The Power of The Podcast

 

I came to podcasts properly a year or so ago and they have honestly changed my life. Well more specifically they’ve transformed my journey to work. Back in the day I used to download odd radio one episodes for my 2 hour commute but recently I’ve properly got into series of podcasts and OMG so good. Especially if you’re like me and find commuting and any travel emotionally harrowing then this can definitely help. I thought I’d list some of the main ones which I’ve loved!!

1)      Get It On

This is the style podcast offering from Dawn O’Porter and I love love love it. If you’ve never listened it’s basically Dawn talking to guests including Caroline Flack and Dawn French about the story behind their style. What’s great about this is that it takes a topic which can often be deemed trivial (fashion) but turns it on its head and gives the stories behind peoples clothing choices and style journey across their lives some real depth! The emotional intelligence with which choosing what you wear is discussed also makes it worth a listen.

2)      Hey It’s Ok

The Glamour ‘Hey It’s Ok’ Podcast is a great buster for those commuting blues. The best thing about this is for sure how relatable everything they discuss is. I think they usually pick 3 topics to talk through and discuss if they’re ‘ok’ (for example jealousy amongst women, being late or swearing) and on average I find 2 or 3 subject matters really relevant to my own life. It’s a great pep up because it’s a podcast version of chatting with friends and validating your secret guilty habits or deciding.. hey it’s not ok!!

3)      Desert Island Discs

Ok Ok I know this might seem like an odd choice for a 26 year old but bear with me. I will freely admit looking at the podcast feed I didn’t know who every guest was and some are a little before my time but there’s some absolute gems in there. David Beckham, Caitlin Moran, Tim Minchin and Judi Dench are especially worth a listen. The show is presented by Kirsty Young who is totally at the heart of every episode and does a phenomenal job drawing out personal stories from her guests and revealing a different side of them to her audience in the process. Plus I’m properly nosey and love hearing what celebrities favourite songs are!

4)      My Dad Wrote a Porno

In one simple word – HILARIOUS. Probably not for the faint hearted or easily offended but definitely laugh a minute. My friend actually had this podcast accidentally play out of her phone in the garden of her (middle class) Dad which is very far from ideal.. In a nutshell this podcast features the fab Alice Levine, James Cooper and Jamie Morton discussing and reading out Jamie’s dad’s porno which they’ve unearthed. I mean it’s obviously a hilarious concept to begin with but they just read it so well and make it even funnier. It can be summed up with the opener “Jamie, why are we here” “Well - we’re here because my Dad’s written a porno..” followed by subsequent laughter. So trust me - sign up for Belinda’s adventures stat (you’ll see what I mean by that..)

One of my favourite things about podcasts is the collaborative atmosphere that you can really hear in each podcast you listen to but especially the ones above. I love that people appear on each other’s podcasts (Jo Elvin of Glamour and Dawn O’Porter for example) and many of the guests like Angela Scanlon appear on both Get It On and Glamour’s podcast – I think it properly gives a sense of a podcast community!   

So what’re you waiting for?? Go to your podcast section of your phone and get subscribing!