I have been enjoying podcasts made by and for professionals in other professions. Sometimes, but not always, these podcasts related to my hobbies.

It becomes apparent that many of the same qualities are characteristic of people who are successful in different domains. Further, the advice people give regarding how to be successful is largely the same, independent of the specific domain. These qualities include (in no particular order):

— Working hard
— Aiming to be helpful and valuable to others
— Learning your craft skills
— Working even when there is no prospect for immediate reward
— Surrounding yourself with excellent people
— Being creative, trying new things
— Being a lifelong learner
— Being ready to drop a suggestion if nobody else is interested
— Being pleasant to work with
— Focusing on the success of the group effort, rather than individual glory

And some of my favorite podcasts are:

Bold as Brass Podcast
Host Melissa Brown chats with trombonists, tuba players, trumpet players and so on. It is really great to listen to people who have chosen to follow their life passion talk about their work and lives. (Nobody becomes a brass player to become rich.) Every episode is excellent but a nice one to start with might be the Roger Argente episode.

Recording Studio Rockstars
Likable hosts help make likeable podcasts. Lij Shaw asks good questions and always has a positive attitude. A good episode to start with is the interview with Rafa Sardina

Scriptnotes
These episodes contain both discussions about writing screenplays and about the screenwriting industry. For most people like me, the episodes that focus on craft are probably more interesting than the ones that focus on the industry. A good episode to start with might be the “Sexy Ghosts of Chula Vista“.

ICU Rounds
Episodes from before 2012, I believe, were meant to help intensive care unit doctors brush up for some sort of recertification exam. This gave wonderful insight into the goals of ICU doctors and what intensive care units are all about. A few episodes you might start out with include Patient-Ventilator Interactions and ventilator discontinuation, Smoke Inhalation Injury, and Therapeutic Hypothermia After Cardiac Arrest.