Having blogged every workday for years, Elise Blaha Cripe is one of the best examples on how you can get a massive audience by blogging, and create an awesome business as a result. 

Now, she has shifted her focus from her blog to her business and supports this with being present on social media and by creating her podcasts.

She was the first blogger I started to follow, many years ago. She shared a lot of personal stories, combined with craft activities, in a tone of voice that drew me to her site every day.  Her podcasts are a reflection of her creative thinking and she combines her thoughts and ideas with informal interviews with other inspiring persons like Ali Edwards or Jess Lively.

You can stream the podcasts on her website https://www.elisejoy.com/podcast

Ted Radio Hour

What I really like about TED radio hour is the immense variety of topics that are being discussed. The shows are divided into themes and vary from “How to be happy” to “the revolution of big data” and “Shifting time.”

There is even a complete section on “Failure is an option”. The entertaining way of speaking, combined with sound effects makes it very enjoyable to listen to. It never gets boring.

These podcasts provide new insights to me about various topics, which makes me want to go call my best friend and say things like; did you know the average amount of screentime for 5 years old is 4,5 hours a day??

Anyway.. if you want to listen to entertaining podcasts and learn something while you´re doing it, Ted Radio Hour is the place to be.

Stream the Ted Radio Hour podcasts on their website: http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/

Dear Handmade Life

You can tell these girls have fun together. But hey, they drink a new drink (yes, even cocktails) each podcast! Delilah Snell and Nicole Stevenson are makers, business owners and amongst other things host a bi-weekly podcast.

In these podcasts they discuss everything from crafts and having a creative business. They are fun to listen to and the podcasts have really good content.

Stream their fun podcasts on their website http://dearhandmadelife.com/podcast

Etsy conversations Podcast

If you are a business owner on Etsy, you might want to try these. It is not owned by Etsy, but they do promote it. By listening to this podcast I’ve learned a few good tricks and tips on having an Etsy business.

Most of all it is fun discovering some new stories on how shops are created. If you are an Etsy shop owner, you even can sign up to be featured on this podcast, and be interviewed by Ijeoma.
Stream the Etsy conversations podcasts on her website:  http://convome.com

So please tell me, which podcasts do you follow? Tell me about it in the comments, I would love to discover new ones!

I must admit, I’m slightly obsessed with podcasts. It started when I decided to listen to Elise’s podcasts, and hasn’t stopped since. I’m the kind of person that doesn’t like silence, even in school I always needed some background music. Nowadays I divide my time listening to music and podcasts. When I’m working in the office or working at home on my blog or my Project Life I will listen to music. But when I’m doing something that doesn’t require a lot of focus (cleaning is a good example), I listen to podcasts. Why I listen to them is quite simple.

1. It’s easily accessible. Most bloggers have a special page, where they add their latest podcast on a regular base. If I want to listen to one, I just press play. When I miss something or want to hear a really good comment again, I replay that part. There are even apps that you can use to keep up with all the new releases.
   Just don’t feel pressured into listening to them! Remember, these are for your entertainment and not another thing on your to-do list!
2. Personal A lot of the podcasts I listen to are from people I follow on their blog. When I listen to their voice, it adds another dimension to them as a person. It gets more personal.
3. I learn something new, every single time. Whether they talk about a new book, a craft they have mastered or when they interview a creative person, I always walk away with a new insight, an introduction to a crafter I never heard of, or a website from a book club I wished I had known years earlier. I consider this part of my personal development (and just plain me-time)
4. It sparks new ideas. When I listen to a podcast I’m not thinking about the things I’ve got on my mind or that project that I’m working on. This makes my head clear for new input, that just might help. Just one comment made by one of these immensely creative persons can trigger a new idea, or guide me to a solution for a problem. For example, one podcast mentioned Udemy.com. It’s a website, that sells courses for almost every topic. I never heard of them before, but now I’m hooked and it has helped me enormously with updating my SQL knowledge I needed for my work.

My current favorite podcasts

Elise gets crafty

Ted Radio Hour

What I really like about TED radio hour is the immense variety of topics that are being discussed. The shows are divided into themes and vary from “How to be happy” to “the revolution of big data” and “Shifting time.” There is even a complete section on “Failure is an option”. The entertaining way of speaking, combined with sound effects makes it very enjoyable to listen to. It never gets boring. These podcasts provide new insights to me about various topics, which makes me want to go call my best friend and say things like; did you know the average amount of screentime for 5 years old is 4,5 hours a day?? Anyway.. if you want to listen to entertaining podcasts and learn something while you´re doing it, Ted Radio Hour is the place to be. 

Stream the Ted Radio Hour podcasts on their website: http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/