The holiday travel season is here and I thought what better way to deal with delayed flights, traffic on the road and rude people then to put your ear plugs in and get lost in a podcast? Plus I’ve been meaning to do a post on my faves for a while now.
These podcasts have been a source of inspiration and motivation from the stories they so powerfully tell and have taught me so much about humanity and inherently inhumanity. They get me through rough mornings when I just don’t feel like adulting and they remind me that we all have a unique voice and story and that the stories we share about ourselves are a gift.
Here are my faves in no particular order…
I’ve always been fascinated by life in prison. Are what the movies portray about inmates and the horrid conditions they experience true? Is the saying “once a convict always a convict” true? It’s a subject that both intrigues and scares me, so when I found “Ear Hustle” a podcast that takes you inside San Quentin Correctional facility and gives you true stories about what it’s like to serve time I was immediately hooked! Hosted by charismatic inmate Earlonne Woods (who himself is serving a 31 years to life sentence) and Nigel Poor (a Bay Area visual artist and volunteer at the prison), Ear Hustle is an informative and compelling gut punch that reminds me of how layered people can be and how we often write them off before pulling those layers back. Favorite episodes here and here
Death Sex and Money uses story telling and interviewing to bring truths that are often left out of polite conversation. Host Anna Sale has this way of asking tough questions in a manner that does not feel too intrusive and gives her subjects the opportunity to really be heard. She’s interviewed people on topics ranging from student loan debt to the dismay of dating. In every interview she raises the 3 main subjects that can tell you the most about a person “Death Sex and Money”. (Favorite episodes here, here and here).
I love a podcast that teaches without being too preachy and that is exactly why I love “Strong Opinions Loosely Held”. Created by women for women, Strong Opinions tackles subjects around pop culture and speaks from a feminist standpoint. Their latest 5 part series around the history and current state of meme culture and what the use of meme’s say about how women are viewed in society is riveting. What can be seen as mindless topics are delved into with complexity and we get a chance to see where these ideas originate and how they are perpetuated. Favorite episodes include this, this and can’t forget this.
I’m not a real fan of the interview only podcast format however, “hey, girl” is the one exception to this rule. There is just something about interviewer and author Alex Elle that is both warm and authentic. I feel like her questions come from this deep sense of wanting to understand the human condition and she draws out this incredible sincerity from her guests. I leave feeling like I’ve been a fly on the wall of two close friends catching up on life after not having talked for decades. (Favorite episodes here and here)
As an entrepreneurial side hustler myself, I take great interest in women who have taken their hustle and made it their livelihood. Myleik Teele is that such woman; the founder of curlBox the first monthly subscription service for naturally curly hair, Myleik is as instinctive as she is intellectual and just knows how to break the shit down that many women find themselves struggling with (career, love, mental health). She does this in a way that feels like a swift but lovingly needed kick in the ass. Her MyTaughtYou podcast uses interviews with entrepreneurs at the top of their game as well as sage advice from Myleik herself to inspire and teach listeners how to begin leading the lives they truly want to live. (Faves can be found here, and here).
Serial may be new to Kim Kardashian but for those who have been in this podcast game for a minute, it was probably the show that made you start listening to podcasts in the first place. Season 1 told the story of Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old student in Baltimore. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2000. After host Sara Koenig’s reporting on Serial, Adnan was granted a retrial and his sentence vacated (that’s how GOOD her reporting is!). Well this season Serial deals with our disjointed legal system by tackling criminal justice in the form of 1 case an episode. Cases are ordinary, but give listeners a peek into how layered and troubling the legal system can be. From the smallest misdemeanor to the most serious felon Sara Koenig shines a compelling light on the injustice of the justice system and does so with integrity. No lie, every episode of Serial’s third season is a fave and each one rolls into the next and must be listened to in order to get the full gist of the story but start here.
The news cycle pisses me off, scares me, makes me roll my eyes and even wonder if any of it is even true (fake news anyone?), so I refrain from getting sucked in too deeply by listening to The Daily a short 30 minute a day podcast that tells the most pressing news stories as they emerge. Enigmatic host Michael Barbaro asks all the right questions and breaks down the information in comprehensible digestible chunks, which makes it my favorite news program in the world (yes WORLD). When I’m not sure how to analyze the importance of this latest supreme court decision or why Facebook is being perceived as evil, it’s to Michael Barbaro I go. To call any episodes my favorites do this incredibly smart podcast no justice, so what I will say is that these (here, here, here, here) are thought provoking.
I love a good love story, I love a good love story that isn’t necessarily about romantic love but rather, all of the many facets and ways that we love. Modern Love is that podcast. What started out as a column in the New York Times contributed by a new writer every week, Modern Love the podcast takes those same stories and narrates them using the voice of some of the most prolific actors and actresses today. I’ve cried real tears and laughed out loud in my car listening to these stories, I’ve found the words I could never quite articulate being read aloud by some of my favorite performers. Modern Love is beautiful and breaks my heart open with each listen. I have so many favorites but start here, here and here to get the gist of the kinds of stories that are told.
While Modern Love is about the many facets of love, Kind World is about the many aspects of kindness. The stories told are enriching and heartwarming and are the perfect remedy for those times you think humanity isn’t so humane and the kindness is outdated. Here is one of my faves.
Creativity can be beautiful and expand you in a way that not much else can. It’s as if we all know the reward that comes from creativity but can’t shake the fear that goes right along with allowing ourselves to actually create. Why are we so scared to delve into the thing that can set us free? Elizabeth Gilbert takes that question and helps artists at different stages in their work and coaches them on how to push through their doubts and fears. Via special assignments and advice from coaches at the top of their careers, we learn the tools to help us all push through our ruts. For those of us stuck in the hole that can be corporate America this episode really spoke to me.
What started as an advice column was turned into a podcast and hosted by author of “Brave” Cheryl Strayed and her dear friend Steve Almond. As the tagline says “The Sugars are here whispering sweetly into your ear” and as such they sweetly guide, encourage and embolden listeners that write in seeking their sage advice. As a coach myself I attempt to answer reader questions in the manner I think The Sugars might and each time their responses are so much more profound and sensible than mine could ever be. I find myself learning from the guidance they give others, like in THIS episode! I mean I was a total loss for words after hearing her story.
Pyramid schemes, why are they still around, how do people get suckered in, where did they originate and who really benefits from them? The Dream answers these questions and takes you into the crooked (yeah I said it) of multi-level marketing. I’ve been suckered into them and most likely you have or know someone who has too. I love how this podcasts takes you through the history of pyramid schemes via stories and interviews from people on both sides of the aisle – those at the top and those peddling the wares of those at the top. I find myself waiting with bated breath for the newest episode every week and can’t believe how easily we’ve all been duped! Start from the beginning but to see how deep this all is but if you want a taste of the crazy try this one on for size.
So guys I’ve set you up to be very entertained this holiday season! Please let me know which of these podcasts you’ve listened to and your thoughts about my suggestions. If you have any podcasts you’d like to suggest, I’d love to know in the comments below!