When travelling, and there’s a long stretch of road ahead, and we need a change from our music playlists, we’ll start up a podcast. They can be funny, or educational, or political; we can catch up on news, or just have a few laughs. And now, while we are not travelling, they can be great for listening to something other than the same old news. Here are some of my favourite podcasts for distraction.
“Bedtime stories for grownups”. Kathryn Nicolai is the storyteller – she has the voice of an angel. If anxiety is keeping me awake, I listen to one of the stories and it all just melts away. I NEVER get to the end of the story! This one is my favourite podcast.
The New York Times publishes reader submitted essays about love. A notable personality reads the essay, and afterwards it’s discussed with the person that wrote it. It’s always a wonderful story about many different types of love.
Each episode is an interview with an inanimate object. The host, Ian Chillag, is the perfect interviewer. The interviews are sweet and funny and sometimes even a little educational. This one is a lot of fun!
This podcast is very much about Rome. Two friends, Katy in Seattle, and Tifanny in Rome, discuss many different things, and interview interesting people. They are both quite entertaining, and a perfect distraction for 20 minutes or so.
A single act of kindness is featured in each episode. The stories are uplifting and make me smile.
The host, Jonathan Goldstein, is so funny, in a quiet, awkward kind of way. In each episode he talks to someone with some kind of regret in their past and helps them resolve the issue. It’s emotional, tender, and always a little humourous.
This is another podcast that features a different love story in each episode. But they’re not your typical love story. Each one is just a little bit different, and they all make me feel good!
True crime stories hosted by Phoebe Judge. Her voice is soothing and easy to listen to. She’ll talk with the people that did wrong, or have been wronged. Always an interesting episode.
This podcast is a little bit different. There is a different storyteller each episode. The story is paused a few times, and the listener is prompted with meditation cues. It’s a good one for relaxation.
Stories from regular folks. The twist is that they are standing on a stage, and telling their story to a live audience. Some are funny, some are emotional and some are inspiring.
Stories about architecture and design. I have to be honest, not all the episodes on this podcast are very interesting to me. Many are though, and the biggest draw for me with this one is the soothing voice of the host, Roman Mars.
This is a podcast about the internet. The is much digression and ends up being about much much more. The hosts are funny and smart and very easy to listen to. One of my favourites.
This is hosted by one of my favourite authors – Malcolm Gladwell. He reviews a story from the past and goes into it a little deeper than what was initally reported. This is very well done.
Each episode has a theme, and a few stories are told around that theme. It’s one of the most popular podcasts available, listened by millions all around the world.
Reddit is a message board used by millions to discuss any topic. The hosts find stories in Reddit, talk to the people involved and help uncover unsolved mysteries.
Another very different type of podcast. It’s meditative. Each episode describes what it’s like to be a different animal. What it looks like, what its habitat is like, and what it might feel like to be that animal.
A poem is read by the host. He discusses the poem, gives us his thoughts, and then reads it again. What I love most is the host’s Irish accent!
This is hosted by author John Green. He speaks about many different things and ideas. Some interesting and some not so much. But it’s always interesting to see what he comes up with in each new episode.
I hope that one or two of the podcasts I’ve listed above are new to you, and bring you a few moments of distraction and smiles. Let me know your favourites, I always love discovering someone new to listen to. Thank you for visiting!
Yours Truly …. Yula
