AETHER'S PICKS: Podcast episodes to listen to now

The Joe Rogan Experience

Hosted by comedian Joe Rogan, this podcast features in-depth interviews with a wide array of guests (i.e. Elon Musk, Robert Downey Jr., Mike Tyson), covering diverse topics, from sports to science.

We recommend:

Episode 1109: Matthew Walker. Matthew Walker is a scientist and professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science.

Armchair Expert

Actor Dax Sherard and cohost Monica Padman interview celebrities and other fascinating figures about "the messiness of being human" in this weekly podcast.

We recommend:

Episode 35: Jason Bateman. An interview with the beloved actor, director, and producer.

Episode 171: Ronan Farrow. An interview with the Pulitzer Prizer-winning journalist.

This American Life

NPR’s iconic This American Life podcast, hosted by Ira Glass, explores one theme each week via a variety of stories.

We recommend:

Episode 591: Get Your Money's Worth. An in-depth look at LL Bean’s incredibly generous return policy.

Episode 273: Contrails of My Tears. The phenomenon of crying on planes is explored in this episode.

The New York Times’ podcast The Daily takes on a different current event each day, diving into the minutiae of the chosen topic via interviews with journalists and experts.

We recommend:

Episode 474: The Human Toll of Instant Delivery. With the rise of online retailers like Amazon, consumer’s expectations about delivery speed have changed. This episode dives into the toll that takes on the employees of these companies.

How I Built This

On the NPR-produced How I Built This, host Guy Raz chats with wildly successful entrepreneurs about their paths to creating some of the world’s best-known companies, from Zappos’ Tony Hsieh to Spanx’s Sara Blakely.

We recommend:

Episode 1: Spanx. An interview with self-made billionaire Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx.

Episode 20: Zappos. An interview with entrepreneur and venture capitalist Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos.

Episode 30: Power Rangers. An interview with producer, investor, and media mogul Haim Saban, creator of Power Rangers.

Broken Record

Hosted by Justin Richmond, music producer Rick Rubin, best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, and former New York Times editor Bruce Headlam, Broken Record features interviews with musicians from all genres talking about their backstories, lives, and sources of inspiration.

We recommend:

Episode 45: Drive-By Truckers. The Georgia-based Southern-rock band talks about how the political climate influenced their 12th album.

Exponent

Hosted by author and blogger Ben Thompson and Harvard Business Review writer James Allworth, Exponent focuses on the relationship between technology and society.

We recommend:

Episode 184: Good is Better than Perfect. The host discusses masks and Twitter’s decision to delete tweets about COVID-19.