About two months ago, I finally discovered podcasts. Until then it had just been that purple icon on my phone that I had moved into the 'useless shit' folder on my phone, but after starting to fall into the depths of anxiety again, I knew that I needed to find something new to add to my daily routine that would help me and even more so, LEARN from. 

I began listening to Melissa Ambrosini as my first little welcome into the world of podcasts, which was freaking amazing. That girl knows how to inspire and radiates positivity and self love. It was only natural that I wanted to discover who else was in the world of self care and improvement podcasts, which then led me to Lewis Howes and his podcast channel, "The School of Greatness". 

Considering my life has changed a lot in the last couple of months, adding a new job into the mix of life, feeling off balance with life and feeling run down, I was after something that would kick me up the ass to not only work harder, but smarter. I don't think I could possibly push myself any more than I do (because I always feel I can raise the bar for myself) but at the same time, I was feeling like I had hit a wall and my hard work was not evident in the results I was getting. 

Lewis is an ex-pro athlete, lifestyle entrepreneur (I actually still have no idea what that is but he's killing it none the less) and considering how epic this guy is, he's like a down to earth life coach that doesn't have his head in the clouds plus, he replies to my IG messages. No seriously, I messaged him the day before my talk at the Brisbane Fitness Expo because I was so offing nervous  and he replied with some on point words of wisdom. His knowledge on mindset, positivity and mental health is incredible and he makes it so simple, practical and achievable. 

The first show I clicked on was "High Performance Habits" with Brendon Burchard. I figured if I could listen to some ridiculous successful people talk about their daily habits that got them to where they are, that maybe it would push me where I needed to go. I have now listened to this exact one THREE times and I still find golden nuggets with every listen.

I have a 40-odd minute drive to work, and you'd think that driving to work at 3.30am would be a pain in the ass (I actually love that time of morning now) but now I love driving long distances, because it means I can listen and learn as much as possible. I do have my days when I cannot be assed learning anymore and I turn on the music as loud as it will go, but more often than not I can't wait to soak up more knowledge from Lewis and his guests. I always feel like he's talk to me, which I know he isn't, but that deep and handsome American accent sucks me in and I hang off every word. I even love when he is talking about advertising and by the end of it, I feel like setting up an account with Zip Recruiter (which I have absolutely no need for). 

My ultimates from Lewis Howe summed up:

• High Performance Habits with Brendon Burchard

• Your Struggle Is Your Strength

• Relieve Stress Find Inner Peace and Live Your Greatness with Nick Ortner

• How Boredom Leads to Brilliance with Manoush Zomorodi 

• High Performance Mindset Training with Dr. Michael Gervais

And because I love you, here's the link to his channel: https://lewishowes.com/blog/

So it's safe to say that the podcast app on my phone has been moved from the 'useless shit' folder to the ULTIMATE PRIME POSITION on the bottom of my phone. Podcasts are life.

Enjoy,

Lauren