jordan schneider

Podcasts

jordan schneider
Podcasts

Reading can get hard post-concussion. Podcasts are a great way to pass time and keep your brain active. 

Note: Check out the Overcast app to download and manage your podcast. They have a slow dial you can use to increase your podcast speed as a way to do progressive mental overload.

INTERVIEW-BASED PODCASTS

I found that interview-based podcasts are a great first step to getting your brain to consume media again. Since there's some dead-time and small-talk built into interviews, particularly loosely edited ones, your brain has more space to breathe.

Tim Ferriss Podcast

I stumbled on Tim Ferriss after listening to him get interviewed on the Freakonomics podcast. He seemed like an interesting dude with lots of cool lifehacks. I figured that if I came out of my concussion with a handful of new habits that I could be proud of, that would make me feel less like the past six months have been a total waste. 

Each episode features a different person who is a world class performer in a random field (VC kingpin, US Olympic strength training coach, chess master, Army general, CEO...). Ferriss spends 1.5 to 3 hours talking to them about how they got to where they are 

The first few of his I listened to were unbelievable. Here are five to get you hooked.

After a few episodes Ferriss may start to grate on you. I just wish he took more cues from a Terry Gross and listened better, wasn’t as rigid in his schema/stock questions (I don't really care whether Jamie Foxx drinks coffee) and humble-bragged less. But you can always skip ahead when he talks!

Fresh Air

Terry Gross for my money is America's greatest living interviewer. The preparation, care, listening ability, and sense for when to press for more she has developed over decades is unmatched on TV or radio. She's at her best talking to artists, comedians, directors, and actors. Dive into her archive and get ready for a real treat. Search almost any celebrity you admire. Highlights include her with Bill O'Reilly, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Jay-Z, and Maurice Sendak. 

Econtalk

Russ Roberts is an economist who hosts a weekly hourlong discussion about heady topics. He brings on economists, CEOs and writers to discuss some public policy or ethical issue. I like that he does his homework and asks prodding questions without being a jerk, engaging in the sort of adult conversation I wish could be more common in modern American discourse. Russ is a committed libertarian, and while I don't necessarily agree with much of his politics, he articulates his views in a really intellectually honest manner that you rarely hear from other academics. Here are some best-of lists from 2015 and 2014 to get your started. This one on potato chips is also brilliant.

Produced Podcasts

Once you feel comfortable with interviews, produced podcasts with sound effects and tighter editing can provide another level of mental challenge. 

99% Invisible

This show makes the endless walks around town you take way more engaging. It's a 20-30 minute show about design that had me thinking about streets, buildings and objects in new ways. A few to spark your interest

Radiolab

The first podcast to really up production values and bring back 'radio play' aesthetics modernized for today, this NPR standby explores science broadly defined. They've created the most beautiful piece of radio I've ever heard. Some of my favorites include

There are also plenty of episodes about the brain if you're not sick of learning about it.

Download Overcast to listen to your podcasts

It's a much better manager than the generic iPhone app. You can fine tune the speed of your podcast, and use the accelerating speed as a way to progressively overload your brain and keep it from getting stagnant.