Six Podcasts I'm Listening to Right Now

One of the most annoying parts about driving is that you can't read while you do it. And, sadly, I'm not a big fan of audiobooks. I've encountered a few that were just perfection; Tara Westover's Educated narrated by Julia Whelan (from one of my all time favorite television series Once & Again), City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, narrated by Blair Brown, and Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, performed by an insane all-star cast that includes Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Don Cheadle, Lena Dunham, Bill Hader, Megan Mulally, Susan Sarandon, Ben Stiller, and Julianne Moore. I recommend it to anyone who will listen. But more often than not, the narrator's voice grates, or I space out and lose track of what's happening and can't go back (because: driving), so ... podcasts, I love them. Since many of you enjoy my book recommendations, I thought I'd share a few of the podcasts I've been loving lately, many of which I came to by way of great books.

We Can Do Hard Things

This first one will probably be new to no one (it has an absolutely massive following), but because I found my way to so many of the books I loved in 2022 from the authors being interviewed on this podcast, I can't not shout it out. We Can Do Hard Things has great hosts (Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle) and great guests and a no-bullshit commitment to truth telling about all the hard things we're reckoning with in the world today, from anxiety to racism to friendship to boundary drawing to rest to creativity to finding your soul's purpose. So much good stuff here.

Pod Save America

Speaking of hard things: Republicans, am I right? Pod Save America is my go-to pod for political analysis with a healthy side of levity and humor. The four hosts, Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor, are former Obama aides and they octo-handedly saved my sanity during the fascist clown show of 2016 and beyond.

Maintenance Phase

Are you tired of scraping your psyche off the pavement after yet another head on collision with the diet industrial complex? Does something feel off to you when you hear people obsessing about the "obesity epidemic"? Did you grow up with a father who believed fat people should lose weight before they exercise in public? You might fall in love with Maintenance Phase, hosted by Aubrey Gordon (author of What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat) and Michael Hobbs. The show is a brilliant, funny, and very well-researched take-down of diet culture. They debunk myths about fatness, dissect diet books, and take down the toxic ideas espoused by weight loss and wellness influencers like Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Oz, and Belle Gibson. If you, too, envision a world where health and thinness are prerequisites for dignity and respect, give this one a follow.

Dear Therapists

I mentioned Lori Gottlieb's book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone in two of my reading roundups, because I just can't get enough glimpses behind the therapy curtain. Here's another one. And it's good. Though I don't think they're making new episodes--there's a healthy back catalog that is not time sensitive, and I've been diving in. People write in to Dear Therapists with all kinds of tricky issues, and Lori and her co-host Guy Winch invite these people on for a virtual session. I find it fascinating to hear the questions they ask, and how much headway they're able to make in a very short time. They also give the patient (or patients--sometimes it's a couple or, say, a mother/daughter duo) an assignment then bring them back on for a follow up report. They've even done some "one year later" episodes, checking in on multiple patients and their progress. Good stuff.

Sounds Like a Cult

This one's hosted by Amanda Montell and Isa Medina, and it's definitely got that chatty millennial energy. Montell is a linguist and author of two very popular books--Word Slut and Cultish: The Language of Fanatacism. Sounds Like a Cult is a spinoff of the latter, and each week the two co-hosts dissect the modern day "cults" we all follow. Like Soul Cycle and GOOP and Lulu Lemon and LuLaRoe. It's fun and not super serious but enlightening nonetheless.

Dear Sugars

In keeping with the general theme of "I found this podcast by reading a book", I'll point you to Dear Sugars, where Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond (who wrote the original Dear Sugar advice column for the Rumpus before he turned it over to Strayed) answer reader letters with deep empathy and compassion.

I also listen to the NPR fan favorites: Fresh Air, Throughline, Hidden Brain, Lifekit, and The Moth, all of which are excellent. And I dip in and out of several others depending on the topic or who's being interviewed. But the ones above are my regular rotation at the moment, so I thought I'd put them on your radar if they're not already.

Happy listening.