Listening and Learning

A podcast listening guide

Quarantine has given me ample excuses to check out new podcasts. While applying to jobs, creating content, journaling or just cozying up on the couch, I assure you I am listening to a podcast that I love. I created a listening guide which I hope to update every few months or seasons. I have added Spotify links to my favorite episodes or most recent for each podcast as well, so you can all get a taste of what I am talking about. So grab your morning cup of coffee or evening tea and listen along with me. Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite podcasts so I can extend my playlist.

News, Information, Worldwide view

The Daily- I enjoy the format of this podcast immensely. Focusing on one story and really diving into interviews and facts, I find it easier for my mind to focus on the information at hand. Although I can often hear the bias in the reporters' questions and responses, I enjoy listening to the 20-25 minute in depth look into a story that I typically do not know much about. The interviews sound raw and often there are many voices in an episode so listeners are able to hear multiple perspectives and opinions. Often, I feel like I am in conversation with the reporters and guests.

Up First- Similarly, this podcast is a great way to start your morning. The episodes are quick, typically lasting 10-15 minutes with a look into the world's biggest news stories. NPR is notorious in being fact based, but I would say that they do a great job in making the stories accessible and comprehensible. The format is similar to a news cast, and the anchors sound professional and knowledgeable and add interviews to back up the stories.

BBC Minute- If you are looking for a very quick glimpse into what is happening in the world….. You’ve come to the right place. I have been a big fan of BBC daily news ever since my high school journalism classes. We often compared American news / entertainment coverage to BBC and found that there is often not a look into what is going on outside of America, in coverage from CNN, NBC or Fox. BBC gives you a quick one minute rundown of the top worldwide news stories. This is a great podcast to listen to daily if you are looking for a story or want to do more research in what is happening in other countries.

Solvable- Listen to creative minds and innovative thinkers share their proposals and solutions to some of the worlds largest issues. I find that this podcast always leaves me pondering my own solutions to internal struggles or tangible issues I have been facing. This thought provoking podcast is hosted by journalists including Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg who really put worldly issues into perspective. It is almost hopeful to listen to as you can come to consider that most of our issues are indeed solvable.

Feel Good and Mental Health

Jen Gotch is OK… Sometimes- Jen Gotch, co-founder of L.A lifestyle brand “Ban.do.”, describes her struggles and progress through mental health. Listening to this series connected some of my own internal struggles to hers, and helped me navigate how I was feeling at the time. She truly makes you smile with her anecdotes and songs from her bed while editing. I also highly recommend reading her book, “The Upside of Being Down”.

Modern Love- Modern Love has been a column in the NYT for 16 years. This podcast shares love stories of cute and complicated real relationships. It is definitely an easy listening podcast and often makes me smile. Before the pandemic, this was my favorite podcast to download before long train rides or flights. It has an uplifting feel and always made me hopeful in terms of humanity.

Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris- The first episode is with the Dalai Lama…… yea so that’s cool. This podcast focuses on the importance of meditation in productivity, creativity, social anxiety and relationships. It has reminded me that I should be meditating when I feel overwhelmed and stressed or when I am calm and creative. Generally I find myself listening to this when I want to learn yet also when I want to be inspired.

Entertainment

The Moth- Storytelling is so important to me. I think that is why I wanted to study journalism and find my niche in the communications field. There is something so raw in individuals opening up and telling their true stories. You can hear the pain, the happiness, the guilt, the excitement and feel for them through their anecdotal sessions. I have been a fan of The Moth for many years now, especially when traveling. It is calming to sit your head back and listen to real humans being their authentic selves. I would say keep tissues on hand if you are listening, just to be safe.

Up and Vanished- If you know, you know. I have gotten so many of my friends into this series, and I will continue to do so. I have listened to every episode and every season. Payne Lindsey takes you to Colorado and Georgia with a thrilling and realistic look into missing persons cold cases. There is something so haunting about murder cases or kidnapping stories, and Lindsey truly seems to be seeking the truth of the unknown. I often felt frustrated when I had to attend to my real life responsibilities instead of listening all day because the stories themselves and the humans he interacts with are so interesting. This podcast keeps you guessing through and through. I do not recommend listening if you are easily scared or if you are walking alone in the dark.

Atlanta Monster- Bone chilling, confusing and terrifying. This true crime podcast delves into the story of the Atlanta child murders. Payne Lindsey is the journalist and voice of this podcast as well, and I really enjoy listening to his interviews. He is informed and asking the right questions, but he truly sounds like a normal person. He doesn't have the sort of reporter rhetoric that often sounds too "know it all." He seeks the truth behind the disappearance and murder of at least 28 African American children and young adults in Atlanta. This podcast is truly investigative journalism and gives perspective to racial tension, discrimination and indifference in Atlanta between 1979-1981 and depicts the fear that many children and families faced as the sun went down.

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah- Laughter is truly a universal language. I am so glad that I am able to continue to support this clever mind through listening to his satirical news coverage. I am a huge fan of satire and I truly think there is a unique skill to taking facts and current information and swinging it in a way to make citizens aware yet also chuckle through the circumstances.

Feel free to leave me podcast suggestions, and happy listening!