yet again. But this time I want to know what’s in your ear-balls?

There’s a slight chance I may have become addicted to podcasts. I like listening while I take a walk or clean the house or when the radio stations are sucking at playing music. Since there’s a podcast for pretty much everything, I can learn without having to stare at a computer screen. A lot of my preferred podcasts are business or industry oriented, but I’ve got a few regulars that are silly and nonsensical to take my mind off things.

Ten of Jessica’s Most Frequently Listened to Podcasts

Biz Chix—Natalie Eckdahl interviews women entrepreneurs at all stages of their careers. Being a financially successful author means approaching my career as a business, so this Podcast helps me look at aspects of running a company. I’ve never had any “formal” business education, and this is a palatable introduction to business concepts. Episodes often reference resources like books, software, and other podcasts, so I can dig deeper into concepts I need/want to know more about.

The Brainy Business—Melina Palmer breaks down behavioral economics (i.e. “If economics and psychology had a baby.”) for the layman. It sounds really boring, but I find it completely fascinating. 99% of our decisions are made with our subconscious mind and Melina breaks down how businesses cash in on our subconscious time and time again.

But That’s Another Story—Will Schwalbe interviews people about their favorite books. They don’t just talk about the book though; they talk about how they came to find the book and how the book has impacted their lives. The show’s somehow soothing and enlightening at the same time. It’s a good one to listen to on a day when the world feels a bit much. Side note: Schwalbe’s voice reminds me of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory a/k/a Jim Parsons. Do you hear it?

Genre Junkies— Married couple, Sandra & Scott, review Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Horror books. Love this one so much I actually support them via Patreon. They’re really good at telling you if spoilers are coming up & to stop listening until you’ve read the book. My favorite part is listening to the horror reviews, because I’m too scared to read horror. (I always know the murderer is in my bathroom and I’m going to die so I quit reading horror decades ago.) But, listening to them talk about horror books is very enlightening—a way for me to learn about craft in a genre I’m too scared to touch.

Get Booked—It’s like a dating service for books. You write in telling Jenn & Amanda what type of books you like and ask for recommendations. I can’t stop myself from listening, even though it makes me add copious amounts of books to my library holds, and my To Be Read pile grows exponentially with every listen.

Myths & Legends—Jason does a great job of breaking down all those legends we’ve heard about and making them super palatable, engaging, and funny. He also finds legends you never even knew existed, and the best part is every week he showcases a mythological creature or monster & they are all so insanely messed up—like they live on fingernail clippings and such.

PubCrawl Podcast—Another writing industry specific podcast. NY Times best selling author, JJ, & literary agent, Kelly, talk the ins and outs of the publishing industry. This is actually a podcast I recommend to my coaching clients, (particularly the Publishing 100, 200, & 300 series) because you get in-depth insights to how publishing houses, agencies, and authors work.

RuPaul What’s The Tee w/Michelle Visage—Ru & BFF Michelle make me giggle. My roommate and I love watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, and that led me to the Podcast. It’s one of my favorite listens because they interview all kinds of people. And I learn about things I would never willingly seek out like the best kind of wig glue or how fake eyelashes work. This is one of those complete escape from my reality listens and it’s a good way to get me out of my own head.

Speaking Your Brand—Carol Cox breaks down the art of public speaking. I found this podcast just as my speaking engagements were ramping up. Carol provided me with countless great tips: feedback forms, ways to structure talks, and the importance of story. This is the podcast that has definitively improved the speaking-aspects of my career.

88 Cups of Tea—Yin Chang, an actor by trade, interviews authors. She does a good job at getting authors to open up into some very personal revelations that most interview shows won’t delve into. She also knows her target audience is writers at all stages of their careers, and probes into the background/industry questions that most reader-driven interviews would overlook.

What’s your favorite Podcast? I’ll add it to my queue and (if it ever stops being wretched winter snow land) listen to it while I take my next walk.