I’ve gotten a lot more into listening to podcasts when walking to work or class instead of listening to music. It feels more productive and usually helps me get in the productive headspace for class and homework. It’s overwhelming to get into podcasts and find ones you like. So I thought I’d give you a few that I enjoy to help you get over that initial feeling of “I have no idea where to start”. If you listen to a podcast and can’t get interested or stay focused on it, pause it and try another one. There will be some out there that you find yourself really interested in and not all podcasts will keep your focus.
Noisemakers
Noisemakers is one of my favorite podcasts I’ve listened to. It’s two women discussing various ways people (but women especially) are discriminated against in the workplace. Each episode they interview a guest that shares a personal story relating to the theme of the episode. These stories are surprising, eye opening, and really make me consider what privileges and disadvantages I have in the workplace. This is a really great one to listen to if you’re curious about understanding the world from other perspectives and interested in social change. There are 6 installments of this roughly 30 minute-per-episode podcast.
Inside Trader Joe’s
Inside Trader Joe’s is hard to explain and even harder to convince people to spend their time listening. Two members of their management team lead this podcast, talking about different aspects of the business from how they come up with new products to the tasting panels that decide what goes into stores. This one is lightweight and will have you bingeing on both this podcast and Trader Joe’s food. Listen to this one if you love Trader Joe’s or want to see what the hype is about, I guarantee it will convert you. It’s a light, easy listen and will definitely make you hungry because everything sounds so good.
Listen Louder
Listen Louder is all about mental health with special guests discussing their experiences and answering questions. Listening to this podcast and all these discussions about mental health have not only made me more comfortable discussing mental health but have taught me how to actually listen to someone telling me about their experiences. From the way that the host reacts and responds to her guests, it’s helped me get an example of the way mental health should be talked about between friends and family in a way that shows no judgement and is supportive. Listen to this one if you or someone close to you has struggled with mental health and you’re looking for more information.
Almost 30
Almost 30 is one that I listen to on a nearly daily basis. It’s an amazing podcast about wellness with fascinating guests that never fail to have me thinking about the topic for days after. Almost 30 is light, fun, and fact-packed to help you on your journey to wellness whether you started today or years ago. It’s approachable for those that are new to these topics but keep it interesting if you’re more well versed. I cannot recommend this one enough.
Start Here
ABC News’ Start Here is the first thing I do every single morning. I wake up, drink some water and begin Start Here. This one is about 20 minutes, 5 days a week. Start Here keeps me up to speed on everything important happening each day. I think podcasts have the potential to make keeping up with the news much more approachable to people. I don’t have a car radio to listen on a commute every morning or cable to watch at night so for me, having it on my phone and ready to listen to whenever I have time is ideal. Usually I listen while I’m getting ready for the day and it makes me feel productive and ready.
It took me so long to set aside time to really diving into podcasts. There are so many being created every day that it can get overwhelming to even know where to start. Think about topics you love to discuss. Whether it’s health, psychology, comedy, food, or anything else, there’s podcasts out there for you.