I’m a big fan of background noise and almost always have TV or music on when I’m at home, and a podcast in my ear when I’m out and about.
My habit used to be to pop on morning TV while I had my coffee (with full awareness that shows like Sunrise are neither informative nor quality). But late last year I realised just how trash most of our ‘news’ programming has become, and recognised that morning TV usually left me angry, miserable, or overwhelmed. To to go! But I needed something to replace it. So I turned to my podcasting app and started browsing.
These days, my mornings go something like: a big glass of water, make coffee, and pop on a podcast while I sit quietly and listen – often with a cat on my lap 😀
I have heaps of business podcasts on regular rotation, but for this morning moment, I wanted something different. So today I wanted to share 5 podcasts I found and spent a lot of summer binging.
smartless
Actors Sean Hayes, Will Arnett, and Jason Bateman, host this podcast where each week they chat to a celebrity guest. These guys are funny, interesting, and clearly great friends that often poke fun at and riff off each other – plus they get great guests! I love interview-based podcasts that let you learn more about public figures, so this one was an immediate hit for me.
Listen here.
maintenance phase
The tagline for this podcast is ‘wellness and weight loss, debunked and decoded’ and it delivers! Each episode they tackle wellness trends, common weight myths, or fad diets and look at both social factors and deep dive into research about their chosen topic. I’ve learned a lot listening to this podcast and love the hosts’ snark. The Pete Evans episodes were a mind-bending trip down memory lane…!
Listen here.
if books could kill
This one came to me via the trending section of my podcast app, and the premise is looking at what they call “the dumb books that captured our collective imagination.” So far they’ve done episodes on The Secret, Freakonomics, and Outliers, and they examine the claims these books make and the research (or lack thereof) backing them up, or how the authors have cherry picked and manipulated data to suit their narrative. For someone who tends to just accept people and information at face value, it’s teaching me to think more critically and look beyond what’s being presented.
Listen here.
conan o’brien needs a friend
It’s no surprise that this podcast is pure silliness! Conan and his colleagues Sona and Matt interview celebrities and public figures, and they are hilarious. Like Smartless, I love the conversational interview style of this podcast that lets me get to know more about people I’ve only seen on screen, and Conan’s quick with is on full, entertaining display. Look for the Paul Rudd episodes for some complete nonsense, and I loved the episode with Bryan Cranston too.
Listen here.
mamamia out loud
From the team behind women’s media company Mamamia, this podcast is 3 friends chatting about what’s going on in the world. Given that I tend to actively avoid news these days, this podcast is a good way to keep in touch with what people are talking about, and hear what 3 intelligent, articulate, interesting women have to say about it.
Listen here.
honourable mentions
There were also a bunch of podcasts I dipped in and out of, and will probably go back to from time to time. Particular standouts were:
- A Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard. Whenever I’ve heard Julia speak post-Prime Ministership I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, so when I found out she had her own podcast I had to tune in. I listened to the episodes with Hannah Gadsby, and Gloria Steinam and, while Julia’s delivery was occasionally stilted, her insights and humour are top notch. Listen here.
- Armchair Expert with Anna Kendrick. I’ve been a huge fan of Armchair Expert for a long time, although since they went exclusive to Spotify I don’t listen as much because I don’t particularly like Spotify for podcasting. I’m SO glad I looked back to it for this episode with Anna Kendrick though. It’s a candid and sometimes raw conversation about her experience in an emotionally abusive relationship, so take care if that’s a rough topic for you. The way it snuck up on her, how she felt, and the lasting impacts was something I could relate to, and I’m sure so many others will too. Listen here.
- You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes. This is another one I’ve been a long-time fan of – it’s long-form and has a grounding in personal development and spirituality. Pete is sometimes dominating, but I love the way he explains different ideas and is willing to jam with his guest on a whole range of topics. Listen here.
- Office Ladies. This one’s a TV-rewatch podcast, where US The Office stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey take us through each episode and share their stories, memories and insights from filming the show. I’m not as addicted as I was to the Gilmore Guys podcast, but Jenna and Angela are both so sweet (and I love The Office) it’s like a hug for your ears. Listen here.
Tell me, what are your favourite podcasts? Have you listened to any of these?
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