Listen Up: Plug In and Grow

We put together this list of podcasts you can listen to in the car and on the go. They’ll help you sharpen your skills and grow personally and professionally.

Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations

Chicago’s (former) resident spiritual adviser has distilled her daily talk show into a free podcast featuring deep conversations with business leaders, celebrities and writers. What separates REALTORS® is empathy. Clients trust REALTORS® to interpret the data they don’t understand and to protect their interests. A listing is more than a number for clients; it’s their investment and their livelihood. As someone who has interviewed many thousands of people, Oprah is a master of changing her approach based on who she’s talking to. Listening to her conversations can help illustrate how subtle differences can get people to bring down walls and build rapport. Key Episode: Sheryl Sandberg: How to Build Resilience and Find Joy After Loss. After her husband died suddenly, Sheryl Sandberg, the author of “Lean In” and Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, had to quickly reorient herself as a corporate executive, public figure and single mother. Sandberg’s refreshing candor about her treatment by friends and her Facebook colleagues should serve as a guide for those in grieving. Updates: Every Monday

HBR IdeaCast

The Harvard Business Review stands apart with relevant, smart ideas for businesses presented in a way that anybody can understand. The HBR IdeaCast is a seamless translation of the magazine with an immense back catalog (626 episodes and counting), ripe for binging. Key Episode: Episode 400: Best of the IdeaCast. Why not start with the best? This episode is a sort-of highlight reel for the 399 prior, making it a great resource for new listeners to find full episodes of the short clips they found interesting. Updates: Mondays

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

English is a notoriously difficult language to master, even for native speakers. It’s a language full of grammar rules that seeming follow no pattern. In fact, a missing comma in a 14-page contract cost a Maine company $10 million, according to a 2017 article from The New York Times. As a REALTOR®, communication may be the most important part of the job. That’s where Grammar Girl comes in. Mignon Fogarty provides quick, easy lessons every week explaining the difference between “Lay” and “Lie” or “Based in or “Based on” that make an easy listen for your commute. What sets Grammar Girl apart is that she never stigmatizes the listeners. She presents a concept and never asserts that her way is the only way. Key Episode:  610: Top 10 Grammar Myths. How 13 Dog Breeds Got Their Names This is a fun introduction into Fogarty’s style, suitable for a listen with children. And dog lovers will enjoy the cocktail chatter the lesson of the episode offers.

How I Built This

Everyone starts somewhere. Large corporate behemoths such as Amazon or Disney are no exception. How I Built This tells these stories every week in the classic NPR “just the facts, ma’am” format. It becomes quickly apparent after a few episodes how many corporate success stories start with failure and benefit from blind luck. Key Episode: Real Estate Mogul: Barbara Corcoran It turns out the Shark Tank star has always been somewhat of a shark. Established brokers and new REALTORS® alike can apply Corcoran’s tenacity and networking— hard-earned skills that built her real estate empire from scratch to success – to their own companies.

Reply All

There are many podcasts explaining the modern internet. Few can explain Instagram marketing scams or ancient message boards in a way that everyone can understand. Just one of them, Reply All, tries to explain how the internet can make us better (or worse). Key Episode: #109 Is Facebook Spying on You? Months before the company weathered intense scrutiny following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, hosts PJ Vogt and Alex Goldman dig into a widespread theory that Facebook is listening to its users via phone microphone. What they learn is eye-opening, especially for those who do business on Facebook. Updates: Biweekly, on Wednesdays