What a difference a year makes! That could apply to so much right now but I am specifically speaking of the podcast world. When I compiled my top 10 pod list for 2019, it was a pretty clear decision. During 2020 stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19, starting a podcast became the thing to do. While I love all the new content available, it makes subscription decisions difficult. I only have so many hours in a day and although I would love to spend them all listening to pods…I shouldn’t. When I compare my 2020 list to my 2019 list, it is apparent that my interests and values have shifted. It was definitely a year of learning and growth for me. I do try to select podcasts that would be of interest to a wider population, so I hope you will give them consideration.
My year-end list includes podcasts that I enjoyed all year (versus my Pod of the Week on Instagram, which is a specific episode from the week prior). Subscribing to a podcast takes some vetting and these mostly remained on my subscription list throughout 2020. Happy listening and learning!
#10 – Bill Gates and Rashida Jones Ask Big Questions
I reluctantly included this pod because it just started in mid-November, but I have enjoyed the episodes they have released thus far. I respect both Bill and Rashida and had no idea they were buddies! Both are deep thinkers yet have different levels of optimism, which leads to interesting conversations with their guests. Sadly they get my award for the worst theme song (it’s a familiar pop song that has always made my ears hurt!)
Favorite cast: Is it too late to stop climate change?
#9 – Zero to Travel
As someone who has made his living around travel, host Jason Moore pivoted nicely this year and had some really interesting guests discussing their adventures in life. I love hearing how others think outside the box and don’t conform to societal norms. After some episodes, I feel compelled to pack a bag and just…go.
Favorite cast: Exploring Your Limiting Beliefs & Finding Your Purpose with Kathleen Sinclair
#8 – Reply All
Alex Goldman and PJ Vogt have a rapport that makes this show fun (and the best laughs in pod world!) They have pulled in a third host and are releasing fewer episodes, so I fear they are focusing on other projects and Reply All might not be around much longer. I have never found a succinct way to describe their pod other than just suggesting that people listen. Sometimes they investigate something, sometimes they help a listener with a problem, and my favorite segment is “Yes Yes No” where Alex Bloomberg (their boss) brings something from the internet he doesn’t understand and they help him understand it. TERRIBLE description, I know….just listen.
Favorite cast: The Case of the Missing Hit
#7 – Ten Percent Happier
If you are at all interested in meditation, this pod is a good starting point as it is geared toward beginners. It is hosted by Dan Harris, who dove headfirst into meditation after having an on-air panic attack on Good Morning America. He wrote a book by the same name and the pod and an app followed. To kick off 2021, they are focusing on self-compassion (versus the useless resolution that most abandon by February). He has interesting guests about various topics – some more relatable to me than others. There are also short meditations for you to give it a try! I will warn you: if you are looking for instant gratification, you won’t find that in meditation. Rather, it equips for tumultuous times and your instinct from practicing will kick in.
Favorite cast: Fun is a Trainable Skill (And it doesn’t involve your phone) | Catherine Price (#289)
#6 – Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
This is one of two pods that made my 2019 list. Conan obviously has the pull to draw some pretty well-known guests and he is so quick-witted in the conversations. To me, he seems to be one of the more humble folks in showbusiness. His assistant and producer play prominent roles in the episodes both with banter before and after the guest as well as some interjections throughout the interview.
Favorite cast: Amy Schumer
#5 – How I Built This
This is the second pod to make my list two years in a row. Guy Raz has a gift for doing just what he is doing. As I continue to ponder what entrepreneurial life might look like someday, I love linking the common themes from each of his guests. Essentially, most businesses are started by someone trying to solve a problem they encountered. They all seem to have the ability to keep pushing on when times get tough and have a pretty high appetite for risk. When Covid hit, he started dropping a second “Resilience” episode each week but I have not listened to those.
Favorite cast: McBride Sisters Wine (two parts)
#4 – Gaze at the National Parks
Dustin Ballard and Michael Ryan have become my two favorite National Park travelers this year. I started listening to them while preparing for my summer road trip. Podcasts are a great planning resource for anywhere you are going. Their episodes are the perfect mix of history, Public Lands-related news, trail & park reviews, and fun. They also get my vote for the best pod theme song. I would love to go on a hike with them someday!
Favorite cast: Channel Islands (two parts)
#3 – SmartLess
When I look for the positives to come out of the pandemic, this podcast is one! Will Arnett, Sean Hayes, and Jason Bateman get together for a conversation with a famous guest. Typically one of them invites the guest and the other two don’t know who it is until recording. They have fun and their personalities shine through while uncovering interesting stories from the guest. It dropped into my life at the right time when I needed some light-hearted, laugh-out-loud listens.
Favorite cast: Ricky Gervais
#2 – It Was Said
Historian Jon Meacham hosts this limited documentary series and his buttery voice will draw you in instantly. There are ten episodes and each one revisits a famous speech in history from JFK to Meghan McCain’s eulogy for her father. Meacham plays the speeches, interjecting throughout with context, analysis, and his expertise.
Favorite cast: Impossible. Each one is fantastic.
#1 – Freakonomics Radio
This podcast is made by the host and the format. Stephen Dubner does an outstanding job of asking fair–and sometimes tough–questions of his guests. The show also considers multiple sides when exploring an issue and I always learn something.
Favorite cast: America’s Hidden Duopoly
Honorable mentions: The Happiness Lab; Sleep With Me; Amateur Traveler; Everything, Everywhere; Secular Buddhism, Literally with Rob Lowe; Floodlines
the single minimal(ist) 