The Top 5 Podcasts of 2016

I am not a dentist. But the same reasons you come to Dentists Money Digest are the same principles by which I operate. I want to be better. You want to be better, too.

And being better isn’t just about the money, is it? Sure, success in dentistry leads to a desirable lifestyle. But that’s not why you got into dentistry, right? Maybe it was an experience you had in someone’s operatory as a child. Maybe you identified the need for dentistry in your community. Or maybe you saw it as a way to make a difference in so many lives on a daily basis.

It’s easy sometimes to lose track of those reasons, those guiding principles. There are so many factors that can snuff them out, whether it’s a crushing student loan debt load, lagging case acceptance, or maybe even the stresses that come along with the holiday season. The stresses and rigors of life can sap our drive and determination. If we let them.

That’s where podcasting comes in. Good podcasts offer the ultimate return on investment. At no cost to you, you can enjoy motivating, enlightening, and entertaining content with a few quick taps on a smartphone screen. You can tune in on your commute to your practice, while crushing your workout, or while you get ready for your day.

These audible doses of inspiration can be your fuel. Use them to remember why you got into this line of work in the first place. Use them to be better.

Here are Dentist Money Digest’s Top 5 Podcasts for 2016.

1. Jocko Podcast: Hosted by retired Navy SEAL commander Jocko Willink, this podcast will fuel you when you are at your most unmotivated. Episodes are divided into deep explorations of books, usually about combat, and Q&As. Willink translates the battlefield experiences into lessons on leadership and overcoming adversity in any profession. This podcast has inspired a legion of followers on social media, who call themselves “Troopers,” and wake up each day at 4:30 a.m. They post pictures of their watches on Instagram as proof.

Recommended first episode: “I Fought With Custer”, How Ego Can Kill You, Avoid The Slippery Slope

2. The Tim Ferriss Show: Tim Ferriss, the bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and most recently, Tools of Titans, is a relentless self-experimenter who has made a career out of finding the best way to do just about anything. His podcast is typically in an interview format where he gets his guests to elaborate on the strategies, tips, and tricks that have led them to success. Ferriss’ podcast is a constant wellspring of knowledge as well as strategies you can implement right now.

Recommended first episode: Jamie Foxx on Workout Routines, Success Habits, and Untold Hollywood Stories

Click to the next page for podcast picks 3-5.

3. Hardcore History: Hosted by journalist Dan Carlin, hardcore history is a serialized podcast on the events and larger-than-life, real-world characters who shaped them. His series on World War I, titled “Blueprint for Armageddon,” is often cited among leading podcasters as the best. Close examinations of the past help us navigate the present, and looking at world-altering events has a way of putting things in perspective. Maybe that flat tire isn’t such a big deal after all?

Recommended first episode: Blueprint for Armageddon I

4. The Moth: It’s a concept as old as oral tradition: “True stories told live.” That’s The Moth’s tagline and methodology. Episodes are assembled from live story-telling events held across the U.S. The best of those events make it to the podcast. The events recounted range from tug-at-your-heartstrings tear-jerkers, to laugh-out-loud funny. Either way, they’ll keep you in a state of rapt attention.

Recommended first episode: Finding Home and A New Home by Dori Samadzai Bonner

5. StartUp: Startup is an audible, almost real-time autobiography of a start-up podcasting company. So, yes, it’s a podcast about a podcast. It captures, sometimes in agonizing detail, the obstacles and pitfalls of starting any business. Those of you who have started your own practice can relate. And those of you who aspire to start, or are starting your own practice can learn.

Recommended first episode: How Not to Pitch a Billionaire