In June this year I discovered podcasts. And five months in, I am a confirmed addict. So fervent is my commitment that in the past two months I’ve smashed up my phone screen twice in podcast related incidents. Not because I threw the phone on the floor in a dramatic reaction to what I was listening to, it was actually because I was so enthralled listening to my podcast that I didn’t pay attention to what I was doing with my phone and dropped it. Then did the same thing a month later. It’s been an expensive time at the phone shop.
Here are eight of my favourite listens:
S Town from the same creators of Serial. For those who haven’t heard of Serial – it’s an American true crime podcast that has been ridiculously popular on iTunes. And S Town is another cracker. Prepare to become completely anti-social as you binge listen to this. I must have polished off the entire series in about a week. It’s a true story, about a guy called John who despises his Alabama town and asks a reporter to investigate a murder of a local young man. John believes the police are corrupt and have swept the case under the carpet. But the story that unravels is about so much more.
Dirty John After finishing S Town, I needed something to fill the void. The series begins with an autopsy report of a body that has 13 stab wounds. Before we learn whose body it is, we are told a staggering tale of manipulation, deceit and abuse. This has been a great excuse for me to go for lots of walks this past week. Dirty John has been good for my fitness.
Desert Island Discs I’m sure you know the drill, each well known guest gets eight tracks, a book and a luxury to take to a desert island, which provides the prompts for each celebrity to talk about their lives. It’s deep, sad, enlightening and joyful. Some of my favourite listens were Noel Gallagher, Sue Perkins, Stella McCartney, Ed Sheeran and Keith Richards.
Courage and Spice by Sas Petherick – the podcast for humans with self doubt. What a lovely idea. Self doubt holds all of us back in some, or many areas of our lives. Sas interviews various people on the subject and looks at how to tackle it. Sas is fun, warm, down to earth and full of incredible wisdom on this topic. Listening to this podcast is like having a lovely, empowering hug.
Hashtag Authentic by Sara Tasker. I’m a big fan of Sara’s – she’s well known in the Instagram world for her gorgeous @me_and-orla account. Hashtag Authentic is a great listen for anyone running their own online/social media business. Sara interviews all sorts of people figuring their business journey out, including many big names on the Instagram scene. It’s not only an incredibly practical podcast, but it provides emotional support too. Sara herself is willing to be very vulnerable and shares the ups and downs of running her own business, as do her guests. I always come away with a load of ideas and tips, but it’s also a creative, beautiful and life enhancing listen.
CTRL ALT DELETE by Emma Gannon. I saw Emma speak at Blogtacular in June. Emma is responsible for my podcast addiction. She spoke so enthusiastically about podcasts at the conference I became convinced I needed to enter this exciting audio world. Emma was also an all round inspiration and very passionate about empowering women to build brilliant careers. In her podcast she interviews high profile guests about how the Internet and social media have changed our lives forever – and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Guests include Liz Gilbert, Lena Dunham, Zoella, Tanya Burr, Will Young, Gillian Anderson.
What She Said by Lucy Sheref. As a keen blogger and Instagrammer, this is the perfect listen for me. Lucy chats with interesting women in blogging and the online world. Lucy has a lovely open and honest style that makes for a really pleasant listen and I always learn a lot. She also always has her baby with her while doing her podcasts – the cute gurgling noises throughout are very soothing.
The High Low this is a weekly pop-culture / news podcast by Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes. They are extremely posh journalists in their late twenties, and whilst I was initially a bit put off by their poshness, they are just brilliant. Inspiring, open, really switched on and really willing to fight the corner for women. An energising, fun and thought-provoking listen.
Let me know how you get on with these – I’d love to hear what you think. And if you have any recommendations for me – I need them now!
katyascakehole 