The one about podcasting

Hello all of you near and far who have asked for my personal Podcast Training Plan. I'm beyond flattered that you noticed how podcast fit I've become and would like to offer my services to those of you who are anxious to start your own regime. 

DISCLAIMER: I am offering a money-back guarantee if you don't see a dramatic improvement in your general knowledge of current events and politics, an increase in the amount useless trivia you can use as conversation starters and an uptick in your overall well-being after 30 days. Do it, get podcast fit, you won't regret it - there is so much out there to share and gobble up! 

WARNING: This sport is not for the faint of heart - it takes commitment, courage and energy to become a Master Podcaster but once you self-identify as a burgeoning podcaster, you will have a reason to get up in the morning and a goal to work towards each and every day. You will find that cleaning your house and doing the dishes actually becomes fun and you will have so many smart things to say to people who don't podcast and so many interesting conversations to have with people who do! 

Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, my humble podcasting suggestions, vetted and approved by yours truly: 

Level 1 Podcast Training Plan: The gateway to podcasting

If you already listen to one/some/all of these podcasts, you are well on your way to becoming an Advanced Podcaster! Add these to your repertoire for an easy-to-relate-to conversation with anyone else who also podcasts. By following this training plan, you'll have your bases covered so you don't look like a weakling amongst the big-wigs. 

1) Serial hosted by Sarah Koenig - Basically, it's everyone's gateway podcast. If you don't like Serial, you aren't cut out for podcasting, so back out now. But since you are all the type of people who will like podcasting, you can one-up any other budding podcaster by downloading Slate Serial Spoiler Specials to get a succinct analysis and assessment of Serial episode. This podcast always enhances my viewpoint and attitude about Serial and gives me double the ammo to use in analysis with my podcast teammates. New Spoiler episodes come out on Friday after Serial's Thursday release. 

2) Global News by the BBC World Service - high quality, 30-minute way to get news stories from around the globe in the morning and night. OR for a quickie 5-minute news update every hour on the hour, NPR Hourly News Summary does the trick! 

3) 99% Invisible is a top ten favorite podcast by host Roman Mars broadcasting from beautiful downtown historic Oakland. This is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. Favorite episodes include: The Fresno Drop, Best Enjoyed By, Fountain Drinks, and Worst Smell in the World. 

4) Hidden Brain - A podcast about unseen patterns in society. Episode 19: Dating and Mating is a fascinating review of marriage and attraction proving through many economists' theories that the more you pay for a ring and the wedding, the more likely a couple is to break up and other brilliant economic theories of marriage/coupling. Great hosts take you through short 20-ish minute episodes perfect for a morning podcast burst. Other favorite episodes include: Episode 1: Switchtracking and Episode 8: Back Up Plans.

5) This American Life - A classic go-to favorite! Really great stories told every week about specific topics. This podcast will form the perfect foundation you need for advancing in your podcast training as it's the best-done story telling format out there. My favorite episodes include: #578: I Thought I Knew You, #214: Family Physics and #577: Something Only I Can See. For supplemental training, try these podcasts with a similar format: Snap Judgement and the Ted Radio Hour. 

6) Now, I'm gonna shake it up a bit here. Instead of the typical interview/story telling format, try adding some conversation-style podcasts into your regime. To start, I suggest Slate Political Gabfest, the Slate Culture Gabfest and The Weeds by Vox. All of these well-done podcasts make you feel like got invited to a smart person get-together and are privileged enough to be privy to their fascinating conversations about politics and culture. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy their rants, raves, and analyzing. Tune in and you'll absorb smart tidbits to use on game day when you get into a real-life political/pop-culture conversation of your own. 

7) My new favorite podcast is HuffPo Love + Sex. Noah and Carina are wonderful hosts exploring diverse topics of sexuality and love. It's been a transformative sexual education for me and even though I myself am a sex educator, I've learned the birds and the bees from this dynamic duo. Do it, Love+Sex is where it's at. 

Level 2 Podcast Training Plan: To master the art of podcasting

Katie taught me well, both in theory and in observation, that moving from an Advanced Podcaster to a Master Podcaster takes time, commitment, and motivation. You have to want to listen to a podcast while running, while eating, while cutting your toenails, while also having a conversation with your roommate about another podcast. Podcasts come out with so many new episodes each week that you run the risk of falling very far behind in your training plan if you aren't prepared to put the time in to get the results you seek. Times you should podcast if you want to make it to the big leagues: while waking up in the morning before you drink your first sip of coffee, while cleaning your house, doing the dishes or folding clothes, while running, taking afternoon walks, going to the grocery store, driving, doing mindless work like formatting/editing. When you find yourself wanting to go to bed so you can wake up an podcast, you'll know you've broken through to the MLP (Major League Podcasting). Here are my suggestions to get you to the top: 

1) The Axe Files by David Axelrod - Currently the founder/director of the Chicago Institute of Politics and once the Chief Strategist for the Obama campaign, interviews fascinating political figures who shed light on politics in fascinating ways. Political history and current events are brought to you through stories of experts retelling their journeys to the top. Just brilliant! 

2) The Economist Radio - A quick (10-15 minute) podcast offering a quick synopsis of the key articles and news stories from the Economist magazine. Prepare to feel smarter by osmosis of the information in this podcast. A similarly wonderful brain busting podcast is Planet Money. 

3) The World Next Week by CFR or Financial Times Big Read hosted by super smart fellows from the Council on Foreign Relations who sit down to analyze and predict world events for the upcoming week. Makes me feel prepared for the crazy that is the world! 

4) And then there are podcasts for working out! For workout/meditation/yoga - try Yoga Download for 20-30 minute yoga flows (this was my saving grace in the Dominican Republic and PS they offer a free subscription for Peace Corps Volunteers). For longer yoga flows, download Power Yoga with Dave Farmar who has various 1.5 hour Vinyasa flow. And for guided meditations, Meditation Oasis is a great start. To become an inspired and enlightened runner, download Run to the Top! 

5) Death, Sex and Money with Anna Sale is a podcast about the big questions and hard choices that are often left out of polite conversation. Absolute must-listen: Living Alone, One Year Later. Sometimes tough to get into, but once you decide you like the host and the premise of random life and death topics, you'll be hooked! 

6) The New Yorker Fiction - A monthly reading and conversation of works by famous authors reading other famous authors. Favorites include: Edwidge Danticat reads Jamaica Kincaid and Thomas McGuane reads James Salter.

Level 3 Podcast Training Plan: For the burgeoning Spanish speakers

Spanish language podcasts are fabulous way to listen to stories and news in Spanish. They require more concentration (for obvious reasons) but are a wonderful way to learn news/facts while simultaneously practicing Spanish comprehension. 

1) To listen to the news in Spanish, try Buenos Días America by the VOA or Democracy Now! en Español (which is a bit easier because they start every news story with the headline in English and this helps to orient yourself to the story coming up in case you get lost in the Spanish). 

2) Radio Ambulante - A radio program in Spanish chronicling stories all over Latin America. Favorite episodes include: El corresponsal, Confesión, Los huérfanos, Mudanzas and El coyote. 

3) Latino USA - While this is actually in English, it takes you on journeys of news and culture from a Latino perspective with a great host and amazing producers finding diverse stories from latinos around the globe. 

4) Nómadas by RNE - This podcast takes you on a journey to discover new cities and countries through explorer hosts finding special corners of the world! It's like a vibrant virtual tour of places you can only dream of someday visiting. A sensory explosion! 

Level 4 Podcast Training Plan: Training hacks to increase stamina
Ok ok, so you've decided what you like and what you don't like. You know your ideal format, content area, style of host, average time length of a perfect podcast. You've found your grove, you know your style...congratulations. You have made it farther than the average podcaster! There is now so much out there to soak up, but there aren't enough hours in the day. Fear not, I have the answer for you. Now, you must perfect your technique.

1) Listen to your podcasts on 1.5x speed. Podcasts especially made to 1.5x include Presidential by The Washington Post which is a fascinating exploration of our 44 presidents. However, sometimes it's slow-going but always intriguing content. Which is why the 1.5x is necessary. Other 1.5x candidates include How to Be Amazing with Michael Ian Black (interviews with interesting famous people) follow these interviews of celebrities and newsmakers as they discuss what the what. Reason for 1.5x is that the material comes out quick so you'll need extra time to listen to them all! Other podcasts suggested for 1.5x include: The Diane Rehm Show (for current events, books, politics and a kaleidoscope of everything), and On Being with Krista Tippet (interviews with religious figures and/or people speaking on religion). 

2) For a podcast about podcasts, listen to The Big Listen and/or Sampler by Gimlet Media to get a recap of the weeks best podcasts and segments. Helps expand your podcast horizons and give you a glimpse into new podcasts you could start!

3) Nerd out. Get your fix of data shows with Whats the Point by FiveThirtyEight and FiveThirtyEight Elections. You'll be a pollster in no time. Dry material at times, but mega important and expressed in interesting ways. Other nerd-alerts include: Trumpcast by Slate (who is Donald Trump, anyway?), Lexicon Valley by Panoply (the history of words), Reply All (stories of the internet), Slate's Audio Book Club (read along with Emily Bazelon and her crew!) and Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick (about the Supreme Court with actual audio from SCOTUS).

But Bea, you say to me, I have the opposite problem - what happens when I "stall out" aka when my favorite Podcasts don't have enough new episodes and I've already gone back through all of the archives since 2011. Well - it's time to expand your horizons, try something new, gain new knowledge and new information. I have vetted many a Podcast and understand different tastes in different people so below are shows that I appreciate, but do not follow. I know that I am podcaster who appreciates news value, learning information and a succinct and easy to follow interview format. However, I have friends who are conversation style lovers, interested in pop-culture but less invested in the news aspect to a podcast. That's fine, agree to be different. But here's a few they suggest!

1) Moth Radio Hour and Mortified Podcast for a compilation of stories and dramatic readings. Moth is more serious while Mortified is a bunch of adults reading their younger years diaries/journals.

2) Call Your Girlfriend and Millennials for your quick taste of sassy social commentary. Bunch of millennials sitting around gabbing about millennial things. Not my style, but I see the appeal.

A very special thank you to Zoe and David, Hana, Caitlin and Shannon for your wonderful suggestions to augment and enhance my podcast training plan. I am deeply grateful for your offerings, energy and solidarity in the process of becoming better podcasters. 

And finally, would like to send a huge shout-out to certifiable Master Podcasters Katie and Jessie!!! You have been so great in sharing with me your love of the sport, analyzing new episodes with me each week and providing guidance on my own training plan. Because of you two, I am a better podcaster each and every day. Thank you for your patience and support while I was in Level 1 of training. Together, you brought me to Level 3. Congratulations, I only dream of being you one day. 

And that's it folks, my guidance for podcasting! And not that you asked, but if you are looking for book suggestions, here's my favorites of the season:

1) Euphoria by Lily King - Enthralling book about an anthropologist studying tribes in New Guinea, based on the life of Margaret Mead...fascinating and wonderfully written, goes fast! She also wrote another great book about a woman navigating the world with an alcoholic father. It's called Father of the Rain and I also highly recommend. 

2) Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick- This is a well-told history lessons of North Korea made more digestible by telling it through the lens of six North Korean citizens who eventually defect to South Korea by way of China and Japan). 

3) Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff - It was Obama's favorite book of 2015, enough said! Read it, do it.

4) Room by Emma Donahue because it's been a favorite since I read it and am actually being paid by the movie business to convince everyone to read and subsequently watch it before Brie Larson (aka Ma) goes up for an Oscar later this month.

5) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates which should be required reading for every human who cares about race relations in the USA. A powerful narrative of being black in America as told through a letter from Coates to his son.