5 PODCASTS FOR AN INSPIRING COMMUTE
If you haven’t listened to #NoFilter with Danielle Snyder, what have you been doing with your time? The charismatic co-founder of Dannijo has hosted in-depth interviews with famous friends including Brooklyn Decker, Andy Roddick and Questlove, and we love being a fly-on-the-wall for their conversations. Heard them all? Here, we share five more of our favorite podcasts.
By Tamara Abraham
The Guilty Feminist
Created and hosted by Deborah Frances White, this podcast is a recording of a live show combining comedy and feminism. While the comedian line-up is brilliant (Kemah Bob, Rosie Jones, Felicity Ward, Sammy T Dobson), White herself is the star. Not only is she lightning fast with off-the-cuff one-liners, she leads by example – philanthropy is wrapped into each show, raising awareness and funds for refugees in northern France and FGM survivors. Oh, she’s also an author, a screenwriter with a feature film in the works, created a hip-hop musical that's been hailed "the next Hamilton", as well as the weekly live shows. We’re not worthy.
How I Built This
This NPR favorite gets under the skin of some of the world’s most familiar brands, including Instagram, Starbucks and Airbnb. Guy Raz, who also hosts the TED Radio Hour, conducts founder interviews that chart each company’s road to success, from early investors to billion-dollar sales. The constant is that every guest has hustled hard and encountered near-catastrophic failure. It’s a must-listen for any aspiring entrepreneur.
Desert Island Discs
A BBC stalwart, Desert Island Discs has been running for over 75 years. Each weekly guest tells host Kirsty Young about their life, along with the eight tracks they would take with them if they were stranded on a desert island. While it has featured A-list names like Tom Hanks, Billie Jean King and Yoko Ono, there are also figures whose impact on the world is far greater than their fame. These include engineer Professor Dame Ann Dowling, human rights activist Sara Khan and Médecins Sans Frontières surgeon David Nott.
Song Exploder
This podcast features musicians breaking down the process behind their most famous recordings. Host Hrishikesh Hirway’s guests have included Lorde, who talks about Sober, St Vincent on New York, and Solange Knowles on Cranes in the Sky. The scrutiny with which each track is explored helps us hear the familiar in a fresh context.
Death, Sex & Money
Host Anna Sale goes beyond the superficial with interviews about, yes, you guessed it, death, sex and money. Her guests — some of whom are celebrities, some are not — get really real, really fast, and it makes for captivating conversation. Highlights include Gabrielle Union, Jane Fonda, a professional sugar baby, and a serial shoplifter. Ultimately, it’s about the human response to life’s inevitabilities, and the stories told are honest, raw and compelling.