5 Awesome Podcasts That You Should Be Listening To

So firstly, do you even listen to podcasts?

When I published this post about the most useful phone apps, I didn’t include the Podcast app that I have on my phone because I didn’t listen to podcasts very often back then. But my husband is a convert and is regularly telling me about fascinating episodes that he’s discovered, so I recently started looking into them more and more. And now I think that app is going to be high on my list of useful (and much used) apps.

So, in case you don’t know much about podcasts, which apps you would need to listen to them, how much it costs, and how to use and listen to them, I’ll give you a quick overview:

 

• Podcasts are digital audio (or video) files which can be streamed or downloaded and listened to on a computer or portable device.

 

• Podcasting is a free service that allows internet users to stream or download audio files from a podcasting website to listen to on their chosen device.

 

• There are many podcast apps available – Pocket Casts (Android & iOS), Overcast (iOS), Doggcatcher (Android) & Spotify (Android & iOS) to name a few. Not all of these apps are free, however. I would recommend browsing the available options in the App store and downloading the one(s) you like.

 

As I mentioned before, I use the Podcast app which comes pre-installed on the iPhone/iPad. I also downloaded the TED app from the App store (free) for more podcast options. I find those 2 apps sufficient for me at the moment.

Once you have found and downloaded a podcast app, you would then go into your app and:

• browse whatever category you’re interested in,
• subscribe to a podcaster/show,
• stream an episode immediately or
• download it to listen to later

I find streaming and downloading use similar amounts of data. And besides data usage, streaming/downloading doesn’t cost me anything.

Some ‘Fun’ Stats and Facts

It’s interesting to note, according to a survey done by Edison Research back in Jan/Feb of this year, that the popularity of podcasts continues to grow amongst our age group. The survey also notes that the age group 35-54 were the highest (36%) monthly podcast consumers. Second was the 18-34 age group at 34%. The monthly podcast consumer percentage dwindles to 19% amongst the 55+ age group. That statistic would be fascinating to follow as time goes by – I’m thinking that podcasts might increase in popularity among the older demographic as our technological savvy moves on with us into that demographic.

So we can see that podcasts are popular with the middle-aged group. And it stands to reason, I guess – we have more downtime, perhaps, we’re still open to further (often casual) education and diverse entertainment, and we have tech skills. I’m getting so hooked on listening to podcasts now because I love how I can add to my life even with a quick 30-minute episode.

When it comes to choosing which podcasts to listen to and when to listen

I guess choosing something fun to listen to is a very personal thing because it depends what your objectives are and where your interests lie. Do you want to learn about something or simply be entertained? In my opinion, first prize would be a podcast that does both.

I find listening to podcasts is great when I’m walking my dog, sitting in traffic or waiting in a queue.  I often listen while I walk our dog, Bailey because that gives me a long enough window to finish an entire episode. Another good time for me is first thing in the morning as I’m wanting to change my habit of spending time scrolling on my phone when I wake up – and this might just be a good way to break that habit and replace it with something more positive and worthwhile.

Anyway, after much browsing, I’ve found a few fun podcasters to subscribe to now. And I’ve loaded lots of good material in my Podcast app for future listening. Here are 5 that I want to share with you:

5 podcasts I think you might enjoy

BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour – I love the Late Night Woman’s Hour – Their episode about Ageing was a good listen. But there are so many more episodes that I want to listen to over there.

Edit Your Life – Co-hosts Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest are the amazing women behind this brilliant show which is all about ‘simplifying, decluttering and making room for the awesome in your life’. They’ve also co-authored a book together about minimalist parenting. The family and lifestyle topics that they talk about resonate with me and are often just what I’m looking for. Recently I listened to their episode Tips for Communicating with Teens which was brilliant.

Women in the Middle – Suzy Rosenstein is a midlife coach and talks about all things midlife. I listened to A Look at Your Underwear Drawer & the Importance of Self-Care which was a laugh. Again, there are so many episodes that I’m wanting to listen to here.

Selfie – This podcast is hosted by Sarah James, a lifestyle blogger and self-help aficionado, and Kristen Howerton, a writer and psychotherapist. They cover self-help and self-care topics. I listened to their first episode: Sleep + Introversion/Extroversion + Female Face Shaving and so enjoyed their banter. I love it when hosts’ personalities come across strongly. And the topics they cover really appeal to me.

Menopause Moment – A great podcast all about menopause – What is menopause and pre-menopause? What are the symptoms? The host Susan Baroncini-Moe experienced menopause early. She started this podcast to inform women about menopause so as not to be as unprepared as she was. I started at the beginning (her first episode) and I’m working my way through each subsequent episode.

I like podcasters with calm, soothing voices who cover meaty subjects that offer some benefit or knowledge. If a podcaster has an annoying voice and the episode is filled with too much fluff and ‘obviousness’, I’m out. What are your pre-requisites?

Do you have any shows or episodes that you’ve listened to and loved? If you do, please leave details in a comment below. I always love great recommendations and I’m sure other readers might like them too.

 

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