My Favorite Podcasts

Full disclosure- this post could almost be titled "The ONLY Podcasts I Listen To" because I don't really listen to very many of them and only started listening to them in the past year or so (aside from Season One of Serial, because holy suspense and intrigue, Batman.) Part of that is laziness on my part, since once I subscribe to a podcast I feel obligated to it and then when episodes pile up un-downloaded, I start to feel bogged down and overwhelmed which is kind of a stupid way for something like podcasts to make me feel. (I'm not getting a grade for my podcast listening, but sometimes you'd think that. You'd also think that at 27 I wouldn't be motivated by a podcast report card, but here we are. Sigh.) 

Full(er) disclosure- I had a totally different post planned for today but didn't get started on it in time and now here we are... phoning it in with a good ol' list post. Such is life with a sick baby and rain all day and cabin fever and wasting time... well, blah blah blah. I supposed I could have written the other post instead of watching the DUMBEST Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin movie... it would have been a much better use of my day and I'll never get those two hours of my life back. The 60s brought us some cinematic gems but this wasn't one of them

After that ridiculously long intro, here are my podcast picks and a plug for podcast listening- it's entertaining, informative, even inspirational, depending on what you're listening to, and what I like best is that while I'm running it distracts me from the fact that I'm dying. =) 

Me with my trusty red headphones, listening to podcasts and taking a questionable number of selfies after running. (If it's not documented online, did it really happen?) Now if only there were a podcast to distract me from the cruel, cruel Texas humidity, we'd be in business.

-What Should I Read Next with Anne Bogel- Anne blogs at Modern Mrs. Darcy (which I've mentioned here many times) and each week she interviews a different reader about their book loves (and hates- so entertaining!) and then recommends new books for them based on their own picks. She has a really interesting mix of guests and of course nothing thrills me more than listening to people talk about reading. If you're looking for new book recommendations or just fun book talk, this is for you! 

-The Eric Metaxas Show with Eric Metaxas- This is one of those that piles up on me because there are new episodes almost every day, but I just love this guy. Eric Metaxas is such a prolific author, an articulate voice for Christians and conservatives, and while he tackles serious issues about faith and Christian liberties, he manages to be absolutely hilarious and light-hearted at the same time. He has an amazing array of guests from theologians to Hollywood stars (like Andrew Garfield, who was just on last week!) and covers topics from politics to sports. He's so funny and entertaining and kind and I really love his show. If you haven't, you should read his books right away. 

-The Big Boo Cast with Sophie Hudson and Melanie Shankle- I know these ladies have been around the Internet for a while now, but I'm late to their party. BUT better late than never because it's a really fun party! I love that they don't take themselves seriously at ALL but their chats about shopping, sports, food, books, music, movies (they talk about just everything) make me laugh so hard. My friend Laura described this podcast as listening to two friends talk on the phone and that's exactly what it feels like (in a good way.) If nothing else, their southern accents fill me with joy. =)

-The Lazy Genius Podcast with Kendra Adachi- I discovered Kendra's blog a few months ago and her blog and Instagram account have been a ray of sunshine in my life. Her motto, "Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't," is totally how I want to live my life and her content is full of ways to do just that. So many of her posts resonate with me, from homemaking to parenting to creativity, and I just really love her stuff. Her podcast only has one season but I've already listened to several episodes and thoroughly enjoyed them (the one with her husband is my favorite.) 

-Happier with Gretchen Rubin- this is the show I've been listening to the longest and is also my very favorite. Every week Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth give tips and tricks on how to build healthy habits and a happier life, and the show is just full of advice that sounds so simple but somehow frames things in a way I hadn't considered before. I especially love all the helpful tips for habit change, something that we're all working on in one way or another. Their discussions about personality types is super helpful and interesting too since knowing your own personality type (and that of those closest to you) can really help in dealing with different relationships in your life. Anyway, there are so many topics covered that describing them all would take forever, but if you listen to this you will definitely receive some good, helpful information. 

There you go! Like I said, I enjoy podcasts because I can listen to them and do other things at the same time (like running, for example) and I feel like they're a slightly better use of my time than listening to music since I'm actually learning something most of the time. (Not that I think it's a waste to listen to music, says the girl who has blared the same Broadway cast album 87 times in the past three days.) But given my limited repertoire of podcasts, I'd love to hear of any great ones you have to recommend! I also have plans to start my own podcast one of these days (gasp!) so I feel like I need to get familiar with what makes the good ones good before I get going on my own. (That's what this world needs- my shaky voice recorded for your listening pleasure. Yikes. We'll see. =) 


Happy listening! And happy Tuesday! =)