I probably spend a large percentage of my life listening to podcasts, in the car, whilst cooking, getting ready in the morning and before going to bed at night. Recently I’ve found myself keenly awaiting new episodes of multiple shows and wanted to share the joys I’ve experienced with my current top 5 podcasts:
1.HAPPY PLACE – FEARNE COTTON
This podcast is wonderful and diverse. Television and Radio presenter Fearne Cotton has entered the realm of author in recent years with her books ‘HAPPY’ and ‘CALM’, which delve into her experiences with mental health and the coping mechanisms she uses to find her ‘happy place’.
Released weekly, this podcast is a conversation between Fearne and her guest about how they find balance and take care of their wellbeing in everyday life. Series 1 has seen an array of guests from various occupations: Tom Daley & Dustin Lance, Paloma Faith, Matt Haig, Stephen Fry, Zephyr Wildman, Alexandra Shulman, Kirsty Young, Lena Headey and my personal favourites Dawn French and Gok Wan.
Cotton does a wonderful job of letting the guests open up without interruption, whilst expertly steering them in a direction to extract an honest discussion about their relationship with their mental health.
Happy Place is the perfect 40(ish) minute podcast to listen to whilst getting ready for the day ahead and most importantly, allows you to add new tricks and techniques to your toolkit to manage your own wellbeing.
2. TABLE MANNERS WITH JESSIE WARE
With 2 seasons under it’s belt this podcast revolves around one of my favourite things – food. Singer Jessie Ware is joined by her mother Lennie who along with Jessie (and occasionally her brother, a dessert king) cooks a three course meal over which they discuss career, food, family and life with their guests.
The mother and daughter dynamic works really well to steer the conversation in different directions and allows different generational perspectives on the topics they encounter. Joining the family dinner table each episode creates an atmosphere of comfort and inclusion for the listener. This podcast is sprinkled with humour and explores the relationship between food and family and I am desperately awaiting the release of a cookbook to go alongside it.
My favourite episode was by far with BBC Documentary maker Stacey Dooley, who talked frankly about her career and provided hilarious stories of going to the toilet in weird and wonderful ways around the world.
This podcast makes you feel like you’ve attended a dinner party and got to sit next to a friend’s friend that you feel you’ve known forever by the end of the evening.
3. STANDARD ISSUE PODCAST
Standard Issue FOR ALL WOMEN. Originating as an online magazine set up by comedian Sarah Millican to provide women with a magazine that covered a range of issue and topics. The organisation was unable to survive as a website, through it’s principals to not use un-feminist adverts or charge a subscription fee has meant that a podzine was launched.
The diversity and celebration of women in sport, politics, entertainment and STEM offers a regular insight into the achievements and work of women that are often unacknowledged in mainstream media.The podcast also provides gigcasts where Sarah Millican hosts a live audience with female guests, which always seems to provide really insightful conversations about life and career.
A very funny, informative podcast to keep up with the news and achievements in the world of women.
4. #MILLENNIAL (the hashtag is silent)
Andrew, Laura, Matt and Elysa provide a witty, sarcastic, informed and educated look at modern day life as a millennial. This podcast is hosted by the four american millennials, who discuss the weekly news and tackle issues facing the younger generations in today’s society. With funding for the podcast coming from Patreon the listeners are involved within a community, with the ability to communicate with hosts through live streaming on patreon and a private Facebook group for supporters.
I love the unfiltered, honest conversations that the show has and how willing the hosts are to let the listeners into their lives. This is my favourite podcast to just switch off for an hour with and genuinely look forward to listening every single week. Despite looking at complicated and bleak world issues, the show manages to discuss with humour and compassion.
5. SOMEONE KNOWS SOMETHING
I have also been someone who likes to solve things. As a kid I loved crime shows and murder mysteries, and I liked to solve them – I considered working in the police for a long time when I was younger, because I loved to investigate. I’m drawn to unsolved crime podcasts because the not knowing niggles away at me and I will for the answer to be found.
What I love about SKS is that David Ridgen takes you on every single step of the journey, no matter if it’s unfruitful or mundane. His need to know and sensitivity for these victims and their families connects the listeners to the crux of the story and grounds them in a need to know.
Ridgen does a great job of making the listener feel the absence left by these missing people – where did they go? what happened? is always on your mind even when you’ve removed your earphones.
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