This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UBC chapter.
I was first introduced to podcasts by my economics professor, who assigned This American Life’s “The Giant Pool of Money” for homework. Dreading the monotonous audio lecture, I left it until the last minute, hoping that if anything, the podcast could lull me to sleep. I tucked myself into bed, turned off the lights and let my mind wander. But as the podcast started, I found myself getting hooked! The hosts were engaging, and the stories were fascinating. Before I knew it, I was up half the night listening to the entire podcast. That’s when I realized – what better way to listen to podcasts than on the commute to and from school, when I need the pick-me-up? Below are my top 5 podcast channels, along with an array of my favourite episodes. Take your pick, and enjoy!
Serial tells one story – a true story – over the course of an entire season. The first season focuses on the mysterious death of Hae Min Lee.
- Episode 01: The Alibi: It’s Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappears after school one day. Six weeks later detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. But he says he’s innocent.
- (The other episodes are pretty good too – some better than others – but you HAVE to listen to them in order! Don’t skip ahead. It’s not worth it.)
The most popular podcast in America, This American Life explores the stories of everyday people. Each episode has a theme with different people interviewed. Listen as ordinary people share their extraordinary lives.
- Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde: Dr. Benjamin Gilmer gets a job at a rural clinic. He finds out he’s replaced someone — also named Dr. Gilmer — who went to prison after killing his own father. So Benjamin starts digging around, trying to understand how a good man can seemingly turn bad.
- Gossip: That’s right; we’ve got rumor, we’ve got innuendo, and we’ve got a story of gossipers gone pro. Sarah even makes a compelling case that in some places, gossip could very well be saving lives.
- Self-Improvement Kick: A perfectly normal guy gets rid of everything he owns, changes his name, says goodbye to his friends — and begins walking. In the name of peace. And Honduran government officials try to heal their corrupt country by starting a perfect city, from scratch.
Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.
- American Footdball: The Carlisle Indian School, formed in 1879 to assimilate the children and grandchildren of the Native American men who fought the final Plains Wars. The kids at Carlisle took the field to face off against a new world that was destroying theirs, and along the way, they changed the fundamentals of football forever.
- Are You Sure?: We meet a geologist whose life is rocked by a crisis of faith, talk to a gambler who’s made a name (and millions) by embracing what she can’t know, and we relive a series of decisions and convictions that turn one woman’s certainty into a deeply troubling question about just how certain is certain enough.***trigger warning: includes a story of sexual assault***
- Blame: We’ve all felt it, that irresistible urge to point the finger. But new technologies are complicating age-old moral conundrums about accountability. This hour, we ask what blame does for us — why do we need it, when isn’t it enough, and what happens when we try to push past it with forgiveness and mercy? ***trigger warning: includes a story of sexual assault***
Just about that: death, sex and money.
- I Killed Someone. Now I Have Three Kids: Lawrence Bartley has been in prison for 23 years on a murder charge. Now, he’s wondering what he’ll say to the parole board—and to his sons, who are still too young to know of his past.
- My Father’s Secret Life: Whitney Joiner’s father told her he was HIV-positive in 1992. When she asked if he was gay, he said no. Now, she’s looking for answers about the father she never knew.
- Cheating Happens: There’s the cliche: someone cheats, crockery is thrown, lawyers are called. But your stories about cheating were much more varied, with some unpredictable conclusions.
Love advice from Dan Savage, avid gay-rights activist and sex columnist. The language here is very sexually explicit.
- Episode 21: Listen in as Dan Savage blows his top at a misogynistic man and an obnoxious man-hating, woman.
- Episode 444: This week Dan welcomes the retired gay Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, as well as a Rabbi Jeremy Gerber to tackle some thorny religion/sex issues.
- Episode 447: Conversations about polygamous relationships.
Other Great Podcasts to Enjoy
Planet Money: NPR – The economy explained
Hardcore History – with Dan Carlin
Invisibilia – Invisibilia (Latin for all the invisible things) is about the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions. Co-hosted by Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel, Invisibilia interweaves narrative storytelling with scientific research that will ultimately make you see your own life differently.
Welcome to Nightvale – A twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.Turn on your radio and hide.