8 Enlightening Podcasts for Growth + Transformation

How to grow and transform yourself even when life feels busy.

We are born into a world which conditions us and molds us from the moment we arrive, actually before if you think about it. We are shaped by the expectations of others about our choices, our behaviors and our definitions of success. We are essentially placed on an upward hill and told to climb it, before we even learn to walk.

So it’s not surprising why humanity, as a whole, struggles to get back to basics and enjoy the daily simplicities of life. Life has become too complicated. We struggle to break innate and learned thought patterns and cycles that are doing us more harm than good.

So the big question is…how to f*ck to we ‘un-condition’ ourselves. How do we grow and transform to reveal our true amazing selves under the layers of rules, trauma, shame and expectations that the world has placed upon us?

Well it’s simple to start.

We un-train our brains. We learn. We open our minds and by doing this, on purpose or by accident, we WILL grow, heal and transform.

First you find an amazing podcast that will inspire growth and transformation. Oh wait, I’ve already done that for you. And you may be thinking, “But when do I have time for this?” And the answer to that my friend is, “You have more time than you think!”

Because… the next time you are:

A. driving on your daily commute

B. cleaning your house

C. grocery shopping

D. taking the dog for a walk

E. gardening,

F. or unloading the dishwasher (okay I think you get the point)

…you simply press play on one of the amazing podcasts below.

And voila…the learning has begun. Our brains thought patterns will start to untangle the mess the world has created. Growth can be simple, not easy, but simple…so let’s dive in.

1. Jay Shetty On Purpose

Once I became familiar with Jay Shetty I was hooked. His soothing voice just makes you want to jump on his mindfulness bandwagon and never get off. Especially as you get to dive into the wellness journeys of many of the world’s most famous people.

He was a regular guy following a path for corporate success when he left it all to become a monk. Now he’s a monk turned ‘wellness influencer’ and he’s having fascinating conversations with some of the most insightful people in the world in his podcast ‘On purpose” and his purpose is to make wisdom go viral.

2. Brené Brown Unlocking Us

Brene Brown is a shame researcher who studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong and love. The world came to know her after her Ted Talk “The power of Vulnerability” went viral. Still today, it’s one of the most viewed Ted Talks in the world. On her podcast she has conversations that unlock the deeply human part of who we are, so that we can live, love, parent, and lead with more courage and heart.

I actually consider Brene to be one of my closest companions, in the sense that she joins me in my kitchen almost every other day through my Alexa speakers as I learn from her and do the dishes. We are best friends who have just never met yet!

3. Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin is the #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and she co-hosts this podcast with the aim to help others be happier too. She brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. I love the variety of content and interviews that they have on the podcast which always keeps me scrolling for something new and exciting.

4. Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

Dan Harris was a fidgety, skeptical news anchor who so famously had a panic attack on live TV. He has since wrote a best-selling book 10% Happier and now allows us into his world in his podcast Ten Percent Happier. Dan talks with meditation pioneers like the Dalai Lama, as well as scientists, health experts and the odd celebrity about training our minds for happier lives.

I can relate with Dan as my path to mediation was inspired by an annoying ‘anxiety’ itch and that’s what opened up a whole new world. I love the ‘How to Wellness Tools” that he shares. It allows me to scroll through to find the appropriate lesson that I need for the moment.

5. Eckhart Tolle: Essential Teachings

Eckhart Tolle is a man who woke up one day with an entire “new awakening” in life. His podcast Essential Teachings helps provides a path to discover an enlightened state of consciousness. And while for many of us, we are not just going to wake up tomorrow ‘enlightened’ he does help provide some good tools on how to navigate out of the chaotic world that we often create in our minds. I like how he really encourages to see the world outside the way we have been conditioned to see it and how, like Dan Harris, you can select the topic that applies to what you need to ‘heal for the day’.

6. The Science of Happiness

The Science of Happiness podcast is hosted by award-winning psychologist Dacher Keltner. Who dives into what it takes to live a happier more meaningful life. You will learn research-tested strategies that you can put into practice today as he draws on the science of compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, and awe.

7. Daily Breath Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra is an expert in the field of mind-body healing; he has written almost a million books (okay a bit less but close) and is world-renowned speaker and world-wide meditation and spiritual growth influencer and teacher. His podcast, Daily Breath, only takes a few minutes a day and help guide us to pause in the hectic world around us, refocus ourselves and expand our minds. He helps build mindfulness into your daily routine and ends every week with a 10-minute guided meditation.

8. The Mindvalley Podcast with Vishen Lakhiani

Vishen Lakhiani is a brilliant. He created Mindvalley which is the world’s leading personal growth education company. Not that there aren’t many others who have created wellness education programs. But Mr. Vishen has taken some of the most influential teachers and their programs and collected them all into one site. Through his website you can purchase membership and have access to all these amazing programs and webinars for less than $2/day. But for free, you can listen to his podcast and learn through the conversations he is having with some of the best minds best minds as they discuss powerful ideas in personal growth for mind, body, spirit and work. Mindvalley has such a widespread of content. So really, if there’s any department you want growth in, I’m sure there’s an episode for that.

These are just simply 8 of many of hundreds of amazing podcasts shows out there. But once you tap into some of these shows and listen to their guests, you really start to realize how there are so many people trying to shift our world into making a conscious change, enlighten others and grow our awareness. These podcasts make it simple to start tapping into some of the wisdom we all need to grow and transform. Start listening and be the change you want to see.

Check out my Spotify Playlist 8 Enlightening Podcasts for Growth + Transformation.

Also browse Mama Therapy's Favorites - a great list of 100 amazing podcast episodes on Spotify.