The Best Self-Help Podcasts to Liven Up Your Mood and Motivation

If you’ve ever finished an episode feeling inspired but unsure what to do next, this guide is for you. Podcasts have become a mainstream way to learn. More than half of U.S. adults listened in the past year, and video podcast formats are growing quickly.

That means more choice…and more noise. Below, you’ll find trusted, time-worthy shows plus simple ways to turn listening into real change. 

Key Learnings

• Selecting podcasts that align with a specific goal can help reduce decision fatigue and support consistent practice.
• Treating each episode as micro coaching, with one takeaway and one action, can improve follow-through.
• Building a mini curriculum by need state, for example, Sunday calm and Monday momentum, can make listening purposeful.

Best Overall, Science-Backed

1. The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos 

Evidence-based strategies from Yale’s famed happiness course, told through stories you’ll remember. 

Best for: practical, research-driven mood boosts. 

Try this: pause after each episode and write one “tiny experiment” you’ll test this week. 

2. Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris

Real-world mindfulness without the mystique. Great interviews with teachers who translate meditation into daily life. 

Best for: anxiety, self-talk, and focus. 

Try this: do the first 3 minutes of any meditation recommended before opening your next app. 

3. Therapy for Black Girls (Dr. Joy Harden Bradford) 

Warm, accessible conversations about mental health, identity, and everyday choices.

Best for: culturally attuned mental wellness and community-centered self-care.

Try this: pair an episode with a journaling prompt like, “What boundary would protect my energy this week?”

4. Happier with Gretchen Rubin 

Habits that actually fit your life, with practical try this now ideas.

Best for: gentle habit building when life is busy.

Try this: adopt a one-minute rule task after each listen.

5. Hurry Slowly (Jocelyn K. Glei) 

A thoughtful pace for creative, resilient living.

Best for: reducing burnout and redefining productivity.

Try this: schedule a 20-minute quiet review block after episodes to decide what you will do less of this week.

Top Self-Help Podcasts for Big Picture Thinking

6. Hidden Brain (Shankar Vedantam)

Psychology and social science that explain why we do what we do and how to change it.

Best for: insight, behavior change, and better choices.

Try this: capture one surprising finding and write a simple if-then plan to apply it once this week.

7. Modern Wisdom (Chris Williamson)

Long-form conversations with scientists, athletes, authors, and thinkers.

Best for: big picture thinking, performance, and mindset.

Try this: save a question of the week from the episode and discuss it with a colleague over coffee.

8. The School of Greatness (Lewis Howes)

High-energy interviews across mindset, health, and relationships.

Best for: motivation that translates into routines.

Try this: Listen to one episode each morning for seven days, and jot down every great idea you hear on sticky notes.

9. What Now? with Trevor Noah

 In each episode, Trevor sits down with celebrities, thought leaders, athletes, and friends to explore the topics everyone’s talking about today.

Best for: staying informed on current events and trends, expanding your perspective, exploring modern politics.

Try this: Summarize what you learned or share your favorite insights with someone. Teaching reinforces learning.

Best Self-Help Podcasts for Anxiety

10. The Anxiety Coaches Podcast

Gentle, skills-based coaching to calm your nervous system, twice weekly. 

Best for: breathwork, reframes, and daily practices. 

Try this: listen while walking to stack movement + regulation.

Best Self-Help Motivational Podcasts

11. The Mindset Mentor (Rob Dial)

Short, punchy coaching on mindset and limiting beliefs. 

Best for: daily pep talks you can apply at lunch. 

Try this: write a single “if-then” rule (If I catch negative self-talk → I’ll name the strength I’m using today). 

12. The Daily Stoic (Ryan Holiday)

Two-to-three-minute Stoic meditations to reset your day. 

Best for: perspective, discipline, and calm under pressure. 

Try this: bookmark one maxim per week and place it where you’ll see it (lock screen, notebook). 

13. On Purpose (Jay Shetty)

Conversations that translate big ideas into everyday rituals. 

Best for: relationships, purpose, and optimism. 

Try this: pick a question from the episode and ask it at dinner. 

14. Where Should We Begin? (Esther Perel)

Intimate sessions that model courageous dialogue. 

Best for: relationship insight and communication skills. 

Try this: after listening, script one sentence you’ll use to start a hard conversation.

Make Podcasts Work Like Coaching (in 10 Minutes a Day)

• Make a “need-state” playlist. Use the following folders: “Anxiety downshift,” “Motivation up,” “Relationship repair,”
• Use the 1-1-1 rule. Record 1 idea, select 1 tiny action, and accomplish the action in 1 day.
• Pair with movement. Listening while walking the dog helps improve mood and memory; 5 mindfulness breaths can add the final boost.
• 4. Record your habit. Record your takeaway in a weekly note. You can use 100 journal prompts for self-discovery or a dopamine management plan to get started.

Get your personalized dopamine management plan!Take a quick quiz

Next Step (to Ensure the Inspiration Stays)

Audio-based learning can reduce the load on the mind and increase retained information. This explains why podcasts can fit perfectly in a busy schedule.

• Feeling like you're stuck in loops? Try “How to stop overthinking” and watch it together with a Ten Percent Happier episode.
• Wish to have calmer days? Read “Natural Ways to Manage Anxiety” and add “The Anxiety Coaches Podcast” to your list.
• Wish for a season of growth? Introduce Self-Exploration Journey and mix in Happiness Lab + Modern Wisdom.

To make listening even more productive, record the key takeaways you learned from each episode in the Liven app; this will create a bank of mini successes accessible whenever you like. Listening to podcasts never gets old (and you can “watch” podcasts as well). The goal isn’t to binge but to apply. One episode. One action. One better day.