The Best Self-help Podcasts To Listen To In 2020

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Best self-improvement podcasts 2019

The podcasts you need to listen to in 2020 if you’re serious about improving your life

Podcasts are great, but it’s easy to use them as a replacement for TV and mindless radio chatter. The real value of a podcast is to make use of time you would usually spend doing activities like chopping vegetables, driving or stretching to learn and improve your life.

Self-improvement is a broad topic, so for the purposes of this article I’ve included podcasts from categories including health and fitness, meditation, mindset, biohacking, brain health and general podcasts which cover a combination of these categories.

Without further ado, here are the best self-help podcasts to listen to in 2020:

Happier with Gretchin Rubin

Happier with Gretchin Rubin Cover

Topics covered: Happiness, habits, mindset

Seeking happiness is the reason we pursue self-help in the first place. The Happier with Gretchin Rubin podcast is full of sage advice to be happier in our daily lives. Regular episodes are 40 – 50 minutes long, and there are also “Little Happier” episodes which are much shorter nuggets of wisdom.

It’s hosted by Gretchin Rubin, a best-selling author; and her sister Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer. Their banter and conversation is warm, genuine and honest, and the episodes are filled with the right mix of practical tips and humour.

Great episodes to start with:

The Jordan Harbinger Show

The Jordan Harbinger Show

Topics covered: Human behaviour, relationships, life, business, mindset, success

Jordan Harbinger was a lawyer before he became a successful podcast host, and this shows in his great ability to talk to guests and to get to the point during conversations. Jordan adds a relaxed and humorous atmosphere to his conversations, and relates the messages his guests share to his own life to make it easier for the audience to understand.

His podcast episodes are generally interviews with well known guests, with the aim being to share their strategies and tactics for success. He also regularly publishes Feedback Friday episodes, which are listener-led AMAs with Jordan and his producer Jason DeFillippo. Topics in these episodes can cover relationships, travel, learning languages and everything in between.

Great episodes to start with:

The Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness Podcast

Topics covered: History, mindset, health and fitness, famous men, sports, personal finance

The Art of Manliness is a great general self-help podcast which delves into fitness, historical figures, human performance, personal finance and even smaller topics like conversation skills. There’s also a large number of general interest episodes where you’ll be sure to learn something. These can include episodes about famous US presidents and well known personalities.

Each episode is usually structured as an interview between Art of Manliness founder and host Brett McKay and a guest, with guests usually being well known authors.

Great episodes to start with:

Kwik Brain

Kwik Brain

Topics covered: Brain health, memory, mental performance

If you want to improve your memory, focus and everything else relating to your mental performance, Jim Kwik’s podcast Kwik Brain is for you.

Kwik explores concepts such as improving your learning abilities, recalling numbers more easily, foods for brain health and how to read faster. Episodes are short at 10 – 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for a short drive or run.

Great episodes to start with:

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss Show

Topics covered: Business, entrepreneurship, startups, learning, performance, health and fitness, biohacking, technology

What list of self-help podcasts wouldn’t be complete without a tip of the hat to the Tim Ferriss show? Tim Ferriss is the best-selling author of The Four Hour Workweek, which is one of the best selling self-help books of all time. The book and podcast centers on improving your life in many ways, including health, wealth, performance, learning, optimisation, business and much more.

Most of Tim’s episodes include a guest, all of whom are world-class performers in their fields. Past guests have included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Foxx, retired SEAL Jocko Willink, marketing-guru Seth Godin, chess prodigy Josh Waitzkin and self-help stalwart Tony Robbins.

He also has a number of solo episodes where he deep dives into a specific topic and answers it using a combination of his own knowledge, advice from friends or mentors, useful books and more.

Great episodes to start with:

The School of Greatness

The School Of Greatness Podcast

Topics covered: Mindset, happiness, business, entrepreneurship, success

Lewis Howes was a pro-athlete whose dreams of playing in the NFL were dashed by a broken wrist. Since then he’s built and sold a number of businesses, is a New York Times bestselling author and runs the successful School of Greatness podcast. Howes is committed to helping 100 million people to realise their dreams and earn a full time income while making an impact.

The School of Greatness podcast focuses on general self-improvement including topics as diverse as the abundance mindset, nutrition, building a business, masculinity, success habits, meditation and more.

There’s a good variety of episodes, from shorter “5 Minute Friday” episodes to longer episodes with Howes talking at length on a topic. There are also interviews and in depth conversations with big names including Kobe Bryant, LeAnn Rimes, Ben Shapiro, Charlamagne The God, Jordan Peterson and Aubrey Marcus.

Good episodes to start with include:

Tony Robbins Podcast

Tony Robbins Podcast

Topics covered: Business, careers, mindset, health and fitness, finance

Tony Robbins doesn’t need much of an introduction in the self-help world. His best selling books, world renowned coaching, and life changing live events are some of the reasons why he’s so synonymous with self-improvement. His advice covers many topics including business, happiness, mindset, performance and more.

Robbins’ podcast is a great source of self-help content, and episodes vary from interviews to recordings from live events, usually running an hour long. Guests have included Russell Brand and Pitbull.

Great episodes to start with:

London Real

London Real

Topics covered: Health and fitness, mindset, business

London Real is a video show and podcast hosted by Brian Rose, a mechanical engineer turned investment banker turned podcast host.

This podcast has a higher production value than many others, and has minimal fluff and filler. Rose’s interview style is to ask the very best questions and to let the guest do the talking, so you’ll really get a lot of value from each episode. The lineup of guests on this show is amazing, with singer Wyclef Jean, doctor and author Gabor Mate, ex-bodybuilder Dorian Yates and author and psychologist Jordan Peterson to name a few.

Note that early access to episodes of London Real plus extra content from guests are available for those who are members of the London Real Tribe. This requires a monthly/annual subscription.

Great episodes to start with:

The Minimalists

The Minimalists

Topics covered: Minimalism, decluttering (both mentally and physically), consumerism, entrepreneurship, life, relationships

The Minimalists Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, rose to fame with their website and later their documentary Minimalism. Their philosophy and podcast focuses on living a simple but meaningful life, and as a result there are episodes about most aspects of life. Episode topics include discussing minimalism with your parents, creating a side hustle, minimalism and its impact on a healthy diet and budgeting and wealth to name a few.

Many of the episodes are in a Q&A format where the Josh and Ryan play questions submitted from listeners around a specific topic and then answer them. There are also many interview episodes with well known personalities, podcasters and authors such as Jordan Harbinger.

Great episodes to start with:

10% Happier Podcast

10% Happier Podcast

Topics covered: Meditation, mental health, mindset, mindfulness

10% Happier is a podcast hosted by Dan Harris, an ABC news anchor and journalist, author and skeptical meditator. Like most of the podcasts on this list, 10% Happier is an interview style show.

Dan has lengthy conversations with authors and leaders in the meditation and mindfulness space, including big names like Michael Kabat-Zinn, one of the fathers of mindfulness; and Sam Harris, a well known neuroscientist and author.

Each episode also includes listener questions, so when combined with the big picture ideas in the interviews, there’s lots of mental health wisdom on offer.

Great episodes to start with:

Ben Greenfield Fitness

BenGreenfield Fitness

Topics covered: anti-aging, biohacking, health and fitness, nutrition, lifestyle

If you’re trying to improve your health and performance, Ben Greenfield’s podcast is full of tips and tricks to help you. Ben is a biohacker, blogger, triathlete, personal trainer, author and CEO of Kion, a company that sells everything from coffee to skin care and supplements.

Ben’s podcast delves into a huge variety of issues to help you improve your health and performance, from different diets including the carnivore and ketogenic diets, to anti-aging, fitness trackers and blood and genetic testing.

Great episodes to start with:

Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn

Smart Passive Income Podcast

Topics covered: entrepreneurship, startups, business, marketing, branding, side hustles

Smart Passive Income is a high quality blog by Pat Flynn around the topic of making a passive income largely from online businesses.

The Smart Passive Income podcast is an extension of this blog, with a mix of solo episodes where Pat explains a topic in depth, and interview episodes where Pat talks with a guest about a case study or to tap their expertise. Topics range from building a profitable blog, to nurturing a YouTube channel and tend to be 45 – 60 minutes long.

Great episodes to start with:

The Art of Charm

The Art of Charm

Topics covered: Relationships, happiness, goal setting, habits, mindset

The Art of Charm is a self-improvement podcast focusing on building confidence, conversation skills and worthwhile relationships. Other topics include happiness, building habits, setting goals and building a strong mindset.

The podcast is hosted by Art of Charm co-founders AJ Harbinger and Johnny Dzubak, and is a great combination of Johnny’s down-to-earth personality and AJ’s more scientific focus. Some episodes feature AJ and Johnny talking about a topic in-depth, and others include interviews with authors and other guests.

Great episodes to start with:

Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu

Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu

Topics covered: Mindset, health and fitness, nutrition, relationships

Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu is similar to London Real in that it’s actually a video show, but differs in that it usually has an audience watching the conversation. Tom Bilyeu is an entrepreneur and one of the co-founders of Quest Nutrition, makers of the delicious Quest protein bar and one of America’s fastest growing companies in 2014.

Impact Theory episodes are generally interviews between Tom and his guests, who can range from Ketogenic diet experts like Dom D’Agostino to mindset masters like David Goggins.

There are also more intimate AMA episodes where Tom answers listener questions, and these can provide a wealth of self-improvement wisdom too.

Great episodes to start with:

Bulletproof Radio

Bulletproof Radio

Topics covered: Anti-aging, health and fitness, nutrition, mindset, success

Bulletproof Radio is a podcast hosted by Dave Asprey, one of the fathers of biohacking and the CEO of Bulletproof.

Bulletproof Radio is mostly an interview show, with Dave selecting guests known for their ideas in health, fitness, anti-aging and performance. He also speaks to leaders in many other fields, including well known business leaders like Peter Diamandis, and military leaders like Lt. Col. Dave Grossman.The podcast is a trove of good self-help ideas from a wide range of areas of study.

Great episodes to start with:

The Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan Experience

Topics covered: Comedy, anti-aging, martial arts, health and fitness, science, culture

The Joe Rogan Experience is not a self-help podcast, but features so many varied guests, many who provide great tips for improving your life. It’s hosted by Joe Rogan, a successful stand up comedian, UFC commentator and martial artist.

Joe has guests from varied backgrounds such as Dom D’Agostino talking about the ketogenic diet, David Sinclair talking about cutting edge anti-aging research, astrophysicists such as Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and famous sports people and musicians including Mike Tyson and Steven Tyler. He also has many authors on his podcast, including Jordan Peterson, Dan Harris and Sam Harris, so there’s plenty to choose from.

Another reason why this podcast is useful for anyone trying to improve their life is because Joe practises what he preaches and actively follows suggestions from guests. He believes in other useful practices such as embracing extreme challenge and struggle to grow, and is fairly balanced when he has a guest he doesn’t necessarily agree with. The improvements I’ve made to my own life after listening to the podcast for a few years now have been immeasurable.

Great episodes to start with:

Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations

Topics covered: Happiness, personal growth, spirituality, relationships

Oprah Winfrey is a successful businesswoman, a billionaire, and one of the world’s most recognisable talk show hosts. She started from humble beginnings, led the insanely popular Oprah Winfrey show, and eventually started a cable TV network called OWN.

SuperSoul Conversations is an interview-style podcast hosted by Oprah with episodes usually ranging between 30 – 50 minutes. Oprah’s pulling power is evident in the big names she’s interviewed since the podcast began in 2017. Guests have been from all walks of life and include sports stars like Tom Brady, authors like Paulo Coelho, singers like Lady Gaga, and speakers like Brené Brown.

Great episodes to start with:

What’s your favourite self-help podcast? Let me know below and I’ll add it to the list.

2 thoughts on “The Best Self-help Podcasts To Listen To In 2020”

  1. Hi, your list on this page is amazing. very helpful. one of my other favorite podcast is called Life Is Now podcast by Mike & Kristina. Very inpirational

    Reply

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