This show has been in my overast feed for so long I can’t remember how I first came across the podcast.
I bet I heard an interview on some other podcast, enjoyed the interviewee, searched for that person in Overcast, and came across this show. I suspect this happened a few times, because the name, show cover, and his 6-minute networking course was already familiar to me when I came across Jordan as an interviewee on another podcast.
To be perfectly honest, I listened to that episode as an “audition” for both podcasts. In this world of podcast overload, this was a perfect chance to delete two shows from my feed.
Before listening to the interview, I had a hazy notion that Jordan was yet another of those brash-hustle-network-productivity podcast bros, so I was not primed to dig his personality. However, I pleasantly surprised by his demeanor and his mental approach.
So I followed that interview with one of his Feedback Friday episodes, and I was totally hooked. These episodes have unique questions and Jordan’s responses are excellent. Hopefully my enjoyment isn’t just an exercise in confirmation bias, but I find myself wishing that was as sharp as he is.
When a podcast does occasional q&a sessions, the questions tend to be generic inquiries of the host’s philosophy, which can get a bit dull since it rehashes the content of the “normal” episodes. However, a weekly q&a show creates a dynamic where you start to get personal, specific questions. By showing up every week, Jordan challenges the listeners with a wide variety conundrums to ponder.
It’s really good mental exercise to think about how you would handle such strange situations. During my career, whenever I’ve had a problem that needed help from my supervisors, I often extended the conversation to discuss “what if” scenarios about more extreme versions of the situation. This has turned out to be good preparation, both for the possibility for the the current issue going sideways, as well as training my instincts for dealing with a seperate future incident. Such mental “gameplanning” has served me well, and listening to Jordan and his co-hosts address all kinds of unique personal issues has been a similar exercise.
Don’t get me wrong, his long form interviews are also quite good, but I don’t know of any other podcasts that pair their great interviews with a regular q&a show. Like many things in life, a big part of being special comes from showing up consistently.
For what it’s worth, I’ve also signed up for Jordan’s 6-minute networking program which is totally free, and so far it hasn’t led to a string of shills for paid classes. I’m totally cool with regular paid advertising in my podcasts, I just get wary of shows that are constantly selling a menagerie of costly programs owned by the host. As far as I can tell, Jordan is clean. Don’t worry about it, just do it.
Yeah count me in as a fan.