An unexpected love story

My biggest little thing (and a Pod Club)

When I quit my job in my early twenties, I was completely lost.

I didn’t know who I was, what I enjoyed, or what I wanted. All I knew was that I didn’t want to stay chronically sick in a job I hated.  

Living at home with my parents, I dug out a box of art supplies from the garage and dusted off my watercolours. I started painting botanical fruit and veg, soothing the chaos in my mind with juicy figs and furry peaches.

As I looked for something to help me pass the time in my makeshift studio, I stumbled across podcasts. I’ve been listening ever since.  

Looking back, painting helped me reconnect with myself, but podcasts taught me how to move through the world in a way that felt more me.  

Podcasts became my companions through it all. The awkward early years of my career. Finding my style and confidence. The move from Sydney to London. Thousands of hours painting alone. The creative blocks. The burnout.

For almost a decade, they’ve been there—on my walks, in my studio, and in so many moments in between. For me, Podcasts are a Big Little Thing, a small ritual with a big impact.  

Mel Robbins says growth is a fundamental human need, and one of the best ways to grow is to learn. 

Growing up, I chased gold stars, focusing only on what I needed to do to achieve. Learning was always a means to an end. But that mindset led me down the wrong path—subjects that didn’t interest me, a degree I found dull, and a job I hated.

Podcasts changed that. They taught me to be curious and to explore ideas just because they fascinated me. To pull on threads and see where they lead.

I’d hear Martha Beck on Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations, then listen to her on The Tim Ferriss Show, and eventually arrive at her book, The Way of Integrity.

I started learning for the joy of it. Connecting dots, expanding my mind, and awakening to new ways of thinking.

Warren Buffett once shared that he clears his schedule to read and think—an idea that struck me as radically intentional. He also said, “You’ll do your best work if you do what interests you.”

Over the last decade, I’ve started to see the value of dedicating my attention to what interests me, actively curating my own curriculum for life.

There are podcasts I return to every year, with hidden gems—principles, ideas, and sentences—that I tuck into my back pocket. They guide me to move through the world more intentionally, slowly, and creatively.

We all know time is precious, but isn’t our attention even more so?

Podcasts are my way of learning and finding inspiration, instead of getting lost in distraction. That’s why I don’t have email or Instagram on my phone.

Instagram doesn’t make me feel good. Podcasts do.

It’s not a moral judgement, just something personal to me. My Big Little Thing.

One of my closest friends, a mum of two young kids, says a walk with a podcast feels like a luxury. But she often spends the first 20 minutes searching for the “right” episode. If it’s not good, she fumbles to find another, losing precious time. Precious attention.

I think, like a good book recommendation before a summer holiday, a good podcast recommendation ahead of a walk is a true gift. It can make a day feel more meaningful.

That’s why I’m starting a Pod Club 🕊

Every month, I’ll share podcasts I’ve loved lately. My hope is that you’ll share yours too. So we always have a little inspiration within reach.  

Because sometimes the littlest things can have the biggest impact.

JYK 🤍

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