Thursday, April 13, 2017

Favorite podcasts.


  Do you listen to podcasts? If not, I get it. They may seem odd or nerdy or just that they take up lots of time. I was skeptical about them at first, too.

  Sometime in the Fall of 2014, I found myself hanging out with my new-ish baby (instead of working full-time) and spending more time out and about in the car. More specifically, I remember taking a trip to my parents house on a weekday- I think to work on a project with my mom. I was sick of the radio so I googled one of my favorite writers to see if she had any good clips I could listen to on my drive. I stumbled one a random podcast and listened to about half of it before switching to The Happy Hour- which is now my weekly podcast go-to!

  I wouldn't say I'm necessarily into podcasts. There is only one I listen to regularly (it's become like a show I keep up with every week, but instead of sitting on the couch I listen to it while driving to the zoo or running errands or doing dishes). Besides that, there are a few others that I like to pop in and out of (Noonday's and this new-to me fascinating one!). Once in a while I'll binge listen to a couple- those are the stand alone series that are more like reading a book- you can't wait to get to the ending!

  All of this rambling to say, you should try a podcast! I even convinced Justin to try them and he was really into a couple of sports ones for a while. Truly, there is a podcast for everyone. And they just make your commute to work or drive to visit a friend or whatever a bit more fun! The radio is fine, but I like feeling like I'm learning/doing/laughing a bit more. Honestly, my one go-to has become just a favorite thing in general. It's encouraging, funny, challenging, and like sitting down with a friend for happy hour, like that name suggests! So if you have any sort of commute/spend time at all driving in your car or like to have something to listen to while you exercise or do stuff around the house (guys, that means I'm literally talking to everyone here)- podcasts are for you!

  And podcasts are easy! Every smartphone (that I know of?) already has a Podcast app built in. Simply click the icon and you can search for/download any podcast for free. Once you download it, its on your phone. Aka you don't have to stream or use data when you want to listen to it! Maybe that's common sense? But I was so excited about that when I first discovered them- it made them perfect for drives in the car since I don't have a big enough data package to stream.

  If you want a place to start, here are my top (and only?) 5 podcasts that I truly think anyone will like:

The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey/ Ok, if you're a guy this one probably isn't for you. But I love it! I listen every single week and it truly feels like you're siting down to a happy hour with a good friend. Jamie talks with a new women every week and (as her tagline says) they talk about the big things in life, the little things, and everything in between. SO GOOD AND YOU'LL THANK ME LATER!

Serial/ You've heard of this, even if you don't remember. The first season is FASCINATING and sort of like the documentary Making A Murdered, but not on TV. Actually, people say that show is a lot like Serial. So good! Great for binge listening to and you'll be so sad when it's over. Season 2 is good, too!

Missing Richard Simmons/ Just interesting. Everyone has heard of Richard Simmons (yes, the crazy exercise guy) and I don't know, it was fascinating to hear how he virtually disappeared one day 3 years ago and hasn't been seen since. Each episode is really short and there are only 6 episodes- so it's doable for anyone. I listened to this in a weekend while doing little things around the house!

S*Town/ Unless you live in a hole, you've heard about/seen this everywhere lately. And for good reason! I think it's being called the 'new Serial' because it is by the same creators and will have you hooked instantly. Even better, they released all the episodes at once so you don't have to wait for a new one each week. Really funny/fascinating and you'll be sad when its over! I usually listen to podcasts when driving around with the boys, but this one has quite a bit of profanity so I saved it for the gym or afternoons during nap time.

How I Built This/ These are short and fascinating interviews with different entrepreneurs. Each person gives their tips/advice for success at the end (really interesting!) and you'll just learn stuff you never knew about brands you've grown up with. My favorites are the Patagonia and Atari/Chuck E. Cheese episodes (did you know the same guy who created Atari also started Chuck E. Cheese's???).

1 comment:

Beth K. said...

Serial is the podcast that got me hooked! I'm also a regular listening to The Happy Hour. Others that I love are The Popcast, Sorta Awesome, What Should I Read Next. I also just finished Missing Richard Simmons and Blue Babies Pink (it's not ongoing, just a onetime drop of info) Podcasts make my drives go by faster!