Podcasts aren’t new – they’ve been around for at least a decade, actually – but the popularity of podcasts has exploded in the last year or two as digital media use continues to increase.

Podcasts allow us the opportunity to plug into a certain topic or program and listen anytime, anywhere. If there’s a topic you’re interested in, there is certainly a podcast for you.

At INB, an important component of our mission of innovation means that we have our pulse on trends, news and both community and national happenings. Our leaders are constantly consuming new books and ideas, using technology for enhanced productivity and, now, listening to a variety of topics on podcasts so we can better serve our customers and our communities.

Here’s what our INB community has their ears open to:

TED Radio Hour. This podcast, co-sponsored by NPR and TED, is one of a few favorites for Austin Graham, universal banker at INB’s South 6th Street branch in Springfield. Based on talks given by speakers on the world-renowned TED stage, each show is centered on a common theme – such as the source of happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts, or inexplicable connections – and injects soundscapes and conversations that bring these ideas to life. Hosted by Guy Raz, TED Radio Hour delivers a journey through astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, new ways to think and create. (Listen here.)

Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast. Influential author and pastor Andy Stanley is the founder of Atlanta-based North Point Ministries, which is now comprised of six churches in the Atlanta area and a network of 30 churches around the globe. Evan Westlake, vice president of commercial lending at INB, listens to Stanley’s Leadership Podcast on a regular basis. “In short, 15- to 30-minute episodes, the show explores leadership topics ranging from customer service to building a team to cultivating effective leadership qualities,” Evan said. (Listen here.)

The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe. This podcast describes itself as a “series of short mysteries for the curious mind with a short attention span.” INB President Sarah Phalen listens to The Way I Heard It because it not only explores history, but also applies “lessons on innovation and courage within those historical events,” she said. This podcast is convenient for those who don’t have a lot of listening time because the episodes pack big topics into short tidbits lasting just five or 10 minutes. (Listen here.)

Planet Money. What vibe is Planet Money going for? The kind of conversation you might want if you met a friend at the bar to discuss the economy. Planet Money takes pieces of economic trends and offers unique insight to help listeners comprehend them. Marilyn Titone Schaefer, director of marketing at INB, enjoys Planet Money for the way the show breaks down what might otherwise be complicated financial topics, from the Chicken Tax to the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. (Listen here).

The Dave Ramsey Show. Hugely popular personal finance guru Ramsey hosts a podcast that teaches listeners to manage and budget money, get out of debt, build wealth, and live in financial peace – all with the mission of reducing stress, improve relationships, and providing security for you and your family. (Listen here).

Breaking Banks with Brett King. Another favorite of Evan Westlake, this podcast documents technological changes to financial services, from banking to payments to money itself. While “the bank” has been at the center of the way individuals in the community did banking (whether saving money, moving money around or requesting credit), now newer technologies are changing the nature of community, investment, and transparency, and changing the nature of how we think about and handle money. (Listen here.)

NPR One. Marilyn Titone Schaefer is also a fan of NPR One, which is an audio app that connects you to a stream of public radio news, stories and podcasts curated for you. The focus is on rigorous reporting coupled with engaging story-telling… the stories on the podcast “start conversations, increase understanding, enrich lives and enliven minds.” (Listen here.)

Business Radio. While this last one on this list isn’t a podcast, it also streams online. Brett Tiemann, INB’s chief financial officer, loves to listen to Business Radio, Channel 111 on SiriusXM, which is powered by the Wharton School of Business. “I listen to it on the way to and from work as no one else in my family lets me listen to it when they are in the car,” Brett laughed. Business Radio offers segments with speakers on leadership, marketing, investing, big data, entrepreneurship and other areas. (Listen here.)

From hour-long shows to 15-minutes snippets of specific topics, listening to a podcast is an easy way to gain professional development and insight whether you’re driving to work or doing the dishes!