The 101 Best Podcasts for 2019. Discover the Best Podcasts in the World
Tags: Learning, Life, Storytelling, Podcast, Entertainment

Themes: Storytelling, Crime, Mystery

This podcast is a bit harder to stomach but is no less important. There are nearly 100 episodes, all focused on the stories of missing persons. This stuff is real, and we can help.

Start Here:

Mahfuza Rahman -

A quiet and kind young woman from New York went missing from her hospital job one day.

Themes: Storytelling, Sleep, Relax

Who says bedtime stories are just for kids? Got insomnia or just can’t sleep one night? Then pop Sleep With Me on the ol’ podcast app. This is the podcast you are supposed to fall asleep to.

Start Here:

I Am The Llama That Knocks -

Talking to sheep about Marx and Engels…. Did we mention that these episodes get super odd? 😂

Themes: Life, Health, Business

“Why live an ordinary life, when you can live an extraordinary one?” -Tony Robbins

Start Here:

Airbnb & The Art of Resilience: How a flexible strategy and strong perseverance built a $30B company

Themes: Stories, Crime

Criminal tells the stories of people who have done wrong, been wronged, or been stuck somewhere in the middle. Unlike their prison cells, these inmates’ stories aren’t black and white.

Start Here:

The Editor -

“In November of 1988, Robin Woods was sentenced to sixteen years in the notoriously harsh Maryland Correctional Institution. In prison, Robin found himself using a dictionary to work his way through a book for the first time in his life. It was a Mario Puzo novel. While many inmates become highly educated during their incarceration, Robin became such a voracious and careful reader he was able to locate a factual error in Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. He wrote a letter to the encyclopedia’s editor, beginning an intricate friendship that changed the lives of both men.”

Themes: Sports, News, Comedy

From the folks at Barstool Sports (if you don’t follow them on Insta, then you’re missing out) comes this fun sports podcast.

Start Here:

Jump right into whatever is their most recent episode.

Themes: Tech, News

According to The Guardian, this is “‘a podcast about the internet’ that is actually an unfailingly original exploration of modern life and how to survive it.”

We agree.

Start Here:

Underdog -

How did a dog go from near death at a shelter to becoming ‘Marnie the Dog’, one of the most well-known dogs on the internet? In this episode, the Reply All team dissects the formula for achieving internet dog fame.

Themes: Entrepreneurship and Business

Hosted by 17-year-old Casey Adam, Rise of the Young showcases some of the most creative minds of this era and provides you with ideas for how you can transform your life and business.

Start Here:

Zack Wenger: How To Get One Million Views On Snapchat

Themes: Love, Society

On the Modern Love podcast, listeners share their personal stories of love, loss, and betrayal. It’s a soap opera for the ears.

Start Here:

Kept Together By The Bars Between Us -

“Cherry Jones, the Tony, Emmy, and Obie-Award winning actor, reads a story about a woman who falls in love with a convicted murderer.”

Themes: Business, Economics

This is a podcast by the Planet Money folks, and just from that descriptor, you already know it’s going to be good. :) The Indicator distills and then quickly delivers the business and economic stories that are important.

Start Here:

Craft Beer Hops the Shark -

Learn about the boom and bust of the craft beer industry.

Themes: Technology, History, Inventions

This is a fun mash-up between two great knowledge and news-focused brands. The first, TED, made world famous for their highly intelligent and mind-stretching TED Talks. The other, a national resource that’s been giving the news straight as an arrow for well over a century. Together, you’re getting a little magic. Let the wisdom seep in and make you a tiny bit smarter, one hour at a time.

Start Here:

Big Data Revolution -

Every detail of our lives can be tracked… Will this make life easier or more complicated?

Themes: Comedy, Life

Comedian Marc Maron sits down with his guests to discuss the hardest question of life: WTF?

Start Here:

Greta Gerwig -

Marc sits down with Greta Gerwig, writer and director of Lady Bird, to discuss life, work, and her story.

Themes: Life, Business and Investing, Radical Self-Discovery

Tim Ferriss is a self-proclaimed “human guinea-pig.” Through captivating storytelling, he shares his and others’ mind-boggling experiences in life, work, business, creation, and innovation. With nearly 300 episodes available, Tim has created a massive amount of valuable content, just waiting to satisfy your “earballs.”

Start here:

Lessons from Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, and Ben Franklin -

Two master learners talking about other master learners. Prepare to feel like a slacker… ;) In this episode, Tim interviews Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of The Aspen Institute and author of many biographies — his most recent being about Leonardo da Vinci. Walter shares little-known information about Leonardo’s personal life and explains his secrets to mastery. They also discuss some of history’s other famous innovators and the tools they used to learn so much so quickly.

The main takeaway from the episode: Don’t limit yourself through specialization. Embrace curiosity, seek the answers to many questions, and learn from everything that the world has to offer. Creativity happens at the intersection between different disciplines.

Themes: Discipline, Leadership, Life

Jocko Willink is a retired Navy SEAL, so who better to teach you about discipline, leadership, and self-respect?

Start Here:

With Tim Ferriss. Musashi, and How Warrior Way Relates to life -

I first heard of Jocko while he was guest hosting Tim Ferriss’s podcast, so I found it only fitting to first listen to Jocko’s podcast when he invited on Tim. Learn about Tim’s silent retreat and the life of The Samurai.

Themes: Life, Q&A

Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond are ‘The Sugars’. Together they will take on any of your questions, no matter how deep. Learn valuable life lessons from the struggles of others, or send your own questions in and let The Sugars guide you to a solution.

Start Here:

Cutting The Financial Cord With Dr. Kate Gale -

When should you cut the financial cord and let your ‘adult child’ stand on their own? In this episode, The Sugars answer two letters; one from a woman whose parents refuse to let her be financially independent and another from a father who is ready to cut off his son.

Themes: Science, History, and The Future

The creators of this podcast may blow your mind…. Yup, it’s another podcast from the HowStuffWorks team! From the description:

“Deep in the back of your mind, you’ve always had the feeling that there’s something strange about reality. There is. Join Robert and Joe as they examine neurological quandaries, cosmic mysteries, evolutionary marvels and our transhuman future…”

Start Here:

Tree of Life -

The ‘sacred tree’ is a recurring symbol in religion and mythology. Learn what it means and why it’s so popular.

Themes: Health, Nutrition, Ketogenic Diet

This is the only keto podcast actually hosted by a doctor. Dr. Anthony Gustin is founder and CEO of PerfectKeto.com, and in this podcast, he provides you with everything you need to know about going keto.

Start Here:

Superhuman Performance and Living Longer with the Low Carb Ketogenic Diet with Ryan Lowery -

How does the keto diet affect longevity? Join Ryan Lowery, author of The Ketogenic Bible, and Dr. Gustin as they dive deep into the massive health benefits of the ketogenic diet.

Theme: Design and Architecture

There’s design in everything around us; we just don’t see 99% of it. This is a podcast about the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about.

Start Here:

Ways of Hearing -

Digital has not only changed the way we experience sound… it’s also changed how we perceive time itself.

Themes: Sports, Fitness, News

This is the most downloaded sports podcast of all time… and for good reason. Join Bill Simmons, from The Ringer and HBO, as he interviews a slew of celebs and athletes about sports.

Start Here:

Since they cover recent news, we recommend starting with the most recent episode.

Themes: Life, Storytelling

This is a very new podcast, but 100% worth being on your radar. Find out what happens when women break the unwritten rules.

Start Here:

How to Ride a Bicycle -

Cristen and Caroline investigate the complicated history of bicycles and catcalling.

Themes: Storytelling, Writing

What does it take to go from idea to published book? Launch follows John August as he tackles the complicated process of publishing his very first novel. If you’re ready to put your idea baby out into the world but aren’t sure what to expect, then this is the podcast for you.

Start Here:

A Boy in The Woods —

To really get the full experience of John’s struggles and solutions, we recommend you start from the beginning.

Themes: History, Business, Entrepreneurship

Hosted by renowned NPR journalist Guy Raz, How I Built This dives deep into the stories behind how some of most well-known companies were built.

Start Here:

LinkedIn: Reid Hoffman -

LinkedIn is by far the most well-known job and career networking site. Ever wonder how this monster of a company was built?

Learn how Reid Hoffman’s vision for the future of the Internet turned him into one the wealthiest figures in Silicon Valley and LinkedIn into one of the most useful career tools around.

Themes: History, Personal Stories

Learn the history of WWII as told through the personal letters exchanged between the Eyde brothers.

Start Here:

An Introduction —

This is a very powerful story expressed through the love of brothers. You won’t want to miss a second of it. Start with the introduction.

Themes: Business, Tech, Future

How will future technology transform business and culture? In this podcast, Wall Street Journal reporters evaluate current affairs and try their hand at predicting… well… the future of everything.

Start Here:

Can Food Waste Save the World? -

Does the food we throw out every day have the potential to do more?

Themes: Business and the Brain

Nir Eyal is the best-selling author of Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products. (Sidenote: If you haven’t given his a book a read yet, we highly recommend it! :D) In Nir and Far, Nir discusses how design influences customer behavior and analyzes how specific companies build habits.

Start Here:

Infinite Scroll: The Web’s Slot Machine -

We used to “click and flick,” and now, we just scroll… and scroll… and scroll. Why did companies make the switch, and what is it about scrolling that keeps us hooked longer?

Themes: Life, Learning, Health, Fitness

From the iTunes description:

“Bulletproof Executive Radio was born out of a fifteen-year single-minded crusade to upgrade the human being using every available technology. It distills the knowledge of world-class MDs, biochemists, Olympic nutritionists, meditation experts, and more than $1M spent on personal self-experiments. From private brain EEG facilities hidden in a Canadian forest to remote monasteries in Tibet, from Silicon Valley to the Andes, high tech entrepreneur Dave Asprey used hacking techniques and tried everything himself, obsessively focused on discovering: What are the simplest things you can do to be better at everything?”

Start Here:

Vegetables, Coffee, & The Recipe To Make Alzheimer’s Optional: Dr. Steven Masley -

What better place to start with this podcast than an episode about defying disease naturally?

Themes: Society, Culture

Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham are culture writers for The New York Times. In their podcast, Still Processing, they dissect the latest in pop culture — movies, art, music, TV — and give you their take on what it means to be kickin’ in 2019.

Start Here:

We Sink Our Claws Into “Black Panther” with Ta-Nehisi Coates -

Black Panther is more than just a box office smash. In this episode, Wesley and Jenna discuss the cultural significance of the new hit with Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Themes: Personal Stories, Storytelling

Following a similar pattern to Strangers (mentioned above), Neighbors unveils the lives of those that you pass by every day. You have so much more in common with other people than you may think — and this podcast proves just that.

Start Here:

The Genius Improviser -

Michael Kearney is the youngest person to have graduated from college… at just age ten. He is, by all definitions of the word, a genius. Yet, at age 32, he’s not off curing cancer or anything crazy. Instead, he runs an improv comedy club. Learn his story and why he’s made the choices he has.

Theme: Music

Where podcasting meets music. Discover new and diverse “trap” music with Andre Benz, host of Trap Nation.

Start Here:

Undiscovered Hits -

They were undiscovered… then Andre introduced you.

Themes: Fitness, Health

20 Minute Fitness presents you with the latest news in health and fitness. In just twenty minutes, learn all you need to know about nutrition, developing an exercise routine, and keeping your body in tip top shape.

Start Here:

How to be Mentally Tough Like an Olympian -

A major part of meeting your health and fitness goals is being able to keep a level head and focus on what it is you wish to accomplish. How do professional athletes — folks with a lot riding on their athletic success — develop this mental toughness?

Themes: Comedy, Storytelling, Fiction

Turn your lights out, tuck yourself in, and press play. Pretend you are citizen of the town of Night Vale and this is your local radio station…

Start Here:

Do as they recommend and start from whatever is the most current episode. You’ll catch on.

Themes: Culture, Entertainment

Channel 33 is a collection of shows put together by The Ringer. They discuss a range of topics, but tend to focus on entertainment and pop culture.

Start Here:

Why Stop-Motion Animation Takes Forever to Make, With Nick Park -

Stop-motion animation is one of the most time consuming storytelling methods. Learn how it’s made and why some filmmakers are still so committed to using it despite how tedious the work is.

Themes: Leadership, Business, and Customer Service

Lee Cockerell is the former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World, so to say the least, he’s got a lot of valuable insights to share. Lucky for us, he started the Creating Disney Magic podcast to do just that. In this weekly podcast, Lee discusses lessons in leadership, management, and customer service that you can use to create ‘magic’ in your own organization.

Start Here:

Building a StoryBrand -

From the description:

“Nobody really cares about your story. Rather than hear your story, they want to be invited into a story where they can play the hero. Disney has excelled by inviting people into a story. But do you have to be Disney to create a story people want to be a part of? Of course not.”

Themes: Success, Life, Business

Most legends started as losers. Learn how awesome people like 4-Star General Stanley McChrystal, businesswoman Ann Muira-Ko, or angel investor Jason Calacanis dug themselves out of defeat to become well-known successes in their respective spaces.

Start Here:

Chris Voss: How To Negotiate With Terrorists, Businesspeople & Children -

Chris Voss is a former FBI negotiator and author of the book Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It. In this episode, he teaches us how to negotiate with anyone and always win.

Themes: Selling, Business, Marketing

Bill Caskey and Bryan Neal are B2B sales trainers that 20 years of experience in the biz. In The Advanced Selling Podcast, they share their tricks, tips, and strategies that can grow your personal skills, build long term relationships with clients, improve your sales team, and much more!

Start Here:

Does Your Story Really Compel Anybody? -

Bill and Bryan discuss a three part framework that can help you build or rebuild your company’s story so that it is more compelling.

Themes: Entertainment and Culture

In Binge Mode, The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Jason Concepcion dive deep into the topics they are currently obsessed with. This is a weekly podcast that often times introduces you to or gives you a better understanding of a range of topics.

Start Here:

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams’ -

We love sci-fi, so of course we just had to mention this episode of Binge Mode. Join Mallory and Jason as they take on Philip K. Dick’s crazy cool work and the new TV show, Electric Dreams.

Themes: Culture and Impact

Akimbo is a symbol of strength and possibility. Very fittingly, it is also the name of Seth Godin’s new podcast. Learn how culture can be changed and how you can find the strength to make a difference.

Start Here:

This is a super new podcast, so why not just start with the first episode?

Themes: History, Scary Stories

Lore is a podcast about the scary stories that fuel for our everyday superstitions. If you like history and a little thrill then we recommend giving this one a listen.

Start Here:

A Grave Mistake -

The fear of death can drive people to do the unthinkable…

Themes: Storytelling, Thriller

This ‘experimental-fiction’ podcast follows the life of a caseworker as she attends to a mysterious military veteran. Quickly this story become a suspense-filled thriller that’s truly worth the listen.

Start Here:

Since this follows a story format, start at the very beginning.

Themes: Tech, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin

Epicenter is a weekly podcast that will keep you up to date on the latest news and developments in the world of cryptocurrency, bitcoin, and blockchain.

Start Here:

Andrew Trask: OpenMined — A Decentralised Artificial Intelligence Platform -

What do you get when you mix AI with blockchain with machine learning and then sprinkle in private user data? OpenMinded’s new platform.

Themes: Storytelling and history

Paul Harvey, host of The Rest of the Story, is a storytelling whiz. In each episode of this well-known radio show, he takes just a few minutes to share unbelievable — yet, true — stories.

Start Here:

Actor on Death Row —

Find out which famous actor was recruited while on death row.

Our team at The Mission launched our new podcast, The Story. Season 1 celebrates Women’s History Month and features the unknown backstories of twelve women who changed the world. You can subscribe and get details about our launch giveaway here!

Any we missed?

Let us know in the comments below!