I’m relatively new to the podcast game. Whenever I heard mention of them, usually in conversations between Greg and his sister, I didn’t really get what they were. I just kept thinking about the talk radio sports programs my dad listened to in the car and being SO BORED. Why would you ever want to waste your time just listening to strangers talk? One time my sister-in-law said that she loved to listen to podcasts in the shower and I thought that was the most funny and ridiculous thing. Now, I am also one of those people! Full volume, phone balancing on a tiny ledge above the bathroom window, I am also listening to podcasts while I’m showering. And walking. And cleaning. And folding laundry. And making dinner. And sewing. It’s totally an addiction. An awesome one.
My first podcast experience was listening to Greg’s favorite, How Did This Get Made? on our 32 hour road trip to Charleston in June. Between radio stations that were always fading in an out, an audio book that continued to put me to sleep, and the podcast; the podcast definitely won out. It was pretty funny and kept me engaged. It was interesting enough that it sparked my interest in searching out other podcasts. After that my world was pretty much blown wide open. There are sooooo many podcasts out there. It’s amazing. But it’s also hard to find one that you really connect with. So I thought I’d share my absolute favorites. If you have a chance, be sure to check them out!
I started my search for podcasts doing google and pinterest searches for other people’s favorites. This one popped up and it was the first one I tried. I loved it! It’s the first podcast I started at the beginning and caught all the way up with in about three months. The show is about Christian author and speaker Elyse Fitzpatrick and her adult kids Joel and Jessica. They often share funny stories, talk about current events and family life, and end each episode with a devotion. This podcast continues to crack me up every week. I can’t wait for Tuesday mornings when a new episode appears on my PocketCast app. I recommend starting this one at the beginning because past episodes are referred to often.
This is my favorite podcast for when I want something light and funny. I usually listen to it while I’m making dinner and it’s often my shower podcast of choice. 🙂 Each episode is about 10-15 minutes long and they center around a single food topic. They discuss how they remember interacting with the food growing up and then talk about different ways they prepare or use the food today. Sometimes they compare a couple brands of things and occasionally they evaluate junk food boxes that people send them from around the world. A lot of it is pretty comedic, but I’ve also gotten many really good ideas for simple food preparations I never would have thought of before. There are 256 episodes right now, so plenty to listen to! I started at the beginning (not necessary for this one) and am in the low 200’s. Soon I’ll be caught up! 🙁
Don’t judge me. But this podcast is HILARIOUS. It’s about a guy, Jamie, whose dad wrote a pretty terrible erotic novel called Belinda Blinked. On the podcast he gets with his friends James and Alice and reads one chapter of the book each episode. Their reactions to everything are so outrageously funny. The podcast definitely isn’t about listening to porn (believe me, it’s NOT sexy!!)- it’s about laughing so hard at the reactions they continue to have. The first book/season is funny, but I really loved when they got to the second. They had a lot more interaction just between the three friends, which is definitely what I was most interested in listening to. In the second season they also have “footnote” episodes between each chapter where they get a celebrity to join them to discuss the books. My favorite guests were Elijah Wood, Rachel Bloom, and Michael Sheen. If you just want to listen to something funny and a little bit smutty, this one is for you.
I go through phases with this one. To be honest, the main host’s accent kind of grates on me. Which is a very shallow thing to say! Her personality is slightly grating at times too. But I still think it’s worth a listen. Each episode she switches between three other co-hosts. They talk about various topics, most of which are really interesting. My favorite portion of the show is where they share their awesome of the week. I’ve learned about a lot of new books, podcasts, and beauty products from this segment. My favorite part about this podcast is that it has an accompanying facebook group with a lot of really active and interesting discussions always going on. I started this one at the beginning (I think it’s an OCD thing – it’s impossible to pick up in the middle!), but more recently have just been focusing on seasonal episodes. I listen to the most current episode and then go back and listen to the fall and holiday episodes of last year.
I heard so many good things about this podcast, but was too overwhelmed to start it until recently. I really like to start listening at the beginning, but when it comes to pop culture and current topics, it didn’t make sense going back to episodes from three years ago. Finally I just started jumping around to the topics that sounded most interesting to me. Each episode has a clearly defined topic, so it’s easy to pick something that will be good. My favorite episodes are about holidays and seasons, so I strongly suggest starting with those as well. The hosts Knox and Jamie have great friend chemistry and I love listening to their funny and oftentimes clashing opinions on everything. Like Sorta Awesome they have a segment where they talk about red lights and green lights – their worst and best picks for the week. I love getting more validated recommendations on things for people, so this type of episode really appeals to me. Now that I’ve given myself the okay not to listen in order, I’m just as excited about the new episodes for this one as I am Front Porch.
For about a month this was my all time favorite podcast. It’s a pretty simple premise – the comedian Chris Gethard takes a one hour phone call with an anonymous person on each episode. They talk about whatever happens to come up, though most episodes center around a main theme. I adored this podcast at the beginning, listening to the stories of anonymous people. The more I listened and the heavier the topics sometimes got, I decided I needed to actually space them out to about once a week intervals. I still really like the podcast, but I need to be in the mood for the longer chats.
I’m pretty new to this one, and yes, I did start it at the beginning. But I’m really enjoying it. Two next door neighbors, Kelsey and Erica, get together each week to create a cocktail and then just sit and chat about whatever is on their minds. I love their friendship and wish I had a next door neighbor relationship like that too! They laugh a lot and always support each other. It’s just a fun podcast that makes me happy! The only downfall is that the episodes are very long, usually over an hour.
When I realized that not only are there podcast about tv shows (Greg’s favorite ones to listen to), but also BOOKS, I was thrilled! I tried out a bunch, but this has been my favorite. I’m always on the lookout for great book recommendation and Anne Bogel, aka Modern Mrs. Darcy, is a recommending genius. She has a guest each week and they talk about what books they like and dislike and then Anne gives a couple of new recommendations. I just love hearing about books and why people are passionate about them. This podcast is a must for every bookworm out there!
Well, I think I’ll stick with that list for now! 🙂 I subscribe to about 80 podcasts right now, always adding new ones based on recommendations from other podcasts. I occasionally dabble in an episode or two in a new podcast, but for the most part I stick with my favorites. But within a few months I’m going to be caught up with most of those, so I’ll be experimenting with the others on my list. I’m sure I’ll have many more to recommend in the future!
