I’m a self-diagnosed podcast junkie. Here are my favorite podcasts to listen to while I’m working, driving, getting ready, cleaning – basically any time!
Confession: I had never listened to a podcast until the first season of Serial made its debut and once I started listening to that one, I was hooked. I always thought they were boring or for NPR-ish educational purposes only. I didn’t realize that they could be entertaining, informative, educational, hilarious, and make me feel like I was BFFs with the hosts. I’ve listened to lots over the last few years, but these are the ones that I never miss an episode of!
My Favorite Podcasts
I don’t like to narrow my choices down to one genre of anything (hi, Enneagram seven) so I’ve dabbled in all kinds of podcasts – business, comedy, true crime… you name it. I tried to sort these by categories (according to me, not according to where they are listed in iTunes) to make it make a little bit more sense as you’re reading through!
COMEDY
I’ve only recently started listening to the Armchair Expert podcast but I love the behind-the-curtain look it gives to the lives of some of my favorite Hollywood people. Dax is hilarious and he keeps the conversation real and down to earth, showcasing the somewhat mundane, every day life of people that I find fascinating! My favorite episodes are Mila Kunis and Jason Bateman.
Listen here.
NSFW – Explicit Language
New episodes every Monday & Thursday
Spilled Milk, hosted by Matthew Amster-Burton and Molly Wizenberg, cohesively combines two things I love: food and humor. Each week they pick a really specific topic, like Sauerkraut, and just talk about it, regularly diverging into random rabbit holes and tangents, which for me keeps it interesting. But if you love food and enjoy laughing, then I think you’ll enjoy this show! My favorite episode is the Brownies episode.
Listen here.
NSFW – Explicit Language
New episode every Thursday.
Lifestyle
Don’t think of “lifestyle” in the same terms as you would say a “lifestyle blogger”. These are more – let’s just talk about life and what it is about and how we live ours and can help you improve upon yours.”
Suffice it to say, I wish I lived next door to Kelsey and Erica. They are two former next door neighbors who became friends and started a podcast together. They have a different topic each week (like communication in marriage or cleaning your bathroom) and then talk about their current obsessions (usually an item from Trader Joe’s for Kelsey and a beauty product for Erica), and gossip a bit about their neighbors. I love that they each bring a completely different perspective to the show’s topic and they’ve helped me simplify and improve my life in a myriad of ways! My favorite episode is probably Surviving the Cold Season or maybe any of the Fall Extravaganza episodes.
Listen here.
SSFW (sometimes safe for work) – every once in a while they drop a bomb in there.
New episodes twice a month.
I don’t know anyone who could listen to Jen Hatmaker and not feel lifted up a bit. I love her refreshing take on Christianity and what it really means to love our neighbor. She releases her podcast in seasons, or rather, groups based on a theme. For instance, the latest theme is For the Love of Faith Groundbreakers, and she recently interviewed Richard Rohr (who wrote The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective). My other favorite thing is that she transcribes these episodes on her website word for word, so if there is a poignant quote I want to remember, I don’t have to try and frantically text it to myself while I’m at a stop sign. My favorite episode is her interview with Anjelah Johnson.
Listen here.
SFW
New episodes out every Tuesday.
If I’m Being Honest is a new podcast by my friend Katie Crenshaw but don’t let it’s youth fool you into thinking it is not crammed full of real conversations with marginalized people about extremely sensitive topics. It has opened my eyes and heart SO much on topics that are heart-wrenching and involve real people. Giving people the chance to tell their story and a platform to use their story for education, healing, and personal growth requires an extremely tactful and charactered person, and Katie is nothing but that. She has done an amazing job putting a face to diseases, abuse, and stories in a dignified, beautiful way. Do not listen to this without a box of kleenex very close by.
Listen here.
NSFW
Follow @ifimbeinghonest on Instagram to be notified of new episodes.
Young House Love are what I consider some of the OG bloggers out there – I’ve been following and reading their blog for YEARS – so when they released a podcast I jumped right on the YHLHAP train (Young House Love Has A Podcast). You would never guess how much they can interweave their signature DIY content into a lifestyle podcast, but John’s love of specific light bulbs and Sherry’s woo-woo beauty routine make for an interesting episode every time! I also never fail to be impressed by how they can use words to describe something as visual as room makeovers and paint colors. My favorite episode is the one where they pee on their trees. (yep – you have to listen to figure out why!)
Listen here.
SFW
New episodes every Monday.
While I’m not currently up to speed on the Dave Ramsey show, I listened to it religiously while were in the middle of paying off all of our debt and we still both highly recommend it to people who are in Baby Step 2. It is a call-in show and he takes calls from listeners and helps walk them through whatever their financial question is. He also does Debt Free Screams (see ours here) and those were the most motivating part of the show for us! To hear people like us tell their story on the show helped keep us on track!
Listen here.
SFW
Three New Episodes Daily.
True Crime
Southern Nightmare (which was actually a recommendation made by Young House Love) was my foray into true crime. Without giving much away – it is the story of the Southside Strangler, one of the first serial killers to be convicted on DNA evidence in the United States. The host does a great job memorializing the victims and telling their stories, which I think is very important when you’re covering anything true crime. (It can be really easy to gloss over the victims and give all your attention to the victimizer). It is episodic (meaning you have to listen starting with episode one so that the storyline is coherent) and there are only ten episodes. So if you’re new to true crime, this is a good one to start on!
Listen here.
NSFW
Trigger Warning: Do NOT listen to this podcast if you or a loved one is having surgery any time soon.
Dr. Death covers the story of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who was the first surgeon to be criminally convicted based on actions in the operating room. This podcast is the twisted story of his history, patients, and an interesting look into the medical world and how it failed to protect the very people it was trying to serve. It is also episodic, so listen starting with episode one so you don’t miss any of this riveting story.
Listen here.
NSFW
If you’re a fan of crowd-sourcing, cold cases, Reddit, and true crime, then you will likely love The Murder Squad. Hosts Billy Jensen (true crime journalist) and Paul Holes (cold case investigator and key player in finding the Golden State Killer) join forces to go through cold cases in an effort to find unidentified victims through crowd-investigation. It is fascinating to hear about these cases and baffling to learn how many cases go unsolved every year. It is brand new (only two episodes in) so this is an easy one to catch up on if you’re like me and like to listen to every episode.
Listen here.
NSFW
New episodes on Mondays.
Let me tell you a secret: I’ve been a Murderino my whole life – I just didn’t know it had a name. Growing up in a house with a mom who was an ER nurse gave way to all kinds of interesting and weird stories about injuries, death, and the macabre. I didn’t realize what I was exactly until I started listening to My Favorite Murder (thanks to my friend Maggie) and learned that there are hundreds of thousands of other people who are grotesquely interested in things like murder, like me! Anyway – a Murderino is what MFM listeners call themselves. I really enjoy this show for the murder stories, but I’ve also had my eyes opened to many new ways to see women in the world – things I have literally NEVER thought about before. I have literally gone back and listened to every single episode and now look forward to new episodes every week! I can’t possibly pick a favorite – they are all really good!
Listen here.
NSFW
New episodes Monday and Thursday.
Enneagram
Okay I’ll be honest, I could literally listen to Suzanne’s voice all the time – it is so calming and soothing that it almost puts me to sleep (in a good way!). But aside from her voice, I legitimately cannot get enough of her Enneagram knowledge, so the podcast is a great way for me to keep learning on my own (without having to sign up for or teach another class.). Right now I’m really enjoying the sessions on Parenting (part one, part two).
Listen Here.
SFW
New episodes every Friday.
I know there are thousands of podcasts out there about the Enneagram, but I do like to be selective about what I listen to right now, since I’m still kind of new to it. (I know you’re probably shocked that I only listen to two!) But for now I am sticking with Suzanne’s and Ian Cron. As I learn more and feel more comfortable with Enneagram wisdom, I’ll expand my repetoire for sure, but I’m enjoying both of these right now!
Listen here.
SFW
New episodes every Thursday.
Business
My friend Shannon is the host of Pep Talks for Side Hustlers and she covers all kinds of topics for the entrepreneurs out there who are side-hustling their way to working for themselves full time. Shameless plug: you can listen to my episodes here and here! But my favorite episode was when she covered our mastermind retreat and how important it was for her business!
Listen here.
SFW
New episodes weekly
If you’re a blogger, then you need to be tuned into the Thrive Podcast for bloggers! As part of building her own empire, Bree shares tips and tricks to help bloggers and influencers grow their empire. She interviews masters of their trade and they have real talk about things like getting burned out, how they make money, how the manage their time as mompreneurs, and how they stay creative! Shameless plug #2: you can listen to my episode on affiliate links here! My other favorite episode is a recent one on what to do when your engagement is low.
Listen here.
SFW
New episodes every Thursday!
For some inspiration on a bigger scale, or to just hear the most fascinating stories of business start ups, How I Built This is super interesting!! I don’t have a favorite episode – this is one that I listen to while I work so I catch the highlights most times, but I love hearing stories like Kendra Scott’s!
Listen here.
SSFW
New episodes every Monday.
Whew – I didn’t realize how many podcasts I listen to until I did this post but it is quite a few!! I think I’ll take a pause from adding any new ones to the mix any time soon! So do you listen to any of these? What is your favorite podcast? (You know what, nevermind don’t tell me because then I’ll just have to deep dive into it LOL!).
I’m a podcast junkie, too. In fact, my podcast list includes 4 of the ones you posted here. Can you guess which ones?