Informing yourself in a practical way: Podcasts

This post is about another cross-topic hint that has helped me a lot to get current news from different fields I am interested in – and the best part is the way this source fits into a wide variety of routines, as long as you can make your earbuds regularly available: podcasts!

For those who barely know what a podcast is, I attach a quick explanation towards the end of this text, and jump right into some of my favourite podcasts and why I like them.

Recommended German FinTech and Digitalisation Podcasts

Photo by Lee Campbell on Unsplash

Starting with my local German community and of course with FinTech, the Payment and Banking Podcast is the place to start tuning in, and the hosts make available not only the 130+ audio episodes including many interviews, but also compile an overview of current German FinTechs and partnerships between banks and FinTech Startups, which is something immensely helpful, I should really go back to their full list sometime in the future and detail some of the cool things that they have on their radar, but feel free to check it out by yourself in the meantime.

Following on with another local technology-related podcast mostly in German, there is Digital Kompakt, where I’ve heard interviews with extremely relevant entrepreneurial topics such as ‘Efficient teams’, ‘How to make a successful exit’ and many interesting Startup presentations, as well as of course their own FinTech-themed episodes.

International Podcasts on my radar

After looking at the Podcasts from my current location, I cannot deprive you of the first I have ever heard (in English language), the Smart Passive Income Podcast, which is not only informative, but is also refreshingly relateable. The host Pat Flynn is usually sharing details of his own path and encouraging guests to put themselves out there with their businesses as well as their personal lives. Such an approach makes sense not only to make what you hear curious and interesting, but one really has the feeling at the end of an episode to have shared something, which often is inspiring.

Finally, there are also stars of the Podcast-world featuring on top download lists, and my reference in this category is the Tim Ferriss Show. Given the size of his audience, this podcast manages to attract some high profile guests such as Sir Richard Branson, while keeping a delightfully light tone to the conversation, so it really gives listeners an impression of listening into a private conversation of incredible influencers. While I certainly don’t mean to criticise this or anyone making an effort to push their businesses forward, I did find that this hugely successful Podcast was at times lengthy on ads, but I guess this is a side-effect of their amazing hability to sell that premium space on the show.

Why are Podcasts so good, afterall?

The main reason for my recommendation of Podcasts is how they can fit into the most varied lifestyles, you can listen to them on your daily commute, taking a shower with a device on high volume, or even doing mundane tasks at home or in the office, and getting a lot of valuable insights directly from a qualified source. Surely if you already have a great network on your field, no one source will be enough for you, but for a relatively quick browse and exploration of a certain field, Podcasts can be a great source within your mix.

Worth noting that the Podcasts I know of so far are by no means a sign that there aren’t others out there worth checking out – please drop me a message if you see anything worth mentioning – and surely for many other areas of interest there is an enormous offer of great content. In my own experience having recently had a baby, pregnancy-prep for instance is one among them.

Please don’t take my recommendation as a critique of any other media to obtain information. I’m personally a big fan of the more trendy videocasts including on Youtube – among others there are a number of platforms offering online courses either for free or using a freemium model, and of course reading is still my main source of news in general.

What was a Podcast, again?

A Podcast is an audio-based programme, in which a host or group of hosts regularly posts about a given topic. You can find them using your smart devices under one of many Podcast-Apps around.

Leave a Comment