We Tried 5 Business Podcasts – Which One Made Us Smarter?

by reviewzinsight.com · 6 April 2025

We all want to work smarter, not harder. Business podcasts promise just that—actionable advice, powerful insights, and a front-row seat to conversations with billionaires, founders, and thinkers. But let’s be honest: not all podcasts deliver value. Some ramble. Some self-promote. Others bore you into checking your inbox mid-episode.

So, we decided to test five of the most recommended business podcasts. Over a period of two weeks, we listened to multiple episodes from each show—during commutes, morning workouts, and quiet evening walks. Our goal? To find the one that didn’t just talk smart, but made us smarter.

Here’s what we found.

1. The Tim Ferriss Show

Host: Tim Ferriss
Style: Deep-dive interviews with high performers
Sample Episodes We Listened To:

“Greg McKeown — Essentialism Revisited”
“Marc Andreessen on AI and the Future of Startups”

Tim Ferriss doesn’t waste time with surface-level questions. He dives deep, often taking his guests down rabbit holes that lead to surprising insights. His guests range from billionaire investors to performance psychologists, and his questions explore everything from productivity hacks to emotional resilience.

The Greg McKeown episode, for example, gave us tangible strategies for decision-making and boundary-setting. We walked away thinking more critically about where we spend our time and energy.

But not every episode hit the mark. Some conversations dragged on for more than two hours. Unless you already admire the guest, you might not stick around that long. Still, when Ferriss locks in with the right person, the result feels like a masterclass.

Smarter Takeaway: This show sharpened our thinking on productivity, discipline, and personal performance.

2. The Diary of a CEO

Host: Steven Bartlett
Style: Personal, emotional interviews with business leaders
Sample Episodes We Listened To:

“The $600M Exit: How I Built & Sold My Company”
“Jay Shetty: Why Most Relationships Fail”

Steven Bartlett approaches entrepreneurship from a human-first lens. He’s not just asking how people built companies—he’s asking why they built them and how the process changed them. His style feels more like therapy than a pitch session.

One standout moment came from an episode with a tech founder who broke down while discussing burnout. We didn’t expect a business podcast to feel that raw and intimate. But that vulnerability made the advice land harder—and stick longer.

Bartlett’s own rise as a young founder-turned-investor gives him credibility, but he never overshadows his guests. If you want a podcast that explores the emotional side of success, this one offers serious value.

Smarter Takeaway: This podcast deepened our understanding of leadership, emotional resilience, and the inner lives of entrepreneurs.

3. Masters of Scale

Host: Reid Hoffman (Co-founder of LinkedIn)
Style: Narrated interviews with added storytelling and sound design
Sample Episodes We Listened To:

“Airbnb’s Brian Chesky: Rebuilding for the Future”
“Whitney Wolfe Herd: Startups, Dating & Big Leaps”

This podcast sounds polished—like a Netflix docuseries for your ears. Reid Hoffman mixes interviews with scripted storytelling and background music. The effect feels cinematic and engaging, even when the subject matter dives into complex business mechanics.

Hoffman draws from his own experience scaling LinkedIn and investing through Greylock Partners. His conversations feel like mentorship sessions. When Brian Chesky explained how Airbnb navigated the pandemic, the breakdown felt both inspiring and instructive.

However, the format doesn’t allow for much spontaneity. Every line feels edited. If you enjoy raw, unpredictable interviews, you might find this too curated.

Smarter Takeaway: This show sharpened our strategic thinking and helped us understand how great founders think at scale.

4. My First Million

Hosts: Shaan Puri & Sam Parr
Style: Casual, fast-paced talk on business ideas and trends
Sample Episodes We Listened To:

“The Billion Dollar Podcast Business”
“Shaan’s Million-Dollar Side Hustle Framework”

This podcast doesn’t just give you ideas—it floods you with them. Every episode feels like a caffeine-fueled brainstorming session. Shaan and Sam bounce off each other with hilarious banter, sharp commentary, and an endless stream of business concepts.

In one episode, they broke down how creators can monetize newsletters, YouTube, and paid communities. They didn’t stop at the idea—they laid out monetization models, tools to use, and audience strategies.

We walked away with three actionable ideas by the end of each episode. The energy is high, the pace fast, and the insights often gold. It’s less structured than the others, but it never feels dull.

Smarter Takeaway: This podcast boosted our creativity, sparked new business ideas, and demystified side hustles.

5. Planet Money

Produced by: NPR
Style: Story-driven explorations of economic topics
Sample Episodes We Listened To:

“The $400 Million Pants Problem”
“How to Get an Economic Education Without College”

Planet Money doesn’t focus on individual entrepreneurs. Instead, it explains how money moves through the world. It explores hidden economic systems—how tariffs change global shipping routes, why tomato farmers need hedge funds, or how used clothing from the U.S. ends up in Ghana.

The storytelling style pulled us in immediately. Each episode unfolds like a detective story. We didn’t just learn facts—we saw systems, incentives, and history in action.

The episodes stayed under 30 minutes, making them easy to digest. But don’t let the short format fool you—Planet Money delivers surprising depth, often leaving us with a new perspective on everyday choices.

Smarter Takeaway: This show expanded our economic literacy and helped us see the big picture behind small transactions.

The Final Verdict – Which One Made Us Smarter?

All five podcasts offered something valuable. But one stood out above the rest.

Winner: My First Million

Here’s why. While the other shows taught us lessons, My First Million changed how we think daily. It got us moving. It helped us generate business ideas, rethink monetization, and feel confident about side hustles and digital products. We started jotting down ideas during episodes and actually testing a few of them afterward.

Tim Ferriss made us more reflective. Steven Bartlett connected business to our emotional intelligence. Reid Hoffman impressed us with polished insights. Planet Money gave us fascinating context. But Shaan and Sam? They gave us momentum.

TL;DR – Podcast by Podcast Summary:

Podcast	What It Gave Us
Tim Ferriss Show	Deep focus, high performance habits
Diary of a CEO	Emotional depth, leadership insight
Masters of Scale	Strategic thinking, startup growth lessons
My First Million	Practical ideas, high energy, motivation
Planet Money	Big-picture economics in everyday stories

If you want to think deeper: go with Ferriss.
If you want to lead better: follow Bartlett.
If you want to scale smarter: listen to Hoffman.
If you want ideas now: queue up My First Million.
And if you just want to understand how the world works: explore Planet Money.

So, did we get smarter? Absolutely. But more importantly, we now act smarter—thanks to the right mix of knowledge, inspiration, and execution.