Truth be told, if you’d asked me a year ago which podcasts I listened to, I would have asked you what a podcast was. I was incredibly unaware of their complete and utter glory.
I was first lured into the Serial phenomenon (shoutout Sarah Koenig!) by my roommate, BFF, and half the internet. I honestly just wanted to see what all the fuss was about so, while walking my dog each day, I listened to each bit of the story. After the 12 episodes were over, I was no longer satisfied walking Tango each day without something equally as enthralling streaming into my ears. Then, my 3 month Tour de North America road trip started and so many hours of driving needed to be supplemented. I can’t even tell you how many times I was driving through areas where there were absolutely NO radio stations. And after the first 30 hours of the trip (i.e. Louisville to San Diego) I was over my iTunes shuffle. After much googling, I found many a great podcast. Some of these have even replaced my running playlists… {gasp!}
Without further ado, and in no particular order, the following podcasts are my jam.
Click on the name of the podcast below for the links!
{1} Dirtbag Diaries:
If you’re outdoorsy at all, or you’re at least entertained by storied of adventure, download these guys. Awesome stories, stellar song choices, and very little commitment needed as most of these episodes are 30 minutes long or less!
{2} Spartan Up:
Joe Desena, founder of Spartan Races, interviews the world’s top leaders in all different fields about their successes, failures, fears, and best practices. From Sir Richard Branson to athletes you may never have heard of, I’ve yet to listen to one of these episodes I didn’t like. There’s always something to learn from somebody at the top of their field because they didn’t just land there. They had to WORK to get there. No matter the industry or topic, these are always inspiring interviews.
{3} Vinyl Cafe:
Ok so my man-friend’s Canadian-isms are slowing creeping in, but I’m ok with it. Especially when it comes to Stuart McLean. This show is kind of the Canadian version of our Prairie Home Companion (but a little better… no disrespect, PHC lovers!) Complete with stereotypical Canadian accent, this guy’s story-telling is on point. He’s got killer musical guests and keeps everybody laughing with his tales of misadventure in a fictional neighborhood. This one’s great for the whole fam.
{4} Serial:
Duh. I don’t even think I have to explain this one, as most people have heard it. If you happen to be like me, and unknowing in all things podcast, this is a great one to get you started. It’s a 12 episode series about a high school boy charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1999. Think really gripping, unsolved true-crime goodness. Do yourself a favor and download all the episodes at once. You’ll want to binge listen to it… You will love it. And then we can discuss it. Season 2 comes out this fall!
{5} Undisclosed:
My roomie just informed me of this follow-up to Serial. It’s no Serial, but definitely worth listening to if you were obsessed with the case. Listen to the information they’ve discovered since the case was re-opened and get even more wrapped up in the Adnaan story than you were before.
{6} The Fitness Business Podcast:
For fitness pros {obvi}, the business aspect of the job is the one that we tend to know the least about. Where do the muscles connect and what are their functions? We got that ish. Stratgies for your company’s social media success? Maybe not. Great information, usually in less than 30 minutes. Shout out to my buddy, Amanda Vogel, whose interview lead me to them in the first place!
{7} Lululemon’s 7 Day Beginner Meditation:
I’m not crazy into meditation, but I did have an awesome workshop back in 2007 at a Mind/Body conference and really enjoyed it. One of the greatest take-aways for me was learning that meditation wasn’t about emptying your mind {impossible feat, that one}, it was about getting your mind to focus on what you needed it to focus on. These episodes are short, guided talks that will help you chill out and get your mind focused on where it needs to be. Day one is 11.5 minutes long. Do it on your lunch break or before you go to bed!
This podcast is fabulous. Great discussions and tip from Harvard Business Review’s leading thinkers in business and management. Very helpful if you’re in business, but even if you’re not, there’s some great info in general. “Set Habits You’ll Actually Keep” is a good one, no matter what your goals. “Understand How People See You” was pretty interesting and helpful as well. Most of the episodes are 20-30 minutes in length so you can listen to them on your way to work to pump you up for your day.
{9} TED Talks:
Technology. Entertainment. Design. TED Talks have always been super insteresting to me, but I never seem to have time to sit and watch them online. Since I discovered they come in podcasts {I realize how tardy to the party I am…} I get to hear so many more. Uplifting stories, new ways of thinking, entertaining ideas. I’ve never heard a TED Talk I didn’t like. My faves: Amy Cuddy’s “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” on power posing and it’s effect on your success. Ken Robinson’s “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”
{10} The Broad Experience:
If you are a woman and you work, you should listen to this. These episodes are short and to the point {because, efficiency} and are a huge inspiration to go after what you want in the work force. Episode 2 about negotiating a raise was superb.
{11} The Read:
Pure entertainment. These two are a mess and their bio sums it up better than I can: “Join Kid Fury and Crissle for their weekly podcast covering hip-hop and pop culture’s most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea with a flippant and humorous attitude, no star is safe from Fury and Crissle unless their name is Beyoncé. (Or Blue Ivy.) As transplants to NYC, The Read also serves as an on-air therapy session for two friends trying to adjust to life and rats in the big city.” These two make me laugh a lot, but just so you know, there’s lots of language, so maybe don’t listen to this at work or with the kids.
And I saved my absolute favorite podcast for last:
{12} Call Your Girlfriend: You guys. I legit binge-listened to all 29 episodes of this in less than a week. From Canada to California and then back to Canada (but that time on a plane) driving and listening to Ann and Aminatu was my complete and utter jam. These two incredibly smart professionals are long distance BFFs that basically brought their weekly convos to the interwebs, to the delight of anybody that can speak Girl. These feminists are not afraid to discuss any subject. In the same podcast they can discuss the latest in politics and education as well as the ins and outs of any top pop culture event. Throw in fashion, social media, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and a little menstruation news and you’ve got basically all my conversations with my bffs. I was on my flight from San Diego to Canada the other night and was seriously worried that my plane was malfunctioning and we were about to crash land (as per usual when I’m on a flight) and I turned on the podcast to distract myself. It was this episode about a period joke and I was literally hard laughing (where you are trying not to make noise and you just end up shaking in your seat and everybody thinks you’re crying) on an airplane next to a middle aged man trying to sleep. This podcast has made me LOL on several occasions and I cannot tell you a podcast pair I appreesh more than this one.
I’d love to know your favorite podcasts!
Please leave them in the comments below so others can find them too!
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