Listen Up: Fun Podcasts

Serial Season 1 was the first podcast I listened to, and even though I was hooked on it, I didn't really cross over into other shows for a while. This past year, though, has been the Year of the Podcast for me. They're great to listen to while I am commuting, am on the plane when I don't want to be on the wifi, or am running/exercising, cooking, and tidying up. Once in a while I'll even put one on while getting ready in the morning. Here's what I have been loving:

Another Round with Heben and Tracy:

Buzzfeed

I first heard of Another Round last fall when Hillary Rodham Clinton decided to go on it. My husband and I listened to it in the car on the way to Big Sur and really enjoyed her interview. At the time we were just fascinated by what Hillary had to say and how the podcast hosts, Heben and Tracy, asked meaningful questions that had Hillary come off as human and relatable (she even cracked jokes!). So a while later I was thinking of downloading podcasts to listen to on the train, and when I looked up Another Round again, I was impressed by the caliber and variety of guests they featured. For one, they got Daveed Diggs and Lin-Manuel Miranda (separately) from Hamilton. They got Queen Latifah and Padma Lakshmi. And those folks are being real while sharing a drink with Heben and Tracy.

Recode Decode hosted by Kara Swisher:

Recode archive

First, I love Kara Swisher (Hoya Saxa!), and also, Recode is a great site for somone like me, who works in the tech industry). The podcast addresses a good mix of technology, current events and pop culture and they get some heavy hitters to talk to them. Her interview with Kim Kardashian has this priceless quote: "I truly was baffled when people still cared. They have seen me naked 500 times."

Open Account with SuChin Pak:

itunes

Personal finance from one of my childhood MTV heroines - what more could I ask for? This is produced by Umpqua Bank, which I recognize from its fairly new outpost in my SF neighborhood. Ms. Pak holds some fabulous conversations with folks both famous and not-so-much. One of the funnier episodes is "Will Work for Work: Ravi Patel and Lena Waithe" (you've probably seen them on TV) which features the wise words "Negotiation can be fun" and "All you have is your gut and your taste." (I've heard variations of this last one throughout my life - all you have are your integrity and your knowledge... character and intellect... agreed, agreed, agreed.) "Thank You Cake" with Paula Pell is also hilarious. Everyone shares their views on handling money and how they've learned them. But there are so many gems in this series, from an NBA player, a veteran, an immigrant, and a divorced couple, that it's just best to go and get started on it.

Bonus: 
Some new-to-me shows I've started checking out recently:

• Together - conversations hosted by a former divorce lawyer on how to strengthen relationships
• BackStory - episodes on American History; a friend recommended it because they had an episode on Alexander Hamilton
• Marketplace Tech - a quick daily podcast on current tech topics, recommended by a colleague who listens to it on her way to work in the morning