6 Podcasts You NEED to Add to Your Life

Mythology, psychology, fringe theories, history, and…a two part episode on squirrels? Stuff to Blow Your Mind truly delivers on its title and gets you to think about plenty of concepts you’ve never considered. You will learn about cryptids, archetypes in myths, psychedelic research, and so much more. Every episode is worth listening to and has become the source of all my random small talk trivia knowledge. 

Stuff Mom Never Told You is a feminist podcast covering a wide array of topics. From a history of home economics, to toxic masculinity and climate change, to Lisa Frank, SMNTY explores both serious and lighthearted topics through an intersectional feminist lens. In addition, there have been multiple hosts over the show’s 11-year (and still going strong) run, so you get a variety of personal perspectives. 

Are you obsessed with Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, Princes William and Prince Harry? Have you binge watched every episode of Reign or The Crown? Do you like crime shows? Noble Blood is all about telling the stories of royals you didn’t learn about in your history class. Bad behavior, sex scandals, coups that lead to the U.S annexation of Hawaii, and even murder, are told in a way that totally draws you in and leaves you asking for more. 

The Bechdel Cast is hosted by comedians Jamie Loftus and Caitlin Durante and examines the depiction of women in movies. Using the The Bechdel Test as a frame of reference, the hosts– and typically a guest–discuss a movie, make fun of common tropes throughout the media, and generally joke about how poorly Hollywood treats women. Ghost, Titanic, Beauty and the Beast, and over a hundred others, are hilariously examined and judged.

Lore was one of the 1st podcasts I listened to (The first I ever listened to was hosted by Jack and Alex from All Time Low in their 2013 masterpiece, Full Frontal Podcast…RIP.) But in Lore, Aaron Manke tells stories of myth and folklore in a creepy, captivating way. Featuring original music from Chad Lawson, Lore became so popular it’s even become a show available on Amazon Prime. Changelings, countesses, and consumption and vampires are just a few topics covered in episodes of Lore. Enormously entertaining and spooky, Lore is a great podcast to listen to when you have time to lose yourself in a story. 

Aaron Manke of Lore tackles a new topic in-depth each season. Season 1 covered the Salem Witch Trials, along with all the political intrigue and misogyny that came along with them. Season 2 dives into the Spiritualist Movement movement that swept across the nation in the 19th century. Historians offer context and insight into the time period in conjunction with Manke’s delightful storytelling, honed from years of creating Lore episodes.