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20 Best Business Case Podcasts of 2021

Are you wanting to learn more about business case ? Well you’ve come to the right place. This is a curated list of the best business case podcasts of 2021.

We have selected these podcasts for a variety of reasons, but they are all well worth a listen. We tried to select a variety of podcasts across the spectrum from hosts with a wide breadth of experience.

We are always keen to hear your feedback, if we have missed a podcast, tweet us @MagazineWelp and we will check it out!

Best Business Case Podcasts 2021

With thanks to ListenNotes , Crunchbase , SemRush and Ahrefs for providing the data to create and rank these podcasts.

• Publisher : HBR Presents / Brian Kenny
• Total Episodes : 150

Cold Call distills Harvard Business School’s legendary case studies into podcast form. Hosted by Brian Kenny, the podcast airs every two weeks and features Harvard Business School faculty discussing cases they’ve written and the lessons they impart.

• ListenNotes
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The Wellness Business Podcast

• Publisher : Karen Pattock and Kathleen Legrys
• Total Episodes : 217

The Wellness Business Podcast was created specifically to focus on the core principles of building a profitable wellness business. Each weekly podcast episode is filled with action steps and case studies dedicated to one core principle of business to get new clients, grow a responsive email list, increase brand awareness, generate more income, launch new products and learn the latest social media strategies.

The Speaker Lab

• Publisher : Grant Baldwin
• Total Episodes : 367

Grant Baldwin from The Speaker Lab podcast will be sharing speaking business tactics, tips, and strategies from his own experience, case studies, and interviewing the experts. Whether you’re just getting started trying to get your first booking or you’re a veteran speaker looking to build and grow your business, this is for you. Grant has built a multiple six-figure per year business as a speaker having presented to over 500,000 people in over 450 paid speaking gigs. We’ll talk about speaker marketing, working with speaker bureaus and agents, keynote speaking, building your platform, negotiating fees, social media marketing, networking, storytelling, humor, operating the business and so much more!

High-Income Business Writing

• Publisher : Ed Gandia
• Total Episodes : 261

Ed Gandia, co-author of the bestselling book, The Wealthy Freelancer, reveals how to propel your writing business to the six-figure level (or the part-time equivalent). In this nuts-and-bolts, no-nonsense podcast, you’ll discover how to get better clients, earn more in less time, and bring more freedom and joy into your writing business. Ed will walk you through the practical, “doable” systems and strategies he has developed in his own writing business — the same systems he has taught his private coaching clients. He’ll also show you what’s working for other business writers by bringing you real case studies from the field. And he’ll share all this information in an honest and transparent way, with no hype or fluff. Topics covered include: getting better and higher-paying clients; banishing the feast-or-famine cycle; doing more of the work that excites you; how to raise your fees and rates; boosting your productivity; making your business recession-proof; discovering and leveraging your strengths; finding your niche; pricing content writing projects; pricing copywriting projects; writing white papers; writing case studies; writing web copy; writing articles; and much more.

The Art of Online Business

• Publisher : Rick Mulready
• Total Episodes : 500

The 3rd Rail Entrepreneur

• Publisher : Alastair Macdonald
• Total Episodes : 42

A podcast about enrichment. Enrichment of our minds, relationships, meaning and business via the entrepreneurial path. We’ll share Alastair’s real-time business case studies with private clients, stories from the field, legends and cross-pollinatory musings to inspire and provoke your own creativity. Join us! Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3rdrailentrepreneur

The Data Chief

• Publisher : Mission
• Total Episodes : 33

Meet the world’s top data and analytics leaders transforming how we do business. Hear case studies, industry insights, and personal lessons from the executives leading the data revolution. Join host Cindi Howson, Chief Data Strategy Officer at ThoughtSpot, every other Wednesday to meet the leaders and teams at the cutting edge.

The Dividend Cafe

• Publisher : The Bahnsen Group
• Total Episodes : 378

The Dividend Cafe is your portal for market perspective that is virtually conflict-free, rooted in deep philosophical commitments about how capital should be managed, and understandable for all sorts of investors. Host David L. Bahnsen is a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business. He is the author of the books, Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It (Post Hill Press) and The Case for Dividend Growth: Investing in a Post-Crisis World (Post Hill Press).

Hair of the Dog Podcast

• Publisher : Nicole Begley
• Total Episodes : 72

Are you a pet photographer hoping to start or grow your business so that you can finally live the life of YOUR design? Welcome to your one-stop-shop for practical tips, actionable strategies, detailed case studies, interviews with industry leaders, and everything else you need to start making money in pet photography. – Your host is Nicole Begley, a zoological animal trainer turned pet photographer. Nicole has been running a successful pet photography business since 2010 and is also the founder of Hair of the Dog Academy where she has helped people just like you build profitable pet photography businesses all around the world. – In this show, you will learn about photographing animals, starting your pet photography business, working with clients, pricing your photography, selling your photographic art, marketing your photography business, and creating an incredible client experience.

World of Procurement

• Publisher : Daniel Barnes
• Total Episodes : 44

Talking Procurement, Supply Chain and Contract Management. We are going to deep dive into the current state of affairs, best practice, building a personal brand and provide real case studies and examples for you to implement within your own Business. We speak with the most Senior and the most Junior people within Business, as everyone has a perspective and fresh ideas that can really help you operate within your business.

Lifestyle Practice Builders – Chiropractic Business & Marketing

• Publisher : Chiropractors, Rich Day, DC & Haley Day, DC
• Total Episodes : 185

Interviews and insights from top performing chiropractors, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals. The Lifestyle Practice Builders Podcast is the ultimate online chiropractic business resource with tips, guides, case studies and tutorials on everything you need to know to build YOUR practice around YOUR lifestyle! Whether you’re a Chiropractic student, new doctor, or experienced chiropractor, you’ll get actionable, inspirational and helpful information you can use TODAY.

The Site Shed

• Publisher : Matt Jones – Trade based business enthusiast
• Total Episodes : 298

The Site Shed is a podcast designed to assist and educate trade based business owners around the globe with business related topics and current affairs. The podcast is targeted to tradespeople and contractors like plumbers, builders, electricians, tilers, roofers, locksmiths, landscape gardeners & horticulturalists, printers, chefs, hairdressers, however it is a small business podcast so it also suits anyone that is in business. Facilitated by former plumber Matt Jones, this podcast addresses topics related to the trades, such as; apprenticeships, technology, business tools, web, digital, cloud, content creation, SEO, marketing, as well as regular guest appearances from co-host specialists, successful case studies, good and bad experiences and lot’s of do’s and don’t that have been learned through the school of hard knocks. Matt’s unique approach to communicating relevant topics is both refreshing and enjoyable. His experience as a plumber of 12 years, combined with his knowledge of the digital and business space as the owner of Tradie Web Guys, a company that helps tradespeople and contractors grow their online presence, you’re sure to transform your earbuds, into a university.

Stock Stories | Case Studies and Mental Models for Individual Investors

• Publisher : Alex Mason
• Total Episodes : 176

What stocks do you own and why do you own them? What are the fundamentals that ultimately drive stock market returns? I’m Alex Mason, an individual investor like you. Join me in my journey to decode the business behind the stock, and uncover principles and best practices for individual investors. My goal is to improve your investing process with knowledge and insight through case studies of real companies. This is the show where we explore the histories, business models, and economic characteristics of publicly traded companies, as well as mental models to complement investment analysis.

Engage Video Marketing Podcast

• Publisher : Ben Amos
• Total Episodes : 201

The Engage Video Marketing Podcast is a weekly show exploring the power of online video to move people to take action. Each week your host, leading video strategist Ben Amos will share world-class guest interviews, video strategy training, latest social video trends, case studies tips and tactics to help grow your business through effective video marketing. Learn more and take the next steps to become a confident video strategist at https://www.engagevideomarketing.com

LEGNDS – Entrepreneurship & Business SIMPLIFIED

• Publisher : Ron Malhotra
• Total Episodes : 22

If you are a visionary entrepreneur who is seeking sustainable growth, scale efficiencies, and prominent impact, then this podcast will provide you with powerful insights to become a business Legend. Ron Malhotra will share exceptional business insights with you so that you can implement them to see the results in your business. In case you want to become a Business Legend, email us at [email protected] and our team will get in touch with you.

Business Jesus and Sweet Tea: Heather Heuman chats w/ Michael Stelzner, Nicole Walters & more on Social Media Marketing

• Publisher : Heather Heuman: Social Media Speaker, Strategist, Host of Business, Jesus a
• Total Episodes : 206

Business, Jesus and Sweet Tea is a weekly podcast produced and hosted by Heather Heuman and Sweet Tea Social Marketing. The podcast was created for Christian business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders that need help to grow businesses with social media marketing, branding and insight from leading influencers getting results in this ever-changing marketplace. Plus, it has a huge desire to be an encouragement to you to use your gifts and talents from God to shine a light for Jesus in the marketplace. Listen to case studies, best practices and real stories of business owners just like you and how they overcame struggles and use social media marketing to grow their businesses. Learn how to use social media marketing, branding, e-mail marketing, content marketing and live video to work for your business. Find out more at sweetteasocialmarketing.com

7 Figure Flipping with Bill Allen

• Publisher : Bill Allen
• Total Episodes : 455

Learn the strategies, systems, and secrets of the nation’s top house flippers, wholesalers, and real estate investors right here on The 7 Figure Flipping Podcast with Bill Allen! Bringing you deep-dive interviews and insights on flipping houses and wholesaling real estate, 7 Figure Flipping is the ultimate online resource to accelerate your real estate investing journey. Whether you’re new to real estate or you’re ready to scale your REI business, you’ll find tips, guides, case studies, tutorials, and everything else you need right here. The 7 Figure Flipping Podcast is your “inside look” at what’s working in the house flipping and wholesaling world right now. No empty fluff… just actionable, helpful information you can use TODAY! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Immersive Audio Podcast

• Publisher : 1.618 Digital
• Total Episodes : 51

Join our host Oliver Kadel and guest presenters, in conversation with industry thought leaders, practitioners, artists, academics and entrepreneurs discussing all aspects of this rapidly evolving industry from art, science and business to practical insights and project case studies. We aim to inform, educate, explore and unite the community. Immersive Audio Podcast is produced by 1.618 Digital Ltd.

Podcasts From The Printerverse

• Publisher : Print Media Centr
• Total Episodes : 406

Welcome to Print Media Centr’s Podcasts from the Printerverse where we explore all facets of what is possible in today’s world of cutting-edge print communications, share customer stories, case studies, and strategies for print business and marketing success. Print Long and Prosper! #PMCpodcasts

Monetizing Media

• Publisher : Eric Peckham
• Total Episodes : 18

Monetizing Media breaks down the business of media, entertainment, and gaming. Leading executives, entrepreneurs, and investors share case studies on their companies and their analysis of new business opportunities with Eric Peckham, author of the Monetizing Media newsletter. // Keep up with industry deals and new analysis at MonetizingMedia.com

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Podcases: Case Studies, Reimagined

A “podcase” is a teaching tool: an audio version of a traditional case study, designed to provide an alternate learning method for students. It includes audio enhancements, such as sound effects, intended to illuminate the material.

Listen Up: “Podcases” Offer a New Way to Learn

Listen & subscribe, when social media and political speech collide, you own the vaccine that others need: should you share it, what you don’t know about the opioid epidemic.

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Podcast Review

The 11 Best Psychology Podcasts

I t doesn’t take a professional to point out that good relationships are built through healthy conversation. That doesn’t mean that any talk-heavy podcast can substitute for a session with a psychologist, but if you know where to tune in, there are plenty of professionals using podcasting to make their practice accessible to a wider audience. How else could so many people recline on a figurative couch at once?

Podcasting allows discussions typically confined to a therapist’s office to extend beyond those four walls. As a genre, it’s complicated. There are more layers to psychology podcasts than appearances suggest. For every reason someone might seek out a show about the topic — be it self-help, entertainment, or education — there are half a dozen podcasts catering to that need.

Here is our breakdown of the best psychology podcasts, although we can’t guarantee they’ll help you quit that bad habit, or stop your partner from leaving their towel on the bed.

Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel

Esther Perel is one of the most well-known figures in psychology creating accessible and consistent content. A qualified psychotherapist, Perel has a devoted following: bring up her name at a dinner party, or a staff lunch break, and someone will have a long-winded story of how she helped them.

Perel is best known for her work as a couples therapist, and Where Should We Begin? focuses on improving relationship dynamics. Through a combination of case studies and shorter, easily-consumed episodes called “Notes from Esther Perel,” she unravels intimacy issues, communication breakdown and, most recently, how relationships are coping — or not coping — with the modern challenges of everyday life. Be prepared for candid stories normally kept behind closed doors.

Therapy for Black Girls

With hundreds of episodes under its belt and a loyal listenership, Therapy for Black Girls has expanded beyond the typical parameters of a podcast; it has become an online space for Black women and girls to find reputable therapists and engage in a growing, supportive community. Hosted by licensed psychologist Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, the show breaks down psychological concepts and theories using pop-culture references — a technique that is often absent in the psychology podcasting genre and could be utilized more — with a focus on Black identity.

In the introduction to her “Sessions,” the name she gives to the show’s episodes, Harden Bradford makes it clear that tuning in is not a substitute for contacting a therapist. It’s a welcome preface, particularly when the show delves into difficult discussions that might provoke complicated personal reflection. Between harder topics and some light-hearted episodes — such as discussion on why raising houseplants is more than just a trend — Therapy for Black Girls gets the balance right.

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

In a long-overdue career development, author and professor Brené Brown transitioned from popular podcast guest to the host of her popular podcast, Unlocking Us . The popular podcast was recently ungated after an exclusive contract with Spotify, a move that aligns better with her values and is unlikely to negatively affect listenership.

Brown excels in the unexpected, giving a name to phenomena that many have experienced without understanding the psychological behaviors behind them. While Unlocking Us does a great job of developing her theories on vulnerability and courage, it is her quirkier discussions on “FFTs” (Fucking First Times) and “over-performing” that make for unique listening. Brown’s open and intimate candor is never without boundaries, making for comfortable conversation, the best of which is the two-part episode with Harriet Lerner on making and accepting apologies.

Popcorn Psychology

On Popcorn Psychology , three licensed therapists break down the psychological behaviors and issues found in your favorite movies. The podcast’s premise could have teetered into gimmick territory, but the result is undoubtedly entertaining. It’s hardly surprising that the podcast has a devoted listenership of those who want to dive deep into the media they consume.

Popcorn Psychology makes us question the merit of retrospectively diagnosing fictional characters, but since many people have grown up learning behaviors from pop culture, there is value in unpacking the psychological motivations behind the characters we see on screen.

Trauma Rewired

Since the global success of Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score , somatic therapy has become a mainstream part of physiotherapy. Put simply, “somatic” incorporates bodywork and movement into the therapeutic practice with the objective of unblocking emotions trapped within our bodies. It’s a theory that has gained traction in the field, with podcasts like Trauma Rewired dedicating their airwaves to exploring its potential for physical and emotional healing.

An indie podcast hosted by Jennifer Wallace and Elisabeth Kristof, Trauma Rewired explores ideas such as repression and shame in an easily accessible format that will appeal to those seeking an alternative to other forms of therapy, such as CBT or Family Systems. Trauma Rewired is a hidden gem amongst other psychology podcasts with a clear objective and production value that punches above its weight.

Speaking of Psychology

Speaking of Psychology , presented by Kim I. Mills, delves into the academic side of psychological study. Produced by the American Psychological Association, it aims to provide a platform for the latest case studies in the hope that individuals outside academic research can apply science-based insights to their everyday lives.

Like a peer-reviewed journal delivered through your headphones, the weekly interviews have featured discussions on everything from the application of low-dose psychedelics to ways of coping with the pandemic. The show’s academic vocabulary is understandable, but it would be false to claim that Speaking of Psychology is the most accessible. What makes it worth listening to is the quality of the show’s research and the ever-increasing importance of rigorous academic inquiry in the podcasting sphere.

Hidden Brain

If case studies aren’t your thing, then turn to Hidden Brain . The narrative-based podcast, hosted by Shankar Vedantam, uses storytelling to unravel the science behind human psychology. The episodes are easy to consume, rarely passing the 50-minute mark, and make for perfect listening during a daily commute (when we all start feeling comfortable doing that again). Perhaps the best part of the show is its global focus, sourcing stories from around the world and applying the same empathetic lens to every tale — a noticeably humanist approach.

Invisibilia

NPR’s Invisibilia ended last year, and its archive of over eighty episodes is a testament to the fact that even the best shows aren’t immune to budget cuts. Taking its name from the Latin for “invisible things”, Invisibilia championed narrative storytelling as a device for conveying the mechanisms of social psychology by asking questions about why we interact with each other the way we do. And no matter how tough the subject, this show seldom flinched from the answer.

The strength of Invisibilia lies in its hosts. Alix Spiegel ( This American Life ) and Lulu Miller ( Radiolab ) conceived of the show as a platform for longform reporting, and their reputation in the industry now precedes them. Even when they departed, the new hosts quickly fell in step, researching interesting stories while challenging their own biases and invisible motivations during the recording process. The result was eight seasons of deeply satisfying storytelling, packed with pathos and intrigue. Invisibilia will be missed.

Choiceology with Katy Milkman

Choiceology has one goal: to help you make better decisions. Sounds great, you think, but do these podcasters know about the huge bag of chips I ate for dinner last night? How are they going to help me with that? Their answer is science — or, more specifically, the science behind behavioral psychology. Host Katy Milkman believes that this area of study can help us make more informed choices about how we live our lives, exploring issues within behavioral economics to improve our judgment skills.

If this sounds dry, fear not. The episodes are dynamic, often featuring guests giving anecdotes to back up Milkman’s hard science. One episode even featured WWE wrestler Alan Sarven, otherwise known as Al Snow, discussing his Janus-faced image as both a hero and a villain. Who said psychology was boring? Not us.

The Psychology of Your 20s

Before you skim this one, consider this: a top comment on this podcast is “Great for your 30s too.” Even if you don’t identify with Gen Z, you might hear something useful in The Psychology of Your 20s , a podcast that explores the challenges we face in that turbulent decade.

Our twenties are often defined by significant transitions, personal growth, and heartache. Host Jemma Sbeg navigates themes like identity, career choices, relationships, and mental health with all the buzzwords you’d expect from the Instagram generation. But The Psychology of Your 20s goes beyond thirty-second videos, giving extended analysis of topics that require expert insight and guidance.

Through discussions and expert interviews, Sbeg helps young adults navigate the complexities of a confusing decade by being both relatable and supportive. This show is a great resource for the young, anxious, and chronically online.

Psychology in Seattle

Psychology in Seattle is a podcast hosted by Dr. Kirk Honda, a therapist and professor who specializes in marriage and family therapy. His show has a cult following, often making appearances in “best of” Reddit forums. After a few episodes, it’s easy to hear why. Much like podcaster Dan Savage , Honda covers sensitive topics with an pragmatic, yet charming approach that makes us feel simultaneously comforted and challenged. Good psychology must find a balance between making us feel heard and pushing us to learn more, even when it’s difficult. With over 4,000 episodes of experience, Honda achieves this. Psychology in Seattle has a wide range of subjects, including mental health, therapy techniques, emotional healing, and personality labels through popular culture, such as TV shows and movies. It’s an inspired way to make difficult topics approachable for all.

Alice Florence Orr is a staff writer and editor for Podcast Review. She is based in Edinburgh. You can connect with her on Twitter or read her work on aliceflorenceorr.com.

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Podcasts Worth a Listen

Business case studies podcasts.

1 DoFollow Podcast

1 cold call, hbr presents / brian kenny, 1 hbr on leadership, harvard business review, 1 the marketing mentor podcast, ilise benun, 1 capitalism.com with ryan daniel moran, capitalism.com, 1 banking with life podcast, james neathery, 1 christians talking business, curt storring, 1 the case interview podcast, julio and bruno from crafting cases, 1 investing in real estate with clayton morris | investing for beginners, clayton morris, 1 on strategy showcase, fergus o’carroll, 1 eventual millionaire - video case studies with millionaire business owners, jaime masters, 1 software engineering institute (sei) podcast series, members of technical staff at the software engineering institute, 1 fraud talk, association of certified fraud examiners (acfe), 1 the worst of all possible worlds, josh boerman, a.j. ditty, and brian alford, 1 flp, the finance leadership podcast, aicpa & cima, 51 10 minute mba - daily actionable business lessons with scott d. clary, scott d. clary, 1 talking logistics podcasts, talking logistics podcasts, 1 the business behind your business, hosted by paul sweeney, 1 we got this, lech guzowski, 1 profitable painter podcast, daniel honan, 1 energy 360°, csis | center for strategic and international studies, 1 the wellness business podcast, karen pattock and kathleen legrys, 1 the data chief, thoughtspot, 1 thinkbusiness.ie, thinkbusiness, tiffany lamberton, 1 australian property investor, tyrone shum, 1 henssler money talks, henssler financial, 1 high-income business writing podcast, 1 best seller secrets, rob kosberg, 1 7 figure flipping with bill allen, 1 engage video marketing podcast, 1 practice acceleration podcast, tristan bond, 1 wholesaling inc with brent daniels, find distressed properties for pennies on the dollar and turn them for huge profits, 1 trading stocks made easy with tyrone jackson, tyrone jackson, 1 immersive audio podcast, 1.618 digital, 1 the basic b: seo, storytelling, & social proof, brittany herzberg, 1 serve scale soar®, brandi mowles, 1 web design business with josh hall, 1 leading change conversations, ulrike seminati, 1 the site shed, matt jones - trade based business enthusiast, 1 work smarter, 1 the unfair advantage show with dr jim harris, dr. jim harris, 1 selects edition: making millionaire choices with tony bradshaw 34:23, 1 henssler money talks — june 1, 2024 43:36, 1 the non-obvious power of mentorship 10:23, 1 trading stocks made easy #237: your financial fears 27:48, 1 choosing the right crm for your painting venture 24:00, 1 automated repair of static analysis alerts 27:05, 1 attack pilots (part 1) - david befort & paul fugere of wealth warehouse podcast - (bwl pod #0219) 43:38, 1 wip 1485: how a real estate broker is building wealth with land notes 35:57, 1 [quick win] image optimization for blogs & podcast guest headshots 12:51, 1 swot analysis 2.0: the entrepreneur's secret weapon (you're not using it right) 12:43, 1 using a book to build a million-dollar business with craig wear 21:56, 1 #3 - have you outgrown excel 17:31, 1 328 - update from josh (my daughter's recovery, revamping courses, what's ahead in 2024) and more 28:06, 1 1056: your 401k is doomed: 5 reasons why - episode 1056 7:20, 1 wip 1484: #throwbackthursday - how one couple generated $217k (and picked up 10 rentals) wholesaling houses part time 30:49, 1 danica zhan: from $2 to entering the market at the peak of covid-19 37:46, 1 reigniting your entrepreneurial spark: wisdom and strategies with jennifer dawn 36:25, 1 the loss leader mindset: think chess, not checkers 15:50, 1 how to make your leadership potential more visible 23:55, 1 wip 1483: how i did my first real estate deal and quit my job 28:35, 1 140 - doki doki literature club (feat. anne huston) 33:22, 1 accessibility in seo & podcast marketing w/ erin perkins 38:36, 1 the uncomfortable truth about effort and results (80/20 rule) 15:46, 1 cyber career pathways and opportunities 31:23, 1 how to overcome labor shortages with skilled employee investment | ft. aaron salow | ep.412 48:51, 1 summer driving season gets started 27:41, 1 [719] why “rent to own” should be one of your exit strategies 10:49, 1 case study: planning when retirement is 25 years away 12:04, 1 episode 205 - auto-enrolment for employers 29:08, 1 purpose-driven packages: how to design offers that sell 16:40, 1 les binet and sarah carter on what's next in effectiveness 58:21, 1 wip 1482: how to identify and engage hedge fund buyers in your market 10:33, 1 when you have to lay off 90% of your team ... 28:14, 1 #2 - meeting assistants 18:19, 1 biblically responsible investing with mark giraud 25:12, 1 episode 324: 3 common cancellation mistakes healthcare practices make 11:04, 1 the state of social media with meg coffey 33:37, 1 biography edition (elon musk): lessons from the visionary's life and leadership 39:09, 1 the power of leveraged laziness (templates & sop's) 10:07, 1 the secret to building a $1m brand without building an audience w/ amber spears 1:18:49, 1 1055: q&a: what state should my llc be in - episode 1055 16:13, 1 327 - relationship first approach (to getting web design clients) with jake hundley 1:10:24, 1 6 figure etsy store in 10 hours/week with joey kuhlow 50:17, 1 wip 1481: the top 10 marketing channels to supercharge your profits 16:16, 1 the golden rule of drills 9:05, 1 #70: finding direction in the startup world with stefan weiss 45:14, 1 long-term strategy with clare monkley 1:04:23, 1 henssler money talks — may 25, 2024 43:08, 1 #1 - does your company need an intranet 20:33, quick reference guide.

How Science Vs uses Q&A and polls on Spotify to boost listener engagement and retention.

Engaging with your audience goes far beyond simply publishing your podcast—it creates a two-way conversation, a genuine connection between you and your listeners. When your audience is engaged, they become invested in your podcast, eagerly spread the word, tune in consistently, and provide valuable feedback. 

That sounds great in theory. But the reality for many creators is that conversations are spread out across too many channels and none of them are happening where your listeners can actually consume the content—not until Spotify created a unique solution to tackle these very challenges. 

The team behind “ Science Vs ” are no strangers to the hurdles of engaging listeners while juggling all the other podcast-adjacent tasks. So they turned to Spotify’s fan engagement features, and successfully paved a new road to boost their connection with listeners. The experiment led to impressive results:

• Listeners who participated with Q&A and polls consumed on average 58% more hours of the new season.
• Listeners who participated in Q&A and polls had on average a 26% higher completion of the new season .

Read on to learn how you can experience similar success as “Science Vs” from the host and executive producer, Wendy Zukerman , and supervising editor, Blythe Terrell.

Science Vs, the friendly fact-checkers of the podcasting world

Back in 2015, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reached out to Wendy, a life-long science lover and science journalist, about starting a podcast, and soon “Science Vs” was born. The show is going on eight years, now on its 14th fourteenth season, and the team is devoted to fact-checking common beliefs—from the best hangover cures to how much water you should actually be drinking.

Speaking on the origins of the podcast and what inspired her approach, Wendy says she wanted to “look at things that were in the zeitgeist and investigate them with this sort of scientific mindset. I just wanted to bring some excitement and humor to science, but also help people with their lives.”

And help she did. “Science Vs” has a dedicated fan base of, in Blythe’s words, “curious nerds” who consistently tune in to learn more about the world around them. The “Science Vs” team managed to cultivate this loyal following organically, based on the content they were already producing. But the team wanted to invest more deeply in audience engagement to take their show to the next level.

Too many channels, too much noise, not enough time

The team behind “Science Vs” know that engaging and communicating with listeners contributes to a stronger connection and, ultimately, growth. Prior to implementing Q&A and polls, the team would interact with their audience across various channels, mainly Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and email.

“We would let folks know we had new episodes there. We would ask for things like ideas for show topics. What do you want to see? What do you want to hear from “Science Vs”?,” explains Blythe.

But while these channels are a great component of any creator’s toolkit, especially for promoting your podcast , they don't always translate to more listeners, since they have to go to another platform to hear your show. The "Science Vs” team was excited about the ability to directly engage their audience on Spotify while they were already listening to the podcast. 

Both Blythe and Wendy also point out that the “Science Vs” listener base and Spotify followers outnumbers their following on social media. So engaging with their listeners through external channels inevitably resulted in not reaching most of them. “Such a small percentage of our listenership even follows us in those spaces,” Blythe explains.

And even if you follow somebody, you don't see every post, you don't always catch everything. A lot of the time we were just putting stuff out into the void.

Using a variety of channels to collect feedback and interact with listeners created another challenge for the “Science Vs” team in terms of bandwidth. “Having to go and say, okay, let's remember to check Twitter and see what people are saying. Or who has the capacity to spend the time on Instagram, scroll through and figure out the responses if we ask a question? It's all very consuming from our end to manage those different platforms,” adds Blythe. 

Ultimately, it was important for the “Science Vs” team to be able to express gratitude to their listeners and create an open space for fans to share their feedback and opinions about the show. “The success of our show really depends on whether something hits with our listeners,” says Blythe. “It's really important for us to stay in touch with them. And that has not always been easy to do.”

At least, not until they leveraged Q&A and polls, tools that are exclusively available on Spotify.

Fan engagement features: A direct link to Science Vs’ audience

Wendy’s love for science is inextricably linked to her love for data. When the host heard about the connection between audience interaction and long-term engagement, it was only natural for her to explore it further with “Science Vs”. “That was what got me excited, the idea of building a connection with the audience, having them stick around for longer. Something fun and special that they could do on Spotify,” she says. 

The “Science Vs” team implemented both Q&A (for listeners to respond to open-ended questions) and polls (where the audience can vote on an answer from a set of pre-defined options). 

Once they took these fan engagement features for a spin, the results were immediate. “We saw value right away,” says Blythe. “The first time around, we had 80 comments in the Q&A and almost 3,000 responses to the poll. As soon as we saw the responses rolling in and the engagement happening, it felt like a no-brainer to keep going.”

Implementing the fan engagement features was not only seamless but also an enjoyable process for the “Science Vs” team. “We have it set up in our workflow, because we have a lot of things we do for every episode,” Blythe explains. “So we basically built it into that process where the producer of the episode often will suggest a question. And then as a team, we'll talk about it and debate it. It's very fun to experiment with different types of questions.”

Wendy adds that “the audience just wants to have a bit of fun with these interactive features. It's fun to reveal a little bit of ourselves, that we're having fun and that the audience can play along.” Two perfect examples of this are the show’s hangover and skincare episodes, which both Blythe and Wendy recall with enthusiasm.

In the hangover episode, “Science Vs” invited listeners to share the worst place to be hungover (spoiler alert: it’s a job interview, closely followed by a kid’s birthday party). For the skincare episode, the team made up a series of funny names and had the audience vote on which was an actual skincare product. Blythe described the latter episode as “bananas” in terms of engagement, racking up over 9,000 responses to the poll. And the benefits didn’t end there!

A new engagement landscape: Higher completion rates, more hours consumed, and a better sense of community

Thanks to Q&A and polls, listeners of “Science Vs” now have a dedicated space to engage with the show, and the team can foster a greater sense of community. “People come back to spaces where they feel connected and that’s what’s nice about it,” says Blythe. “It creates a space where they can connect with you directly. They don’t have to go to a second location, so we get much more focused responses.”

The ability to collect more granular feedback also creates a positive loop of engagement. The “Science Vs” team hears directly from the audience about what they want to get from the show, and uses that data to give listeners what they ask for so they keep returning.

“Direct and immediate feedback is something we never really had before. But here, you’re getting information exactly from who you want to,” Blythe explains. “It’s a way for us to gather immediate data, and see if something's connecting with people. It helps us get an early sign of how something's going. And when that happens, we can say, should we promote this episode in a different way? Should we get this out? Can we build on this because we're seeing it happen in real time?”

It’s a way for us to gather immediate data, and see if something's connecting with people. It helps us get an early sign of how something's going.

“Science Vs” is still in the early stages of experimenting with Q&A and polls, but the results are more than promising. According to “Science Vs” analytics, listeners who participated with Q&A and polls consumed on average 58% more hours of the new season, compared to those who did not. Equally impressive are the completion rates—in the first 9 episodes of the new season, listeners who participated in Q&A and polls had on average 26% higher completion of those 9 episodes .*

Both Blythe and Wendy are excited to keep experimenting with the fan engagement features and use them to keep informing future episodes and gain a deeper understanding of their audience.

Give your audience a voice with Spotify’s Q&A and polls  

At the end of the day, engagement is all about giving your audience the opportunity to be involved in something they love. As Blythe puts it, “people want to participate in the show and they want to feel a connection. They are excited about being part of the journey and feel like they're not just consuming the show but also giving something back.”

If you’re excited about replicating the success of “Science Vs”, follow these best practices:

• Build Q&A and polls into your production process.
• Connect your question back to the episode’s content.
• Publish your favorite listener responses.
• Keep experimenting to learn the types of questions your audience engages the most with and whether they prefer Q&A, polls, or a combination of both.

Giving your audience a voice has never been easier. Follow the lead of the internet’s friendliest fact-checkers and get started with fan engagement features today !

‍ *Disclaimer: Data from this Case Study was gathered between March 23 — May 11th 2023.

• Oct 3, 2023

Case Studies: Successful Branded Podcasts You Can Learn From

Stepping into the world of podcasting may seem daunting, especially when you’re running a medium-sized company and juggling countless responsibilities. To help you navigate this territory, this article will spotlight a collection of successful branded podcasts that have managed to break through the noise and create compelling, value-laden content for their listeners. Not only will you gain insights into how these companies have leveraged their podcasts to build stronger relationships with their audiences, but you will also get to discover if podcasting is the marketing pillar your business has been missing. “Case Studies: Successful Branded Podcasts You Can Learn From” might exactly be the guide you need to make an informed decision about your venture into the podcasting world.

Overview of Successful Branded Podcasts

Factors contributing to podcast success.

As you ponder these questions, it’s helpful to examine successful branded podcasts to glean what works and what doesn’t. Success in podcasting typically comes down to a few key factors: engaging content, consistent release schedule, high-quality production, and effective promotion. Even as you focus on the creative aspect of storytelling, you shouldn’t neglect the importance of technical proficiency and promotional strategies in ensuring your podcast gains traction.

Common themes in successful branded podcasts

A study of successful podcasts often reveals common themes. Regardless of the industry, successful branded podcasts are naturally intertwining their brand story with valuable content. The focus is on providing audience value first, with brand promotion as a secondary feature. This delicate balance is what builds trust and loyalty among listeners, transforming them from passive consumers to active brand advocates.

Case Study 1: GE Podcast Theater’s The Message

Overview of the message.

An excellent case in point is GE Podcast Theater’s The Message. It’s a sci-fi audio drama that subtly integrates GE’s expertise in the field of sound technology. It captivates listeners with a riveting plot while subtly promoting the brand and its technologies.

Success story of The Message

The success of The Message is undeniable. It topped the Apple podcast charts and earned widespread media attention. However, it’s not just its popularity that made it successful. It brought GE’s brand messaging to life in an immersive and entertaining manner that resonated incredibly well with listeners.

Lessons learned

The key takeaway from The Message is the power of subtle branding paired with enchanting storytelling. Its success lies in its ability to draw listeners in with its intriguing plot while gently reminding them of the brand’s presence. This case study underscores the importance of entertainment in branded podcasts and the effectiveness of soft branding.

Case Study 2: Trader Joe’s Inside Trader Joe’s

Overview of inside trader joe’s.

Next up, let’s examine Inside Trader Joe’s by popular grocery store chain Trader Joe’s. This podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of the company, sharing insights into product sourcing, testing, and customer favorites.

Success story of Inside Trader Joe’s

What led Inside Trader Joe’s to success was its ability to strip back the corporate curtain. The unique, behind-the-scenes content fostered a sense of intimacy and trust with the brand, driving customer loyalty.

What companies can learn from Trader Joe’s approach

Trader Joe’s strategy highlights the value of transparency in branded podcasts. By allowing audiences a sneak peek into your company processes, it makes them feel more connected and invested in your brand. It’s a great reminder that people do business with people, not corporations. Humanizing your brand can go a long way in forming lasting relationships with customers.

Case Study 3: Sephora’s #Lipstories

Overview of #lipstories.

Makeup giant, Sephora’s podcast, #Lipstories on the other hand takes a more customer-centric approach. It features interviews with women influencers who share their personal stories and life experiences.

Success story of #Lipstories

Each episode of #Lipstories is a celebration of individuality and self-expression – values Sephora actively promotes. Its empowering message resonated with listeners, leading to its success.

Application and results of the Sephor a strategy

Sephora’s approach demonstrates that leveraging podcasts to reflect your brand values and vision can be an effective strategy. By aligning the podcast content with your brand’s core values, you can create a more meaningful connection with your audience.

Case Study 4: McDonald’s ‘The Sauce’

Overview of ‘the sauce’.

Turning our attention to the fast-food industry, McDonald’s explored the podcasting realm with their show, ‘The Sauce’. The three-part podcast walks through McDonald’s PR crisis involving discontinued Szechuan sauce and the aftermath.

Success story of ‘The Sauce’

‘The Sauce’ offered a unique and intriguing look into a controversial moment in McDonald’s history, making it an instant hit among listeners.

What can be learned from McDonald’s podcast strategy

From ‘The Sauce,’ we learn that even brand missteps or controversies can be ingenious podcast content if handled properly. It shows the power of owning up to your brand’s history, both the good and the bad, in creating an authentic and intriguing podcast.

Case Study 5: eBay’s Open for Business

Introduction to open for business.

Lastly, eCommerce platform eBay’s podcast, ‘Open for Business’ focuses on teaching budding entrepreneurs how to build and grow successful businesses.

Success elements of Open for Business

Open For Business was successful because it positioned eBay as an ally for small businesses, reinforcing its brand image as a supportive platform for entrepreneurs.

Takeaways from eBay’s podcasting success

eBay’s case study underscores the potential of using podcasts as a platform to educate your audience and provide tangible value, which can help strengthen your brand positioning.

Techniques Used in Successful Branded Podcasts

Role of storytelling in podcasting.

Across all these case studies, one common thread is storytelling. An engaging story is irresistible – it draws listeners in and keeps them hooked episode after episode. Remember, your branded podcast is essentially your brand’s story told in a serialized audio format.

Importance of audience engagement

Another crucial factor is audience engagement. This can take various forms, from encouraging listeners to share their feedback to inviting them to share their own stories. Engaging with your audience fosters a sense of community around your podcast, increasing its appeal.

Consistency in release schedule

The consistency of your podcast release schedule also plays a huge role in its success. Listeners appreciate knowing when to expect new episodes, so ensure you maintain a consistent publishing schedule.

Value of high-quality production

Lastly, never underestimate the power of high-quality production. Good sound quality, smooth editing, and a professionally produced intro and outro can significantly boost the perceived value of your podcast.

Challenges in Running Branded Podcasts

Overcoming the struggle of content creation.

Running a branded podcast is not without its challenges. Content creation, for one, can prove quite strenuous, requiring a continuous stream of fresh and interesting ideas.

Balancing brand promotion and audience value

Striking the right balance between brand promotion and providing value to the listeners can also be a tightrope walk. Lean too heavily on promotion, and you risk alienating listeners. On the other hand, neglecting promotion altogether can make your podcast lose its purpose.

Dealing with audience reach and visibility

Lastly, reaching your target audience and maintaining visibility amidst countless other podcasts can be a daunting task. This is where sound promotional strategies come in.

Crucial Takeaways for CEOs Considering Branded Podcasts

Potential benefits for medium-sized companies.

Despite these challenges, mid-sized companies like yours stand a lot to gain from branded podcasts. They provide a unique avenue to engage customers, build credibility, and foster a community around your brand.

Key learnings from successful case studies

The key to successful podcasting lies in leveraging it as a storytelling platform that subtly promotes your brand. Maintain audience engagement, keep a consistent release schedule, and invest in high-quality production for best results.

Steps to start a branded podcast

Starting a branded podcast essentially involves understanding your audience, developing engaging content that aligns with your brand message, ensuring consistency, and promoting your podcast effectively. As you embark on this journey, consider drawing inspiration from successful branded podcasts and learn from their strategies. Remember, at the end of the day, your podcast should offer a unique and valuable listening experience that resonates with your audience and aligns with your brand.

Unveiling the Blueprint: Insights from Successful Branded Podcasts

These case studies underscore the power of a well-crafted podcast in elevating brand awareness, engagement, and loyalty. From strategic storytelling to cohesive visual branding, each success story provides invaluable lessons for aspiring podcasters seeking to make a lasting impact. As we reflect on these case studies, it's evident that the path to podcasting triumph requires meticulous planning, creative ingenuity, and a deep understanding of brand messaging. This is where a podcast production partner like Graystoke Networks can make a transformative difference. With a commitment to comprehensive brand integration, professional collaboration, and tailored production services, Graystoke Networks emerges as a strategic ally for those looking to bring their branded podcast vision to life. By choosing us, podcast creators gain access to a team dedicated to ensuring that every episode aligns seamlessly with the essence of their brand. From refining visual elements to curating engaging content and amplifying brand presence on social media, we act as a catalyst for turning podcasting aspirations into reality. As we celebrate the success stories of others, it's clear that the right production partner can be the driving force behind your podcast's journey from concept to triumph. Elevate your brand, amplify your message, and embark on a podcasting adventure with Graystoke Networks—a key player in turning podcast dreams into success stories.

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I t's getting increasingly difficult to discover new treasures in the cacophonous world of podcasting . There are a lot of shows—many of them not good. It seems every week a new celebrity announces a podcast in which they ask other celebrities out-of-touch questions or revisit their own network sitcom heyday. And studios continue to scrounge for the most morally dubious true-crime topics they can find.

So forgive me if I find myself returning to some of the masters this year. Podcasting stalwart 99% Invisible has turned to analyzing the Robert Moses biography, The Power Broker , and I'm gobbling up each episode, despite never having actually finished the doorstopper of a book myself. Normal Gossip , a show that exploded in popularity when it premiered in 2022, is currently publishing its best season to date. And Serial , a full decade after it debuted and quickly became the most popular podcast ever, is back with a terrific fourth season centered on Guantánamo. There are surprising new discoveries to be found too, including an audio diary podcast following fascinating subjects like an octogenarian pinup girl and an investigation of a gas attack on a furry convention.

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99% Invisible: The Power Broker

99% Invisible , the show about the details we rarely notice, particularly in the design and architecture realms, has long been a must-listen podcast for anyone who even vaguely cares how our world is organized. So it was perhaps inevitable that one day host Roman Mars, along with Daily Show writer Elliott Kalan, would start an audio book club to cover the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning Robert Moses biography, The Power Broker . For those unfamiliar with Moses, the famed New York urban planner arguably had a greater impact on the future of the largest city in America than any other person in history. Under Moses' supervision, the city constructed 35 highways, 13 bridges, numerous parks, hundreds of playgrounds, Lincoln Center, Shea Stadium, housing projects, and the 1964 World's Fair. He also bulldozed through entire communities to build his expressways and park land. Robert Caro's impeccably researched tome positions Moses as both a visionary and a destroyer of valued, flourishing immigrant neighborhoods.

The podcast is pitched toward the many listeners who have never quite made their way through the 1,200-page book, tracing Moses' life over several episodes and inviting on guests like New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, comedian Conan O'Brien, and the Power Broker author himself, to add historical and political context. It makes public policy debates fun.

Finally! A Show About Women That Isn't Just a Thinly Veiled Aspirational Nightmare

I was skeptical of this mouthful of a podcast, which has no host and arguably no uniting theme among its episodes besides the fact that it's covering the stories of (mostly) non-famous women. But those women are absolutely fascinating: They include an 80-something pinup girl recording her time shopping for vibrators, a telehealth abortion provider who works for the intentionally provocatively named Satanic Temple, and a cat wrangler rounding up the wild felines that have begun to overrun New York City.

Each episode is structured as an audio diary with that week's particular subject outlining her day from start to finish, including diversions and interruptions. The host-less format works, plunging listeners immediately into the perspective of its subjects. Crafted by Jane Marie, creator of the investigative podcast The Dream , and Joanna Solotaroff, who cut her teeth producing 2 Dope Queens , the podcast is, indeed, an enthralling celebration of women.

Fur and Loathing

You may be surprised to learn that a 2014 chemical attack in the suburbs of Chicago, which targeted hundreds of people, remains unsolved to this day. The reason you haven't heard of this terrifying incident? The target was a convention for Furries, a fact that led several reporters to chuckle live on air. (Furries, for the uninitiated, are a community of people who dress up in large, fuzzy animal costumes. And, yes, before you ask, for a subsection of furries there is a sexual component.)

Investigative reporter Nicky Woolf, who has covered online subcultures for years and previously hosted the podcast Finding Q about QAnon, admits he has a soft spot (heh) for furries, an online community that's rather cuddly compared to other toxic subcultures on the Internet. Thankfully, unlike many cold case podcasts, the show doesn't take itself too seriously—the fur puns do abound—even while delving into particularly dark corners of the Internet to try to answer its central question: who would want to hurt the furries?

Normal Gossip , Season 6

Normal Gossip is back and arguably better than ever. In each episode of the podcast, host Kelsey McKinney shares an anonymized dramatic story with a guest, scratching the itch to hear juicy gossip, even if it's about people you don't personally know. The first season proved a breakout hit in 2022, and now, after a shaky period, the sixth season is hitting the highs of those first few beloved episodes. The uproarious stories delve into the delightful niche worlds of amateur Shakespeare productions, mushroom foragers, and membership-only children's play spaces.

A few adjustments to the format have proved fruitful: Asking every guest their relationship to gossip , a staple of earlier seasons, was getting repetitive, so the decision to ask guests to bring their own gossip was a genius idea. Now, you get two gossip stories for the price of one! (Well, technically it's free unless you would like to describe to Defector Media for special bonus episodes.)

Serial , Season 4

I am loath to put yet another Serial Productions podcast on a "best of" list, but they continue to earn these spots by putting together some of the best investigative podcasts in an industry that has begun to scale back its investment on that important work. Sarah Koenig returns for the fourth season, this time partnering with journalist Dana Chivvis to explore Guantánamo Bay in short stories told week by week. Each new episode focuses on a different person's experience, be they a prisoner, guard, or journalist who has been struggling to dig past government propaganda while covering the prison for decades. Together, they paint a vivid portrait of life in a place that three different presidents have pledged to shut down—and yet it remains in operation.

Delving into stories of torture, subterfuge, and even federal agents joining a man accused of leaking secrets on his honeymoon makes for rapturous listening. The Serial team has been working on Guantánamo reporting for nearly a decade, and Koenig and Chivvis are able to review recordings of old interviews with the benefit of hindsight, like when they were taken, on their first visit to prison, to its three gift shops, which included Disney-themed Guantánamo merch. It's just one surreal moment of many in a terrific series.

Stick the Landing

Within the Ringer's prestige TV feed lives a new series called Stick the Landing hosted by TV critic-turned-TV writer Andy Greenwald (who also co-hosts The Watch ). The show humbly asks whether various beloved television shows stuck their landings. Each episode, he invites on a guest to analyze a series finale. If you are already a listener to various podcasts in the Ringer Universe, you'll appreciate what is, essentially, an excuse for crossover episodes that put Greenwald in conversation with the likes of Mallory Rubin (on Friday Night Lights ), Sean Fennessey (on Mad Men ), and (of course) Bill Simmons (on The Larry Sanders Show ).

These episodes are designed for people who have consumed the shows in their entirety, full of spoilers and deep analysis of how the plot of the series has come full circle from pilot to finale. So make sure to search for your particular favorite shows. Greenwald just wrapped Season 1 and is purposefully holding back episodes on some of the most watched and controversial finales of all time until Season 2. Here's hoping the show returns soon and—eventually—tackles that Sopranos ending.

Things Fell Apart, Season 2

If you've ever wondered how the culture wars came to be, Things Fell Apart may offer the closest thing to an answer. Host Jon Ronson not only produces impressive investigative podcasts ( Last Days of August was my favorite ), but he also excels at finding particular case studies that illustrate a larger societal phenomenon. Things Fell Apart connects the dots from isolated incidents to larger movements, and the second season is even better than the first.

Each episode asks a question: How does a serial killer targeting Black sex workers in the 1980s connect to the killing of George Floyd in 2020? How does a bestselling book on trauma fuel campus protests? How does a chance encounter at a yacht club between a sick girl's parents and a would-be researcher spark some of the first COVID vaccine conspiracy theories? The stories on their own are interesting, but the listener also comes away at the end of the season with a greater understanding of why we've lost a shared notion of truth.

Who Trolled Amber?

Speaking of the culture wars, in Who Trolled Amber? Alexi Mostrous, the reporter behind Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed , tackles one of the most inescapable and polarizing moments in our cultural history from an intriguing angle. In case you were extremely off-line in the spring of 2022, actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard after she wrote an op-ed in which she called herself "a public figure representing domestic abuse." (A U.K. judge had previously found "the great majority of alleged assaults of Ms. Heard by Mr. Depp have been proved to the civil standard.") During the trial, the pro-Depp memes became inescapable online, inciting a reckoning around the limits of the #MeToo movement.

Rather than litigate the accusations against either Depp or Heard, this podcast focuses on who, exactly, was creating the onslaught of accounts criticizing Heard and defending Depp. Was it real people or bots? And if bots, who was behind the campaign? The series takes twists and turns you wouldn’t expect, involving foreign leaders with particular agendas and a tragic motor vehicle accident in Florida that presaged the online reaction to Depp v. Heard . Consulting with experts on bots, foreign intelligence, and law, Mostrous does emerge with some answers as to what exactly happened to spark the online furor and what it may reflect about the current state of the culture.

There are still fun corners of the Internet, and Wikihole , hosted by The Good Place actor D'Arcy Carden, illustrates the joys of Wikipedia-ing something and then falling down a rabbit hole of links and tangents only to reemerge in the place where you started.

Carden invites on comedians like Bowen Yang, Kumail Nanjiani, and Ellie Kemper for a sort of quiz show drawing from the bizarre facts of Wikipedia's depths, from dolphins to Ancient Rome to Lenny Kravitz. Because the guests competing to answer questions are versed in the ways of comedy, they happily riff on whatever bizarre facts can be dug up on Stetson hats. The episodes are highly chaotic, but that is a feature more than a bug.

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Great Leaders Balance Ambition with Humility

How to find a better balance between our desire to achieve and the qualities that earn more respect from colleagues.

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The key to success as a leader is to strike a careful balance between ambition and humility. But how do you stay humble while also proving your worth? And how do you advance without showing too much ambition?

In this episode, Amer Kaissi offers advice on how to find a better balance between our desire to achieve and the qualities that earn more respect from colleagues. As he says, “humility keeps our feet on the ground by allowing us to have an accurate assessment of our own abilities, by understanding our strengths and our weaknesses.” And “ambition is about making us reach for the stars by believing in our own greatness, but also in the greatness of the people who work with us.”

Kaissi is a professor of health care administration at Trinity University in Texas and an executive coach. He’s the author of the book Humbitious: The Power of Low-Ego, High-Drive Leadership .  

Key episode topics include: leadership, leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, ambition, humility, listening skills, learning, Steve Jobs.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

• Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: To Get Ahead, You Need Both Ambition and Humility (2022)
• Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast .
• Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org .

HANNAH BATES: Welcome to HBR on Leadership , case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, hand-selected to help you unlock the best in those around you. Great leadership isn’t just about intelligence and drive. You also have to be able to get along well with others and learn from them. Amer Kaissi studied how people succeed across diverse industries and he argues that the key to success as a leader is to strike a careful balance between ambition and humility. Kaissi is a professor of health care administration at Trinity University in Texas and an executive coach. He’s the author of the book Humbitious: The Power of Low Ego, High Drive Leadership . In this episode, you’ll learn how to get that balance of humility and ambition just right – and avoid the pitfalls that can accompany being too humble or not ambitious enough. You’ll also learn how humility played an unexpectedly important role in Steve Jobs’ career. This episode originally aired on HBR IdeaCast in January 2022. Here it is.

ALISON BEARD: Welcome to the HBR IdeaCast from Harvard Business Review. I’m Alison Beard. We’ve been talking about humble leadership for years now, but it still sometimes feels like the most arrogant and ambitious people are the ones getting ahead. I won’t name names, but a few tech world billionaires, populous politicians, rappers, and reality stars come to mind. I’m sure you have bosses and colleagues who also fit the bill. Of course there are counter examples too, smart and confident leaders, who also show humility and use that combination to rise to the top: Mary Barra of GM, Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, lots of people at my work and maybe yours. But how exactly do they manage it? How do you stay humble while also proving your worth. How do you advance without showing too much ambition? My guest today has been setting these issues for years and has some advice on how to get the balance right. Amer Kaissi is a professor of healthcare administration at Trinity University and the author of Humbitious: The Power of Low-Ego High-Drive Leadership . Amer, so glad to have you on the show.

AMER KAISSI: Thank you, Alison. Happy to be here.

ALISON BEARD: Let’s start with some definitions. What do you mean by humility, and how do you measure it?

AMER KAISSI: Yeah. Humility keeps our feet on the ground by allowing us to have an accurate assessment of our own abilities, by understanding our strength and our weaknesses. And there’s been research that has been done for the last 10, 15 years that have allowed us to measure it very objectively in fact. And of course, it’s better to be measured by other people than for it to be self-reported, but we have a lot of measures now that allow us to understand whether a certain individual or a certain leader is humble. For example, are they the kind of person who is self-aware? Are they open-minded and teachable? Are they the kind of person who is grateful for others’ contributions? Do they reach out to others and ask for their input? So, we can measure it in a fairly valid and reliable way based on the research that has been done in the last few years.

ALISON BEARD: Those sound like some of the same building blocks that make up emotional intelligence.

AMER KAISSI: Absolutely. There’s a lot of overlap between humility and emotional intelligence, several aspects of emotional intelligence, such as emotional self-awareness, emotional self-expression, empathy. The difference though is that, with humility, it’s really more about, are you the kind of leader that stays on the grounds? One of the definitions of humility comes back from the origin of the term, which is the Latin humus, H-U-M-U-S. Not to be confused with the Middle Eastern, the hummus, right? So, humus is Latin. And what humus meant for the Romans and for the Greeks is to be close to the ground and close to the earth. So, when we apply that definition within the context of leadership, it’s that understanding of the leader who stays on the ground, who stays close to his or her team members who is always in touch with them, and who listens to them with curiosity and with humility.

ALISON BEARD: So someone can be emotionally intelligent, but really arrogant about their emotional intelligence.

AMER KAISSI: Absolutely. And that’s probably a very dangerous combination where you’re using your own emotional intelligence to possibly manipulate others.

ALISON BEARD: And what about ambition? How do you define and measure that?

AMER KAISSI: Yeah. Ambition is about making us reach for the stars by believing in our own greatness, but also in the greatness of the people who work with us. Under ambition, I put a lot of other characteristics such as competence. Competence is non-negotiable, right? We can also put in their confidence, we can put in their greatness or what in history used to be called magnanimity or greatness. Being humble and great, or being humble and magnanimous, creates really a powerful combination for leaders who want to make a lasting impact because that greatness and that humility are two sides of the same coin. You need to trust in your own greatness first, without losing sight that you owe that greatness to supportive people, to positive forces, for example, to luck, to favorable events that happened to you.

ALISON BEARD: And what are some of the documented benefits that we see when we combine these two traits, humility and ambition?

AMER KAISSI: The benefits of humility and ambition can be understood first at the individual level and then in terms of team outcomes but also organizational outcomes. Ambitious people have what we call a growth mindset to connect to Carol Dweck’s work. Brad Owens, who’s a professor at BYU University, wrote his dissertation on this topic and talked about humble people believe that they can become better people than they currently are. His research showed that when you believe that your abilities can grow through hard work and perseverance, you’re more likely to see yourself more accurately, to view others more positively, and to be open to new information. However, when you see your abilities as fixed, you tend to focus on what is easy for you rather than on pursuing tasks that can help you stretch and grow, and you tend to engage and self-enhancing behaviors. So having that growth mindset, significantly predisposes you to be more humble, and then being more humble makes you also have a more open mindset. So it’s really about thinking about any opportunity in which you interact with others as an opportunity to improve yourself rather than an opportunity to prove yourself.

ALISON BEARD: And what about how the benefits play out in organizations? When leaders are both humble and ambitious, does that improve the performance of their teams?

AMER KAISSI: The humble leaders significantly improve their team’s performance by creating positive conditions. The first aspect of that is psychological safety, which I’m guessing many of the listeners are familiar with that concept. Amy Edmondson’s research in neonatal intensive care units have shown that leaders who invited and appreciated other contributions and included them in important discussions and decisions were more likely to create a psychologically safe environment in their units. So, we know that humble leaders create more psychologically safe environment. There’s also a strong connection between humility and employee engagement. Because humble leaders are transparent about their personal limitations and their willingness to learn from others, they are confident and they’re always presenting themselves as work in progress. As a result, their team members feel validated in their own development efforts since the message from the leaders appears to be, “It’s okay to be work in progress here.” And the research shows us that when team members feel that it’s okay to be work in progress, as we said, their engagement and their motivation to do the work are unleashed. And as a result, they shift from trying to meet external performance standards, such as getting a pay raise, or a promotion, or praise from the boss to more intrinsic motivations, to learn, to master tasks, and to fulfill their, which are all related to high engagement.

ALISON BEARD: But at the same time, you can’t be so humble that you don’t advocate for your team, the resources you need to improve your outcomes. So how do you exercise that ambitious side to make sure you’re getting the performance that you want?

AMER KAISSI: Yeah, you’re right. I mean, it would be impractical, if not, outright naive to say that humility is the only leadership approach in all types of organizations and for all situations. Right? There are some situations where the value of your humility can be limited, or maybe you come across as too humble. Some of the leaders that I coach sometimes are too humble and not ambitious enough. Right? So they are self-aware and they appreciate others, but you don’t hear them talking about themselves or letting others know of the good work that they’re doing. And as a result, their teams may suffer because their teams may not get the attention or the resources that they need. So, what we’re aiming for is this nice balance between the two. The other aspect of too much humility, that can’t be a good thing is in situations where there are extreme threats, for example, when the status quo of the organization is severely disrupted. Maybe in those situations, the last thing your employees need from you is to be open minded or to be vulnerable. To go back to the healthcare industry, let’s say you’re the CEO of a large hospital on the Florida coast, and you’re preparing for a Category 5 hurricane, and you’re having to rearrange the transfer of hundreds of patients and protecting the safety of your employees. Maybe at that point in time, you don’t need a lot of humility right then. There is little room at that moment for discussion and learning and development. What you need right then is to make a swift decision, to assign responsibilities, to coordinate activities that serve to re-stabilize the situation, and kind of like dissipate people’s fears and securities. One leader once said, when you need to get your soldiers over the hill, it’s not a time to get opinions. Right? And these are types of situations where a humility may be limited. And that’s why the message of Humbitious is not a humility all the time, an extreme humility, because just like any other strength that we may have, when overused, a humility can actually become counterproductive and may become a weakness.

ALISON BEARD: I imagine that the balance would shift depending on your industry or particular organization or your level in the hierarchy also, not just situationally. Right?

AMER KAISSI: Absolutely. And maybe the best way to think about it, is that there is a range of humbitiousness, a good mix of humility and ambition, but that range, on a scale of one to 10, may be a little bit different depending on the industry, in which you’re in. We talked about healthcare, maybe the range in healthcare is more in the eight to 10 on a scale of one to 10, whereas, as you mentioned earlier in the introduction, in the technology industry, it’s a little bit lower. Right? It is important to understand that the message here is much more nuanced than be humble all the time. The other aspect of your question asks about stage in your career, which is very important. We get all of the is great stories about leaders who are humble and who are open-minded and who are teachable and all of that things. But most of them are leaders who already achieved a lot of success. They’ve been CEOs for years and years. And yeah, it’s easy to be humble at that point in time when you’ve achieved all the success. And a lot of young leaders, including my graduate students ask about that and say, “Well, we get it. We understand the importance of humility, but what about when we’re just starting our career? If I’m too humble, then I’m not going to be noticed for leadership positions, I’m not going to be noticed for promotions, I’m not going to be noticed for recognition.” So, all of these are very valid fears and concerns. Again, the message is a good combination of humility and ambition can help leaders achieve success for themselves, their teams, and their organizations. If you look at some recent examples with Uber, with [Farenos 00:12:22] and the kind of leaders that they’ve had, the founders who became the leaders of the organization, you can see how high ego is rewarded in these types of industries. But to a certain extent, there still needs to be a dose of humility there, there still needs to be that open-mindedness and self-awareness that tempers some of the narcissism that some of those leaders may have.

ALISON BEARD: We still though have Bezos and Musk at the very top of their field.

AMER KAISSI: There are, there are. And I think sometimes we misunderstand, because even those kind of leaders, you can still see some humility in the way that they deal with their team members. They may have a persona in public that looks to be like a big ego kind of persona, but we rarely go under the hood and ask, “Well, how do they treat their team members? How do they hold their meetings? How good of a listener they are?” Right? These are the things that really matter. One of the most famous examples that is often used to describe someone who probably was not very humble is the example of Steve Jobs. Right? As we all know, when Jobs first co-founded Apple in 1976, I mean, there was no trace of humility in him. Right? If you read all the books and the articles-

ALISON BEARD: By all accounts, he was a total jerk. Yeah.

AMER KAISSI: Absolutely. Absolutely. Some psychologists would even say that he had narcissistic personality disorder. So, that was in his first stint at Apple. And then, as we all know, there was the power struggle with Apple president and CEO, John Sculley, and Jobs left the company in 1995 and went on to find NeXT and Pixar and all of that. Now, when he came back after 10 years and he became CEO again, during this second stint, though, if you really look closely, he revealed a different leadership style. He was actually more introspective about his limitations. He was more open-minded to other suggestions, and he was more appreciative of the talented people with whom he worked. There’s actually a speech that he gave at Stanford University in 2005, where he talked about that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that happened to him. He described it as an awful tasting medicine, but it’s what the patient needed. So, what’s interesting about Steve Jobs is that his leadership style in this second stint at Apple, let’s call it Steve.0, appears to be more humble style. Certainly, he still had narcissistic tendencies, but that narcissism was tempered by humility. And it was exactly that unusual combination that allowed him to lead Apple to become this successful company that it became. If we really think about the contributions that Apple has had, most of them happened in the second stint, not in the first stint. And I would argue that it’s that combination of humility, but still confidence in his own abilities and his ability to take bold risks that allowed many of these achievements to happen.

ALISON BEARD: So how does gender play a role here? The two examples that I gave in the intro were Mary Barra and Jacinda Ardern, the prime minister of New Zealand. Those were the first women that popped to my mind. You mentioned Ardern in your book. Was that me being biased toward women, or do you find that women are better at humble leadership than men?

AMER KAISSI: That is a very important question to ask. I did not address it directly in the book because there have been other books written on that, but nonetheless, it’s a very important question. So, let’s take the example of Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of New Zealand. When she became prime minister, she was one of the youngest leaders in the world. And when you have a young leader who is showing humility, showing compassion, showing empathy, typically there are a lot of doubters out there. Right? And some of that doubt is because she’s young, but much of it was because of her gender. So, all of these forces are in place and people are starting to doubt her or cynical about her success. And then, the Christchurch terrorist attacks happen in New Zealand. Here you see ambitiousness in action, and you see how a female leader like her and a young leader like her just really responds with a textbook leadership response. First, she starts with being humble, being empathetic, being compassionate. And she mourns with the families of the victims, she spends time with them. She deflects attention from herself towards the victims. But then within a week, ambition kicks in, action kicks in, courage kicks in. And she goes to Congress in New Zealand, and she passes gun control laws within a couple weeks. So we see her humbitiousness in action, and we may ask ourselves, first, if this was a male leader, would there have been so many question marks about them earlier on? And then, if it was a male leader, would they have had that much humility and compassion and empathy when the events happened?

ALISON BEARD: Yeah. And obviously, there are men who could perform in the same way, but on average, women are more likely to?

AMER KAISSI: I would say that is probably the best way to describe it. I’m sure we all have worked for, and with, male leaders who have displayed all of these humble and ambitious traits that we’re talking about, but the research shows that on average, women tend to do better on that.

ALISON BEARD: Okay. Let’s talk about practicalities. What can I do? What can anyone do today or tomorrow to cultivate humility?

AMER KAISSI: Absolutely. And I will preface this by saying that all of these are going to of sound like common sense. Unfortunately, it’s not commonly practiced.

ALISON BEARD: That’s all of management advice.

AMER KAISSI: Exactly. Exactly.

ALISON BEARD: It’s all really common sense, but no one does it right.

AMER KAISSI: Hundred percent. So the first practice that I would share is self-reflection with purpose, especially after a major success. You’ve got promoted, or you got a salary raise, or you got recognized, give yourself credit, celebrate, but also make sure that you take some time for some self-reflection and to ponder some hard questions such as, who mentored me? Who gave me my chances as a leader? How many people on my team are doing a great job? How did luck contribute to my success? So, these kind of questions are what helped us stay grounded and humble. And then the next step would be to show appreciation and to show gratitude towards all the people that have helped you and have contributed to your success. The second one, and this is one that you’ve heard so many times before, but it remains so important and so hard to practice, which is listening to reply rather than listening to understand. Right? If you really think about it, listening to reply is self-centered. When I’m listening to reply, I can’t wait for the mouth of the other person to stop moving, so I can do jump in and tell them everything that I know and how smart I am and how knowledgeable I am.

ALISON BEARD: What about becoming more ambitious? If you’re a person who has the intelligence and humility to be a great leader, but you don’t have the desire to climb the ranks, can you change that? Should you change that?

AMER KAISSI: Here, we have to try to understand why is it that you don’t have the desire. If you don’t think that you want to be CEO or executive or director, any of that, and you are okay with it, then in that case, I think your ambition may manifest itself in a different way. Right? Your ambition is not to climb the ladder, but your ambition is to be doing meaningful work, to be doing fulfilling work. In that way, you can focus on that ambition. Now, if you want to become a top leader but you just lack the ambition to do it, or most likely, it’s you lack the belief in yourself, you lack the self-esteem, you lack the assertiveness that comes with the self-esteem, then that’s a different question. And of course, that, just like humility, can be a muscle that we can work on. Again, I coach some leaders who have all the humility in the world, but don’t have the assertiveness that come with it. So often there are conversations going on and they have something really good to contribute to the conversation, but they wait and they say, “Well, what if what I say is wrong? Or what if what I say is not perceived well?” And they wait and wait, and the conversation goes on, and they never contribute. So for these kind of leaders, I believe the work should be more on, first, the self-esteem or know where is the lower self-esteem coming from, why you don’t believe in yourself, in your own worth. And then, in the assertive behaviors, how to go from passive behaviors in meetings, in conversations and interactions with others to more assertive behaviors?

ALISON BEARD: And one last question, how did you personally get interested in this topic? I know you were in healthcare settings, but is there sort of an earlier inspiration? Would you describe yourself as a humble leader? Have you worked for humble leaders?

AMER KAISSI: Yeah. Probably one of the reasons is, some events that took place in my childhood. So, I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, and actually, I was born one year after the Lebanese Civil War happened. And being in a civil war has its own complications and implications, but one of the implications of that was obviously a lot of people were dying and a lot of children were losing their parents. So, my mom actually worked at an orphanage. She was the director of the orphanage. And given that she worked there, her work hours were very long, so she worked evenings every day and most weekends and holidays and summer vacations and all of that. Because of that, I tended to go with her after school, on the weekend, and during the summer, and I would spend time at the orphanage with the kids. I was one of the kids. She would drop me off in the morning and then she would pick me up in the afternoon during summer days. And I would spend every minute of the day with the orphan kids. I ate with them. I played with them. I did everything with them. And I still remember clearly on my eighth birthday, my parents were asking me, “Do you want to have a party? Do you want to invite your friends from school?” And I said, “Yeah, I actually want to have a party, but I don’t want to invite the friends from school. I want to invite my friends from the orphanage.” And my parents said, “Sure, let’s do that.” And we ended up inviting a group of 30 orphans to our house. For many of those, this was the first proper birthday party that they’ve ever been to. Now, I shared that story as probably one of the earliest experiences that shaped me in a way that allowed me to become a little bit more humble in terms of understanding that you can relate to people, you can be close to people regardless of their social class, regardless of their economic situation. Right? So, that experience kind of planted the seed of humility. And I say that while understanding the risk of, bragging about my own humility. So I will always say, it planted the seed. Now, whether that’s seed have flourished or not throughout my life and my career, that’s a different question, but it was probably one of those things that make you feel a little bit more close to other people and more open minded to different experiences.

ALISON BEARD: Amer, thanks so much for being on the show. I really enjoyed talking with you.

AMER KAISSI: Thank you so much. I appreciate being here.

HANNAH BATES: That was Amer Kaissi in conversation with Alison Beard on the HBR IdeaCast. He’s the author of the book Humbitious: The Power of Low Ego, High Drive Leadership . We’ll be back next Wednesday with another hand-picked conversation about leadership from the Harvard Business Review. If you found this episode helpful, share it with your friends and colleagues, and follow our show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re there, be sure to leave us a review. We’re a production of the Harvard Business Review – if you want more podcasts, articles, case studies, books, and videos like this, find it all at HBR dot org. This episode was produced by Anne Saini, and me, Hannah Bates. Ian Fox is our editor. Music by Coma Media. Special thanks to Maureen Hoch, Adi Ignatius, Karen Player, Ramsey Khabbaz, Nicole Smith, Anne Bartholomew, and you – our listener. See you next week.

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This Is the Winning Formula for Starting a Successful Podcast, According to a New Analysis A new study analyzed the top 50 podcasts in the U.S. and found many things in common. Here's what to know.

By Sherin Shibu Edited by Melissa Malamut May 29, 2024

Key Takeaways

• The study found that the average length of a top 250 podcast was 65 minutes.
• Most of the top 50 podcasts (60%) had more than one host.
• Nearly three in four of the top 50 podcasts had at least one guest on the show.

Podcasting is a $25 billion industry , and top podcasts have a lot in common — from length to number of episodes to cover art.

Now a new study by software company Podcastle pinpoints these similarities to help new and seasoned podcasters have a better shot at producing a successful show.

The U.S.-focused study used the Apple Podcasts charts to find the top podcasts and then studied a week's worth of data, starting April 15. Podcastle also surveyed 1,000 podcast listeners to add to the findings.

The study found that "profit" is the main reason Americans want to start a podcast this year — and it can be a lucrative side hustle.

Related: 3 Secrets to Starting a Small Business Side Hustle That Gives Your Day Job a Run for Its Money, According to People Who Did Just That

Jannese Torres, the founder of the personal finance podcast, Yo Quiero Dinero , shared with CNBC earlier this month that she brings in an average of $37,394 monthly in revenue, partly through podcast ads. A June 2022 Bloomberg report revealed that some podcasters were making $18,000 a month with white noise.

Here's what else the study showed about top podcasts and the listeners who tune in.

What Do Top Podcasts Have in Common?

The study found that the average length of a top 250 podcast was 65 minutes. Of those, 68% used the most popular format, an interview, while 20% used the second most popular format, a deep topic explanation.

The 10 most successful genres, in order, are society and culture, comedy and humor, true crime, news, education, business, health and wellness, improv, personal development, and documentary.

The top 50 most successful podcasts had hosts that spoke an average of 174 words per minute, with an average of 58 filler words like "um" and "like" per episode.

Podcast intros for these top performers ranged from 30 to 59 seconds with half adding an ad to the intro.

Most of the top 50 podcasts (60%) had more than one host. Nearly three in four of the top 50 podcasts had at least one guest on the show.

For cover art, the top 50 had more black and blue colors in their cover art than any other color and 52% of the cover art didn't have a picture of the host.

Though each podcast cover used a unique font, only 38% used bolded font.

Most people who want to start a podcast are motivated by potential earnings (34%) or by the avenue podcasting gives them to express their creativity (26%).

Related: This Flexible Side Hustle Is Helping Millions Earn Extra Cash — and Might Be 'More Attractive' Than an Office Job

Who Listens to Podcasts?

Podcast listeners have increased by nearly 70% since 2019 and there are more than three million active podcasts globally, according to Podcastle.

Most podcast listeners (64%) usually tune in on Spotify, with 34% choosing Apple Podcasts. A smaller percentage (6%) use YouTube Music.

The majority indicated that they returned to a show because the hosts or guests were entertaining (69%) and offered new information or perspectives (70%). A host's expertise in a certain topic kept 36% of listeners coming back.

Most podcast listeners are doing something else while tuning in. Over one in four listeners (28%) were cooking or doing chores and more than one in five (22%) were commuting to work or school.

Listeners indicated that the biggest things podcast hosts should avoid are including too many ads or having poor audio quality. Too many ads turn off listeners across generations, with 70% of Americans citing it as their number one podcast turn-off overall.

Nearly half of all listeners surveyed said poor sound quality made them stop listening.

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Firmsconsulting maintains a 80% success rate at placing clients within McKinsey, BCG and Bain. This is the highest in the industry and the rate is higher if we include other firms. We achieve this rate because we only use former partners from McKinsey, BCG et al to develop our clients. This makes us unique. We never use analysts, associates, engagement managers or associate principals. We also carefully select and develop clients on their communication, image, technical and case interview skills. This podcast channel describes our lessons from training our clients. www.firmsconsulting.com www.strategytraining.com

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• MAY 29, 2024

681: Leadership Lessons from His Year of Living Constitutionally (with AJ Jacobs)

Welcome to an interview with the author of The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning, AJ Jacobs. In The Year of Living Constitutionally, A.J. Jacobs tries to get inside the minds of the Founding Fathers by living as closely as possible to the original meaning of the Constitution. He asserts his right to free speech by writing his opinions on parchment with a quill and handing them out to strangers in Times Square. He consents to quartering a soldier, as is his Third Amendment right. He turns his home into a traditional 1790s household by lighting candles instead of using electricity, boiling mutton, and—because women were not allowed to sign contracts— feebly attempting to take over his wife’s day job, which involves a lot of contract negotiations.   A.J. Jacobs is a journalist, lecturer, and human guinea pig whose books include Drop Dead Healthy, The Year of Living Biblically, and The Puzzler. He is host of the podcast The Puzzler. A contributor to NPR, The New York Times, and Esquire, among other media outlets, Jacobs lives in New York City with his family.   Get AJ’s new book here: https://rb.gy/wir520 The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

• MAY 27, 2024

680: How to Tap the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Breakthroughs in Leadership and Life (with Former Monitor Associate partner and Chief Learning Officer of Teach For America. Co-CEO of Transcend, Jeff Wetzler)

Welcome to an interview with the author of Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership and Life, Jeff Wetzler. In this book, Jeff offers a hands-on, surprisingly effective way to find out what others really think, know, and feel. Jeff brings you a powerful method called The Ask Approach™, based on a simple premise that tapping into what other people truly think, know, and feel is a game-changing superpower. Ask leads to smarter decisions, more creative solutions, and deeper relationships.    Jeff Wetzler is co-CEO of Transcend, a nationally recognized innovation organization, and an expert in learning and human potential. Wetzler combines unique leadership experiences spanning more than 25 years in business and education, as a management consultant to the world’s top corporations, a learning facilitator for leaders around the world, and as Chief Learning Officer at Teach For America. Jeff earned a Doctorate in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in psychology from Brown University. Based in New York, he is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and is an Edmund Hillary Fellow.   Get Jeff’s new book here: https://rb.gy/6i05b7 Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership and Life   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

• MAY 22, 2024

679: Navigating Career Transitions in a Complex World with Former Olympic Coach & Innovation Expert, Pete Steinberg

Welcome to an interview with the author of Leadership Shock: Using Authenticity to Navigate the Hidden Dangers of Career Success, Pete Steinberg. Leadership Shock teaches readers to view leadership as an adaptive, continuous process rather than a fixed set of behaviors. By regularly re-evaluating their leadership models, professionals at any level can evolve their principles and actions to lead with authenticity as they navigate new challenges.   Pete Steinberg is a leadership and innovation expert with extensive experience consulting with top Fortune 500 professionals. He also has more than 20 years of experience as an elite rugby coach, coaching the USA Women’s Rugby Team at two World Cups and the Rio Olympics. As a former U.S., international, and Olympic sports coach and commentator for major outlets such as CBS, ESPN, and Fox Sports, Pete has a track record of bringing teams to victory. He has won 11 National Championships with the Penn State Women, MARFU Men, and Temple Women rugby teams. He has also worked with the Men’s Eagles and other age-grade programs within the U.S. National team pathway. Pete was the Head of Coach Development for USA Rugby, leading the program as it became integrated into the World Rugby programs. Pete is also the President of Innovative Thought, a business consultancy focused on leadership and organizational development. He supports clients in the areas of innovation, leadership, strategic planning, marketing, recruiting and organizational development. Pete works regularly as an executive coach for senior executives of global companies.   Get Pete’s new book here: https://www.petesteinberg.com/book Leadership Shock: Using Authenticity to Navigate the Hidden Dangers of Career Success   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

• MAY 20, 2024

678: Can you become immune to burnout? UPenn Burnout Expert Reveals What Stress-Resilient People Have in Common

Welcome to an interview with the author of Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work, Kandi Wiens. In her book, Kandi shares her research and discoveries about burnout immunity. After extreme stress caused a life-threatening health cri­sis in her own life, Dr. Kandi Wiens dedicated herself to understand why work was leaving millions of us sick, exhausted, unmoti­vated, and feeling stuck and ineffective. In her research, she discovered something remarkable: Despite dangerous levels of work-related stress, some people seemed to be naturally “immune” to burnout.   Kandi Wiens, EdD, MSEd, MBA is a Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, Director of the Penn Master’s in Medical Education Program and the Penn Health Professions Education Certificate Program, and Academic Director of the PennCLO Master’s Program. She often teaches in various graduate-level programs across the University of Pennsylvania. She is a researcher, national speaker, and executive coach whose work focuses on helping leaders hone and use their emotional and social intelligence to amplify their positive impact and protect themselves from burnout.   Get Kandi’s new book here: https://rb.gy/5ur5qq Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

• MAY 15, 2024

677: Negotiations in B2B sales and day to day leadership situations (with Andres Lares)

Welcome to an interview with the co-author of Persuade: The 4-Step Process to Influence People and Decisions, Andres Lares. This book deliver a concise and insightful take on how to transform your ability to persuade others regardless of the setting. Persuade is perfect for executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders who negotiate or influence regularly. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to improve their persuasion or deal-making abilities.   Andres Lares is the Managing Partner at Shapiro Negotiations Institute. Lares' expertise ranges from coaching live negotiations for sports clients, including the Cleveland Browns, Brooklyn Nets, and more, to developing online content for facilitating real estate, advisory, media, banking, and pharmaceutical programs. He is a guest lecturer on negotiation and influencing at various universities, including Ohio University, and annually teaches a sports negotiation course at Johns Hopkins University. Lares is a recognized contributor to numerous national media outlets, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Selling Power, Sales and Marketing Management, Training Mag, and many more. He is quoted in Forbes, Business Insider, Fast Company, MarketWatch, and Huffington Post.    Get Andres’s new book here: https://www.shapironegotiations.com/resources/books/persuade/ Persuade: The 4-Step Process to Influence People and Decisions   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

• MAY 13, 2024

676: The Illusion of Innovation (with Founder and CEO of High Alpha Innovation, Elliott Parker)

Welcome to an interview with the author of The Illusion of Innovation: Escape "Efficiency" and Unleash Radical Progress, Elliott Parker. The Illusion of Innovation tackles the problem with innovation inside big companies, having activities that feel like innovation but lead to value destruction, not progress. This book explains why meaningful innovation naturally emerges from deliberate inefficiency and how large corporations can harness the power of small teams—startups—to drive radical change through systematic experimentation.   Elliott Parker is the founder and CEO of High Alpha Innovation, a venture builder that partners with corporations, universities, and entrepreneurs to co-create startups that solve compelling problems. He built his career in strategy consulting at Innosight, the firm founded by Clayton Christensen, in corporate venturing, and as an entrepreneur bringing new ideas to market. To date, he has launched over 40 venture-backed startups. Originally from California, Elliott currently resides with his family in Indiana. He earned a B.S. in Finance from BYU and an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.   Get Elliott’s new book here: https://rb.gy/hkcl2w The Illusion of Innovation: Escape "Efficiency" and Unleash Radical Progress   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

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These 15 True Crime Podcasts Will Have You Hooked

Posted: May 31, 2024 | Last updated: May 31, 2024

Overwhelmed by the number of true crime podcasts out there? There are differences between them. Some shows take a full season to explore the nuances of one case, while others cover a new crime per episode. There are podcasts seeking answers in ongoing mysteries and shows that break down how authorities handled cases.

Some hosts take advantage of their experiences as investigative journalists, criminologists, or former law enforcement officials. Breezier hosts use tasteful humor as they discuss true crime. Others harness their own experiences to connect to cases and victims.

We found the 15 best true crime podcasts out there so you can find the right one for you.

More True Crime: Why the Menendez Brothers Killed Their Parents • Where Is Anna Delvey Now? • Inside Elizabeth Holmes' Downfall at Theranos

Anatomy of Murder

Co-hosts Scott Weinberger and Anna-Sigga Nicolazzi focus on a new case each episode of this show, which dates back to September 2020. Weinberger is an investigative journalist and former deputy sheriff, and Nicolazzi is a former New York City homicide prosecutor. Accordingly, they understand crime investigation more than most, and they’re great at interviewing victims’ families and members of law enforcement. New episodes arrive every Tuesday.

Shop Now Spotify Audible

Sistas Who Kill

This podcast’s co-hosts, best friends MaRah and Taz, are great storytellers. Every week, these two Black women discuss a different crime perpetrated by a Black woman. The show also doesn’t shy away from addressing the unfair treatment Black women can receive from the justice system. The podcast launched in 2021, and new episodes come out every Friday.

Serial ’s first season, released back in 2014, demonstrated how gripping true crime podcasts could be and paved the way for other shows. It’s still worth listening to host Sarah Koenig examine the charges against Adnan Syed , who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. The case also had a major new development in 2022 , which Koenig covered in special episodes.

Murder Book

Season 2 of Murder Book , which came out in 2020, focuses on Sam Little , whom the FBI considers the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history . The show contains interviews with the Los Angeles Police Department detective who tied Little to many of his crimes, as well as others who helped stop this killer. Host Michael Connelly is a popular mystery writer, and his storytelling skills are on full display in this podcast.

My Favorite Murder

My Favorite Murder , which has been around since 2016, features a fantastic rapport between hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. The two longtime true crime fans mix banter with a discussion of a different case in each episode. This podcast has a dedicated listenership—the most devoted call themselves “murderinos”—and is still releasing new episodes twice a week.

Love & Justice

For someone who wants the thrill of following along as a new podcast tries to unearth the truth in an unsolved murder, consider Love & Justice . The show aims to discover who killed 19-year old Ashleigh Love back in 2009. The first episode came out on October 27, 2022, and the podcast is receiving new tips in the case.

CounterClock

CounterClock re-examines one homicide each season. Investigative journalist Delia D’Ambra is an excellent researcher who sifts through old case files, interviews, and photos to create a must-listen podcast. CounterClock has five seasons available to enjoy.

Bruh Issa Murder

This podcast covers a range of true crime, from murders to in-depth looks at female serial killers . Hosts Andre, Battle, Kelly, and Robert are fun to listen to, and they don’t shy away from social commentary. The show debuted in 2018. New episodes come out on Tuesdays.

Your Own Backyard

Host Chris Lambert was a true crime newbie when he started Your Own Backyard , but his podcast helped bring about new developments in the case of Kristin Smart, a 19-year-old Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student who went missing in 1996. Lambert grew up seeing billboards with Smart’s face, so he felt a connection to the case. He also won the trust of Smart’s loved ones and interviewed many for the podcast.

WTOP’s American Nightmare Series

WTOP, a Washington, D.C.–based radio station, has released three seasons of its American Nightmare Series , and each one is a captivating exploration of a different local case. Season 1 covers a murderous home invasion, Season 2 a rape and murder, and Season 3 tracks the Potomac River Rapist.

Spotify Audible

Campus Killings

As the name suggests, this show focuses on killings on or around college campuses . It debuted in September 2022 and has a biweekly release schedule, so catching up is easy if you prefer to stay current with your podcasts. Hosts Meghan Sacks and Amy Shlosberg are expert criminologists. They also have other podcast shows— Women & Crime and Direct Appeal , both of which are great—so they know what they’re doing here.

Casefile True Crime

This podcast’s Australian host, who goes by “Anonymous,” looks at a different incident in each episode. He’s covered crimes that took place in Australia and around the globe. Casefile has been around since 2016 and is still producing new episodes, some of which are initially available only to premium subscribers.

In the Dark

In the Dark ’s in-depth investigative reporting dove into a different true crime case each season. Season 1 examined the kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling, which had been unsolved for 27 years. Season 2 focused on Curtis Flowers, a Mississippi man who endured six trials for the same crime. A third season is in the works now, giving you time to work through the back catalog.

Buried Bones

On Buried Bones , the true crime cases that journalist Kate Winkler Dawson and retired investigator Paul Holes cover are from decades or centuries past. The first episode of Buried Bones debuted in September. Each week, a new episode looks at a different historical crime.

Mama Mystery

Mama Mystery is great if you’re dipping your toe into true crime podcasts for the first time. The co-hosts are a husband-and-wife team. The husband is a true crime neophyte, while his wife is an aficionado who researches each case they discuss. This podcast launched in 2020 and continues to release new content weekly.

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The 12 Best True Crime Podcasts To Make You Feel Like A Real Detective

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True crime isn’t basic. It’s a way of life. From books to documentaries, the true crime genre has infiltrated every way we consume entertainment, including  podcasts . As the  best true crime podcasts  show, the ears are one of the best ways to consume content about a chilling murder, a missing person’s report, or a case that went cold. 

It’s no wonder why 40 percent of  true crime tales  focus on murder. From JonBenét Ramsey’s death in 1996 to the O.J. Simpson murder case in 1994, people have been obsessed with true crime stories for decades.

It’s only in recent years, as technology has evolved, that people have started to devour their true crime obsession through sound. We all  know about Serial , the Peabody Award-winning podcast about an 18-year-old student in Baltimore who was  mysteriously murdered  in 1999. But what about these other true crime podcasts? For those true crime junkies out there, we rounded up the most binge-worthy podcasts to listen to while at home or on the go.

Here are the best true crime podcasts

From missing people cases to the murder mysteries even Agatha Christie couldn’t write, these are the best true crime podcasts you need to listen to immediately. Grab a snack because these stories are wild from start to finish.

Serial is the G.O.A.T. of true crime podcasts. When the series premiered in 2014, it became an instant fan favorite for its fascinating investigation into the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old student at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore. Since then, podcast host Sarah Koenig has received a Peabody Award for her work, as well as released two of Serial .

The second season focuses on Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, an American Army soldier who was held for five years by the Taliban, and then charged with desertion, while season 3 follows the cases within the Justice Center Complex in the Cleveland area. Season 1, however, has been the most popular. In 2019, HBO even released a docuseries based on the season 1 murder, titled,  The Case Against Adnan Syed , which peeled back more layers to the investigation of Adnan Syed, Hae Min Lee’s ex-boyfriend who was charged with her murder.

Crime Junkie

In addition to Serial , Crime Junkie is perhaps the most well-known true crime podcast. The series, which is hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, premiered in December 2017 and has more than 100 episodes. (Flowers was the host of a local Indianapolis radio station’s Murder Monday show, so you know she’s a pro at true crime.)

Unlike Serial , each Crime Junkie episode follows a different murder, missing person or crime. Once a month, there’s also a segment called the “Pruppet of the Month,” where Prawat tells stories about dogs who’ve been adopted as a pick-me-up.

Sleuth , which premiered in the summer of 2018, investigates the 2010 Southern California murder case involving Daniel Wozniak, who’s described in the podcast as a “real-life phantom of the opera.” The podcast follows the murder case, which alleges that Wozniak, a local theater actor, murdered two of his friends (one in the theater’s attic) before going on stage later that night. Hosted by Linda Sawyer, the podcast also investigates Wozniak’s girlfriend, Rachel Buffett, an actress and a Disneyland princess, who investigators believe was an accomplice to the murder.

The Teacher's Pet

This Australian podcast follows the 1982 disappearance of Lynette Dawson, the wife of a famous rugby player and a high school coach named Chris Dawson. The 16-episode series also investigates the misogynistic culture of Gold Coast Australia that created an environment where student-teacher relationships went unchecked.

The podcast also interviews a then-16-year-old student of Chris’ who moved into his home after his wife vanished. Chris later married his former student and made her the stepbrother to his young children, leading to speculation that he may have murdered his wife.

Over My Dead Body

This podcast chronicles the murder of Dan Markel, a Florida State University professor, who was shot to death in his car in 2014. Markel’s murder came amid his divorce and custody dispute with his then-wife, Wendi Adelson, a wealthy attorney.

Over My Dead Body follows the murder and how Adelson’s family, specifically her dentist brother, could’ve been involved in her ex-husband’s death. Though the FBI attempted to solve the murder with a sting operation, the case is still unsolved. The podcast provides updates on the investigation until as recently as 2019.

My Father The Murderer

Just how much of the story of ‘how you came to be’ makes up who you are? It’s not a question most people think about, but for Australian journalist, Nina Young, it’s a question she can’t avoid because she might not be here today if a woman hadn’t lost her life late one night in the bush in 1977. In this six-part podcast, she will finally let the skeletons out of her family closet and discover the truth. A truth that will take her back to the crime scene and face-to-face with some uncomfortable truths.

Dr. Death is a podcast produced by Wondery that investigates the story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon whose medical malpractice resulted in the deaths and maiming of numerous patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.

The podcast examines the failures within the medical system that allowed Duntsch to continue practicing despite numerous complaints and warnings about his incompetence. It also highlights the stories of the victims and their families, as well as the efforts of prosecutors and journalists to bring Duntsch to justice.

Each episode of Criminal delves into a different case, ranging from historical crimes to more contemporary mysteries. It’s “a show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle”—everything from heists, fraud, espionage, and yes, of course, there’s murder. Hosted by Phoebe Judge, the show is known for its high-quality storytelling and in-depth research, often shedding light on lesser-known cases or aspects of criminal history.

Up And Vanished

In The Midnight Sun is Up & Vanished ‘s fourth season. This season investigates the 2020 disappearance of Alaska Native Florence Okpealuk. The previous seasons cover the case of missing South Georgia teacher, Tara Grinstead, which led to two arrests. Season 2 highlighted the disappearance of Kristal Reisinger, a young mother who disappeared from a remote Colorado mountain town. Season 3 looked into the North West Montana disappearance of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner, an indigenous woman who went missing from the Blackfeet Nation Indian Reservation.

My Favorite Murder

My Favorite Murder is a popular true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. The podcast features the hosts discussing their favorite murder cases, as well as listener-submitted hometown murder stories.

Karen and Georgia have a conversational and humorous approach to discussing true crime, often weaving personal anecdotes and pop culture references into their discussions. They cover a wide range of cases, from well-known historical crimes to more obscure and lesser-known mysteries.

Casefile is a true crime podcast known for its meticulous research and detailed storytelling. Hosted by an anonymous Australian narrator known only as Casey, the podcast covers a wide range of criminal cases from around the world, including murders, disappearances, and other mysteries.

Each episode of Casefile typically focuses on a single case, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the events, the investigation, and the eventual resolution (if any). The podcast often includes interviews with witnesses, experts, and law enforcement officials, as well as archival audio and primary source material.

Hell And Gone

Hell And Gone is a true crime podcast from iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans that follows journalist and private investigator Catherine Townsend as she investigates unsolved deaths. Now in its fifth season, Townsend has received countless emails and messages from families desperate for her help with unsolved murders and the answers to what happened to their loved ones.

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Protecting Servicemembers from Foreign Influence: A Counter-MDM Toolkit

Executive summary.

Recognizing the significant and growing threat to servicemembers from mis-/dis-/mal-information (MDM), the Department of Defense (DOD) has recently published policy and doctrine on social media use and the challenges posed by MDM. However, combating MDM is complex and requires a substantial and coordinated response.

A comprehensive human-centric approach to countering MDM (versus a technology-centric approach such as using AI to identify MDM) is one that recognizes the need to protect against our psychological and social vulnerabilities to MDM. In other words, it is necessary to acknowledge—and identify, design, and implement—counter-MDM solutions that address both the psychological vulnerabilities that make us receptive to MDM (e.g., our tendency to accept at face value content that looks official), and the social structures that make organizations vulnerable to the spread of MDM (e.g., our tendency to believe content from authoritative figures in hierarchical organizations). This work focuses on the former, but work on the latter is equally important.

MDM exploits normal psychological mechanisms that help people to function in their daily lives (for more, see our earlier work, The Psychology of (Dis)information) . Further, the availability of MDM is constant due to the 24-hour “breaking” news cycle and the easy accessibility of cultivated content on social media platforms. In the 1960s, the primary MDM threat to servicemembers was limited to prisoners of war, so the US government mainly needed to provide tools and support to those affected persons. However, under the current threat, the US government needs to provide this training to every servicemember with a smartphone.

To counter MDM on a large scale within a distributed population—one that is constant being exposed to MDM—this research examined four evidence-based interventions:

• Inoculation: The practice of exposing individuals to persuasive messages containing weakened arguments that threaten an attitude or belief in order to “inoculate” them against stronger persuasive messages and attacks on this attitude or belief in the future.
• Debunking: The use of a concise correction to MDM that demonstrates that the prior message or messaging campaign was inaccurate.
• Fact-checking: A journalistic practice designed to reject clearly false claims with empirical evidence from neutral or unimpeachable sources.
• Media literacy: An individual’s ability to critically assess a piece of content. It includes the skills required to evaluate a piece of content as well as an understanding of the structures that produced that content.

A full review of the literature on these interventions—including a brief history and definition of each technique, a description of how they work, and a summary of the state of research on each technique—is available in the companion to this report: Evidence-Based Techniques for Countering Mis-/Dis-/Mal-information: A Primer . In that review, we summarized the literature that used the term debunking separately from the literature that used the term fact-checking. However, there is considerable overlap in the best practices, advantages, and disadvantages of these two techniques. Because this document is written for practitioners, we have combined debunking and fact-checking in our analysis and recommendations.

The primary objective of this report is to provide DOD with practical recommendations for how to use counter-MDM interventions to mitigate the threat. We first provide an assessment of how appropriate each intervention is to a military context, and then we provide DOD with recommendations for using these techniques, including methods (virtual or in person), timing for refresher training, and best practices. We also provide a list of available tools and our assessment of their adaptability for the military.

Appropriateness for the military

To evaluate the appropriateness of the interventions for the military, we considered five factors: the population studied, the structure of the intervention (e.g., scalability, length of time required for training, and neutrality of the content), the longevity of the effects, whether the intervention is preventative or reactive, and the flexibility of the intervention to function in both a steady-state and a crisis environment.

• We found that technique-based inoculation interventions are appropriate for the military, but issue-based inoculation interventions should be carefully considered to make sure that their content is nonpartisan.
• Debunking and fact-checking will not build counter-MDM skills on their own. However, corrections of inaccurate information do work and can create a healthier media ecosystem. Thus, it is important for DOD to engage in debunking and fact-checking when appropriate.
• Media literacy training is appropriate for the military because it can be prophylactic and skill-building. In addition, this training can be designed to be nonpartisan and neutral.

Recommended course of action and best practices

Our analysis indicates that each intervention has clear advantages and disadvantages. By combining them, DOD can create a scalable and durable training program that provides all servicemembers with a baseline level of knowledge (i.e., protection) and includes a mechanism for responding to an MDM campaign or crisis. Specifically, we recommend the following actions:

• DOD should identify and deploy an already-existing media literacy program.
• DOD should work with academic experts to adapt an already-existing inoculation intervention.
• DOD communications personnel (i.e., those who are engaged in public-facing communication and those who are engaged in communicating to the force itself) should engage in debunking and fact-checking when appropriate.

We also provide guidance to inform decision-making on when to use a specific type of intervention, language for how to describe trainings and interventions to those who will receive them, and tips for how to design the interventions (e.g., how to build a fact-check). These best practices are designed for policy-makers, leaders, public health officials, and public affairs officers and can help DOD identify, design, and implement counter-MDM training.

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited.

• Document Number: DRM-2023-U-035083-Final
• Publication Date: 5/23/2024

StarTribune

Minneapolis' dundry house was vandalized, burned down and demolished — and affordable housing providers are worried.

In a desolate crook of south Minneapolis bounded by Interstates 35 and 94, a three-story building housing people emerging from homelessness began its collapse in early 2022.

A large encampment emerged in a vacant lot next door to the building known as the Dundry House, and soon there were significant problems with vandalism, including the theft of the building's pipes. Hope Community, the Dundry's nonprofit owner, spent about $24,000 a month on security — canceling out the $23,000 it generated in monthly rent.

By mid-2023, Hope relocated tenants, boarded up the Dundry and searched for another affordable housing provider willing to buy it. But after two fires, including a major blaze this April , the building was condemned; last month, it was demolished.

Reduced to rubble were 25 units of deeply affordable housing stock meant to keep some of Minneapolis' most vulnerable people off the streets — providing a case study in what happens when constructing new affordable housing is prioritized over maintaining older buildings.

Will Delaney, Hope's co-executive director, said what happened at the Dundry is an extreme example of systemic failures in how Minnesota finances affordable housing for the poorest tenants.

Various government agencies are pouring money into new housing without sufficiently funding the operation of existing buildings, Delaney and other affordable providers said. As a result, buildings in marginalized neighborhoods with high crime rates, serving communities hardest-hit by the opioid crisis, see security expenses outpace their initial financial assumptions at an unsustainable clip.

Part of the difficulty is how Minneapolis' encampment closure practices often result in people with limited options simply moving around to different sites, Delaney said. Meanwhile, Hennepin County's Coordinated Entry system of housing homeless people in order of greatest need inadvertently leaves units vacant for long periods of time as caseworkers meticulously match individuals with homes. Those vacancies mean lost rental revenue for those housing providers operating on razor-thin margins.

As a result, housing nonprofits face hard decisions about how long they can maintain older buildings, even as they open new complexes elsewhere to the confusion of tenants awaiting essential repairs .

"Essentially, the way the model works is you get a subsidy to build it and keep your rents lower, but particularly in an environment with high inflation, higher costs with security, especially when you're dealing with folks who might have higher needs, the rents don't pay for upkeep," Delaney said.

"It is really difficult, if not impossible, to get money to support operations."

Various government agencies provide gap funding for affordable housing development, touting record rates of construction in recent years. But there's no central tracking of the affordable units lost or vacated because of disrepair and conversion to market-rate housing.

"A lot of providers are starting to have these very difficult conversations about this unfortunate bind, that in order to keep their mission and keep their organization focused, they actually have to reduce their footprint to save the rest," said Caroline Hood, CEO of RS Eden, which operates 630 units of permanent supportive housing for people in recovery programs and re-entering society after prison.

"It's such a terrible position to b­e in for our community, as those affordable units would go away and likely become market-rate, which only perpetuates the housing issues that we see."

When buildings fall into disrepair, tensions flare among affordable housing providers, existing tenants and the surrounding neighborhood. No organization wants to tell the public they're in dire straits, Hood said. But a coalition of providers, including CommonBond, Project for Pride in Living and Hope Community, are raising the long-term unsustainability of imbalanced financing for affordable housing as a sector-wide problem unsolvable with private fundraising alone.

"None of us sign up for these deals to make money. We're just trying to make the math work to make a building possible so we can serve residents," said Chris LaTondresse, CEO of Beacon Interfaith.

The nonprofit Beacon Interfaith has 750 units of permanent supportive housing serving youth, families that have been involved with the child protection system and people exiting encampments with histories of mental health and addiction.

LaTondresse, a former Hennepin County commissioner, said he wished he had greater awareness of the need for operating support alongside new construction capital when he was a policymaker. Last year, the Lonoke , a Beacon building in Stevens Square, underwent the same sort of compounding crises of squatters, drugs and soaring security costs and deferred repairs that the Dundry had experienced.

In many cases, people who were doing well before the pandemic have recovered economically, LaTondresse said. But those who were struggling are doing worse, needing more services and rent assistance even as Beacon and its peers are dealing with declining revenue and growing expenses.

"At all levels of government, but especially at the state and with local governments that do housing work, we need a rebalancing of priorities that, against the backdrop of our housing crisis continues to prioritize new housing production, but alongside of that brings dollars to draw a circle of protection around the units that already exist in our ecosystem," he said.

Hennepin County offers low-interest deferred loans for the preservation of affordable housing. The city doesn't fund ongoing maintenance. But when the Dundry went under, just five years after $2 million in public funding was spent rehabbing the building, Minneapolis and county forgave more than $1 million of their loans.

Last year, the Legislature passed a historic $1 billion investment in affordable housing, including $50 million in one-time funding to help nonprofit providers continue operating properties that don't generate enough rent revenues to cover costs. The relief helped but wasn't enough to truly stabilize buildings.

This year, the Legislature approved another $50 million for the preservation of existing housing and created a task force to further explore the topic.

Commissioner Jennifer Ho of Minnesota Housing, the state's housing finance agency, said while there remains a great need for more construction of affordable housing, the task force should try to establish shared facts around what's killing existing buildings and which of those drivers are temporary versus permanent shifts in projects' financial presumptions.

"The fact is that the amount of public resources ... even with a huge year like last year, still feel horribly finite compared to what we need to do," Ho said. "I'm really hopeful about our ability to think more clearly about our work and think about it systemically, to think about how the future of affordable housing could be a more stable endeavor."

Susan Du covers the city of Minneapolis for the Star Tribune.

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