8 Innovation Podcasts to Inspire and Activate Ingenuity
Chances are you need to innovate on a daily basis. Never fear – adventurous minds are here to share their ideas through some of the best innovation podcasts out there.
Many argue that innovation is more critical now than ever. These are dynamic times, with large-scale changes that we need to adjust to. Because of this, it is not surprising that creativity has been rated as the top soft skill needed in the workplace. How do we nourish ourselves with an endless supply of ideas? A seemingly endless supply of innovation podcasts.
According to social learning theory, we learn by observing others. One of the best ways to observe others is through hearing their stories and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Podcasts offer the intimacy of having some of the most impressive people in the world speaking directly into our ears. After screening over 30 innovation podcasts, here are my top picks.
1. 90 Seconds of Innovation
Brass tacks: What makes this one of the most interesting innovation podcasts is that it’s loaded with short segments that offer perfect warm-ups for problem solving or engaging with unstructured tasks. Alternatively, these short episodes can remotivate when a quick boost is needed. Some of the topics covered include: Why is Innovation Most Successful on Teams? How Do I Achieve Flow State? And Why Do People Avoid Innovation?
What you will gain: Quick tips and research-based insights on innovative thinking and how to harness it.
Episode spotlight: How Can I Jumpstart Creative Thinking? with Tanja Yardley, innovation and leadership coach
“Research shows that when you’re in a big space, it actually stimulates big-picture thinking.”Tanja Yardley
In this segment, Tanja suggests ways to maximize time of day, mood, and field of vision to cultivate a state of mind conducive to creativity. For instance, she mentions, “Research shows that when you’re in a big space, it actually stimulates big-picture thinking.”
These episodes are densely packed without feeling like it.
Length of episodes: 1.5 minutes
2. Inside Outside Innovation
Brass tacks: The host of this innovation podcast, Brian Ardinger, CEO and founder of NXXT, guides thoughtful, dynamic interviews with those at the forefront of their fields. His guests include professors, founders, authors, designers, and CEOS. Brian strikes a nice balance between keeping the conversations moving and capturing sufficient detail.
What you will gain: Ideas about innovating at both the micro and macro level, while focusing on topics from technological advances to the creative process. Hearing experts discuss business obstacles and solutions may offer reusable ideas for your organization.
Episode spotlight: Episode 270 with Kaiser Yang, Co-Founder of Platypus Labs and Author of Crack the Code on Mindsets for Creativity and Innovation. Kaiser Yang shares several tangible frameworks and mindsets that can support innovative thinking.
For instance, he points out that we often wait to start something new until we have a map drawn. This approach can really slow down progress. Therefore, he recommends addressing innovations with a compass and finding your way as you go. As he puts it, “The main underscoring point is you need to start before you’re ready.” Other highlights of the episode include Kaiser’s take on the dangers expertise poses to innovation, the value of improvisation improves active listening, and the importance of borrowing from different industries. The diversity of content makes this one of the best innovation podcasts around.
Length of episodes: usually around 20 minutes
3. The Accidental Creative with Todd Henry
Brass tacks: These episodes are interview-based, but with frills. Todd Henry, the host, offers an introductory setup to each topic. He also takes an active part in the dialogue, offering his own observations as the conversations progress. As the founder of a company that shares the name of his podcast and the author of several books, Todd has his fair share of expertise on the topics featured. So, it’s no wonder this is one of the best innovation podcasts out there.
What you will gain: A breakdown of topics related to motivation, habits, and innovative processes from a variety of angles and perspectives.
Episode Spotlight: Achieving Peak Mind with Amishi Jha, psychology professor, neuro-scientist, and author of the book, Peak Mind
“Most of us don’t think the mind needs daily exercise. What we’re finding is that it does. ”Amishi Jha
In addition to addressing the conditions and situations that fray our thinking, Amishi discusses the kind of thinking she aims to help us attain. She describes peak mind as having access to its available resources, including the ability to be impervious to distractions. As with many of the best things in life, this ability to strengthen our powers of paying attention comes with exercise. “Most of us don’t think the mind needs daily exercise. What we’re finding is that it does. What is the amount of exercise you should do and what kind of exercise has been the puzzle.” These are some of the ideas she discusses in the podcast.
Length of episodes: usually around 30 minutes
4. 2050 Investors
Brass tacks: This innovation podcast is unusual in that it is not limited to an interview format. Rather, the host, Kokou Agbo-Bloua, Global Head of Economics, Cross-Asset, and Quant Research at Societe Generale, weaves together cohesive narratives replete with music, sound effects, stories, quotes, ideas, and selections of interviews. The topics include AI, adaptability quotients, inflation, extreme weather, etc.
What you will gain: Quick and entertaining overviews of issues relevant to the co-existence of business, sustainability, and social justice. The artistically advanced production, along with the insights provided, will shed light on themes that are likely hovering in the shadows of your mind.
Episode Spotlight: Green vs. Greed with Isabelle Millat, Head of Sustainability Solutions at Societe Generale
Isabelle illuminates the concerns companies need to address when establishing ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance) strategies. When advising investors, Isabelle looks for solutions that benefit “people, planet, and profit,” and acknowledges the double premise on which ESG sits: values and value. Regardless of how investors rate these two elements, Isabelle is clear on her and her colleagues’ priorities. “We always attempt to combine both and deliver values and value in all solutions.” To see more about how she does this, check out the episode.
Length of episodes: usually around 20 minutes
5. Innovation and Leadership with Jess Larsen
Brass tacks: Jess Larsen, who is the chairman and co-founder of Graystoke Investments and Graystoke Media, has casual conversation with impressive people. He approaches interviews with high-energy and genuine interest. This combination keeps conversations moving and guarantees entertaining exchanges. Previous guests include founders, CEOs, marketing professionals, and research scientists of companies such as Zoom, Canva, Pinterest, Google, as well as athletes, entertainers, psychologists, and authors.
What you will gain: Behind the scenes glimpses of success journeys, including anecdotes, tips, and personal stories.
Episode Spotlight: Reset with Johnny Taylor CEO of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Johnny Taylor works for a non-profit, but his mindset is for-profit.
Working at this intersection spurs complex views that both surprise and persuade. For instance, he supports paying people what they are “worth,” even when this creates considerable compensation disparities. While some may disagree with him on this, most will agree with the following premise: “If you want the best talent, then you have to treat them like the best talent.” For more on how he defines terms – he is detailed and precise in his assertions – listen to this episode.
Length of episodes: usually around 30 minutes
6. The Corporate Innovation Podcast
Brass tacks: This podcast’s host, Kris Østergaard, who is a co-founder and the Chief Learning & Innovation Officer of SingularityU Nordic, facilitates fascinating interviews with impressive depth. His calm and minimalistic style keeps the focus on content his guests are prepared to share, so it’s definitely one of the most interesting innovation podcasts out there.
What you will gain: Thorough, stimulating explorations of the most exciting challenges of our times from some of the most original thinkers. Sustainability, ethics, and integrity are thematic staples of the series.
Episode Spotlight: How to Innovate Responsibly with Alka Roy, Founder of Responsible Innovation and AI Project
Alka seems to have it all. She’s technically brilliant, communicatively entertaining, and ethically oriented. Her episode spans her thoughts on various complications in the field of AI, including why she does not use the term “responsible AI,” what is often missing in how AI is addressed, and the power of framing. Even her views on the work of innovators are original and refreshing. As she puts it, good innovators know this: “If you listen carefully, and you’re able to hear it, you will literally make better stuff. You will literally build with inclusion, variety, diversity, belonging, a sense of tolerance. And when you don’t—when you find out you didn’t—you will listen again, and you will change the course.”
Length of episodes: usually around an hour
7. How I Built This with Guy Raz
Brass tacks: In contrast to most innovation podcasts, this one follows an audio-essay format with clear narrative arcs. In addition to the interview segments, an overarching narrative is presented through background information, music, statistics, and even the host’s personal connections with the topics at hand. The host, Guy, is a journalist and radio host and has been described as “one of the most popular podcasters in history,” by the New York Times.
What you will gain: Rich and entertaining storytelling built from concrete moments of success and failure that will spark and fuel out-of-the-box thinking.
Episode Spotlight: Stasher and Modern Twist: Kat Nouri, founder of Stasher and Modern Twist
After describing some funny-in-retrospect business failures, Kat explains how she became increasingly concerned about the amount of single-use-plastic in her household. Ideas for reducing her use of Ziploc bags started percolating while Kat was making the lunches of her three children. Before her company, Stasher, became wildly successful, Kat faced plenty of marketing, patent, funding, and distribution challenges. Through it all, however, her own objectives for the company remained clear. “I didn’t start this company for profit. I started this company so that it would support the change that I wanted to see in the world,” she explains. “The company went explosive because we were authentic and we were transparent.”
Length of episodes: usually around an hour
8. Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
Brass tacks: Of all the innovation podcasts I’ve listened to, this one really stands out. It alternates between lecture-like talks (by engaging speakers) and conversations in which Stanford professors interview thought leaders. The guests include
CEOs and founders of startups including thredUP, Girls Who Code, Strava, Alibaba, and Instagram.
What you will gain: A combination of intellectual and down-to-earth information on what drives some of the top thinkers to keep pushing boundaries. Here the inside-scoop is presented on how a wide range of innovators operate.
Episode Spotlight: Innovation in Ed-Tech and Biotech with Daphne Koller of insitro
“I’ve always looked for opportunities where the experience, the skills, the mindset that I bring have disproportionate leverage.”Daphne Koller, CEO of insitro
Daphne explains how she decided to leave her role as a full, tenured professor at Stanford University to start Coursera. Over time, she says, it became increasingly important to her to feel like she was making a positive impact on the world. Additionally, she wanted to be sure that she was offering her talents in ways that were particular to her. “I’ve always looked for opportunities where the experience, the skills, the mindset that I bring have disproportionate leverage,” she says. When people are looking to make big decisions, she suggests asking the following question. “What do you bring to the table that is unique to the point that you can do something much better than the next person, perhaps – or most of the next best people – in that role?”
Length of episodes: usually around an hour
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