I only started listening to podcasts this past year, with the whole “quarantined at home and lacking entertainment” situation. Here’s two that I just really like, and could totally geek out over.

The Bright Sessions (science fiction)

“The Bright Sessions is a science fiction podcast that follows a group of therapy patients. But these are not your typical patients - each has a unique supernatural ability. The show documents their struggles and discoveries as well as the motivations of their mysterious therapist, Dr. Bright.”

This is probably the only podcast that I’ve actively tried to force other people to listen to. It took me a couple of episodes to get invested, but it’s very worth it. Season one mostly just introduces the characters individually, and seasons two-four focus more on the larger plot that connects them. It also has a ton of LGBT characters which is another huge plus. I have successfully convinced four of my friends to listen to it, and only one of them didn’t like it enough to keep listening. So... that’s a pretty high success rate in comparison to the other things I recommend to them.

This one is all free but there a couple of spin-offs too that are available on Luminary with a monthly subscription. I haven’t listened to them yet, but I’m subscribing as soon as I’m finished writing my finals. I’m honestly the cheapest person I know and I get lots of anxiety surrounding money, but I will guilt-free subscribe to hear the spin-offs. That’s the best way I can describe how much I loved this podcast.

Other People’s Lives (anonymous interviews)

Hosts Greg Dybeck and Joe Santagato interview anonymous strangers about a really wide variety of topics. Each episode is about 40-60 minutes long. The hosts are pretty open and non-judgemental about the topics discussed, and the show is great if you’re looking to broaden your own perspectives a little bit.

Honestly the best way to get a good idea of the topics discussed is to just scroll through their feed. Here’s some episodes that I’ve listened to and enjoyed:

- I Got Engaged To My Catfisher

- I’m Sexually Attracted To Sneezing

- Did The World End In 2012?

- Living With Severe Tourette’s Syndrome

- I Survived A School Shooting

- I Just Got Out Of Prison

- I’m A Satanic Witch

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I also have a Spotify playlist with some episodes that I’ve enjoyed in the past, hopefully the link works: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4YWrHnENeaFKrMxcflwDW3

It has a bunch of different genres, so feel free to check it out if your interested. They’re mostly just individual episodes, but I also included some pilot episodes for fictional podcasts.

I don't really listen to podcasts. Voices freak me out, and I often can't pay attention since listening is not my strongest point. Unless I'm trying to find out some context to YouTube drama, I tend to stray away from podcasts. So, I was really surprised to find myself listening to the Frenemies podcast with Trisha Paytas and Ethan Klein from H3 Productions. Trisha Paytas, as you may or may not know, is a YouTube troll (for lack of better words) and Ethan and his wife Hila Klein do drama reporting I guess. Recently, Trisha had been bullied online by Jeffree Star (aka Voldemort of YouTube) and his hairdresser. So, I was curious and wanted to see what was happening.

It was suprising, and if you are offput by Trisha Paytas because of her behavior of saying and doing whatever gets her views, I would suggest their podcast. I don't really hate Trisha Paytas because she could be a lot worse. She pretends to be a ditzy bimbo, likes to eat food, has very toxic romantical relationships, makes problematic and tasteless comments, and stays blissfully ignorant to protect her friends. However, compared to other YouTubers, she really could be a lot worse. But, I think if you watned to see her without her character, it's a good idea to check out their podcast.

I was really surprised. Be warned, some episodes are rather problematic and Trisha has outburts and meltdowns while Ethan just kinda laughs or instigates it. But, Episode #18 (the one I watched) was surprising because Ethan was so helpful. He seemed like a genuine friend to her. He told off the guy talking shit about her, checked on her, let her come out about stuff that happened to her in her life, etc. Plus, they did trivia, told jokes, talked about their lives, etc. So, while that podcast is an imploding star, I think it's worth watching to get perspective and insight on Trisha Paytas and the lady behind the mask (so to speak).

History as told by Dan Carlin, who is not a historian but an avid fan of history. He is relatable and engaging for any listener, from history buff to simple enthusiasts. Dan does meticulous research into each topic, which range from Ancient Egypt to WW2 and beyond. Some of his series are several hours long, but totally worth it.

There is not much to say but this podcast has some of the most interesting topics in mind. It goes from 25-45 mins with usually two or three guest speakers from universities talking about history, religion, literary critcism, politics etc. It's a good way to be educated in a general sense on wide range of topics in under an hour, also the guest speakers provide a range of different opinions to compare. Take a simple topic and the podcast will plunge the depths of it to see the complexities that popular culture and education does not taken into account. One of the best educational podcasts in my opinion.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl

My Brother, My Brother, and Me, is an advice podcast for the modern era, run by Justin McElroy, the Oldest Brother, Travis McElroy, the Middlest Brother, and Griffin McElroy, the Baby, Babiest, or Youngest Brother.

Okay, but all capitalization aside, I have seriously enjoyed MBMBaM for the first 100/550ish episodes. It's still going, and I seriously recommend it. Juice, Trav, and Griffy have never failed to amuse me. There is some explicit content, but not that much. As far as I know, it's on Google Podcasts, Spotify, and MaximumFun.org .

Each of them do other podcasts.

The three of them and their father do a podcast called The Adventure Zone, (What got me into MBMBaM.

The Three of them do Till Death Do Us Blart, and each episode is a review about Paul Blart, Mall Cop 2.

Juice does Sawbones: a Marital Guide to Misguided Medicine. With his Wife, De. Sydnee McElroy.

Juice does Quality Control.

Juice and Griffy do The Besties with Chris Plante, and Russ Frushtick.

Trav does Bunker Buddies with Andie Bolt.

Trav does Interrobang! with Tybee Diskin.

Trav does Schmanners with Theresa McElroy, his Wife.

Trav does Surprisingly Nice! with Hal Lulbin, and Guests.

Trav does The Kind Rewind with Theresa McElroy, his Wife.

Trav does Trends Like These with Brent Black.

Trav does Can I Pet Your Dog? With Allegra Ringo, and Renee Colvert.

Griffy does CoolGames Inc. with Nick Robinson.

There was also one that has been Discontinued, Rose Buddies with Griffy and Rachel McElroy, His wife.

You can find all of the above on MaximumFun.org . I personally haven't listened to all of these, but I'm getting to them.

Happy listening!