I spend a lot of time in my basement studio. Alone. I’m a natural extrovert (s/o to my fellow ESFJ’s!), and sometimes it’s hard to sit alone for hours at a time chugging through envelopes in total silence. Music does the trick a lot of the time, but sometimes I just want to hear a good story or get inspired. Also, when I start to sing along to songs I start to write the lyrics instead of the address… so here’s where podcasts come in. I LOVE them. I have a huge docket that I subscribe to so that I have something for any mood I might be in. And because I don’t have them memorized, I tend not to insert their content into my work. 🙂
That being said, below are some of my recommendations based on what I’ve been listening to lately! If you have any suggestions or notes on any of these podcasts, please leave a comment! I LOVE talking about them and would love to get a discussion going as I could also use more recommendations.
My Everyday Companions:
- Call Your Girlfriend. This podcast is pure feminist magic. Two long distance BFFs (Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow) chatting over the phone about what’s going on in the world, in pop culture and in their lives. I feel like they are my actual friends. It’s a can’t live without.
- Beautiful Stories From Anonymous People. Comedian Chris Gethard takes a timed one hour phone call from a random stranger where anything goes. Every show is different. Sometimes people have shocking confessions to share, and sometimes they light and airy. You never know what you’re gonna get.
- The Lively Show. Jess Lively hosts a show that is currently following her indefinite travels around the world. She shares her adventures and advice for following your intuition and living from your value-based intentions. If you are interested in mindfulness, intuition, quantum mechanics and the law of attraction, this podcast is for you. Even when the concepts get a little woo for me, I find myself more at peace after listening to the show. Who doesn’t want a more peaceful and aligned life?
For Laughs:
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Maximum Fun’s Judge John Hodgman. This is one of my all time favorite podcasts. Actor John Hodgman and his “bailiff” Jesse Thorn hear cases and render judgments over usually trivial matters between two people, and they are always hilarious. My husband and I save these for when we are making dinner together because they are light and fun and keep us laughing through what I find to be a mundane task (cooking, ugh.) One of my favorites is “A Betrayal of Crust” from November 16, 2016 if you are looking to start listening to this one!
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WNYC’s 2 Dope Queens. Hosts/BFFs Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams host a live comedy show where in addition to their amazing banter they invite ~3 comedians that they love to perform. They usually do this out of Brooklyn, and it is always hysterical. There is literally no one else with their dynamic. They don’t hold back, they’re relatable, and it’s impossible not to want to be their friend. If you love this one, you’ll also love Phoebe’s Sooo Many White Guys where she interviews entertainment industry types that are NOT white dudes. Refreshing, right?
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NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. This one is an oldie but a goodie. It is one of the first podcasts I ever listened to and haven’t missed an episode to date. Every Friday, Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) and a rotating selection of co-hosts, mostly from other areas of NPR, discuss the latest in pop culture. Movies, music, books, you name it. They also have a segment at the end where they throw out “what is making them happy this week” and it is always full of little pieces of culture that I end up seeking out after the episode. It isn’t rolling on the floor laughing funny, but it is light and pleasant with a touch of snark, which is right up my alley.
Some others I love and listen to every week are: NPR Politics for some regular news coverage, Pod Save America for firing me up and feeding into my general political anger, How I Built This for some entrepreneurial inspiration, and finally 99% Invisible for life’s random little curiosities!
What are you listening to? Do you already listen to some of the ones I listed above? I’d love to hear from you in the comments or shoot me an email at meg@mbcalligraphy.com!
xx Meg