A mom’s guide to podcasts {my favorites!}
Hey girl: Love podcasts? You're not alone. {Who knows, you probably don't even need this mom's guide to podcasts!} In fact Forbes told us as recently as November 2017 that millennials lead all other gens in podcast consumption. Know what's even funnier? When we asked our CityMoms recently what radio they listen to, they stuck the knife in the radio medium even more by responding you mean podcasts? I listen to like all of them. We get it. They're easy, efficient, on demand and come in a range of content - what's not to love? Today CityMom Cynthia deep dives into the world of podcasting and we're here for the recos, the ideas, all of it. Read on, reader...
When I was little, whenever my mom was doing a mundane chore (think ironing) she would always watch a soap opera (her “stories”). She had a favorite one she would tune in to every day and would even make sure that my dad would tape it on the VCR (omg, VCR, tape, what do those words even mean??) so that she could watch it whenever she wanted. She would be very upset if the VCR failed to record her show. Soap operas were really popular at the time and she would discuss the show with her mom friends. Though as a small child I found soap operas boring, I assumed when I grew up, I would also watch my “stories” while I ironed.
Well, it didn’t quite turn out that way. First of all, I don’t iron. {At least, not every piece of clothing like my mom did. }And I don’t watch soap operas. But, like my mom was before me, I am bored by putting away laundry or dishes or doing whatever mundane task needs to be done. Despite the fact that every time my preschooler would fill out the “All about my mom” sheet at school, she always said that my favorite activity is doing dishes, that could not be further from the truth {thanks babe}.
I usually need a little motivation to get mundane tasks done.
For years, a couple of my closest friends had been telling me about podcasts. I was embarrassed to tell them that I didn’t really know what podcasts were or how they worked. And I was sure it would cost money. But both mom friends kept telling me how I would love podcasts and recommended a few that they thought I would like. So I gave in and went to scope it out.
What I discovered is… Podcasts are amazing! And free {mostly}. Most podcasts will accept donations and some make you pay for premium content, but most of the content is free. I also discovered that though you can go to each individual website and listen to the podcast, it is really easiest to download an app to play the podcasts for you. I use Stitcher but you can also use Apple Podcasts. Both platforms are free. Whichever app you use, it will save your favorite podcasts and update automatically so that the newest episode is always showing. But you can also go back and see older episodes of the podcast which makes podcasts perfect for binge listening. It will also show you whether you have listened to a particular episode or not, so you don’t have to listen to each episode in order. The app can also save your place so that if you pause an episode, you can go back to where you left off. The app will also show you the most popular podcasts so that you have a place to start. Though the podcasts are free, most do take breaks for ads throughout each episode.
SPEAKING OF PODCASTS, we loved an opp to sit in with the team at Hey Girl and chat mom culture. Listen up.
So yeah now that you've read through my discovery, let's talk about what a podcast is exactly?! People have been captivated by storytelling from the beginning of time and podcasts are the newest iteration of that. A podcast can be about anything. To name a few, there are current events podcasts, true crime podcasts, Christian podcasts and mom podcasts. Some of your favorite TV shows may even have an audio only version of the show that is made into a podcast (ie The Daily Show, Ears Edition). Podcasts can have different formats as well. Some podcasts, like Serial, tell different parts of the same story over a certain number of podcast episodes. Once you have listened to the last episode, that podcast is over. Other podcasts, like Moms and Murder, has each episode tell a story in its entirety. Since each episode can stand alone and tell a different story, you can tune in every week for new content and that podcast will never really conclude.
Other moms don't hesitate to ask me: Like when do you have time to listen to a podcast?
The good news is, anytime. I have Stitcher on my phone, so my podcasts are much more portable and accessible than my mom’s “stories” ever were. I can listen to it in the car while I am out running errands. Or I plug my ear buds in and listen whenever I am doing dishes or laundry. Talk about on demand. To motivate myself, I’ll even save one of my favorite podcast episodes and listen while I’m cleaning the bathroom to help encourage me to finish.
Podcasts also work well for car rides.
If you're commuting or going on a family trip, podcasts are a great way to stay entertained, including podcasts for kids Over the summer, my family went on a few trips. Once my kids were bored with playing games and reading, I could put on a podcast for them in the car. Some of my kids’ favorite podcasts are Kid Stories, Circle Round, and But Why. Podcasts work well on long trips because you can download them to whatever device your child has {or your phone} and the episodes take up less space on the device than a video would so you can download more of them.
Let's talk the wide variety of content.
I personally love true crime podcasts like Crime Junkie {which even broadcasts from right here in Indianapolis!} but I also like to learn about history and how the world works, which I can get from podcasts like Stuff You Should Know (SYSK).SYSK has a wide variety of topics to choose from, so if one is boring I just skip to the next. There are even game show podcasts like NPR’s Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me! for when I like to test my trivia knowledge. I like to watch food shows so of course I enjoy food podcasts as well. Milk Street Radio is a good one about food and culture. And while podcasts like NPR’s This American Life may be one of the most popular podcasts out there, sometimes I enjoy listening to the soap opera type podcasts like Dirty John to keep me entertained, just like my mom did. Last year, we published this great guide to 2018 podcasts worth listening to. And they're all pretty much still on our must-hear list now.One more thing: NBC recently created this awesome list of podcasts working moms should be listening to. And yeah, the word 'awesome' is perfectly used because they are.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Cynthia Holladay is a former state air quality inspector turned Stay-at-Home mom to 3 precious girls. She was named Mom of the Year in 2017 by Fishers Magazine. When she is not busy explaining to strangers in public that yep, her hands are full, Cynthia is obsessing over true crime stories, playing trivia, or drinking chardonnay and eating tiramisu.
