I’ve mentioned how much I enjoy podcasts a few times on the gram, and I’ve received questions about which ones I listen to for the last six months or so. I figured it’s high time I actually compile a list. I’m breaking this list down into four categories- news, educational, medical, and fun.
News
These podcasts are a way to get a news briefing, along with a little commentary.
- NY Times The Daily- This Monday-Friday podcast is usually 15 minutes or so, and gives a recap of the previous day’s newsworthy events. It is interesting, has great commentary, and the narration is engaging and pleasant to listen to. I try to listen to this podcast every day before I listen to any others, because I don’t like falling behind on it. It’s a great way to stay up to date on current events.
- BBC Global News Podcast- This podcast is quite a bit longer than The Daily, which can make it difficult to keep up with, so I don’t listen every day. However, it goes more in depth than The Daily, and the commentary is great.
Educational
These podcasts teach me something new, but the topics covered vary greatly.
- Freakonomics- I love this podcast so much, and I’m always so intrigued by the questions the hosts ask. They discuss human behavior, economics, social science, and politics in a way that is really captivating and easy to understand.
- Hidden Brain- This podcast discusses unconscious patterns that affect human behavior. It reminds me of Freakonomics in the way it is narrated, and that’s a good thing! It is captivating and memorable.
- How I Built This- Various successful entrepreneurs are interviewed by the podcast host, and they discuss the ins and outs of their journey. The host asks great questions, and listeners really get to understand the challenges of each entrepreneur’s experience. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in business!
- Stuff Mom Never Told You- My source of all things feminism. The hosts discuss different events and ideas from a feminist lens, and it’s super interesting. There are so many episodes that have aired, and they cover every topic imaginable, from adoption to #MeToo to women in the work place.
- The Jordan Harbinger Show- The hosts discuss social dynamics and human behavior, and they interview a ton of different people, all of whom have something really interesting to share with the listeners. On Fridays, the hosts do a segment called FanMail Friday, where they take questions from the audience and give advice. The advice is always so spot on, and I love hearing them dissect other people’s problems.
- The Caliphate- This was a 10 part series about ISIS conducted by The NY Times, and it is phenomenal. The reporting is so captivating, and you really get to hear about what goes on when someone tries to join ISIS.
- Diet Starts Tomorrow- This podcast is a very real take on the struggles of dieting, diet culture, and on trying to be healthy. The show hosts discuss their very relatable experiences with dieting, and also interview professionals in every episode. I love that the hosts are hilarious and down to earth, and that instead of telling listeners what to do, they bring physicians, dietitians, and fitness coaches on to the show. We get to hear from experts in the field, and I always take away something implementable from each episode.
- Working- The host interviews individuals in different careers, many of which I had never even heard of before. I’m not sure if new episodes are still being produced, but the episodes that have been aired so far are great, especially for people who haven’t yet decided on what career path they are interested in.
Medical
These podcasts are specific for medical students and those in health care.
- Doctor Money Matters- The host of this show interviews financial experts and entrepreneurs who started out in health care. They discuss financial planning, investing, and other topics that are so essential to managing money, but that those of us in health care don’t know too much about.
- The Undifferentiated Medical Student- This is an AMAZING show, in which the host (a medical student) interviews physicians in every specialty and subspecialty imaginable. Each show is pretty long, but you get to learn a lot about what different physicians do on a daily basis, what their lifestyles are like, and what their path to get there was.
Fun
These podcasts are centered around pop culture, or are about light hearted or fun topics. These podcasts are also generally pretty funny.
- Betch Slapped- This is a pop culture podcast, and the hosts discuss any and all topics relevant to millennial women. It is super entertaining, in my opinion.
- Committed- The topic isn’t super lighthearted, but it is interesting and fun to listen to- the podcast is on relationships and on what couples have done to make things work. Some of the stories are sad or difficult to listen to, but a lot of it is happy and interesting. I love hearing how people have made their relationships succeed for years and years- it’s honestly great advice.
- U Up?- This is the funniest podcast on the list. The two hosts discuss dating in the modern day, and they cover dating apps, norms, red flags, and other interesting topics. I mostly listen to this for the humor, and even though a lot of what the hosts speak about isn’t relevant to me, there are definitely great insights I take away from the show. Honestly, I think any girls who are dating should listen to this podcast- it teaches you how to not act desperate and how to get what you want out of dating.
