I always tell my mom that podcasts just don’t work for me. I can’t help but feel frustrated as podcast hosts talk slowly, building up this unbearable tension as they share a riveting story and then, all of the sudden BAM! An ad interrupts that seamless flow of thoughts and my good mood is gone. It probably doesn’t help that I’m an extremely fast reader and, as a result, would rather read the script for a podcast rather than wait for a complete stranger with a soothing, sleep-enticing voice to read it. The other day, however, as I was walking my dog, I found myself tired of the same meaningless tunes I listen to whenever I put my headphones in. And thus, I began my journey into the world of podcasts. These are just a handful of the podcasts, both old and current, which I’ve obsessively listened to during these past few weeks...

1. Invisibilia

I just started this podcast yesterday as I was walking my dog and it was actually my source of inspiration to write this article. This podcast analyzes the different factors involved with shaping human behavior, the recent episodes highlighting the role of emotion in our actions. It’s incredible to listen to the hosts, Lulu Miller, Hanna Rosin and Alix Spiegel, weave neuroscience, psychology, moving stories, and the law together into the powerful force that is Invisibilia.

2. This I Believe

An oldie but a goodie just the same. Although this podcast ended in 2009, NPR’s This I Believe highlights the poignant stories of average people sharing the values that have shaped their lives. The power of listening, the importance of diversity, why we need to observe the world around us in order to be true writers. My mother shared these podcasts with me when I was just a child and I still remember being shaped by stories I barely understood at the time. What I particularly enjoy about this podcast (which ended much too early) is that the readers, rather than preaching about values we all know are important to live by, actually share their beliefs by revealing the intimate details of their lives. A life - changing diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, the feeling you get when you learn to forgive a man who was charged with your rape but was later proved innocent - this podcast brings all those dimensions of experience to life.

3. Call Your Girlfriend

If you don’t have a best friend to talk with about feminism, capitalism, sexism, and all the other ‘-isms’, this is just the podcast for you. One of my favorite themes for the podcasts and books I’m enjoying this summer revolves around women who are normalizing discussions about our bodies - period talk is not something that needs to be whispered about and the dialogue between Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman validates this notion. The show also features extremely powerful female role models including Huma Abedin. If you love hearing about things which everyone knows are true but no one wants to say aloud, you’ve just found the perfect podcast.

4. Stuff You Should Know

How does the gender pay gap work? Can you really die of a broken heart? How does revisionist history work? Should advertising to kids be banned? Clearly, some serious topics are discussed here. You might think the answers are simple and that it’s unnecessary to have a 45 minute podcast to discuss the gender pay gap (especially when you’re a witness to and victim of this injustice). But do you know how exactly the wage gap is calculated? The data used and the statistics involved? Stuff You Should Know gives you all the little details you really ought to know to be truly informed on these topics.

5. The Moth

I just can’t stop listening to stories lately - stories about a survivor of war, a first love, a life changed by a stranger. In this world of facts and alternative facts, of science and pseudoscience, stories stand out as evidence which no one can really claim as false. The Moth shares these stories from across the globe, featuring unsung heroes like a Vietnamese woman who started a nail salon following the torture she and her family experienced during the reign of Pol Pot. The stories are also rooted in places closer to home, like the story of an African-American woman from Alabama who cast her vote in the 2008 presidential elections with a renewed understanding of what it means to be a black citizen in this country - and her recollection of finding out, the next day, that Barack Obama had become president.