I have become hooked on podcasts.
How long have podcasts been around now? Years and years? And yet, it was only in 2015 that I discovered them.
And now I am hooked.
Although, thinking back, it’s probably not at all surprising.
Growing up, on family road trips, my dad would stick cassette after cassette of old radio programs in our car’s tape deck to keep my brother and me occupied. There were no in-car personal entertainment systems in those days so my brother and I had to use the theatre of our minds instead! My dad had taped the shows off of Jack Cullen’s Owl Prowl program. Cullen was a Vancouver broadcaster from the golden age of radio and in his later years he would rebroadcast all the great radio shows like Jack Benny, The Shadow, and The Green Hornet late at night (way past my bedtime).
When I was old enough I would listen to them every night on my little clock radio next to my bed, trying to stay awake until they wrapped up for the night. I loved all the detective shows: Sam Spade, Richard Diamond, Johnny Dollar.
To me, podcasts are just the millennial version of old time radio programs – I even find the advertising on them so similar to the ads on those old programs. Instead of being brought to you by Lucky Strike or Ovaltine, now they’re brought to you by Fresh Books and Squarespace!
Podcasts have become one of mine and Sam’s favourites things. Mine, because they play a huge role in keeping me inspired both with food, art and business. And Sam’s because they mean much longer walks now!
So here are some of my favouritests lately.
Masterpiece Studio
The brand new podcast from PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre, Masterpiece Studio airs every Monday. Right now, it’s jam packed with Downton Abbey goodies! They’ve been interviewing all the cast members as the final season airs as well as doing fun episode recaps and discussions. And I can’t gets me enough Downtown Abbey! (what will we do when it’s over???)
The Chopped Podcast
Hosted by Marly McMillen, the creator of the Chopped Conference and the owner of the blog Namely Marly, the Chopped Podcast is such a great podcast for food bloggers. Once a week she covers every aspect of food blogging you can imagine – from marketing to social media to food photography – with great guests. If food blogging is your jam, you will learn tons Plus, Marly has the loveliest voice to listen to!
Being Boss
Kathleen and Emily are the two creative entrepreneurs behind the Being Boss podcast which is aimed at… you guessed it… creative entrepreneurs! I totally dig their blend of practical, no-nonsense advice around all things small business, and their healthy willingness to explore the more “woo woo” aspect of life. They bring on great guests but my favourite episodes are the ones where it’s just the two of them talking and sharing their experience and advice.
The Smart Passive Income Podcast
I’ve long admired his website and business acumen but it took me a little while to get into Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income podcast. But lately, I’ve been really enjoying it. He’s been doing lots of listener success stories, which I love. I love hearing how other small businesses and solopreneurs have grown their businesses. I always get new ideas and tips on how I can grow my own businesses.
Spilled Milk
Spilled Milk generally has me in stitches from the get go. Each week, Molly and Matthew focus in on one food item or ingredient, cooking and eating it (and you can’t have any!) and discussing it. It can get raunchy and silly and it’s a lot of fun. And, I usually learn something! My favourite episodes are the ones where they sample junk food from other countries. This is one of those podcasts that people must make people wonder about me while I’m walking – who’s that crazy girl laughing out loud to herself while she walks her dog??
The Fizzle Show
This may just be my absolute favourite podcast. Ironically, it didn’t start out that way. Fizzle was suggested to me by a few friends who run their own businesses so I stuck it out through a few episodes. At first it felt like they went off on tangents far too often and sometimes they just got downright silly and I wanted the goods, not the goofiness. But slowly, I started to notice that each week when I scrolled through my new podcasts, their’s was the one I looked for first. The tangents and goofiness had grown on me and I looked forward to it each week. And make no mistake – if you’re running your own business, these guys know their stuff. The episodes are full of useful information. I’m still making my way through their back catalogue and every time I take a flight (about once a month or every other month), it’s their podcast archives that I load up my phone with to listen to on the plane. Oh, and I have since become a full on fizzle member!
Here’s The Thing With Alec Baldwin
Ok, Alec Baldwin’s voice is made for radio. I could listen to him all day. He is actually a great interviewer and his guest list on Here’s the Thing runs an incredibly broad scope from writers, to actors, directors, artists – usually creative folks. I don’t listen every week – my choice is usually based on who his guest is – but whenever I do, I am fully entertained.
Stash | Creative Conversations With Makers and Doers
The guests of the Stash podcast are usually fibre arts creators and while I don’t knit, crochet, dye yarn, sew or design patterns, I totally dig this podcast. I love hearing the artists’ stories and how they created businesses around their work. And even though their genres as completely different from the ones I choose to channel my creative tendencies into, I can’t get enough. And oddly, some of my favourite episodes are the ones where all the employees of the yarn shop that is the base for the podcast, sit around and discuss their latest knitting projects. It totally fascinates me!
The Lively Show
Jess Lively’s show is all about living life with intention. It’s a straightup interview style podcast and Jess’s guests run the range from bloggers, business people, writers, artists, and scholars. Not every guest appeals to me but most of them do and and I love Jess’s interview style – she always comes across as enthusiastic and genuinely excited to be talking to her guests – regardless of whether they are unknowns or celebrities. She’s always a breath of fresh air and full of positive energy. And INC magazine just made her #1 on their Top 9 Inspiring Podcasts For Female Entrepreneurs.
The Get Paid Podcast: The Stark Reality Of Entrepreneurship and Being Your Own Boss
If you have ever struggled with pricing your services and earning your own income and figuring out what you and your business are worth to your clients, then Claire Pelletreau’s Get Paid podcast is for you. Over the course of her first season (which wrapped up last November with season 2 promised for early this year), she examined 22 different on-line business models and how real entrepreneurs in each model made their living. She talks hard numbers – revenue and expenses – and confronts the myth of six figure launches and instant overnight internet success.
This is just a sampling of the podcasts I listen to regularly. I’m always looking for new ones to listen to that revolve around food, creativity, small business and storytelling. So tell me in the comments… what are your favourite podcasts? What should I add to my listening list?
Unsurprisingly, most of mine are writing related. The one I’d recommend most highly is Tea and Jeopardy. Told partly as a story itself, Emma Newman invites various sci-fi and fantasy authors to her secret tea lair for tea, cake and an interview. It’s a lot of fun and I’ve picked up some good book recommendations. The episodes are also pleasantly short, at around half an hour.
Thanks Elizabeth – I’ll have to check that one out!
This was an interesting post. You do have quite a few favourite podcasts and as don’t listen to any as yet, you have made me think about finding some that I might enjoy listening to. Thanks for sharing what you are interested in and currently enjoying.
they’re always great to listen to while I walk Sam or do dishes or fold laundry. And I love having them on while I draw. Makes the time pass very pleasantly!
Wow! What an amazing list of podcasts! So honored to see Chopped on your list. Thanks! xoxoxo
You’re welcome Marly! I enjoy it every week – loved that you interviewed FBCer Mayssam Samaha last week. She’s always interesting to chat with!
It’s always interesting to see what other people are listening to. I’ve become a big fan of podcasts in the last couple of years, and often check out recommendations from others with similar interests (for example in the FBC Facebook group). Podcasts introduce the element of voice and speaking style into the experience, and if those don’t work for me, it’s hard to get to the content. Have to admit, I just can’t get past the wild and wacky tone of the Fizzle podcast — I trust you that they have good content, but they irritate me! Likewise, I haven’t been able to get into Spilled Milk — there’s just something about the style that doesn’t work for me, but maybe I’ll try again with a different episode or two. But I’m enjoying the Chopped podcast and have also started listening to Stash. As a sometimes-sewer, yes, I have a big stash of fabric and patterns. I’ve culled it over the years and then it magically builds up again.
Two recommendations that have nothing to do with food or crafting are The Happier Podcast by Gretchen Rubin, where she and her sister talk about happiness and habits (I’m a big fan of her books) and Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond. They give advice to the lost and lovelorn, addressing all sorts of issues, and they bring such heart and warmth and respectful understanding to their discussions. One of my favourites ‘listens.’
Does it surprise you that I also listen to Grammar Girl? Lol.
When it comes to food, I listen to lots, including Burnt Toast and The Splendid Table. I also have enjoyed She Eats Loudly by our friend Kristy — there are only a few episodes and I hope she gets back to podcasting!
Thanks for sharing your list … it’s been fun to check out your faves! I’m going to give Alec Baldwin a listen next.