10 F*cking Awesome People I Only Know About Because Of The Joe Rogan Podcast

The Joe Rogan Podcast is one of the most diverse and inspiring podcasts I've come across. It was my gateway to the podcast world in general and the majority of other podcasts I now listen to are ones I found through the JRE. Here are ten amazing people doing great things that I only know about thanks to Joe Rogan.

1. Rickson Gracie

Jamie Vernon / Via podcasts.joerogan.net

Rickson Gracie is one of the greatest names in the history of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In addition to his revolutionary impact on BJJ, Rickson is also a dedicated yogi and surfer. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend checking out "Choke", a great documentary about his life.

Rickson Gracie was a guest on episode 524 of the JRE.

2. Mike Baker

Jamie Vernon / Via podcasts.joerogan.net

Mike Baker is a retired covert field operations officer in the CIA...translation he was a real life spy. Since then he's gone on to run a successful private intelligence agency and serve as an advisor on some of Hollywood's biggest covert opp films. Listening to him speak on his areas of expertise and provide insight into the international political climate was a real eye-opener.

Mike Baker appeared on episodes 541 & 767 of the JRE.

3. Steve Rinella

Jamie Vernon / Via podcasts.joerogan.net

One of the biggest things I've taken from the JRE is a fascination with the correlation between hunting and conservation. Of the many guests Joe has on to speak on this topic (i.e - Cameron Hanes, Remi Warren, Jim Shockey), Steve Rinella is my favorite. Rinella is incredibly intelligent and offers a unique take on the hunting world via his books, including his most popular Meat Eater and that book's namesake podcast.

You can hear Steve on 7 episodes of the JRE.

4. Joey "Coco" Diaz

Jamie Vernon / Via podcasts.joerogan.net

Joey "Coco" Diaz may be the funniest man on the planet. A north-Jersey native, Diaz's tales of petty crime and neighborhood antics are the equivalent of any New Yorker's favorite uncle telling stories around the kitchen table. Since finding him on JRE, he's become one of my favorite stand-ups as well.

Joey Diaz is a frequent flyer on the JRE so if he's up your alley there are a lot of chances to hear him and Rogan shoot the sh*t.

5. Dan Flores

Via themeateater.com

Dan Flores is one of the foremost authorities on the various ecosystems of western North America. While he hasn't been a guest on the JRE yet, Joe's conversation with Steve Rinella lead me to the episode of the "Meateater" podcast where Flores was the guest. Flores and Rinella's conversation on the evolution of coyotes in that episode was one of my favorite podcasts of 2016 so far.

You can check out this podcast here.

6. Graham Hancock

Via podcasts.joerogan.net

You know the "Aliens" meme dude? That's how I feel every time I listen to Graham Hancock. Hancock is an author, journalist and a pseudoarcheological pioneer. He's never been peer-reviewed nor have his theories been proven but conceptually his work on the 'mother culture' from which he believes all ancient civilizations were born will have you questioning everything you believe about the timeline of human existence.

Graham Hancock has been a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience five times.

7. Sue Aikens

Jamie Vernon / Via podcasts.joerogan.net

Sue Aikens might be the single most badass human being on the planet. She chooses to live in a completely isolated environment in the extreme north of Alaska 500 miles from the nearest city. She is the subject of the Nat Geo show "Life Below Zero" and hosts a remote hunting camp where she makes her permanent residence. All you need to know about Sue Aikens is this story...

She was attacked by a grizzly bear that left her for dead six years ago. She had to sew her own head back together, her arm was destroyed and her hip popped out. She still had the toughness to cross the river, find the bear and kill it before calling a trooper for help...which took 10 days to arrive.

Sue Aikens was a very entertaining guest in episode 566 of the JRE.

8. Aubrey Marcus

Via podcasts.joerogan.net

Aubrey Marcus is the 2016 prototype for the term 'renaissance man'. He's a successful entrepreneur, partnering with Rogan in the "Human Optimization" company, Onnit. He's a martial artist, seeker of mindfulness, partaker in vision quests and extremely knowledgeable on the subject of health and consciousness.

Aubrey has appeared on a bajillion episodes of the Joe Rogan podcast.

9. Christina Sommers

Jamie Vernon / Via podcasts.joerogan.net

Christina Sommers (a.k.a the Factual Feminist) will make you rethink your whole view on what constitutes a 'feminist'. She's an author, former philosophy professor and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Her non-acceptance of many popular aspects of the theory behind popular feminism is inspiring.

Professor Sommers appears in episode 724 of the Joe Rogan Podcast.

10. Justin Wren

Jamie Vernon / Via podcasts.joerogan.net

Justin Wren is a beast in the ring, fighting in the heavyweight division for Bellator. His nickname is the "Big Pygmy" and the source of that moniker is infinitely more impressive than his highly decorated fighting career. He runs a charity called Fight For The Forgotten that helps buy land and build fresh water wells for the Pygmy tribe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

You can learn more about Fight For The Forgotten here and check out three episodes of Justin on the JRE.