No time to read? Listen to a podcast!

It feels like it's been forever since I picked up a book. I do miss reading but I just don't have time for it. I used to read quite a bit on the bus on my way to work, but since I started driving to work that's not exactly a safe option any longer. The one thing I don't like about being in a car is that it feels like such unproductive and therefore wasted time. Listening to the radio is great for a while, but once you're up to date on the daily news, listening to it for an hour each way got boring. And while I love rocking out to music in my car every once in a while, I just can't do it every day. So I started to listen to a few specific shows that I liked on NPR. I was super late to the game and hadn't even fully understood the whole concept of podcasts yet. I knew you could stream shows that would otherwise be on the radio, but somehow I had missed that there's so much more out there. Anyway, so I started listening to shows like Fresh Air, the TED Radio Hour, and Radiolab. Since then I've broadened my horizon a bit and now have a variety of shows I listen to. I know there's so much talent I haven't yet discovered, but there are a number of podcasts that I have really enjoyed. Here are the ones I enjoy the most, in no particular order. 

note to self

"The tech show about being human"

Note to self has been one of my favorite podcasts lately. Manoush Zomorodi is funny, and has a very down to earth approach to discussing technology, and how it helps or messes with our lives. I like that the episodes are relatively short (about 20 minutes). First, I can squeeze on in when I don't have all that much time. Second, they don't drag out the story just to fill 40 minutes or so. Episodes are fast, upbeat, and to the point. None of it is really super eye opening or life changing, but they're easy to listen to and cover a range of topics you probably never gave much thought.

Website: 
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/notetoself

Recommended Episodes: 
Forget Edibles: Getting High on Wearables
Two Dope Queens on Feminism

Fresh Air

"Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries"

Terry Gross is the best. There's not much I need to say, she does the most amazing and personal interviews. I have loved getting to "know" her a little bit too, even though she is such a private person - see for example one of my recommended episodes of the Longest Shortest Time podcast. 

Website: 
http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/

Recommended Episodes:
Samantha Bee
Daily Show Host Trevor Noah
How We Learn To Eat
Jennifer Lawrence
Jake Gyllenhall

The Longest Shortest Time

"Hillary created the Longest Shortest Time as a bedside companion for parents who want to hear in the middle of the night (or day—what’s the difference, really?) that they are not alone. And that as never-ending as any parenting stage seems, it doesn’t last forever."

I binge-listened to this podcast during the first weeks after Ava was born and it was amazing how much I could relate to so many things that were being discussed. I no longer listen to it as frequently as I used to a few months ago, simply because the whole newborn stage isn't so much on my mind anymore. Even though the podcast now covers all topics about parenting, when it was first created it was all about the weird unexpected challenges of childbirth and having a newborn. It very honestly covers all of the joyful, weird, and difficult topics without having that scary freak out effect the internet can have on an expecting parent when you google things like "stuff nobody told you about childbirth". I very much recommend this one for anyone who has just had a baby. Start with episode number 1, and listen while you hang out with baby. It'll be so worth it, I promise. 

Website: 

http://longestshortesttime.com/

Recommended Episodes:

The Accidental Gay Parents Series
Terry Gross on Not Having Kids
How to Be a Pregnant Butch
How Cute! Is He Yours?
The Missing Chapter to Ina May's Guide

HBR Ideacast

"A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management from Harvard Business Review." 

This podcast was recently recommended to me while looking to find a career/business oriented podcast. There are so many ones out there that just didn't click with me. I was trying to find one on women in leadership but didn't find anything that I could really relate to. I like this one because it covers all topics from different angles and the gender discussion comes up where appropriate, but it't not the overarching theme which can quickly get boring. 

Website: 

https://hbr.org/

Recommended Episodes:
How to Say No to More Work
Your Coworkers Should Know Your Salary

Serial 

"Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story—a true story—over the course of a season. Each season, we follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. We won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us. Each week we bring you the next chapter in the story, so it's important to listen to the episodes in order."

I loved listening to Season 1 which Tony and I listened to together when on longer car rides together. When Season 2 started, I wasn't too intrigued at first, but I really liked what she turned the story into and what types of details she uncovered. This show is a great way for us to be reminded that a lot of things aren't necessarily what they seem to be on the surface and that there's often much more to a story. I would highly recommend listening to this with a friend or partner so you can talk about what's happening between episodes. It's great for a road trip. 

Website: 
https://serialpodcast.org/

Recommended Episodes: 
all

TED Radio Hour

"The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas: astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, new ways to think and create. Based on Talks given by riveting speakers on the world-renowned TED stage, each show is centered on a common theme – such as the source of happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts, or inexplicable connections."

Technology. Entertainment. Design. The TED Radio Hour is an easy-to-listen-to show with all sorts of different topics. Some are more interesting than others, but there's always something new to learn. A lot of it is probably useless knowledge, but it's entertaining. This is often my default when I can't decide what else to listen to and I don't want to pay too much attention to all the details.

Website: 
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/510298/ted-radio-hour

Recommended Episodes:
Disruptive Leadership
Why We Collaborate
Extrasensory
Keeping Secrets

Radiolab

"Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience."

With 1.8 million listeners Radiolab is one of the more successful and well known shows. I love the way the Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad communicate on the show. It seems like you're following a conversation as they're discovering something while the topics are often really complex. Each episode is so unique and I remember quite a lot of details about some episodes even when it's been a while since I listened to it. It shows how much of an impression they've left on me and how wonderfully they paint pictures in my mind with just words and sound effects. 

Website: 

www.radiolab.org

Recommended Episodes: 
23 Weeks 6 Days
The Cathedral
Staph Retreat
The Rhino Hunter
Shrink
American Football
Radiolab Presents: Invisibilia


By the way, in case you were wondering, I'm using the Player FM app (https://player.fm/) to listen to all of these wonderful shows. I've been really happy with it. When HBR idea cast wasn't available, I submitted a request (super easy) and the following day they made it available through the app. Pretty awesome. 

What other podcasts should I subscribe to?