Do you listen to podcasts while you run? If you’ve only listened to music before, they’re worth trying out! If you already do, then you know how entertaining and educational they can be. Of course, for the purists who don’t listen to anything while running, you can always try them out on a long drive or just around the house.
Our staff is filled with a bunch of podcast listeners – here are a few you might want to consider.
——
Casey Collins, Director of Operations & Community Outreach
Podcast Pick: The Morning Shakeout, Mario Fraioli
This is an informative, well-rounded, podcast based on the running industry. Host Mario Fraioli has a nice variety of weekly guests from elite athletes to event producers who share their insights. In addition to weekly interviews, he provides detailed insight and keeps the listeners up-do-date on what’s happening around the world of running.
Bonus Pick: American History Tellers, Wondery
Each season looks at different events that had an impact on our nation and how they shaped our history. I like the variety from season to season as well as the first person narrative. The production value is high quality and they do a very nice job of keeping each episode interesting.
——
Jed Cornforth, Executive Director
Podcast Pick: How I Built This with Guy Raz , NPR
This podcast usually highlights successful people who solved complex problems and built companies around them. Another common theme is that most of the success include a wide variety of innovation – which is super motivating!
——
Libby Bowling, Community Outreach Intern
Podcast Pick: S-Town
S-Town blew me away! The way the narrative unfolded in a completely different way than the premise set out was so gripping and powerful, and you come to feel totally connected to the characters.
Bonus Pick: I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein
It’s great to learn a little more about the lives and motivations of the runners who’s careers I follow. Lindsey interviews everyone from elite athletes (Shalane Flanagan, Deena Kastor, and Evan Jager, to name a few) to nutritionists, medical specialists and everyday runners at every point in their running journey. The epidodes are conversational and informal, and Lindsey talks to guests in a way that let’s them reveal thoughts and insights you don’t normally hear!
——
Lindsey Goff, Participant Relations Manager
Podcast Pick: Oprah’s Masterclass, Oprah
Master Class offers you a free “class” to hear some of the top athletes, singers, actors, or directors, in their industry tell you their story. The featured individual talks directly to the listeners, with no interview questions heard. They tell you about their childhood, family life, career path and every small or major bump along the road. It is inspiring to listen to people like Grant Hill or Ellen Degeneres explain how they overcame the biggest obstacles in their life and were still able to reach all of their goals and dreams.
Bonus Pick: Supersoul Conversations, Oprah
This podcast features guest authors, lecturers, spiritual leaders, and entertainers with a goal to enlighten you on an idea or topic each episode. This podcast pushes you to stay positive and open your mind up while listening. My favorite episode is an interview with the author of Wild– she discusses her journey to find herself after the loss of her mother and gives you more details than what the book covers.
——
Liz Navarre, Strategic Partnerships Manager
Podcast Pick: Hidden Brain, NPR
I try to listen to podcasts where I can always learn something new and the “Hidden Brain” is definitely one of those. It takes a deeper dive into human behavior and why we sometimes do the things we do; it’s very fascinating to me. I also appreciate that the podcasts are relatively short in length (although sometimes I wish they were longer); great for shorter runs!
Bonus Pick: Radiolab, WNYC Studios
Radiolab is original and addictive to listen to; it’s hard to just listen to just one! The podcast investigates a wide variety of interesting, thought provoking topics. I am always learning something new and it’s always very entertaining!
—–
Neale Johantgen, Event Operations Manager
Podcast Pick: The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green
Indy’s own John Green – author of The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down and others – reviews “facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale.” I love this podcast because it’s smart, funny, odd, and surprisingly deep. I also love John’s cadence and how many details he pulls into each topic. Each episode is around twenty minutes and covers two topics. My favorites include “The Yips and CNN,” “Googling Strangers and Kentucky Bluegrass,” and “Canada Geese and Diet Dr. Pepper.”
Bonus Pick: American Fiasco, Roger Bennett
Roger Bennett of Men In Blazer’s fame tells the story of the US men’s national team at the 1998 World Cup. Over the course of 10 episodes he gives the listeners a brief history of US soccer, explains the hype surrounding the team leading up to 1998, and how breaks down the many reasons why they flamed out so spectacularly. If you’re a soccer fan, you will love the interviews and insight from some of your favorite personalities. And if you’re not, there’s soap opera-level emotions and drama, lessons on team building and leadership, and a wonderfully passionate narrator.
—–
Rhi Johns, Marketing & Communications Manager
Podcast Pick: The Pitch, Gimlet Media
Think “Shark Tank” but in a podcast! Each episode features one or more entrepreneurs seeking investment for their ideas or small businesses. The podcast also follow what happens in the months after the investment (or lack thereof) which provides a bit more closure than the TV show does!
Bonus Pick: Stuff You Should Know, HowStuffWorks.com
This show provides science facts, background information, or general trivia about almost any topic you can imagine. iTunes archives 300 episodes, but there are hundreds more on the website. If you can name it, they’ve probably covered it. Recent topics I enjoyed include “The Strange History of Sea Monkeys”, “How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked” and “How Giraffes work”.