The comeback of the podcast

Hey girlfriend, I want to talk to you about my new hobby for a moment. If you completely missed that piece, you can here read it back here. Where I go the hardest while exercising is a nice beat, I prefer to walk in silence or with something else that sounds through my headphones.

If you missed the return of the podcast; it’s here. Years ago it first came over from America, and unfortunately it never really took off in the Netherlands. But I am really a huge fan. If you’ve been living under a rock, a podcast is an online radio program but without movie news, commercials, and nice beats. What is it then, I hear you think? Radio messages about all the topics you can think of. They are completely free and can be listened to via your phone. For while cooking, your grocery round, that miserable long flight, or to make your walk a bit more interesting, because I am really not the only one who listens to these inspiring stories while walking. All of Hollywood is podcasting around the beach. These five podcasts make your walk tonight even more enjoyable and they cost absolutely nothing.

1. TED Radio Hour

Yes, that same TED as the one with the famous, inspiring talks. If you are invited to give a TED Talk on stage, you know you matter. In TED Radio Hour, each time one topic is central. The host discusses a number of different sound arrangements and combines them with interviews with the TED speakers.

2. Happier

I already knew Gretchen Rubin from The Happiness Project, one of my favorite books on how to become happy without having to drastically change your life. In an episode of Happier, Gretchen talks with her sister Elizabeth about everything that makes you happy, the stumbling blocks they encounter, and you get tips to work on it yourself.

3. Women Of The Hour

A hilarious but certainly also serious podcast where all episodes are about friendship, body image, love, sex, and work.

4. Surprisingly Awesome

In the podcast Surprisingly Awesome, topics are discussed that you wouldn’t expect could fill half an hour. Subjects that seem very boring, but are actually really awesome to listen to. The segments about broccoli, pigeons, and crying make your walk a lot more interesting. Yes really.

5. Dear Sugar

Do you remember the movie ‘Wild’, in which Reese Witherspoon makes a 1700-kilometer solo hike at the lowest point of her life? It is the film adaptation of the autobiography in which Cheryl Strayed makes a lonely journey through the American West, finds herself, and battles her demons. That same Cheryl is the face behind the podcast Dear Sugar, in which she, together with co-host Steve Almond, answers a personal question from a listener every week, whether it’s about infidelity or a partner’s cocaine addiction. Hopefully a far-from-your-bed show, but who knows, also stories in which you do recognize yourself.

 
You can listen to these podcasts right from your iPhone or via your Spotify account.