I’ve lost count how many times I’ve started a sentence recently with ‘I heard on a podcast…’ or ‘I read that…’.

Call it a mid-life crisis, a new age of enlightenment, or who knows what, but I seem to have this insatiable curiosity at the moment. To be perfectly honest, I feel like I’ve just been drifting along in my life up until now, but now I’m so hungry to learn and be inspired.

I suspect that part of this is that I’m meeting a lot of fascinating and passionate people at the moment – what a massive bonus of doing personal brand photography and working with entrepreneurs! I think it is also thanks to social media, blogging and podcasts.

There is so much negativity out there about social media and how it’s robbing people of social skills and that it’s skewing their views of the world.

But there’s a whole other side to it that is changing the world for the better in huge ways.

I’m going to be honest. I’m slow at picking up new trends. In the beginning I didn’t get blogs. I didn’t understand why I should use my precious and limited time to read about what other people were doing in their day, the food they were making or their opinions. And podcasts? What? Should I just sit and look out the window while I listen to something talking at me? I mean, it’s not like the radio where you try to ignore the chit chat just to get to the music.

Once upon a time, if you had the loudest voice and the pushiest attitude you got heard. In meetings at work, in the media, hanging out with friends at the pub.

But get this, just because someone talks over everyone else doesn’t mean they are right. It just means they’re LOUD.

Now we have these forums where everyone has a voice (yes, this is both good and bad, but I think the positive absolutely outweighs the negative). Now even introverts have a place where we can set all of our thoughts, ideas and knowledge free and share them with the world. And do you have any idea how many amazing people there are out there??? Interesting, talented, caring, passionate, intelligent and nice people who want to build up others and make the world a better place.

So, I am now completely obsessed with podcasts and when I pick the right one for my mood, I get such a kick out of it and so many A-HA moments.

I spend a lot of time on the computer. When I’m typing (emails, blog posts etc) I need silence so I can focus. I spend a lot of time editing photos though, and this obviously this uses a part of my brand that processes feelings and images rather than words and I love having podcasts on in the background.

I’m very picky about the business podcasts I listen to and even though I want to listen to people that are authentic, good people and I’m quite often drawn to creative people, I need substance and want to learn from people who are actually practising what they are preaching and making a living through their business.

I thought it might be nice to share some of my favourites to help inspire others (surprisingly, they are more focused on business, marketing and connecting with people authentically than about photography).

I realised the list is going to be huge, so I’m breaking it down into categories and over a few blog posts.

Here are my favourites when I want to be inspired and learn about marketing, running a business and making money. (You can either just search for them in your podcast app or follow the links.)

Business, Marketing & Creativity

1 Building a Storybrand with Donald Miller

Focus on defining your message so your customers know what you actually do and so you reach the right people. He’s a really nice guy who is easy to listen to and has lots of inspiring and interesting guests. I’m reading his book at the moment, and the first few episodes cover the steps in the book for clarifying your message.

(Podcast / Website)

2 Raw Milk with Beth Kirby

I love this woman! To start with she has the dreamiest Instagram feed (@local_milk) and website. If you do nothing else today, go and have a look!

She’s built up a creative business that lets her travel to the most beautiful places (she is from the States but has an apartment in Paris, and travels to Japan and other dreamy places). The best part is that she is so authentic! She’s not afraid to talk about her mental illness and the days when she just can’t get out of bed and the fact that although she posts beautiful photos, there is a whole other side to social media and real life. She talks freely about her failures and mistakes, but also shares openly her successes, talks honestly about money and wants everyone to succeed.

(Podcast / Website)

3 Grow with Soul by Kayte Ferris

This is a new one in my library so I’ve only heard a few episodes. I discovered her through the next podcast on my list (Hashtag Authentic) and loved everything she had to say. She has great, practical tips on marketing online and more to the point – about slow marketing (which is totally my thing!). About being genuine and having authentic relationships with real people who will help spread the word about your business – not just pushy, empty sales messages. She talks about building up your business at your pace, and the fact that all business and marketing advice isn’t going to suit you and your business and what works for some people isn’t going to work for you. I’ve made sound all fluffy and nice, but she seems to have followed her own advice and has a huge following and a successful business.

(Podcast)

4 Hashtag Authentic by Sara Tasker

A really relatable, interesting, creative person who talks about marketing and running a creative business. She has really interesting guests and a pet bird that you hear in the background sometimes that just makes me happy (I can almost feel the sunshine streaming into the room and the warm breeze coming in through the window).

(Podcast / Website)

5 The Introvert Entrepreneur with Beth Buelow

I read her book and it changed my world. She helps give introverts the power to listen to themselves and find their superpower. How we have a hell of a lot to offer the world and we just need to find our way of doing it.

(Podcast / Website)

6 The Janet Murray Show

Great marketing and general business advice and interesting guests speakers.

(Podcast / Website)

7 The Sigrun Show 

I love this woman! She’s intelligent, tough, inspiring and successful. She’s not afraid to talk about earning money and gives great, practical advice on marketing and everything to do with business. I think we have completely different personalities, but she has really switched my mindset and I think she’s a great cure for anyone holding themselves back. I discovered her when she was a guest on The Janet Murray Show and it kind of shocked me to hear two woman talk so naturally about earning money, self-worth and making it in business. That shock made me realise that this was a new reality for me that I needed to be exposed to.

(Podcast / Website)

I’ll share more of my favourites soon. As you can see my favourites on this list are all in English. I have a few favourite non-business podcasts in Swedish, but am on the lookout for more.

Do you have any favourite podcasts that I can add to my list? Leave me a comment below.