Reading before bed has always been something I’ve enjoyed doing. Whether it be a fun rom-com or something new I wanted to learn about. However, since the transition to online/hybrid classes, I have found myself glued to textbooks and computer screens more than I used to. By the end of the day, I feel exhausted and can barely get five pages in before dozing off. As an alternative, I have started listening to podcasts. They’re a fun way to learn something new, get wellness tips, have a laugh, listen to murder stories (in a fun way), and much more! Using Apple Music or Spotify, you can access a plethora of podcasts to listen to in bed, while making breakfast, or on a daily walk, etc. All you have to do is pop in some earbuds or sync up to your speaker and you can dive into a whole new world.
Below, I organized some of my favorite podcasts into categories and added a brief description of them! I hope you give them a try & enjoy!
Educational/News
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“The Daily”: New York Times political journalist, Michael Barbaro, reports daily on hot topics and things you need to know through interviewing NY Times journalists.
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“NPR Rough Translation”: This podcast has very cool stories about topics that often don’t get a lot of attention, but deserve to.
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“Code Switch”: A weekly podcast from NPR. It is hosted by journalists of color, who tackle the subject of race and how it impacts all aspects of society (politics, pop culture, music, sports, etc.).
Murder
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“Crime Junkie”: Hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat describe murders and answer all the questions you could think of when telling the stories.
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“My Favorite Murder”: A weekly true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. They tell scary stories, as well as “Hometime” series sent in from listeners. Their go-to slogan is “stay sexy and don’t get murdered,” so you know they definitely lighten this gruesome topic.
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“Dateline”: Stories from NBC’s infamous Dateline minus the having to watch the TV part :)
Health/Wellness
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“Terrible, Thanks For Asking”: Every day, someone asks you “how are you?” And even when we’re struggling, we often respond “fine” or “good.” In this podcast, Nora McInerny does just the opposite and encourages listeners to talk honestly about pain, awkwardness, and other emotions that we all experience.
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“Diet Starts Tomorrow”: This podcast is hosted by “Betches” co-founders Aleen Kuperman and Samantha Fishbein. It covers topics of wellness, weight loss, mental health, and fitness. The hosts attempt to break stigmas around what defines “health,” diet culture, and the influence social media has on our mindsets. I highly recommend “How To Love Your Body Ft. @thebirdspapaya”