By Chloe Duncan
Within recent years, podcasts are becoming more accessible and more educational. Podcast hosts are taking on issues that encompass our day-to-day as well as issues surrounding the world, our economic impacts, beauty standards, comedy, and light-hearted discussions. There is a podcast for everyone. We have rounded up some podcasts that you must listen to and that will bring ample positivity to your new year.
Hosted by Nicole Byer, the star of Netflix’s Nailed It, and produced by Headgum, this podcast is light, hilarious, and fun-loving. At the start of the podcast Nicole, a single woman in her 30s tackles one major question, why is she still single? As the podcasts episodes continue she begins to tackle systemic racism, environmental issues, the pandemic, and everything in between. Nicole features expert guests to discuss relationships, sex work, code-switching, healthcare, and break-ups. Nicole brings her delightful silliness to every episode to create a podcast that women (and men) of all ages will enjoy.
UnHappy Hour is hosted by Matt Bellassai and Bari Fincle and is produced by Pineapple Street Media. Matt Bellassai took the internet by storm when he created the Facebook show, Unhappy Hour, where he would spend the hour getting drunk on wine and discussing different topics. Since he departed from Buzzfeed, Matt has turned the show into a podcast where he discusses different issues of all kinds. Matt showcases all kinds of people with different skill sets and talents to interject their inputs and give expert advice. Matt and Bari are a dynamic, comedic duo who mix comedy with research and opinions to create an hour-long entertaining episode each week. UnHappy Hour is funny, warm-hearted, and informational. UnHappy Hour will brighten your moods and bring awareness to different topics and opinions.
iWeigh is hosted by Jameela Jamil and is produced by Earwolf podcasts. iWeigh is a podcast that tackles society’s definition of worth through weight by asking different leaders, performers, activists, Doctors, influencers, and friends about how they work through past difficulties to find out what they truly weigh- in value. Within recent episodes, Jameela has discussed issues with the likes of Dr. Deepika Chopra, Margaret Cho, Dr. Jen Gunter, and Audrey Gorder (@YrFatFriend). Jameela discusses everything from eating disorders, vaginas, dealing with fatphobia, and feeling sexy after trauma. As a sexual assault and eating disorder survivor, Jameela tackles the hard questions and issues that many women face. iWeigh is educational, interesting, and is designed to empower women and shed light on the unattainable beauty standards that we all face. iWeigh will brighten your year, allow you to form educated opinions on difficult topics, and view issues in a different light.
Hosted by Jonathan Van Ness and produced by Earwold productions, Getting Curious focuses on a wide range of topics that are often shied away from or generally not discussed. Jonathan began this podcast as a way to discuss issues that we are all facing and ask tough questions that may not be asked otherwise with a twist all his own. He also uses the platform to speak with experts on specific topics ranging everywhere from figure skating to political strife. Jonathan hosts experts, doctors, parents, figure skaters, mayors, and more to discuss these topics. Jonathan makes the podcast experience enjoyable, relatable, and funny and creates a safe space for people to ask questions and better understand the issues that we are all facing.
Unladylike is a Stitcher podcast hosted by Caroline Ervin and Cristen Conger. The pair formally hosted the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You. Their Unladylike podcast discusses rule-breaking women, and what happens when they break those rules. The podcast focuses on tackling questions related to womanhood, stories from rule-breaking women, and delightful, intriguing, empowering feminist views. The podcast also tackles issues that women face every day, from beauty standards to sexting, relationships, botox, abortions, pregnancy, and breaking up with toxic people. The podcast is delightful, empowering, and interesting and is sure to bring positivity into the new year.
The Savvy Psychologist podcast is hosted by Dr. Jade wu. Dr. Jade Wu is a world-class Psychologist who uses both entertainment and evidence-based research to explain the “why” behind some of our most difficult emotions; joy, anger, fear, trust, and anxiety. She discusses how psychology and science can help you to better understand the relationships that you have with family and friends, coworkers, relationships, and your closest confidant, yourself. If you are seeking an emotionally healthy life, Dr. Wu is the trained psychologist and health expert that you should bring along for the ride, helping you to form positive emotions and care for your mental and emotional health. This podcast is delightful, educational, informative, and yes, even savvy. It will help to bring a positive light to your mental health and emotional health, helping you to best care for yourself and others.
The podcast, Stories of our Times was created by The Times and is hosted by Manveen Rana and David Aaronovitch. The podcast tackles one news story every day, discussing it in-depth and takes you to the heart of the matter. The podcast has discussed the Capital Riots, Facial Recognition technology, psychological stories, and more. If you are looking to stay up on the year’s top stories, this podcast is for you. It is educational and based on evidence-based research and facts. The best part is, rather than uploading an episode once a week, they upload one each and every day!
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