Mastering the Art of Work: Podcast Recommendations to Elevate Your Career

Timothy
00:00:04

You're listening to Find a Podcast about thank you for hitting Play. I'm your host Timothy Keem O'Brien and I bring my experience with podcasting since 2006.

As a listener and a podcaster, I'm here to help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge worthy podcast.

Here's how the show I comb all the podcasts that are out there, available for free on various platforms and then I come back to you with what I found.

Sure, you can use search engines for recommendations from podcast apps, but I feel that getting a personal recommendation from a live, breathing person is still the best way to find the gems that are out there. The show is broken up into three halves. I'm a huge fan of car talk, so bear with me.

The first half of this show is the stats of the show being reviewed. This gives you all the details about where to find the show, how many episodes, who's hosting the show.

Basically this is for those who just want the stats.

The second half of the show I dig deeper into the show and letting you know how well the show hosts interact, talk about the audio quality and tell you what I think the show is about.

The third half of the show is where I talk about why the show is binge worthy, where to start your journey with the show being reviewed and I'll be reaching out to the host to see if they'd like to discuss the show and talk with you about their podcasting journey. So let's get going. So my day job is very corporate. Some days too corporate.

I got into learning about project management about 10 years ago and was looking for podcasts about management styles and tips that would help me with my career. That's when I stumbled upon Modern Mentor. This was the perfect podcast for me at the time and I still listen to it this day.

Now I'm not a manager, but I am the old guy on the team. On the team that I'm currently on right now. So many people look at my experience and knowledge and they look to me for advice.

Plus I'm of a certain age and my white goatee definitely shows it.

I needed a podcast that was short, to the point and gave me good tips on how to manage, manage up and by learning about what managers are looking for and how they really think.

Now I have recommended this podcast to many of my managers and co workers because of the actionable tips it discusses and how easy it is to implement it in a corporate setting. And many of the tips and advice it gives out are cost free and simple and simply just changing mindsets which my company loves.

Now in my home life, in my life outside of work, I'm an artist and I do podcasts for fun and profit, especially with my new business that I just started up, TKB Podcast Studios. You hear more about that later.

And you know, when I get big enough with my side Hustle, which is the TKP Podcast Studios, I'm going to be using the discussions and tips that this podcast talks about to help create a positive work environment for my future employees. Now you don't need to be a supervisor or manager to listen to this podcast.

You can be just like me and utilize the strategies discussed to manage up your boss and create the best work environment for you. Now let's get on with the stats of Modern Mentor.

Currently the show is hosted by Rachel Cook and when I started listening to this podcast it was hosted by somebody else and so far she's the third host that I'm aware of. Now the first episode debuted in November 8th of 2007 and has about 834835 episodes at the time of this recording.

Now the frequency is weekly and it runs about eight minutes long.

The description of the show is as Rachel Cook is your guide to leadership and communication, helping you craft a workplace environment you can feel good about.

She'll share tips to help you balance your work and personal life effectively, invest your time and be mindful about what you're devoting your energy to. Let Rachel help you navigate your path to success, however you define it.

Now, I really like that description of it because it's not just a podcast aimed at supervisors or managers, it's aimed at everybody who has a job. And with that kind of wide frame, wide appeal, I think a lot of people are going to get something out of it.

And I know you're going to get a lot out of it, that's for sure.

So continuing on with the stats, the genre is health and fitness, self help, careers, management and business and it does have a Facebook and Instagram social media presence. Listen Notes rates this podcast in the top 0.5%. Now please keep in mind this is based on people listening to the show on their platform.

Good Pods does not have a rating for this show yet.

But but reading through the reviews on Good Pods, in which I put a review on Good Pods as well, shows a majority of people giving this show a five star rating and I think that speaks volumes about it. Yes, there are a few one and two star ratings in there.

Every show is going to have that and that's just, you know, sometimes it's disgruntled people, sometimes it's trolls. Who knows? But the vast majority of people reviewing the show or giving it five stars and they're getting something from it.

Are you happy with your podcast app? I know that's a hard question to answer, but let me ask you this. Does your app allow you to rate the podcast you're listening to? Great, if it does.

But does it allow you to rate every episode that you listen to? Does your app allow you to join a community of other listeners and share and comment on your favorite podcasts?

Now, conversely, if you're a podcaster, does the app that your listeners are using give you a tip jar where they can support your show directly instead of paying fees to, you know, Peter, Paul, and Mary and everybody else and all the kids?

Well, good Ponds allows you, as a listener and as a podcaster to rate and review all of the episodes of a podcast, as well as joining a community of other podcast enthusiasts to discuss that. Think we all love podcasts. Give it a shot.

You may not go back to your old app, and you may find a community that is engaged and excited about the same things you are. Grab it on the Google Play app or the App Store on your phone.

Let's get right into the meat of Modern Mentor. So this podcast has had about three different hosts, but one thing that hasn't changed is the sound quality.

Now, this is mostly a solo show, so it's easier to control the sound quality. But even in the rare interviews that hosts do, the sound quality is perfect for my ears. Now, why do I harp on sound quality?

Well, if you can't, if I can't hear you, or if there's noise in the background, then I usually tune out. Now, admittedly, I'm a podcaster, so I do a lot of sound editing, so I'm going to hear more than most people.

But I feel that people with regular ears, and I'm using air quotes for that, will get distracted with poor sound quality.

Now, subconsciously, what that means to me is that you don't really care about all the aspects of your presentation, and it's something that's relatively easy to control and perfect. Now, there are many tools out there to make great sound, and when somebody is trying it, it really impresses me. Modern Mentor does just that.

They respect the quality of the content so much that they want you to be able to hear it clearly.

Okay, I'm going to step off my sound quality soapbox for right now, since this is Mainly a solo show, the podcast is reliant on the host to carry it for eight minutes or more. Now, that may not sound like a long time to you, but try holding someone's attention for eight minutes.

It's tougher than you can imagine since we have so many things competing for our attention. Modern Mentor keeps me hooked the whole time. Yeah, I do skip through the commercials.

However, I come back for the content to improve my working conditions. Let's take a slight tangent here. We spend about a third of our lives at work, so why not make it more palatable?

This show lets me get what I need and gets me out of my way before I even know it. Moving on to welcoming newcomers.

I find this a bit lacking in this show because I've listened for so long and I've tried the tips and suggestions that I trust what the hosts have to say. However, if I were to start this podcast today, I may ask myself, who. Who the heck are these people?

Now, this next clip is from the former host, Steve O, and you can hear how he gets to the topic right away, but we don't know who he is or why you should be listening to him.

Steve O
00:09:48

Steva Robbins here. Welcome to the Get It Done Guys. Quick and Dirty T Tips to Work Less and Do More. Today's topic is Staying on task.

When we get distracted, the quick and dirty tip is to use external reminders to stay on task.

Timothy
00:10:05

Now contrast that intro from that clip with Rachel Cook, who is the current host of the show and her introduction of the very same show.

Rachel Cook
00:10:15

I'm the founder of Lead Above Noise, a firm specializing in activating workplaces.

We find your blind spots and opportunities and we build you a custom blueprint to get your teams delivering their best work efficiently, collaboratively, and with full engagement.

Timothy
00:10:30

Now, after listening to that clip, you know that Rachel Cook runs her own business and you know what she does with her company and how it may help you in your situation. Now, do I think they could do better? Absolutely.

The show averages about eight to 10 minutes, and I know there's a few commercials to get through, but I don't think that adding a few seconds more into the intro would hurt. I prefer the second intro that you heard and just want a few seconds to talk about what the podcast does or who it's for.

But you know, again, that's my personal preference. Jumping off from the introduction. I really like the interaction with the audience.

Now, in this next clip, we heard the host, Steve O read a question from a listener about distractions in the office and how to overcome them. And I really enjoyed his answer.

And the clip may sound a little bit flippant at first, but once you get to the end of the clip, and there's actually two clips here merged together, you can hear how they handle questions like what you're going to be hearing with distractions in the workplace and how they really connect with their audience and are trying to help their audience solve the problems that they're experiencing at work.

Steve O
00:11:42

Natalie writes, dear get it done Guy, I need help. Every time I try to do something, I get distracted and then forget the task I should have been doing.

Do you have any tips on dealing with distractions? Do I have tips on dealing with distractions? Of course. The very question itself reminds me of that time in third grade.

I was playing with the yellow Silly Putty and Leslie Goldstein was playing with a red hammer. Well, of course, even then I realized that yellow and red would make a great clothing combination.

So I went straight over to the finger paint, grabbed some library paste. Yum, tasty. And headed towards Leslie with a single minded determination. Oh, where was I? Distractions, right? It's easy to get distracted.

Humans are built that way. We have built in distractions called daydreams. What brought us back to reality was an outside force. And there's the secret.

We get distracted from the inside. We do it by making the distraction seem more important than the thing we're supposed to be paying attention to.

Timothy
00:12:51

So as you can hear in that clip, they do answer the question.

Now they sometimes go around about way of doing it, but I think that just adds to the charm of it because you know, quite honestly, office culture and office discussing office problems can be kind of boring and really dry. So I appreciate the humor that they do insert into many of their episodes. Now, you know, with these tips, they actually do work.

And nobody has the time to read books on this topic. You know, there's a thousand of them that have probably been written.

But when you come to Modern Mentor, you want what you want and you want to implement the suggestions and then move on.

Now, by answering the audience's questions and their deepest concerns, makes looking for the material to discuss so much easier because it's your audience providing you with what they want. And Modern Mentor fills that need, fills that niche. So that way listeners can get in, get what they need, and get on with the rest of their day.

And as they say in business, time is money. So if you can keep it to eight to 10 minutes per week, why not?

It's not even a commuting kind of Thing at this point, it's, hey, I need this really quick, I need an idea or two, and you can trust what they're saying. Now the overall feeling I get from each episode is educational and I really feel it's a good use of my time.

Now I always get actionable tips that are easy to implement because, well, technically I'm not a workforce specialist or occupational psychologist, although I have worked in those fields and I have more knowledge than the average bear. But I really do respect and appreciate how they respect the listeners time.

The commercials can get in the way as they have a pre roll, a mid roll, and a post roll for each episode. And it usually takes about three to four minutes out of each episode for those commercials.

Now some people in the reviews of the show have complained about that, and yeah, it's, it's an annoyance, but I understand why they do it. The information that you're getting is like getting an MBA or a degree and you're getting it technically for free.

But how they pay for their time is through commercials. So I don't fault them for it. I'm just, I wish there was fewer commercials. That's all I'm trying to say. Now I know I've said the term actionable.

Tips are the benefits of this podcast. Let's listen to actually one of those tips on presentations. Presentations are the bane of most working adults existence.

Rachel Cook
00:15:52

My strategy here is to focus on getting to know my material rather than memorizing every piece of it. Knowing your presentation means understanding it deeply enough to deliver it like a natural conversation.

Memorizing is committing specific lines to memory, and the latter creates a lot of pressure and it can make you seem kind of rigid. So here's how I approach it. I start with a structured outline that emphasizes the key themes rather than the specific words.

And I practice on repeat, running through the storyline to a fake audience who is also usually my dog.

Timothy
00:16:29

You know, if you just listen to just one episode of this podcast, this is the episode that would probably help the most people out because like I say, most adults hate giving presentations. And if you listen to no other episodes, this is the episode you need to listen to.

This is the one that I really connect with because I'm a bit biased. I used to teach business presentations and public speaking while in college to business students and to actors.

And you would think that the actors had a easy time in public speaking, but they really don't. They, they, they suffer just the same way you and I do. And well, I'm an actor too, but they, you know actors suffer just the same way as normal folk.

And again, I'm using big old air quotes. If you like what you heard so far, then I'd like to ask you to reach out.

You can email me directly TimothyindaPodcastabout XYZ or you can leave me a voicemail at the website. Find a Podcast About XYZ I want to help you find your next binge worthy podcast.

If you want me to find you a podcast in any category that you're interested in, let me know. Now. If you're a podcaster and feel that your podcast would be served by appearing on this show, I want to talk to you too.

One of the main one of the same methods of use, the same methods of reaching out.

I'm on Twitter at Find a Podcast Instagram and Facebook at Find a Podcast about Another thing I'd like to ask is if you found value in this podcast, pass it along to a friend. And lastly, this podcast is a labor of love. But love ain't cheap. So consider giving to my Buy me a Coffee fund right there on the website.

Or you can go to buy me a coffee.com find a podcast about each episode takes about five, seven hours of research and about two or three hours of production time. That's 10 hours for each episode. And let me tell you, that's a lot of coffee. Like I said earlier, the best recommendation comes from a real person.

Outsmart that algorithm. All right, well here's the part in the show where I turn you from a listener of this show into a binger of modern mentor.

Now, do you have like a 9 to 5 office job? Or maybe it's not 9 to 5. Maybe it's 5 to 9. Whatever it is. But you need the culture to change. This is your podcast.

It gives you great tips on how to make that change and how to manage up in your current occupation.

Rachel Cook
00:19:18

If you've been feeling like your hard work is going unnoticed and underappreciated, then let's talk about what you can do to reclaim your value. First, find your professional love language. Nearly 30 years ago, relationship counselor and author Gary Chapman published the Five Love Languages.

In this book, Chapman explains that each of us expresses and wants to receive affection in different ways, and understanding how we choose to receive that affection is critical. Personally, my love language is acts of service.

This means that when my husband wants to woo me, he knows that dropping off my dry cleaning or getting my cracked phone screen repaired will mean more to me than gifts of flowers or candy ever could. These for me are the greatest expressions of love. But he only knows this because I've told him so.

Too much information, perhaps, but I believe the same concept applies in the workplace. Not in terms of affection, but with recognition.

In order to feel more appreciated, it's important that you understand what your version of appreciated looks and feels like.

Timothy
00:20:27

This clip that I just played you gives you all the information you need to feel valued at work. Now, how many of us feel this way from time to time where you're not appreciated?

Wouldn't it be nice to have a short podcast that deals with that since not really taught in schools? Do you need a podcast that can help you in your career and position you for better things by creating networks?

This next clip is going to show you how to do just that.

Rachel Cook
00:20:57

So today let's identify some things you can do for yourself in the new year to maintain the parts that were great and to change or shift the parts that you would rather just not repeat. So let's start with your ability to deliver, because it is in our nature to want to do amazing things.

So how well were you able to deliver great work this year? Here are some questions to reflect on. Were your goals and expectations clear? Did you understand what you needed to achieve?

Did decisions get made in a timely manner or did you find yourself stuck in waiting mode a lot? Did you have easy access to the tools and information and resources you need to get your work done?

Were you generally able to decide on a course of action and go and execute? Or did you feel like you needed to ask permission at every step? How well did basic processes and policies serve your ability to be efficient?

And how about your priorities? Were you clear on what they were and did you have an appropriate number of them?

Timothy
00:21:57

Now, if you spend any time in an office, this is definitely your podcast and I'm glad to share it with you. Now, where are you going to start your journey? Well, the shows reviewed in this episode. Are a great place to start.

Remember there's the one about presentations that I talked about that would be my go to one for you to take a listen to. Now you can also go to Good Pods or podchaser and look up their. Top rated episodes for this podcast. Definitely recommend it.

And if you know me, you know I love podchaser. Lastly, you could search through the topics discussed in the show titles and get what you need.

And that's one thing that I really like about this podcast is that the show titles relate to the episode and they focus on one issue per episode. So that's why it's only eight to. 10 minutes long, but whichever way you go, you're going to thank me for. Introducing you to the show.

It's like getting a free degree on soft skills and we all need those soft skills in our work, in our daily jobs. So check it out and thank me later. Alright, so that's the episode.

I want to thank you again for taking a listen and if you want to outsmart the algorithm and have me review a podcast for you, you can email me TimothyIndaPodcastAbout XYZ or go to. The website find a podcast about dot.

XYZ where you can listen to the other episodes and leave me a voicemail. I'm here to help you find your next binge worthy podcast. And just to let you know, I have started up a new business.

It's called TKB Podcast Studio and that's where I help my clients lead through the noise with quiet professionalism. Check it out. TKB podcast studio.com has my portfolio there. Of other things I've worked on and.

All the tasks that I can help you out with with your podcast. Another podcast that's on my network with TKB Podcast Studio is Create Art Podcast. And that's where I help you tame your inner critic and create more than you consume.

Check it out@createartpodcast.com alright, well have a great day. Hope you enjoy this new podcast for you. It's not new for me, but it's new for you and let me know what you think about it. Email me and let me know. Can't wait to hear what you have to say.