Last week I was preparing for a call and decided to squeeze in a trip to the gym during my prep time. Turns out, the workout was the prep itself, thanks in part to my secret, free motivational tool — entrepreneur podcasts!
Thanks to working with a trainer this year, I’ve gotten really into running sprints. When I can’t do them outside, I use the treadmill. So, last week as I was running sprints inside, I was tuning into one of my favorite podcasts, How I Built This with Guy Raz.
I love entrepreneur-centered podcasts because they teach me how other people survive similar struggle points in a career, and offer good nuggets of advice that I can apply across many aspects of my life.
In the episode I was listening to last week, Guy was interviewing Framebridge founder Susan Tynan about how she came to start the popular framing business. And the bottom line was, she saw an opportunity to make something that was expensive and inefficient, less expensive and efficient. She had an idea and solved a problem, all while having a one and four-year-old at the time.
If that’s not motivating enough, in listening I learned how Tynan turned a deaf ear to people who told her it was crazy to start such a business, that she had grown up the daughter of a tug boat operator and understood the concept of truly hard work and business ownership, and that she knew nothing about framing prior to starting the business but took a crash course to better understand the process — at a Hampton Inn.
Between sprints I write down quotes or concepts in the notes app on my phone to return to later. The inspiration I get from these stories seems to bring me clarity in my own thoughts, and I write paragraphs of ideas or points I want to make in the notes app to prepare for a call or an interview or a meeting. I’m sure I look crazy to the other people working out! I use the notes app A LOT on the treadmill.
Career coach Shannon Houde writes that exercise is one of the six key things you can do to prepare for a “final interview” round. I think she’s right, but I would add that spicing up that exercise with some entrepreneur podcasts will give you an additional edge!
Even if you don’t want to start a business, I believe there’s a lot to be learned in the thinking of people who have — how they deal with rejection, difficult stretches, naysayers, and how they don’t corner themselves into one path or pattern of thinking. It’s all advice that can be applied to various aspects of our lives, be it a job search or different phases of life.
In addition to How I Built This, I really like two other podcasts that center around entrepreneurism: No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis and Boss Files with Poppy Harlow. Rebecca’s podcast is dedicated to interviewing impressive women, and Poppy interviews both entrepreneurs and leaders in their fields.
What do you listen to that motivates you? Whatever it is, I’ll know you if you’re taking notes on the treadmill 🙂
Après is a career resource for women returning to work after a break or transitioning within the workforce. Reconnect with your professional self — search jobs, get inspired, find resources, and refresh your skills. Join our community of women helping women.
Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash
