20 Seriously Good Podcasts in 2021
If you’re anything like me, you love to listen to podcasts, especially when commuting. Podcasts are a great tool to tap into inspiration while you’re on the go. Compared to other forms of media, like audio books, the creators of podcasts are able to share ideas relatively quickly, making this is a great way for listeners to stay up to date with the current business trends, strategies, and ideas.
What makes for a great podcast is excellent content that is thoughtful, inspirational, and not filled with a lot of fluff. Strong storytelling is a plus, as well. When I get really into good podcasts, I feel like I’m listening to my “stories,” just like my grandmother used to keep up with her soap operas.
Here are 20 super inspiring podcasts for you to check out. Each one is unique, but they all relate to business ownership, career success, parenthood, and/or fellow badass women. Your iTunes library (not to mention your mojo) will thank you!
The 20 best podcasts for women
1. “No Limits" with Rebecca Jarvis
“No Limits” profiles women who are rocking their careers and building empires. I personally love hearing about different women’s career trajectories, especially the beginning and where they went from there. You can learn from both their sucesses and their mistakes.
2. “The GaryVee Audio Experience”
I love Gary Vee, especially on Monday morning to get the week going. Any time I need an extra dose of confidence or a private pep talk, I’ll turn on this podcast. Vee posts so often that you can simply listen to whatever he most recently posted and you'll find some gem of advice.
3. "48 Days to the Work You Love"
As the title implies, Dan Miller's top-downloaded podcast offers 48-day programs to help you transform your life and career. His methodology? It's about identifying and tapping into your natural skills and abilities.
4. “How I Built This”
Do you ever wonder how some of the world’s largest brands were created? This show illuminates the humble beginnings of so many brands I’ve always taken for granted, like Patagonia and Cliff Bar. Learning how companies like these were started from the ground up is incredibly inspiring, and provides a necessary reminder that business leadership starts from the bottom.
5. “A Uterus is A Feature Not A Bug” with Sarah Lacy
This great podcast is a must listen for any working mother, period. On her podcast, Sarah Lacy offers listeners professional and personal insights from herself and her guests. If you want to hear the nitty-gritty on balancing parenting and rocking a career, be sure to tune into “A Uterus is A Feature Not A Bug,” and learn how other powerhouse moms are making — not just "making it work."
6. “Profit, Power, Pursuit: A CreativeLive Podcast” with Tara Gentile
“Profit, Power, Pursuit” is an inspirational in-depth interview show. Tara Gentile has a diverse lineup of guests and does an excellent job of getting deep and practical as she hosts. The episode with Grace Bonney of Design Sponge is one of my personal favorite podcast episodes.
7. “Being Boss: Mindset, Habits, Tactics, and Lifestyle for Creative Entrepreneurs” with Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon
“Being Boss” is a very practical podcast geared toward creative entrepreneurs, though business owners and employees will both benefit from their topics on productivity, staying focused, and getting work done. The podcast is led by Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon, two successful business owners who are walking (and podcasting) their talk.
8. “Start Up” with Lisa E Chow and Alex Blumberg
Chow and Blumberg have been podcasting together in “Start Up” for five seasons now, and I’ve enjoyed following along since the beginning. Lisa Chow is a great storyteller and a mom herself. Be sure to check out their recent episode “Running a Family and a Business,” i.e. Episode 4 of Season 5. This episode features in-depth interviews and conversations about mom guilt, plus the cure to conquer it.
9. “The Boss Mom Podcast” with by Dana Malstaff
“The Boss Mom” is a supportive podcast for moms who are business owners. It provides practical advice, guidance, and camaraderie — talk about a powerful trifecta!
10. “#GirlBoss Radio” with Sophia Amoruso
Sophia Amoruso is a true powerhouse, and she brings this energy to her podcast. Amoruso interviews incredible female founders who offer up their journey and lay out just what it took for them to create their success. Once a weekly podcast, “#GirlBoss” seems to have taken an unofficial hiatus in 2017. But we’re hoping Amoruso will bring her popular podcast back to consistent life, especially now that her similarly titled Netflix series was nixed.
11. “Off the Charts Business Podcast” with Nathalie Lussier
Natalie Lussier is a content powerhouse, as evidenced by the practical advice for business ownership she delivers in her podcast “Off the Charts.” For any business owner, listening to this podcast is time well spent.
12. "The Broad Experience"
Billed as “a conversation about women, the workplace, and success,” New York-based journalist Ashley Milne-Tyte’s comprehensive show tackles everything from racial discrimination and sexual harassment at work to learning how to delegate and be more productive. The Guardian, Fortune, and the New York Times have all named it a must-hear, and you’re practically guaranteed to get some useful career tips out of it.
13. "The Ladycast"
Show host Alex Laughlin is all about inspiring women to #dothething, whatever the thing they’re after may be. You’ll hear from gumption-filled gals passionate about actualizing a diverse set of dreams, from entrepreneurs to politicians to tattoo artists. Download on a Monday morning to bring that missing oomph back into your work week.
14. "Stuff Mom Never Told You"
Chances are that Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin’s insanely popular podcast has already worked its way into your iTunes library a time or two. For anyone who considers themselves a lifelong learner, though, it should really be a permanent fixture. You’ll discover so much about topics you probably never realized you needed to know a heck of a lot more about, like the history of women stoners, “empowertising,” and weather girls. There’s ample fodder here for the specifically career-minded listener, too; recent episodes include “Gals in the Gig Economy” and one on so-called “benevolent sexism” in the workplace.
15. "The Classy Career Girl Podcast"
>Host Anna Runyan launched this podcast in 2010 with the goal of helping women find the job they were born to do. She’s since taken this idea of career fulfillment to the next level by pledging to help 2,000 women actually launch their dream careers and businesses by 2018. You’ll find plenty of relevant career inspo amongst her episodes, like how to network as an introvert, build your personal brand, and change careers.
16. "The Good Life Project Podcast"
You’ll find no shortage of inspiration browsing the offerings of GLP Radio, the podcast component of what’s being billed as a larger social movement dedicated to helping a community of 350,000+ people worldwide create purpose-driven lives. Expect to hear from entrepreneurs, movers and shakers, and authors like Elizabeth Gilbert (“Eat, Pray, Love”) on not only what it takes to find career satisfaction, but to find a more holistic life fulfillment, too.
17. "Nerdette"
Show host Tricia Bobeda and Greta Johnsen, not to mention their many pop culture savvy guests, are certainly amply prepared to answer that question, and to pick it over in great detail (because that’s really what being a “nerd” is all about, right?). From the great Lady Nerds of history to modern-day female stand-up comedians, directors, and space explorers, get to know women’s wide-ranging passions and perhaps develop a new one yourself along the way.
There’s a veritable podcast directory listed here. If you’re new to podcasts, try picking three of these solidly good podcasts to start listening to and following their stories. You might just get hooked!
18. "The History Chicks"
"The History Chicks" is all about, you guessed it, interesting history by Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider. They are two women who discuss several thousand years of history in about an hour. If ever you feel like time traveling, these are your go-to girls.
19. "My Favorite Murder"
"My Favorite Murder" recounts the harrowing stories of many murders. It's considered a "crime comedy" podcast and is hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. It's so good, it's actually top 10 regular on iTunes’ comedy podcast chart. "My Favorite Murder" has also been featured in Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, Nylon and Rolling Stone magazines.
20. "Invisibilia"
NPR's "Invisibilia" is about the "unseeable forces [that] control human behavior and shape our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions." The name is Latin for "invisible things." The podcast marries narrative storytelling with science, and it will certainly make you think a whole lot differently about life!
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