Learning Central

I am an infinite learner. I love learning new things and my interests vary, widely.  From current events to history to how things work and why I think the way I do, I find seeking and applying knowledge to be a major part of who I am. It also makes me really good at trivia.

Podcasts

The Daily

This moment demands an explanation. This show is on a mission to find it. Only what you want to know, none of what you don’t. Hosted by Michael Barbaro. Powered by New York Times journalism. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m.

99% Invisible

99% Invisible is about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed design that shapes our world. This weekly podcast is my go to every week. Their old stories are GREEN (not time based) so they can be listened to at any time and always feel like new. This is my favorite episode, brought to life by Roman Mars at TED.

No Dumb Questions

No Dump Questions is a long format podcast, with some lasting over an hour. Destin Sandlin, from Smarter Every Day, and his buddy Matt Whitman, a preacher known to the Snap Chat world as "worstchristian", carry out discussions every other week about everything from philosophy to religion and even how to handle North Korea. I usually have to take this one on in bits, with how long it is. Be sure to fill out the 50/50 question each week!

Hidden Brain by NPR

The Hidden Brain helps curious people understand the world – and themselves. Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain's host Shankar Vedantam reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships.

How I Built This with Guy Raz

Host Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best-known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the movements they built.

Masters of Scale

How do companies grow from zero to a gazillion? Legendary Silicon Valley investor/entrepreneur Reid Hoffman tests his theories with famous founders. Guests include Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg & Sheryl Sandberg, Netflix’s Reed Hastings, Google’s Eric Schmidt, Spanx's Sara Blakely. With original music and hilariously honest stories, the show sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard.

Ear Hustle

Ear Hustle brings you the stories of life inside prison, shared and produced by those living it.  From the San Quentin media lab, Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, produce stories that are sometimes difficult, often funny and always honest, offering a nuanced view of people living within the American prison system.

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

This great 5-minute podcast comes out weekly and is reminiscent of the Paul Harvey Rest of the Story. The weekly story always has a small revealing twist that makes you turn your head and say... "No Shit? Really?"

Revisionist History

Revisionist History, from Malcolm Gladwell goes back to reinterpret something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood. Adding context to the past, with insights from today.

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me

This show is half current events quiz show and half satirical comedy show from NPR. If you are looking to catch up on the news on a Saturday afternoon or Sunday, this is the podcast for you.

Throughline

The past is never past. Every headline has a history. With new podcasts each week, go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.

Tell Me Something I Don't Know

This hour long, game show format, podcast hosted by Stephen J. Dubner of Freakonomics Radio, is full of laughs and has a lot to learn. Three celebrity panelists listen as contestants come on stage before a live audience and try to wow them with a fascinating fact, a historical wrinkle, a new line of research — anything, really, as long as it’s interesting, useful and true (or at least true-ish). The panel — an eclectic mix of comedians, brainiacs, and other high achievers — poke and prod the contestants, and ultimately choose a winner.

SEOBits.fm with Rebbeca Gill

SEOBits is a bite-sized SEO education podcast. This podcast helps smart business owners jumpstart their SEO strategy. Learn how small changes can make a big impact on your ability to rank in Google. Each week, Rebecca Gill takes her 15 years of real-world SEO experience and breaks it down into bite-size pieces.

Ready to get fresh SEO insights and actionable tips you can use to improve your traffic and conversions? This SEO podcast is just for you!

Zig Zag

ZigZag is a podcast about changing the course of capitalism, journalism, and women’s lives. For real.

Manoush and Jen just left their steady jobs at New York Public Radio to launch Stable Genius Productions.

They’re taking a huge financial risk while documenting the process of starting a new kind of media company….and trying not to be bad mothers, bankrupt themselves, or destroy their wonderful creative partnership. And when their first funding comes in the form of cryptocurrency, things get really interesting.

Podcasts My Friends Love

Below is a list of Podcast my friends have recommended I check out, and I recommend you check them out also! If you see any with a * that means another friend has recommended that podcast also.

Reading Lists (or Audible)

Theft of Swords
Age of Empyre
Age of Death
Age of Legend
Age of War
Age of Swords
Age of Myth
House of Assassins
Son of the Black Sword
Paradox Bound
Seven Forges
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know
Dark Age
Iron Gold
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
Morning Star
Golden Son
Red Rising
If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating
Circe


Casey Barnett's favorite books »