30 Best Education Podcasts
Tags: Podcast, Education, Life, Learning, College

The Mission Daily is a podcast dedicated to accelerated learning and helping you become healthier, wealthier, and wiser.

The world is changing faster than ever. Researchers estimate that technology and automation will replace half of existing jobs over the next decade. Crazy dictators are trying to start wars, there’s poverty, suffering… Humanity isn’t a multi-planetary species yet…

It seems like there have never been more challenges facing humanity.

So how can we evolve, escape, and overcome?!?

Learn. As fast as we can.

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Join host Jennifer Gonzalez as she dives into creative teaching strategies, education technology, and education reform. As she puts it, “… if it has something to do with teaching, we’re talking about it.”

This podcast includes interviews with educators, administrators, parents, and even students about schools, trade secrets, “and other juicy things you’ll never learn in a textbook.”

Start here: Improving the Way We Teach About Slavery

Every teacher knows how difficult it is to teach about American Slavery. In this episode, Gonzalez interviews history professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries about the Teaching Hard History framework. This free set of resources is meant to help teachers give their students a comprehensive view of slavery.

Is there anything better than TED Talks on the go?! Tune in every weekday for a new episode on anything from Artificial Intelligence to Zoology from the world’s leading thinkers.

Start here: How Netflix changed entertainment — and where it’s headed | Reed Hastings

It’s no secret that Netflix has changed the entertainment industry forever. But how did it go from DVD-by-mail to Stranger Things? Find out from the CEO of Netflix himself, Reed Hastings.

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.

From ADHD strategies to education technology, School Psyched! covers it all. This is a great podcast for teachers, parents of students, and those interested in psychology. Anna, Rachael, and Rebecca frequently interview top psychologists to give you an in-depth look at today’s education system.

Start here: Self-Regulation Strategies with Dr. Richard Cash

In this episode, the hosts interview award-winning author Dr. Richard Cash. Dr. Cash has worked in the field of education for over 25 years and is currently an international education consultant.

Economics is just the study of money and transactions, rolled up across an entire global economy. Freakonomics Radio is an award-winning podcast that packages up all things economics and delivers it in the most entertaining way possible.

Start here: The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money

In this episode, Freakonomics discusses the stupidest thing you can do with your money. If you’re trying to save for retirement or just invest, you’ve got to watch out for this thing because over both the short-term and long-term, it’s going to kill you.

“Master the best of what people have already figured out.” Run by one of the smartest blogs on the internet, Farnham Street, this podcast interviews some of the most remarkable people around the globe.

Start here: Life Lessons from a Self-Made Billionaire: My Conversation with Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio, the founder and owner of one of the biggest and most successful hedge funds of all time, recently wrote an update to his book, Principles. He has used this framework for success for decades and is now sharing it with the world. He spoke to Farnham Street about it over the course of an hour. Radical Transparency is the name of the game, but it’s not for the faint of heart.

Join ASCD Emerging Leaders as they speak with leading authors and experts about “the topics that matter to today’s educators”. You’ll learn about topics such as educating children in poverty, managing resistance to change, and strategies for students with special needs. Dive in and start learning, teaching, and leading better than ever.

Start here: Educational Coaches: What They Do, What They Don’t, How You Benefit

What are educational coaches and why should teachers have one? Find out in this episode.

In this award-winning talk show, Merlin Mann and Dan Benjamin discuss productivity, communication, constraints, tools, and so much more.

Start here: Red Cheekums

Tune in to hear Mann and Benjamin discuss everything from vitamins to cleaning out your garage.

Thaddeus Russell doesn’t talk to the average podcast guest — he talks to people “that make him think.” In his two-hour-long interviews, he dissects the minds of yak farmers, prostitutes, comedians, porn stars, infamous writers, social critics, political activists… and pretty much anyone else society has outcasted or labeled “abnormal.”

Do we agree with everything he says or everything that is discussed? Nope… but isn’t that kind of the point?

Start here: “Episode 32: Moshe Kasher”

Sit down with Thad as he interviews stand-up comedian and actor Moshe Kasher. Moshe discusses his very unique childhood, his path to comedy, and his new book: Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16.

CodeNewbie includes nearly 200 episodes from “people on their coding journey.” Get the inside scoop on all things coding, and be inspired to take the next (or first!) step in your own journey.

Start here: Bootcamps, Water Coolers, and Hiring Devs (Carlos Lazo)

Join Carlos Lazo, software developer at Time Inc., as he shares his extraordinary programming experience.

The best way to describe this podcast: How college lectures should have been.

With lectures from amazing folks like Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, and Peter Thiel, this is a podcast you really don’t want to miss.

Start here:

Peter Thiel — Competition is for Losers -

Did you know that you’ll end up spending about a quarter of your life at work? And with that being the case, don’t you think you should enjoy it?

In WorkLife, organizational psychologist Adam Grant gives you an inside look at the world’s coolest workplaces and dissects their methods to help you achieve success at work. Get ready to view your day job in a whole new light.

Start here: Your Hidden Personality

Your personality is much more than a quick “introvert” or “extrovert” label. Learn more in this episode of WorkLife with Adam Grant.

“Where science and pop-culture collide.”

Start here: TV and the Evolution of American Culture with Norman Lear

Norman Lear is the father of the sitcom as we know it. TV changed how people experience storytelling, and people like Lear played a heavy hand in shaping modern American culture.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of bestseller Outliers, discusses the little-known histories that have created the world as we know it. Revisionist History addresses the people, things, ideas, and events that have been misrepresented, ignored, or completely forgotten.

“Sometimes, the past deserves a second chance,” and in this podcast, Malcolm grants it just that.

Start here: Saigon, 1965

“Saigon, 1965 is the story of three people who got caught up in that effort: a young Vietnamese woman, a refugee from Nazi Germany, and a brilliant Russian émigré. All saw the same things. All reached different conclusions. The Pentagon effort, run by the Rand Corporation, was one of the most ambitious studies of enemy combatants ever conducted — and no one could agree on what it meant.”

A place for interesting conversations with interesting people about interesting topics. Sound interesting?

Start here: Caitlin Doughty on Death

It’s an inevitability for us all. Steve Jobs called it life’s great change agent. The tick-tock of the biologic clock never stops. In this extremely interesting podcast where Cara Santa Maria brings heady science topics down to earth, she interviews a woman named Caitlin Doughty, a mortician who wrote a book called From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death. She’s disrupting death in the tattooed streets of LA.

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.

You are probably already familiar with the British news outlet called The Guardian, but what you might not know is that they also produce an awesome science-focused podcast. The Guardian’s Science Weekly takes an entertaining deep dive into the science that surrounds us.

Start here: The potential of quantum computing

In this wonderful episode, they explore the head-scratching world of quantum computing. What happens when a particle can be in multiple places at the same time, and what does that mean for apps of the future? There are implications for artificial intelligence, which makes it all the meatier for a deep listen.

Rebooted just this month, Founders Talk is a collection of deep conversations with founders and makers. Tune in for the stories behind dozens of today’s entrepreneurs.

Start here: Growing Open Collective

Pia Mancini talks about “her work at DemocracyEarth, being a mother, her new role as CEO of Open Collective” and much more.

From the HowStuffWorks team, this podcast explains how anything works. From police body cameras, to giraffes, to dictators, to porta potties… You name it, and they probably have an episode on it.

Start here: How Junk Food Works

We all crave some French fries and greasy fast food at times, but do we really know why we crave it or what those cravings might mean? In this episode, they explore how junk food works.

In this podcast, you’ll learn the ins and outs of “education, twenty-first century literacy, blended learning, technology integration, and educational leadership.” In other words, you’ll begin to move at the speed of creativity!

Start here: Great Classroom iPad Projects and Activities

This episode is a recording of Wesley Fryer’s breakout session at the 2016 Interactive Learning Institute.

Learn the business of art from experts who’ve been at it for a while. If you are an artist or creative who wants to get serious, then this is the podcast for you.

Start here: Create Visual Content That Spreads with Donna Moritz

Are you a creative who makes content at a blinding pace but doesn’t have the requisite sales and marketing skills to get new eyeballs on your work and get paid for all the time you’ve spent to get good? In this episode of Savvy Painter, Donna Moritz describes how to create visual content that spreads. You’ll find a number of tactics that might help you.

SOPHIA AMORUSO interviews some amazing women that range from CEOs to actors to angel investors. The interviews are always honest, vulnerable conversations that extract solid advice that they have learned on their journeys.

Start here: Sara Christensen

As an angel investor and venture capitalist who has invested in companies like Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat, Spotify, and more, Sara has a lot of great insights for all listeners.

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

In this podcast, Tony Robbins shares his proven strategies that have helped himself and others create lasting change in their lives. Learn how you, too, can achieve massive success in business, relationships, health, and finances.

Start Here:

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

It’s important to find balance in obtaining knowledge for knowledge’s sake and delving deeper into replacing anger and sadness with happiness. Therapy doesn’t have to mean going to see someone in person. It’s really about understanding your own mind and what drives your actions and decision-making, all in service of you living a better, happier life. This is a great first step to taking the ultimate adventure into your innerverse.

Start here: Happiness — Contentment, The Key to Ultimate Peace

“When we realize that we ultimately lack nothing, the whole universe belongs to us.” Learn about the power of accepting where you are in life.

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 sharing news 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?

Seth Godin is a marketing and business genius. His Startup School podcast follows him as he guides 30 young entrepreneurs through the process of starting up. The lessons he teaches to them can easily be generalized out to any new business owner or aspiring entrepreneur.

Start Here:

Freelancer or Entrepreneur? -

This is the very first episode of the series and, as such, really helps set the stage for the rest of the podcast. In this episode, Seth discusses what it really means to run a business, and how strongly marketing correlates with business success.

Nir Eyal is the best-selling author of Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products. (Side note: 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?

From the iTunes description:

“As kids, we’re like little sponges blindly copying culture from the people around us. The cultures into which we were all born evolved to fit very old agricultural environments. Each contains timeless wisdom about human affairs but none of them is ideally suited to navigating the ever-changing environment in which we find ourselves. The goal of Mixed Mental Arts is to steal the best cultural software from everywhere and apply the core principle of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do ‘Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.’”

Start here: Learning Through Adversity: Howard Bloom

“The individual is a cell in the social superorganism. When he feels he is no longer necessary to the larger group, he, too, begins to wither away.” — Howard Bloom

This education podcast dives into the “highlights and amplifications from the Twitter discussion of the week on #EdChat.” Listen in for conversations about professional development, personalized learning, and everything in between.

Start here: What Do You Wish All Parents Understood About Education?

Teachers must work together with parents to provide their students with a well-rounded education. In this episode of #EdChat Radio, you’ll learn what the Twitter-verse had to say about the process.

What’s your favorite education podcast?

Let us know in the comments below!