CFG's Favorite Things: Podcasts We Love
when you need a laugh
DID THE TITANIC SINK: Comedians Tim Batt and Carlo Ritchie consider a controversial question no-one needed to ask: Did Titanic sink?
WISER THAN ME WITH JULIA LOUISE-DREYFUS: Join the Emmy award winning-est actress of all time on her first-ever podcast where each week she has funny, touching, personal conversations with unforgettable women. This series is Sarah’s current obsession. “Who doesn’t love her!?” The Jane Fonda episode is highly recommended.
SMARTLESS: with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett is a podcast that connects and unites people from all walks of life to learn about shared experiences through thoughtful dialogue and organic hilarity. A nice surprise: in each episode of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. Bonus: This trio took their podcast on the road. Check out their docuseries here.
BUSY DOING BUSINESS
WOMEN AT WORK: There's no workplace orientation session about narrowing the wage gap, standing up to interrupting colleagues, or taking on many other issues we encounter at work. So HBR staffers Amy Bernstein, Amy Gallo, and Emily Caulfield are untangling some of the knottiest problems. They interview experts on gender, tell stories about their own experiences, and give lots of practical advice to help you succeed in spite of the obstacles.
HIDDEN BRAIN, THE SECRET TO GREAT TEAMS: The science to teamwork is something that Cindy is always intrigued by. It’s easy to think that the best teams are collections of highly accomplished or talented individuals, working under a skilled leader. But that’s no guarantee of success.
YOUPRENEUR: Chris Ducker, a bestselling author, business coach, and serial entrepreneur, offers his unique perspective on what it takes to build a successful personal brand business in the twenty-first century. The Youpreneur Podcast covers a wide range of topics, including developing foundations of a personal brand, launching online products and services, marketing, and monetizing your skills.
EDGE OF YOUR SEAT
RE: DRACULA: This talented group takes the famous horror tale, breaks it up chronologically (every entry of this epistolary novel has a date), and sends the story directly to your podcatcher as it happens. Every time something happens to the characters, Re: Dracula will publish an episode, in as close to real time as it happens. Some episodes will be short (less than a minute), and others will be lengthy (over half an hour). Featuring a full cast to tug on your heartstrings and sound design to keep you on the edge of your seat. As a former English major, Allyson loves this interpretation of the classic Gothic novel.
CRIMINAL: Criminal is an award-winning podcast about true crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Criminal is one of the most popular podcasts in the world, and has been featured in “Best of” lists in Time, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, and Wired.
THE RETRIEVALS: This compelling five-episode podcast by Susan Burton from Serial Productions and The New York Times, uncovers a chilling scenario at the Yale Fertility Center. As hopeful women embark on IVF treatments, they’re suddenly gripped by unexpected and severe pain. The shocking truth unfolds – a clinic nurse has been swapping fentanyl with saline. You will get to know the personal narratives of the victims and the nurse, and questions how such an event could occur at a reputable institution.
PODCAST MIXTAPE
ALL-IN: with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg: Industry veterans, degenerate gamblers and besties Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks and David Friedberg cover all things economic, tech, political, social and poker. It is no wonder why this is Ryan’s podcast pick!
NEW HEIGHTS: with Jason and Travis Kelce: It is football season, the greatest season in Nikki’s eyes. Brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about their games and share unique perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. This series will have you laughing and taking notes on your weekly football picks.
*There has been a lot of media attention recently because of a certain Swift relationship. Nikki would like to note that she has been a fan pre-swift and current-swift. But her true fandom stays true to the top Kelce, their Mom Donna.
YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS: This podcast dedicated to exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood's first century. The podcast was created and is written, produced and narrated by Karina Longworth. Longworth began her career as a film journalist as the co-founder of the pioneering film blog Cinematical, and went on to serve as a staff critic at the Village Voice and the film editor at the LA Weekly. She has also contributed to Grantland, Slate, Vanity Fair and many other print and online publications. She is the author of books on George Lucas, Al Pacino and Meryl Streep, and she has lectured at the undergraduate and graduate level, most recently at Chapman University.