I listen to a lot of podcasts. Having something to listen to in the background while I work usually helps me to focus, depending on the kind of task I’m working on. Here are some of my favorites:

Human Interest/Storytelling

The Moth
I started listening to The Moth while I was in college and quickly became addicted. The podcast features recordings from live storytelling events, where ordinary people get on stage and tell true stories of things they’ve experienced. They range from hilarious to heartbreaking and everything in between.

This American Life
Always full of interesting, thought-provoking stories, as well as lots of random, entertaining tidbits and sometimes heavy, complex questions to consider about the society we live in.

TED Radio Hour
This is a great resource of collected knowledge and advice from experts in all kinds of fields. It’s really motivational as well. One of my favorite episodes is “Framing the Story”—it features audio from Andrew Stanton (Pixar director extraordinaire) and Chip Kidd (graphic designer for many iconic book covers), both of whom I’ve actually heard speak in person, as well as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, one of my favorite authors.

Serial
Has anyone not listened to the Serial podcast? I assume you’ve all heard of this one already…but if you haven’t, it’s an absorbing story that is worth checking out. I’m looking forward to Season 2, whenever it airs, and I’m curious as to what story they will cover!

The Truth
I actually haven’t listened to this one in a while so I don’t know what they’ve done recently (this reminds me that I should go check it out again…), but if you’re looking for a storytelling podcast, it’s pretty good. Fictional stories are acted out, using sound effects to help immerse you in the scene and imagine what’s happening.

Catholic Podcasts

The Jennifer Fulwiler Show
Highlights from Jennifer Fulwiler’s radio show on the Catholic Channel on Sirius XM—the conversation is witty and light and yet deals with really important, thought-provoking topics.

The Taylor Marshall Show
Solid advice on living a productive, passionate life and growing spiritually, along with clear explanations and discussions of Catholic teaching and theology.

This Inspired Life and Fountains of Carrots
These two podcasts are easy to listen to and encouraging. While they are both aimed mainly at Catholic mothers, there are a lot of topics I can relate to as a single person as well. They interview different people every week, and I love hearing from the experience of lots of different individuals.

Catholic Answers Live
This radio show has really sparked some deeper reflections for me on theology and spirituality (an advantage of listening to it in podcast form is that I can fast forward through commercials). They cover a wide range of topics, and there is more content than I could ever have time to listen to in full. Usually the format is that theologians respond to callers’ questions about Catholicism. It not only makes me think about theology but gives me a good example of how to have productive, respectful conversations with people who come from a different point of view.

If anyone has recommendations for other podcasts I should be listening to, I’m all ears!