I bet you’ve been in one of these situations recently. Stuck on a terrible commute with only a crumpled Metro newspaper for distraction. Facing (and dreading) a morning of household chores. Or maybe you’re working on a project that doesn’t require 100% creative brain power and is a little...snore.

It’s times like these a great podcast can be your saviour. I know I’m a little late to the wonders of the audio world but wow, what an amazing and entertaining (free!) resource. But, podcasts can offer more than simple boredom relief. There’s a wealth of valuable insight, advice and inspiration at your fingertips. As a career coach, I know how important it is for clients to have a motivated, engaged and curious mind set for achieving career goals and creative success.

So, in no particular order I wanted to share with you five podcasts that I think are great for those working in the creative world!

1. Vulnerability as a Creative with Brené Brown

Brené Brown is a highly regarded research professor specialising in vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. She's also just great to listen to - upbeat and full of great ideas. in this podcast she talks about how creatives experience vulnerability, rejection, perfectionism, and discomfort, and offers insight into how to only listen to the opinions of those who matter. She also shares some great tools for staying resilient when your  work doesn’t quite get the desired attention or reaction.

(56 mins)

2. Seth Godin on Creativity, Writer’s Block, and What It Sounds Like When You Change Your Mind
   

Seth Godin is an author and entrepreneur who is genuinely excited about marketing, respect and the way ideas spread. Here he talks to Brian Koppelman about the concept of “certainty”, whether writer’s block really exists and why Seth used to ask the question “How many gas stations are there in the United States?” when interviewing potential employees. The two also reflect on different artists, how they approach their work and why fear is a usually a good indication that you're doing something right.

(58 mins)

3. How To Grow Your Business & Find Time For The Creative Work, Too

In this dinky podcast Marie Forleo addresses how as a creative, you have to market and grow your business. But how do you do that and still have enough time to create? Here’s your answer!

(9 mins)

4. Noah Kagan: Stop Fighting What You Are Good At

Noah Kagan was sacked from Facebook. He was their 30^th employee. “I think they made the right decision to fire me, “ he said. “One of the big realisations I’ve had in the past years is that people need to stop fighting their natural skill. My sweet spot is getting things going. That was the lesson learned. What I was strong at was not what Facebook needed anymore.” In this podcast James Altucher (he's also had an extremely interesting career, having run several companies, lost everything and gained it back) talks to Noah about finding work that uses your natural strengths - something I believe is the key to real success!

(120 mins)

5. TED Radio Hour

Don’t have the time to watch all those TEDx talks your friends keep sending you? Listen to them instead with the Ted Radio Hour. There were too many to select just one so have a look around for topics that float your boat. Recent episodes include exploring how Big Data will reshape the world and why we lie. Awesome.

(Various!)