2022 Favorites: Podcast Edition
As many of you know, I’m a voracious reader and consumer of media because my inner nerd (aka Hermione Granger) loves rich mental stimulation. Therefore, I won’t bore you with every book, podcast episode, show, movie, report, or article that’s sent me into geek land.
However, I am happy to share my favorites for these categories. Today I’m starting with podcasts. Why? Because my family teases me mercilessly for my fierce devotion to a good podcast. Why not just step way deep into my mental Hogwarts podcast library now?
I will break these down by episodes, and I will try to highlight shows that are worth a multi-episode listen. This list will contain some heavy listens and ones that make you smile. All of them will be less than an hour because my attention span doesn’t stretch that far. Hopefully, everyone can find something here. You ready? Let’s go!
Brave New Work: What web3 means for the future of work w/ Chase Chapman
I didn’t know what web3 or DAO meant until I listened to this 2021 episode and the subsequent 2022 miniseries. And boy, did I learn a lot! The distributed team model is one that will gain steam significantly in 2023, and we business strategists need to lean in and listen. I listened to this series with a notebook in hand and honestly learned some things about my own business.
I’ve listened to Brave New Work since 2020. The podcast is hosted by The Ready, an organization design firm that works with a lot of tech start-ups. The hosts and guests are consistently thinking about how to reinvent organizations and business models, and I am constantly challenged by own mental models. I wish that the hosts would dig further and deeper into DEI, but it’s still a solid listen.
We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle: Abby’s Hero Shares Her Hardest Battle
You may be surprised that I listened to this podcast, and I have to admit that I was, too. In fact, I subscribed for three months and stopped because it was just too much. However, I love Abby Wambach and want to support her every endeavor. In this episode, Abby visits with her hero, Billie Jean King, who shares her own life journey with building pay equity among female athletes. She’s a total boss.
Belabored: Teacher Strikes in the Age of COVID-19
Unions have been building momentum this year, and tracking what’s happening and where can be difficult for inquiring minds. This is where I go for in-depth interviews and analysis – the Belabored podcast by Dissent magazine. And this is where I break my rule about only listening to 1 hour or less podcast episodes.
Belabored focuses on labor journalism, specifically the union organizing happening in the United States. Spoiler alert: the main theme of most unions and strikes are better pay and benefits. This particular episode highlights K-12 schoolteachers in Minnesota. They interview teachers involved in the strike to hear how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact them and the even greater impacts of staffing shortages and decreased funding.
Serial: 2022 Update – Adnan is Out
For those who have followed Serial-Season One since 2014, then you know what a journey this has been. We went from a person potentially wrongly accused of murder to that same person being released from prison in 2022. My heart breaks for the family of Hae Min Lee and everyone involved in this multi-decade case. This podcast is a prime example of the people fighting the criminal justice system with persistence and media.
Finding Our Way: Aloha ʻĀina with Dr. Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio
This episode was a real mind blower for me since I had never been exposed to the concept of Hawaii being an occupied state and why many Indigenous groups do not want tourists. This one definitely led me down a deep research road.
I’ve been listening to Finding Our Way with Prentis Hemphill from the first episode. I love their approach and insights into embodiment and relationships. In fact, I typically listen to each season 2-3 times just to get all the wisdom. Unfortunately, this show is going on hiatus for now.
Code Switch: Rethinking ‘safety’ in the wake of Uvalde
This episode helped me to clearly understand the needs we have around school security and gun safety, which I desperately needed after this horribly violent event. The host and guest outline how community social workers can work alongside police to reduce community violence.
I’ve been listening to Code Switch by NPR for years, and it just keeps getting better. Plus, this group is a great recommendation resource on books, music, and podcasts. Special thanks to Code Switch for introducing me to Omar Apollo this year! You’ll hear more about Omar in my music post.
I listen to Audible quite a bit, so occasionally I will try one of their limited-series podcasts. And this one did not disappoint. Fiasco: The AIDS Crisis details the beginning of the AIDS pandemic in the United States in the late 1970s. I was intrigued to explore this topic for several reasons. First, I volunteer in queer organizing spaces and see the continuing impacts of AIDS even now.
Second, I was a child when the AIDS pandemic so my knowledge came mostly from MTV. Finally, I have a dear older gay male friend who lived through this history in New York City. Listening to this series as an adult helped me process so much of what I heard as a child and increased my awareness of the history of this fight for justice.
I will stop here because I could go on forever. Really. An old friend asked me last week for a list of my podcasts, and I laughed. Did she want a list of 33 shows? No, she just needed a light recommendation (FYI – it was Dolly Parton’s America by WNYC Studios). Happy listening!
Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash