It’s very easy to go into the new year with a “new year, new me” mindset. I’m pretty sure I’ve said that at the beginning of every year since I was 12 and discovered the phrase. However, regardless of how many times I told myself it would be a better year for me, and that I was going to “follow through on all my resolutions,” I always ended up having almost a carbon copy of the year before. That is, until this year.
2022 was a pretty rough year for me overall, but one thing I did do was start therapy (basically, this meant I was going into this year with a more positive mindset than ever before). Starting the first week of January, I began meal planning, working out, eating healthy, saving my money (as much as I could) and just overall approaching things more positively.
One of these new habits I’ve found myself immersed in is listening to podcasts. I am relatively new to podcasts and one thing I noticed right away was how difficult it was to find good ones that suited what I wanted to listen to. I feel like I went into the search for podcasts pretty blindly and not only was I unsure of how to search for them, but I wasn’t super sure where to look or what I was looking for.
It wasn’t difficult to find the where; I feel like Spotify is one of the most known places to look for podcasts. However, once I reminded myself of this lovely app, I was pretty stuck. They have a podcast section and if you search “podcasts” you’ll be met with an abundance of answers. Thus, the next logical step was to figure out what was important to me, and what did I want to focus on in 2023? For me, this was self-care and self-love. So, I looked through over 100 podcasts and watched about 5 minutes of each podcast to see how I felt about the speaker’s voice, attitude and overall vibe. Finally, I was able to narrow it down to three podcasts I enjoy listening to daily. And here they are!
Hot Girl Energy Podcast
Why not start with my favourite podcast thus far? Hot Girl Energy Podcast is hosted by Kaylie Stewart and focuses on mental health, self-care and the journey to self-love (all things I was looking for as 2022 came to a close). Kaylie posts a new episode every week (usually on Tuesdays) and talks for 30-40 minutes about self-prioritization, important aspects of her week and how her audience can make their weeks better. She starts the episodes by reminding us that it’s a new week—so whatever happened last week doesn’t matter, we can always reset and restart! All in all, her podcast is really motivating and actually makes me want to do stuff with my day. She is full of energy, even when she’s having a bad day, and it reminds me that there’s always room to improve and time to focus on myself.
With Intention
With Intention is another great podcast and my go-to when waiting for the newest Hot Girl Energy Podcast episode (but for real, it’s great all on its own too!). It’s hosted by Cami Sophia, who also talks about loving yourself and being willing to take the time to prioritize your mental health. Cami posts an episode once a week (usually on Wednesdays) and spends about 20-30 minutes discussing different topics that motivate her audience to focus on self-wellness (some of these being creating healthy habits, self-care checklists and using Pinterest to promote wellness). Her voice is super soothing and the episodes are short enough that you can listen to a couple without getting overwhelmed!
The Wellness Cafe
This podcast is hosted by a young Canadian woman, Trinity Tondeleir. Her podcast, unlike the others mentioned, follows a theme. She calls it a “Hot Girl Walk” podcast and each week (usually on Wednesdays) for 30-40 minutes she discusses different ways to practice wellness while encouraging her listeners to go on a walk while the episode plays. She also does week-long podcast parts (i.e., “7 Days of Kickstarting 2023”) and often invites other podcast creators to talk about things she believes will help women get through the week! It’s enjoyable and motivating as a young Canadian woman to listen to another young Canadian woman talks about what she does to make her life the one she wants to live.
Podcasts are such a great way to boost your motivation and kickstart your day! I implore you to do a little hunting and you might just find your favourite new hobby!