Contrary my friends’ beliefs, I wasn’t always in the podcast scene. In fact, my sister spent months coaxing me to listen to them. She would suggest show after show, but I wasn’t having it. There was an off-quality to them. I would click on an episode to learn more about the topic the title described, but it’d be a half hour in and the hosts would still be talking about something completely irrelevant to the title. Some episodes were far too long. Who has two hours to listen to a person talk? My puppy brain needs a little more stimulation than the rambling they give over that time interval.
It wasn’t until I ventured on the site of my favorite blogger, Thomas Frank. He runs a business called “College Info Geek” centered on helping students be the best they can be. Being the huge nerd I am, I have been following his content for years now. While navigating through his blog, I realized there was a tab named “Podcast.” Curious, I looked through. Turns out, he runs his own podcast co-hosted with his best friend Martin Boehme. What started out as wading into the waters of podcasts ended up in me jumping into the deep end headfirst.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved this podcast, and I think every single person should listen to it. Here’s why:
It’s the perfect balance of casual and topical. They plan their episodes, but they don’t have a set script they abide by word-for-word. This is especially important for the nature of their podcast. Sometimes, self-help and/or productivity podcasts have sounded condescending. Unlike those podcasts, Tom and Martin make the episode feel like a conversation rather than a therapy session.
The lessons I gain from the episodes have truly made me a better person. Their advice is unconventional, nuanced, and robust. The episodes cover all sorts of areas in life, not just academia. In their “How to be a Good Significant Other” episode, I learned so much more about ways I could improve not only my romantic interactions but platonic ones, as well. They taught me applicable skills in their episodes about investment and budgeting. They comforted me about being a little awkward, as well as giving tips to refine my social skills in “How to Be Confident in Social Situations.” These are just a few examples of episodes that have helped me develop old and new abilities in the real world.
What makes listening to them so easy is that their attitudes are contagiously uplifting. Tom and Martin have such a passion to live, not just survive. It’s refreshing to hear optimism in a world that can be bitter. They can make your day just by being absolutely hilarious. A year ago, I probably would have given you the side-eye if you told me that I’d have to stifle my laughter on a bus upon hearing two grown men make jokes about tea into a mic.
Although positive, they aren’t idealistic. A large issue with motivational speakers or productivity bloggers I’ve found is that they don’t admit they’re imperfect. Martin and Tom, on the other hand, admit when life throws an obstacle their ways. For example, they frequently discuss the problems that arise when they bite off more than they can chew. It’s necessary to have examples of highly successful people advise against this behavior. I grew up with the mentality that adding a ridiculous amount of responsibilities on your plate makes a successful person, even when it’s an overestimation of time, ability, and quality of work. College Info Geek recommends setting realistic goals, as well as how to deal with not meeting one’s expectations. Failure is a taboo subject in common culture, but they break down these barriers by discussing what happens when you fail and how to move forward. It’s a possibility and they shed light on that.
Honestly, I could go on and on about the joy I get from listening to two nerds chat about a book or piece of advice or whatever really. They are SO GOOD. Even if you aren’t incredibly passionate about being the best possible student you could be, you will be attracted to the easy-going magnetism that is the College Info Geek podcast. It’s hard not to feel like they’re your homies being there for you when you need it.
Image sources: Jess Day needs Tom to help her with her assets, hype Leslie Knope, happy tears.