Podcasts are a wonderful escape. They are a friendly companion for walking the dog, cooking dinner, folding laundry and other little tasks when you can’t sit down to watch a show. Moreover, podcasts are mostly free, available on apps like Spotify and Apple Music. According to Oberlo, there are around 850,000 podcasts, and 32% of Americans listen to podcasts, mostly for educational purposes. Here are 10 podcasts to binge listen.
Dying For Sex
This podcast is a delicious but sad show. It’s a real-life story of two women who are best friends, one of whom is dying of cancer. Molly, diagnosed with stage five breast cancer, decides to leave her unhappy marriage and embarks on a series of sexual adventures to make her feel alive. Meanwhile, she shares the funniest and most touching details with her best friend, Nikki. It takes shame off the table when it comes to a woman’s relationship with intimacy in sex.
Modern Love
In 2004, “Modern Love” started as a New York Times column which evolved into a television show, three books and a podcast. It goes through different issues of love, dating, self-acceptance and mental illness. Guest speakers talk about the lust that has lost its flame, long-lost emotion and young and old relationships. “Modern Love” epitomizes the transformational powers and forms of connection, as well as the successes and failures associated with it. In one episode, the guest speaker read an essay by Adam Lunquist, ‘16, an NCC alumnus who had sex with a male student in the first week of freshman year of college while he was in a relationship with a woman. The essay turns out to be Lunquist coming out as bisexual and the reason for telling his ex-girlfriend the truth.
Still Processing
Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham are two Black culture writers for The New York Times who are also members of the LGBTQ+ community. In this podcast, they talk about how different cultural artifacts, past and present, affect how we relate to the world. They cover topics such as art, television, movies and pop culture. In one episode, they discuss how Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” fits into a powerful lineage of Black women navigating circumstances with strength and grace.
The Nod
“The Nod” is a podcast that focuses on society, film and culture. “The Nod” tells the stories of the Black experience that often are not told anywhere else. Topics range from an explanation of drugs coalition with Black culture to the story of an interracial drag group that traveled the country in the 1940s. This podcast celebrates the ingenuity, novelty and resilience that is so particular to being Black in America and in the world.
So Much To Say
“So Much To Say” is an informal podcast because of the foul language, but the topics are very interesting. Its producer, Gregory Stewart, has published four books about his experience as a Black gay man. In his podcast intro, he talks about being involved with a closeted married man and about having meaningless sex with strangers from the internet.
Kind World
“Kind World” is about how an act of kindness can make a difference in someone’s life. It offers short and sweet episodes that share something beautiful, loving and kind that has taken place in the world. It’s refreshing to hear and is a pleasant refrain from heavy and grief-creating stories that punctuate modern news.
Blood Ties
“Blood Ties” by Wondery is a fictional story but verges on the precipice of being realistic. The story is about two siblings, Eleanor and Micheal, who are from a wealthy family. On their way to spend time with their parents for Christmas on the Caribbean island they own, something tragic happens to the parents. That’s when all of the family secrets come out. As an elite group of people, these secrets are degrading to their reputation. For example, in episode two, it is revealed that the father was a serial rapist.
Something Was Wrong
“Something Was Wrong” is an Iris Award-winning, true-crime, docuseries podcast. It’s about the discovery, trauma and recovery from shocking life events and abusive relationships. The podcast focuses on Sara who is stuck in a bizarre relationship with a guy she met online. Then the day before her wedding, she cancels because she discovers her fiancé is pathological liar.
History of the 90’s
In “History of the 90’s,” listeners travel back in time through stories that define the decade. If a story happened in the 90’s, you will hear about it on this podcast. It’s interesting to hear tales from childhood, such as “The Menendez Brothers.” The host takes you through these stories with a reporter-like tone.
Small Doses
Amanda Seales is a truth-teller with a comedian attitude. “Small Doses” is a podcast and also a published book. The podcast focuses on various topics like woke culture, family, being Black, women, love, sex, working and immigration. It educates people about being “woke.” Listeners learn that racial awareness is a constant reevaluation and self-reflection process.
