GetForward has rounded up compelling podcasts that uncover the future and boost critical thinking. These podcast hosts have been sharing some of the biggest topics that shape humanity’s path forward – and can aid you in becoming future literate.
a16z Podcast with various hosts
Who is the host?
Experts on a given topic lead each episode.
What’s it about?
The a16z Podcast is the go-to place for discussions about technology, innovation, and change as it impacts all our lives, covering everything from tech trends and culture to company building for companies of all sizes. As technology changes everything — not just in Silicon Valley or in traditional “tech” companies, but across all industries — it’s also changing the way we all work, live, eat, learn, and play.
Is it for me?
It’s a show for builders, for the tech curious, for anyone seeking to understand the future, now, through carefully curated, in-depth yet accessible, nuanced conversations with top industry and academic experts from around the world; company leaders, builders, makers; book authors; and emerging voices.
About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
Who is the host?
Reni Eddo-Lodge, the author behind the bestselling Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race
What’s it about?
Conversations about race featuring key voices from the last few decades of anti-racist activism. About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge looks at the recent history that lead to the politics of today.
Is it for me?
A couple of protests and one arrested white cop don’t mean that justice and tolerance have prevailed. Systemic racism is still here, and any valuable discussion like this is a glimpse of hope for the future.
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Exponential View with Azeem Azhar
Who is the host?
Azeem Azhar, an entrepreneur, investor, and the creator of Exponential View, a highly-regarded newsletter on the future.
What’s it about?
Azhar focuses on exponential technologies that are transforming business and society and are likely to shape our future. He invites the world’s leading thinkers and practitioners who are more than equipped to explore what that could look like.
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Is this for me?
If AI, driverless cars, quantum computers, genomics, and everlasting life sound like something right up your alley, this podcast was made for you. If they don’t, perfect: time to catch up with the future.
How I Built This with Guy Raz
Who is the host?
A journalist, correspondent, and radio host, currently working at National Public Radio (NPR).
What’s it about?
Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best-known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists—and the movements they built. The episodes include interviews with founders of Canva, Patreon, Airbnb, Yelp, and Chipotle.
Is this for me?
If you’re at home in the business world or an eager entrepreneur yourself, this should be fun. In general, listen if you’d like to learn some behind-the-scenes info from Silicon Valley and beyond.
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Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell
Who is the host?
An incredibly sharp journalist and a bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell.
What’s it about?
In this long-running podcast, Malcolm Gladwell revisits and revises history. He brings back moments we’ve forgotten, haven’t paid attention to, or completely misunderstood, and puts them into a new perspective. Every single episode, you might find yourself in awe from Gladwell’s brilliance. His deductions about events that could seem insignificant, but aren’t, will stay with you for a long time.
Is this for me?
Sometimes to gear up for the future, you need to look back and, this time, think critically. We’d recommend this podcast to absolutely anyone, no matter what your interests are.
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Secret History of the Future with Tom Standage and Seth Stevenson
Who are the hosts?
Tom Standage is deputy editor of the Economist. Seth Stevenson is a frequent contributor to Slate and the author of Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World.
What’s it about?
The Economist’s Tom Standage and Slate’s Seth Stevenson examine the historical precedents that can transform our understanding of modern technology, predicting how it might evolve and highlighting pitfalls to avoid. This podcast shows that discovering how people reacted to past innovations can also teach us about ourselves and our future.
Is it for me?
Well, they do say that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so…
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The Laverne Cox Show with Laverne Cox
Who is the host?
Laverne Cox, the actress and LGBTQ+ advocate whom you may remember her groundbreaking role in Orange Is the New Black.
What’s it about?
Laverne conducts intimate interviews about the delicate topics of the soul that cut deep. Growing division between people, fatphobia, obsession with beauty, race issues, respect towards anyone different than yourself: every episode is incredibly powerful. As Laverne says, there are only two things that we can truly control in our lives – our own perception and our own behavior.
Is this for me? This isn’t a podcast about the “big” issues you may expect to learn about if you want to understand the future. No tech, no millionaire founders, no AI. But digging deep into what’s unfair or painful in today’s society might make this the most important podcast on this list.
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WorkLife with Adam Grant
Who is the host?
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist, bestselling author, and Wharton’s top-rated professor.
What’s it about? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work not suck. From learning how to love criticism to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: You’ll never see your job the same way again.
Is it for me? Do you work? Then yes!
More into books? Read GetForward’s roundup of 2021 books to improve future literacy HERE.
