THE GEAR • February 2019

Six inspirational podcasts to download now

Travel can sometimes involve a lot of waiting around, so what better way to while away the time than listening to a podcast? We reveal the six best business-themed programmes to download ahead of your next flight

How I Built This

Listening to tales of how entrepreneurs built their businesses can be incredibly illuminating – even if they work in a different industry, there is always something to learn. In each episode of How I Built This, journalist Guy Raz interviews a business person about the challenges they faced along the way, the sacrifices they made and just how much luck they consider they had. Guests include LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, WeWork’s Miguel McKelvey, and Jerry Murrell of fast-growing restaurant chain Five Guys.

StartUp

In season one, presenter Alex Bumberg is the subject, documenting the launch of his own start-up (a digital media company for narrative podcasts). These episodes of Start Up feature real-life pitches to investors, conversations with his business partner and even behind-the-scenes discussions with his wife on company names (he ultimately settles on Gimlet Media, which now produces numerous successful podcasts such as Reply All and Crimetown). Subsequent seasons look at other stories, such as the scandalous rise, fall and rebirth of American Apparel’s Dov Charney.

Planet Money

America’s National Public Radio delivers an engaging examination of different aspects of the economy, asking questions that range from ‘Could New Jersey become the next Napa for wine?’ to ‘What exactly would happen if you didn’t pay your taxes?’. Planet Money also gets an insider trader to reveal all, finds out where all the art is going that is being bought by investors and asks whether 3D printing will make gun control impossible.

How To Fail

Hosted by journalist and author Elizabeth Day, this British series brings together a wide array of talented, influential people from different fields to individually share stories of things they feel they have failed at in life, and how that has ultimately helped them succeed. We hear from best-selling author Sebastian Faulks, actor and screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge and political activist Gina Miller, among others.

Ctrl Alt Delete

Ctrl Alt Delete sees Emma Gannon, broadcaster and author of The Multi-Hyphen Method, interview thought leaders on their relationship to the internet through the lens of work and relationships, with episodes tackling subjects such as side hustles (literary agent Abbie Bergstrom); imposter syndrome (editor Jerico Mandybur); how to work with influencers (brand marketer Chantel Pae), and finding your discomfort zone (author Farrah Storr).

Oprah’s Master Class

What does it take to be the best? In Oprah’s Master Class, the US mogul speaks with some of the world’s greatest talents about stardom and what motivated them to climb their way to the top. We hear from actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who started out as a professional wrestler; hip hop mogul Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal, whose strict stepfather taught him to never be complacent.