My Favorite Podcasts to Listen to While I Work

Guys, I love podcasts. I’m definitely that person that starts a conversation with; ‘I was listening to a podcast…’ Sorry, to all my friends and family. Since I’m sitting at a computer designing all day, I usually have a lot of time to listen to podcasts. Here are a few of my favorite podcasts to listen to while I work.

Like I said, I’m a big podcaster, so I’m going to have to break this up into categories. I find that I’m able to focus best when it’s a conversational podcast. I have some more serious history and spiritual podcasts that I love, but they require more focus. Those are the podcasts I usually listen to while driving. Just a note, the podcasts below are what I listen to on a regular basis. There are many other podcasts that are limited series that I’ve loved as well!

True Crime:

Of course I listen to true crime podcasts. Who doesn’t these days?

• First up is My Favorite Murder. I’ve listened to MFM since the beginning. It took me a minute to get into it, but now I’m a big fan. Georgia and Karen tell true crime stories in a comedy format. If that offends you, well, sorry not sorry.
• Catlick: This one is fun because it’s true crime and history. It’s a story from BT Harman, and gosh dang it’s so well researched and presented. This is a story of Atlanta that’s rarely discussed.
• Crime Junkie: This podcast tells true crime in a well researched way. Ashley’s voice is so soothing to listen to, even though she’s telling stories of brutal murders.
• Criminal: Does this count as true crime? Eh, whatever. This is a podcast from Radiotopia and Phoebe Judge. Gosh, talk about a soothing voice! Sometimes I listen once for the content, and again to put me to sleep at night. These are always such compelling and unexpected topics.
• The Murder Squad: This one is a bit more serious, but it’s from the My Favorite Murder Network. The Murder Squad is comprised of Paul Holes, a retired LAPD detective, and Billy Jenson, and true crime reporter. They tell stories and always end the stories with an action item with the hope of solving the crime.
• Southern Mysteries: This one is a bit true crime and a bit history. It’s well researched, produced, and pretty short.
• Generation Why: This podcast is much more bantery, but I’ve found I enjoy that while I work. Generation Why tells true crime stories.
• True Crime Garage: Again, True Crime Garage is more of a discussion between two guys, but I really enjoy to listen to this while I work.

Comedy:

• The Popcast with Knox and Jamie: You’ll see The Bible Binge a little bit further down in my list, but this is by the same creators. I’ve listened to The Bible Binge since the beginning, so I knew about The Popcast, but always thought it was solely The Bachelor / Bachelorette recaps. Turns out, it’s not. All of my other podcasts are building up while I obsessively binge their back catalogue. It’s so, so funny.
• Sawbones: I really enjoying listening to Sawbones! It’s a comedian and his doctor wife. They talk about ridiculous things we’ve done throughout history, like leaching, fistulas (don’t google image search that), and snake oil medicine. And, they occasionally talk about modern day things like elderberry and essential oils. Yea, it goes there and it’s great.
• Scam Goddess: This is hilarious. Scam Goddess is from comedian and actress Laci Mosley and she talks about popular and ridiculous scams.

We’re only two categories in and I now realize I may have a problem.

Culture:

• Armchair Expert: This podcast is from actor Dax Shepherd. I’ll be honest, I don’t enjoy all of them. If I don’t know or don’t like the guest (looking at you Casey Affleck), I’ll skip it.
• Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend: Like the name states, this is Conan O’Brien’s podcast. Maybe I’m late to this game, but he’s great! Just like Dax’s however, if I’m not interested / don’t like the guest, then I’ll skip the episode.
• Dolly Parton’s America: Wait, do I love Dolly Parton now? I think I do. This podcast is a limited series, but I’m not done with it yet. This is such a fascinating podcast. It came about through the creator attending a Dolly Parton concert and being fascinated at the wide array of people who felt at home there — church ladies, hipsters, drag queens, etc. This is a really well done podcast, and features Dolly herself.
• The Bechdel Cast: If you’re not familiar with the Bechdel test, it’s a test created by cartoonist Alison Bechdel to measure the representation of women in fiction. If there are two named women who have a conversation about something other than a man, then the piece of culture passes the Bechdel test. This podcast applies the test to a wide variety of films. I only listen to the episodes featuring movies I’ve watched.

Ok, since we’re on a roll let’s just continue on to the podcasts I listen to while driving, cooking, or getting ready for my day. At this point I’m just scrolling through my podcast app.

History:

• Archive Atlanta: This is a short podcast about Atlanta history. The production value is lower than the others in this list, but it’s really fascinating, especially since I lived in Atlanta for many years and now live close by. The host is passionate about the topic and shares little known information about the city.
• Stuff You Missed in History Class: This is a very established podcast with quite the archive. Tracy and Holly are compelling hosts who do in depth research into the topic. I really love the cultural awareness they have and the variety of topics they cover.

Spiritual:

• Good Christian Fun: Ok, this is definitely not what you’re expecting from the title. GCF is a podcast from Kevin and Caroline, two progressive kinda Christians who grew up in the church. They cover Christian pop culture topics like Steven Curtis Chapman, Point of Grace, Left Behind and so many more. It’s so entertaining and yet at the same time challenging. I love to listen to GCF while I work at my bridge job (cleaning offices).
• The Bible Binge: Like I mentioned above, this podcast is from hosts Knox and Jamie. They take stories from the bible and cast them with real life actors. It’s as funny as it sounds. Then, at the end a bible scholar comes in and shares (mostly corrects) the hosts. It’s a humorous, yet educational podcast. It’s a bit more progressive than most evangelical Christianity.
• The Protaganistas: I found out about this podcast because the host was a guest on GCF. The host, Kat, chats with other people of faith about their experiences unlearning and relearning the bible. Kat is a woman of color and often interviews other woman of color. I enjoy hearing and learning from her.

Educational:

These podcasts don’t quite fit into the other categories, so we’ll just title this one ‘educational’.

• Stuff You Should Know: This is from the same network as Stuff You Missed in History Class. It covers a huge range of topics. Though it’s well researched, it is more conversational. This is a great one for while I work.
• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah: I really love to listen to this one while I get ready in the morning, since it requires a bit more focus. Trevor Noah is a delight, and I’m low key in love with him. It’s fine. Truly though, he keeps me updated on current events and politics.
• The Diversity Gap: This podcast is hard, I’ll be honest. It’s from host Bethaney, a racial justice educator. It constantly challenges me to be and do better. It’s worth your time.

You may look at these and think ‘hmm, there’s a category missing!’. I’m a business owner, and I rarely listen to business podcasts. There are some really incredible ones out there, but they tend to overwhelm me. That’s definitely not the intended effect, but it’s usually what happens to me.

Wow — this blog is much longer than I intended to be, but it’s been a fun one! What are some of your favorite podcasts?