When things go wrong, whether it’s a business venture in trouble or the breakdown of a relationship you thought would be the one, you have two options: shut it out or listen up.
Pretending everything is hunky dory may work initially, but there’s only so much mindless binge watching and drinking you can do before the voice inside you cries, ‘sort yourself out already!’ And that’s when we start to really listen. To music, to sound advice, to well-intentioned assurances by loved ones promising things will get better for you, dear, honest.
The downside with all this is that the songs you’re drawn to will most likely encourage wallowing, advice often sounds preachy and reeks of ‘told you so’, and someone telling you it’ll all be fine when you’re still feeling defeated can get downright annoying.
Podcasts allow you to relate to the experiences of others from a safe distance, without feeling self-conscious or needing to justify yourself as you might in public. They help you see you’re not alone, offering inspiration, motivation, and a much-needed boost of cheer along the way.
Here’s our pick of podcasts that get it and will help you get over it...
Life Lessons From a Total Failure
A self confessed ‘recovering failure’, actor and author M J Dougherty invites similarly semi-successful guests to discuss where things went wrong for them and all the mistakes that thwarted their ascent. Tongue-in-cheek but head screwed on.
Terrible, Thanks For Asking
This is one for those tired of saying ‘fine’ when asked how they’re doing. Author and widow Nora McInery candidly discusses life’s crushing let downs and failings, inviting her guests to share their experience of how they crawled out of their dark place. Perfect for when you’re not quite out of your pit yet.
Risking Failure
Ordinary people share their stories of taking chances, not always with happy results, but certainly walking away with a deeper insight to where things could be improved and how to cope with it better next time. Hosted by Mark Dobson and Mick Dunn.
The Eventual Millionaire
The mainstay of every self-respecting motivational podcast list and with good reason. Business coach Jaime Masters puts millionaires on the hot seat, with the focus on their early failures and what drove them to push through the barriers to eventually succeed.
The Unmistakable Creative
Perfect for those who feel their lack of success stems from not playing by the book, or through being misunderstood. Host Srini Rao unapologetically invites ‘instigators, rebels and people with a pathological inability to accept the status quo’. Unique insights guaranteed.
Made of Human
Some days, you’re just not in the mood for millionaires patronising you by saying they were just like you once. For those times you need reassurance things go belly up for everyone, the charming Sophie Hagan spends an hour each week with a likeable friend to find out how they deal with a bad hand.
Mindset Zone
Working on the principle that failure is a state of mind, life coach Ana Melikian explores ways to retrain the brain to believe you will succeed. Her talks are designed to help the listener see the link between behaviour and results, and how changing one can greatly benefit the other.
Hurry Slowly
This motivational podcast focuses on the power of taking things slow. If you’re feeling like you’ve missed the boat, or worried it’ll take months to revise and improve your previous attempts, then writer Jocelyn K Glei’s challenging of the adage ‘busy is better’ is the one for you.
How I Built This
Innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists share their tales of failures and triumphs, with much serendipity and insights to offer hope and wisdom for when you’re ready to give your plan another go. Hosted by TED Radio Hour presenter Guy Raz.
The Ziglar Show
Once you’ve picked yourself up from defeat and are ready to win, personal development trainer Zig Ziglar is the man you need. Like your favourite uncle at a party introducing you to hugely successful people happy to let you in on a secret or two because they see your true potential.