11 Health and Wellness Podcasts to Help Keep You Calm and Inspired These podcasts offer tips to help us improve and stabilize our physical and mental health.
By Elisette Carlson Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
As entrepreneurs, we are always looking to learn, stay relevant and find inspiration from fresh perspectives. For as much as I love to read, I don't find time to and prefer to use that time for walks, especially now, when walking and movement is so key to our mental health and general well-being. Almost every day, I listen to a podcast while on a walk, and it helps keep me calm, all while offering perspective on what's going on in our world and insights for how I can better myself as a human being and contribute to the personal and business communities.
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Aside from a handful of favorite well-known business and health podcasts from New York Times best-selling authors, including The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferris, the Joe Rogan Experience and Lewis Howe's School of Greatness, below are less-known podcasts created by friends I have met throughout my career as well as people I admire. Especially during these times, their content delivers inspiration, the latest knowledge on keeping ourselves as healthy as possible and an opportunity to get some laughs in along the way.
1. RISE Podcast is hosted by New York Times best-selling author and motivational speaker Rachel Hollis. Rachel is unapologetic and personable with her conversations with guests that feature entrepreneurs and personal development leaders to help you be the best version of yourself. She and her husband, Dave, also parent four young kids, so it's interesting to listen to how they are balancing it all throughout the pandemic. I became a fan of Rachel's after reading her book Girl Wash Your Face when it first came out. She also taught me to stop apologizing so much!
2. Hurdle was launched in January of 2018 by former fitness editor at SELF magazine and freelance writer Emily Abbate, who has bylines in everything from SHAPE to GQ. I met Emily years back when she was a junior editor for a sports and lifestyle site and have continued to work with her as she now interviews the world's best in health and fitness. Called "addictive" by The New York Times, Hurdle features people who got through a difficult time — a hurdle of sorts — by integrating wellness into their routines. Some of the most inspirational humans and top CEOs attained their success by turning to yoga, running, a new approach to eating or meditation, among other wellness practices. As Emily is an avid marathon runner, most of her guests are from the fitness world, but her shows, and blunt honesty, will inspire you to continue to live a healthier and happier lifestyle.
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3. Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast isn't all about fitness. If you want to get the nitty-gritty on biohacking and the latest science on all things health, give this show a shot. From fat loss to anti-aging to exercise and nutrition, New York Times best-selling author and speaker (his latest book, Boundless, is what I consider a health bible!), Ben interviews wellness and medical professionals and offers entertaining modern science knowledge alongside his own self-experimentation with everything from light therapy to nootropics to intermittent fasting. He explores tactics outside of traditional Western medicine and shares his own personal routines and offers Q&As. Fun fact: Twelve years ago, Ben was at my house and asked me, "I hope you don't think I'm weird, but do you have coconut oil or olive oil for me to use on my face as a moisturizer?" In the same way coconut oil is now universal for skin care, Ben is on top of the latest in health, and always learning and sharing via a somewhat nerdy yet very compassionate voice.
4. Model Health Show focuses on overall health, inspired by Shawn Stevenson's experience of revamping his lifestyle to overcome chronic pain from degenerative disc disease. In his conversations with experts, Stevenson offers balanced, evidence-based analysis of fads and health trends ranging from natural treatments for depression to understanding the science behind different types of exercises for building lean muscle mass. Shawn goes beyond nutrition and fitness and puts a lot of fun and heart into his unique "masterclass" episodes, which are my personal favorites.
5. Unlocking Us with Brené Brown is a new podcast I just got hooked on because of her track record and results for helping us "unlock the deeply human part of who we are" to become better as entrepreneurs, parents and human beings by "leading with more courage and heart." Brené is a research professor at the University of Houston and author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers, and her most recent book, Dare to Lead, focuses on courage and leadership during a time when we need it most. If you're into TED Talks, I encourage you to also listen to The Power of Vulnerability, which is a top-five most viewed TED talks in the world, with over 47 million views.
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6. The One Thing earned a spot in my podcast library after I read Gary Keller's #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, The One Thing. Hosted by Geoff Woods, the vice president of The One Thing, this podcast has helped me gain clarity on what's most important in professional and personal life and work on eliminating distractions such as multi-tasking and social media to better prioritize the important things. From time blocking to habit forming, Gary offers specific examples for how to become more focused and be a better version of yourself.
7. The Genius Life is a great listen for those into nutrition and learning more about how to eat to optimize your brain, be more productive and feel better. Also known for his New York Times bestseller, Genius Foods (inspired by the loss of his mother to dementia), Max takes complex science and research and breaks it down into bite-size pieces integrating personal anecdotes and a sense of humor. From neurologists to heart surgeons, his guests are the best in the field of medicine and science, who focus on how to heal with food, ancient herbs and general practices. I love Max's recipes, including my personal favorite for homemade dark chocolate balls.
8. Unstoppable with Kara Goldin is inspirational because Kara has conversations with industry disruptors and innovators in the world of wellness, business and life. I became a fan of Kara's and connected with her over LinkedIn because of her founder story for Hint and how I used her example to help my twin brother drop his diet soda addiction to lose weight and eliminate artificial ingredients from his diet. When Kara developed Hint, she was told that her idea would never work and ended up launching Hint at her local Whole Foods Market, while on her way, literally, to delivering her fourth child. That's how real this female entrepreneur powerhouse gets with the people she interviews, all while helping listeners build better habits and make healthier decisions. If you need to believe, this is a great one!
9. The Rich Roll Podcast has over 75 million downloads and is one of the most acclaimed podcasts that dives deep into all things wellness, spirituality, fitness, nutrition, entertainment and entrepreneurship. I met Rich back in 2005 when he modeled for the catalog and creative assets of a sports apparel company I was the marketing director for. He was authentic as ever and into endurance sports and had gone from an overweight drug and alcohol addict to a plant-based, ultra-endurance athlete. Fast-forward to 2020, and he's a bestselling author, speaker and wellness evangelist and has a way to captivate you with longer-form conversations and interviews that provoke you to unleash your best authentic self.
10. The Momentous Podcast is a newer podcast hosted by 21-year old Harvard dropout and founder of a nutrition company Matt Wan, dedicated to "empowering the relentless pursuit of human health and performance." It happens to be the protein powder I use because of its clean and safe ingredients, which is why I explored a listen. Matt interviews entrepreneurs and CEOs who are highly introspective and ambitious. His guests are mostly elite and Olympic athletes, trainers and medical experts, and it was his episode with sleep neuroscientist, sleep Expert, CrossFit athlete and Army soldier Dr. Allison Brager that got me hooked.
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11. Happier with Gretchen Rubin is a dose of what we all need. With over 95 million downloads, Gretchen has been interviewed by Oprah and is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, my favorite of which is The Happiness Project, which spent two years on the bestseller list. Gretchen draws from cutting-edge science and popular culture to bring us interviews to help us improve our lives in so many ways. She has an unbelievable way of taking complex ideas and breaking them down with humor and clarity to help us find more happiness in all aspects of our lives. The New York Times called Gretchen "the queen of the self-help memoir," and I stand 100 percent behind that.
During this lockdown time, I urge you to get outside if you can, take a walk and try out one or a few of these podcasts to enlighten, entertain and shine some silver linings and positive light for the days that lie ahead of us.
