June 18, 2018
A good podcast is your best friend during traffic time.
Podcasts may be the new radio.
Just recently, I became curious about which podcasts would suit my curiosities and interests. Luckily, there is plenty of free audio out there covering practically everything. In a quest to explore the best, I’ve decided to jump on this podcast train. Here are ten of the most popular podcasts that will satisfy your curious appetite.
One of the most popular podcasts floating around the internet is “Serial“. Hosted by Sarah Koenig and created by Julie Snyder, “Serial” follows the mysteries behind infamous cases. Season 2 details the consequences of a U.S. soldier, Bowe Bergdhal, who one day, decided to walk off into enemy territory in Afghanistan. Although they are deep into the second season, it was the first season that created a lot of noise. In Season 1, Koenig delves deep into the murder of high school senior, Hae Min Lee. Throughout this season Koenig discovers just how complex the murder is and how many stories are involved in just one case. This podcast will keep you on the edge.
Charles Bryant and Josh Clark host the podcast, combining witty banter with information about things you didn’t think you’d need to know or want to know. The name is self-explanatory. They have bi-weekly updates discussing anything from “How Drug Courts Work” (did you know they’re designed to give people a chance to kick addiction?) to “How The Hum Works” (a low, droning sound that affects 2% of the local population). “Stuff You Should Know” will definitely satisfy your curious soul and is great if you’re looking for quirky conversation starters.
“How to Be a Girl” chronicles daily life with single mom Marlo Mack and her eight-year-old transgender daughter. Together, they sort through what it means to be a girl. They talk about finding trans role models and the intolerance they’ve faced. Listeners can join in the genuine conversations between parent and child. Through various topics, Mack gives advice to her daughter and provides solace for other parents in similar situations. Whether you are a parent of a transgender child or non-conforming child, “How to Be a Girl” lets listeners learn and understand outside of themselves.
For those who are curious about the big, existential questions in life, “On Being” can fill that void for you. Every Thursday, Krista Tippett asks meaningful questions with admired artists, authors, teachers, scientists, and theologians. Irish philosopher and poet, David Whyte, discusses “The Conversational Nature of Reality”. Matthieu Ricard, dubbed “The Happiest Man in the World” explains happiness as a way of being. This Peabody Award-winning podcast discusses what it means to be human and how we want to live among other philosophical questions.
Invisibilia, Latin for “invisible things”, is about “invisible forces that shape human behavior.” The hosts, Alix Spiegel, Lulu Miller and Hannah Rosin, talk about how our emotions, beliefs and ideas shape what happens in our society. Using seamless narrative and impeccable audio placement, “Invisibilia” explores the amazing effect ordinary things have on our lives. Could your thoughts influence how a rat moves through space? Could your expectations make a blind person see? The answer is yes. On “Invisibilia”, the three women explain how and why.
“The Minimalists” tells you how to focus on the important things in life. Less is more, seems to be the motto, as our lives can easily become cluttered. It’s not about getting rid of the physical excess. It’s about making more room for meaningful relationships, time and experiences. Do you feel like your life is cluttered even in an empty room? How useful or harmful is nostalgia towards keeping certain items? How do we deal with things we love that are holding us back? These are some of the questions “The Minimalists” answers. After clearing your desk, settle down to clear your mind.
“Lore” explores occurrences all on the macabre sides of history. A mix of folklore and real-life history, “Lore” describes itself as the “modern campfire experience“. Their most recent episode “Crossing the Line” discusses how the human need for companionship has lead to strange and, sometimes, disturbing creations in the past. If you want to hear the things that your history class won’t teach you then tune into “Lore”. Some of the topics are scary and unsettling so don’t listen in the dark. Or alone.
“Broad” is a decades-old slang term for “woman”. On “The Broad Experience“, British-American journalist, Ashley Milne-Tyte explores big issues like race, class, and sexual harassment in the workplace and other barriers women face in the professional field. The episode “The hell of networking” discusses the reasons why we cringe at the thought of networking—the fakeness, the mental exhaustion (yes, everyone has these thoughts)— and how to overcome them. When it comes to understanding the woman’s perspective, everyone should be listening to “The Broad Experience”.
Hosted by comedians, Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams, “2 Dope Queens” will talk about everything and anything. They share juicy stories about sex, romance, race and living in New York amongst other things. It’s a show that will make you laugh and gasp because they will go there. Robinson and Williams aren’t afraid to mix the personal with the politics. In “Vagina Dentata” they talk about “teethed vaginas” with Michaela Watkins and how they would “solve a lot of problems”. They’ve even invited other funny women like SNL alum Vanessa Bayer and comedian Michelle Buteau on their show.
“Criminal” hosts, Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer, are bringing you another kind of story. “This is Love” is a heartwarming series in the midst of crime serials and hard news. Spider moms get their young to eat them after birth. It’s parental behavior to the extreme. It’s gruesome, but don’t be fooled. “This is Love” highlights that love is never simple. It has a way of sticking through thick and thin and lingering around for years after. True love stories in “This is Love” will make you smile and will make you weep all in one episode.
