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Life Examined

Hosted by Jonathan Bastian

Life Examined, hosted by Jonathan Bastian, is a weekly show exploring psychology, philosophy, endurance sports and meaning in modern life. It has 348 episodes since April 2020, with episodes typically running about 10 minutes. Estimated downloads per episode are 5,000 to 25,000 (estimated), implying a rate of about $90 to $625 per episode. One distinctive detail is its endurance-sport and ski mountaineering lens on reflective writing.

Why brands sponsor Life Examined

Reflective weekly show on psychology and meaning with a loyal, highly rated audience

  • Apple Podcasts rating of 4.9 from 313 ratings signals strong listener approval.
  • Consistent weekly cadence across 348 episodes builds recurring exposure.
  • Short episodes of about 10 minutes suit concise host-read placements.
Best forwellness and self-care productsbooks and journaling products
Watch forAudience size is estimated from ratings, not published download data.

Brand fit report

Content

Topics, IAB taxonomy
Mental Health45%
Philosophy25%
Sports20%
Books and Literature10%
Formats
solo monologue, essay, multi-part series
Tone
reflective, earnest
Language
English
Production
Clean, edited audio
Typical length
7 to 12 minutes

Audience

Commercial intent10/100
Comments asking for links, prices or where to buy
Sentiment85/100
Estimated from titles, descriptions and engagement
Est. downloads per episode5k–25k
Estimated, confidence 50%: Apple Podcasts shows 313 ratings, a band that maps to 5,000 to 25,000 downloads per episode, with a show under five years old and a weekly cadence over 348 episodes, hosted on Substack.
Audience asks abouthow to cope with griefhow to find meaning in midlifehow to balance ambition and self-acceptance
Age
10%18-24
30%25-34
35%35-44
25%45+
Gender
45%women
55%men
Countries
🇺🇸 United States40%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom20%
🇨🇦 Canada10%
🇦🇺 Australia10%
LanguagesEnglish 100%

Commercial

0%of the last 20 episodes had a sponsor
None seenno sponsor mentions in the last 20 episodes
Brands seen
None yet
Categories promoted
None yet
Affiliate links
No

No sponsor mentions found in the feed; the show is distributed through a Substack publication with no funding links listed.

Suitability GARM Brand Safety Floor + Suitability

Profanitylow
Adultlow
Drugslow
Violencelow
Politicslow

Family friendly
Episode titles cover grief, loneliness and midlife themes with no explicit flag in the feed.

We classify content, never people. No age, gender, ethnicity, religion or political views are inferred about the creator. Audience figures are estimates unless marked verified. Creators can correct anything on their profile.

Where to listen

Benchmark score: 60 / 100

Public rule, same for everyone. How it works.

Consistency Latest episode within the usual cadence36 / 50
Activity Episodes in the last 90 days, weekly is full marks18 / 30
Reach Estimated downloads per episode, 20k is full marks15 / 20

Recent episodes

Last six episodes from the show's feed, latest 9 days ago, a new one about every 7 days.

A weekly exploration of psychology, philosophy, endurance sports, and finding meaning in the modern world. lifeexamined.substack.com
Life Examined's own show description from the podcast feed

Do you make Life Examined? Claim or remove this page.

About Life Examined

Life Examined is a weekly podcast hosted by Jonathan Bastian that explores psychology, philosophy, endurance sports and finding meaning in the modern world. According to the show's feed and website, it has released 348 episodes since April 2020, usually about 10 minutes long, and has an Apple Podcasts rating of 4.9 from 313 ratings.

The show is published through a Substack publication and covers topics such as grief, midlife and the psychology of ambition. Listener figures on this page are estimates, based on Apple Podcasts ratings and release cadence, and suggest an audience of roughly 5,000 to 25,000 downloads per episode. The feed shows no sponsors so far.

Estimated rates are about $90 to $625 per host-read mid-roll placement. The show suits wellness, self-care and book brands looking for a reflective, attentive audience.

Written from the show's public RSS feed, its Podcast Index listing and episode titles. Numbers updated 2026-10-19. Life Examined can edit or remove this page at any time.

Questions about Life Examined

How much does Life Examined charge for a podcast sponsorship?

Based on an estimated 5,000 to 25,000 downloads per episode, a host-read mid-roll is roughly $90 to $625 per episode. Final pricing depends on agreed terms and the show's current audience data.

What is Life Examined about?

Life Examined is a weekly podcast hosted by Jonathan Bastian covering psychology, philosophy, endurance sports and finding meaning in modern life. Episodes usually run about 10 minutes.

How do I contact Life Examined about sponsoring an episode?

The show's contact email unlocks on Starbooked for $0.80. Boosted shows can also be booked through Starbooked directly.

Similar creators

Podcast and other creators in psychology, ranked by score.

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mental healthpsychology50k–$360–2000100
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