Audio is booming, which is what I’ve been learning about in my classes lately. The rise of podcasts is something I’ve been paying more attention to, and it led to me to take a podcast class at UMass Amherst this semester. I really got into listening to podcasts this summer, when I’d spend lots of time commuting to my job, and I wanted something to keep me occupied in my free time. Below are a few great podcasts I’ve discovered over the year since beginning to listen including comedy, crime, and advice.
The Catch and Kill Podcast with Ronan Farrow
This is a great podcast for any age that you should listen to if you’re especially into journalism or current news. This podcast follows the Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist, Ronan Farrow, who also wrote a book called Catch and Kill. This podcast follows eight episodes on Apple Podcasts that are each about an hour long. For the past two years, he has followed the chilling story and abuses of Harvey Weinstein by interviewing multiple people and explained it through their stories. (I’m only on episode three, but I’m already telling others to listen to it.)
Berning In Hell with Hannah Berner
This podcast is great, Hannah Berner is a young comedian and every episode she uploads is with a new guest. For example, she has hosted anyone from John Paul Jones from the Bachelorette, to Alex Boniello from Broadway’s Dear Evan Hanson, to Chinae Alexander. This is how I discovered her podcast (the one below!). She never fails to entertain during the podcast, bringing up how she’s part Italian or how she used to play tennis. Even though they’re about an hour long, you’ll want to keep listening. (I also enjoy listening to this one at the gym.) You can follow her on Instagram here, but she posts hilarious tweets, too.
Press Send with Chinae Alexander (by Dear Media)
This podcast is filled with great advice, and Chinae is an amazing inspiration. For some background information, she is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, and wellness expert based in Brooklyn, New York. She advocates for self-love and empowerment. You’ll feel very inspired when you listen to her podcast, and you’ll have a lot of great things to take away. You can check out her Instagram here.
Broken Harts (by iHeart Radio and Glamour)
This is an excellent podcast to tune into if you’re into crime and mystery podcasts. This story is narrated by Glamour editors, Justine Harman and Elizabeth Egan. The chilling story of six African American children: Markis, Hannah, Devonte, Abigail, Jeremiah, and Sierra Hart (ages 12 to 19). They were adopted by Sarah and Jennifer Hart (both white). On Jen’s Facebook page, it looked as if they were the perfect family. However, on March 26, 2018 their GMC Yukon car was found facing up on the rocks below Highway 1 in California. The story follows 30 interviews, and delves deeper into this story. There’s only nine episodes, though there’s a lot to take in.