2025 in Podcasts

Similar to my reading trends in 2025, I wasn’t discipline enough to keep track of my podcast listening trends this year. I was sporadic. I bounced around from show to show. Thankfully, Pocket Casts has a built-in “Wrapped” feature, so I still got a snapshot of my year in Podcasts. Here are some highlights:

I listened to 35K mins of podcasts, 113 shows, and 970 episodes.

Top Five Shows:

1. The Greatest of All Talk
2. Stratechery
3. The Tim Ferriss Show
4. The Rest Is Politics: US
5. Not Investment Advice

New Trends:

1. I resumed listening to podcasts while I worked out. I needed the distraction, and I have found basketball podcasts were the most effective to get me through my workouts because they were quite mindless and entertaining. Not Investment Advice had similar effects. The show was informative and just engaging enough to keep me going.
2. Donald Trump was the reason why I listened to US politics. He created so much chaos throughout the year. I enjoyed the hosts of The Rest Is Politics: US. And fun fact: we ran into Anthony Scaramucci in London. I told him we were fans, and he gave us a shy nod of acknowledgment.
3. My favorite show, People I Mostly Admire, ended in December this year. It’s sad but I am happy for the host Steve Levitt as he is moving onto something he’s passionate about – building new schools. I enjoyed his guests and the way he interviewed. He appeared honest about himself and seemed humble.
4. I have lost interests in many shows. I hardly listened to anything from the right. I wasn’t interested in most tech shows. I have lost interests in shows about leadership, coaching, and video games. I can see why I no longer find leadership and coaching relevant because I am no longer in that “business.” I am surprised tech meant so much less to me nowadays.
5. I remained attracted to shows hosted by older men- Stephen Wolfram, Tyler Cowen, Steve Levitt, and Scott Galloway.
6. I am listening to more podcasts on YouTube. Discovery is just so much better thanks to YouTube’s search and recommendation algorithm.

I am not in the headspace for deep reflection about my podcast listening life. My listening habits this year mirror my overall state of mind: transitional, unfocused, and a bit adrift. I am going through the motions without a clear direction.

And I think that’s okay, at least for now.