I love podcasts! I mostly listen when I am doing tasks that don’t require a ton of thinking, like folding laundry or editing photos. The summer months present even more time to listen though because sometimes we end up on long car drives or waiting in airports. Trey and I even listened to one of our favorite (comedy) podcasts while we were sitting on the beach on our anniversary trip recently. In case any of you are looking for more podcasts to listen to in the coming months, I figured I’d share some of my favorites.
Also, I have to mention, in case any of you are thinking about starting your own podcast you should check out our latest e-course, Launch a Podcast. It’s super in-depth and taught by three awesome and experienced teachers. I can’t wait to add some of our students’ podcasts to my rotation someday. 🙂
Full disclosure: I am extremely random in the podcasts I like. Or, I guess I should say, it’s not all one genre. So I’ve divided them up into a few categories so hopefully you can find something that suits your tastes from my list. Also I’d love to hear in the comments any podcast recommendations you all want to share, too!
Comedy/CasualÂ
These are podcasts I listen to when I’m wanting something light and friendly. I would consider these the “beach reads” out of the podcasts I turn to most often. 🙂
Trey turned me on to this podcast a few years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. This is probably the podcast we listen to together the most (like on road trips) and we even went to see a live taping (recording?) when we were in LA last year. The gist is it’s three comedians plus guests who watch a bad movie and then talk about it. It’s hilarious! Obviously, it’s better if it’s a movie you’ve seen before, but I’ve even listened to episodes about movies I hadn’t seen and loved it.
Honestly, this show probably has the best celebrity interviews of any show/podcast that I know of. Maron is just really good at interviewing people and he’s had LOTS of famous actors, musicians, and even politicians on his show over the years.
Young House Love Has a Podcast
John and Sherry are also two of the teachers from Launch a Podcast, and not surprisingly, they have a podcast that I love. It is mostly focused on home stuff (design, renovation, etc.) but it’s also kind of about lots of random things too, like books they’ve read, or what shorts Sherry bought for the summer. 🙂 To me, this is one of those podcasts that feels like I’m just listening in on my friends. It’s totally lovable.
Shailey and Katie’s Lemonade Stand
This is another podcast that talks about a lot of different topics like design, photography, social media, small business, organizing stuff, etc. And it also feels like just listening to two friends chat. I love it! Some of my favorite episodes include #64 Triangle of Productivity (of course I would like that one, right?) and also a lazy girls guide to Whole 30 and getting fit, which is episode #71. And just last week Elsie was on an episode talking about adoption and how it has changed her life (It’s a good one! Go listen!).
Business/Career
I love a podcast that either pumps me up to work hard in my career or gives me more ideas of things I could try in my particular business. Here are a few of my favorite podcasts that do just that.
I love Pat Flynn and his podcast has taught me a lot about online business over the years. Highly recommend to anyone who makes their living online or really any small business owner.
Sophia Amoruso’s book, Girl Boss, was super inspiring and her podcast is no different. Lots of interesting interviews with very successful women.
Jenna’s podcast is fun and uplifting but also very informative for any business lady out there. Lots of different topics as she is both an online business person as well as a photographer.
I have a special connection with Elise. I have no idea if she would agree (ha) but I just LOVE her podcast and following her on IG. She’s a goal-orientated creative gal who doesn’t pretend that every project turns out perfect. She’s real. She’s consistent. I find her to be super inspiring. She’s currently writing a book about goal-setting and you better believe I’ll be hopping on that waitlist as soon as I see her post about it. 🙂
I read WAY too many food blogs. But that’s probably not a surprise to any of you. I have always loved Pinch of Yum and their membership site, Food Blogger Pro, has a podcast hosted by Bjork and it’s super helpful! If you’re a blogger of any kind (you don’t have to be a food blogger), I highly recommend you check out this podcast. My husband was on an episode recently too, talking about apps.
Happiness/Self-Help
I actually don’t have a ton of recommendations in this arena, which is maybe surprising? I think I tend to listen to more audiobooks that fall in this category, so I don’t listen to as many podcasts. But I do have one I really love.
This podcast is put together by a group of awesome women who also host events in my hometown (Springfield, Missouri). The episodes cover lots of different topics, so feel free to pick and choose the ones that jump out to you. For anyone else out there who is married or in a relationship, I highly recommend episode #407, Healthy Relationships. I found the advice to be super helpful!
News/Politics
I’ll admit, I’m not great at keeping up with the news. Mainly I just listen to NPR while I’m driving. And I don’t listen to a ton of news/politics-related podcasts, but I do have a few I love.
This show is from NPR and really interesting. Usually it’s more of deep dive into a topic that is somewhat current. The most recent season just ended and it was all about the coal industry here in the United States, which I knew very little about, so I liked learning about that. But all the seasons are worth listening to.
This one is definitely a mix of news and politics. The show is hosted by four former Obama aides. It’s not overly formal like other journalism podcasts; it feels more like a conversation between friends. But I always learn something I didn’t know before. Plus, they have some super inspiring guests on the show in past episodes too. I will say though this is one podcast that is mostly talking about current events, so it’s not as valuable to go back and listen to past episodes.
This isn’t technically news or politics, but I love Malcom Gladwell and his podcast is very informational in nature (like his books), so I wanted to mention it anyway. I love most of the episodes, but if you’re looking for one to start with, try Season 2 Episode 9 – McDonald’s Broke My Heart.
Crime/MysteryÂ
Yes, I am one of those people that loves crime and mystery podcasts (and books!). I do kind of consider these entertainment podcasts (meaning I’m not looking to learn or better myself by listening), but some of the ones I listen to also end up being kind of educational, too. For example, I got into True Crime podcasts when I first listened to the first season of Serial (along with the rest of the country, it seemed), and before that I really had never thought about the possibility of wrongful convictions or really thought about the justice system in that way before.
I started listening to this podcast after the first season of Serial as they also covered the same case because one of the hosts has a personal connection. Since then, they have investigated a lot of different possible wrongful convictions. It’s a super interesting show, although sad and frustrating at times. All of the hosts are also lawyers so it is also very informative and has that perspective.
The host of this podcast has my all-time favorite voice, right up there with Terry Gross. Other than that, this one is mostly fun and features a pretty random assortment of stories, all of which center around some kind of criminal activity; there’s modern day serial killers, runaway slaves, and even an episode on sharks.
This one can be quite spooky, I think of it as the podcast of ghost stories (although not every episodes is about ghosts). Don’t listen to this one when you’re home alone at night.
What are you listening to? xo. Emma
49 Comments
Thank you for the list of podcast suggestions! I don’t usually listen to podcasts, so I’m still looking for that hidden gem that will draw me into the world of them. Will give these a go! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
This is awesome! I just started listening to Revisionists History recently and have really been enjoying it. I recently shared some of my favorite podcasts on my own blog and one of my current favorites is Wonderful! It’s a really fun, easy listen about the wonderful things in life. Music, games, food, poems – they cover all the good stuff. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I’ll have to give that one a listen.
I love listening to podcasts but I haven’t heard of a lot of these on this list. I will have to check some these one out!
I’ve never listened to a podcast. I’ve kinda sorta listened to one from the website? But I’m clueless as to how you download to it and listen to one on your phone? I don’t think I’m that technologically ignorant, but in this case I am. Help?
Ha. I still listen to them directly from a website sometimes. There’s no wrong way. But also, if you are an iPhone user there is a Podcasts app (it’s purple and I believe comes on the phone already?) that you can use to subscribe to shows you want so that it just loads the episodes in for you and you’re ready to go when you have time to listen.
You can listen through the websites. You can also subscribe to podcasts on Google Play Music if you’re Android or iTunes. I’m not an Apple user, but Emma probably knows what she’s talking about. Spotify also has podcasts, but it has a limited selection, so podcasts you’re interested in may not show up. There’s also podcast apps that you can download. Sorry this was long, but I hope it helps.
Thanks Emma and Serena!
You can listen through websites. You can also subscribe to podcasts on iTunes or Google Play Music. Spotify has podcasts, too, but it’s a limited selection, so you may not find what you’re looking for. There’s also apps you can download. There might be some trial and error before you find one that’s right for you. If you decide to try an app, I suggest doing some researching on the best podcast apps. I really like PocketCasts for Android.
Thanks for this! I just started getting into listening to some podcasts so this was great to add some more to the list to try out.
I loved listening to Crimetown, I hope they come back with another town and another story. Gimlet has some other really great podcasts that I’ve enjoyed.
You have to listen to 99% Invisible, it’s amazing. The Sporkful is a fun foodie podcast that I enjoy listening to.
Yes, I like Crimetown. I think it was one of those that I listened to for a while but for whatever reason I didn’t get hooked. Who knows why, it was good.
I haven’t listened to 99% Invisible yet but I had another friend recommend it so now I’ll have to!
I love listening to Ear Hustle and The Daily (NYTimes)
My girlfriend and I play old episodes of Criminal to fall asleep to every night! Phoebe’s voice is so soothing, even when the actual words are horrifying, haha.
I’m a huge podcast fan so am always looking for new ones , so thanks! I love radiolab, how I built this, this American life to name a few. And I am forever missing the joy the baker podcast ????.
I’ve been wanting to get more into podcasts!! These all sound so wonderful… Girl Boss Radio sounds right up my alley ???? Can’t wait to give it a listen. Thanks for this awesome list!
xo,
@amyshamblen
Thank you for sharing your favourite podcasts. I think I’m gonna give Pod save America a second chance.
I recently discovered ‘Sound matters’ made by Tim Hinman. If you are fascinated by sound, this is really for you! Hopefully it’s also for you even though you don’t usually think about sounds at all ;-). What does sound do to the body when you’re working out? What does the big bang sound like? Or the Antarctic? Or a song made with sounds from outer space? How do you have a concert where your co-musicians are dogs? This has become one of my favourite podcasts this far. It’s one of those that really deserve sitting down with good headphones and full attention, though.
Late night hellos from Norway
Thanks for this fabulous list! I’m so excited to check out all those crafty podcasts! I love making things but never thought to seek out podcasts on the subject.
I actually make a podcast with my husband, we are both yoga teachers and we speak to lots of inspiring movers, teachers and thinkers about how they find their flow and share it with the world. We also ask lots of questions that would be relevant to anyone starting up a small business like navigating social media, staying inspired and self care.
Jo xo
I never listen to podcasts because I don’t commute and I do workout videos. When I walk I’m either on the phone or with my husband. I’m carving out me time to start listening to them. I love Goal Digger though, that’s the only one I listen to, like once a week haha!
http://www.holycitylife.com
Have you tried My Favorite Murder? I’m not really a true crime person (or didn’t think I was) but my friend hooked me on it and I’ve been binge listening for at least a month now.
I am insanely addicted to MFM… is that wrong?! lol. It is great though. I love the banter between the two ladies. SO good.
Yeeees! I can’t find anyone in my area who is a murderino, but I am ALL ABOUT this podcast. A couple of ‘copy cat’ podcasts have popped up, but I really can’t get into them.
I’m a huge podcast fan. I’ve really liked In The Dark which is a Minnesota Public Radio podcast in the category of true crime. They have two seasons which are both heavy subjects but eye opening. I also enjoy Stuff you Missed in History Class. It’s funny quick history info which I quote ofren.
Podcasts kept me sane during years of 20+ commute hours/week. What You Missed In History Class is a good one. The gals are really into history and discuss it in a way that is both entertaining and informative.
Great list! I love to listen to Revisionist History and hidden brain on my daily commute.
A few more recs – Modern Love, The Moth podcast (if you’re a fan of personal stories and essays)
And In the Dark Podcast is such a great investigative journalism + crime type podcast. I have to admit that I just loved the first season though 🙂
I also like the Dear Sugar podcast. It’s like going for a therapy session, Sheryl Strayed and Steve Almond are incredibly kind, wise and thoughtful in their advice.
And if you like The Moth, I’ve also been really enjoying Lea Thau’s podcast Strangers. I listen on my commute home and wind up saying to my partner “You should listen to this one”…and then tell him the whole story.
I love a good podcast – thanks for the new recommendations!
My current favourites are the Bruce Lee podcast which is really inspiring and interesting, Freakonomics and Stuff You Should Know to learn about new things and Dear Sugars for great advice and letters. One of my all time favourites was S-Town (from the same people who made Serial) which broke my heart!
S town broke my heart too but it was also so fascinating! It was not what I was expecting.
There is a podcast called ‘Happier’ that you might really like, it’s co-hosted by the self-help writer Gretchen Rubin and her sister.
Yay! always looking for new stuff to listen to! I listen to Wellness Mama, Move your DNA Katy Bowman, and a lot of NPR stuff too (Ted Radio Hour, How I Built this, Invisibila) Looking forward to the Revisionist History one!
Yaaas I love podcasts and can never get enough recommendations. Two good ones I’ve recently discovered are The Lazy Genius (tips on simplifying life) and Weird Work (interviews with people who have crazy interesting jobs).
Thanks for the post Emma!
The Reciepts Podcast is a really cool podcast talking real life issues in a girl chat format x
http://www.themillennialdiaries.me
If you love true crime mixed with comedy, My Favorite Murder is terrifying stories peppered with Georgia and Karen’s hilarity to balance it all out.
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness (from Queer Eye). Each episode runs about 30 minutes and they’re all completely different. The topic is literally anything that Jonathan is curious about, so it covers a lot of ground. From politics, to religion, to language…it’s so fascinating.
“Goal Digger Podcast” is such a great title for a podcast! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the recs.
Ah so excited, I’ve been looking around for some new podcasts – thanks for the fab post! 🙂
I really love the Modern Love podcast. It’s readings of essay’s from the New York Times.
I am obsessed with how did this get made podcast since stumbling upon it here. Thanks!
I think we have different tastes when it comes to podcasts, though I do love Criminal.
I would recommend The History Chicks- two ladies who deep dive into the life of a new historic lady each episode (the three part Wallis Simpson is eye opening!);
Stuff You Missed in History Class, same gist, two ladies discussing lost events, people, etc., of near and far history;
The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, about all things pop culture (I really love these guys!);
Foodstuff, a how stuff works podcast all about the history and current use of a unique foodstuff each week;
Stuff Mom Never Told You, your go to feminist subject podcast;
Dressed, a new podcast about the history of clothes, designers, etc. by two fashion historians;
Small Town Dicks, a crime podcast hosted by two Hollywood ladies (one is the voice of Lisa Simpson), along with two real detectives, and many guest detectives and police officers, detailing cases they’ve worked on, from the first call to the prison sentence;
and lastly, 99% invisible, the fabulous everything-about-design podcast. 🙂
My Favorite Murder is a hilarious true crime podcast (yes, there is such a thing). Someone Knows Something is a CBC podcast about unsolved mysteries and is absolutely addictive and heartbreaking. One of the best out there.
Yah for more podcasts to listen to!! I love them so I’m always looking for things to listen to on my long train ride. For those that asked, I listen to them through my iPhone Podcast app but there’s several podcast apps for Android.
This is going to show my nerdy side, but I actually started listening to old Harry Potter podcasts after just finishing the last book. They’re totally relevant still and I’m learning sooo much that I didn’t know before! Muggle Cast is one of them, and also Potter Cast. I’ve also been listening to The Daily because I like the way the news is presented (and who can ignore it these days) and it’s short. Also, the Feel Good Effect helps me learn and grow myself.
If you have Amazon Prime, you can watch the LORE series show on there. It’s possibly even creepier than the podcast, but really fun!
Thanks for sharing! I love it.
Some good recommendations to add to my list! If you like Mark Maron, you should check out Armchair Expert with Dax Sheperd. It’s quite possibly my favorite of all time! He has lots of different celebrities on and even ones I think I’m not interested in listening to I end up really liking.
Hi, I appreciate every bit of your efforts to let us know more about Podcasts. In fact, we’re going to study and research it as part of a half-yearly initiative supported by our website
Love this list! So many good ones I love and ones I want to try!
Have you ever listened to Call Your Girlfriend? It’s by two long distance best friends and it sounds like you’re just listening on a great conversation with your own buds. They’re smart and hilarious and cover everything from politics, news, pop culture, favorite snacks, favorite books, basically anything and everything you would chat about with a friend. Try it! I’m big into spreading the CYG gospel.
Currently obsessed with My Funeral Home Stories
Oh! so excited and Thanks for sharing!
If you need some humor you should check out the Florida Men on Florida Man podcast! They cover the crazy stuff that happens in Florida via headlines but the bulk of the episode is a story about some sort of Legend or Lore. Its really light hearted and interesting!
Their website is FMOFM.com but you can find their stuff anywhere 🙂