Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
Need a little audio pick-me-up every morning? Motivational podcasts can be a great way to start your day, whether you’re looking to improve your productivity at work, achieve your fitness goals, or simply become a better human. On this point, here are the best motivational podcasts to listen to in 2023.
The best motivational podcasts
Life kit
Subject: Lifestyle, personal development
NPR Podcasts are some of the best podcasts on the market, and the short Life Kit podcast is perfect for getting a little better on the go. It covers topics from creating a better bucket list to building and maintaining friends as an adult. There are over 600 episodes in 2023, so rather than listening to them in order, we recommend choosing topics that are relevant to you. Whatever you choose, you’ll find the motivation to take on new tasks or improve your existing habits.
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How I built this
Subject: Business, Interview
Looking for a podcast to motivate your small business? How I Built This with Guy Raz is a podcast of interviews with the CEOs and founders of some of the biggest companies in the world. In it, guests describe the decisions and sacrifices they made to reach the top. Most people won’t achieve the same level of success, but that’s a good thing Business-oriented podcast for some workplace inspiration.
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How to fail
Subject: Lifestyle, Interview
Tired of hearing about other people’s successes? The How to Fail podcast does the exact opposite. Host Elizabeth Day always hosts A-list guests, but the interview focuses on the major mistakes they’ve made in their lives or careers, and what they’ve learned from them. This is a great motivational podcast for anyone who might find themselves at a difficult time in their life, because it shows that things can (and often do) change.
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The happiness laboratory
Subject: Lifestyle, personal development
Motivational podcasts are often filled with esoteric advice, but for a more scientific approach, check out The Happiness Lab. Host Dr. Laurie Santos has studied the science of happiness (and teaches a course on it at Yale), and each 40-minute episode is like a distilled lesson on how to feel physically happy. If that doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will.
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Ten percent happier
Subject: Lifestyle, personal development
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the motivational podcast above is Ten Percent Happier. Despite the similarity in titles, this one focuses more on the personal experience of journalist and author Dan Harris, who wrote a book of the same name. Her philosophy is that happiness is a muscle that can be trained over time, and no method is excluded: fitness, meditation, religion, psychedelics, and more.
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Routines and ruts
Subject: Lifestyle, personal development
This next motivational podcast is over, but there are more than 50 episodes spanning three seasons to catch up on, so it still earns a spot on our list. Each episode is a conversation about the times in life when you’re in your flow, and others when things just aren’t going well. Host Madeleine Dore answers readers’ questions productively, providing helpful motivational tips no matter where you are in your life.
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Beyond the to-do list
Subject: Productivity, personal development
For a more work-focused motivational podcast, Beyond the To-Do List is full of tips and tricks for staying productive and motivated in the workplace. This is an interview-style podcast with productivity experts, authors, and creatives who tell you how to take perspective on your goals beyond a simple to-do list. However, not all episodes are about work and many of the tips shared can be applied to personal goals as well.
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Food Psychology Podcast
Fitness motivational podcasts are a dime a dozen, but most aren’t worth their weight in soy. The Food Psych podcast is the exception. Hosted by diet nutritionist and journalist Christy Harrison, it attempts to heal your relationship not only with food, but also with diets and medications. This is a great general fitness podcast that will teach you tips on how to stay motivated and live a healthy lifestyle. After more than 300 episodes, it ended in 2023, but the host has a new podcast called Rethinking Wellness that’s a great sequel.
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