As summer approaches, we asked our CFE team which books and podcasts keep their entrepreneurial spark alive. Whether you’re at the beach, deep into your internship, on a road trip, or grabbing a few quiet minutes over lunch, we hope these picks add a little inspiration (and fun) to the season.
audio adventures
Ologies with Alie Ward in this wildly curious weekly science podcast, humorist and correspondent Alie Ward sits down with experts in every kind of “-ology” imaginable. From volcanoes and trees to the science of kissing, death, bugs, brains, and beyond, each episode dives into a specific field with warmth, wit, and genuine wonder. Equal parts funny, fascinating, and deeply human, Ologies makes science feel accessible, personal, and impossible not to love.
Rock ’n’ Roll Grad School is a music podcast hosted by Heidi Hedquist and Luke Poling, featuring in-depth conversations with musicians, authors, filmmakers, and creative voices across rock, metal, folk, and more. With a backstage-hang feel, the show explores new releases, music history, and the stories behind the songs.
The Goal Digger Podcast a practical, motivating business and marketing podcast hosted by entrepreneur Jenna Kutcher. Designed for creatives, small business owners, and ambitious dreamers, each episode offers actionable strategies for growing a brand, building an online presence, improving productivity, and creating a life and business with intention. Equal parts inspiration and how-to guidance, Goal Digger helps listeners turn big goals into clear, doable next steps.
Creative Pep Talk is an inspiring podcast for artists, designers, writers, makers, and anyone trying to build a more meaningful creative life. Hosted by illustrator and speaker Andy J. Pizza, the show blends practical career advice, creative strategy, storytelling, and upbeat encouragement to help listeners overcome blocks, find their voice, and keep making work that matters. Energetic, honest, and deeply motivating, Creative Pep Talk feels like a rallying cry for creatives who need both direction and a boost.
The Hello Seven Podcast with Rachel Rodgers helps diverse entrepreneurs scale their businesses, build generational wealth, and make million-dollar decisions. Through bold coaching sessions and no-BS solo episodes, Rachel shares practical strategies for growing a joyful, seven-figure business while working to close the wealth gap.
The Ezra Klein Show a thought-provoking podcast from The New York Times hosted by journalist and author Ezra Klein. Each episode features deep, nuanced conversations with writers, scholars, policymakers, artists, and thinkers about the ideas shaping politics, culture, technology, philosophy, and everyday life. Curious, rigorous, and intellectually generous, the show invites listeners to slow down, think more deeply, and engage more fully with the world around them.
We specifically recommend the Silicon Valley’s Favorite Prophet: Stewart Brand episode.
shelf picks
Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall explores how breakthrough ideas often begin as strange, fragile, or dismissed concepts—and how organizations can create the right conditions for them to thrive. Blending science, business, and history, the book shows how nurturing “loonshots” can lead to major innovations in war, medicine, and industry.
Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide by John Cleese is a concise, witty guide to understanding and nurturing creativity. Drawing on Cleese’s experience as a comedian, writer, and performer, the book offers practical advice for generating ideas, overcoming blocks, and creating the mental space needed for playful, original thinking.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a fast-paced science fiction novel about Ryland Grace, a lone astronaut who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or why he’s there. As his memories return, he realizes he is humanity’s last hope in a desperate mission to save Earth from extinction. Blending hard science, humor, suspense, and an unexpected friendship, the book is an adventurous, heartfelt space-survival story.
The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau is a practical guide to building a small, profitable business with minimal money and resources. Through real-world examples of entrepreneurs who turned simple ideas into income, the book shows how to identify marketable skills, create value for customers, and design a more independent, meaningful way to make a living.
My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love by Dessa is a sharp, intimate memoir-in-essays from the rapper, singer, and writer. Blending tour stories, reflections on music and identity, and her attempt to use neuroscience to get over heartbreak, Dessa explores love, ambition, creativity, and the messy inner life behind a performer’s public persona.
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is a climate fiction novel that imagines a near future shaped by the escalating effects of climate change. Centered on an international organization created to advocate for future generations, the story blends politics, science, economics, and human drama to explore how the world might respond to ecological crisis—and what it could take to build a more sustainable future.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is a candid business book about the difficult realities of building and running a company. Drawing on his experience as a tech CEO and venture capitalist, Horowitz offers practical, no-nonsense advice on leadership, decision-making, crisis management, hiring and firing, and navigating the challenges that business books often gloss over.
Wherever the season takes you, we hope this list gives you a few new ideas to explore and a fresh dose of motivation along the way. Here’s to making space for curiosity, creativity, and the kind of stories and conversations that might just spark your next big move.