If you’re anything like me, you might be looking to escape all the talk of the pandemic. While it’s important to stay informed, the barrage of news coming at us each and every day is overwhelming.
I’m a podcast junkie. When I’m in the car, I’m listening to a podcast. If I’m walking with my son in his stroller, I’m listening to a podcast. If I was a runner, I would listen to a podcast. Podcasts provide me with a little escape, push pause on the heaviness of current events, and a good laugh when it feels like there’s not much to laugh about.
8 Podcasts to Listen to During Quarantine:
Young House Love Has a Podcast
This is one of my favorite podcasts. I’ve followed John and Sherry Petersik for about a decade, starting with their popular blog, Young House Love, where they write about their DIY home projects, detailed their various home renovations, and share about life in general. When they started a podcast back in 2016, I had to check it out. I love this podcast because it’s always upbeat and puts me in a good mood. If you’re familiar with John and Sherry’s conversational writing style, Young House Love has a Podcast is the perfect extension. Now you get to hear their voices and I find myself laughing with them all the time. Highly recommended and it’s totally appropriate to listen to with kids.
This American Life
If you like storytelling about a wide range of topics, you’ll enjoy This American Life. Every week the show has a theme, and stories are curated around that theme. There have been stories on motherhood, history, love stories, and more. The show has been around for 20+ years and is broadcast on our local public radio station, KERA 90.1, on weekends. You can also listen to their library of 700+ episodes on their website for free. If you listen to the podcast version, it is not edited for language, but if you listen on their website, there is a bleeped out version of episodes (as some episodes do include adult language). There is always a warning beforehand if the subject matter may not be suitable for all audiences.
Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me
This is a must-listen if you need some laughs, especially in today’s COVID-19 world. Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me is the NPR Quiz Show that takes current events and gives us something to smile about when it can otherwise feel grim. With social distancing measures in place, the show has gotten creative with making new episodes, with the host and panelists broadcasting from their homes, and the sound engineer throwing in some laughs so that it’s not completely silent where there used to be a live studio audience. I look forward to this show every week.
Raising Good Humans
Raising Good Humans is a parenting podcast that was recommended to me by one of the moms in my MOPS group. I don’t really listen to many parenting podcasts, but this one piqued my interest. Developmental psychologist and mom Dr. Aliza Pressman hosts the show and seeks to help parents with realistic and trustworthy advice. She talks to both experts and parents to share the most effective approaches and tools and talk about the important bigger picture of raising good humans.
Unlocking Us by Brene Brown
Any Brene Brown fans out there? If you’ve watched her TED Talk on vulnerability or read any of her books and enjoy her research and findings, you’ll like her new podcast. Unlocking Us was released just as the pandemic was ramping up. The first episode is really great, so many laugh out loud moments where you really get to experience Brene’s personality and humor. I’ve listened to a handful of episodes where she has interviewed Tarana Burke and Alicia Keys. It’s good. I’d recommend not listening with little ones as there is occasional adult language that has not been edited out.
The Jasmine Star Show
If you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, creative freelancer, or hope to be someday, I highly recommend The Jasmine Star Show. I’ve known Jasmine for over a decade, as we met through the photography industry. I’ve seen her rise from having no business at all, to being voted one of the best wedding photographers in the world. In the last couple of years, she has pivoted away from wedding photography, and into business and social media strategy for entrepreneurs and small businesses through her membership program, Social Curator. On her podcast she shares business tips, social media strategies, and her take on work/life balance. She’s shared the personal journey of she and her husband becoming parents through adoption. She deals it to you straight and only shares advice that she herself has tried. If you’re a business owner, this is a great podcast to add to your list and, bonus, it’s totally fine to listen to with kids.
The Mary Marantz Show
I also know Mary Marantz from the photography world. She and her husband, Justin, grew a very successful wedding photography business and taught workshops and photography business courses from their home in New England. Recently, Mary pivoted her career from photographer to full-time author and her first book, Dirt, will release this fall. Along with writing full time, Mary released her podcast, The Mary Marantz Show, where she brings honest conversations and her best tips for business, relationships, faith, and goals. She recently interviewed Jen Hatmaker, Rachel Cruze, and Lisa Bevere. These conversations are interesting, inspiring, and insightful. I highly recommend Mary’s podcast and it’s fine to listen with kids present.
Where Should We Begin?
This podcast is different from the rest. Each episode lets us sit in on a couple’s therapy session with Esther Perel. Where Should We Begin? is so fascinating and interesting. Just by listening to these sessions, I have gleaned insight and perspective that I would have otherwise missed. You know how it’s easier to see other people’s issues than our own? It’s like that. Most recently, new episodes have been released with couples on lockdown due to COVID-19. This is a podcast you’ll probably want to listen to without your kids.
These are just a few of the many (probably too many) podcasts that I enjoy listening to. I didn’t even cover the true crime genre, as I was looking to share more lighthearted, inspirational, interesting, and humorous content. What podcasts are you enjoying right now?
