Podcasts are one of the easiest, cheapest, and best ways to continue your education, and expand your knowledge base.  I seriously believe everyone should make an effort to always be learning new things.

Why should you listen to podcasts

When I was in middle school I had a friend named Joanna.  I hung out at her house often and got to know her family pretty well.  Her dad was a Lt. Colonel in the Army, and probably the smartest person I have ever met.  Colonel Hart said something once to Joanna and I.  He said that you should try to learn a little about a lot of topics.  It will get you far in life.  Think of it as a chain each little thing you learn is a loop in a chain.  Whenever you meet someone new, or you are in a situation where you are trying to find common ground with someone the more links you have in your chain the better.

I’m sure he explained it better, but I was only about 12 or 13 at the time.  Whatever it was he used to get his point across it worked, and I’m committed to building a longer chain.

I live in western North Dakota basically I’m just west of nowhere, so that means a lot of miles in the car getting from point a to b.  In the past year and a half, I have put over 30,000 miles on my new car. While most people enjoy listening to music while driving endless miles, it drives me crazy thinking that I’m wasting all that time doing nothing.

An entire world opened up to me when I discovered podcasts!  Podcasts are basically like talk shows you would find on the radio, on all types of topics. You can find podcasts on things like current events, past history lessons, parenting, online marketing, photography, kids bedtime stories, short stories, comedy, religion, sports, tv, health.  Basically, the list is endless, if you want to hear about something, someone probably has a podcast dedicated to it!

So here is my list of podcasts you will find on my phone right now, to help me build a longer chain!

Top Podcasts to expand your Education

Happier with Gretchen Rubin 

Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth give practical advice and tips on how to be happier.  Gretchen is an author of the books The Happiness Project, and Better than Before.  She also talks a lot about the four tendencies.  I’m a questioner in case you wanted to know!  Interested in seeing what you are you can take her quiz here!

Online Marketing Made Easy

This is a pretty new one for me, but I am eating up everything Amy has to say! I love how step by step she goes, and the freebies she offers are amazingly helpful!

Simply Life on Purpose

Simply Life on Purpose is a new podcast, hosted by Kelsey Van Kirk.  She was a co-host The Purposeful Home Podcast but has now broken off to start this one the beginning of the year.  I love how straightforward she is, and how completely honest she gets about life, kids, marriage, and God.

Stuff You Should Know

SYSK is so awesome! They have podcasts on everything! I mean everything.  I love how Josh and Chuck research each topic and talk through and explain the topic so well! I have learned so much about things like how Alzheimer works, to breastfeeding, to what a rolling jubilee is, and so much more!

We recently had a lot of doctor appointments in Rochester MN, and I had to drive back and forth after my husbands surgeries; last week I listened to how lion training works, all about orchids, whats the deal with invasive species, who was thiphod Mary, how impeachment works, how pompeii worked, the mystery of the grand canyon newlyweds, what is a mold-a-roma, and how hoarding works.  I feel so smart lol.

Tell me your thoughts

These are my top four podcasts right now! What podcasts do you tune into all the time?  Let me know in the comments! I’m alwasy on the look out for something new to add to my library!