3 Must-Listen Podcasts For Your Growth Journey

I’m a podcast junkie. Anything and everything passes through my headphones, from interviews with academics and creatives to comedy and true crime. 

Obviously, some are for entertainment while others are inspirational and thought-provoking. 

These three really hit home and have changed the way I move through the world. It felt selfish not to share them. 

1. On health and trauma

   
   

On Purpose with Jay Shetty: Gabor Maté: Why Your Trauma is Showing Up as Guilt, Fear, and Shame & How to Untrap Yourself from the Past

With the help of Dr. Gabor Maté, I’ve become obsessed with the intersection of mind, body, and spirit. 

We can all agree that our health is important. But to live healthy, peaceful lives, we need to understand how to live healthfully. 

When asked what a healthy lifestyle involves, most people might mention things like clean eating, sleep, hydration, and exercise. 

But these responses overlook a crucial element—one that, the more I learn about, appears to be the single most important factor in our physical well-being: our emotional health.

As Dr. Maté put it, “Mind and body are not separable. Even to say they’re connected is a bit false because… they’re one.”

This podcast will help you contextualize the paramount link between trauma, emotional repression, and physical health. 

And for those interested in a deeper dive into the topic, Dr. Maté’s book, When the Body Says No, is a real gem. 

2. On your energy

   
   

Modern Wisdom: Jonny Miller - How to Stop Feeling So Frustrated All The Time

Recently, I wrote about the importance of releasing the negative energy that gets caught in our bodies through controlled anger expressions. 

I’ve known for some time that letting emotions pass through the body—rather than resisting them—is crucial to emotional health. But the tangible truth to that didn’t hit me until I tried a tactic that nervous system specialist Jonny Miller discusses in this episode. 

Word on the street is that our brains only experience first-hand emotions for 20 to 30 seconds. This makes sense—the zebra needs just a jolt of fear to force it to bolt away when it sees a lion. What the zebra doesn’t need, on the other hand, is to dwell on that fear for hours or days, even once it has reached safety. 

So, why do humans experience emotions for soooooo much longer than 20 to 30 seconds? 

We don’t let it through our bodies. We resist, suppress, and judge the emotions as they surface, causing their effects to linger. 

Jonny’s recommendation is to let emotions fully express themselves as they arise (whenever possible). 

I was skeptical, but figured it was worth a shot. 

Shortly after the podcast ended, I felt an intense wave of sadness and grief come over me. Normally, I would’ve tried to breathe through it or distract myself by reaching out to a friend. This time, however, I had a new commitment: to let the grief do its damn thing. 

So, I sat on the couch and scream-cried.

It felt amazing. And, miraculously, it only lasted 30 seconds.

The brief process, to my surprise, left me feeling clean and refreshed. I’ve been hooked on Jonny Miller’s work ever since. 

3. On relationships

   
   

Diary of a CEO: The Gottman Doctors: “Women Tend to Be More Unhappily Married”, 96% of Non-Cuddlers Have an Awful Sex Life & Why One Night Stands Are Dangerous!

Relationships are incredibly complex. And the happiness we experience in our lives, in no small part, depends on our ability to effectively navigate them. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the Gottman doctors, they are true powerhouses in couples’ dynamics. The depth of their understanding of behavioral patterns in romantic relationships will leave you feeling both inspired to be a better partner and a little called out. 

I always know I’ve listened to a killer episode when I spend much of the day contemplating how my actions fit into the newfound information I’ve bought into. This one certainly sparked that curiosity. 

A must-listen for anyone seeking to understand why they struggle to find love, achieve peace and happiness in their relationships, or for those simply in the mood for some self-reflection.