But now, two years later, and about a year since I last discussed podcasts on Mindfully Modern, I am a devout podcast listener. They're great to listen to during my commute, walking to/from the grocery store, or while I'm doing house chores. I don't even mind the commercials, that's how much I like 'em.
Now I wanted to share what I'm listening to these days. And I swear, I started typing this on Friday afternoon and thought, it would be interesting to see what the history of podcasting looks like, and then Google told me that Saturday is International Podcast Day! I know every day is some hashtag holiday so hey, I'm down to celebrate this one as well.
Fun facts from InternationalPodcastDay.com:
- The podcast was invented in 2004, with credit to 2 dudes (including an MTV VJ), although Wikipedia says "audio blogging" goes back to the '80s... and let's all remember Felicity's tapes of the late 90's / early aughts
- "podcast" = "iPod" + "broadcast"
- iTunes started supporting podcasts in 2005 (I use iPhone's Podcast app but link to other sources here as well)
- George W. Bush was the first POTUS to release his weekly address as a podcast, 2005
- Marc Maron launches WTF, 2009
- Apple reaches 1 billion podcast subscribers, 2013
And here are the podcasts I have listened to, fairly regularly, over the past year:
How I Built This: An NPR podcast with entrepreneurs... good to listen to for inspiration and motivation, as well as just to learn some behind-the-scenes origin stories on some big brands. I started with the episode featuring Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx.
Pod Save America: I had heard of their original podcast, Keepin it 1600 during the election, but didn't start regularly listening until this year. What I love about this series is that the guys are around my age, have worked in politics, can discuss the political process in a relatable and digestible way, and bring in the experts to walk us through the big issues. It's designed to make us smarter and able to act, not just outraged or helpless.
Lovett Or Leave It: Also from the Pod Save America crew (aka Crooked Media), but done with guests in a weekly panel in front of a live audience. I laugh out loud during each episode, and sometimes their guests are famous folks I already love, so it is nice to know some celebrities are woke.
2 Dope Queens: Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson are hilarious, they've introduced me to hilarious comedians, and they sound like they're genuinely having fun with their guests. I hope to make it to one of their live tapings when I'm in NYC, but I'm disappointed I already missed Jon Stewart's appearance.
Here's the Thing: So glad Alec Baldwin started a podcast, if only because his Rolodex must be amazing. Sometimes I picture him in character as Jack Donaghy when interviewing folks, although I'm sure that's not what he's going for.
*Another Round. I listed this previously but love love love them so here they are again. I had heard about these two millennial hosts interviewing Hillary Clinton (who at the time was running in the Democratic primary) and was intrigued; I listened to the episode on a long drive and really enjoyed Heben and Tracy's style. I mean, they called Cory Booker "the Anne Hathaway of politics", during a live show, in New Jersey (I'm from NJ; love to the Garden State).
Happy International Podcast Day to all, and if you have some recommendations, send 'em on over.
