About a year or so ago I really made a deliberate effort to start listening to podcasts. Whether it’s listening during my commute or during my workouts, I’ve appreciated another medium to scratch my learning itch.

With that, I’ll be starting a semi-regular series to showcase some of the podcasts I’m listening to on an ongoing basis. I find that podcasts come and go from my library, so I should be able to keep a pretty fresh list of podcasts to share on an ongoing basis.

I’d also like to focus these posts on some of the diversity in podcasts that I listen to. They tend to oscillate between topics of technical/engineering leadership, mental health/wellbeing and sports. My first examples of this are below!

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Here’s The Catch - 49ers Podcast
Episode Frequency: Twice per week (during season)
Average Episode Time: 50 mins

Yes, I’m starting with a bit of a painful mention as the 49ers came very close to the Super Bowl this year! Having said that, I appreciated the detail and conversations that the Athletic staff and 49ers alumni provide in this podcast. The cadence is really great too, there’s normally an episode the day after a game and a mid-week primer episode for the following week. Worth a listen starting in September 2022!

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The Engineering Leadership Podcast
Episode Frequency: Weekly
Average Episode Time: 45 mins

Only in it’s second season, the Engineering Leadership Podcast is the work of members of the Engineering Leadership Community. It features some great, in-depth conversations with engineering leaders across the industry. I really appreciate the format of this podcast, with great summaries at the end of each episode that provide tactical advice to take back to the listener.

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The Happiness Lab
Episode Frequency: Weekly (When In Season)
Average Episode Time: 40 mins

This was the first podcast that started it all! I wrote a post back in November 2019 that talked a bit about my path to happiness, and this podcast was a big part of it. I continually get great content from this podcast around happiness and wellbeing, and I’m continually learning about the connection between science and our emotions.

Another year is nearly in the bag which means it’s time for my yearly list of top albums released in 2021! After another tough year with no live concerts for myself, I’ve had to rely on new albums to expose me to new tunes. As always, a nice blend of hip-hop, rap, rock and punk music rounds out the list. And yes, if Limp Bizkit is on this list. Don’t hate!

10. AFI - Bodies
9. Russ - CHOMP 2
8. Limp Bizkit - STILL SUCKS
7. Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight
6. Nas - Kings Disease II
5. Thrice - Horizons / East
4. DMX - Exodus
3. Rise Against - Nowhere Generation
2. The Dirty Nil - Fuck Art
1. J Cole - The Offseason

Wishing everyone who reads this a happy holiday season and all the best in 2022!

1. J Cole - The Offseason

Best Tracks: 95 South, Pride Is The Devil, Close

2. The Dirty Nil - Fuck Art

Best Tracks: Doom Boy, Hello Jealousy, Possession

3. Rise Against - Nowhere Generation

Best Tracks: Broken Dreams, Inc., Monarch, Sudden Urge

4. DMX - Exodus

Best Tracks: Bath Salts, Hood Blues, Dogs Out

5. Thrice - Horizons / East

Best Track: Northern Lights, The Dreamer, The Color of the Sky

6. Nas - Kings Disease II

Best Tracks: The Pressure, Death Row East, Nobody

7. Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight

Best Tracks: Making A Fire, Waiting on a War, Love Dies Young

8. Limp Bizkit - STILL SUCKS

Best Tracks: Dirty Rotten Bizkit, Turn It Up, Out of Style

9. Russ - CHOMP 2

Best Tracks: Free, Nothin’ New, Bucket Hat Low

10. AFI - Bodies

Best Tracks: Twisted Tongues, On Your Back, Begging For Trouble

Last month I had the pleasure of appearing on my first podcast interview ever! I was interviewed on the Level-Up Engineering Podcast to talk about work-life awareness and leading engineering teams in a mindful way.

Check out the blog post as well as the podcast below. This will hit streaming services in the middle of December. It was a great experience being able to do this interview and I hope to do more in the future!