Podcasts Worth Listening To!
Podcasts have gained popularity in recent years, taking the place radio had for many people! They give the listener a choice to curate their own playlist. I share some of my go-to podcasts and why they made it to my list of favourites!
You’ll find a short review of each of them to help you decide if it’s the sort of thing you’d be interested in.
Photo by Juja Han on Unsplash
Podcasts are one of the newest kids on the block when it comes to entertainment, informative content and news. They started out as an underground world. Amateur radio where individuals could create and curate audio content independent of a media house, and distribute it online or in mp3 format.
While podcasts and podcasting have gained global popularity in the last few years, some of the earliest ones trace back to the 80s! Way back when they were described as ‘audioblogging’.
According to the Interwebs, the term ‘podcasting’ was coined by Ben Hammersley, a writer for The Guardian in a 2004 article on the emergence of an ‘audible revolution’. But the advent of podcasting is often credited to Dave Winer, a software developer who helped develop RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and used it for his audio show, Morning Coffee Notes. Ironically, Adam Curry, a former MTV Video Jockey started his show, Daily Source Code, a day after Dave Miner and popularised the art of podcasting, earning him the title ‘Podfather’. So technically Adam was not the first podcaster but the first popular one…oh well! C’est la vie.
September 30, marks international podcast day, a worldwide celebration of the power of podcasts. In this blog I share some of my favourite podcasts, the ones I listen to while brewing tea in the morning, making an elaborate dinner or winding down at the end of a long day. A lot of people are now listening to podcasts on their daily run, during long commutes to work and on an easy Sunday afternoon. If you’re an avid listener like myself, I’m sure you’re always looking for new ones to catch up on.
Just like with movies, books and games, we all have certain genres that we tend to lean more towards. My favourites fall in the Society, Culture and History categories with a sprinkle of Psychology and Philosophy. I’m open to other genres like comedy and so on with the exception of scary stuff. No interest in that at all.
Let’s get to it! Besides my own, ‘Square Pegs Podcast’, here are some of my go-to podcasts at the moment and some that I’ve followed for a long while.
This was essentially the first podcast I listened to regularly, and that was only about 3 years ago. Not my first interaction with podcasts in general but this was when I finally found my niche!
Malcolm Gladwell is one of those journalists with extraordinary storytelling skills, he also has this innate ability to dig into the depths of anything and everything. He introduces you to new perspectives on ideas you would sometimes not consider turning inside out and upside down. As the title goes, revisionist history is a series of episodes where Malcolm reinterprets events, people and ideas ‘overlooked and misunderstood’.
He is beautifully descriptive when he paints a picture of the scenes, past and present, and takes you through his process and thoughts as he explores these pieces from the past. His voice adds texture and intrigue as he lures you into the different worlds he revisits in history.
My favourite is the very first episode of season 1, ‘The Lady Vanishes’. If you listen to the first episode of the ‘F Word Series’ you might understand why! You can find 35 episodes of Revisionist History on YouTube and other platforms. It is currently on it’s fifth season.
2. Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain is available on NPR and easy to play online. The host, Shankar Vedantam, combines storytelling and science while interviewing experts in different fields, to explain human behaviour and patterns. He explores ideas like how people learn and what makes them tick, how environment and nurture play a role in who we become or potentially evolve into.
It is a captivating podcast that I find myself going back to and if you like to binge-listen, there are enough episodes to keep you busy for a long while.
Cautionary Tales is a relatively new podcast series that takes us back to major and minor events in the past, stories of old, and their lessons which we can apply to everyday life.
Tim Hafford does a great narration that feels a little bit like Storytime by the campfire.
A New York Times Podcast hosted by Cheryl Blume, where she speaks with iconic personalities in a conversational style interview. It started around April when lockdown was in full gear in most countries around the world. Some of her most notable guests include Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker and George Sanders.
Cheryl has a very warm and calm voice that makes her guests comfortable enough to share parts of themselves that would likely not come out in your average interview. You feel like a fly on the wall listening to a conversation between friends.
Esther Perel first emerged (for most people) through a Ted Talk, Rethinking Infidelity in which she has a rather controversial take on infidelity. She is a relationship therapist and on this podcast she gives a different couple a therapy session, for an episode each.
It deals with different issues that couples face and in every episode you’ll find something that relates to your own experience or opens you up to other perspectives. If you find therapy expensive, this is the cheapest it can get. It’s absolutely free and well worth your time.
Esther is wise and has a way of illuminating some of our most complex emotions and tendencies making them more digestible. It helps the couple and listeners to look deeper into themselves and see others’ point of view.
6. Small Doses
I first saw Amanda Seales, the creator and host of Small Doses, on a CNN interview about catcalling. It was a debate on a ‘social experiment’ video that went viral. Smart as a whip and with a lashing tongue smoothed over by her sense of humour, she made some strong points against a male guest who seemed to think women should be flattered when catcalled.
An encounter with her (even just on the screen) leaves you intrigued and curious for more of her take on things. She’s bold and takes on controversial, sometimes sensitive subjects like race in America, more specifically, the experience of black people in America. Her popularity soared when she joined the American daytime show ‘The Real’ hosted by four women of colour and was always unabashed in her opinion. This stirred hatred and adoration in equal measure among the fans of the show.
Her podcast Series, Small Doses, is based off a book she wrote by the same title and serves up a healthy dose of humour, intellect, reflections and strong opinions that you’re welcome to agree or disagree with.
Bubbly, fun, smart and multi-talented Marie Forleo would not be left out of the new trend of podcasting. She the kind of person who will not do just one thing, she’ll try everything.
Marie Forleo is an entrepreneur with a background in dance and runs a Business School where she teaches entrepreneurs, young and old, how to navigate the murky waters of entrepreneurship. She believes that everyone has a special gift that they can share with the world and encourages her listeners to be the best they can be at what they do.
Oprah describes her as ‘the thought leader for the next generation’ so you know she’s the real deal!
A few months ago, I was listening to Listen Hunnay with Jeannie Mai where she interviewed Nikki Boyer, the cohost of a new podcast series that peaked my curiosity. I just finished the first season and boy was it a roller coaster ride! There’s much more to it than the title gives away.
Dying for sex is a podcast series on Wondery that follows the colourful sexual encounters of a woman in her 40s reimagining her sexuality after learning she is terminally ill. It’s a wild ride as she grapples with the possibility of an early death due to her metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. The intertwining of two taboo subjects, death and a woman’s sexuality take us on a journey of discovery. Molly’s self discovery and the profound lessons that imminent death can bring.
Share some of your favourite podcasts on the comments section, I’m happy to expand my listening list! Also, remember to let me know what you think of the ones I’ve shared here too 😊
Hindsight’s 2020: Lessons I learnt in my 20s
Having lived through my twenties and now firmly planted in my thirties, I thought I’d share some of the life lessons I learnt.
I recently shared a video on YouTube where I talked about the life lessons I learnt in my 20s. That decade was marked by a lot of unraveling and restructuring. I teethed in one thing and bloomed in another, it seemed as though a surprise was always waiting around the corner. The video was a summary, so figured I’d share the little gems collected along the way in greater detail.
Late last year, after moving to a new apartment, an old friend came to visit and catch up. We hadn’t seen each other in a while, so a lot had happened. For some reason, the conversation drifted off to the challenges she was facing and I shared mine even if in retrospect. We laughed to hysterics because all those Kiswahili language lessons, methali (wise sayings) by the wahenga (sages) finally made sense! Not just logically, but you could relate lived experiences to the existence of these proverbs or sayings.
With that said, this blog will be some kind of walk down memory lane. Back to Kiswahili class with all those cryptic statements we had to remember, quote and decipher in exams. Except this time with hindsight.
No regrets: there’s a lesson in every experience
‘Maji yakimwagika, hayazoleki’ = ‘Don’t cry over spilled milk’
You probably will go through some difficult times, it could be in your personal or professional life. Some of these negative experiences might go on for a long period of time because of the choices you make. To stay or to leave. When you finally choose to leave unhealthy spaces don’t beat yourself up for not doing it sooner. You are almost always doing the best you can with what you have.
No point in regretting your choices when you can use them as lessons for future scenarios. It might seem easier said than done but it’s a more productive attitude. By the time you fully recognise your worth, the lesson sticks.
Changing or evolving is a good thing
You’ve probably heard this statement more times than you can count. But clichés are clichés for a reason. The truth is even in times like this with prolonged periods of staying indoors, it starts to feel like life is not moving as fast as it should. As long as you’re living in awareness and making deliberate choices on a daily basis, you’ll notice that things have been shifting. Each day is a little different from the last.
Many people had plans for 2020 that they had to let go of or postpone. A lot had to change as soon as the World Health Organisation announced that Covid-19 was a global pandemic.
As you grow, you learn new things about yourself, your surroundings and you develop new interests. Change comes in different ways, some of them painful others uncomfortable, but often the results are worth the inconvenience. The more invested you are in adding value to yourself, the more you morph into a better version of yourself. So embrace change and make the most of it!
Learn to have difficult conversations
This lesson was further reinforced for me quite recently. I had collaborated with a friend on a project and though parts of the outcome were excellent, the process grew rather unpleasant. After a long period of complete silence from them and my need to address it. It emerged that there were aspects of my method that they essentially disagreed with. Unfortunately, the radio silence created a feeling of hostility from them and bred annoyance on my part. It got me thinking about how important it is to address an issue as soon as it emerges, not waiting too long. This applies to all interactions with people whether romantic, platonic or professional.
Though some might consider this act confrontational, it’s actually just as harmful if not worse to allow it to fester into something more than it actually is. Quite often, confronting a problem sooner than later creates room for discussion and clarity. It helps to build more understanding and find common ground.
As much as it could cause discomfort, it is smarter to sort things out instead of ignoring them, hoping they will go away. It’s also a way to stand up for yourself and manage expectations.
You become more like your parents!
When I was a teenager you could never have convinced me that I would be having a cup of tea several times a day. That getting home from work to make myself a cuppa would be something I would look forward to. Growing up, my parents often had a cup of chai after dinner, and I thought it was the funniest ‘old people’ thing! Fast forward to me trying different recipes and frequenting my friend’s restaurant just to satisfy a craving for his delicious cardamom tea.
Now you will find an assortment of teabags in my kitchen which are a part of my night-time routine. I stock up on fresh ginger and turmeric to make some satisfying, calming Ayurvedic chai too! Just typing this has my mouth watering. Good thing it’s cold outside. I can cosy up to a nice little cuppa with no guilt whatsoever.
Protect your peace of mind and choose happiness
When you find yourself in spaces or among people who steal your joy, make you second-guess your value as a person, or lose sleep. There is no reason why you should waste your time or energy entertaining that. Toxic people and environments are like a cancer that spreads throughout your system, sometimes slowly and anonymously, other times fast and deadly. By the time you are aware of what is happening you are already suffering mentally, physically or emotionally. There is also the side effect of mirroring the behaviour of those around you, lashing out and fostering negative patterns. To look inward and fix your own imperfections and find healing, you have to get out of situations that tend to bring out the worst in you.
There’s a pattern to the madness
When life seems chaotic and there’s no sense to the things happening to you and around you, it’s often difficult to see beyond that point in time.
When you start a career and feel like you’re not exactly where you hope to be, there are pieces of the puzzle missing that you will find along the way. If you make the most of what you have, the loose ends eventually tie up. Skills and experiences that you think will loose value often come in handy when you least expect it. I encourage everyone in their 20s to grab the opportunities that come your way, because you never know when and in what way the payoff will come. It hardly ever gets wasted and is often worth it in the end.
It’s alright to say no
It’s not just OK to say no, it’s often the kinder thing to do. If someone asks you for something, invites you to a party and you’re not keen…find a polite way to say no. If you truly feel incapable of delivering according to expectation, or you’re simply not interested in a proposal be honest about it. Saying no saves not just your time but that of everyone else involved. It cuts a lot of red tape and makes life easier for everyone. So next time you find yourself bending over backwards, getting overwhelmed or falling into old patterns of saying yes even when you don’t mean it, try saying no and see how much lighter your load will be. Then you can focus your time and energy on things that actually matter to you.
Keep the kid in you alive
We all have that part of us that remains childlike, not to be confused with childish. That innocent, sweet, honest(even to a fault) part of us that hasn’t been tainted by the ‘big bad world’. The part of us that sings in the shower, dances around the house, finds joy in cute little things like ladybirds and pretty flowers unexpectedly popping out of a rugged bush. That innate child in us, I find is where the true depth of happiness, vulnerability and peace reside. Getting older does not mean loosing that colour, curiosity and sense of adventure. I had lost my inner child for a little while and boy did I miss her!
“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire”
Do it afraid
Kupoteza njia ndio kujua njia= Practise makes perfect
Anything you can or would do given the chance is worth a shot. Even if you are scared of failure, or not being as good as others in the same field you have to start. You owe it to yourself to find out if it’s worth your while, and the only way to know for sure is if you give it everything you’ve got. A lot of people who have done notable things in the world started from zero. They had to be beginners, before they became gurus. So be graceful towards yourself, even if you fall flat on your face you’ll be proud of the fact that you tried.
If you choose to pursue something else, there won’t be a nagging question in your mind of ‘what if’. You’ll know that you gave it your best shot and it’s okay to let it go. But there’s a good chance that it will lead to a path far greater than you could have ever imagined and all you had to do was start.
These are some of the lessons I learnt which could shed some light for those who are still trying to figure out this wonderful thing called life. I would be lying if I said that you ever truly figure it all out. But you do get better and you know more as time goes by. 'Kuishi kwingi ni kuona mengi’ (experience comes with age/time)
Share some of the lessons you have learnt so far, be it in your teens, 20s, 30s, 40s and proverbs, sayings or methali that made sense to you as you grew older! Many of these lessons are universal and we all learn them at different points in our lives.
Here’s to growth in the journey called life! 🥂
Most Notable Books in My Library
I list my favourite books so far and what I love about them! You will also get a sneak preview of how I got into reading. Everyone has a few stories about that, and each is unique. Could be that you were introduced to the reading culture by a relative or friend, or it was some sort of escape!
Photo by Aliis Sinisalu on Unsplash
What are you reading during this pandemic season?
I’ve been a sucker for books for as long as I can remember! In fact, I was so obsessed with words when I was younger, I would read anything and everything in sight! Growing up, my dad worked as a lecturer at a Kenyan parastatal. All of our neighbours were colleagues and lived in a huge compound at the edge of Karura forest housing over a hundred homes. We co-existed with monkeys, often peacefully and sometimes not so much. It was a pretty serene and sheltered childhood.
When we got sick, we would go to the dispensary or what my dad often referred to as ‘The Infirmary’. It was either a 15-minute walk or 10-minute drive away from home. At the Infirmary, they stuck little posters on the notice board describing the symptoms of different ailments or chronic illnesses with tips on care or how to prevent them. They also had those basic ones that teach hand hygiene and that sort of thing. While waiting to see the doctor, I would read every single one! It might have fed the mild hypochondriac tendencies I’m sometimes accused of exhibiting.
Since childhood, I was really drawn to fiction and would read most genres except the scary ones. Anything from comic books, to murder mysteries and law fiction novels! I was a huge fan of ‘Nancy Drew’, read all the ‘Sweet Valley’ series and at some point I read all the books I could find by John Grisham. Every Sunday morning I would knock on my parent’s bedroom door for money to go and buy the newspaper. I read the Comic section (including Modesty Blaise which I had absolutely no business reading), and my two favourite features: ‘Surgeons Diary’; and ‘Whispers’ by the late Wahome Mutahi. In a sense, books have raised me, influenced my way of thinking and how I process information. But they were also great to give a little break to those around me as I was a really inquisitive child!
I’ve stayed loving books even though I don’t run through as many as I used to when I was younger. I’d like to think that it’s because I take more time to really immerse myself in the story, and because my library has diversified even more, to include non-fictional books. Quality over quantity, right?
So my fellow book lovers, I thought I’d share some of my all-time favourites. This list is not exhaustive!
My All-Time Favourite Books (so far…)
Reading this memoir was like sitting with Trevor over a cup of tea as he recounts tales of his childhood! It really feels like he’s having a conversation with you, and being the comedian that he is, he gets you bursting out in laughter, even in public places! Embarrassing yourself.
Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I’ve often heard of and even read about the sometimes icy, other times conflicted relations between Africans in America and African Americans. It was even addressed on a scene in the Box Office hit, Black Panther. Different people have their own theories about why the two hardly seem to get along. In this book, Chimamanda explores this and other ways that African Americans and their complexities can be rather perplexing to an African, through the eyes of a character who is bold, intelligent and articulate without seeming condescending.
I hadn’t really enjoyed reading a book in a long time, by the time I got this copy. It was very timely as it spoke of things that I needed to hear at that point! Paulo’s style is reminiscent of old tales that contain mysticism and magic while speaking to human emotion and experience, self-discovery and chasing your dreams! Hardly the kind of book you read once!
3.5 Notable mention: More recently, I read The Prophet’ by Khalil Gibran, and it was a sort of similar experience with lots of lessons on how to navigate this ride called life.
And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini
Khaled has that ancient gift of storytelling that very few people in a lifetime possess. He weaves tales so layered but with such simple beauty that you can’t help but be in awe of his superpower. His particular strength is in building characters you get so attached to, you root for, and are heartbroken when they don’t seem to win. After reading these 3 books, I bet there’s nothing he would write that I will not be utterly enthralled by.
London Cape Town Joburg – Zukiswa Wanner
I did an African Literature class in university and was very fascinated by books about South Africa and Lusophone countries like Angola. Though South Africa had a similar history as far as being colonised by the British (and in their case, the Dutch) the stories, culture and experiences seemed very different from those I was familiar with reading about (mostly East Africa and Anglophone West Africa). This book is a trip through the different cities in a way that lets you explore South Africa and weave the tapestry of its people, culture, and the prints left behind by its colonial history.
Most of us love a good road trip, and if anyone has created that experience in a book, it’s Velma Pollard! This might actually fit at the top of this list for me because I’ve read it about six times already! I was introduced to this gem in high school, it was one of those alternative set books for high school literature class. I have hardly put it down since. It was also how I first read a book by a writer from the Caribbean. Velma Pollard showcases all the different sides of Jamaica through some of my favourite things: people, food, music, culture, language and nature! One of it’s side-effects was that I wanted to learn to speak ‘Patois’. It’s really one of those underrated books that everyone should read at least once!
I’d love to hear about yours too, so please comment below and share why you love the ones you do!
