Podcasts

I have become a big fan of podcasts over the last few years. A couple of years ago when I started my daily workout routine during lunch, I would always listen to a podcast. The 40-50 minute length was perfect for the time I was spending on the elliptical and it allowed me to learn more about things I was interested in, but also new things.

A little over a year ago, I was a guest on a climate adaptation podcast - America Adapts. It was a blast being on even though I was worried I might be walking into a trap. The conversation lasted more than an hour and I think we created an episode that make people think about agriculture and climate change.

Here are a few of my favorite podcasts:

1. On Being. I am not normally a fan of podcasts that are just repeats of a normal radio or tv show with nothing new added. However, I have always been a fan of On Being, or "NPR Church" as I like to call it and having the show as a podcast allowed me to listen when I couldn't be close to the radio on a Sunday morning. Hostess Krista Tippett covers a wide range of topics related to spirituality and I often find that listening to the show helps ground me in a more mindful way for the week.

2. Zigzag. First things first. Let's just get it out of the way now - Manoush Zomorodi is my podcrush <3 I first became familiar with her as the hostess of the podcast Note to Self, a podcast about the role of technology in our lives. It was a really thoughtful way to make you consider the impact of the technology in our lives these days. She also wrote a book from the experience - Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self. I highly recommend it as it has steps to help you put down the phone and open your brain spaces. Manoush and her producer Jen Poyant left WNYC to start their own media company based on blockchain technology as a way to try to bring more transparency and honesty to journalism while at the same time empowering women. You will learn about blockchain, you will learn how bots manipulate social media, and you will follow the ups and downs of these two kickass women. I love them and make sure I have the new episode ready for my commute the morning after it drops.

3. Make Me Smart. Every evening on the commute home, I almost always listen to the day's economic recap on Marketplace via NPR. Host Kai Ryssdal makes it all sound so simple (THE STOCK MARKET IS NOT THE ECONOMY). In this podcast, Kai and fellow Marketplace personality Molly Wood talk about topics at the intersection of economics, technology, and culture. As the motto of the show says, "none of us is as smart as all of us," and I always learn something cool on this podcast. It is my secret desire to actually be on this podcast someday as a guest.

4. Bagman. This is a single season podcast from the best journalist working today, Rachel Maddow. The podcast covers the story of former Vice President Spiro Agnew and his downfall in only 7 episodes. I was in elementary school during Watergate and I knew that Agnew resigned but I had no idea why. This podcast goes in depth to show the level of corruption of Agnew and the criminal activity behind trying to stop the investigation into his taking bribes in the White House. For the first time, we learn that Nixon and Agnew recruited George H. W. Bush to try to shut down the investigation into Agnew by pressuring a Republican Senator from Maryland whose brother was one of the federal prosecutors investigating Agnew. This was uncovered in a small university library in Maryland. There are tapes of Nixon and Agnew talking in the Oval Office about getting Bush to try to shut this down. Just imagine if this tidbit were known when HW Bush was running for office in the 80s. I doubt he would have become Vice President, much less President. Fascinating stuff here.

5. The Uncertain Hour. This another from our friends at Marketplace. I got into this one at Season One during my former workout period. Season One deals with welfare reform under the Clinton Administration (a disastrous policy as covered in the wonderful book by Peter Edelman - Searching for America's Heart: RFK and the Renewal of Hope). The pod deals with controversial topics around the economy in our society. Season 2 is a look at regulations, where they come from and how they impact our lives. Hosted by Krissy Clark from the Wealth and Poverty beat at Marketplace. This one will probably change your mind about things that you thought you knew.

6. Slow Radio. Last but not least for now a new podcast I just stumbled upon, Slow Radio from the BBC. This delightful little nugget is 20-30 minutes of everyday sounds in the world. You are encouraged to "step back, let go, immerse yourself: it’s time to go slow." I am looking forward to listening to the series of episodes recorded in a monastery - Monks chanting, etc. One episode covered life on a river in Tennessee. The old lady talking reminded me of the stories that my grandparents used to tell me about life during the Depression down in East Texas. I think this podcast might be a great way to start off a day in mindfulness, or perhaps unwind at the end of the day.

If you don't do podcasts, I encourage your to step out there and give them a shot. There are literally thousands of them covering every topic imaginable. You can find them on Apple's iTunes, or Stitcher. Many shows also have their own websites where you can listen to episodes.