Finding Out About Podcasts.

My first ever podcast experience was presented by h3h3Productions, a channel run by Ethan Klein and his wife Hila Klein. The guys at the time were posting entertaining videos where they were calling out pranksters, promoting quality memes and collabing with wholesome YouTubers. A golden age.

They have decided to start a podcast, the H3 Podcast. Their second guest was Pewdiepie, Felix Kjellberg, one of my idols. I had never experienced this type of format with Felix before. It felt like an interview but more opened and genuine. That’s when I got hooked.

After listening to that podcast, I started watching it on the regular. I remember staying up late watching the podcasts live on Twitch. One of my favourites was when Post Malone and later Joji, the unknown, disappeared Filthy Frank, came to the show. It was amazing.

The Art of The Podcast Format.

Openness and the genuineness of podcasts.

I believe the Joe Rogan Experience portrays that the best. When guests come to the show they can talk about anything. They can set limits to the conversation and Joe won’t push it, to get the answer from the guest. This builds trust between the 2 and makes the conversation entertaining.

There aren’t any rules.

If the guest is a neuroscientist, that doesn’t mean the topic of the conversation should be related to science or his/her occupation. They can distract themselves and joke about the current world situation, tell stories or just talk nonsense. They are just having a nice time.

You are present in the conversation.

Even if you are not speaking, you are listening to the conversation. Joe and Lex often take that into account and ask the guests to explain themselves in easier terms. With the help of Joe’s assistant Jamie, they often use the screen to present videos or read articles so the listener can understand better.

Benefits of Listening to Podcasts.

1. Learning directly from experts. Most of the guests are experts in their field and they will often explain their art thoroughly. They will give strong arguments with easy examples for you to understand. And, most importantly, help you implement the things that you have learned in your daily life.
2. Multitasking. I always listen to music, however, I get tired of that. You can listen to podcasts when you are going for a walk, doing chores, or cooking. Listening to podcasts while driving or staying in traffic is a great balancer of wasting time, a better experience than listening to useless news on the radio.
3. Learning to listen. One skill that I developed from listening to podcasts is listening to what the person is talking about. Nowadays, no one wants to listen but everyone wants to be listened to. Your conversations and relationships will get better with the introduction of this simple trick. You have 2 ears and 1 mouth.
4. Avoiding the bias of social media and traditional media. I don’t trust the media. You can find lots of perspectives on any given topic through podcasts, where the arguments come directly from the guests, they will explain and give better examples.
5. Learn more about yourself. I have listened to more than 300 podcasts over these 4 years. This has been the education that I wanted to receive in school. I have found myself. I have found so many great people that I aspire to become. I have learned and rediscovered an enormous amount of subjects I thought I wasn’t interested in or didn’t have enough brains to pursue. You are having conversations with geniuses.

Podcast Recommendations.

1. Joe Rogan Experience (JRE). This is my number one favourite podcast of all time. Joe really can set an atmosphere where nothing can go wrong. He can talk about anything: psychedelics, theories, conspiracies, animals, politics and so on. In one episode he can have a conversation with a UFC fighter and in the next one is a guy who wears a hat made out of mushrooms and talks about mushrooms. I have found so many great people from his show.
2. Lex Fridman. Lex is an AI researcher and professor at MIT. He is one of the most adorable and awkward presenters but at the same time a very smart guy who asks great, constructive questions. His show feels more like an interview but he is also very present. Most of the episodes are about science, technology, history, philosophy, the nature of intelligence, consciousness, love, and power. He always wears a suit and he is Russian, you are going to love him.
3. Huberman Lab. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and professor at Standford University. Andrew is passionate about science, education, health & fitness. I have learned so many things regarding science and health. Andrew takes one topic (sleep, stress, metabolism, vision, taste etc.) and explains everything about it. At the end of each episode, Andrew advises his listeners to implement tricks and changes to their lifestyle to become healthier and more productive. These tricks really work! After listening to his podcasts, I can say for sure that I was missing out on so many things about my health and body that everyone should take into account.
4. Lifespan with Dr. David Sinclair. David Andrew Sinclair is an Australian biologist who is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. In his show, David talks about the science behind why we age and interventions for slowing and even reversing ageing. Basically, the dude discovered immortality. I’m joking, but, David explains how this can become a possibility. He argues that exercising, eating healthier, and taking on intermediate fasting can make you live longer. I, for example, excluded sugar, started eating more vegetables, exercise daily and do intermediate fasting. He is a funny and very smart guy who, with the help of his partner, explains in simple terms his art.

Give it a go, podcasts are the number 1 thing I would recommend to anyone.