
Just a few commonly asked questions about my pod listening habits before diving into this list.
What apps do I listen on?
I keep it simple so most of the time I listen on my phone using Spotify or Apple Podcast (when it does load, it’s a buggy app). I don’t like having to keep up with too many podcasts apps because they get missed as the list grows on Spotify.
What is a podcast?
A podcast is an audio broadcast. They cover an assortment of subjects and topics from history, true crime, food, self-help, relationships, stories, comedy and more. Podcasters have the range and there’s nothing you can’t learn. The format changes from show to show, host to host, and pod network to pod network. It’s like being in an audio book store but pods are not audiobooks.
So they’re like audiobooks?
No, But I do have a digital library of audiobooks that I enjoy just as much. But podcasts aren’t audiobooks.
When do you have time to listen to all these?
I listen to a lot more than what’s on the list. I listen while working, commuting in L.A., and while cleaning. I just listen to less music since listening to pods because it’s hard not to finish the story. Gosh, I hate cliffhangers.
- Therapy for Black Girls, hosted by Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
- The Friend Zone, where Zen and pop culture meet
- Swindled, American true crime stories about white-collar crime and cons
- Twenty Thousand Hertz, interesting stories about sounds
- You Had Me at Black, open-mic storytelling
- You Must Remember This, forgotten stories of Hollywood
- Freaknic a Discourse on a Paradise Lost, history of Atlanta’s biggest picnic
- Making Beyonce, 3-part series that covers Yonce from kid to megastar
- The Disney Story Origins, very detailed comparisons of original films, stories, and books to their Disney remakes
- WeCrashed, a Wondery breakdown of the crash of WeWork’s empire
- Esther Perel Where Should We Begin is the perfect start especially those in or seeking romantic relationships and challenges with love
- This American Life, compelling stories with various themes
- Reveal, groundbreaking stories with often surprising outcomes
- Legal Wars, in-depth stories about the best courtroom battles
- Ridiculous History, just when you thought history is crazy enough
- Something You Should Know, the most interesting little known facts that everyone should know
- Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know, unexplained events with a dash of conspiracy theories
- Stuff to Blow Your Mind, wild science, and technology info we should know and yet here we are… getting schooled
- The Sweep Spot, Disney and Disneyland stories from former sweepers and cast members
- The Read, will always uplift your spirits and get you in a good mood, even when they have to read someone for filth
- Theme Park Pulse, I’m an L.A. girl, it’s my duty as a local to stay on top of theme parks
- Sword and Scale, the underworld of crime and that’s an understatement
- This is Actually Happing, short story format that explores what happens when $hit get real
- The Dream, exploring multi-level marketing with empathy and exposing the truth
- Snap Judgement, dramatic tales of when you faced with the ultimate decision to make a choice
- This is Love, this is everything they don’t tell you about love
- She Makes Money Moves girls and the coin we keep and the coin we create
- Scandalous Beauty, a dope makeup and beauty podcast Erin Baynham of the popular beauty blog of the same name
- Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman, I’m all about scaling up and growth and Reid doesn’t hold back when it comes to how these businesses go from zero to a gazillion
- Moms and Murder, low-key everybody’s moms are into murder and true crime, we’re all just following suit
- Slow Burn, each season they take a deep look into the stories the world thought they knew
- The Star Plucker, Eyebrow guru Damon Roberts brings us beauty stories and tips
- Still Processing, America’s sister and brother Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris cover some of the country’s biggest cultural stories
- The Nod, Black stories that rarely get the coverage they deserve told by Brittany and Erick
- Joe Budden Podcast, this is a judgment-free zone, right?
- Gastropod, food, history, and science and did I mention food?
- The Science Hour, great for getting caught up on the latest updates in science
- Science Vs, knocking down myths with hardcore scientific facts
- Savor, because food is amazing and I can listen to people talk about food every day
- Optimal Living Daily, quick minimalist shorts to get your day going
- Planning for Profit, it’s always time to “make this money” so plan for it
- Reply All, modern life and how tech impacts us
- Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, marketing, promotion, advertising, and psychology deep dives
- Today Explained, details on one of the most important stories you missed while at work or just out living your life
- Crime Junkie, recaps of some of the most popular crime and stories of murder
- Infamous: The Tekashi 61x9ine Story, narrated by hip-hop journalist Angie Martinez this doc-style pod starts from his early life to how we got here today
- 30 for 30, where sports meets drama
- 99% Invisible, the little major topics you should know but probably don’t
- 1619 from The New York Times, hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, this pod examines how slavery has shaped America
- The Angela Lee Show, showing you how to get our your feelings and into your bag
- The Boonie Breakdown, Your source for all things Responsible & Ratchet™, Boonie breaks down life and she’s the friend that helps you get it together
- Business Wars, multiple series of the history of business rivalries
- Brought to You By, how the biggest household brands made it into our lives and impact it
- Criminal, compassionate stories about those that have been on various sides of crime
- Death Sex Money, excuse my language but this is the shit everyone should be talking about and don’t
- Drink Champs, hip hop stories, weed, and liquor straight from those that know first hand
- Revolutionist History, Malcolm Gladwell revisits history to see if they got it right the first time… spoiler alert they almost never get it right the first time
- Ear Hustle, stories from inmates living with the daily realities of being in prison
- Freakonomics Radio, because we’re all impacted by the wild world of economics
- The Hilarious World of Depression, because depression and suicide can make you look back and laugh
- Every Little Thing, great for those that find themselves curiously googling random questions
- Running From Cops, this podcast should be a Netflix documentary so it can get the attention it needs. This is what happens when Cops film with local agencies to get ratings
- The History Chicks, learn your history!
- Pivot, where tech, business, and politics collide
- The Pitch, real entrepreneurs pitching to real investors for real money
- Charm City, this series takes a look at the police shooting death of Lavar Montray Douglas
- Have You Seen This Man, as much as I love stories about crime I think it’s just as important to understand failures in the system and this story was a hu
- Choiceology, in unpredictable situations, what choice would you make and can we be taught how to make better choices
- Welcome to LA, because LA is wild as f*ck and the craziest things happen in this town
- Ologies, scientific topics we can all relate to. Alie Ward and Dr. Joe Farrari covered procrastination
- How I Built This… with Guy Raz, a journey with innovators, entrepreneurs, and idealists to talk about they built the brands we know today
- Trumpcast, I get tired of hearing about this man just like everyone else but it’s worth knowing what’s happening
- What Trump Can Teach You About Con Law, basically everything
- The Wonderland Murders, this story was hard to follow in the beginning but well worth the rollercoaster of events. The film is good too.
- The last one was intentionally left blank because I feel like new (great) pods come often and there’s so many that I discover from people sharing them with me. So feel free to share some of your favorite podcasts!
