My Favorite Podcasts
I am a podcast fanatic! If I’m doing chores, running errands by myself, out for a run, working on my computer or driving there’s a 99% chance that I’m listening to a podcast.
Henri and I first started listening to podcasts 6 years ago when he discovered that the NPR show RadioLab had a podcast. We were both hooked and a love of podcasts was born! Now my podcast library is full of shows that I love and listen to on a regular basis. I wake up on certain days of the week excited for the new episodes that I know will be posted!
I love podcasts that are an hour, plus because they are long enough to get me through even my longer runs. There’s just something about listening to a podcast that helps the miles fly by! Depending on the show I finish the run feeling like I learned something new, had a good conversation with a friend or was entertained and laughed my way through the miles.
I get a lot of questions on how to listen to podcasts and it couldn’t be easier! If you have an iPhone just go to your Podcast App (it’s already on your phone!) and click on Top Charts or Search to start browsing! If you have an Android phone they have you covered too, there are multiple podcast apps but the one that I hear the most buzz about is Stitcher. You can download that app here.
I also get a lot of questions about which podcasts I recommend so today I’m sharing my 10 favorite podcasts with you as well as the three best episodes that I suggest you start with for each show. That’s 30 podcast episodes ready for your listening pleasure right. now!
I’m always on the hunt for new podcasts so if you have any favorites let me know if the comments!
1. I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein
Lindsey’s podcast is great! She speaks mostly with female runners and entrepreneurs. The interviews are very conversational so you’ll feel like you’re just listening to two good friends chat. She’s also had a number of professional athletes on who are always great to get running and life advice from. I listened to her episodes with Allie Kieffer and Deena Kastor 2 or 3 times each to get psyched up for CIM. I also really recommend listening to episode 100 where one of Lindsey’s friends interviewed her – it’s a great way to get to know her and her story!
Where to Start: Allie Kieffer (ep. 89), Deena Kastor (ep. 88) & Lindsey Hein (ep. 100)
2. Ali on the Run
I met Ali at the Runner’s World Half & Festival a few years ago and she is just a hoot! She interviews professional runners, running friends and (my personal favorite) her husband and covers many topics around running. Her fun personality comes through full force in her podcasts and I’m always laughing and smiling ear to ear when I’m listening.
Where to Start: Neely Spence Gracey (ep. 42), Allie Kieffer (ep. 46), The Brian Cristiano Takeover Episode (ep. 52)
3. Atomic Moms
Atomic Moms is the first “mom podcast” that I subscribed to and I actually started listening to it a year before we even thought about getting pregnant. One of the founders’ (Bianca) husbands was on another podcast that I listened to which is how I originally found it. Bianca has since left the show but Ellie has kept it going strong. She mostly interviews parenting experts as well as her mama friends. I love that she gets such great experts on to talk about all sorts of parenting topics – she’s had a lot of authors on and instead of reading their books I feel like I can get all of the information from the podcast! I attribute a lot of my parenting style to things I learned on Atomic Moms. I’ve recommended some of my favorite recent episodes below but if you are looking for a laugh scroll back to the beginning of the archives and listen to some of the episodes with Ellie & Bianca!
Where to Start: Organized Chaos with Claire Coffee (ep. 149), Dr. Harvey Karp / The Happiest Baby on the Block, It’s Ok Not the Share / Heather Shumaker on Homework, Sharing and Techhnology
4. The Mom Hour
I recently found The Mom Hour and I look forward to their new episode every Friday! Meghan and Sarah are two moms with very different personalities so I love hearing their varying perspectives on different topics. Each episode they pick a different topic and discuss it between the two of them, I especially love their Q&A episodes, where they answer listener questions because they always have great advice!
Where to Start: 10 Habits of Happy Moms, Part 1 + 2 (ep. 137 + 138), Headlines, Heartache and Helping (ep. 124), Defining Your Family’s “Food Values” (ep. 113)
5. RadioLab
The first podcast I ever listened to! On their website RadioLab describes itself as “a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.”. On each episode the hosts dive deep into a specific topic and bring it to life through storytelling. They started off focusing on mostly science related topics and those are still my favorite but now they cover topics from all sorts of genres.
Where to Start: Big Little Questions, Driverless Dilemma, The Ceremony
6. Stuff You Missed in History Class
I find history fascinating and so this podcast is right up my alley. They cover little known topics in history and
Where to Start: Unearthed! In 2017 Part 1 + 2, The Aberfan Disaster, The Murder of William Desmond Taylor
7. Coffee & Crumbs
The Coffee + Crumbs podcast accompanies the very popular Coffee + Crumbs website and covers similar motherhood topics. I love the Christian perspective that they bring to this season of motherhood, parenting and marriage. If you enjoy their essays you will really like this podcast!
Where to Start: Marriage is Good Hard Work (ep. 24), The One With All The Birth Stories (ep. 31), Give and Take (ep. 33)
8. Chasing Bravery
Chasing Bravery is a new podcast that just launched this winter. In it the host, Katie, interview female runners and explores their stories and what being a female means to them. I had the pleasure of being a part of season 1 – check that out below!
Where to Start: Regina & Sabrina Lopez (season 1, ep. 7), Lauren Floris (<–that’s me!! season 1, ep. 8), Mary Johnson (season 1, ep 9)
9. More Perfect
More Perfect is a spin off of RadioLab. They use the same storytelling style but focus solely on stories related to the Supreme Court.
Where to Start: Justice, Interrupted, The Gun Show, The Architect
10. Kevin & Bean Show
The Kevin & Bean Show is a local morning radio show here in Southern California. Henri grew up listening to it and got me into it when we first started dating. I used to just listen when I happened to be in the car when it was on but now with the podcast I can listen to them everyday. They make my drives to and from work go by so quickly. I also use this podcast to stay up to date on current events since I don’t watch the news.
Where to Start: the 3 most recent episodes
In the pictures above I’m wearing the Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones