OLG’s Favorite Things: Podcasts

The Best of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

A daily, 60-minute distillation of the anti-sports talk show that airs weekdays on ESPN Radio from 10A–1P. I figure it takes at least 25 episodes to finally “get the show” (and those first 25 will frustrate you to no end), but once you’re in—it’ll be all you listen to, or think about, and you’ll spend most of your time just waiting for next Tuesday, when Greg Cote is a guest host again. Mike Schur (creator of Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, and writer on The Office) sings the praise on Slate. — Matt

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend

I’ve always enjoyed Conan’s comedy but never found time to watch the regular episodes of his show. Once I heard about his newish podcast though, I made it a point to listen to each one. In each episode, Conan interviews someone he admires—usually a comedian—and keeps it to around 40 minutes. As a creative, I like hearing the inside of his industry, how it works and how he and each of his guests got to where they are. — Jake

The Erik Anders Lang Show

I first came across Erik in his documentary YouTube series Adventures in Golf, where he travels the world looking for unique and weird golf experiences. His podcast The Erik Anders Lang Show expands on this with a mix of commentary and guests—ranging from golf pros to celebrities, course architects to authors. Erik offers an interesting take on the golf world, and where it’s headed. As he puts it, “seek to uncover stories of WHY we golf, not necessarily HOW we golf.” And he is certainly an advocate for making golf more accessible and more enjoyable, and reminds us that your scorecard isn’t the real measure of a great round. — Jonathan

Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

Because I always learn something I didn’t even know I was interested in… And obvi Jonathan Van Ness brings that gorge comic realness. — Olivia

Jen Gotch is OK…Sometimes

I love Jen Gotch is OK…Sometimes because she is a goddess and my future BFF (spread the word folks). — Olivia

Let’s do

Shameless plug for Let’s do because it’s so much fun to create and I love to talk! — Olivia

R U Talkin’ U2 2 Me? / R U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: Me?

Do Le Batard and Stugotz frustrate you with their seemingly random, ceaseless tangents? Then don’t even think about listening to these ‘casts. Adam Scott (Parks & Recreation) and Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang Bang) offer up their encyclopedic knowledge of all things U2 (and later, R.E.M.), along with sub-casts like I Love Films. An absolute and utter waste of time. And yet, wildly addictive, so much that members of both bands have sat in—multiple times—to record their own episodes. — Matt

This Portfolio Life

Jeff Goins is a writer and entrepreneur. His message is all about dismantling the myth of the starving artist, that you can make money from your creative work. There’s a tinge of spirituality to it which I like, and overall super motivating for reaching your creative goals. — Annie

UnF*ck Your Brain

I like UnF*ck your Brain because it helps me understand my mind and is like therapy and a pep talk, all in 20 minutes. — Olivia

Matt speaks—

In case you don’t want to waste your time listening to the podcasts *I* recommended above, here are a few that could enrich your life, and maybe even have a positive impact your career:

Revisionist History

My son and I love listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History whenever we’re road-trippin’. Each and every episode is eye-opening and entertaining—literally our favorite part of every trip.

Past faves, which I rarely find the time for anymore (due to Dan, Stugotz, Scott & Scott), are: HBR IdeaCast, Sound Opinions, Here’s the Thing, You Made It Weird, BBC Desert Island Discs, Political Beats and Song Exploder.