I am not typically a fan of true crime, but The Dropout has compelled me since its first episode. Elizabeth Holmes herself is the core inspiration for my audio drama’s main antagonist, and keeping up on the failings of Theranos and the trial of Elizabeth Holmes is not just an interest, but integral to my writing.

The first season of The Dropout ended in February 2019, giving me enough time to forget one of my biggest pet peeves about the show until its new season landed in my podcatcher. The Dropout keeps calling Elizabeth Holmes just “Elizabeth,” and it’s fucking weird.

Why do journalists use surnames?

Most journalism follows the Associated Press (also known as AP) style guide, which advises:

Always use a person’s first and last name the first time they are mentioned in a story. Only use last names on second reference. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. unless they are part of a direct quotation or are needed to differentiate between people who have the same last name.

Certain publications, like The New York Times, do deviate slightly from the AP style guide. For The New York Times and others, this typically means adding an honorific before the subject’s surname, e.g. “Ms. Holmes” versus just “Holmes.” It’s also important to note that many style guides only apply the surname rule to adults, not minors.

Style guides are industry-wide sets of best practices meant to unify a specific voice. First and foremost, it should be said that style guides should always have room for change and adaptation; language is organic, and it’s also powerful. Second, it should be noted that much of prescriptive grammar moves away from a goal of communicability and towards a darker, more nefarious goal of deeming what is and is not “real” or “correct” language. This codifying of respectability politics in language is, of course, often used for linguistic oppression against underrepresented demographics like Black people, Latinx people, and other people of color.

But adaptation should not come without reason–especially when the standards set in place actually do exist for a reason. So, why do journalists use a subject’s full name first, then subsequently just their surname? It’s a matter of clarity, distance, and respect. NPR’s own style guide succinctly names all three of these concepts:

The default setting for any of our news reports is simple: We use family names on second reference. That promotes clarity and helps us maintain an objective distance from those we report about.

We’ve previously discussed why one likely 2016 presidential contender is “Clinton,” not “Hillary” on second reference. The reasons in that case apply to most newsmakers: “There’s the matter of respect … and we don’t want to be perceived as being either for or against someone because of the way we refer to him or her. Everyone is treated the same.”

Mark Memmott, “Three Thoughts About When It’s OK And Not OK To Use First Names On Second Reference”

Clarity

For most people in the United States, sharing a first name is more common than sharing a surname. It’s much more likely that you will find a story that involves two people named John than two people with the surname Smith. Using surnames is a simple trick to make following subjects clearer for the reader, often quickly weeding out room for confusion in this specific regard.

Distance

For many journalists, maintaining a level of unbiased objectivity is a goal. I do believe that the concept of “unbiased objectivity” is an impossible myth, but a certain level of distance from a subject still makes it clear that a journalist is not talking about their friends or acquaintances. When covering topics like court cases, it should be clear that the journalist is discussing a stranger–or, at least, someone with whom they have a very specific type of professional and analytical relationship–and not someone they know well, someone they hang out with, someone with whom they are familiar enough to call by a first name.

Respect

By using surnames for every subject in the piece, you eliminate having to figure out who is worthy of being referred to as a surname versus a given name. Using a given name can sometimes indicate a level of familiarity and a lack of formality that creates a dissonance for the reader: as much as good ol’ Uncle Joe wants to come across as a cool pal just here to kick it with his buds, it would feel weird to write about him as anything but Biden, President Biden, or if you’re The New York Times, Mr. Biden.

The problem journalists can run into with looping surnames into respect is when the lines between different strata of power become blurred. We’ll refer to the President by their surname, certainly–but what about teachers, who we are trained to call their surname plus an honorific? If we use a college professor’s surname but not an adult college student’s, what are we saying about the status and respectability of that student–and how does that difference inform the piece and the reader?

By using surnames for everyone, we give everyone’s name the same level of respect.

“I won’t call him OJ”

So, why does this matter? Calling Elizabeth Holmes, a person whose alleged fraud or ineptitude lead to not just workplace abuse but also actual deaths of actual people, by her first name makes her seem like a friend. I imagine that the script for each episode is not written by Jarvis–or, I suppose, Rebecca–but instead by other members of the team. The issue is that a podcast is not is just its script; it is also what the audience hears, and in The Dropout, the audience hears a news corresponded referring to Elizabeth Holmes the way she’d refer to a sibling.

Throughout The Dropout, Jarvis does refer to every subject by their first name, not just Holmes. Elizabeth. So why does it bother me in regards to Holmes specifically? When a first name is used for Holmes, it makes the case seem like gossip instead of the very serious, very tragic failures of Theranos that, again, resulted in lives being lost. Using Holmes’s first name draws her in to the listener in a way that feels irresponsible given Holmes’s documented history of lying and manipulating her way into the wallets of vulnerable, desperate people. Why are we giving her more tools to do so? Why are we rewarding that behavior?

Using Holmes’s first name reminded me of something I heard during one of You’re Wrong About‘s episodes on the O.J. Simpson trial, “The Disappearance of Chandra Levy.” The episode is worth listening to in full, but specifically, it cites a moment in which journalist Dominick Dunne explains why he refused to call O.J. Simpson just O.J. Kim Goldman, younger sister to Simpsons’s murder victim Ron Goldman, informed Dunne’s decision. She said that calling the murderer of her older brother just O.J. was “too friendly,” a concept Dunne, whose daughter was also murdered, could understand:

A lot of the time, I sat next to Kim. What a wonderful young heartbroken woman she was. What a sister she must have been to Ron. I adored her like the daughter I had lost to murder. We whispered to each other throughout the day about what was going on in front of us. One day, she told me she couldn’t stand it when I referred to O.J. Simpson as O.J. when I talked about him. She said it was too familiar, too friendly. I thought so too. It didn’t work for us to call him Simpson. I said to Kim, What about referring to him as the killer when we talk? From then on, whenever he entered the courtroom, we’d say to each other, “Here comes the killer.”

Dominick Dunne, in the afterword of O.J. Simpsons’s If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer

There’s a gendered element at play here as well. Gossip is seen as a largely female practice, and contrary to popular belief, it has its merits. Likewise, one of the key themes throughout coverage of Elizabeth Holmes is gender: from her gender presentation to her idolization of male CEOs to her #GirlBoss energy, Holmes’s gender as a cis woman is an inescapable part of how her story is being conveyed. It’s difficult to imagine ABC News, a journalistic organization, using given names instead of first names for any cis man in the same position as Holmes. By using first names in The Dropout, an air of casual and confusing, messy misogyny lies under the writing and production as cringey subtext.

The Dropout and pop true crime

The Dropout‘s choice to refer to Elizabeth Holmes by her given name is not made out of unprofessionalism or ignorance. Host Rebecca Jarvis has been in journalism since 2003. Jarvis did not go to journalism school (and neither did I), but did grow up with a journalist mother before working in the field herself. The Dropout is produced by ABC News, a broadcast news network that has been around since 1945 and is a household name. Everyone on this team knew the standard was to use Holmes’s surname. So why didn’t they?

My hypothesis is that this decision came from the success of true crime podcasters and commentary YouTube channels.

ABC News, like any other legacy newsroom, is driven by profit. If a trend emerges that is profitable, ABC News is likely to try adopting that trend, especially in situations that seem less “risky.” The Dropout is a podcast, and what is more popular and attractive in podcasting than true crime? While the documentary version of The Dropout used this same convention for subjects’ names, the written articles about the Holmes trial, including by producer and writer Taylor Dunn, do not.

Unlike most employees of ABC News, true crime podcasters often don’t have the education or occupational training to know how or why a subject is referred to by their surname. And in many cases, doing so would be antithetical to that podcast’s tone. If podcasts like My Favorite Murder actively lean in to a conversational, gossipy feel, using a subject’s first name is a more tonally appropriate choice. Perhaps not ethically appropriate, as discussed before, but, well . . . that’s honestly what I expect from most popular true crime podcasts anyway. And now, what I expect from even true crime podcasts by journalistic powerhouses.

The post Why Does The Dropout Keep Calling Her “Elizabeth”? appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

If you liked The Lighthouse, you’ll love Station Blue

The Lighthouse is a story about isolation and what effect in can have on someone’s mind. So, too, is Station Blue–mostly. Both works focus on someone going to an otherwise uninhabited location (in Station Blue, a station in Antarctica) and coming across unexpected terrors, suspense, and confusing interplays between reality and borderline hallucinations. Like The Lighthouse, Station Blue is a slow burn that creeps up in stakes until everything boils over. For some added fun, be sure to also read Station Blue creator Ester Ellis’s Twitter thread with notes on the sound design of The Lighthouse:

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked Fleabag, you’ll love The Shadows

Fleabag is a deeply intimate, often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking show the a strong female protagonist trying to navigate her messy life. The Shadows follows all of those beats, but maybe with the comedy/drama ratio flipped. The Shadows is a serialized fiction podcast about a woman questioning her belief in romantic love. It’s hyper-intimate, and it has the same feel as artistic prestige TV–just as a podcast.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked The Good Place, you’ll love Zero Hours

Zero Hours is an anthology fiction podcast about the end of the world. Each episode feels literary and weaves between twists and turns, even with their short runtimes. It’s a podcast laden with philosophy, but also a shocking dose of character. You’ll find yourself rooting for the cast of each episode, even knowing that the world is going to end. The concept around the podcast feels similar to The Good Place, and both works know how to keep raising the stakes.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked Russian Doll, you’ll love Terrible, Thanks for Asking

Russian Doll has a central message about mental health and the importance of others. Nonfiction podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking takes an unfliching look at peoples’ most intense traumas, how those events changed their lives, and how they learned to manage after. It’s a podcast about how the things that happen to us can change us forever, but it has the same dry, wry sensibilities as the writing in Russian Doll. It’s serious without being macabre. It’s heartbreaking without being saccharine. It’s a dose of talking about mental health without ever feeling didactic.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, you’ll love Childish

New musical podcast Childish is about a college student, Dante, who becomes an RA to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Childish Gambino. Like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, it’s a sitcom-esque full musical with songs that span several different genres. Like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, it’s also heavy with quick-paced jokes and social commentary. Regardless of whether or not you’re familiar with Childish Gambino’s music, Childish is a compelling story about a complicated young adult and his surprisingly complicated coworkers. Both works here also love taking an initially hateable character and giving them such depth, you’ll find yourself totally won over.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

If you liked either Fyre documentary, you’ll love The Dropout

If you’re a fan of real-life scam-focused trainwrecks, The Dropout is arguably more wild than anything that happened in those Fyre documentaries. The Dropout tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, a startup that was supposed to revolutionize the entire medical industry . . . if, you know, any of their tech works. Hear about how Holmes scammed some of the richest people alive with no evidence that any of her ideas would work, as told by industry professionals, her employees, and more.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google | Spotify

Related reading: the best movie podcasts

(Editor’s note 4/14/2022: This piece has been updated to accurately reflect Ester Ellis’s name.)

The post Like This Movie or TV Show? You’ll Love This Podcast appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

As with any “best of” list — especially those written by a single person (like this one) — there’s a decent amount of subjectivity as indivudual’s tastes vary drastically. I feel like this is magnified in the world of podcasts. So given the obligatory disclaimer, my best podcasts of 2019 list is through my lens. I tend to skew towards newer podcasts — or those who made a substantial leap this year — and run the spectrum of indie to mainstream. 

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive list that takes into account multiple interests and opinions, read our list from midyear, The Best Podcasts of 2019 (So Far). Also, while I’ve got your attention, here’s my list from 2018 and the requisite 2018 midyear collective list. 

2019 continued to push the boundaries of what’s possible in podcasting, from a creative and quality perspective. As always, podcast stalwarts like This American Life, Radiolab, Criminal, Reply All, and others are deserving of every accolade thrown their way. That said, I didn’t include them on my list, opting to go with newer and less known podcasts. 

End of the preamble, here are my best podcasts of 2019 — in no particular order — along with some honorable mentions.  

Running From COPS

Dan Taberski continues his elite storytelling run and is in my short-list for podcasters I’ll auto-subscribe to their new work, whatever the subject (see: Trufelman, Avery in the recommendation below). After the successes of Missing Richard Simmons and Surviving Y2K, Taberski focused his next Headlong installment on the long-running TV program, COPS, and the troubles with how police action and crime is portrayed. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Nice Try! Utopian

As I alluded to in the Running From COPS paragraph, we can go ahead and pencil in whatever new project Avery Trufelman is working on for the 2020 list. In the midyear roundup, Nice Try! Utopian was recommended by true podcast tastemakers, Wil Williams, Paul Bae, and Zack Kahn — something that shouldn’t go unnoticed. 

As Trufelman tested (and found success) with her 99PI spin-off mini series, Articles of Interest in 2018, she took a similar concept to found a standalone project. Nice Try! Utopian is a seven-episode series covering design failures in utopia attempts. As Kahn succinctly reviews, “Trufelman leverages the expansive canvas of longform narrative audio to paint a rich, color portrait of attempts to try and design a better world, and what happened when those designs didn’t go according to plan.”

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Dolly Parton’s America

Host Jad Abumrad explores country music icon, Dolly Parton’s impact on American and global culture, her life and her worldview. He finds that Dolly Parton’s fan base is a cross-section of American demographics, and he embarks on a quest to answer why. 

Jad’s interviewing showcases Dolly Parton’s charm and no-nonsense approach to song writing. She laments about the darkness in her early music while still being able to laugh about it. “I used to write a lot of sad-ass songs,” she tells Jad. Sound clips of her music and wisdom drape nine episodes that explore the “Dollyverse.”

Dolly Parton’s song “9 to 5” was an anthem to women’s empowerment. In the episode Dollitics, Jad delves into Dolly Parton’s relationship with politics, how she manages risk, and seems to “circumvent disaster.” Her “verbal judo” has kept her afloat in an age of deep political polarization. What connects with people is her genuineness, down-to-earth-nature and big heart.

The show is not without critique. Writer and editor, Aisha Harris, states in an interview that even good-hearted people have blind spots. What is so refreshing is Dolly Parton’s response to the controversy surrounding Dixie Stampede.   

Dolly Parton’s America will reward and satisfy her biggest fans, and convert new ones. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

StartUp

The first season of StartUp documented Alex Blumberg’s post-This American Life entrepreneurial project which would later become podcast studio success story, Gimlet. It was an expertly-narrated meta look into the difficulties of podcasting and starting a business. 

I didn’t find any subsequent season of StartUp to be all that fascinating. 

Then in February, the news broke Spotify would be acquiring both Gimlet and podcast hosting company, Anchor. Many hoped Blumberg and co-founder Matt Lieber would give a similar behind the scenes documentary into the acquisition, and they delivered. The final season of StartUp provides a truly honest view into the difficulties of podcasting at scale, dealing with start-up growing pains including financial and inter-personal issues, and ultimately what led to them selling to Spotify. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

All Fantasy Everything

I wrote in a CBC round-up that All Fantasy Everything is my guilty pleasure podcast and two paragraphs later Jody Avirgan mic dropped the term out of existence, ”you should never feel guilty about the things you like.”

The truth is, however, AFE leveled up in 2019. 150+ episodes later, and the comedy improv show about fake drafting obscure items like Tom Hanks movies, things you say after you dunk on someone, or the perfect sandwich has nearly perfected what I’d look for in a comedy podcast. 

This year, they produced what I’d consider their best episode, Disney Songs with guest Katie Nolan. The core crew has an unrivaled rapport and their ability to integrate guests make for a super fun listening experience and more than a couple laughs.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Spectacular Failures

Following the success of How I Built This, it seemed like there was a mad dash for entrepreneur interview podcasts. You know what’s even more interesting than rich people talking about their success? Stories of failures. 

Executive Producer of Radiotopia, Julie Shapiro, wrote a review of Spectacular Failures in our midyear round-up, “While other pods have taken on the culture of failed business and ruined legacies, none have done so with the particular spirit and chummy schadenfreude that Lauren Ober brings to Spectacular Failures. The show features stories you’ll realize you’ve been wondering about for years, as soon as you read the episode titles: “Schlitz Beer goes bad, then worse,” “Kodak misses its moment”, etc.”

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Uncover

Award-winning Uncover spans five seasons of compelling and chilling story-telling. Each season is hosted by a different journalist as they investigate Canadian and international crime mysteries. People closely connected with the topics at hand will often get emotional when they recount the horrors experienced or mourn the loss of loved ones. 

Dark themes are explored by CBC Podcasts through the exposé of the cult NXVIM (pronounced “Nexium”) in Season 1: Escaping NXVIUM, the unsolved case of 1965 Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 21 in Season 2: Bomb on Board, a serial killer that targeted Toronto’s gay community dating to 1975 in Season 3: The Village, the 1998 disappearance of 77-year-old woman Joan Lawrence in Season 4: The Cat Lady Case, and the homicide of Toronto teen Sharmini Anandavel in Season 5: Sharmini. 

Journalists Josh Bloch, Ian Hanomansing, Johanna Wagstaffe, Justin Ling, Zander Sherman and Michelle Shephard tackle unresolved questions in their individual styles. 

To cherry-pick a few moments from such a wide-scope, a tape-recording of Sharmini’s voice in S5: E6 is particularly haunting, Season 1’s Sarah Edmondson’s realization of abuse in her community deeply disturbs, and Chuck Shaw-MacLaren’s eyewitness account of Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 21 crash as an ambulance driver grips the listener. Stories that he had kept to himself for 50 years tug at the heart strings. “I’m talking more to you, than I have to anybody,” he admits after he takes host Johanna Wagstaffe’s hand.

Uncover peers into the tragedies and trauma caused by unsettled mysteries.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

ESPN 30 for 30 The Sterling Affairs

Sometimes I think the ESPN brand actually holds back the 30 for 30 podcast from a larger audience. Sure, the podcast focuses on stories with a sports angle, but simplifying the podcast into a narrow category does a disservice to its excellent documentary storytelling ability. Though their individual contained episodes are often wonderful, I think the podcast is at its best when it’s given a couple episode mini-series. Last year, their Bikram series made my best of list, and this year they went back to the well with a season focused on disgraced former NBA owner, Donald Sterling. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

BROKEN: Jeffrey Epstein

Before we hit “peak Epstein podcasts” (related: peak impeachment podcasts), BROKEN hit the scenes combined with seasoned journalists (The New Yorker’s Ariel Levy, The Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown), with podcast studio Three Uncanny Four Productions and Oscar-winning director Adam McKay. 

There may be some fatigue around the subject matter, however, BROKEN is a riveting six-episode series detailing Epstein’s history, rise of his monstrous empire, and eventual arrest and death.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

1619

The New York Time’s foray into podcasting has been an unbridled success on every level. Last year’s limited series, Caliphate, was my personal pick for best podcast of the year. This year, they produced a five- (really, six-) episode miniseries about the history of the US and the slave trade. 

Hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, the podcast gives an excellent history and insight into America’s civil liberties problems and institutional racism. 

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Mobituaries

Mo Rocca applies his love for obituaries in pieces that explore the lives of people that have inspired him. Funny and inquisitive, Mo Rocca’s experience as a correspondent on The Daily Show and CBS Sunday Morning helps structure well-paced narratives. His journalistic integrity and approach stand out. Mobituaries weaves interviews with experts and enthusiasts, poll questions, and elements of film, music, and television to great effect. What results are compelling stories that shine a light on forgotten historical figures and aspects of household names that are not common knowledge.    

In the episode Thomas Paine: Death of a Forgotten Founding Founder, Mo Rocca asks Anthony Salvanto, CBS News’ Director of Elections and Surveys, “If there would have been no Thomas Paine, there would be no ‘what’?” His questions open up in-depth conversation that relates to the world we live in today. 

In The Black Congressmen of Reconstruction: Death of Representation, the sounds of the Charleston Harbor backdrop a riveting tale of enslaved seaman, Robert Smalls’ great escape into the Union Blockade. Mo Rocca’s exchange with Michael Bouleware Moore, Robert Small’s great-great-grandson, provides a personal touch and reminds us that we are not too far removed from the age of slavery.

History buffs and curious minds will appreciate Mobituaries and Mo Rocca’s enthusiasm for forgotten knowledge.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Rewatchables / The Rewatchables 1999

Another podcast entry that’s nowhere near new but one that seems to get stronger the more episodes they do. The Ringer expanded their partnership with Luminary and created a spin-off podcast solely focused on movies that came out in 1999. Besides the narrowed scope, the two podcasts are essentially identical. 

If you’re unfamiliar, The Rewatchables is a movie podcast which analyzes and mostly celebrates past movies. Their vibe is very much “friends watching on the couch” but mixed with insights, jokes, and genuine fun. The Rewatchables at least partially makes this list for their episode on Old School, which single-handedly forced me to end a workout early because I was crying laughing and in no shape to even stand up. 

The Rewatchables Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Rewatchables 1999 Listen: Luminary

Gay Future

We’ve covered audio drama and fiction podcasts extensively on this site, but it truthfully needs to be repeated ad nauseam: the most creative and ground-breaking work in podcasts is being done in the audio drama genre. The Allusionist’s Helen Zaltzman perfectly sums up the appeal of Gay Future, “In a long-lost YA novel by Mike Pence, it’s 2062 and, under the totalitarian regime ruling North America, everyone is gay. Except one schoolkid… This show is so funny; the acting is on point and the production is great. I had such a blast listening to this caper.”

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Slow Burn

Slow Burn’s future seemed uncertain after the creator, Leon Neyfakh, left Slate to start a new podcast exclusive to Luminary (see: FIASCO below). The first two seasons covered the political climate and delved into the respective impeachment processes for Presidents Nixon and Clinton. The third season, however, takes a departure from the traditional political genre and instead covers the infamous feud and eventual deaths of rappers Tupac and Notorious BIG.

Though the chosen topic is a departure, fortunately that’s the extent of the differences of the podcast in the post-Neyfakh era. The interviews, analysis, and overall documentary narrative are among the best examples in podcasting today.

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Switched on Pop

With both AFE and The Rewatchables I mention they sort of leveled up this year. In Switched On Pop’s case, which started in 2014, this is especially true. Media giant, Vox, picked up the podcast earlier this year and the show was exposed to a much larger audience. 

Hosted by songwriter and music journalist, Nate Harding, and musicologist, Nate Sloan. Together they have both an expanse of knowledge and the chemistry to make a truly entertaining and informative podcast. 

Related reading: Switched On Pop: A podcast that’s music to your ears

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

The Dropout

The Dropout opens with Elizabeth Holmes, once Silicon Valley’s youngest female self-made billionaire, taking an oath for her testimony on July 11, 2017 on nine criminal charges of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In six episodes that range from 39 to 47 minutes, host Rebecca Jarvis unfolds a story of unbridled ambition, gratuitous ethics violations and the culture of celebrity.

Elizabeth Holmes and her blood-testing company, Theranos, were poised to become the “Apple of healthcare.” Rebecca Jarvis’s thorough journalism and interviews are weaved in the style of a true-crime drama. She delivers the story as a reporter, and manages to remain an objective narrator. 

Theranos’s promise to conduct a myriad of tests from a single pin-prick of blood was lofty, but with Elizabeth’s business savvy, charm and cunning she was able to convince investors of her product. The allure of working with the then world’s youngest self-made female billionaire is honed in on the episode A Star Is Born. Jared Leto introduces Elizabeth at the 2015 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards, and Bill Clinton sings praises as he assures a captive audience that “We’re in good hands.”

Join Rebecca Jarvis as she unravels the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes in a stark commentary on fame and corporate greed.         

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Honorable Mentions

Have You Heard George’s Podcast

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Moonface

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

FIASCO

Listen: Luminary

The Big One

Listen: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Sonic Boom

Listen: Luminary

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