If you have been constantly asking yourself “what topics should I discuss today?”, then this article is for you. You can’t kid a kidder, topic ideas are tough to come up with. But don’t worry, just about every podcaster has trouble at some point with podcast topic ideas.

It’s like writers block, but you have to talk about it.

We’re going to dive into 23 proven methods of generating new podcasting ideas that will keep your content fresh and engaging.

So let’s get going.

Know Your Podcast Audience

Podcasting is a great way to connect with your people and build deeper relationships. This becomes more important than ever as podcasting moves away from strictly advertising monetization to alternative ways of being paid, like micropayments.

There are even apps trying that out now with bitcoin like Fountain.fm that are experimenting with this model. So, in the future, you have to make a commitment to making the connection with each potential listener.

Podcasting Ideas Come from the Strangest Places

Like Jason Lee’s character in Almost Famous, you have to find that one person who isn’t getting off, and you get them off. That’s how you get those micro payments.

But it can be hard to get started. And even harder to come up with episode ideas.

The best way to start a podcast is by knowing your target audience like the back of your hand.

To do this, you need to think about what they want so that you can deliver it in the most appealing way possible.

Think about, or even ask, what your target audience’s frustrations and pain points are. A good podcast informs, and entertains. So if you can do that you are well on your way.

So, for podcast topics, ask yourself, where does my audience hurt and where can I add value in solving that hurt?

Read… Always be reading. Voraciously

Reading keeps the mind active and nimble.

Reading makes you smarter. It helps you think more deeply, gives you a broader vocabulary, and expands your worldview. Reading also helps you come up with new ideas, which is why it’s so important for podcasting!

In fact, I recently read a book that helped me break my writers block. I had been stuck on an idea for weeks and couldn’t seem to get past the first few steps of getting started. Then I picked up a book by Sam Harris and fell into a spiral of creativity that lasted for days. He talked about how books can help us get our creative juices flowing and how they can get us out of ruts like writers block.

That gave me just enough inspiration to finally start writing again.

Now, while reading helped me break out of my writers block, it can help with creating new podcasting ideas as well. It’s the same style of ideation.

If you need a podcast idea, open a book. As an aside, book reviews are a great part of the process. The difference between what you took away versus what someone else took away can be the genesis of a great podcast topic.

Write 10 Random Ideas a Day

This one comes from prolific podcaster James Altucher.

He famously writes ten ideas a day. Most of which are terrible, but occasionally, there’s a gem in there that’s worth fleshing out or developing further. He did a whole podcast episode on the practice and has since started a social media site dedicated to the practice.

So the ten idea thing was an idea worth fleshing out. Now, he does it on a waiter’s pad, but you can do it anywhere using whatever you have at your disposal.

These don’t even have to be related to your podcast niche. It’s just an exercise to get the mind limber.

Scan Social Media for Podcasting Ideas

Productivity gurus will tell you social media is garbage.

Well, that’s usually true. You get sucked into pop culture nonsense or celebrity news, or celebrity interviews, and suddenly, your day is gone. So, scan, don’t immerse.

But its not all bad. You can pick up podcast episode ideas based on what’s trending and compare that to what your audience might enjoy.

Podcast ideas can come from anywhere, even somewhere you wouldn’t normally think of. For instance, reading reddit posts. Some of the best podcast topic ideas 2022 had to offer came from funny podcast topics reddit had to give.

Dive Into Global News and Local News

One place you should dive into is the news. It’s full of controversy and “if it bleeds, it leads” type of content.

A hot take on what’s going on in the world, and current events, can be an excellent source of podcast ideas.

Now, if you don’t know anything about the stock market or if personal finance isn’t what your audience is going after, a direct hot take may not be the right answer. But, trust me, this type of bombardment will get the creative juices flowing.

Everyone has an opinion. See if you can line yours up with your audience and niche to come up with a great podcast idea.

Use Guided Meditations to Clear the Mind

Studies have shown a consistent mediation practice to effectively reduce stress and anxiety.

If you reduce stress and anxiety you allow your mind to focus on other priorities. like coming up with podcast topics.

Meditation can sound a bit “eastern philosophy,” or “Buddhist,” but science shows this practice works for just about anyone willing to give it a go. And if you need a boost starting your practice, we have a whole list of meditation podcasts that can help you start.

Plus, there’s the added benefit of boosting your mental health.

Listen to Other Podcasts

Listening to other podcasts is the best way to get fresh ideas for your own.

When you want to keep a podcast going, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. You keep thinking of the same things—the same topics, the same ideas and approaches. But if you listen to some other podcasts outside your genre, you’ll start getting new ideas for how to tell stories and engage listeners.

For example, I’ve been listening to a true crime podcast (serial) lately and I never thought about how much their storytelling style could help me with my own creative process.

It’s not that they’re doing something that’s particularly new or innovative (which is what we often think of when we think of creativity), but rather than talking about things from an objective perspective, they’re telling stories from inside the characters’ heads—making us feel like we know them personally. And that makes all the difference.

Think about the storytelling in This American Life and How I Built This. Listening to those podcasts will help you connect with your audience, no matter what your genre is.

So yeah, just stroll around Apple Podcasts and see what you can find. But stroll, as if you have nothing better to do. You never know what you’ll find that will spark interest.

Revisit Old Content

Revising old content is one of the best ways to come up with a good podcast topic. Why? Because it already was a good idea. Easily one of the best podcasting tips I’ve come across.

We talked a while back about revising your old content when you start see a fall off. Find what people liked and talk about it again. That’s a no brainer marketing strategy.

Have a Conversation

After so much isolation, we haven’t had enough conversations to keep that part of our brain active. Talk to people and see what is bugging them. Ask questions.

Coming up with new ideas is all about getting out of your head. Maybe you’ll get some good book recommendations to apply that strategy. Maybe you’ll see something from every day life from a new perspective.

If you can’t have a real conversation for whatever reason, have one with the new AI tools that are popping up everywhere.

I used Copy.Ai as a writing assistant during the pandemic lockdown and couldn’t be happier with the experience. Who needs real friends? Who needs live events with people, and airborne droplets, and…

Alright, I’m off topic.

Still, if you want podcast topics to talk about with friends, the pandemic lockdown is certainly among the best. Everyone has an opinion, and just about every opinion is different.

Steal Like An Artist

This book blew my mind. It’s akin to the “there’s nothing new under the sun,” and, when you think about it, it’s hard to argue.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that all art is a product of its creator’s influences.

The creator didn’t have to create something completely new, because that’s impossible. They simply had to take what they were inspired by and apply it in their own way—to create something new.

And that’s what this book is all about: helping you find your inspiration, then use it as a springboard for your own creativity.

Work on Your Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a term used to describe the feeling of being an impostor, or like you don’t belong in the position that you’re in. For example: if you’re a writer and you know that your work isn’t very good, or if your work is good but you don’t think it’s as good as other people say it is, then that can be a sign of imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome also tends to hold creators back from sharing their ideas because they’re afraid that other people will think their ideas aren’t worthy. That’s why it’s so important for us to talk about this issue and create more open spaces where creators can share their ideas without fear of being judged or criticized.

I’ve personally overcome imposter syndrome by taking small steps: writing down my ideas on paper instead of just keeping them in my head; sharing those ideas with friends who I trust will give me honest feedback; and finding ways to make small improvements each time I write something new until eventually I feel confident enough to share it with others.

Podcasters can do just the same with their own ideas. Show me an original travel podcast, and I’ll show you angels dancing on a pinhead.

Take a Walk

Put one foot in front of the other.

Taking a walk can be just the thing your brain needs to get creative juices flowing.

That’s right—it’s not just a myth! In fact, scientists have been studying this phenomenon for years.

In one study, researchers found that people who took a break from their work and walked around the block reported feeling more creative afterwards. They also had increased blood flow to their brains, which is known to boost creativity. The same study saw an increase in creativity in up to 81% of study participants.

The researchers also noted that participants were more likely to come up with new ideas if they walked outside than if they stayed inside during their break.

So if we’re looking at product reviews of walking, I’m all in.

Alter, or Change Formats

I mentioned the Prof G podcast in earlier articles. But recently, he’s changed formats.

What were once segments of individual episodes have been broken apart into standalone editions of the overall podcast. And overall, I’d say it works.

Rather than having to spread research thin over several different subjects, by breaking them up into stand alone set pieces, that research can be much more focused. It takes the spirit of the segments and makes them more robust, more fleshed out.

The market shows go into more depth and nuance with fewer headlines and more expertise. The Office Hours shows on Wednesday can dispense more advice and the No Mercy No Malice segments can offload some of the work to outside contributors.

If you’re seeing a drop in listenership, tweaking your format, or giving it a facelift can be just what you need to reinvigorate your creative juices.

Brainstorm Elsewhere

If you do all of your work in the office, it’s easy to stagnate.

If we learn anything from the pandemic (and we likely won’t), it’s that many people are more creative when they have a new view on their rote work. A literally different view.

A change of venue can be just enough to jumpstart a stalled creativity engine. So if you’re working all day in your home office, try the local coffee shop, do some people watching, and let the freewriting flow.

Now, this isn’t a panacea. Nor is anything on this list, but changing venues, or just changing your gaze and getting away from the screen can be a game changer.

Do you always do your brainstorming in a Word or Google Doc? Try changing up the medium you record your ideas on. A good old fashioned legal pad served my brain storming for years before I eventually upgraded to a Remarkable.

Just that simple change saw a huge uptick in productivity. An uptick implies the eventual fall off, but changing up routines is a great place to start when you’re feeling stuck.

Start a New Podcast

Nobody said you have to keep all of your podcasting ideas under one umbrella podcast. You can always start a new podcast if there’s something you want to talk about that doesn’t fit your other show’s niche.

In essence, you aren’t married to one idea. But you should let your audience know what’s going on. That you’ve got some podcast content that they may want to hear, but doesn’t fit the brand.

Scott Galloway recently discussed on the Prof G Show how he was fighting his producer on his other podcast, Pivot. That his salty nature was getting cut from Pivot.

Which is the perfect reason to have his stand alone show. He can do whatever he wants in his own voice without any trepidation.

For your new idea, you can get podcast hosting for free, or a podcast host for less than you think. If you want to stick with a free podcast, go for it. Let your new idea flourish and grow.

Generating New Podcasting Ideas

Coming up with new podcasting ideas isn’t easy. And, unfortunately, it just gets harder the longer you’re at it. Listeners turn elsewhere when the well runs dry and the algorithm starts to think less of you.

If you think AI is the solution, well, it can help with brainstorming. No doubt about that, but as a creator, you’re still ultimately in charge of coming up with your own podcasting ideas and promoting them to success.

Writing this article got me thinking about implementing the “How I Pod” series again. I’m fascinated with people’s workflows, how they stay fresh, and relevant. It’s too easy to get entrenched and the world moves too fast to dig out a too much of the time.

In the tradition of tweaking and trying out new ideas, be on the lookout for the first installment of How I Pod shortly. I’m excited about the idea, and I think new creators will be as well.

The post 15 Alternative Effective Methods of Coming Up With Podcasting Ideas appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

While none of these shows are fiction shows, some of them do have a chronological order and need to be listened to from the first episode. However, most of them can just be jumped into wherever. 

Our Take on Funny Podcasts You Should Subscribe to

The Gargle

From the team that brought you the decade old audio newspaper for a visual world The Bugle, comes its glossy audio magazine counterpart, The Gargle. Every week Alice Fraser, the comedian behind The Last Post, frequent guest on The Bugle and several ground shaking standup specials, sits down with two comedians and talks about some of the weirder news stories out there. Each episode is only around a half hour long, making it a delightful treat of funny people talking about irrelevant news stories. 

Read More: The 10 Funniest Comedy Podcasts (You Might Not Be Listening To Yet)

BillBuds

Johnny O’Mara and John Patrick Coan are shameless pop music fans. On Billbuds, they go through pop albums song by song and pick out their favorite and least favorite tunes. At the end of each episode they determine if the album earns a spot on their personal billboard top 100.  I recommend listening to the album right before listening to the episode (or, if you want to be even more extra, each song before they talk about it) , so you can follow along with the hosts as they break down the vibes and fun facts of each song. Check out this podcast if you want to get caught up on the classics or see the best of what’s new. 

If I Were You

CollageHumor alumni and Headgum founders Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld have been hosting one of the best funny podcasts out there for the last nine years, and are still going strong. The flagship podcast of the Headgum podcast network features Jake and Amir giving advice to their listeners, often dating advice but sometimes some life stuff. As opposed to some other popular comedy advice podcasts, the advice they give is mostly genuine, but they do completely lampoon the situation the question askers find themselves in. If you were a fan of this comedy duo back in their sketch days and haven’t caught up with them recently, I implore you to check this show out. 

The Video Game Robot Show

Following the understandable and necessary end of Cool Games, Inc, there was a small vacuum for shows where people improvised making a thing. Other shows came in to fill that void. Some, such as Spiritual Successor,  followed CGI by making video games based on audience suggestions.

Others made different kinds of media, such as The Podcast Mines for podcasts. The Video Game Robot Show puts a unique spin on what I’ll call the “improvised product workshop” podcast.

Every week, hosts Nate Brandt and Kam Konek bring on a guest and generate suggestions from the Video Game Robot, an algorithm that takes a bunch of suggested attributes from the audience and generates game suggestions for them to work with. Currently the Video Game Robot can generate about 100 million games and counting, meaning this show can reliably be jumped into at any time!

Add to Cart

There’s something about the structure of shopping that feels satisfying, and this structure translates well to Add to Cart.  Every Tuesday, comedian-writer-director Kulap Vilaysack and veteran journalist SuChin Pak sit down to talk about the things they want to “add or remove ” from their cart.

These things can vary from products to ideas to emotions to experiences to just about anything they feel like. It’s fulfilling to listen to the host talk about how these things are important to them and why they want to keep or remove them from their lives. Funny podcasts with a different angle like this are what the medium is built for.

Aack Cast

Jamie Loftus keeps making hits with her limited run podcasts, from her high stress deep dive into the Mensa society in My Year In Mensa to her analysis of society’s perversion of a classic novel in Lolita Podcast.

Her most recent series, Aack Cast, dives into the cultural significance of the Cathy comic strip, as well as rexaming the situation of the working white women of the boomer generation. The reason this show is on a comedy list is that Loftus isn’t afraid to get as funny, blunt and weird as she can while diving deeping into any topic. It’s a deep and enjoyable listen, especially as a complete series. 

Also Read: I Want You to Listen to Lolita Podcast

Las Culturistas 

Love it or hate it, you can’t avoid culture,  so you might as well celebrate the good and the bad. Las Culturistas is a culture podcast hosted by Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang and comedian Matt Rogers.

Most episodes have them bring on a guest to talk about moments in culture that really spoke to them, be it from the last week or at some point in their lives.

The hosts are hilarious and have such a fun dynamic. You can jump into whatever episode you want to hear them talk about the culture that makes them go “I Don’t Think So, Honey!”

Conan O’Brian Needs A Friend

The flagship podcast of TeamCoco’s podcast network, Conan O’Brian Needs A Friend features the titular Conan O’Brian sitting down with a celebrity or person of note and talking to them about their careers or whatever else they want to talk about.

Conan cracking up is what Funny Podcasts are meant to be…

Conan has done interviews for years and this show proves that those conversational skills go well beyond the limited interviews he’s done on screen. Now that he’s stepped away from television entirely, we need funny podcasts like this more than ever.

This podcast is fun, playful and, when you least expect it, informative. Conan gets a lot of praise for making funny podcasts “relevant,” and while that claim can be disputed, he still puts on a pretty good show. 

Threedom

Comedy Bang Bang host Scott Aukerman has a great dynamic with all of his guests, but you always know you’re in for a treat when an episode features Paul F. Tompkins and/or Lauren Lapkus. On Threedom, these three come together as themselves, not as characters, to chat about things, goof around, and try to make each other laugh.

It’s a delight to listen to three people who have worked together for years sit down for an hour and have fun. Funny podcasts that are authentic, as this one is, draw an audience in and keep them thirsting for more. Any fans of Comedy Bang Bang or any of these three should check this show out.  

You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes

Pete Holmes is known for his warm, insightful and goofy comedy, like your weird but charming uncle or a youth minister without the religion. On his long running chat podcast You Made It Weird, Holmes goes into long, in-depth interviews with a variety of guests, talking about weird things he knows about them and just general loose things they want to talk about. Holmes has a relaxed and bubbly energy that makes each episode of the show a fun listen. 

Dead Eyes

Twenty years ago, actor/comedian Connor Ratliff was fired from the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Tom Hanks for having “dead eyes”. A few weeks ago, Ratliff was trending on Twitter for sitting down with Hanks on Ratliff’s podcast to talk about what happened.

Dead Eyes chronicles Ratliff’s journey to explore this strange event and the experience of rejection in show business. Even though the show is about missed opportunities, it’s positive and comedic.

Despite what some headlines would like you to believe, Ratliff holds no ill will toward Hanks about the event. At the very least, it’s worth checking out this podcast to watch a man come closer and closer until finally getting a chance to sit down with Hanks himself. 

Anime Sickos

Anime Sickos is a podcast when hosts Tom Harrison and Joe Anderson only occasionally about anime. The show promotes itself about being about the four pillars of modern misery: anime, gaming, posting and jobs. Beyond all of this, it is a show that doesn’t shy away from how bad the world is, proudly proclaiming that things “suck.” Sometimes all it takes is a little contrarian viewpoint to drive home the premise of funny podcasts. This is one of those instances.

A lot of people, myself included, listen to funny podcasts as a bit of an escape from current events. Anime Sickos feels like a pressure valve being released letting out stress. 

Read more: 8 Great Podcasts for Anime Fans

Entry Level with Brooks Wheelan

Do you remember your first job? Mine was as a bagger at a grocery store walking distance from my high school. It was the first of many weird odd jobs. Entry Level is a show about the worst, weirdest jobs people have had to work.

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Brooks Wheelan often brings on celebrities, so these jobs are viewed as the worst stepping stones people have had to step on in order to get to where they are now. If you like hearing work horror stories, you’ll get a kick out of this show. 

The Friend Zone

The Friend Zone is a show about keeping your mind healthy, wherever that looks like for you. Hosts Dustin Ross, HeyFranHey & Assante talk about all things mental health, being blunt about their own histories with the topics they discuss.

While the content can get heavy, the hosts tackle the topics from a comedic standpoint. The show is well worth the listen for anyone who doesn’t want to feel alone with how they feel. When funny podcasts take on heavy issues, it can be difficult to navigate, but our three hosts do a killer job making sure these subjects are covered with humor and grace.

Asian Not Asian

Asian Not Asian is a podcast where Asian American comedians Fumi Abe and Mic Nguyen talk about American issues and culture from their perspective.

The show is hilarious and often deep as the duo tackles their experience of what people expect from them and how they and others have dealt with it. Asian Not Asian is another example of funny podcasts dealing with heavy issues in a light, approachable manner.

If you’re looking for a new podcast to tackle things a lot of other shows aren’t talking about, you should check out this show!

Bonus Funny Podcasts

Here are some bonus funny podcasts that we enjoy and are likely to crack you up. Sure what is funny is subjective, but c’mon, live a little.

(Editor’s Note: These bonus funny podcasts are from me, and not necessarily endorsed by Eddie.)

Smartless

Yeah, it’s another roundtable podcast with famous people who likely don’t need the money, the additional fame, or the notoriety. But, damned if these three haven’t created one of the best funny podcasts on the market.

I’m a fan of pretty much everything Will Arnett does, and I’m a big fan of Sean Hayes work, as well as Jason Bateman. So discovering these three are legitimate friends, and created this excellent podcast, well, it found its way into my regular rotation.

Now that they’ve settled into the interview format, I’m digging the cross pollination in the entertainment industry, and I think that’s mirrored in the podcast world generally.

Smodcast

Speaking of funny podcasts that start with “sm” and are deeply rooted in Hollywood, you’ve got Smodcast with Kevin Smith and his long time partner in whatever it is they do (make movies I guess), Scott Mosier.

Now, I hate to go on with another Hollywood podcast, but there’s a reason these guys are professionals. They’re excellent, hilarious storytellers. And, at the end of the day, that’s what you want in your funny podcasts… great, well done stories.

These stories are about their work and how the sausage gets made. So sometimes it’s a little wonky, but hearing how some of these comedy classics get done is fantastic. Seriously, the movie business is insane.

Parenting is a Joke

If you don’t approach parenting with some sense of irreverent lightheartedness, you’re going to end up going insane. We’ve talked about some of the best parenting podcasts to get you through that first year, but Ophira Eisenberg’s philosophy on parenting has to be one of the best approaches I’ve ever heard.

Each week, she sits down (or hides under a weighted blanket) with a different stand up comic to talk comedy and kids. And it makes for one of the best funny podcasts any parent will relate to. I absolutely love her and what she’s doing to make us maintain a semblance of sanity.

Funny Podcasts Are Keeping Us Sane

If you can’t laugh, you’re going to end up crying. We live in heady times and getting too wrapped up in all of the bad news just isn’t healthy. Now, comedy is subjective, and maybe we missed some of your favorite funny podcasts.

We can always use more. Let us know on twitter (yeah, I know), or sign up for our newsletter in the box to the left. As always, have a laugh, and don’t take anything too seriously.

The post Funny Podcasts – The 15 Best Nonfiction Contenders You Need to Listen to Now appeared first on Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods.

From deep dives into my cultural comforts to shows which admitted to the truly maddening state of modern love, being able to escape into these intricately crafted podcast worlds was a soothing balm for my broken heart. Admittedly, these podcasts might be specific to my ways of coping with crisis, but, there are some universal threads of wisdom throughout these recommendations.

And, although I have formed some questionably close attachments to various voices these last few months, I set aside the fear of parasocial relationships and truly relished the creative goodness which exists in the world. 

Sentimental Garbage 

First up is the wickedly funny Sentimental Garbage. Based on the premise of appreciating all the culture that is often deemed a guilty pleasure, Sentimental Garbage gives the likes of Mamma Mia and Ru Paul’s Drag Race the critical analysis they so rightly deserve. Listening to the podcast, is both a healing and hilarious experience, allowing listeners to rid themselves of all guilt ever bestowed upon them for loving what they love, whilst laughing alongside host Caroline O’Donaghue and her absolutely incredible laugh.

When in the early stages of my breakup, I turned to Sentimental Garbage’s “Sentimental in the City” series, a no-holds-bar seven-part series discussing all seasons of Sex and the City. Through the series, the show reaches a higher, and rightly deserved status, as a prism to explore the complexities of human relationships across a wide spectrum of characters and circumstances.

The series is made all the better by series co-host Dolly Alderton and O’Donaghue’s incredible chemistry, bouncing jokes off each other with ease, leading to intimate personal revelations as well as the odd embarrassing anecdote. At a time when I was feeling my lowest, listening to two women admit to their own painful encounters with love, as well as fueling hope for a brighter future, was nothing short of soothing. 

Read more: 7 Tear-Jerking Podcasts To Pull at Your Heartstrings

The Friend Zone – One of the Best Breakup Podcasts

When it comes to self-care, I used to be a bit of a sceptic. After coming out of being a full-time caretaker for my mum, I have only recently adjusted to the concept of having the free time to practice self-care. So, when it came to my breakup, I knew I had to turn to self-care but, I struggled to really understand what self-care meant, beyond bubble baths and candles.

The Friend Zone consistently prides itself on discussing real, genuine ways to care for oneself, going beyond the easy shallow work of running yourself a bath, to really thinking clearly and openly about how to make your life better in the long run. Each week hosts Assante, Dustin and Fran explore concepts of mental wealth, mental health and mental hygiene, because, as is their catch-phrase, who in the hell wants a musty brain? 

Out to Lunch 

I have always loved food. From my nana’s kitchen peering over counters at batches of fruit crumble in the autumn, to big bowls of spaghetti made hurriedly in cramped kitchens as we revised for tests the next day, cooking has always felt joyful. It’s no wonder that I found myself back in the kitchen post-breakup, reimmersing myself in the recipes I loved. 

Someone I feel who always, effortlessly, manages to capture the joy of food is restaurant critic and host of the Out to Lunch podcast, Jay Rayner. The energy and excitement of his columns are transformed as he delights in great conversation over great plates of food. With a myriad of guests, such as Derren Brown and Tim Minchin, Rayner proves that food universal love, which can uplift even the most broken-hearted.

My Dad Wrote a Porno

After my breakup, intimacy felt foreign. So, when I starting listening to My Dad Wrote a Porno, I relished the opportunity to see intimacy contorted and mocked through the medium of a very poorly written porno. The premise of My Dad Wrote a Porno really is as embarrassing as it sounds: Jamie, the podcast’s host and son of the porno writer known only as Rocky Flintstone, reads the titular porno Belinda Blinked to his two equally mortified co-hosts, friends Alice and James.

With a bizarre combination of hilariously inaccurate descriptions of female anatomy, along with a surprising amount of references to business strategies, My Dad Wrote a Porno is a wildly funny listening experience. 

You’re Dead to Me

A common thread that consistently crops up whenever I’m faced with any form of crisis or stressful period is my sporadic obsessions with obscure histories. This pattern naturally followed me in the aftermath of my breakup, as I found myself joyful sucking up new knowledge of history, like a cold drink through a straw. 

Fulfilling this obsession perfectly was You’re Dead to Me. Branded as ‘a podcast for people who don’t like history, or just forgot to learn any at school’, host Greg Jenner invites a historian and a comedian on each week to discuss a new historical period, event or individual.

Ranging from the stereotypical classroom history to the more niche and unusual tales often missed off of syllabuses, You’re Dead to Me strikes a great balance between engrossing historical details and humorous vignettes of dialogue to keep you laughing through the absurdity of ancient times. 

The Receipts

The Receipts podcast has been a mainstay of my weekly listens for the last four years, consistently providing me with laughs I have to suppress on public transport and full belly laughter in my kitchen as I cook dinner. Three friends, Audrey, Milena and Tolly sit down each week to discuss anything and everything, from relationship drama to their everyday lives trying to make it in London, all served up with a big slice of unfiltered honesty.

This unadulterated truth-telling comes into play during the “Your Receipts” episodes of the show, where the girls answer some of the wildest and weirdest listener queries I have ever heard on a podcast. With episode titles such as “He cheated, and then proposed“ to “he’s perfect, but has no front teeth“, the podcast delivers its fair share of absolutely outrageous content, as well as the odd heartfelt words of wisdom. 

Nancy 

As I began to reconsider my identity outside of a relationship, I wanted to explore my queerness in a safe space, particularly after coming out of a straight-presenting couple dynamic. Previously, I’ve found it difficult to stand in that identity of queerness but was determined to better embrace it in the aftermath of my breakup.

Through the Nancy podcast, I was able to better understand my own queerness, as well as the identities of others within the LGBTQ+ community. Hosted by Kathy Tu and Tobin Low, though completed in 2020, Nancy celebrated and shared all aspects of LGBTQ+ experiences, with a mix of queer histories, pop culture analysis and refreshingly honest conversations about what it means to be a queer in modern-day society. 

How To Fail 

Sometimes, even good change can feel bad at first. When my relationship began to fall apart, I felt like it was a personal failure, and I took on the weight of that failure in all its entirety.

As the months have gone by, I’ve shed this feeling, but when I truly did feel disappointed in myself, How to Fail was the perfect podcast to redefine what it means to fail. In each episode, Elizabeth Day invites wildly successful people, from celebrities to politicians to authors, to reflect on their biggest failures, providing a deeply humbling view of people who seem unfaltering brilliant. 

Read more: “Asking for It” Wants Honesty about Queer Domestic Violence

This American Life

For British people, America is an inherently strange place. It exists as a perfect dichotomy, feeling both deeply familiar and outrageously different, all at once. However, what alleviates that strangeness is the knowledge that there are threads of feelings and solidarity which connect us all. 

From timely episodes discussing the reverberations of a recent news event in a given community to throwback episodes that fully encapsulate the full range of human emotion, This American Life is a deeply comforting window into another cultural world. Host Ira Glass leads us through each weekly theme, charting how a feeling, phenomenon or thought has fundamentally shaped the lives of people across America, and beyond. It’s this juxtaposition that makes This American Life on of of the best breakup podcasts available.

Throughout my breakup, episodes of This American Life provided moments of much-needed happiness, as well as stark realisations of what it is to live in this current cultural and political moment. In many ways, it has radicalised me into action and shown me what it means to live in a society and a wider community. 

The New Yorker Fiction Podcast

Something unique to podcasts is the ability to dip between several genres, stories and hosts almost seamlessly. Podcasts like the New Yorker Fiction podcast utilise this strength perfectly, providing revelatory snippets of stories and compelling narratives, served up and ready to be dissected in vivid detail.

Each week, host Deborah Treisman invites acclaimed writers to choose a short story from the New Yorker archive to read and discuss, with guests such as Margaret Attwood and Ottessa Moshfegh. Providing glimpses into the interior lives of writers and the choices they make when creating new material, this podcast is the perfect antidote for any writer who has fallen out of love with writing. As I struggled through my post-breakup writer’s block, listening to Deborah Treisman and her co-hosts delight in the power of the written word was the inspiration I needed I needed to get writing again. 

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