Over the years I’ve been podcasting and involved in content marketing, I have gathered a number of good resources that I have found to be most helpful. You can access the links for each resource in the list below.
They are not listed in any particular order.
Each of them has been personally vetted, I don’t take commission for any of these appearing on this list. They are just the best that I have come across and keep coming back to. I hope they can be of some use to you too!
Most of the resources listed are podcasts, however, I have also included other media too.
Rowan
Click on a tile to access each show.
Best Interviewers
A collection of podcasts and YouTube Channels from the best interviewers I’ve ever come across. If you want to become a better interviewer, these resources are a good place to start.
Jordan Harbinger - The Jordan Harbinger Show
Jordan gets a wide range of guests on his show and is arguably the best podcast host at giving value to his audience through explicit takeaways.
Andrew Denton - Enough Rope, Interview
One of the best Australian interviewers due to his wit, empathy and extensive research.
Dick Cavett - The Dick Cavett Show
One of the great Late Night Hosts of yesteryear. Cavett had longer, more philosophical interviews than some of the other Late Night Hosts.
Howard Stern - The Howard Stern Show
One of the best interviewers in terms of asking direct questions and approaching topics that others wouldn't have the confidence to approach. I don't agree with everything he says, but he's a very good interviewer.
Fredrick Skavlan - Skavlan
One of the best interviewers when it comes to asking unique first questions. He also pairs really interesting guests together which creates unique discussion points.
Leigh Sales - 7:30
One of the best interviewers at holding control of the interview. She does a lot of political interviews and is brilliant and not letting people dance around a question. Podcast hosts might not be as direct, but we can learn a lot from the way she controls the interview.
Graham Norton - The Graham Norton Show
A brilliant interviewer at disarming his guests and getting them to recount stories. Does extensive research and makes an effort to pair guests together who will bounce off each other. Podcasters can learn a lot from how he chooses and interacts with guests.
Nordwuar
The master of research. There are compilations of Norwuar surprising people with his questions because of how extensive his research is. Often someone's closest acquaintances will not even know the information that his questions are based on.
Learn About Business
These are the most valuable resources I’ve found for learning about business.
Psychotactics.com - Sean D'Souza & Renuka Menon
My go-to for business information. Sean has a unique perspective and is absolutely brilliant at passing on knowledge. I cannot recommend this enough for a unique perspective.
The Three Month Vacation - Sean D'Souza
Sean's podcast where he passes on the skills and information that enable him and his wife, Renuka to spend 3 months of every year on holiday. It's choc full of value and a great example of a well-produced podcast.
The Psychology of Entrepreneurship - Ronsley Vaz
A fascinating podcast from one of the most influential people in podcasting. The Psychology of Entrepreneurship has a whole range of topics that are relevant to business owners and content creators.
Should I Start a Podcast? - Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley's podcast about podcasting. There are many podcasts out there on this topic, this is my go to.
Live to Grind - Brandon T Adams
Brandon is one of the best at creating business opportunies and relationships. He has been able to create so much off his own bat and his podcast chronicles how he did that.
SPI - Pat Flynn
One of the pillars of podcasting, Pat Flynn's podcast and website are full of top tips, videos, interviews and lessons about podcasting and business. He has as many runs on the board as anyone in podcasting.
The $100 MBA Show - Omar Zenholm
Omar Zenholm and Nicole Baldinu make the $100MBA show. Previous winner of iTunes awards it was one of the first daily podcasts. Super valuable information for business owners out daily.
Entrepreneurs On Fire - John Lee Dumas
JLD and his wife Kate are some of the biggest names in the podcasting industry. JLD has written many of the unwritten rules that have been followed by millions. EOFire also has one of the most comprehensive business models of any podcasters out there.
Stay Informed
These podcasts cover a range of topics. They are the ones that I most often come back to when I want to feel informed about what’s going on.
Conflicted with Aimen Dean and Thomas Small
A podcast where a documentarian interviews a former Al Quaeda/MI6 double agent about issues related to 21st Century Islamic Extremism. A fascinating insight into the War in the Middle East from the perspective of Al Quaeda.
LBC (Leading Britain's Conversation)
A digital radio station from The United Kingdom. They have a range of presenters from a range of political persuasions so you can get an insight into a whole range of perspectives in one place.
The Economist Morning Briefing
A daily podcast with all of the latest news from around the world.
FT News Briefing
Another short daily podcast for catching up on the news. Sometimes I like to switch it up from The Economist
7am
One of the better Australian daily news podcasts.
The Economist
The Economist's longer podcast. Under this banner they include a range of shows so you can access the full gammet of Economist Podcast Content. Has a European/British focus, but also covers other parts of the world.
Common Sense with Dan Carlin
Not released very regularly, but Dan Carlin provides some of the most balanced commentary that I've come across. Has a background in radio and history and has been one of the pioneers of new media.
The Daily
The New York Times daily podcast. Has a strong American focus but also includes some stories from elsewhere.
Influential Podcasts That Have Evolved the Field of Podcasting
Each of these podcasts changed the entire field of podcasting. Some were the first at something, others did it so well that everyone else just copied, but these podcasts all evolved podcasting as a medium.
Serial - Sarah Koenig
Arguably the podcast that put podcasts on the map. Serial was the most popular podcast in the world when it came out and popularised the audio-documentary format that is so commonplace in podcasts today.
Entrepreneurs On Fire - John Lee Dumas
The first ever daily podcast. JLD is undoubtably a podcasting innovator.
BBC In Our Time - Melvyn Bragg
The first ever podcast. BBC's In Our Time program was the first to make their program available as a podcast. They've recorded a huge number of episodes. Melvyn Bragg is a brilliant host at eliciting particular information from his guests. He is briliant at controlling interviews.
Hardcore History - Dan Carlin
One of the biggest podcasts, particularly when it came out. Dan Carlin rewrote the rules when it comes to long form content. Some of his series include 20 hours+ on a topic. He manages to keep it interesting the whole time.
Other Favourites
These are the podcasts that I come back to. These are the podcasts I find most entertaining and find myself influenced by the most.
No Such Thing as a Fish
From the researchers from the show QI formerly hosted by Stephen Fry, now Sandy Toksvig. They share their favourite facts that they found out from the week spent researching for the show.
BBC In Our Time - Melvyn Bragg
Already mentioned for being the first podcast, but it's one of my favourite. Bragg interviews university professors about different topics. As an interviewer, he's brilliant at knowing exactly what information he wants to include and is a master at getting that information from his guests.
This American Life
One of the biggest podcasts in the world. Has stories on a whole range of topics, not just American.
The Philosopher's Zone
The podcast from the Radio National program. Discusses a whole range of topics to do with philosophy. Often has really good introductory explanations of complicated philosophical concepts.
Conversations
From the ABC in Australia, they cover a whole range of interesting subjects and Hosts Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski are brilliant at abridging a long narrative into episodes of less than an hour.
Clear + Vivid - Alan Alda
M*A*S*H was a bit before my time, so I mainly know Alan Alda from his podcast. He's a superb interviewer and surprisingly deep thinker who started acting in 1955, so he's got a super interesting perspective.
The Best History Podcasts
Revisionist History - Malcolm Gladwell
Probably my favourite podcast. The way Malcolm Gladwell takes his audience on a guided journey is as good as anyone I've come across. Super interesting in terms of the stories, but also how Gladwell puts content together.
Heroes & Howlers and the Rest is History
A podcast with comedian Mikey Robbins and Oxford Historian Paul Wilson, it includes a whole range of super interesting stories presented in a unique way.
Hardcore History - Dan Carlin
Perfect for long trips or when you want to listen to something for a couple of hours. They're basically an audiobook. Dan Carlin is brilliant at not taking a particular position. He finds all of the available sources and presents them all.
The History of English
A really interesting podcast about how the english language came to be in its current form. Includes lost about history, but also about how people in the past interacted outside of war. A great insight into past cultures as well as how our culture came to be.
Deep Dive Different Topics...
My favourite YouTube Channels about a whole range of subjects.
If any of these topics interest you, these are my favourite resources. They have helped a lot for podcast content.
David Bennet Piano
.A brillaint YouTube Channel about music from an accomplished musician. Bennet breaks down popular music such as the Beatles and gives awesome insight into the influence of classical music on music today.
Lindybeige
Described by host Lloyd as a YouTube channel of archaeology, ancient and medieval warfare, rants, swing dance, travelogues, evolution, and whatever else occurs to me to make. Lloyd has a unique presentation style that I really like.
The Modern Martial Artist
Really interesting insights from someone who is proficient in martial arts. I particlarly like the way that he breaks down famous boxing bouts and breaks them down from the perspective of someone who really knows boxing.
Great Art Explained in 15 Minutes
A YouTube Channel dedicated to explaining why the most famous paintings are well regarded. A great insight into what makes quality art. I've found that I've enjoyed a whole range of other art since watching some of these videos.
The Smithsonian
A YouTube Channel that includes videos about a whole range of topics. Well researched and well made.
The Professor of Rock
A great YouTube Channel with a whole bunch of stories about music history.
Other Top Content Worth a Mention
Random podcast episodes, videos, talks, that I’ve really enjoyed and gotten value from. Some I have found interesting, others entertaining, but I reckon that all are worth a look.
The Big Man Can't Shoot - Revisionist History
This podcast episode is one of my favourite episodes of all time. Wilt Chamberlain is well known for his 100 point game, but did you know he threw underarm bucket throws for his free throws in that game? This podcast tells the story of why he did, and why he didn't continue with it. A fascinating study into conventional thinking as much as sport.
Ocean - John Butler
Probably my favourite piece of music. I love showing people this song!
The Psychological Significance of the Biblical Stories - Jordan Peterson's Lecture Series
A fascinating series which gave me a new perspective on Christianity. I grew up without organised religion, but can completely see the benefit since watching these videos.
Quora
An awesome website for surfing or doing research. People ask questions which are then answered by people with varying degrees of credibility. Requires some deal of critical thinking, but there's a ton of gold in there about almost any topic you can think of.