What We’re Listening To: TOKY’s Podcast Recommendations
Research shows that one in five Americans listened to a podcast in the last month. Here at TOKY, it’s safe to say that we listen to more than our share of audio episodes.
We decided to put those hundreds (thousands?) of hours of combined listening time to good use by sharing a few of our favorite podcast recommendations. Whether you’re new to the medium or just looking for something different to listen to, we’ve got a long list of suggestions.
Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything
I’ve been a fan of Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything for a while. The topics range all over the place, and I don’t think you can easily categorize this podcast. With subtle humor, he usually goes deep into the cracks of timely news stories or technology related topics, and it’s usually done in a really obscure and interesting way of storytelling.
/ Jay David, Interactive Creative Director
StartUp
Go inside the process of starting a business, keeping it alive, and coping with incredible growth while maintaining your culture. Start from the beginning of this podcast, where unlikely CEO Alex Blumberg left one of the most successful radio/podcasting careers to pursue his vision of a podcast network. He turns the tape recorder on himself, giving the listener an intimate and often discouraging look at the stress and decision making of someone trying to create a startup. Later seasons follow other entrepreneurs — some famous, others failures, some both.
/ Rob Hutti, Senior Designer
Presentable
Presentable is a podcast about design and user experience hosted by Google’s first head of user experience, Jeff Veen. It focuses on how we design and build the products that are shaping our digital future. It tracks the tools, trends, and methods being used by teams from the biggest companies to the latest startups. It keeps me inspired to stay focused on creating tools that are research driven and strive to make the world a friendlier and easier place to live.
/ Kelly Smith, User Experience Designer
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Dan is an amazing storyteller and he uses each podcast as an opportunity to tell the story of famous points in world history that are often misunderstood or overlooked in academic textbooks. The research and time he puts into each story is mind numbing and he has given me a new appreciation for the art of podcasting.
/ Alec Gleason, Director of Business Development
The Truth
If Philip K. Dick had a podcast, it would be The Truth. This podcast has an extensive archive of original fiction and sci-fi (often dystopian) stories performed by voice actors accompanied by great sound design. Warning: Not a podcast for the faint of heart! Optimists beware!
/ Kelcey Towell, Designer
Missing Richard Simmons
Listening to this podcast feels a bit morally objectionable, but it’s just too fascinating to quit. Here’s the plotline: In 2014, the infamous Richard Simmons disappeared. Host (and former Slimmons student) Richard Taberski is desperate for answers. Maybe Simmons just had enough of life in the public eye, or maybe it’s a bit more sinister — say, a hostage-keeping housekeeper. Other than the incessant guilt, my only regret is that I’ve only got one more episode to go.
/ Katherine Leonard, Content Strategist
How I Built This
Lately, I’ve been really enjoying How I Built This with Guy Raz. Hearing about the early days of companies like Patagonia, Kate Spade, and Southwest Airlines is more interesting than I would have ever imagined. Also, Guy Raz is always a pleasure to listen to.
/ Daniel Korte, Senior Web Developer
The Attitude Era Podcast
What small amount of self-respect I still have is buoyed by the knowledge that I haven’t paid any meaningful attention to professional wrestling since my sophomore year of high school. Aside from the occasional drunken conversation about Macho Man Randy Savage, the sweat-soaked memories of spandex and suplexes have been left to the darkest and dankest corners of my mind. Which is why I find The Attitude Era podcast so liberating. Three grown men in the UK review WWE pay-per-views from the late ‘90s. It’s absurd, it’s shameless nostalgia, but it can be an enlightening critique of a cultural landscape seldom examined. Whenever I feel bogged down by the current state of the world, I know I can find some respite in the immaculately manicured facial hair of Grandmaster Sexay, some resilience in the Sisyphean rapping efforts of The New Age Outlaws, or some relief in that time Stone Cold Steve Austin gave a stunner to the current President of the United States.
/ Ashford Stamper, Designer
Looking for audio recommendations from the branding world? Check out our post on the best design podcasts.