My top five podcasts
I’m an avid listener of podcasts. Give me human insight and vulnerability all day, every day. Here’s my top five that are always on rotation!
1. How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
An easy first. I’m obsessed. Her guests are amazing – true A-listers who ‘celebrate the things in life that haven’t gone right and what we might learn from them along the way’. Pamela Anderson, Stanley Tucci, Mo Gawdat, Monica Lewisky, Sir Chris Hoy, Bernie Sanders and the flawless Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
2. Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdecombe
This podcast has made me laugh out loud in the supermarket, at the gym and waiting inline at the post office many times. They interview famous parents about ‘the highs and lows’ of parenting. Yes it’s funny but it’s also extremely reassuring that we’re all going through the same. I also love that it’s normalises dads getting fully involved in parenting. Gobble gobble.
3. Happy Place with Fearne Cotton
Growing up in the UK, Fearne’s voice has been a constant from my young years. She celebrates honesty, authenticity and community – and an excitement and enthusiasm for getting older, which I absolutely adore.
4. To Be a Boy with Joeli Brearley and Elliott Rae
Joeli Brearley is the powerhouse behind Pregnant Then Screwed, a charity and campaign group dedicated to ending “the motherhood penalty” – the systemic disadvantage women face in the workplace after becoming mothers. When I heard she was releasing a podcast based on raising boys, I subscribed straight away.
Like many, my online and digital spaces have been carefully curated to make me feel safe and good. I’m surrounded by people who generally think along the same lines as I do and it is easy for me* to forget that there are people living very dark and scary ideologies. This podcast is “family therapy through politics” where the left-leaning siblings have weekly conversations with their Trump MAGA cult supporters. It reminds me of the abhorrent beliefs of so many, and how important allyship is. It’s a wild ride.
*I know this is an extremely privileged situation that I never take for granted.
Not that anybody asked, but I’d also like to include Where There’s a Will There’s a Way with Kathy Burke (the Danny Dyer episode is my go-to if I ever need a laugh) and Annie Mac’s Changes series. So good. RIP.
Thanks for indulging in my little list. What do you listen to? I want to get into Crime Podcasts so let me know your recommendations!