There are many things that I’m proud of contributing to at OneFifty; outstanding creative campaigns, stellar client service… but most of all my ‘WorthListeningTo’ Slack channel in which I regularly share Podcasts that I believe the team should listen to.
But why podcasts? Podcasts, quite simply, are my hobby. I binge them like a Netflix series, and it turns out I’m not alone in that either. Research by Ofcom in September 2018 shows that over 6 million people tune in to a Podcast each week; a number which has doubled in just 5 years. When it comes to young adults (15-24), 1 in 5 are listening to podcasts each week.
I don’t know about the rest of the 6 million, but I personally enjoy listening to podcasts because it’s great to get some entertainment without screen time; when you’ve been staring at your computer for 8 hours, the last thing you need is to go home and stare at your TV screen or phone for another couple of hours.
I love finding new shows and sharing my recommendations with others, so here are some of the podcasts that have popped up on #WorthListeningTo.
8am: commute time
On your way to work, you need to get yourself inspired for the day, and an hour listening to inspirational people is a great way to do this.
Without Fail: Alex Blumberg, CEO of Gimlet media, has candid conversations with people who have battled adversity and lived to tell the tale, from business leaders to filmmakers and everything in between.
The Pitch: another Gimlet podcast (there’s a theme here: Gimlet podcasts are excellent and some of my favourites), in which real entrepreneurs pitch to real investors, for real money. Like Dragon’s Den, but without watching the awkwardness go down.
The Forward by Lance Armstrong: I can’t take credit for this one, it’s a recommendation from Alex Pearmain. Lance Armstrong chats breeze with sports stars and musicians – entertaining and inspiring at the same time, whatever you think about dear old Lance.
11am – A 20 minute tube journey between client meetings
If you’ve got 20 minutes to waste on a tube journey, throw your headphones on (or earbuds if you have to) and listen to the Guardian’s Today In Focus with Anushka Asthana. Today in focus looks at one topic, which has usually been in the news recently, and explores it for 20 minutes. Great for learning about a new thing each day when you don’t have loads of time.
1pm – lunch time
Take half an hour to remind yourself that we’re all just tiny beans in a big planet by listening to The Habitat, which followed a year in the life of 6 volunteers living on a fake planet, as part of an experiment to see whether humans can live on Mars. Fascinating stuff.
6pm: commute home
The commute home is the perfect time to switch off and indulge yourself in something a bit more entertaining. For some it’s music, but for me it’s usually one of the below.
Disgraceland: music lover? This is the podcast for you. In each episode, Jake Brennan tells the story of a rock and roll star behaving badly. It’s amazing just how badly people can behave when they’re famous.
Dr Death, Over My Dead Body, Dirty John or in fact any true crime podcast by Wondery: you just can’t help get sucked into the stories.
My Favourite Murder: a true crime comedy podcast about murder – and the number one podcast that I’ve been following for years. Karen and Georgia, the hosts, take turns to tell each other a story about a real life murder, with plenty of funny bits inbetween. I even have a keyring with the show’s motto on it: “stay sexy and don’t get murdered.” No YOU’RE weird.
My dad wrote a porno: The aubergine emoji of the list, Jamie Morton reads his dad’s home written pornography with 2 friends each week. Quite funny, but gets a bit samey after the first couple of seasons. Good for a laugh to start off with though.
Serial: The first podcast I ever listened to; Sarah Koening explores a true story each season in this award winning podcast. Warning, they’re incredibly addictive, and you will find excuses to discuss the cases with anyone who will listen. A good one to start with if you got hooked on Netflix’s Making a Murderer.
10pm: Getting a good night’s sleep
Sleep with me: no, this isn’t a less than subtle hint that I’m after something, it’s a podcast that quite literally puts you to sleep. It’s essentially a gobbledegook bedtime story, where the narrator Scooter repeats himself, stutters, makes no sense at all and speaks in such dulcet tones that you’ll drift off listening to it in no time. Strange, but it works.
So there you go, a whole list of listening to delights to get stuck into. Let me know how you get on with them over on Twitter!
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