Podcasts Worth Listening To!
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 😊