There is a ton of purpose and wellness related content out there, so it can be hard to figure out what’s worth the time to listen, watch, or read. I’ve done a bit of the trial testing for you and have compiled a list of my favorite purpose and well-being podcasts.
Good Life Project: In Good Life Project, Jonathan Fields chats with inspirational guests about living an engaged, purpose-driven life. He’s interviewed entrepreneurs, social activists, authors, musicians, professors, doctors, and more. Each guest shares their unique story and how it’s led them to a “good life.” Each episode is incredibly unique and it’s the first thing I listen to when it’s released every Tuesday. Jonathan’s interview style is both casual and intimate, making me feel like I’m sitting in the room with him and his guest.
Pursuit with Purpose: Melyssa Griffin has taught English in Tokyo, built a six-figure graphic design business, and now focuses on teaching “heart-centered” entrepreneurs how to start and grow a business. In her podcast, Pursuit with Purpose, she discusses meditation, burnout, introversion, inner wisdom and more with guests while also learning about how they’ve grown successful, purpose-aligned businesses. Her guests are the first to admit they don’t have it all figured out, but they provide fantastic insight into creating work you love, which can be applied to the daily lives of us 9-5’ers, too.
The Knowledge Project: I hesitated to include The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish from Farnam Street simply because some of the episodes are around 2 hours long. However, I truly love Farnam Street, which I can tell you more about in another post, and I have a favorite podcast episode I wanted to share. If you listen to nothing else from The Knowledge Project, check out The Science of Doing Good with William MacAskill. William, an associate professor in philosophy at Oxford, is the co-founder and president of the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA), where he focuses on encouraging the use of evidence and analysis to determine how individuals can do the most good in the world. Shane’s interview with William is fascinating and opened my eyes to a way of looking at giving and social impact that I’d never considered. This episode is well worth the hour-long listen.
Dear Sugars: Dear Sugars is hosted by Cheryl Strayed, best-selling author of The Wild, Tiny Beautiful Things, and Torch, and her “pal,” as he puts it himself in his bio, Steve Almond. The New York Times, which publishes the podcast, calls it a “radically empathetic advice show,” and I’d agree with that description. Cheryl and Steve read and answer letters from listeners on privilege, love, abuse, money, rage, emotional labor, and much more advice column-style. I was turned on to the podcast after reading (multiple times) and loving Tiny Beautiful Things, and while I couldn’t personally relate to all of the letters they answer, I found myself listening to episode after episode. Cheryl and Steve weave the broader narrative that unites the letters they read in each episode through their responses so seamlessly that almost any listener could come away from an episode with a lesson learned.
More Perfect: More Perfect, by Radiolab at NPR, is the only podcast I’ve listened to every single episode of. I’ve always been especially interested in how social justice and the United States’ legal system intersect, so it may have just been me nerding out over the Supreme Court, but I’d highly recommend anyone interested in politics, law, or social justice issues give it a listen. In each episode, they tell a story behind one of the court’s most significant historical rulings. The caveat, however, is that not all rulings they focus on are those taught in history class, so even if you’re a Supreme Court junkie, you’ll probably still learn something new.
These are just a few of the many purpose, social impact, and wellbeing-related podcasts I’ve listened to and loved. Is your favorite not on the list? Please leave a comment to let me know—I would love to give it a listen!