My Podcast Guide: High Brow to Humorous

Want to make the most of your commute?  Or your time waiting to pick kids up from athletic practice or dance? Or your treadmill time?  I listen to podcasts at all of these opportunities and have become quite a junkie.

And rest assured that not everything I listen to is all high brow and educational.  Here’s a rundown of my current favorites and most recommended episodes.  Give them a try!

For Lawyers Whose BD Game Could Use Some Attention:

 

Left Foot: Fresh Conversations on Business Development

The host interviews GCs from numerous large corporations.  It would be worth your while to check the list and make sure you don’t miss one that features one of your clients.  Don’t you want to know what they have to say?  My favorite episodes include:

• Mark Smolik of DHL “Forget the Ball Game and Golf…”
• Ricardo Anzaldua of MetLife – Great Discussion on Diversity’s Importance to Clients
• Dr. Heidi Gardner of Harvard – Smart Collaboration Book Recap

Legal Marketing 2.0 Podcast

Some of the topics on this podcast get into the weeds of legal marketing, but the episode below is great for business people and lawyers alike.

• Jeff Berardi of K&L Gates – “Thinking Like a Client.”  Berardi also recently wrote a great article about marketers taking the lead on client discussions for American Lawyer magazine.  You can find it here.

Building New Law Podcast

This podcast tackles many of the changes and challenges confronting the legal industry today.  It is relatively short but very valuable.  My favorite episodes are:

• Seth Godin – How to Make Art and Start a Ruckus.  I maintain that I get a little bit smarter every time I listen to Seth Godin.  (I have not identified a KPI to confirm this assumption.)
• Mitch Kowalski – Author of “The Great Legal Reformation: Notes from the Field.”  The book is brilliant but if you don’t have time to read it, listen to this.  Trust me, you’ll end up reading the book as well.  And if you want my Cliffs Notes on the book, send me an email.

LMA Podcast

While this podcast has some good content, they have some audio issues to work through.  Right now there are a lot of pops and clicks and volume changes so the sound quality is somewhat lacking.  That said, skip to 2:09 of the episode below to hear about one of the coolest law firm holiday programs.  Ever.

• Your Honor Awards Winner – Jump to 2:09.

For Anyone in a Business Role of Any Kind:

 

Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman

Why the founder of Linked In whose net worth is estimated at $3.2B is hosting a podcast is beyond me.  Regardless, clearly budget is not an issue so this is one of the best produced podcasts you will ever listen to.  Every episode is well written.  Even the commercials are interesting.

While I have yet to find an episode I didn’t enjoy, this one is my favorite.  And lest you think this podcast is too liberal for you because the episode I link to contains Sheryl Sandberg, rest assured Peter Thiel is a guest on another episode of Masters of Scale.

• Sheryl Sandberg – Lead, Lead Again

For Anyone Who Likes to Think, Grow, or Learn:

 

Farnam Street: The Knowledge Project

The brainchild of Shane Parrish, this podcast series covers many disparate topics.  That said, my hands down favorite is this one.  I have listened to it several times.  And made my 15 year old son listen to it.

• Naval Ravikant on Reading, Happiness, Systems for Decision Making, Habits, Honesty and More

For People Who Want to Laugh Hard But Also Appreciate Intelligent Humor.  And Don’t Mind Some Profanity:

 

ID10T Podcast (formerly The Nerdist) with Chris Hardwick

I don’t think you can be a successful comedian unless you are fairly intelligent and Chris Hardwick clearly fits this bill.  I have listened to each of the following episodes several times, usually following long days of being “on” for clients and co-workers.  They still make me laugh out loud.

• Dax Shepard Returns  #notmymatrix  If, like me, you become a fan of Dax Shepard after listening to this, you will be happy to know that Shepard just started his own podcast and it is just as entertaining.
• David Spade  His Chris Farley story from the SNL days is everything.

I know there are a ton of podcasts out there that I have yet to discover.  Please share your recommendations in the comments!