I've recently been asked by a few people to recommend some great podcasts; vetted podcasts that I could promise would be a healthy balance of entertaining and informative.
Luckily for these people, I am hooked on podacasts...more than TV, and almost as much as books. Nope. Sorry, that's a lie. I spend way more time with podcasts than books because you can cross items off of your To-Do list as you listen.
Which is why I will happily recommend the podcasts I'm currently hooked on, but cannot-and will not-promise that you will love them as much as I do. Though, I'm fairly confident that there's at least one for each of you in the following list.
I'd also like to send out this request: What podcasts make YOU crazy?
What audio content hooks you for hours on end as these do to me?
Which programs cause you to stay in your car 5 extra minutes or to run an extra mile, or to--why not?--go ahead and dust those baseboards--because some genious out there had collected some addicting content? I want to know! I have room for more!!
I encourage you to do some digging into the following programs, and learn about what pours out of my earbuds and into my brain all week. Hopefully you'll find a new companion for your time spent running, walking, biking, driving, cooking, and cleaning.
This week--like all other weeks--I'll be anxiously awaiting those tiny red notifaction badges alerting me to a new epodode that will teach me something new, entertain me, or just open my mind to a new perspective on the world.
Savage Lovecast
TIPS: This is an audio advice column. It's often raunchy and many times touching. Dan starts every show ranting about the latest political topic related to LGBT rights. He is opinionated and extremely passionate about the issues he believes in, but he treats his callers with such unbiased fairness, you have to love him.
Recommended Episode: I can't recommend any one episode because you never know what kinds of questions will be aired. He's just a great person to listen to. After listening to him for so long (5 years for me now), I like to try and guess what his advise will be to callers. I'm getting pretty good.
TIPS: They promise to reveal "the hidden side of everything". Economics, sociology, politics, technology, entertainment, etc. Some epidodes are long and some are as short as 4 minutes. You'll have to read the topic and description before deciding to listen. If you like what they have to offer, I highly recommend listening to their first book. It's how I learned about these guys in the first place. I listened to their book about 9 years ago. It's fab.
Recommended Episode: Do More Expensive Wines Taste Better?
This American Life
TIPS: This is one of the most well-known, popular podcasts out there. If you've listened to NPR a day in your life you've at least heard of this one. Like Freakonomics, their topics are a widespread as the equator, only in this one the host, Ira Glass, hunts down real American people and interviews them as a way to illustrate these issues in a way that will make sense to us. These epidoes are consistently an hour, so they're perfect for weekend runs or long commutes.
Recommended Episodes: Bad Baby, Regrets, I've Had a Few, Need to Know Basis, It Says So Right Here.
TIPS: This one is my favorite; though, if you already know and love This American Life, you'll like this one, as they're very similar. Further, if you like the format and endless topics available, you MUST make time to watch the full talks online.]
Recommended Episodes: Memory Games, What is Original?, Making Mistakes, and Simply Happy
Nutrition Diva
TIPS: Short, sweet, and to the point. If you're new to the podcast and catching up on archives, it's great to listen to a string of them when you're getting ready in the morning or in the kitchen making a meal.
Recommended Episode: Can't really say here. It just depends on what you want to learn about. For example, I shared info from the show entitled, Why Leftover Pasta is Good For You with our dad because he eats leftover pasta every night for dinner. Also, since there are a lot of scientific words backing her research, I've been known to repeat episodes just to make sure I'm not misinforming people I talk to. It's all about what applies to your own habits and nurition goals.
TIPS: See tips on Nutrition Diva. Same home website, same concept. If you love lists (as we do) then you'll love all programs on QDT (Quick & Dirty Tips) because they're just that: quick and dirty.
Recommended Episode: Psychology interests me to no end because of my day job, so all episodes on this series appeal to me. Just browse the titles and see what stands out!
Invisibilia
TIPS: Oh. My. God. This podcast is AMAZING!!! It ranks a very close second to TED on my list. Season 1 was way too short. I am on pins and needles waiting for Season 2. I snagged a few descriptive lines from the creators themselves: "Invisibilia (Latin for all the invisible things) is about the invisible forces that control human behavior--ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions...Invisibilia interweaves narrative storytelling with scientific research that will ultimately make you see your own life differently". MUCH like This American Life, only all episodes ride on the theme of human behavior.
Recommended Episode: See recs from Savvy Psychologist and accept that this all interests me immensely. Though, I can't say enough about the debut episode, The Secret History of Thoughts. I've listened to it three times now. No joke. Go, download it. Right now. Go on.
Serial
TIPS: This one plays like an audio book. If you're unsure about the whole podcast format but love a gripping story line, start with this one. The creators take true stories and spread out the narration of the research and interviews aimed at finding the truth. (You can also listen to "The Alibi" on This American Life for a preivew of Serial. This is where the series took root).
Recommended Episode: Can't. It's a series. One episode feeds into the next. In reality, this is one program that took a break every week. Listen to it.
Happy listening, friends! I promise, as long as you have electricity and the Internet, you'll never be bored again!!
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