podcasts

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Whether you're just diving in or searching for a few recommendations to refresh your queue of old reliables, this list has something new to love. With a similar format to talk radio, podcasts can range from news to cooking, celebrity interviews to history, to cultural analysis and everything in between. Podcasts vary widely in length, too. Some span just five or 10 minutes for those who don't have a lot of time on their hands, while others go on for hours so you can really settle in for the long haul (road trip time-filler, anyone?). Just like an audiobook , beloved album or well-curated radio station, podcasts are a great way to keep your mind occupied while on your way to work, exercising, getting chores done or trying to wind down for the night. 

Our best podcasts list include comedy podcasts  that might make you fall off the treadmill from laughing too hard, storytelling podcasts that help your mind escape into a whole new world no matter where you are, that give listeners a chance to play Sherlock along with the hosts and advice podcasts that help you navigate your world. We've also got favorites in the worlds of sports, dating, beauty, food and news. Whatever your preferred podcast genre, you're guaranteed to find a new audio favorite on this list.

the amount of podcasts which qualify for a 'best podcasts' list, there's never been a better time for podcasts. Though the format has been around for a couple of decades now, it's only in the last few years that they really hit their stride. You might say that we're living through a golden age of podcasts, if you're the kind of person who needs all their culture categorised into neat eras. 

But podcasts themselves seem to live in the wild. You need a David Attenborough to point the way through the undergrowth and stop you wasting time wandering down dead ends. So to that end, this is our pick of the best new podcasts, as well as our highlights from long-running favourites. We've even herded them into neat little categories for you too.

There’s a podcast about pretty much everything these days. In a world saturated with hundreds of thousands of them, figuring out what to listen to next can be challenging, and finding the best of the bunch can seem almost impossible.

You can find a podcast about almost anything these days, but with great choice comes great mediocrity—you might need a helping hand to find the best podcasts worthy of your ear. Our expertly curated list will entertain and educate you, whether you’re doing the dishes, working out, commuting, or lazing in the bath.

The Best Podcasts about … List 

We live in a Fear Filled World - Protect Your Children

​Our primal minds are all about survival and when it feels uncomfortable, it spins out of control to get us to act. It feels something is wrong deep down in our gut and it wants the feeling to go away, so it cycles through problems, stressors, and regrets to try to determine the threat causing the feeling.

Has this ever happened to you?

The city noise penetrates my sleep and I wake, alone, feeling a foreboding, an unease, a fear deep in my gut. Flashes of incomplete thoughts play in front of my mind’s eye. The feeling in my gut gets worse as its knots tighten, my mind cycles, and fear grows.

Rent is Due

Tasks not done

On my own

Failures play out

It takes time for the cobwebs to clear. For the generator to turn on and kick start my conscious mind. As my consciousness comes back online and my eyes begin to focus, I stretch and my tummy rumbles - I’m hungry not scared.

Analyze the Situation

When we consciously analyze the situation. Break it down. We discover things are not as scary as we thought and nowhere near as stressful because we can act on a solution, so why is our society filled with so much fear?

A poll by the US National Mental Health Association found that 85% of Americans believe that the USA will experience a terrorist attack in the near future and 41% said they feel fear (Widmeyer Research & Polling, 2004). There are countless polls and studies proving we are living in a time of heightened fear, all one needs to do is Google fear stats to find proof that we are living in fear.

Media Feeds Fear

One of the reasons is our daily dose of media consumption, whether it is traditional media outlets or social media. To increase viewership news media makes stories sound as dramatic, threatening and urgent as possible. The result is 24/7 drama and danger, “Contributing to what George Gerbner called ‘the mean world syndrome’—the sense we have, based on a steady supply of frightening and threatening news, that the world is a riskier place than it actually is.” (Gerbner & Gross, 1976). We carry our news in our hands and talk about it on our screens. It is everywhere and the media has profited from a decrease in censorship and an increase in consumption.

The news used to only be reported at 6:00PM, then the early news became a thing, and then the morning news was created. In 1980 CNN brought 24-7 news into our homes with images of war, crime, and dangers from around the globe. In 1991, the Gulf War coverage catapulted CNN into a news media leader and people got used to having anytime access to breaking coverage. The global reach of stories shared by CNN and other news outlets soon shrunk the globe bringing disasters from all over the world into our living rooms. Suddenly, when something happened in a large city, people started believing it could happen down the street from their homes, no matter how far they live from the event.

Censorship Relaxation Increased Fear

Censorship used to ensured kids did not see images on TV. Today, everything is available to kids online and on their TV screens.

Children no longer feel safe. After Columbine, the number of school shootings has increased and the safety features put in place to ensure their safety, makes the fear all too real for them. Thirty years ago, we had…
Discover how to stop living in fear

The Secret of Brand Storytelling

​Secrets make us curious. They make us feel special when we are included and excluded when we are left out of the know.

Secrets can damage our reputations and brands if they come out, embarrassing us. Think of the Whistle Blowers who have tried to damage big powerful brands and the brands of people in powerful positions. Some whether the storm without a scratch, while others are dashed to pieces on the rocks.

The difference is in who controls the narrative.

Thanks to the Internet, we are at the mercy of malicious gossip and fake news. Thanks to the Internet we can control the narrative of our brand story message instead of being at the mercy of a few powerful media outlets.

Use the power of secrets to increase curiosity, inspire engagement, and foster loyalty. When you email your loyal customers a special code or information about a new product before the public knows, it can create a sense of importance in your customer. This is especially true when you pair it with a public campaign cloaked in secrecy.

Imagine if …

Imagine if a big brand created a video of a shape draped in silky fabric moving along it and people watching, waiting to see what is beneath the folds. The narrator tells us the brand has uncovered a story that will change how we live. A secret so powerful, it will rock our world. Then he says, but we can’t reveal the secret until … 

Do you want to know what is under the material and how it will affect your life?

That is the power of using secret. Add that loyal customers will be given a peek under the hood before the general public is made aware of this new discovery, you build anticipation and deeper loyalty. People like to be in the know and they like to let people know they are in the know by sharing that secret.

The brand can give their loyal customers the secret, plus a special offer, and some marketing materials during a pre-launch… then let them reveal the secret to the world, in essence stealing the thunder of the reveal. But that is the idea… the message in the hands of the people will spread further and faster with little cost to the brand.

Use the power of the secret to release the power of word of mouth.

Is Your Brand A Secret? 

I’ll let you in on a secret, many brands are a secret - even if they are shouting their message from the roof tops.

In this episode of BrandAPeel: Brand Storytelling in the Digital Age, Shannon Peel shares ideas to help brands expose their secrets to the world.

HomeStars.com - You Gotta Check it Out!

If you are a home owner, at some point in time you are going to need a home service company. The question is who to trust? That's where HomeStars.com comes in. As a review gathering site for the home service industry, they can provide home owners the data they need to help make a decision.

Ever read a review to help you make a decision? I've written about the importance of reviews in the past, but today it is even more important that companies pay attention. In 2007 when I was posting about epinions.com, reviews were generally being written for products, hotel rooms, and books. In 2009 when I wrote about how important it was for a service company to look at collecting reviews online, it was a very small part of the review world. Today, reviews are being written about every business out there trying to make a go of it.  Stats say 76% of consumers read reviews before making a buying decision.

Reviews have changed the way consumers make buying decisions. Advertising and marketing don't hold the weight they once did in the past. Reviews have taken over as the go to source for information on a product or service, prior to making a buying decision. What does that mean for your company? It means that you are no longer the only person telling your story to the market place. It also means that the story your telling, holds little weight when compared to what your customers are writing.

HomeStars.com enables home service companies to build a positive online reputation and respond to any negative posts. Since, our friend Google loves reviews content rich sites, like HomeStars, provide companies with high quality Search Engine Optimization - SEO. Remember how important that is? It's also a full time job to keep your own site on the top of organic searches. HomeStars does the work for home service companies ensuring they receive high SEO results and an online reputation. It's a lot cheaper than trying to do it yourself.

How do you mitigate the damage of bad reviews? We all know that unhappy customers will tell as many people as they can. Well today that's the world, thanks to the Internet. Make sure you have a large source of 'good' reviews and that you reply to those unhappy reviewers in a professional manner.

Hiding bad reviews won't help anyone's credibility and HomeStars.com doesn't even hide it's own. It's goal is to provide home owners with a full picture of a company's reputation to help them make a better hiring decision. Bad reviews can be an opportunity for you to highlight your customer service policy. Everyone knows that things go wrong. Everyone knows that there are some real nit picky people out there. Consumers want to know how a company will handle things, if something goes wrong. That's where responses come in. If they are written in a professional manner outlining the options the reviewer had, then it can make the company look like a million bucks. If a company responds by bullying or slamming the reviewer, it'll only make the reviewers point all that clearer.

What about fake reviews? I'm sure you've read about fake reviews or reviews written by ex's and competitors. The good news is HomeStars.com verifies reviews to ensure a transaction actually took place. If a company suspects a review as being 'faked,' the onus is on the home owner to prove that it isn't. If HomeStars suspects the company of 'faking' their own reviews they will investigate.

So if you're an owner of a home service company in Canada and you're not collecting reviews on HomeStars.com, why not? Leave a comment in the comments section.

When was the last time you made a significant purchase? How did you decide to buy what you did? Did you just read the ads, marketing and product website? Or did you read the reviews about the product?

Reviews are no longer just for products, books, and blogs. The internet has changed the way people make buying and hiring decisions. You can choose to ignore it and get left behind, or you can embrace the change and grow your business.

Cute Humour in Advertising goes Viral

I received an email today, you know the type - hey check out this youtube video.  I usually don't have much time for these types of emails but this one caught my eye.  There are a total of 3 videos but this one is my favorite.

Gimmicks Why some Stink and others Stick

I'm reading "Everyone Wins the Re/max story," and the story of the balloon has really stuck with me this past week. What started out as just a gimmick, the word re/max on a hot air ballon, turned into a logo that stood for something larger with staying power. We've all seen gimmicks, thought them up, only to have them come, go and fall flat. So why do some gimmicks work and others don't?


If you've ever worked a trade show you'll know that they are expensive, time consuming, exhausting, and full of gimmicks. In the late 90's I worked as a marketing assistant to a financial planner in Calgary and one of the ways we found leads was at trade shows. He had this really great idea, to have a golf driving range booth, We set up this huge net and then people came and drove golf balls into it. A gimmick to attract people. After the event I stuffed envelops with little wooden tees and then followed them up with a phone call. The gimmick worked for what our short term goal was, collecting names, but we missed the boat because we didn't think longer term.

We neglected to link golf to who we were, what we did for clients, or our marketing message. We could have integrated golf into all our marketing and used a slogan about retiring on the golf course to become the golfing finanical planner. There were some natural obsticals to this, the biggest one being that my boss didn't golf. Rule number one, you have to be passionate about your gimmick. For example - If you love to sail then wrap your sailboat with your marketing logo. This isn't too far fetched an idea, I had lunch with someone who is hoping to bring the idea of sailboat advertising to Vancouver.

If you haven't heard of the sales diva yet then you are in for a treat. Kim Duke is an Albertan and a Diva, her gimmick is stilletto heels and push up bras. She is a force to be reconned with, full of energy and an amazingly successful woman. I love Kim and her Diva gimmick. Her business has grown and adapted to a sales community for woman. Rule number two, be fearless and own your gimmick. Make sure it is part of the story you want to tell the marketplace.

In 2007 Finning Canada was awarded the marketer of the award by Venture Alberta for their successful gimmick to attract attention and recruit people to Finning Canada's operation in Fort Mac. Recruiting people doesn't sound like it should be a hard gig, but in 2005 for the oil patch skilled labour was in short supply. Finning took an army recruitment approach by pasting a help wanted message across a yellow Hummer and then drove it all over Alberta and Saskatchewan. By taking a unique vehicle that attracted the attention of gear heads into small communities it gave recruiters, dressed in army fatigues, the opportunity to talk to prospects about moving to Fort Mac with Finning. Rule number 3 - it has to be visable and taken out into the marketplace. The marketplace won't come to you, you have to go to it.

Why has the Re/max balloon been so successful? Its simple, unique, big, and visually says something about the company it represents - above the crowd. They hired someone who loved to fly hot air balloons to get them in the air on a regular basis and then put the image in front of the marketplace through advertising. Their first TV ad was just the balloon flying in the air and a voice over saying "Above the Crowd." The peaceful serenity of the image is something people can identify with. That is rule number 4 - the gimmick has to "talk" to your target market on an emotional level.

Rule number 5, when it comes to gimmicks, is the most important one. Rule number 5 is - be consistent and use every opportunity to get your gimmick out into the marketplace and in front of people. This will be easy if your gimmick is a part of your personality, passion or marketing message. Do you have a gimmick or an idea for a gimmick? Share it here in the comments section. If you live in Vancouver and want to meet to discuss gimick ideas please send me a quick email to shannonpeel@shaw.ca. Good luck with whatever gimmick you choose.

How to Create an Effective Ad

Advertising is about distinguishing yourself to the marketplace by telling your story, are you effectively telling your story visually? At The Home News their visual message to the market is simple, a woman receiving her mail from her local Canada Post mailman. It tells the market (mainly Realtors) what makes them different - Their real estate magazine is delivered into the hands of homeowners by Canada Post. That is their differentiating story. To see pic: http://www.thehomenews.ca/


Presently, I am reading "Everybody Wins: The Story and Lessons Behind Re/Max." The goal of the founders was to build a better Real Estate Agency with top agents and what better way to show that then a hot air balloon sailing above the world and the slogan Above the Crowd. It wasn't as simple as that, they still had to use television ads to get their message out because although, at the time, they were the number one used agency, the marketplace perceived them as the eighth. Even with a great brand, logo, or slogan you still need to get the message out everywhere and Re/max did just that.

By enabling Re/max Realtors to be in control of their own advertising, the Re/Max balloon was able to be everywhere and quickly became a household name. No individual realtor can afford to be everywhere in the world, the country, the province, or the region but they can afford to be everywhere in their neighbourhoods.

I found this quote from the re/max story interesting, "That's what real estate was all about - kids; neighborhoods; families; and your friendly, helpful, always-there-when-you-need-him professional real estate representative." It got me thinking about what an ad for a Realtor needs to say.

What does Real Estate mean to you? How are you different then other Realtors? Does your advertising visually tell that story?

Are you about community? Are you active in the community? Tell that story in your advertising and get the message out on a regular basis to more people then you can personally contact in your day to day community activities. Let's say you volunteer as a coach for a local minor sports team, add a team pic to your ad showing that you support local kids. Maybe you raise money for a charity, add their logo and offer to donate proceeds of the homeowners sale to the cause. Perhaps you are part of a clean the beach initative, advertise a date and time for others to come out and help.

What does this have to do with houses? Nothing. Houses are a dime a dozen, each one has their own unique differentiator, what you need to do is tell the story of YOU. By telling your community story, you will attract other community minded people to you. It will become a springboard for conversations that lead to what community to live in and how you are the specialist for that community. Think about what you give your clients, what you really sell them. Is it security? happiness? prestige? or simplicity? Whatever it is that you sell create an ad that visually shows it. Have some ideas? Share them here in the comments section.