My 6 Favorite Podcasts + When I Listen to Them

Hey there! How was your weekend? I did lots of shopping, finished school, ate lots, and tried to sleep some because this was an exhausting quarter and I’m in my own cozy bed for two weeks. This week is full of appointments and errands, my birthday, and seeing Beauty and the Beast. It’s gonna be a good one. What are you doing this week?

Anyway, today I wanted to chat about podcasts. I listen to podcasts when I’m walking, doing dishes, cooking, working out, and sometimes just sitting around relaxing. I mention them sometimes, occasionally with specificity, but I get a lot of questions about what I listen to. So, I wanted to share my favorite podcasts.

In general, I listen to a lot of podcasts that sound like friends chatting about life, the future, and wellness. Those are the kinds of conversations I crave in real life, so that’s what I gravitate toward. That said, I listen to other things, too, so those are here.

If you happen to be, very specifically, a Columbus Blue Jackets fan, Cannon Fodder is also great.

Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend

What it is: A twice-a-week show where funny people talk and you feel like you’re sitting around with your best friends. On the Monday shows, Alison does a one-on-one interview with some cool person about life and gets in-depth about their past, usually with a focus on relationships. On Thursday shows, Alison, her husband, and a small panel – The Thursday Gang – talk about the minutiae of daily life in a non-boring, honest way. You find yourself relating, or at least responding enthusiastically, to a lot of what they say. And you laugh a lot.

When I listen: When I want to laugh and feel understood, and when I want something light.

When I don’t: If I’m going to get annoyed about the fact that these people seem wrapped up in their own lives. It’s relatable, but sometimes I want something that feels deeper.

The Federalist Radio Hour

What it is: An hour every weekday where there’s calm, intelligent conversation about something. Most of the time, it’s a moderator from The Federalist and one guest. The moderators lean small-government, but the guests come from right, left, and center. There are episodes on everything from bro culture to social media to, yeah, politics, but even the primary host says they’re working to include more culture and philosophy and less politics. After all, the politics beat is pretty overdone. Also, they usually throw in some talk about music, movies, TV shows, and books. So, if you’re looking for recommendations, you’ll get ’em.

When I listen: Whenever I can. The conversations are incredibly engaging, I almost always feel smarter after I listen, and I’m impressed by the fact that people can still be super respectful about different opinions in this climate.

When I don’t: When there are no more new episodes. 

The Chasing Joy Podcast

What it is: Weekly fun, meaningful conversations about all sorts of aspects of health and wellness. Georgie is the host, and she really just radiates happiness and acceptance. Her guests are diverse, interesting, open, inspiring women who talk about the things that make them feel happy and healthy.

When I listen: When I want easy listening that feels meaningful.

When I don’t: When there are no more new episodes. Love it.

EconTalk

What it is: Weekly serious conversations about how economics is in everything. Russ Roberts is the host, and even though he is ridiculously intelligent and well-educated, he does an amazing job of making sure his guests explain technical economic concepts so that they are attainable for the average person. He interviews people from tons of disciplines and with a number of job titles about the economics behind education, healthcare, history, and everyday decisions. A few episodes from the past few months that stick out to me as super interesting are one on the heroin epidemic, one on Native Americans in the modern US, and one on slavery.

When I listen: When a subject sounds really interesting and I’m in the mood to focus and think about it.

When I don’t: If the subject sounds technical or is about bitcoin. I just don’t care.

That’s So Maven

What it is: Weekly meaningful, interesting discussions about health, wellness, and business. Davida starts each episode with a life update, in which she talks about moving to a new city, being an entrepreneur, and whatever else she’s feeling. Then, she interviews some inspiring woman doing cool things, and they usually end up talking about things people don’t talk about in real life, like reproductive health and how hard it can be to love yourself. It feels incredibly honest and that’s very attractive.

When I listen: When I want a conversation that feels different, interesting, and empowering and shows that life isn’t always shiny and perfect.

When I don’t: When there are no more new episodes. I can listen any time.

The Balanced Blonde Podcast // Soul on Fire

What it is: Weekly chats between Jordan and her BFFs, who happen to usually be inspiring, interesting people in the health and wellness space. That is, they’re people who have “set their souls on fire”, whatever that means for them. Basically, it’s a bunch of people who are super passionate about what they’re doing. Also, Jordan is a yoga teacher, and I relate to a lot of her thoughts regarding yoga and the teacher training process.

When I listen: When I want some easy listening that’s fun and feels like you’re with friends having good conversations.

When I don’t: When it’s too damn spiritual/hippie for me. Yoga teacher training has made me much less prone to eye-rolling around this kind of stuff, but when they start talking about speaking to animals, I generally skip it.

From economics to wellness to entrepreneurship - these are the 6 podcasts @EllenSlater listens to all the time. Share on X

Your turn:

Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones? What are they about?

Do you need background noise, or are you happy with silence? Totally depends for me.