favorite pods lately: december 2017

If you’ve had a conversation with me in real life anytime recently, I bet $5 I’ve referenced a podcast at some point. I love listening to them to keep me company while I do other things, especially chores around the house. There is SO much good content out there these days that it can be overwhelming, so I thought I would share a few favorite episodes here. There are few podcasts these days that I listen to every episode of. Instead, I filter them based on what friends (or Grant) have recommended, so here’s my recommendation list in case you do a little of the same:

• Both of these episodes on boundaries were super helpful – I feel like I probably need to re-listen to the RobCast one at least once a month, and this SortaAwesome episode was basically like a free hour of therapy with some really practical tips (be sure to listen to this one before those holiday gatherings with extended family!).
• The Pantsuit Politics’ conversation on #metoo had me bawling in the car as I was listening. You can skip ahead to the 37-minute mark if you want to skip the net neutrality convo (although they actually explained it better than most people I’ve heard). You should listen and then ask everyone you know (especially the men in your life) to listen too. Along those same lines, I wanted to stand up and give this short sermon a very long, very loud standing ovation.
• I know my caveat above said that I don’t listen to all of the episodes of very many pods these days, but one I have listened to every episode of is the new-ish Kate and Colby Show. Grant found Colby via his book that Grant raves about (and I still haven’t read, embarrassingly), and I’m pretty convinced that Kate and I would be BFFs if we lived closer. Or, you know, she even knew who I was. I would seriously recommend every episode, but Kate’s gardening analogy in this episode, and Colby’s thoughts on parables in this episode blew my mind in a why-have-I-never-thought-of-that way.
• This RobCast episode was SO good. SO GOOD. Having just come out of yoga teacher training, so much of the stuff they talked about was fresh on my mind, but I would have loved every minute of it regardless. This would be a great episode to listen to a few times as we go into a new year.
• I’ve been loving The Nuanced Life, which is the new podcast from the Pantsuit Politics ladies. I’m so glad they created another podcast because some of my favorite segments from PP are when they delve more deeply into non-political stuff. I loved this episode, and it has sparked some great conversations between Grant and me about how we talk to the kids about what it means to live wisely and well.
• I found this via my Insight Timer app, but it is a podcast as well. I love Sarah’s voice and really resonate with the way she phrases things. I’ve been listening to this meditation a few times a week, hoping it sinks in.
• One of my favorite books of the year has been Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, and Brian Zahnd on The Deconstructionists was a great intro and/or companion to the book.
• I loved this episode from the School of Greatness with Nick Ortner, and since then, the kids and I have been using this tapping video when things get tense. They roll their eyes, but then they get into it – and so do I!
• I’ve been on an Esther Perel kick since reading this article in The Atlantic. Grant and I have had many good – and sometimes uncomfortable – conversations in light of her episode on the School of Greatness podcast.
• The kids and I discovered Eleanor Amplified, and they we are obsessed. Start from the beginning. Also, we all love Brains On if you haven’t listened to any of those yet.

Related side note: Grant and I recommend podcasts back-and-forth a ton. He’s in the car a lot, and I listen to podcasts a lot. It has become a really great way to connect for us. We love recommending books to each other, but podcasts are so much more immediate, so we can chat about them that day versus waiting a few weeks to finish a whole book. Reflecting back on the past few years, podcasts were instrumental in helping us to feel less alone in the midst of a bit of faith deconstruction and giving us some language to speak about it with each other. In addition, some of the relationship and parenting ones give great advice that it is helpful to listen to and then discuss together.

If you’re feeling a little disconnect from a spouse, friend, or family member, I would highly recommend asking them if they would be willing to listen to a podcast with you and then chat about it. Pick a topic or show that works for you – I love NPR’s earbud.fm to explore new pods if you want to find one together based on their helpful subcategories. I actually think this would be a great idea to try with someone with whom you disagree politically to see if you could each learn from a different perspective. Now that would make a great new year’s resolution!

Now it’s your turn…what podcasts/episodes are you talking about lately?!