Podcasts give you the opportunity to learn from people you might never be able to meet in person, from executives at the largest international brands to self-made entrepreneurs sharing their secrets to success. Through podcasts, you might find inspiration or insight to help you become a better leader, even if the speakers come from industries, businesses, and backgrounds unrelated to your own.
Entrepreneurial leadership podcasts can be especially valuable if you’re starting or expanding an ecommerce business. However, new podcasts seem to pop up every week—and as a business owner, you likely have very limited time. Here’s a roundup of some of the best leadership podcasts to get you started.
7 best leadership podcasts
- CEO School with Suneera Madhani
- Coaching Real Leaders
- How I Built This with Guy Raz
- The Look and Sound of Leadership
- Shopify Masters
- Mixergy
- The Unburdened Leader
Finding the right fit or host can depend on personal preference, but here are seven of the best leadership podcasts, all of which have the potential to help you develop entrepreneurial skills.
1. CEO School with Suneera Madhani
CEO School focuses on helping female founders earn more than $1 million in revenue—something that fewer than 2% of women entrepreneurs achieve. The organization has several programs and resources, including the free CEO School podcast hosted by Suneera Madhani.
Madhani also is the co-founder and chief executive officer of fintech payments company Stax, and shares lessons learned from that experience during solo episodes of the podcast. She also interviews fellow female entrepreneurs who’ve joined the “2% club,” teaching listeners how to match their success.
- Episode length: 25 to 45 minutes
- Release schedule: Mondays
- Apple Podcasts ratings: 4.9
2. Coaching Real Leaders
Backed by the Harvard Business Review and hosted by executive coach Muriel Wilkins, the Coaching Real Leaders podcast brings you into the room with real-life executive coaching sessions. You can learn valuable leadership lessons from being a fly on the wall, such as how to build credibility with your team or navigate the change from a corporate role to entrepreneurship.
This podcast is produced and released on a seasonal basis, with breaks of several months between new seasons. There are more than four seasons’ worth of episodes you can listen to right now, and the fifth season is underway.
- Episode length: 45 minutes to an hour
- Release schedule: Once or twice a month
- Apple Podcasts ratings: 4.7
3. How I Built This with Guy Raz
Introduced in 2016, Guy Raz’s How I Built This is a popular leadership podcast with an interview format designed to impart business wisdom. Raz, an award-winning journalist who hosts several other podcasts, interviews top business leaders and gets them to open up and discuss the business and personal lessons they’ve learned.
In addition to the long-form interview episodes, in shorter HIBT Lab! episodes, Raz and his guest focus on a specific challenge or idea rather than the founder’s leadership journey.
- Episode length: 30 to 90 minutes
- Release schedule: Mondays (interviews) and Thursdays (HIBT Lab!)
- Apple Podcasts ratings: 4.7
4. The Look and Sound of Leadership
The Look and Sound of Leadership is hosted by Tom Henschel, an executive coach who has worked with senior leaders for more than 20 years. Henschel bases many of the episodes on coaching sessions with clients and the issues he’s helped them work through, including receiving feedback, navigating conflict, and setting boundaries.
Although some coaching lessons aimed at mid-level managers and executives might not apply to founders, the podcast’s practical coaching lessons might help you with leadership development and communicating with your team.
- Episode length: 20 minutes
- Release schedule: Monthly
- Apple Podcasts ratings: 4.8
5. Shopify Masters
The Shopify Masters podcast is the official leadership podcast from Shopify. Hosts Shuang Esther Shan and Adam Levinter interview entrepreneurs and experts to discuss starting and building ecommerce businesses.
These insightful conversations with founders from various industries—from chocolatiers to earplug makers—offer insight into successes and lessons learned. You’ll also find broader takes on important business topics, such as what to expect with artificial intelligence or how to expand into new markets.
- Episode length: 30 minutes
- Release schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays
- Apple Podcasts ratings: 4.5
6. Mixergy
With more than 2,200 episodes, Andrew Warner’s Mixergy interview-style leadership podcast is a treasure trove of insight. The focus usually is on tech startups, but other episodes will appeal to a wide array of entrepreneurs. However, only the latest episodes are available in podcast feeds for free.
You can search through past episodes on the Mixergy website and filter the results based on categories, such as branding, social media, and ecommerce. And you can listen to past episodes on the website if you share your email address. However, some interviews or courses may require a premium membership ($49 a month or $399 a year).
- Episode length: 45 to 75 minutes
- Release schedule: Every one to two weeks
- Apple Podcasts ratings: 4.5
7. The Unburdened Leader
Rebecca Ching, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), is a leadership coach for entrepreneurs, executives, and everyday leaders. The Unburdened Leader podcast brings a focus to the pain, struggles, and traumas that some other podcasts don’t dive into as deeply—and discusses how they can affect you, your leadership style and your personal development.
The leadership podcast is an interview-style show with a wide range of guests, including people from the business world (for-profit and nonprofit), founders, authors, and therapists.
- Episode length: 60 minutes
- Release schedule: Every other Friday
- Apple Podcasts ratings: 4.9
Best leadership podcasts FAQ
Why listen to leadership podcasts?
Leadership podcasts can help you learn from people who’ve faced similar obstacles and opportunities. Often, the host or interviewee will discuss their personal development, along with the business challenges they faced. And many of the best podcasters interview serial entrepreneurs and top business leaders you might otherwise have to pay to hear speak. Take the lessons and stories to heart, and you might find some shortcuts to replicating their successes—and avoiding their failures.
What is a thought leadership podcast?
A thought leadership podcast highlights a particular person or brand, giving them a platform to share their insights on a topic. You might want to listen to thought leadership podcasts on an entrepreneurial challenge, such as building a positive workplace culture or developing your emotional intelligence—all with the goal of becoming a better leader.
What topics are covered in best leadership podcasts?
Leadership podcasts can offer practical insights on a wide range of topics, including personal productivity and developing leadership skills. Leadership podcasts that also have an entrepreneurial focus might cover more business-specific topics, such as developing good products, building effective website landing pages, and leading companies through growing pains.
