What I’m Listening To – Part 2

This is the second part of a series on what I’m listening to (first part here). As I’ve mentioned before, I’m an auditory learner. This means I retain information and am inspired most easily through hearing. Whether on a run or in the car, I’m probably listening to a podcast about the arts, show business, or culture. In this post, I’m going to share five of my top ten podcasts. Click the images below to be taken to its iTunes page, click the podcast’s title to be taken to its website.

Up First

News. Overall the best podcast productions I know of comes from NPR. I’ve grown tired of following our nation’s news (especially political news) too closely. It can tank my mood, send me down a rabbit hole of article reading and social media checking, and generally distracting me from the work I should be getting done instead. This Monday through Friday podcast is a nice, compact round-up of the morning’s news. It’s just enough for now. 10 minutes

This American Life

Culture. I discovered This American Life on the radio before there was podcasting. I would listen to Ira Glass share his engaging and witty stories on my drive from Nashville to APSU on Sunday nights. They say they “pick a theme and bring you stories on that theme.” Despite that clunky tagline, that’s an apt description. Recent episodes include “Becoming a Badger,” stories about people trying their best to turn themselves into something that they’re not and “So a Monkey and a Horse Walk Into a Bar,” stories about blurring the lines between animal and human. If you can only listen to one of shows on this list, this is it. There’s also an excellent website where you can browse their hundreds of episode. This show was made for podcasting, was ahead of its time, and sets the bar for excellence in podcasting. Do you have any questions about how I feel about this one? The opposite of Up First‘s short and sweet approach, this is one of my “deep dives.” 60 minutes

Audrey Helps Actors

Show business. Actor Audrey Moore hosts entertainment professionals (mostly non-celebrity, working actors) for honest, frank, and funny conversations about the ups and downs of an actor’s life. I’m only three episodes in and I already have a better understanding of pilot/drop/meeting season and dealing with the “when are you going to get a real job?” questions around the family holiday table. I especially like hearing Moore help her guests celebrate smaller, hidden-from-the-public victories, because it helps me realize what I can celebrate too. This is quickly becoming my favorite podcast for actors. The audio is great, Audrey sounds like a therapist, and the theme song (“Audrey helps actors ‘cuz they don’t know anything”) cracks me up every time it plays. But what I like most is that she’s an actor talking to actors. She’s in a higher tier than I am, but not so high that she’s untouchable. I know she struggles like I do, but can give good advice as one who is just a bit further down the road. And she is SO charming, you immediately feel like she’s a friend. 60-90 minutes

Death, Sex & Money

Culture. Another outstanding podcast from NPR that discusses what’s often excluded from “polite conversation.” Infidelity, infertility, student debt, pornography, losing a loved one, facing your own mortality; it’s all out in the open and on the table. Host Anna Sale uses her own vulnerability and humor to put her guests at ease and draw her listeners in as if joining the intimate conversation. This a great show for understanding human behavior and current cultural trends. 30-45 minutes

TED Radio Hour

Culture. We all love a good TED Talk, but I find it hard to find time to watch them. But listening to a summary of talks around a common topic “adapted for radio”? Perfect. 50 minutes