Recently, the Brilliant Ink team came together in Atlanta for our annual planning session. It was there where I learned about the Internal Comms Procast from Jackie Berg, our Head of Research. After downloading it before my flight home, I scrolled through the other podcasts I subscribe to and a clear theme jumped out at me.

The majority focus on work: how people do their jobs, how they build companies and how they navigate the ins and outs of leadership, managing teams, handling conflict and more. Similar to my fascination with how our team gets #^$& done, I love hearing the good, the great and the ugly about what many of us do each day: work.  

1. NPR’s How I Built This

Host Guy Raz digs into the stories behind some of the most recognizable companies (think: Spanx, Shopify, Allbirds, Stacy’s Pita Chips), revealing the journey the founder took to get to where they are today. Guy is one of my favorite interviewers and his guests tend to really open up.

2. Slate’s Working

I just love this one. Truth be told, I sometimes (oftentimes) zone out during podcasts, but this one always keeps my attention. Host Jordan Weissmann interviews a wide range of people on how they do their jobs, with each episode focusing on one person. Recent interviewees include an internet astrologer, NASA coder, parenting influencer, tenants’ rights attorney and Christmas decorator. Need I say more?

3. Internal Comms Procast

Each short episode (~25 minutes, so perfect!) features an internal communications professional (sometimes several) honing in on a super relevant topic, which range from the reasons intranets fail to storytelling tools to elevating IC at your organization to managing employee activism. Guests have hailed from companies such as Slack, Dunkin’ Brands and Piedmont Healthcare.

4. Skimm’d from the Couch

Each week, the Skimm Founders Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg interview successful women on everything related to their careers — how they achieved their success, their valued advice, failures, and much more. Recent guests include Ambassador Samantha Power, CEO of S’well Sarah Kauss and investigative reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey.

5. Culture Amp’s Culture First

Host Damon Klotz sits down with a range of internal communications professionals (as well as those who don’t exactly fall into that bucket, such as Esther Perel!) to explore the many facets of company culture.

6. Esther Perel's How's Work?

Psychotherapist and organizational consultant Esther Perel dives deep into relationships at work and the dynamics that shape them. From veterans who flew fighter jets together in Iraq and Afghanistan to family-turned-business partners to exotic dancers at a strip club, Esther leaves no stone unturned in her exploration of workplace connections, conflict and dynamics.

Interested in more?

• The Muse highlighted the 6 Best Podcasts to Boost Your Career.
• Six must be the lucky number! Girlboss also rounded up the 6 Best Podcasts to Listen to for Career Advice.
• Yours truly also rounded up some of the books, podcasts and videos that the Brilliant Team was tuning into — both for professional development and fun.
• We also explored some best practices around internal podcasts with expert Tyler Brown that can help you get in the podcast game.

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