2022's Must-Listen Podcasts: Inspiration, Entertainment, and Knowledge

Some of them offer practical and useful ways to think about business and processes. Others are inspirational, dramatic, and get our creative juices flowing. We’re talking about the wide world of podcasts and how they inform and entertain us in ways we never would have imagined.

Perhaps you have a favorite podcast. There’s a good chance you do. According to an article by the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who listen to podcasts has increased significantly over the last decade. “As of 2021, 41% of Americans ages 12 or older have listened to a podcast in the past month, according to “The Infinite Dial” report by Edison Research and Triton Digital, up from 37% in 2020 and just 9% in 2008,” the story states.

So, without further ado, we offer up our favorite podcasts for 2022 – broken into three categories that pay tribute to our analytical and methodical left-brained side, and our creative and artistic right-brained side.

Inspiring Us Daily

CEO School (Alicia’s pick) – When I saw Sunnera Madhani speak at an ACG meeting recently, she was incredibly inspiring. In her 30s, Madhani is the founder and CEO of Stax, a subscription-based credit-card payment processing system. Her podcast, “CEO School” with Shannan Monson, aims to help female founders break $1 million in revenue. Her company is now valued at $1 billion. Bear in mind Madhani is someone who never went to CEO school and who had to learn on the job. The podcast’s mission: change the fact that fewer than 2 percent of women owned businesses ever reach the $1 million revenue mark. She’s empowering women to “think big.” At the event I attended, she wished she thought bigger earlier. All of this from someone in her early 30s!

Clear & Vivid (Jean’s pick) – I just love listening to Alan Alda, the longtime actor known for his role in the war television series MAS*H and former host of “Scientific American Frontiers” on PBS. His podcast is interesting and informative and he places such an emphasis on people and relationships. He’s bright, compassionate, and funny. “Immerse yourself in spirited conversations with people who know how hard it is, and yet how good it feels, to really connect with other people,” reads the podcast description. It’s so true.

The Elevate Podcast with Robert Glazer (Jean’s pick) – Hosted by Robert Glazer, founder of Acceleration Partners and author of How to Thrive in the Virtual Workplace, you will learn a lot from his interviews with the world’s top writers, thinkers, and business leaders. As Juna grows, we are focused on how to create the culture we desire, including how to build a remote workforce. We want to build the company that we envisioned working for early in our careers. “On the Elevate Podcast, you’ll hear from experts about how they grow their capacity and help others achieve their best lives,” states the podcast website.

The Uncovered Podcast – We both agree that this podcast is a valuable one that, as its website describes, “takes a deeper look into the ideas, companies, and entrepreneurs that are creating the future in order to uncover the stories you haven’t heard.” We were really excited to hear one of our clients, CEO Sarah Milby of Valor Performance, was a guest on a recent episode. Milby noted how Valor, a digital learning and coaching platform, strives to get companies to work at their peak performance.

Scratching Our Itch

Revisionist History (Alicia’s pick) – This is educational and absolutely fascinating. Hosted by noted author Malcolm Gladwell, the podcast is devoted to things overlooked and misunderstood. My favorite recent episode is “The Dog Will See You Now,” which traces how humans can learn much from canines. It will make for interesting cocktail party discussion.

Duo Lingo podcast (Jean’s pick) – Becoming fluent in French is one of my bucket list items. I studied French in high school and college but never became fluent. I hope to take it up again at some point. This podcast tells human interest stories in English, French, and Spanish. When I’m listening to the podcast, my brain is relearning French. You might say this podcast has a certain je ne sais quoi that keeps me coming back for more.

Fueling Our Knowledge

The Journal of Accountancy (Alicia’s pick) – I’m not kidding. This is a surprisingly interesting podcast that helps us keep up with what’s going on with the accounting industry – from the latest Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) pronouncements to practice management. Whatever your industry, it’s a good idea to keep up with the challenges and opportunities of the accounting world.

Cloud Accounting Podcast (Jean’s pick) – This podcast, hosted by Blake Oliver and David Leary, keeps me up to date on accounting news and applications. We’re always thinking about how we can improve our processes and be more efficient. Oliver and Leary do a great job of curating accounting and app news. There’s a reason this is the number one accounting and bookkeeping podcast in the world.

The Soul of Enterprise: Business in the Knowledge Economy (Alicia’s pick) – Who woulda thunk anyone could make project management interesting and sometimes entertaining? Well, Ron Baker is the guru of value pricing and Ed Kless is a project management expert. Collectively, they have provided tons of value every week since 2014.

There you have it: a variety of podcasts that keeps us learning, thinking, and growing. As we kick off the new year here at Juna, we encourage you to give these a listen. We think you’ll find some gems. We would also love to know what podcasts inspire and motivate you, too. Hope you take a moment to comment below.