HCAU has some big news: we’re starting a podcast! MissEducation, out now, highlights the conversations we have with women about issues that matter to them. Our first episode is all about Instagram and the pressures of social media as women in college. To celebrate, our team of editors is sharing their top podcasts for you to binge while you wait for the next episode of our show. Whether you’re looking for a refresher on current events or true crime, there’s a new podcast for you on the list below.
Nora McInerny was fed up with answering “fine” whenever anyone asked her how she was doing. After going through a miscarriage and the deaths of her husband and father, she was, quite frankly, terrible. She turned her career writing about tragedy into a podcast centered around adversity in all its forms. Through finding the lighthearted side of misfortune, Nora and her guests talk candidly about what they’ve been through. It’s funny, heartwarming and relatable.
This podcast features a rotating group of woman co-hosts that talk alongside Erin Ryan about the intersection of woman and politics. Mostly focusing on current events, the hosts dissect the latest legislation and hot topics affecting women today. My favorite segment is when the hosts, and listeners, share the “hills they’ll die on” each week. These include niche pet peeves and passions that are surprisingly engaging. — Katie Malone
This true crime podcast is a must for anyone who likes obscure, wtf cases but can’t handle the endless chatter of hosts talking about what they ate for breakfast. The podcast’s two hosts, childhood best friends Ashley and Brit, detail all the gory glory of crimes (with appropraite shocked reactions) in bite-sized hour long episodes. They cover everything from murder to missing people cases and span across decades. They also dedicate episodes to lesser known cases that give just as many chills as Ted Bundy. I just started listening to this podcast last semester and I’ve already binged through every episode. It’s the perfect podcast to keep you up at night – due to both intrigue and nightmares.
Broken Harts is a relatively new podcast by Glamour. It’s recorded in a storytelling investigative style similar to podcast superstars like Serial and S-Town. The podcast goes in-depth into the Hart family: a family of two white women who adopted six black children. In March 2018, Jennifer Hart, one of the mothers, drove off an Oregon cliff with her wife and six children in towe. The murder-suicide was a complete shock to everyone that knew the Harts, a family that gave off a picture-perfect image online. The podcast unravels, episode by episode, the grusome skeletons of abuse and privlege that created the Hart family. The show uses the Hart family to dissect racial issues, mental health, the foster care system and the power of online identity. It’s wild. — Tori Dickson
Divided States of Women provides a fresh bipartisan perspective on Trump’s time in office, the NRA, the #MeToo Movement and the relationship between feminism and politics. This all-women podcast is hosted by liberal, progressive Liz Plank and her conservative counterpart, Hitha Herzog. This podcast is one of my favorites because it opens the door for bipartisan, across the aisle conversation we often miss out on nowadays. As an avid feminist and liberal living woman, this podcast serves as an eye and heart opener to the ‘other side’. It almost makes it seem like we’re all wonderful women fighting for our rights… who woulda thought?!
My new favorite episode, The backlash of exposing sexual misconduct, aims to open the conversation for all of the women affected by sexual exploitation in the workplace. In the media, we often only see coverage of celebrity sexual misconduct. While this is equally as important and a problem we must find solutions for, Plank and Herzog include the abuse of the unheard and seemingly unseen working class woman. So, if you want to educate yourself of women’s issues and political feminism, this might be the podcast for you! —Hannah Andress
I am an avid New York Times reader, so when I’m on the go, doing chores, or just want a more in-depth perspective on a news story, I turn to The Daily podcast. The Daily is a New York Times podcasted that airs a new episode five days a week, are each about 20 minutes long, and is hosted by Micheael Barbaro. What’s nice about The Daily is that it is not too lengthy, weaves in many interviews with many different people and focuses on one major news story per podcast. It often expands on an already published New York Times article or even will walk a listener through a more personal story based on a current event. For example, my favorite The Daily episode is a two part one entitled “Lost in the Storm”. It follows the story of a family straned in Hurricane Harvey and the wife/mother, who had recently had an operation, was in need of medical attention. And, despite multiple 911 calls, pleas for help, and failed rescues, no one came to the families aid. It was a story that, not only gave an insight on the mass destruction and chaos Harvey caused, but also moved listeners (including myself) emotionally.
Global News Podcast is one put on by BBC. Unlike The Daily, this podcast touches upon multiple major events happening on an international scale; however, similar to The Daily, it is about 30 minutes long. I listen in to this podcast when I am looking for quick overviews and updates of what is happening around the world. I will also trust this podcast when it comes to more controversial issues. Overall, I find BBC to be the most unbiased news source (especially whe it comes to reporitng U.S. news), so I feel very informed after listening to this podcast. –Peyton Bigora
And now that you have a list of shows to binge stream, don’t forget to add MissEducation to your podcast rotation and tune in to our first episode now. There’s only so much we can put in an article, but this podcast allows us to share all of the wisdom we’ve gained from talking with outstanding women on campus.