9 of the best podcasts to tune in to if you're a podcast virgin

If you’re intimidated by or unfamiliar with the podcast world, there’s no better time than 2020 to pop your podcast cherry.

Swap the mindless scrolling on social, make a cuppa, and tune in to one of these instead. Podcasts also make perfect company while you’re out on a walk or doing chores. Chances are, you’ll be keen to get out and exercise just so you can listen to one more episode.

How to Be a Girl

Image source: Apple podcasts

Marlo Mack chronicles what daily life is like for her and her young transgender daughter. Peppered with honest and heartfelt conversations, Mack (a pseudonym) and her daughter invite you into their world, providing profound insight into what it really means to be a girl. Whether or not you have a trans person in your life, and especially if you don’t, tune in to learn about the challenges experienced by transgender individuals over time, some of which have been overcome, and those which remain a battle. If you’re cis-gender, How to Be a Girl serves as a reminder to check your privilege; situations and scenarios that cis-gender individuals don’t have to think twice about can be mountains to climb if you’re transgender.

Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham

Image source: Yahoo

For anyone who couldn’t get enough of Girls, this podcast miniseries is for you. From love and friendship to work, sex, bodies, and health, Dunham delves into the themes that form the fabric of life through conversations with influential and admirable women; think Emma Stone, Jemima Kirke (who played Jessa in Girls), and Emily Ratajkowski.

SmartLess

Hilarious hosts Bateman, Hayes, and Arnett bring you SmartLess. Image source: Deadline

Looking for a laugh? You’re guaranteed to find yourself having a giggle with the recently launched SmartLess, which is no surprise given it’s hosted by Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, alongside Will & Grace’s Sean Hayes. You’ll feel like you’re hanging out with the hosts, who bring conversations that are a mix of thought-provoking and lighthearted to the table. Each host gets a turn to select a ‘surprise guest’, who is only revealed to the other two hosts at the start of the given episode; think Kamala Harris, Melissa McCarthy, Seth Rogen and then some.

How to Fail with Elizabeth Day

A celebration of all the things that can go wrong, English novelist Elizabeth Day interviews a myriad of influential people on their ‘failures’, what they learned from them, and how ultimately, they’ve made them more successful at, and happier in, this thing called life. You’re sure to find a heap of interviewees you’ll want to listen to – from authors and activists to all kinds of artists; think the likes of Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Untamed author Glennon Doyle.

The Love Bomb with Nico Tortorella

Tortorella, with one of his many interviewees, Courtney Love. Image source: @NicTortorella

You might tune in to this podcast because it’s hosted by Tortorella, who plays heartthrob Josh in HBO’s millennial hit series Younger. But you’ll stay – and keep coming back for – the existential conversations he has with humans he loves (friends, Younger costars, and partners) about relationships, gender and sexuality, and the role they play in the most important things in life: love, and self-love.

Radio Rental

If you’re a sucker for true crime, prepare to get engrossed in this collection of real-life horror and supernatural stories, told by the everyday people who lived them. if you’re intrigued but don’t want these stories to keep you up at night, here’s a *semi-spoiler alert* to put you at ease: albeit intriguing and full of unanswered questions, the stories don’t have horrific endings.

The Quicky

Bringing you the daily news in 15 minutes, stay in the know – and be able to contribute to dinner party conversations – by subscribing to Mamamia’s The Quicky.

No Filter with Mia Freedman

Image source: Apple podcasts

Mamamia founder Mia Freedman brings the D&Ms to the table through candid conversations with a mixed and growing bag of interesting, inspiring, and influential individuals – from celebrities and authors to politicians, entrepreneurs, advocates, and everyday people with remarkable stories. Here you’ll find a mix of experiences you can relate to, and lived tales you can learn from.

The Michelle Obama Podcast

Image source: The Verge

Join the remarkable former First Lady as she delves into the relationships that shape us through conversations with the people she’s closest to (including Barack Obama in Episode 1). Exclusive to Spotify, Michelle describes her newly launched podcast as “a place to explore big topics together…to sort through the questions that we’re all trying to answer; a place to open up and be a little vulnerable, and have some fun along the way.”

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