By Deb Lemcke
I have a confession to make, I absolutely love podcasts. It would not be unusual for me to listen to more than ten hours of podcasts as week and I have to tell you – they are some of the happiest hours in my week. It has revolutionised my daily commuting, which no longer stresses me out but instead offers a little sanctuary of joy and peace within a busy life. For those who don’t know, podcasts are essentially like individual radio shows that have a specific theme or style. For the most part they are free and you can just download them via the podcast app on your phone then all you have to do is pop your headphones in and you are good to go.
Once you start digging around, you’ll realise that there are podcasts on just about every topic you could think of from science to comedy, history to happiness. The real joy for me comes from the storytelling and the sense of personal connection that I feel with not just the hosts but also the individuals being interviewed.
Osher Gunsberg said of his podcast, “I don’t get paid for it, it costs me money if anything but the value it has brought the rest of my life, the rest of my work, is immense”. For him what it comes down to is that genuine connection with other people and his honesty in striving for that is very evident in his interviews and introductions.
Like all good communications, the best podcasts are built on great content, establishing a strong connect with the audience and telling your story in an interesting and engaging way. If you can get me to LOL at the same time then we are on a winner.
If you are interested in trying out this crazy new world for yourself or expand your listening library, then here are a few suggestions:
This American Life by NPR – a weekly podcast hosted by Ira Glass who is a master storyteller. Each week they have a different theme and tell stories based on that.
Serial – From the same producers as This American Life, Serial is the most downloaded podcast in history. As the name would suggest it tells a true story week by week and it is enthralling. Start with season 1 which deals with the 1999 murder of a high school student Hae Min Lee and the young man charged with her murder Adnan Syed.
Wilosophy with Wil Anderson – You don’t have to be a fan of his comedy to enjoy this as he interviews really interesting people. Some highlights for me are Todd Sampson, Kurt Fernly and Jarrod McKenna.
Chat 10 Looks 3 – Annabelle Crabb and Leigh Sales talk about books, politics, moves and food. They laugh a lot, the audio quality is generally compromised but I love these super-smart ladies.
The Osher Gunsberg Podcast – so it turns out this guy is way more than just the host of The Bachelor and I have been genuinely surprised by how much I enjoy listening to him. A lovely interviewing style that really encourages people to open up.
If you want some comedy recommendation then message me and I’ll give you my secret list which contains far too much profanity for me it include here. I’d love to know what you think and if you have any others that you’d like to recommend!