The time has come to release my top 25 podcasts. These podcasts will transport you into other worlds, make you cry, laugh, scream, long for love, and allow you to connect with your inner self. Plug in and feast upon endless hours of inspiration. Subscribe to these podcasts to get weekly/monthly episodes straight to your phone.
Do you desire to take yourself out of your surroundings and dive into another world -- Into another story other than your own? Do you want to explore the existence of someone else? Then dive into these storytelling podcasts.
Snap Judgement
A weekly NPR storytelling podcast hosted by Glynn Washington. Each week they tell a story, but unlike some other storytelling podcasts out there - these are performance pieces. If you were a drama kid in high school or you simply want a podcast to bring tears to your eyes, this podcast is for you.
Dear Sugar Radio
"Radically empathic advice from Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond" Each week the duo reads letters from listeners and gives advice. Plain and simple. The topics range anywhere from heart wrenching tales of abusive relationships to passionate love triangles.
Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People
1 phone call. 1 hour. No names. No holds barred. Hosted by Comedian Chris Gethard. This is a podcast for the voyeuristic. You do not know who the caller is, where they are from, or what they look like. Note: Some of the episodes are male-centric and can be intense at times.
Death, Sex, and Money
Episodes tackle topics that all of us experience, but rarely talk about in the typical conversation. It is well produced, very interesting, and extremely captivating. Topics range from heroin addiction, conversion therapy, debt and deportation, death, and secrets.
Modern Love
Feeling squishy, juicy, and full of love? Then this is for you. A popular column in the New York Times goes live. Notable figures read essays about tales of love, loss, and redemption.
Coupla Questions
Another fuzzy love podcast for RomCom fans. Radical couple Dannielle & Claire "take you on a journey of the heart as they interview their favorite couples about how they fell in love and stayed in love."
The Heart
When I first found this podcast, I listened through it's entirety in a day - along with their backlogged episodes when they were called Audio Smut. It is an audio art project and podcast about intimacy and humanity. The layers of sound and story in each episode are impactful. It grabs your heart and twists your organs with inspiration. It is dark, deep, and introspective.
The Truth
Movies for your ears. Each episode tells a story with sound. Some are funny, some are dark, all are intriguing. They recently launched a new side project called Songonauts about an indie-pop band that gets transported through time with a drum machine - how cute & playful!
This American Life
One of the most well known podcasts out there - each week this podcast reports on one topic in three parts about the odd, weird, playful, tragic, and amazing aspects of living in America.
Millennial
I recently stumbled across this relatively new podcast (mentioned it in a previous article) and immediately fell in love. It is a refreshingly youthful, creative, sweet, painfully familiar autobiography of a recently graduated millennial. We follow her as she navigates unemployment, self-worth, and identity. Each episode hits home on topics ranging from job security, traveling, stagnation, disappointment, and our ideas of success as a millennial. I highly recommend this podcast for anyone going through major life changes.
Confront yourself, and laugh about it! These podcasts will make you laugh, cry, cringe, and want to change how to interact with the world.
Code Switch
Race and identity, remixed. They are a team of journalists "fascinated by the overlapping themes of race, ethnicity and culture, how they play out in our lives and communities, and how all of this is shifting." Captivating, informative, interesting, and well-produced. Thanks again, NPR!
2 Dope Queens
This podcast will make you LOL - it is a hilarious conversation between two friends and comedians Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams that will make your coworkers head cock to the left as you cackle out loud every two minutes. They bring on some of their favorite comedians to tell you "stories about sex, romance, race, hair journeys, living in New York, and Billy Joel. Plus a whole bunch of other s**t."
Popaganda/BackTalk
A local Portland, OR publication for your empowering, self-explorative ears. "We publish a new feminist podcast episode every week. Our hour-long show Popaganda digs deep on movies, books, TV, and media while Backtalk is a snappy conversation between two Bitch editors about the week’s pop culture."
Need something other than NPR to listen to at work? Do you long to learn but do not have time to read before bed? Check out these podcasts and fill your brain with useful information.
No One Knows Anything
A politics podcast from BuzzFeed News where they challenge common knowledge and conventional wisdom about politics.
Transistor
A science podcast. Each episode explores an interesting topic and tackles the science behind it. It's enjoyable, fascinating, and ties science into the complexity of human emotion and experience (rather than keep the two separate). Spirituality, science, and human behavior all wrapped into one podcast.
Note to Self
One of my favorite podcasts. Manoush Zomorodi opens a door to her world, as she explores what it is to be a human in a world ruled by technology. "Is your phone watching you? Can wexting make you smarter? Are your kids real? These and other essential quandaries for anyone trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age. Join host Manoush Zomorodi for your weekly reminder to question everything." Make information overload disappear here.
Hidden Brain
Host Shankar Vedantam's soothing voice will draw you in as you explore "unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, the biases that shape our choices, and the triggers that direct the course of our relationships." Another masterpiece from NPR.
Planet Money
Economics explained through stories. NPR has done it again by creating an accessible, interesting, informative, and diverse podcast on one of our least favorite topics.
Invisibilia
On June 17th they are back for Season 2! This is a podcast about the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions. Each week co-hosts by Lulu Miller, Hanna Rosin and Alix Spiegel tie story telling, narration, science, and mystery into one unique episode.
99% Invisible
Oh, the smooth, sultry, calming voice of Roman Mars. This was my first podcast and this podcast broke me. "99% Invisible is about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world." With 80 million downloads, 99% Invisible is one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes.
I have had a hard time finding podcasts about food that are not male dominated. I finally stumbled across these two podcasts that I enjoy and find captivating, informative, and playful.
Gravy
The Southern Foodways Alliance documents, studies, and explores the diverse food cultures of the changing American South and they developed this podcast. It's academic, insightful, interesting, and calming. It will make you want to move to the south, heat up the BBQ, and grill some fish in the hot summer sun while fanning yourself with a handful of ice cold lemonade.
The Sporkful
It's not for foodies, it's for eaters. Dan Pashman does a good job tackling the tough, the sweet, and the raw side of being in love with food. "Episodes range from a parody of the hit podcast Serial in which Dan investigates a series of office fridge food thefts to a feature on Asian-Americans in the food world who are defying stereotypes to a debate over the definition of a sandwich to a comedian's struggle with his autistic son's eating issues."
