Do you love podcasts? If it’s true that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, I want to make sure that I have amazing people speaking into my life every day. One way I do this is via podcasts. While I do listen to music, my speakers and earbuds are more frequently playing audiobooks and podcasts. (I listen at 1.5-2x speed.) Here are some of my favorites from 2021. Pick some to add to your podcast player for 2022:

My kids and I discovered the 1 Year Daily Audio Bible recently. With breakfast or on the drive to school, my kids listen to the podcast for kids which goes through the New Testament. On my own, I listen to the adult version which has daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.

1517 Podcasts have a wide variety of shows from history to books to theology. Four of their shows are regulars in my house. My favorite one is 40-Minutes in the Old Testament. This show is a chapter by chapter walk through the OT. With each and every single episode, I see new things including how the OT is constantly pointing to Jesus.

Have you ever been bored reading through Leviticus? I have. My eyes glaze over and I struggle to keep going. I binge-listened to the episodes on Leviticus. It was so fascinating! My husband and I listened to some of the episodes about David’s life on our date nights. (I had shared so many snippets from them that Jon wanted to listen for himself. Ha!) Chad Bird and Daniel Emery Price do such an amazing job with this Biblical study.

30-Minutes in the New Testament is also very good. I usually let this one build up in my podcast queue and then listen to a bunch at a time–especially if it’s a short epistle.

Another show from 1517, the 4-minute daily Unveiling Mercy podcast episodes are a perfect way to start the day. I enjoy hearing a Hebrew word and then seeing a verse with fresh eyes. My favorite thing about this podcast, though, is the closing prayer. There’s no fluff, just speaking God’s word back to Him.

In my nonfiction review, I recommended Gretchen Ronnevik’s book Ragged: Spiritual Disciplines for the Spiritually Exhausted. She and Katie Koplin have an excellent podcast, Freely Given. The description states “in the vicious cycle of self-help, self-righteousness, and self-loathing, we become a slave to the pursuit of perfection. … This is a podcast about the freedom that comes through dependence in Christ, and understanding the depth of his love.”

I limit my news consumption. Like you, I am both weary and wary of the bias. I find The World and Everything in It to be an excellent show. Not only do I get a brief overview of the day’s headlines, but each week there is international news, coverage of the Supreme Court cases (which I thought would be kind of boring, but are actually interesting,) and economic news. My son (14) listens daily on his own–not because I have assigned it, but because he loves it.

Thanks to an app update this winter, my phone suddenly started downloading shows I haven’t listened to in years. That’s how I heard the habit episode from Entre Leadership. It’s also on YouTube.

I’ve consumed a lot of habit books, podcasts, programs, and planners over the years so that I could most effectively create my own Habits of Health program (Abundant Energy for the Exhausted Mom.) When this podcast episode popped up in my feed, I thought it would be interesting. It ended up being one of the top podcast episodes I’ve listened to all year. I’ve listened to it three times. You do not have to be an entrepreneur or in leadership to listen to this one. If you are a human being, this episode is worth your time.

I pick and choose my episodes about health. I spent 17-years in the Emergency Department and 7-years in Holistic Nursing. I believe both western/allopathic and traditional/holistic approaches have value. I view the person as a whole. I believe that everything is connected and that you must focus on 5 aspects: body, mind, spirit, diet, and environment. Not many shows are truly that holistic. I do not subscribe to any one-show, instead, I’ll listen to what I’m studying or interested in at the time.

That being said, the Synapse SNPs (pronounced “snips”) is probably going to get a “subscribed” checkmark soon. The show is very well researched and presents a balanced view of health. I’ve followed Dr. Troy Spurrill for a long time and he is always credible and helpful.

I have two businesses. One of them is The Whole You where I help exhausted moms regain their energy and improve overall wellness by developing simple and sustainable health habits.

My other business is separate yet supports holistic health. With my network marketing business, I help women succeed in the 60-Days to $1K program. I teach them how to use one-hour per day to build an income. This program does not require healthcare experience. It’s for anyone with a passion to help others and a willingness to follow an established, proven system.

There are a bunch of network marketing podcasts out there. I’ve listened to many. These are the shows I have subscribed to instead of just picking and choosing select episodes.

I found Kristen Boss just a few months ago and she was a breath of fresh air. Instead of telling network marketers to go-go-go and do-do-do, she helps them get out of hustle mode and build sustainable results through her podcast Purposeful Social Selling. The hustle culture is a blight on this industry and leads to burnout. I am thrilled that there is someone teaching a better way.

Frazer Brookes has very actionable episodes on the Network Marketing Ninja Podcast. I have learned a lot about social media and leadership within the industry.

What are some of your favorite podcasts? What should I listen to in 2022? Comment on my Instagram post @EstherY.RN or join the discussion in my Telegram group.