Sometime over the past two years, I transitioned from being a music-listener in the car to a podcast/audiobook listener. I’m not sure if it was because of my frequent travels or if I just found podcasts that I loved, but I’m grateful for the transition. I’ve learned and laughed so much from my podcast line-up, and after being asked by a few of you for recommendations, I thought I’d share.
I have quite a few podcasts that I check out on an episode-by-episode basis, but the ones I’m sharing today are in my regular line-up. I hope you find one or two new ones and give them a try!
Modern Love: The Modern Love podcast features the popular New York Times column, with readings by notable personalities and updates from the essayists themselves. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the viral Modern Love articles on your social feeds (examples here and here), and what I love about this podcast are the updates from the writers themselves.
Invisabilia: Latin for “invisible things”, Invisibilia is all about the invisible forces that control human behavior-ideas, beliefs, assumptions, and emotions. The hosts do an incredible job of weaving narrative storytelling with scientific research and asking questions that leave you thinking. It’s a great podcast to listen to on a car trip with a friend because you’ll find yourself wanting to talk about it when it’s over!
Young House Love Has a Podcast: I am, like their thousands of other loyal listeners, convinced that John, Sherry, and I could be the best of friends. I’ve been a Young House Love blog reader since 2008, and I was thrilled about their podcast launch last year. A combination of home renovation updates, what’s happening in the design world, and life updates, I find myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions.
The Road Back to You Podcast: If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, it’s no surprise to you that I’m a fan of the Enneagram personality test. This podcast looks at life through the lens Enneagram, an ancient personality type system that describes how human beings are wired, and each guest gives insight and perspective from their personal lives.
A Way With Words: This is the newest addition to my podcast line-up, thanks to my boyfriend! The hosts talk with callers about slang, old sayings, new words, grammar, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing well. The most surprising thing about this podcast is the brilliance of the hosts! The show is live, and they are answering linguistic questions on the spot!
5 on 45 Podcast: I have a bit of a confession for you:Â while I know it’s important to keep up with political affairs, it’s not something that comes naturally to me. I’d venture to guess there are others like me out there, and I wholeheartedly recommend this podcast. It presents real-time commentary and analysis from experts at Brookings about the 45th POTUS, his administration, and Congress. The episodes are short and easy to digest, centered around a specific policy, so it’s easy for me to listen to them!
From the Front Porch: One of my favorite hobbies is reading, and most of my TBR list is full of books that Annie and Chris recommend! Their weekly conversations weave together books, small business, and life in the South, and it’s easy to see from their podcast why The Bookshelf is loved by many-both near and far. Now that I’m an Atlanta resident, I’m trying to figure out how to road trip to Thomasville, GA, where their bookstore, The Bookshelf, is located, because I’m convinced Annie is my spirit animal.
Revisionist History Podcast: The organizing principle around Malcolm Gladwell’s (yes, that’s a name you likely recognize) podcast is taking a second look at historical topics from the past: an event, a person, an idea. It’s often something overlook or misunderstood. Gladwell is a phenomenal and engaging storyteller, and this podcast is a phenomenal one for all ages.
Planet Money: The Planet Money podcast description does is better than I could: “The economy, explained, with stories and surprises. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, ‘Meet me at the bar and tell me what’s going on with the economy.’ Now imagine that’s actually a fun evening. That’s what we’re going for at Planet Money.” This podcast is quite engaging for a girl who didn’t do so well in ECON 101 (ahem, that’s me!)
Risen Motherhood: This is, admittedly, not a podcast I’m subscribed to, but when I asked our Moms Cultivating What Matters Facebook group for recommendations, this one came highly recommended. Note: it does have a faith background, but there are a variety of other recommendations in the Facebook group! Mommas, feel free to sift through their responses for some new favorites!
Your turn! Do you have any favorite podcasts I should add to my regular line-up? Leave a comment, and share your favorites!
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