I don’t watch much tv anymore. I can’t tell you the last movie I watched. However, I do listen to podcasts.
Podcasts keep me company on walks or while I’m doing DIY projects.
These are not the totality of the podcasts I listen to, but these are 10 podcasts worth your time as deemed by me, the captain of this blog.
P.S. These podcasts are not listed in any particular order. I don’t want to play favorites!
No Stupid Questions with Angela Duckworth and Stephen Dubner is a thoughtful, funny, research-based take on questions we all have.
Some episodes I’ve listened to recently tackle these questions:
Does Reverse Psychology Really Work?
Why is Pig Milk the One Milk We Don’t Drink?
How Can You Escape Binary Thinking?
I also like the fact check at the end of each episode because, you know, facts are important.
We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle is like a therapy session in podcast form.
It’s hard to pick a favorite episode because, whether I agree or not, I take something away to think about after listening to each one.
If you’ve struggled with grief, you might shed a tear and gain some insight from episode 56 and the conversation with Kate Bowler. I know I did!
I also enjoyed Episode 48 where the hosts talk with Brené Brown about hyper-vigilance and being overwhelmed.
I have listened to Freakonomics for YEARS and the show never gets old. The podcast invites you to “discover the hidden side of everything.” There’s usually an economics bent to the topics, but mostly it is thoughtful people discussing ideas or research that could solve big problems in the world.
Recent favorite episodes include:
Episode 478: How Can We Break Our Addiction to Contempt?
Episode 481: Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China?
The Indicator From Planet Money
When I want to know what the heck is going on with the economy, The Indicator From Planet Money usually has a podcast episode for that.
These episodes are usually around 10 minutes in length, so you don’t have to devote a ton of time to feel smarter about the economy.
I recommend the episode titled The Time the U.S. Paid Off All Its Debt.
I also liked the episode titled The Conglomerate Paradox and now I’m wondering why companies become conglomerates.
If you’re interested in the law, then you’ll appreciate the legal insight of former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in the Stay Tuned podcast.
The podcast isn’t strictly lawyerly though and it certainly isn’t dry and boring. I really enjoyed the recent conversation Preet had with Scott Galloway titled College Cartels and Facebook Follies. This conversation gave me a lot to ponder about how to improve education access and what’s holding us back.
To quote the about section of the 99% Invisible podcast’s website, “99% Invisible is a sound-rich, narrative podcast hosted by Roman Mars about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.”
I’ve learned so much about the world around me by listening to this podcast!
A couple of the episodes I think you will like:
Episode 93: Revolving Doors – Where did revolving doors come from and why don’t we use them even though we should?
Episode 226: On Average – If you want to know where S, M, L clothing sizes came from, listen to this one. It’s fascinating and infuriating!
People I Mostly Admire is hosted by Steve Levitt who isn’t your typical economist. He asks the questions that we are all secretly thinking.
My favorite recent podcast is the conversation Levitt had with Jared Diamond (episode 55). Diamond’s name may or may not be familiar, but you’ve probably heard of the books he authored called Guns, Germs, and Steel; Collapse; and Upheaval.
Criminal isn’t your typical true crime podcast. It’s not gory or graphic. It usually deals with crimes that aren’t murder. The host, Phoebe Judge, has a gentle, compassionate way of leading the listener through a story of real people caught up in a crime.
Here are some episodes I think you might like:
Episode 179: A Splendid Newfoundland, Cursing Birds, and the Fashion Fox – Stories of animals really going for it.
Episode 175: Ghost Racket Crusade – The story of two famous friends — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini — and the disagreement that ended their friendship: can we speak to the dead?
Outside Podcast is all about adventures related to the great outdoors.
Sometimes the podcast interviews athletes and discusses athletic performance, but my favorite series in this podcast is called the Science of Survival. I want to know what happens to your body when you are bit by a snake, or stuck in a snowstorm, or break your leg in the wilderness. Could I survive?
Check out one of these episodes:
The Rattlesnake Bite That Changed Everything
Trapped Under Water and Running Out of Air
Scientific information or pseudo-scientific information gets thrown at us all day long. Figuring out what is real and what’s not takes effort! I love the Science Vs. podcast because they take citing sources VERY seriously. If the science on a topic is inconclusive, doesn’t exist, is still working on it, then the host tells you straight out.
Plus, the host, Wendy Zukerman, is so funny and makes potentially dry subjects fun to listen to. I also like her Australian accent.
I enjoyed these episodes:
Chronic Pain: Can Our Brains Fix it?
Blue Balls: You’re Wrong About Them
Pet Food: How Fancy Should They Feast?
I know it is hard work making a podcast, but it also sounds like it would be a super fun job! Don’t you think?
If you have podcasts you enjoy listening to, let me know what they are! I always love discovering new podcasts. You can message me on the blog or on Instagram or Facebook with your suggestions.
Happy Listening!
Thanks for being here today. Here are some other posts you might enjoy!
5 Ways to Help Transition Kids to a New School
5 Old Books I Found In Our New Home
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