10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to

Anyone else have to listen to something while they’re working?  I’ve had a Pandora account forever, but on some days I like to trade in Pandora and Apple Music for a podcast.  They’re easy to play in the background, I can easily rewind if I hear something I want to circle back to, and there’s literally a pod for everything.  I wanted to share some of my favorites that I personally consider captivating podcasts.

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Featured | 10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to:

10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to | How I Listen to Podcasts

Let me start by saying: some podcasts I subscribe to and listen to all episodes, but a lot of the time I may listen to an episode here or there.  (Some of my girlfriends will tell me to listen to a specific episode because I need to hear the message or it’s a topic I’m interested in.  PS. Friends that think of you this way are the best.)  I’m an Apple person so I download podcasts through the Apple Store.

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10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to | What I Don’t Like in Podcasts

Very particular pet peeve but I tend to not go back to podcasts with poor sound quality or that are too rambly.  Have you ever watched a Get Ready With Me video on YouTube?  I enjoy the makeup ones but when they get to be 20+ minutes long I’m intimidated.  I don’t mind in-depth so much as I dislike random chats and side conversations.

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10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to | My Personal Favorites

Alright let’s get into my favorites! In no particular order:

• Pod Save America by Crooked Media — Watching the news everyday can be a lot, but I like to try to stay up to date with what’s going on.  This podcast is definitely left leaning so if you’re looking for something non-partisan or right leaning, this podcast is not for you.
  • TRY THIS EPISODE: BONUS POD: “He has a lot of edits.” 3 of President Obama’s speechwriters discuss the speechwriting process, working in the Obama administration, and some of the best (and funniest) moments from their time in the White House.
• Chronicles of Redick/the Vertical with JJ Redick — The more you know fact of the day: I love basketball podcasts.  Clearly very different from my day to day work which may be part of why I enjoy listening to them while I work.  Hearing one from a player perspective is awesome; JJ was one of the first players to do this.  Driving home from Atlanta a few years back, I started listening to these and really enjoy the conversations and topics he covers.
  • TRY THIS EPISODE: Chris Paul joins JJ Redick, these two hated each other in college and then ended up teammates in LA.  If you enjoy college or professional basketball, I’d recommend this one!
• Girl, Let’s Talk — My friend Val recently launched her podcast with two of her girlfriends.  They talk about life, their experiences as young professionals, and a variety of culture topics.  It gives you the feeling of catching up with your close girlfriends which I really enjoy!
• Jalen & Jacoby by ESPN — Ok back to sports with a good dash of culture; this podcast was first recommended to me by a Tinder match that I never went out with.  The podcast was so good that I continued listening to it even after we stopped talking.  Jalen Rose played in the NBA while David Jacoby brings his experience as a long-time sports enthusiast and someone that worked behind the scenes at ESPN.

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10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to | My Personal Favorites, Part II

• Sleep With Me by Dearest Scooter — One of the most unique concepts, this podcaster tells long-winded stories in a soothing voice to help you go to sleep.  I switch between streaming these and a playlist of rain sounds when I can’t go to bed and they help me a lot.
• The LowDown Podcast by Sigma Kappa Sorority — This podcast was created for sorority and non-sorority women with the goal of educating women and providing experts for personal development.
  • TRY THIS EPISODE: Promoting Diversity & Inclusion in Your Personal and Professional Life with Amy Waninger.  This episode breaks down the difference between diversity and inclusion, understanding unconscious bias, and how each of use can be stronger advocates for diversity and inclusion.
• Small Doses with Amanda Seales — This weekly podcast breaks down what you need to know about different topics from funny to serious and gives you tips for dealing with what life throws at you.  Amanda covers everything from being biracial, not having kids, toxic masculinity, etc.
  • TRY THIS EPISODE: Side Effects of Being Type A.  Real talk, being Type A is hard!  We’re frequently misunderstood and can drive people crazy.  This episode sympathizes with the struggle and talks about how to deal with those that aren’t Type A.

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10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to | My Personal Favorites, Part III

• Selfish by Allie Hembree Martin — Allie focuses on the concept that taking care of yourself is a good thing and that being selfish isn’t always bad.  She covers a wide range of lifestyle topics from make-up to style to leadership.
  • TRY THIS EPISODE: Authentically Me.  This episode is with Emily from Authentically Emmie, a blogger friend of mine that has helped me SO much with my mindset around body positivity.  For a long time, I didn’t understand how comments about my body could effect other.  I’d make an offhand joke about how I ate 4 donuts so I needed to work out and didn’t realize how that could come across to someone in a body larger than mine.  Emily’s blog has helped me be a little more conscious of what I say and write and her episode is a great listen.
• Keep It! by Ira Madison III — This podcast covers the crossroads of pop culture and politics with conversations around what celebrities are doing on social media, popular shows to binge watch, etc.
• Crazy Zen Life by Brittany Swan & Shannon Kessler — CZL is all about the craziness of life with focuses on yoga, motherhood, and being an entrepreneur.  First listened to this at the recommendation of Danielle & really enjoyed the variety of topics.  Even though I’m not a mom or a yogi, I found it relatable and something that made me think.
  • TRY THIS EPISODE: A little drawl mixed with a little fit.  This episode features Grace White from A Southern Drawl who is a fellow Louisville blogger.  Grace kills it in every aspect and is someone I admire for her drive with content creation.  This episode really inspired me to work harder and was an interesting listen to hear how a big blogger deals with some of the less exciting aspects of blogging like copycats and fellow bloggers reaching out to “pick your brain.”
  • Also really enjoyed: How to improve your social media.  This episode features Bella Portaro-Kueber, a local blogger, marketer, and businesswoman.  She shares a lot of tips for building your brand and strengthening your social media.

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10 Favorite & Captivating Podcasts to Listen to | Happy Monday

Let me know in the comments what your favorite podcasts are & if you’ve listened to any of these!  I’m hoping to fully enjoy my Monday.  The roses pictured above were a surprise Valentine’s gift from my boyfriend; pretty sure I had ALL the feels when I saw them on my doorstep.  Now if only I could make them last forever!  Hope you have a great Monday 🙂