So, I’ll get straight to the point. In terms of podcasts, I’m a yay! It’s surprising to me because I’m not one who listens to talk radio or even watches tv talk shows. In the car, I was always a music listener and my music was always loud.
What changed? In 2014, the podcast, Serial by This American Life debuted. It is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig which narrates a nonfiction story over multiple episodes. This particular case focused on Adnan Syed who was accused and convicted of killing his girlfriend in Maryland in 1999.
A friend raved about this show so much that I just had to listen. I was driving to Los Angeles to visit family and decided to take a listen. I was so enthralled by the story telling that the drive went faster than I wanted it to. I finished the series as I drove back home a week later.
After that first podcast, I was hooked. I had also started listening to audio books around this time and driving became less of chore and traffic was welcomed!
Below is a list of my current favorite podcasts. They run the gamut of my interests and I find that I love finding new and interesting podcasts. For those interested, I listen to podcasts on Apple Itunes but many are also available on other platforms. I mostly listen while I drive (I drive a lot) or at home when I’m cleaning!
Ear Hustle–Life in San Quentin. This is a fascinating listen and not depressing at all. It’s often very poignant and dare I say, funny. The show address all sorts of issues like cellmates, birthday celebrations, sex and dealing with aging and death.
How I Built This-an NPR show about how people we all know started their businesses. They are open about what worked, what didn’t, failures, problems, all of the difficult and not fun details. Guests include Sara Blakely (Spanx), Kendra Scott (jewelry), Joe Gebbia (Airbnb), Damon Dash (FUBU), Southwest Airlines (Herb Kelleher), Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger (Instagram), Jane Wurwand (Dermalogica), Barbara Corcoran (Real Estate/Shark Tank), Alli Webb (Drybar), Katrina Lake (Stitch Fix) and many more.
Listen to all of the shows! The stories are all really fascinating including those you think you won’t care about! I have many favorites but one that sticks with me is Nolan Bushnell. Don’t know who he is? I didn’t either. But he is the creator of the Atari video game AND he started Chuck E. Cheese. Great show!
Planet Money-Another NPR gem which looks at and explains financial issues in a way that regular folks can understand them. They also look at why are financial system is the way it is. Episodes include The Taxi King, A Series of Mysterious Packages, An Insider Trader Tells All, xxx-xx-xxxx which is about how the social security number became the most important identifier in the United States, Bad Credit Bureau and The Ransom Problem.
These shows are generally 12-22 minutes long so it’s easy to listen to several in a row!
Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations-If it’s Oprah, it has to be good, right??!!? This podcast is an off shoot of her television show of the same name. She talks with spiritual leaders, teacher and practitioners about living your best and most authentic life. Even if you don’t like the “woo woo” stuff, it’s still a good listen. These folks have all had and have really interesting lives and fascinating stories to tell. Guests have included Trevor Noah, Jordan Peele, Shirley McClaine, Michael Singer, Reese Witherspoon, Salma Hayek, Brene Brown, Eckhart Tolle and Sarah Ban Breathnach.
Oprah has a way of getting the best out of her guests and doing a deep dive into their psyches.
Young House Love Has a Podcast-this is a podcast by one of my favorite home decor. diy blogs. They are a husband and wife team who have remodeled/re-done 3 homes. They are funny and relatable and give lots of good tips. They also interview other decorators, designers and diy-ers.
I listen to others as well but I do like to switch it up. Other listens include Scrap Girls, Happier in Hollywood, Boss Girl Creative and Luvvie Ajayi’s Rants and Randomness.
As I said, I’m always on the hunt for new listens. What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments!
