Blue chip American institution? Check. CEO as ongoing host? Check. Celebrity guests like Dax Shepard and Jimmy Kimmel? Check. The branded company podcast from Ford:

DRIVE with Jim Farley

Has a lot of powerful tailwinds going for it, as produced by Magnificent Noise. I actually listened to a season one episode and wasn’t sold amidst the vast sea of interview podcasts that can pull in recognizable guests. I saw the show was back for a second season - always a strong sign that a brand and host is making a long-term commitment to the podcast - and tried out another episode.

This one was Ford CEO and host Jim Farley interviewing CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta. It’s undoubtedly helpful to the show to bring on celebrity guests to the show (the next two episodes featured Kelly Clarkson and Neil deGrasse Tyson). But actually what motivated me to write about the show are actually aspects that weren’t about the heft of the guest.

It turns out Dr Gupta’s mother was one of the first Ford engineers with an advanced degree, and her work at Ford was a major influence on his life growing up. It’s a significant detail that changes everything for the interview and full credit to the producers and Jim Farley for finding that connection and building the interview around it.

I also loved a detail at the end of the interview. The host, who remember is the CEO of Ford, asks the guest for their advice for the company. I loved the aspects of humility and curiosity of asking that question on mic and including it in the episode!