Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In this newsletter:

• The Curation: the list of podcasts mentioned in Deborah’s issue, with specific episodes to start with.

  Read the full interview to learn more about Deborah’s approach to audio storytelling.

1. S-Town

Start here.

About this podcast

S-Town is a podcast hosted by Brian Reed from Serial Productions, a New York Times company. The story follows a man named John who despises his Alabama town and decides to do something about it. He asks Brian to investigate the son of a wealthy family who’s allegedly been bragging that he got away with murder. But when someone else ends up dead, the search for the truth leads to a nasty feud, a hunt for hidden treasure, and an unearthing of the mysteries of one man’s life.

Status: Ended

2. The Horror of Dolores Roach

Start here.

About this podcast

With blood on her hands, the infamous Dolores Roach has fled the recent shocking destruction in Washington Heights and gone into hiding deep under New York City in an abandoned subway tunnel. But she’s not alone underground, and her dark night of the soul is interrupted by an extremist faction of similarly self-exiled tunnel-dwellers whose space she’s invaded. Facing re-incarceration back above ground, but pushed to the limits of shame, paranoia, lust, hunger, and depraved entrepreneurialism below it, Dolores is the outcast of the outcasts again - until she takes her survival in the tunnels into her own Magic Hands.

Status: Ended

3. The Receipts Podcast

Start here.

About this podcast

#TheReceiptsPodcast is a fun, honest podcast fronted by Tolly T & Audrey, who are willing to talk about anything and everything. From relationships to situationships to everyday life experiences, you can expect unadulterated chat with no filter. #TheReceiptsPodcast new episodes available every Monday & Wednesday. Find us on Instagram & TikTok @thereceiptspodcast or get in touch and share your receipts with us at dilemmas@thereceiptspodcast.co.uk

4. The Cut

Start here.

About this podcast

In Her Shoes from The Cut is a weekly conversation between a special guest and Lindsay Peoples, The Cut’s Editor-in-Chief, exploring culture, style, sex, politics and more. Intimate, provocative, and probing, The Cut aims to ask questions before listeners even know they have them, always with a generous wit and an expansive idea of what is possible. From New York Magazine and The Vox Media Podcast Network. New episodes every other Wednesday.

Status: Last updated 13 Dec 2024

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

• Part 1 - Meet the Curator: a conversation with our featured curator about their career and perspective on podcasting.

• Part 2 - Curated with Taste: recommendations by the curator according to specific prompts.

• Part 3 - The Curation: the definitive list of all podcasts mentioned in the issue.

Deborah Shorindé has always found comfort in stories. Growing up as an avid reader, she found companionship in the pages of books, so when she came across another medium that brought stories to life through sound, she was intrigued.

Though she was first introduced to audio as a young child, she began paying closer attention to it while navigating a difficult period at university after moving to Canada. There, she discovered Second Story, a show where people gathered in one another’s homes to tell stories, and she was completely hooked. Soon enough, podcasts became the new books for her.

Today, Deborah is a Nigerian writer and audio artist whose practice explores the intersections of sound, story, materiality, intimacy, and diaspora. Raised in South London and Southern Ontario, her work draws on a feminist and Afro-surreal lens to explore displacement, loss, and the complexities of Black contemporary life. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Tiny Lungs, an independent production house based in London. Her audio work includes productions for BBC Radio 4, CBC Radio, Tate Modern, Serpentine Gallery, and Mermaid Palace, while her work has been exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Arts London, the Empathy Museum, and Toynbee Hall.

In this conversation, Deborah reflects on finding her way into podcasting, the patience required to tell good stories, and why, above all, a great podcast must honour its listener and tell something true.

This issue has been edited for brevity.

Damilola: How has podcasting shaped the way you think about storytelling?

Deborah: One thing it has taught me is that good stories take time.

I think we live in a culture where there’s constant pressure to churn things out. There’s all this “move fast” kind of weird founder-type, angel-investor-type mentality. Don’t stress about it. Just put it out into the world.

What I love about podcasts, and stories in general, is that it holds you. They require you to lean in, take your time to listen, engage, read, or watch. It asks you to stop. I think the same applies to the process of making something. It takes time, and you have to be willing to give it that time and honour the time it takes.

I don’t think anything is magical. I used to be one of those people who thought, “Maybe I’ll just stumble upon really good tape, or maybe I’ll stumble upon a really great idea.” But it doesn’t happen like that. Of course, there are little gems that come along and make you think, “Oh, I’m just so talented and smart!” I think if you’re artistically inclined or creative, and I believe we all are in some ways, those moments can happen.

But when you take the time to nurture something, it grows into something much more impactful, compelling, and captivating. And that takes a lot of time.

Damilola: What’s your favourite podcast you’ve created, and why?

Deborah: I would say it’s the one I’m making right now.

I’ll be real. I think I’m very critical of my previous work, sometimes too much. One project that has a special place in my heart is Nsukka is Burning. It’s not really a podcast, but a documentary I made for Radio 4 about the University of Nsukka during the Biafran War. That one has a special place in my heart because there was so much unknown, but I think I ate that. It was a good documentary.

In terms of what I’m making right now, The Future of Tenderness is a podcast, and kind of a podcast product.

It’s a little different from a podcast in general because it has a physical element. It’s a show about love, intimacy, and the future of tenderness, as it were. It considers what it might look like to love, be in relationships, and be in community in the future. I’m really excited for people to hear that one.

Damilola: What makes a podcast great to you?

Deborah: I say this a lot, but you have to honour your listener, and I think you also have to tell something true.

A lot of the time, the reason I have such a sticky feeling when it comes to chatcasts is that sometimes I feel that these personalities can feel overblown, and it’s entertainment. There’s not really a truth being told, or maybe there is something underneath the surface, but you really have to look for it.

When I think about all the podcasts I love, there’s something really, really honest about the work. You can feel it, whether it’s from the producer or the subject. You can feel that authenticity and honesty in the work. I think that’s what makes podcasts really good to me.

Damilola: Can you mention one podcast you think is great?

Deborah: Brian Reed’s S-Town. It got a lot of flak because, as a journalist, I think Brian Reed maybe got a bit too close to the story. But it felt so honest and so beautifully crafted. The story was hella confusing, but it was a really good example of how to tell a winding small-town story through a myriad of interesting and captivating episodes. I thought that was a really great podcast.

Damilola: What does a podcast having excellent production mean to you?

Deborah: Now, I think that standard is important, but there’s this one podcast that probably no one, maybe me and 56 other people, has listened to. It’s called Zooted, and it didn’t last. It was a one-episode, tour-de-force kind of thing. It was some guys sitting around talking about weed. They were all high, just vibing and having a good time, but they were talking about it with so much love in their hearts.

It wasn’t well-produced, but for some reason, the podcast stayed with me because it felt like they were capturing something true and honest. So I think production, broadcast quality, and all of that are really important. You have to have a standard, especially as you evolve in your work.

But I think sometimes you have to look at the raw material and really figure out how you can find a place for it, even if it’s bad quality. I’m into the scraps, the things that people want to throw away. I’m like, “Are you sure? There might be a gem in there.”

There are certain networks and places that say they want something polished or broadcast-quality, but there’s no soul; there’s no heart in what you make. There’s nothing captivating, nothing attractive. I don’t really mess with that.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that has excellent production?

Deborah: One that comes to mind is The Horror of Dolores Roach.

It’s an audio drama from years ago. To me, it’s probably one of the best audio dramas made in recent years.

It was a cinematic, filmic work that transported the listener into Dolores’ world and environment. The really visceral sounds they used stayed with me. That was an exceptional podcast. Really great production.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that has sent you down a rabbit hole?

Deborah: I’ll say the early days of The Receipts Podcast. It definitely took me down some rabbit holes. The hosts were a little older than me, and I felt like I was coming of age and learning what it meant to be a young woman through these women.

They would tell stories, and I’d be like, “What is that? What are they talking about?” I remember when they said, “Never come to somebody as a woman.” And I was like, “What does coming to someone as a woman mean?” I was so sheltered growing up. I didn’t really understand so many things, so I’d go and look them up.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t well-read or hadn’t learned about these things. It was more about understanding the nuances of that space at that specific point in history. It definitely sent me down some rabbit holes.

Damilola: What’s a podcast you’d always recommend?

Deborah: There’s a specific season of The Cut podcast with Avery Trufelman, between 2020 and 2021. I would recommend that to a lot of people.

I think they did something really, really strong there. It wasn’t necessarily that it hadn’t been done before, but the way they did it was really inviting. It came at a time when we were really, really depressed; obviously, it was COVID.

Damilola: Can you mention your favourite podcast created by an African?

Deborah: One thing I find a little concerning is the homogenisation of African storytelling. It’s this idea that all of us are one, but I would love to see more podcasts that are uniquely Ethiopian, uniquely Nigerian, or uniquely Ghanaian.

I think it’s really important that we create that differentiation because not only does it help the industry grow, it also helps us acknowledge our differences and the beautiful things we each bring that are unique. I could name some, but if I’m being honest and sincere, I want to see a lot more when it comes to African podcasting.

I think part of the work that The Future of Tenderness hopes to do is to be a global show that travels. Our first story is in Lagos. Then I want to do another story in London, and then another story somewhere else. I think it’s only because of accessibility that people often choose not to do that.

I want to hear stories told by Nigerians, by Ghanaians, about their own places, rather than constantly being talked about by someone else.

Damilola: Can you list people you’d like to see on the newsletter?

Deborah: Sayre Quevedo, Fatuma Khaireh, Sandra Jean-Pierre.

S-Town

The Horror of Dolores Roach.

The Cut

The Receipts Podcast.

In June we published Curated for Comedy #1 & #2, in April we published Curated for True Crime, and in February, we launched the segment with Curated for Love.

This month, we’ve compiled a list of history podcasts to take you beyond familiar narratives and introduce you to the events that shaped nations.

Enjoy!

1. Not Past It

Start here.

Recommended by Adaorah Oduah

About this show

Ever wonder why the world is the way it is? Like, 1000s of years of humanity and this is the version of the world we came up with. This one? Same. Each Wednesday on Not Past It host Simone Polanen will pick a moment from that very same week in history -- and tell you how it shaped our lives today.

Status: Last updated March 26, 2025

2. ReCollections

Start here.

Recommended by Adreea Coscai

About this show

Join us to meet experts from across the country, as we explore the sites, stories and artifacts that bring history to life. ReCollections will take you on a journey, coast-to-coast-to-coast, from a Viking Age Norse settlement in Northern Newfoundland to a sacred Haida village site in Gwaii Haanas, where the rainforest meets the wild Pacific Ocean... with many stops in between. Each episode explores new places and stories to help make sense of a complicated past.

Status: Last updated February 5, 2026

3. The Republic

Recommended by Ayo Moore

About this show

The Republic is a narrative podcast series exploring pivotal Nigerian and broader African historical events and figures. In the second season, host Wale Lawal traces the life and legacy of writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. For much of the 90s, Saro-Wiwa led a non-violent movement against oil pollution in the Niger Delta’s Ogoniland. The Nigerian government, however, responded by arresting and later executing Saro-Wiwa and 8 other activists. How did this incident reshape Nigeria’s trajectory?

Status: Last updated Feb 16, 2025

4. Our Ancestors Were Messy

Start here.

Recommended by Mike Rahfaldt

About this show

A recap of the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines and then history in pre-Civil Rights Era America. Host Nichole Hill takes her guests through the story of an ancestor in search of opportunity, adventure, love, and a way to beat Jim Crow. Along the way, these ancestors make messes that land them in the gossip columns of Black newspapers.

Status: Last updated October 16, 2026

5. Sweet Medicine

Start here.

Recommended by Ayodele Rotinwa

About this show

How have Nigerians been taught to think about how to be in the world?

The Sweet Medicine podcast is a public humanities project produced for three reasons:

1. to explore the corrosive consequences of defunding education (especially the humanities and social sciences) and cultural production in Nigeria during the 1980s Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs),

2. to engage with Nigerian researchers and research projects tackling Africa’s unique 21st-century challenges, and

3. to identify and challenge obstacles to funding solutions and ideological shifts needed to foster a thriving Humanities culture in Nigeria.

Status: Ended

6. Slow Burn

Start here.

Recommended by Mike Rahfaldt

About this show

Slow Burn illuminates America’s most consequential moments, making sense of the past to better understand the present. Through archival tape and first-person interviews, the series uncovers the surprising events and little-known characters lurking within the biggest stories of our time.

Status: Ongoing

7. Bar Afrique

Start here.

Recommended by Adreea Coscai.

About this show

These are the stories about African decolonization that you've never heard of, told over a drink... or three! From the origin stories of dictators to European spy missions, it's African history delivered with humour and a bit of shade. New episodes every Tuesday this summer! Hosted by Sarah Masiyiwa & Line Talla.

Status: Season 2 ended

8. Floodlines

Start here.

Recommended by Nichole Hill

About this show

Some call it Hurricane Katrina. Some call it the Federal Flood. Others call it the day the levees broke. On August 29, 2005, the city of New Orleans was submerged. That story of hubris, incompetence, and nature's wrath is now etched into the national consciousness. But the people who lived through the flood and its aftermath have a different story to tell. A story of rumors, betrayal, and one of the most misunderstood events in American history.

Status: Last updated August 1, 2025

The goal is to spotlight Africa’s growing podcast scene and make it easier for listeners everywhere to discover the incredible shows being produced from the continent.

In this issue:

• Podcasts Created by Africans: A curated list of shows by African creators, recommended by our curators.

  Get more recommendations from the first and second edition.

1. Submarine and a Roach

Start here.

Recommended by Adaorah Oduah.

About this podcast

Nigeria’s #1 Comedy Podcast aka The Funniest Podcast in Nigeria

Status: Last updated April 28, 2026

2. Bar Afrique

Start here.

Recommended by Andreea Coscai.

About this podcast

These are the stories about African independence that you’ve never heard of, told over a drink... or three.

Status: Season 2 Ended

3. Afrobeats Intelligence

Start here.

Recommended by Mike Rahfaldt.

About this podcast

Through eclectic interviews that spotlight creativity from Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg, and beyond, Joey invites listeners every other Friday to take a snapshot into the soul of an industry pushing toward global greatness. Together, we examine the past, present, and future of African music, democratizing access to the ideas, people, and movements shaping its evolution.

Status: Last updated May 8 2026

4. What Now? with Trevor Noah

Start here.

Recommended by Line Talla.

About this podcast

Trevor currently hosts a weekly podcast titled What Now? with Trevor Noah. In this new podcast, listeners get a chance to hear Trevor like never before. Trevor is joined each episode by celebrities, thought leaders, athletes, and friends to chat about the contemporary topics on everyone’s minds. He brings the kinds of conversations that happen behind the scenes to light - full of radical candor, authentic back-and-forths, and honest reactions, with Trevor bringing to bear his classic, effortlessly playful and equally probing style.

Status: Ongoing

5. Mindful Mondays with Shudu

Start here.

Recommended by Sarah Masiyiwa.

About this podcast

Meeting you where you are, not where you’re expected to be.

Status: Ongoing

6. Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong’o

Start here.

Recommended by Chioke I’Anson.

About this podcast

Lupita Nyong’o knows what home feels like. But where exactly is it? In Mexico, where she was born? Kenya, where she grew up? Or the States, where she’s spent the past 20 years? Like Lupita, millions of Africans are spread out across the globe following family, searching for love, building futures and creating stories. It’s these stories – wild and messy, intimate and joyous – that she wants to hear.

Status: Ended

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In this newsletter:

• The Curation: the list of podcasts mentioned in Esohe’s issue, with specific episodes to start with.

  Read the full interview to learn more about Esohe’s approach to audio storytelling.

1. Duolingo French Podcast

Start here.

About this podcast

Deepen your language skills and knowledge of the French-speaking world through fascinating true stories in easy-to-follow French, with added English for context. From Duolingo, the world's #1 way to learn a language. Hosted by Ngofeen Mputubwele.

Status: Ended

2. The Jen Fulwiler Show

Start here.

About this podcast

Your favorite unhinged Catholic stand up comedian mom of 6

Status: Ongoing

3. Proxy with Yowei Shaw

Start here.

About this podcast

Proxy investigates the emotional mysteries that run our lives and world — sometimes by finding someone who gets it, sometimes by reporting from the emotions beat. Hosted by Yowei Shaw, former co-host and editorial lead of Invisibilia.

Status: Ongoing

4. Radio Workshop

Start here.

About this podcast

Forget the Africa you think you know. This is Radio Workshop. With real stories about young Africans. From Freetown to Cape Town, hear the world’s youngest population. One story at a time.

Status: Ongoing

5. Other Men Need Help

Start here.

About this podcast

Welcome to Other Men Need Help, an award-winning podcast that playfully looks at how men present themselves to the world—and pulls back the curtain to reveal what's behind the performance. Hosted by Mark Pagán.

Status: Last updated Dec 29, 2025

6. I Said What I Said

Start here.

About this podcast

I Said What I Said is one of Africa’s biggest podcasts, hosted by friends Jola (Jollz) and Feyikemi (FK) Abudu and they have been saying the quiet parts out loud since 2017.

Each week, they unpack pop culture, careers, money, dating, family and the many confusions of modern adulthood with brutal honesty, big laughs and zero pretending.

Come for the banter.

Stay for the hot takes, hard truths and the comfort of knowing somebody else is also just figuring life out like you.

Status: Ongoing

7. The Anthropocene Reviewed

Start here.

About this podcast

The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. On The Anthropocene Reviewed, #1 New York Times bestselling author John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down) reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including On the Media, Snap Judgment, Death, Sex & Money, Nancy and Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin. © WNYC Studios

Status: Ended

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• Part 1 - Meet the Curator: a conversation with our featured curator about their career and perspective on podcasting.

• Part 2 - Curated with Taste: recommendations by the curator according to specific prompts.

• Part 3 - The Curation: the definitive list of all podcasts mentioned in the issue.

Esohe Iyare had left her job and was trying to get her life back on track. With little money left to her name and rent due soon, her immediate priority was to find a job that would ease the financial pressure. Hoping to build on her writing skills, she began looking for writing opportunities when she came across a call for applications for a narrative podcast series.

Banking on her experience in radio, she applied for the role at Voix Collective and found herself stepping into the world of podcasting. From there, she began learning more about the medium and developing her skills in narrative audio storytelling.

It’s been three years since that moment, and Esohe has continued to make strides in narrative audio storytelling. She is currently a resident at the RESONATE Story Lab: Africa Otherwise, where she’s sharpening her skills and creating work she’s proud of.

In this issue, she takes us through her journey into podcasting, the projects that have shaped her approach to storytelling, and the podcasts she believes more people should be listening to.

This issue has been edited for brevity.

Damilola: What draws you to podcasting as a medium for storytelling?

Esohe: One of the most distinctive things about people, aside from their faces, is their voices.

You can hear a person’s voice and immediately know who that person is. The way they talk, their inflections, everything is very deeply personal.

I always feel like stories choose their medium. Some stories are particularly suited to podcasting, where all you’re doing, or most of what you’re doing, is listening to a person’s voice and coming out of yourself to enter into them and their story in a very different way.

There’s nothing to distract you visually. When you’re watching a movie, for instance, you might think, “Oh my God, the framing is so good. Everything is so good.” You can get distracted by the aesthetics at certain points, but that usually doesn’t happen to me with podcasts.

Usually, I hear something, perhaps the way music is used or the way somebody says something, and it deepens my appreciation rather than distracting me.

Damilola: How do you think podcasting has shaped the way you think about storytelling?

Esohe: I think the main thing is that whenever I’m working on a story, regardless of the medium, I start thinking about it in scenes. What would this scene sound like? What would it be like?

With podcasting, there aren’t many things you can throw at the audience so you really have to get into the depth of the story. What am I actually trying to say?

You’re not trying to impress anybody with the way you’ve combined sentences or how intelligent you are with your phrasing. It’s about how you’re going to tell the story and how you’re going to make whatever you want to convey stick with the person.

Damilola: What was the first podcast that stuck with you, and why did it stick with you?

Esohe: The first one was actually Duolingo French Podcast. Even though I didn’t have a perfect grasp of everything they were saying, I was still able to enter into the story. I was still on the journey with them. It was one of my favourite podcasts at the time, before they stopped producing new seasons.

Then there was also The Jen Fulwiler Show. Jen Fulwiler is an American comedian. She has this chatcast that she does with her friend and producer, Caitlyn. She basically talks about her life as a mother of six children while doing comedy.

What stuck with me most is that she’s also Catholic, so she explores how Catholicism has affected her life, especially as someone who converted from atheism, and how it affects her work.

Damilola: What is your favourite podcast you’ve created, and why is it your favourite?

Esohe: The answer to this question changes because I always like the last one I created best.

For the workshop (RESONATE Story Lab: Africa Otherwise) we had in Johannesburg, I created a story titled Power Rangers 432. We all had to find a character in Johannesburg. I don’t know anybody in Johannesburg apart from the people from Radio Workshop, but I found a character who had just moved to Nigeria. His name is Fola.

I love it so much because I made a story I love listening to. It’s a story about how politics filters down into our everyday lives and affects us, particularly how it affected the very close friendship between four young men at university.

When I travelled to Johannesburg, I interviewed the rest of Fola’s friends. I had never smiled so much after an interview. I was deeply moved by their story. They were such remarkable young men.

There are many times when I feel that it’s an honour to be gifted a story. It happens to me often, but in that moment, I really felt, “My goodness, what a great job I’ve found for myself.”

Someone can literally give me a piece of their heart and say, “Please make this a story,” trusting me to turn it into something people can listen to, something that touches their hearts and lets them feel how it beats.

Damilola: What makes a podcast great to you?

Esohe: What makes a podcast fantastic is when it establishes some kind of human connection for me.

I’m really committed to the idea that vulnerability and connection are the only things that can save this world from the shitfest that it actually is.

It’s only when we’re able to be vulnerable and connect with each other that we’ll be able to understand people enough to build a society that works for all of us, rather than one that works for you or somebody else at the expense of another person.

So, if I listen to a podcast and it helps me understand a person, a particular kind of person, or a group of people in a way I never have before, that’s a fantastic podcast.

It doesn’t matter how the podcast is structured. It doesn’t matter if it’s a narrative podcast, a chatcast, or some kind of weird combination that just fell from the sky. As long as it does that for me, 10 out of 10. No notes.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that fits that criterion? A podcast you think is fantastic or great?

Esohe: The podcast that did this for me and really hit the nail on the head is Proxy with Yowei Shaw.

The first time I listened to it, she called it emotional investigative journalism. I was like, “Can somebody give this woman an award?”

It’s about someone with a niche problem or a niche experience reaching out because they want to talk to somebody else who has had that same experience. The idea is that there is nothing you experience alone.

It’s such a powerful example of human connection, and I love it so much. Of course, Yowei is excellent at storytelling.

The way she combines the conversation between the person with the conundrum and the proxy, the person they’ve been matched with to talk to, with her own narration always flows so well. I learn so much about people from that podcast.

Another show that does almost exactly the same thing, but without a proxy, is Other Men Need Help by Mark Pagán.

I met Mark a couple of months ago and decided to check out his podcast. The first time I listened to it, I had that feeling you get when you discover something you’ve always wished existed.

Damilola: What does a podcast having excellent production mean to you?

Esohe: It’s more... I don’t know how to put it. It’s like the texture of the sound.

It’s such a difficult thing to describe. It’s one of those things you want to hold in your hand, but it keeps slipping away from you.

I also love it when something unexpected happens in a podcast.

I realised I love this because one of the last episodes relistened to, of Other Men Need Help was about body hair in men.

Mark was telling a story, and everything was going well. Then he said something, and I just burst out laughing. I was really thinking, “No, this is truly what happened.”

There were also different sound elements he used in that episode, the different ways he played with sound. He gave a very visual element to the story, too.

Damilola: You’ve already answered my next prompt, which was going to be to mention a podcast you think has excellent production. But if you have more examples, feel free to share.

Esohe: Radio Workshop, like mad.

Anytime I’m writing, I think, “If this were a Radio Workshop script, how would it be?” That’s my standard for a well-written script.

Listening to that podcast has also really trained my ear to recognise when narration should come in, when you should just let someone tell the story, and when you should keep quiet and let the silence linger for a bit.

There’s also the kind of music they use. They use similar kinds of music and sounds in every episode, but there’s something about those sounds that does something to me. It’s almost as if the beats are moving in a way that makes my heart follow the story.

When the story reaches a point where you’re wondering what’s going on, the beats change, and my heart starts moving along with them. Then I’m like, “Hey, what’s going to happen?”

So, I think they’re really, really, really good in that sense. Radio Workshop, like mad.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that changed your perspective on something?

Esohe: I’ll say I Said What I Said.

There are different stories that stuck with me, but one of them featured someone who had lived in an orphanage. It was so coincidental because that was also when I was reading An Abundance of Scorpions, which is about orphanages in Nigeria. I realised that I’d never thought about orphanages as places where children might be anything other than safe and well cared for.

There were also different stories about relationships between friends. I Said What I Said often features women as the protagonists in stories about friendships and romantic relationships.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that sent you down a rabbit hole?

Esohe: That would be The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. I can’t remember which rabbit hole I went down. I just know I was doing a lot of research. I think it was an episode about grass and how much water it can cost to maintain something that doesn’t really serve much of a function beyond being aesthetically pleasing.

If we’re talking about listening to a podcast, yes, it’s The Anthropocene Reviewed. If we’re talking about writing a podcast that sent me down a rabbit hole, it would definitely be the podcast I was writing for Voix. It’s called Nigerian Skies, although it hasn’t aired yet.

I don’t think I’ve ever done that much research for anything. The amount of research I did for that podcast was equivalent to the research I did for my bachelor’s degree. I was pulling out archival footage and every single thing I could find to understand the history of aviation.

I went back and, in the six months I spent writing that podcast, you could ask me anything about aviation in Nigeria, military aviation, civil aviation, and everything in between. I tracked down people I never thought it would be possible to track down for this podcast.

Damilola: What is a podcast you’d always recommend?

Esohe: I would always recommend Radio Workshop. For free, go and listen to them. I feel like they’re doing something that not a lot of people are doing in Africa.

I haven’t really found another narrative podcast channel on the level of Radio Workshop that covers different places in Africa. If anybody knows of one, they should tell me.

But Radio Workshop is always my go-to recommendation. It’s almost a reflex at this point. When someone asks me what podcast they should listen to, I say Radio Workshop.

Then I recommend Proxy with Yowei Shaw. Shaw because I want people to understand human connection.

Damilola: Mention your favourite podcast created by an African.

Esohe: My favourite podcast created by an African? I feel like somebody will turn up their nose at me, but it’s I Said What I Said.

That podcast is very good. My entire undergraduate and master’s projects were about Nigerian social psychology. As someone who spent all those years studying Nigerian social psychology and is still pitching a PhD on the same topic, when I tell you that I Said What I Said is good, I mean it.

But because it’s two women sitting down and talking, people don’t like it. They think, “Oh, it’s just gossip.” Go and listen with an open mind and understand the way people think.

Damilola: Can you list five people you’d like to see on the newsletter?

Esohe: Tanita Rahman, Kate Bailey, David Weinberg, Christabel Nsiah-Buadi and Mark Pagán

Duolingo French Podcast

The Jen Fulwiler Show

Proxy with Yowei Shaw

Radio Workshop

Other Men Need Help

I Said What I Said

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In this newsletter:

• The Curation: the list of podcasts mentioned in Chioke’s issue, with specific episodes to start with.

  Read the full interview to learn more about Chioke’s approach to audio storytelling.

dropped something exciting last week! Check out their Best European Podcasts of 2026 (so far) list and take the subscriber survey giveaway!

1. This American Life

Start here.

About this podcast

Each week we choose a theme. Then anything can happen. This American Life is true stories that unfold like little movies for radio. Personal stories with funny moments, big feelings, and surprising plot twists. Newsy stories that try to capture what it’s like to be alive right now. It’s the most popular weekly podcast in the world, and winner of the first-ever Pulitzer Prize for a radio show or podcast. Hosted by Ira Glass and produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago.

Status: Ongoing

2. abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast

Start here.

About this podcast

abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast guides listeners through immersive audio fantasies, recreating host Blake Pfeil’s experiences exploring abandoned spaces across the United States and around the world. Along the way, the show asks critical questions about American history and culture, community, economics, the environment, and mental health while encouraging folks to activate their imaginations as a tool for healing.

Status: Ongoing

3. Scene on Radio

Start here.

About this podcast

Scene on Radio is a two-time Peabody-nominated podcast that dares to ask big, hard questions about who we are—really—and how we got this way. Our latest is Season 7, Scene on Radio: Capitalism. Previous series include Seeing White (Season 2), looking at the roots and meaning of white supremacy; MEN (Season 3), on patriarchy and its history; The Land That Never Has Been Yet (Season 4), exploring democracy in the U.S. and why we don’t have more of it; The Repair (Season 5), on the cultural roots of the climate crisis; and Season 6, Echoes of a Coup, the story of the only successful coup d’etat in U.S. history, in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1898.

Status: Ongoing

4. Question Everything

Start here.

About this podcast

Question Everything is a weekly investigation into how the truth gets buried, distorted, and denied – and the ways people are fighting to make it matter again. Hosted by Brian Reed, of S-Town and This American Life.

Status: Ongoing

5. Weight For It

Start here.

About this podcast

Named one of the Best podcasts of 2023 by The New York Times, Vogue, and Vulture, Weight For It is a four-time Podcast Academy Award-winning narrative podcast that explores the ways we think about our bodies. Through personal storytelling and deep-dive interviews, host Ronald Young Jr. unpacks the navigation of the world around him that just doesn’t seem to fit.

Status: Last Updated Feb. 4

6. Here Be Monsters

Start here.

About this podcast

An independent podcast about fear, beauty, and the unknown. Since 2012. Hosted by Jeff Emtman and others.

Status: Ended

7. Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong’o

Start here.

About this podcast

Lupita Nyong’o knows what home feels like. But where exactly is it? In Mexico, where she was born? Kenya, where she grew up? Or the States, where she’s spent the past 20 years? Like Lupita, millions of Africans are spread out across the globe following family, searching for love, building futures and creating stories. It’s these stories – wild and messy, intimate and joyous – that she wants to hear.

Status: Ended

8. Our Ancestors Were Messy

Start here.

About this podcast

A recap of the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines and then history in pre-Civil Rights Era America. Host Nichole Hill takes her guests through the story of an ancestor in search of opportunity, adventure, love, and a way to beat Jim Crow. Along the way, these ancestors make messes that land them in the gossip columns of Black newspapers.

Status: Last Updated Jul 8

9. Love + Radio

Start here.

About this podcast

Nick van der Kolk’s Love and Radio features in-depth, otherworldly-produced interviews with an eclectic range of subjects, from the seedy to the sublime. Get inside the mind of a rogue taxidermist. Find out what it’s like to experience a stroke firsthand. Or spend time with an artist who gives away her life savings every night. You’ve never heard anything like it before.

Status: Ongoing

10. The Retrievals

Start here.

About this podcast

C-sections are the most frequently performed major surgeries in the world. So why do so many patients feel severe pain during them? Season 2 of the award-winning podcast “The Retrievals” is an investigation into this underreported problem — and the new effort to solve it. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

Status: Last Updated

11. Last Day

Start here.

About this podcast

This is a show about the moments that change us, fundamentally and forever. Each week, host Stephanie Wittels Wachs (Lemonada’s co-founder and award-winning queen of darkness and light) is sitting down with a new guest to explore happy/sad stories of survival, resilience and transformation. After three seasons of exploring the “last day” of people’s lives in an effort to understand mass epidemics, Steph was ready for a change herself. Some “last days” are hopeful. Some are tragic. But at the heart of every “last day” is also a new beginning. Laugh/cry with us.

Status: Ongoing

12. The Outlaw Ocean

Start here.

About this podcast

Where the law of the land ends, the story begins. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ian Urbina returns with a new season of his riveting podcast anthology, The Outlaw Ocean, which explores the most lawless place on earth — the vast unpoliceable ocean. This immersive audio documentary series brings together more than eight years of reporting at sea on all seven oceans and more than three dozen countries.

Status: Last Updated July 30 2025

13. City of the Rails

Start here.

About this podcast

When journalist Danelle Morton’s daughter skips town to hop trains, she follows her into the train yard and across America. Join Danelle as she travels the country to understand what drew her daughter into the hidden world of the railroads. Her guides are the rail cops, train engineers, and hobos she meets along the way, each of them with their own extraordinary tales of the beauty and brutality of the rails. A mother/daughter story unfolds across a landscape of vast open spaces and filthy backstreets, as Morton learns how railroads shaped the modern world - from creating our time zones and QR codes to the first lobbyists and unions. The story of the rails is the story of America, and through 10 episodes, Morton reckons with our history and her family history, as she tries what she can to bring her daughter home.

Status: Ended

14. The 11th

Start here.

About this podcast

The 11th is a podcast that publishes an entirely new issue on the 11th of every month. Inspired by the experience of opening a magazine you love every month and not knowing exactly what you will get, but trusting that something engaging and true will be there waiting for you. Many stories aren’t meant to be a 10-part series and don’t fit the format of a weekly show. The 11th is a home for those in-between ideas. Made up of reported series and personal journeys, fiction and musicals, deep investigative journalism and intimate conversations. Each issue, a different voice. Every month, something new.

Status: Ended

15. AfroQueer

Start here.

About this podcast

AfroQueer is a podcast about Queer Africans living, loving, surviving, and thriving on the African Continent and in the Diaspora.

Status: Ended

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• Part 1 - Meet the Curator: a conversation with our featured curator about their career and perspective on podcasting.

• Part 2 - Curated with Taste: recommendations by the curator according to specific prompts.

• Part 3 - The Curation: the definitive list of all podcasts mentioned in the issue.

Sitting in his busted Nissan Sentra, Chioke I’Anson listened to Scott Carrier tell stories on This American Life. It was the early 2000s and podcasts had yet to become the widespread medium they are today, but Chioke was already fascinated by what audio could do.

His interest in audio had begun years earlier with radio in college. It stayed with him through school and eventually resurfaced much later in his professional life, when a friend brought him a show idea titled Do Over. They developed and pitched it together, landing in the first NPR Story Lab. That experience led to Chioke becoming an underwriting voice for NPR and, eventually, to a deeper involvement in radio, podcasting and media education.

At Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was a professor, Chioke helped establish a community media center and developed podcast programming, workshops and the RESONATE festival. Since then, his work in audio has taken him from behind the microphone as an NPR underwriting voice to collaborations on shows including Everything Is Alive, Love + Radio and The 11th.

In this issue, l’Anson opens up his listening archive, reflects on the relationship between podcasting and academia and shares some of the podcasts that have shaped the way he thinks about audio, storytelling and the possibilities of the medium.

This issue has been edited for brevity.

Damilola: How did you first discover podcasting, and how did you get into creating podcasts?

Chioke: I was into radio when I was in college, just before podcasts really took off and became widely popular.

My interest in radio gradually became an interest in podcasts, and I was mostly a fan of storytelling in audio form. I kept up some kind of audio practice throughout my schooling, but it wasn’t until fairly late in my professional life, when I was a college professor in Virginia, that I became much more deeply engaged in podcasting.

At the moment I thought I was done with audio stuff, a friend came to me with a show idea. We developed it and pitched it around, and that pitch got us into the first NPR Story Lab.

At the first NPR Story Lab, we gave a presentation, and one of the people from NPR who worked on underwriting, which is like the non-commercial commercials at NPR, was in the room. He asked me to do an audition, and I got the job as an underwriting voice for NPR. This was quite something, and from there, I became much more engaged with the world of radio and podcasting.

What I also did here at the university was pitch an idea for a media center that would be open to the public and provide media education. Our local NPR station decided to fund the idea, so we built a community media center in the Institute for Contemporary Art here at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Through that initiative, I was able to start doing much more significant podcast programming, including a summer program, various online workshops during the COVID era, and a podcast festival called RESONATE.

Damilola: What draws you to podcasting as a medium for storytelling?

Chioke: I like the absence of context in audio. If you walk up to me with a story to tell me, I’ve already made so many judgments about what you’re up to. But if you tell me a story in audio, I don’t really have the opportunity to make those judgments. I just have to sit and listen, and I think listening is maybe the most intimate of acts.

Whenever you listen to something, the speaker and the headphones are very close. In production, the microphones are also very close to their subjects, so you’re getting this feeling of closeness, and I think the framework of concealment, the fact that you can’t rely on the things you see to play a role in the storytelling, produces different kinds of storytelling opportunities that can reward a good producer and reward you as a listener.

Damilola: How has podcasting and working in audio shaped your approach in academia?

Chioke: The language of academia in general, the voice or mode of expression you find in academic works like articles, books, and conference presentations, is terrible. It’s super annoying. It makes you sound pretentious and difficult to understand.

Audio that comes from good producers and storytellers has solved the problem of how to communicate through audio. I was always an advocate for learning to present in a way that was more palatable to the listener and more entertaining. And that played a role in the way I taught, as well as in the way I wrote and gave presentations.

To me, what we now call podcasting, or what we understand to be radio, the methods of communication that come from those fields, should be the default way academics learn to address each other and the public. I think academics have a lot to learn about communicating with the public, and podcasting can be a super useful tool.

But it’s not simply about opening the mic and starting to talk, because a lot of them do that, and that also sucks. Rather, it’s about learning how good audio producers arrange their stories, reveal information, and ensure that factual things get communicated properly.

Those are the lessons academics need to learn, and that was something I advocated for during my time as a professor.

Damilola: What was the first podcast that really stuck with you, and why?

Chioke: I remember listening to This American Life, particularly this guy called Scott Carrier. There was one episode where all the stories were Scott Carrier stories, and I thought they were so incredible. I remember sitting in my busted Nissan Sentra in the driveway, listening to that audio.

I was such a fan of This American Life when I discovered it in the 2000s, and it was the thing that helped me understand the potential and power of audio.

Damilola: What makes a podcast great to you?

Chioke: I think that it’s just a combination of the core idea, the storytelling, the sound design, and the audio quality. All of that has to come together to create something good, but the main thing is the core idea.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that you think is great?

Chioke: abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast, Scene on Radio, Question Everything, Weight For It with Ronald Young Jr., Here Be Monsters is in there as well. Lupita Nyong’o’s Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong’o podcast and, of course, a friend of mine, Nicole Hill, works on a show called Our Ancestors Were Messy. And then Love + Radio, which is probably the best podcast of all time.

Damilola: Why do you say Love + Radio the best podcast of all time?

Chioke: Love + Radio is a podcast about just the extremes of humanity. Later in my life, I met the producer of the show, Nick van der Kolk, and I was “yelling” at him about this one particular episode where there was a woman who was a big fan of Lord of the Rings. She watched the movies and then ended up writing erotic fan fiction about the Lord of the Rings actors. So then, on the episode, she read her erotic fan fiction featuring the actors from Lord of the Rings. I would challenge you to find another place where you could hear such a thing.

But the other interesting thing about this show is that even though they do fiction, nonfiction, and whatever else, they also treat these wild subjects with a good deal of compassion and empathy. I think it’s just a truly awesome show, and it has been around a very long time as well.

But crucially, if you listen to these shows, the thing that makes the show great is the core idea. The core idea is very strong. So then every episode is as entertaining as the last episode because the core idea is so good.

Damilola: What does a podcast having excellent production mean to you?

Chioke: For me, my baseline is just listenability.

There are a lot of boring academic podcasts that I would like to listen to because I’m a boring academic person, but you hit play, and they’re like, “Today on this Zoom tape, I’m talking to this person who has never heard of a microphone and is across the room,” and I’m like, “Yeah, I can’t listen to this.”

So for me, just the baseline is, what is the listenability of this podcast. Do you understand that microphones exist?

And then after that, everything just makes it better and better. Is it mixed super well? Then it’s going to sound great. Is there some really great sound design so that I feel the emotion that’s happening? Is the writing super cool? All that’s just extra that makes it better and better.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that has excellent production?

Chioke: The Retrievals, season two, episode one, about this labor and delivery nurse and the thing that she saw. It’s so good; it felt like watching a movie.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that changed your perspective on something?

Chioke: There’s a podcast called Last Day, and it’s from Lemonada. It’s by Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Her brother, I believe, died from a heroin overdose. And she made a show about addiction.

I’m not really a drugs person. I don’t care for drugs. It’s not my thing. So I also didn’t know a lot about drugs. I didn’t understand addiction or any of it. Listening to this show really helped me see the world of addiction, why it’s so serious, and what the challenges are. I would say that I never thought about addiction the same way again after I listened to this show.

Damilola: What’s a podcast that sent you down a rabbit hole?

Chioke: As someone who does research on Nicole’s show, Our Ancestors Were Messy, every episode often puts me in some kind of rabbit hole because she’ll be like, “What can you find on this?” And I’m like, “Uh-oh, here we go into the archives.”

But there is a show called The Outlaw Ocean. It points you to a simple fact that is also insane: most of the places you go, there is a set of laws that govern where you are. You go to Nigeria, you have the laws there. You come to America, you have the laws here. But if you go far enough out in the ocean, there ain’t no laws. So now the question is, what kind of crimes can happen in a place where there are no laws? It’s worth a listen for sure.

Damilola: What’s a podcast you’d always recommend?

Chioke: I always recommend Weight For It because I think that Ronald is just such a good articulator of his own experience. I think that it’s a pretty high bar for an autobiographical podcast project.

Another is City of the Rails. I can’t imagine someone listening to that show and not loving it.

I will often recommend specific episodes of The 11th, because there’s just a ton of amazing episodes on that show.

Damilola: Can you mention your favourite podcast created by an African?

Chioke: I really do love Lupita’s Mind Your Own podcast. I think that’s the best one that we’ve got going. If you’re encouraging Africans to think more about narrative podcasts, I’d definitely point them to that show, especially if they’re already listening to something like Radio Workshop.

Another one is AfroQueer.

Damilola: Can you list people you’d like to see on the newsletter?

Chioke: Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, Chenjerai Kumanyika, Anna DeShawn, Ngofeen Mputubwele.

This American Life

abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast

Scene on Radio

Question Everything

Weight For It

Here Be Monsters

Mind Your Own with Lupita Nyong’o

Our Ancestors Were Messy

Love + Radio

The Retrievals

Last Day

The Outlaw Ocean

City of the Rails

The 11th

AfroQueer

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In this newsletter:

• The Curation: the list of podcasts mentioned in Marion’s issue, with specific episodes to start with.

  Read the full interview to learn more about Marion’s approach to audio storytelling.

1. Radiolab

Start here.

About this podcast

Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. We ask deep questions and use investigative journalism to get the answers. A given episode might whirl you through science, legal history, and into the home of someone halfway across the world.

Status: Ongoing

2. Science Friday

Start here.

About this podcast

Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday is the source for entertaining and educational stories about science, technology, and other cool stuff.

Status:

3. Heavyweight

Start here.

About this podcast

Maybe you’ve laid awake and imagined how it could have been, how it might yet be, but the moment to act was never right. Well, the moment is here and the podcast making it happen is Heavyweight. Join Jonathan Goldstein for road trips, thorny reunions, and difficult conversations as he backpedals his way into the past like a therapist with a time machine.

Status:

4. Ghost Story

Start here.

About this podcast

Host Tristan Redman is a seasoned journalist who doesn’t believe in ghosts. But weird things happened in the bedroom he lived in as a teenager. When he discovers years later that subsequent occupants of the same house have been visited by the ghost of a faceless woman, he’s curious. Because it just so happens that Tristan’s childhood home is right next door to the house where his wife’s great grandmother, Naomi Dancy, was murdered in 1937 – killed by two gunshots to the face. Could there be a connection between the ghost and the murder? Tristan decides to investigate and soon finds himself going where no son-in-law should go, deep into his wife’s family history, asking questions no one wants answered.

Status: Ended

5. The White Saviors

Start here.

About this podcast

Over 25 years, WE built a golden brand by inspiring children to rally around their charismatic leader. But behind the scenes, employees experienced a cult-like culture and a troubling blur of charitable and commercial activities. In the aftermath of a national scandal, thousands of donors and volunteers (and dozens of ‘celebrity ambassadors’) are left wondering where the money went, and whether the savior industry creates a constant need for victims.

Status: Ended

6. White Coat, Black Art

Start here.

About this podcast

Trusted ER doctor Brian Goldman brings you honest and surprising stories that can change your health and your life. Expect deep conversations with patients, families and colleagues that show you what is and isn't working in Canadian healthcare.

Status: Ongoing

7. Tubby

Start here.

About this podcast

Tubby takes an unflinching, funny, and deeply human look at what it means to live in a body that feels too big—or never feels good enough. Each episode, Alan talks with friends, special guests, and occasional experts about weight struggles, body image issues, health, diet culture, self-esteem, and the reality of living fat. Sometimes sad, often hilarious, and always real, it’s a podcast for anyone who wants honest conversations about what it means to feel at home (or not) in your own skin.

Status: Last updated Feb 26, 2026

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• Part 1 - Meet the Curator: a conversation with our featured curator about their career and perspective on podcasting.

• Part 2 - Curated with Taste: recommendations by the curator according to specific prompts.

• Part 3 - The Curation: the definitive list of all podcasts mentioned in the issue.

Marion Gruner’s relationship with audio storytelling began as a listener. A longtime radio fan, she was drawn to the intimacy of hearing stories unfold without the need for a screen.

For most of her career, Marion worked in documentary film, picking up audio experience along the way through a handful of projects. But it was a practical need, working with smaller companies with limited budgets, that nudged her toward podcasting as another way to tell stories.

Part of the draw was the medium’s stripped-down nature: streamlined and creative, without the demands of video competing for attention. What began as an alternative eventually became a full-time move into podcasting, leading her to work as an Executive Producer at Lower Street, one of the leading podcast production agencies.

In this issue, Marion reflects on her journey in the medium, and the shows that have left an impression on her.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Damilola: What draws you to podcasting as a medium for storytelling?

Marion: I think the original draw was the audio-only portion of it. It was such a nice, refreshing thing. It sort of loosens the creative bonds because you’re untethered to the idea of video. I used to work for a storytelling organisation as well, and they were really focused on oral storytelling. What they always used to say was that storytelling loosens your mind and demands that you create your own pictures. So that’s what I really loved about the audio portion of it.

Of course, now a lot of podcasts have moved to video, and I enjoy that portion of it as well. You can play around with graphics or sets, and listeners get to know who the person is who’s guiding them through, so it feels like there’s a different layer to it. It’s a different experience, but there’s still the option of only listening, which I love.

Damilola: How has podcasting shaped the way you think about storytelling?

Marion: I think I’m probably just more focused on structure and how, every X number of seconds, you have to introduce something new and pull people in. It sort of becomes mathematical. I always think of it as pulling a rope. You’re pulling someone in. It’s like a tug of war for attention, so you have to keep your grip on the rope.

Damilola: What’s your favourite podcast you’ve created and why?

Marion: I guess it would have to be, for Lower Street, a show called Nickel and Crime, which I don’t even think is up anymore, unfortunately. It was up for a long time, and I think the company has taken it down recently.

It was a true financial crime podcast, mostly about scams or different sorts of white-collar, pink-collar crime, and how they all played out. It was very script-heavy, and the focus was to enlighten people about how these things work, but also help people to protect themselves.

Damilola: What makes a podcast great to you?

Marion: Hosting, writing, and audio. All three working together.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast you think is great?

Marion: One of my favourites that probably encapsulates all of those is Heavyweight. I love it because it’s just great storytelling, it’s good writing, it’s funny, and I love location-based stories where you’re in the room with the guest or the person telling the story, and you can tell they’re clearly not in a studio. That feels really authentic and cool.

It’s just regular people telling their story with a lot of assistance from a good producer, but it’s poignant and has a super satisfying payoff at the end. It’s a great conversation starter as well; I’ve listened to episodes with my son that we actually got into arguments about.

Damilola: What does excellent production mean to you?

Marion: To me, excellent production is writing. It is good hosting. Audio is important, but if the writing and the hosting are there, then audio that’s not great can be explained away or accepted by the listener.

Damilola: Can you mention another podcast that has excellent production?

Marion: Radiolab is the highest bar for sure. It’s incredible.

Another is a show called Ghost Story. It was a limited series, and it was so well done.

It was a ghost story, but also an investigation of a past crime, essentially. It was really creepy because of that ghost element, and it was beautifully done. The sound design was really lovely too, with location sound, in-studio recording, and beautiful music. It was just really fantastic.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that has changed your perspective on something?

Marion: There’s a show called Canadaland that does investigative work. They did a series called The White Saviors about volunteerism, focusing on two brothers who started a charitable organization.

It was a really well-put-together investigation. I feel like it should be shared because it also makes you think about how we view charity and global volunteerism. It was really thoughtful and well done.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that spun you into a rabbit hole?

Marion: There’s a show called White Coat, Black Art. It’s about medical issues, including things related to health, hospitals, disease, and research that you don’t necessarily think about.

They did an episode on women’s health and the fact that there was very little research done on women’s health. Most of the information we have about diseases comes from research done on men, so it doesn’t necessarily apply to women.

Damilola: What is a podcast you’d always recommend?

Marion: There’s a show that I just recently recommended. It’s hosted by a documentary filmmaker I really admire, a guy named Alan Zweig. He’s done several podcasts in the past and many documentaries, mostly from his own perspective.

He did this show called Tubby. It’s a series with a couple of seasons, and he talks about weight and about not fitting into a certain size that everybody expects. He speaks to different guests who are all sorts of different sizes about how they feel about themselves, what their experience of life is, and their perspectives on weight.

These are conversations that probably happen all the time, but I feel like mostly it’s women who talk about it. So it’s kind of refreshing to hear an older man talk about his weight. It’s relaxing but also thought-provoking, with lovely storytelling as well.

Damilola: Can you list five people you’d like to see on the newsletter?

Marion: Erin MacIndoe Sproule, Pippa Johnstone, Alex Bennett, Ben Crannell, Mel Webb Wilkonson.

Science Friday

Radiolab

Nickel and Crime

Heavyweight

Ghost Story

The White Saviors

White Coat, Black Art

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In this newsletter:

• The Curation: the list of podcasts mentioned in Sarah’s issue, with specific episodes to start with.

  Read the full interview to learn more about Sarah’s approach to audio storytelling.

1. The Daily

Start here.

About this podcast

This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro, Rachel Abrams and Natalie Kitroeff.

Status: Ongoing

2. Jungle Prince

About this podcast

For 40 years, journalists chronicled the eccentric royal family of Oudh, deposed aristocrats who lived in a ruined palace in the Indian capital. It was a tragic, astonishing story. But was it true? Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

Status: Ended

3. I Said What I Said

Start here.

About this podcast

I Said What I Said is one of Africa’s biggest podcasts, hosted by friends Jola (Jollz) and Feyikemi (FK) Abudu and they have been saying the quiet parts out loud since 2017.

Each week, they unpack pop culture, careers, money, dating, family and the many confusions of modern adulthood with brutal honesty, big laughs and zero pretending.

Status: Ongoing

4. The Diary of a CEO

Start here.

About this podcast

Welcome to The Diary Of A CEO where you'll find raw, human conversations with the world’s most fascinating experts, storytellers, thinkers and business leaders.

Status: Ongoing

5. Call Her Daddy

Start here.

About this podcast

The most-listened to podcast by women, Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy has been creating conversation since 2018. From deep, honest discussions to laugh-out-loud moments, Cooper cuts through the BS with exciting guests and bold topics. New episodes drop every Wednesday, with throwback episodes every Friday.

Status: Ongoing

6. The Town with Matthew Belloni

Start here.

About this podcast

Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni takes you inside Hollywood, using exclusive reporting and insight to explain the backstories on everything from Marvel movies to streaming wars. Multiple times each week, Matt is joined by major executives, dealmakers, and journalists, to discuss what is getting made and why, who is winning and losing, and what people in show business are actually talking about.

Status: Ongoing

7. Aspire With Emma Grede

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About this podcast

Build the life of your dreams and learn from the world’s most successful people. Emma Grede, one of America’s richest self-made women, wants you to make the most of your life. On ‘Aspire with Emma Grede', learn through thought-provoking conversations with some of the most successful and smartest minds on the planet, including goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, investor, philanthropist and former chair of Starbucks Mellody Hobson and international bestselling author and “On Purpose” podcast host Jay Shetty. Each episode will unpack their habits, philosophy and strategies, covering career advice, well-being, psychology and of course how to win in business.

Status: Ongoing

8. Black and Forth Pod

Start here.

About this podcast

King Kandoro & Munashe Chirisa get together to talk about things that they know absolutely nothing about. It might get weird, or dangerously close to defamation or terribly unsolicited but never boring.

Status: Last updated 22nd May, 2026

9. Mindful Mondays with Shudu

Start here.

About this podcast

Meeting you where you are, not where you're expected to be.

Status: Ongoing

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• Part 1 - Meet the Curator: a conversation with our featured curator about their career and perspective on podcasting.

• Part 2 - Curated with Taste: recommendations by the curator according to specific prompts.

• Part 3 - The Curation: the definitive list of all podcasts mentioned in the issue

Sarah’s relationship with podcasts began as a morning habit. While studying Journalism and Economics at NYU, she was drawn to the news and to the craft of telling stories about the world. She started each day with The Daily, and audio became another way to stay informed.

Her career took shape in documentary film. After starting at CNN International, she contributed to productions at Netflix, Sky, PBS and Peacock. So when Bar Afrique came along, she wasn’t necessarily looking to start a podcast.

Alongside her co-host and friend Line Talla (read her issue here), Sarah began turning their long-running conversations about African history, politics and autocracy into something others could listen to. Each episode follows a different African country’s road to independence.

In this issue, Sarah reflects on why podcasting made her a better storyteller, the show that convinced her audio can beat film, and what makes a podcast worth coming back to.

Damilola: What draws you to podcasting as a medium for storytelling?

Sarah: My 9-5 job is in documentary filmmaking. What we do in that world is very different because you spend years making one film. By the time you release something, you have gone over every single frame of it. You release it when it is perfect, and you’re happy with it.

I think podcasting has been the complete opposite for me because it’s such an imperfect medium, especially if you are releasing stories weekly. The pace at which you’re doing that does not allow you to be a perfectionist.

As a storytelling medium, it has really taught me to be much better at telling the story in the recording session, to alleviate the post-production work that would have to go afterwards.

Damilola: How has this shaped the way you think about storytelling?

Sarah: This is going to sound really terrible, but there’s something formulaic about storytelling.

I think whatever you’re doing, you do get to a point where you kind of figure out your own formula for how a story lands and the beats for it. So on Bar Afrique, my co-host and I have sat down and actually written our formula out. So we know how long you should spend on setup, how many cliffhangers you should have, and when you should be having them.

I know that’s an unsexy way of talking about storytelling, but I do think that there is a good way to tell a good story, and that you almost have to learn how to do it. That’s probably how it’s shaped my view on storytelling.

Damilola: What was the first podcast that really stuck with you, and why?

Sarah: There was this New York Times special called Jungle Prince. They released it maybe seven years ago now.

I still refer to it because I think it’s such a great achievement in storytelling. Everything from the fact that it was very high production, to the soundtrack that they had, to the sound effects, to the descriptions. I remember them talking about this prince; he walks around the crumbling palace, and his hair is so long, it drags on the floor behind him.

It was like stepping into this world that was so vivid. It was the first time I felt like, when you have a great story in a podcast, I think it can be more effective than that same great story in a documentary or as a fiction project.

Damilola: What makes a podcast a great one to you?

Sarah: Good audio. No, I mean for real, I’ll listen to anything, as long as the audio is decent.

Great storytelling. I like podcasts where there’s some kind of co-host or a host and a guest where there’s a great dynamic, and you can feel that chemistry. So I think that’s a huge one for me.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast you think is a great one?

Sarah: A reference point that my co-host and I had for Bar Afrique early on, we both loved I Said What I Said.

I could listen to them talk about buttering bread, honestly, because they have so much chemistry and create this environment where you feel like you’re their friend.

I think that’s one reference point that I always come back to, especially when it comes to chemistry and dynamics.

Damilola: What does a podcast having excellent production mean to you?

Sarah: I think it goes back to world-building. I love a podcast that can help you step into a world. I love a podcast that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I think that’s a benefit of the medium that you don’t really have in other mediums. You can have fun in a way that you are less able to in film, television, books.

I love a podcast that has almost like a tone to it. People get mad sometimes with us on Bar Afrique because, you know, we’ll talk about something really serious and then we’ll go into a tangent and just be laughing about something completely different.

People get mad because they’re like, “These are serious things.” But I think that’s why podcasting works. That’s how the conversation would go if the camera wasn’t there. That’s what we would be doing. No conversation is 100% sad. No conversation is 100% serious.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that changed your perspective on something?

Sarah: This podcast has been so controversial lately. I can see why people are criticizing it, but there are episodes of Diary of a CEO where, I will say, there are problems, but that podcast will challenge you mentally in a way that I really appreciate.

There was an episode where there was this man who had correctly predicted the last wars that had happened, and he’d been accurate all the way through. And then he just gets a whiteboard and starts explaining how he views the world moving in the next 12 months. And it was a bit dystopian and scary, but I love a podcast that can mentally challenge you and have you sit and really think about how you view the world.

Damilola: What criticisms have been out about the show?

Sarah: I think there’s been some conversation around a male-centeredness around the podcast that some people have not enjoyed.

Which I think, a podcast that gets as big as that podcast has gotten, will get very valid criticism and valid feedback. But I think that there’s been conversation more recently around that.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that spun you into a rabbit hole?

Sarah: Call Her Daddy. Line and I never really got it, to be quite honest. Maybe it’s because we’d always consumed it through clips, but at some point, we decided that we were doing ourselves a disservice as podcast creators by not understanding why Call Her Daddy is successful.

So we had a Call Her Daddy day. We watched full episodes, the Alex Cooper documentary, Googled things, and basically said, “We’re not leaving until we really understand what’s driving this podcast.”

I do think that was the deepest rabbit hole I’ve ever been in regarding a podcast, but I came away from it with a better appreciation for a podcast that’s able to create a community that is so engaged and so invested in the journey.

Damilola: What’s a podcast you would always recommend?

Sarah: There are a couple. Because I work in the film industry, the podcast I listen to the most is The Town with Matthew Belloni. I guess it’s the business of film. On a practical level, that’s probably the one that I recommend the most.

Lately, the podcast I’ve probably sent the most to people is Aspire with Emma Grede. I usually don’t like self-help. I find it quite self-indulgent. But as a woman of color navigating a lot of professional career moments, and working remotely a lot of the time, I feel like I don’t really have access to that many mentors.

What I find interesting is that my relationship to that podcast feels like a mentor-mentee relationship. It’s kind of this person being like, “Okay, this is how you hire. And this is the effect that dressing a certain way has, and this is how you should speak to an executive, and talk to successful people.” So I do think that more recently, that’s a podcast that I’ve been sharing.

Damilola: Can you mention your favourite podcast created by an African?

Sarah: I’m Zimbabwean, and there’s this podcast, the Black and Forth Pod. It’s basically these two Zimbabwean comedians who talk about current affairs in Zimbabwe in a way that’s incredibly funny, obviously, because they’re comedians.

It’s very informative, and they’re so unafraid. Being in Zimbabwe, the media and news environment can be a bit restricted, and I think they’ve stepped into that gap in a way that’s so fresh. They say things, and I’m like, “Oh my gosh, you can’t say that in Zimbabwe,” but they’re doing it, and it feels really exciting.

Mindful Mondays with Shudu is another one. She’s a friend of mine, and she started this podcast rooted in mental health. She’s South African, based in New York.

She interviews people and tackles questions about society, systems, how the world works, and all of that, but it’s really rooted in mental wellness. I think she’s found a really nice balance because talking about the world’s problems can sometimes feel stressful. At the end of a listen, I don’t feel existential dread.

Damilola: Can you list five people you’d like to see on the newsletter?

Sarah: Shudu Musida, King Kandoro (Munashe Kandoro) & Munashe Chirisa, and the producer of the Black and Forth Podcast, Debbi Romeo, producer of I Said What I Said Podcast.

Bar Afrique

The Daily

Jungle Prince

I Said What I Said

The Diary of a CEO

Call Her Daddy

The Town with Matthew Belloni

Aspire

Black and Forth Pod

Mindful Mondays with Shudu

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• The Curation: the list of podcasts mentioned in Line’s issue, with specific episodes to start with.

  Read the full interview to learn more about Line’s approach to audio storytelling.

1. It’s Been a Minute

Start here.

About this podcast

It’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Status: Ongoing

2. Code Switch

Start here.

About this podcast

What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between. This podcast makes all of us part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story.

Status: Ongoing

3. I Said What I Said

Start here.

About this podcast

I Said What I Said is one of Africa’s biggest podcasts, hosted by friends Jola (Jollz) and Feyikemi (FK) Abudu and they have been saying the quiet parts out loud since 2017.

Status: Ongoing

4. Focus on Africa

Start here.

About this podcast

Two essential stories to round off your working day. Explaining the news from Africa.

Status: Ongoing

5. The Republic

Start here.

About this podcast

The Republic is a narrative podcast series exploring pivotal Nigerian and broader African historical events and figures. In the second season, host Wale Lawal traces the life and legacy of writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. For much of the 90s, Saro-Wiwa led a non-violent movement against oil pollution in the Niger Delta’s Ogoniland. The Nigerian government, however, responded by arresting and later executing Saro-Wiwa and 8 other activists. How did this incident reshape Nigeria’s trajectory?

Status: Season 2 Ended

6. Throughline

Start here.

About this podcast

Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalist Rund Abdelfatah.

Status: Ongoing

7. In the Dark

Start here.

About this podcast

In the Dark, hosted by Madeleine Baran, is an award-winning investigative-journalism podcast that started in 2016. Its first season looked at the mysterious abduction of Jacob Wetterling in rural Minnesota and the lack of accountability that sheriffs face when they fail to solve cases. Season 2 examined the case of Curtis Flowers, who was tried six times for the same crime. In 2020, In the Dark released a special report on the coronavirus pandemic in the Mississippi Delta. In 2023, In the Dark joined The New Yorker and in 2024, it released “The Runaway Princesses,” a four-part series that asks why the women in Dubai’s royal family keep trying to run away. Season 3, released in 2024, asked why no one was punished for the killings of twenty-five civilians in Haditha, Iraq.

Status: Season 3 ended

8. What Now? with Trevor Noah

Start here.

About this podcast

Trevor currently hosts a weekly podcast titled What Now? with Trevor Noah. In this new podcast, listeners get a chance to hear Trevor like never before. Trevor is joined each episode by celebrities, thought leaders, athletes, and friends to chat about the contemporary topics on everyone’s minds. He brings the kinds of conversations that happen behind the scenes to light - full of radical candor, authentic back-and-forths, and honest reactions, with Trevor bringing to bear his classic, effortlessly playful and equally probing style.

Status: Ongoing

What does great taste sound like?

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• Part 1 - Meet the Curator: a conversation with our featured curator about their career and perspective on podcasting.

• Part 2 - Curated with Taste: recommendations by the curator according to specific prompts.

• Part 3 - The Curation: the definitive list of all podcasts mentioned in the issue

As an undergraduate at NYU, Line found herself drawn to podcasts like NPR’s It’s Been a Minute and Code Switch. At a time when she was figuring out what kind of journalist she wanted to become, she was captivated by the way both shows explored culture, identity and race with nuance and depth. She wasn’t interested in audio as a career, but she knew she wanted to tell stories that made people think in the same way those podcasts did.

Faced with a choice between video and audio journalism during her masters degree, Line chose audio simply because she didn’t want to be on camera. The course introduced her to recording, editing and the unique craft of telling stories for the ear. That experience quietly laid the foundation for what would come next.

Years later, a conversation with her longtime friend Sarah changed everything. After countless discussions about African history, politics, culture and society, Sarah posed a simple question: what if those conversations became a podcast?

The result was Bar Afrique, a history podcast that uncovers overlooked stories from across the African continent while introducing listeners to African spirits and drinking cultures, another often overlooked part of the continent’s heritage.

In this issue, Line reflects on her unexpected journey into podcasting, the joy of uncovering forgotten histories, and why she believes the best stories are the ones that make listeners want to keep coming back.

Damilola: What draws you to podcasting as a medium for storytelling?

Line: I think there’s something special about hearing a story rather than just reading it.

I love reading. I’m an avid reader and an avid writer. But I think podcasts create a unique avenue where the voice becomes part of the story. The intonation, the pauses, the emphasis, what you’re focusing on when you’re telling the story.

Podcasting has a way of drawing people in and making them stay in that moment because they’re in your ears. You’re in that moment with them.

Damilola: How do you think it has shaped the way you think about storytelling?

Line: When I think about reading and writing, I’m always looking to come away with something. A lesson, a feeling, a new thought, or a different perspective.

I’ve realised that I’m looking for those same things when I listen to podcasts.

When it comes to audio storytelling, though, the way stories are crafted is different from the written word. There’s a way of making sure your audience is completely immersed in what you’re saying that is important to consider.

It’s something Sarah and I think about when we’re working on our stories for Bar Afrique. You think about how to begin a story in a way that captures your listener. Where do I emphasise one thing but leave something else out? How do I become more descriptive in certain moments?

When you’re listening, you want your audience to imagine what you’re talking about.

Damilola: What was the first podcast that really stuck with you, and why did it stick with you?

Line: I mentioned NPR’s It’s Been a Minute and Code Switch. Those were the two podcasts that really stuck with me when I was first getting into podcasting.

Like I said, it was because of the way they talked about the topics I was interested in. They focus a lot on culture, identity, and race, and those are three things I’m deeply interested in. They inform how I move through the world as a Black African woman.

Now that I work in audio, I still refer back to them to think about how they tell stories in a way that has allowed them to remain as successful as they are.

Damilola: This is a trick question, but what’s your favourite podcast you’ve created, and why?

Line: Well, obviously Bar Afrique is the only podcast I’ve ever created.

But if we’re talking about a favourite episode, I really, really love one of the earliest episodes we did on the Malagasy Uprising.

I think it’s a story that hardly anyone knows about. The island of Madagascar, in general, isn’t an African country that many people know much about. It’s geographically out in the Indian Ocean.

I really loved working on that story because I had lived in Madagascar for two years when I was in high school and I had never heard about this history.

It wasn’t until we were working on Bar Afrique and I was researching stories that I came across the Malagasy Uprising, the story of how a group of Malagasy people rose up against the French colonialists in 1947.

It’s one of my favourite episodes because it’s so rare to hear stories like that from Madagascar, and I really enjoyed learning about it. I also found that people from Madagascar had never heard about it either, so they were grateful and appreciative that their history was being represented.

That’s one of the things I love about Bar Afrique. We get to tell stories that are so unheard of.

In the season we’re releasing right now, we have a lot of episodes like that, and I’m really excited for people to listen to them.

Damilola: What is your process for finding the stories and choosing which ones to tell?

Line: My background has always been very research-heavy. Both undergrad and grad school involved a lot of research, so I have that muscle for looking for things and digging into them.

For me, it usually comes down to picking a country and reading a lot. Sarah and I read so much. We’ll go through at least four or five scholarly articles, read books, and really immerse ourselves in the research. It’s so research-intensive that I think we sometimes gloss over just how much work goes into it because we’re so used to doing that kind of work.

Not every story has enough substance for an hour-long episode. You have to be discerning. Does this story have a main character, or main characters? Is there a conflict? What point in time is this happening? What does it tell us about our present? How have things changed since that moment?

Those are important questions because some stories are interesting, but not all of them are expansive enough for a full episode.

Then comes the story crafting, which is actually my favourite part. We’ve done all this research and gathered all this knowledge. Now the question becomes: how do we turn it into a story?

Working through that process is another skill in itself. I think both of us having backgrounds in journalism really helps because we’ve built those storytelling muscles.

Damilola: What makes a podcast great to you?

Line: I think what makes a podcast great is the chemistry between the hosts.

I think that’s fundamental because, in order to be intrigued by what’s being talked about, you also have to be intrigued by the people telling you the story. You want to trust them. Even if you don’t fully trust them yet, there has to be something that makes you want to keep listening to them.

I think when podcast hosts are able to create a space where the listener feels involved or part of the conversation, it makes for a much more incredible experience.

For example, I love the banter and chemistry between Jola and FK on I Said What I Said. They’re some of my favourite hosts, even though their podcast is completely different from mine. I love listening to I Said What I Said because you can tell they’re having fun, but they also know when to get a bit serious about certain topics. It’s always enjoyable.

I also think storytelling is important. Is the story being told in a way that keeps you engaged? Is it told in a way that makes you want to learn more about the topic? I think that’s really important.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that you think is great?

Line: I love The Republic podcast. It’s named after the publication, and it’s really focused on Nigeria. I think they tell Nigerian history in such an interesting way. I love that each season is focused on a specific theme or person. I enjoy listening to their podcast in the same way I enjoy reading stories from the publication.

I also really love NPR’s Throughline because I’m a history nerd. I love anything related to history. What I love about Throughline is that each episode focuses on a particular historical moment or period, but always finds a way to connect it to what’s happening in our current moment. I really love it when history can do that.

Whether it’s the history of migration or a single person like James Baldwin or Nelson Mandela, every episode is thoroughly researched and compelling. They also do a great job of incorporating guests.

Damilola: What does a podcast having excellent production mean to you?

Line: A podcast having excellent production means that you can tell the creators really care about the show they’re making.

That care comes through in what they decide to talk about, the music they choose to incorporate, if they use music, and how the episodes are formatted.

You can tell when someone has put a lot of work into what they’re doing. With podcasts, especially the ones I’ve mentioned so far, they’ve all got great production because there’s care, research, and a very clear format that they’re known for.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast you think has excellent production?

Line: I’d say NPR’s Code Switch. I really think it has great production because with each episode, you know what you’re in for. You know they’ve got a theme, and they’re reliable because you know the format. Even if the story is different, you know what you’re getting into.

I also think It’s Been a Minute has great production, and I think The Republic podcast has really great production as well.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that changed your perspective on something?

Line: I wouldn’t say it changed my perspective, but it definitely opened my eyes to something I generally knew about.

There’s an episode of NPR’s Code Switch where they talk about how race affects the way we’re perceived and treated when we seek medical care, especially as Black people. Medical racism exists, and I already knew that, but they really went into depth about how race science affects our experiences of getting healthcare in the Western world, where doctors are predominantly white.

That episode really opened my eyes to how dangerous medical racism is, particularly for Black people.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that sent you down a rabbit hole?

Line: In the Dark is an investigative journalism podcast.

I think I’ve listened to all of their seasons, but season three really stuck with me. In that season, the journalists investigate the killing of about 25 civilians in Iraq by soldiers in the US military.

It was a very heartbreaking and harrowing story. It’s probably one of my favourite pieces of investigative journalism that I’ve experienced in audio.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast you’d always recommend?

Line: Yes. I’d always recommend I Said What I Said.

I’d also recommend What Now? with Trevor Noah. I really enjoy that show. I think he has such a variety of guests, and I really like the way he asks questions.

I’d also recommend BBC News’ Focus on Africa because we don’t have many podcasts focused on current events across Africa. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to stay up to date with what’s happening across the continent.

History is always important, but it’s also important to understand what’s happening on the continent now. History informs the present, and being able to understand both is really important.

Damilola: Can you mention your favourite podcast created by an African?

Line: All the ones I’ve mentioned: I Said What I Said, What Now? with Trevor Noah, and The Republic podcast.

Damilola: Can you mention five people you’d like to see featured in this newsletter?

Line: FK, Jola, Trevor Noah, Madam Joyce, Brittany Luse, Mbiye Kasonga, Tembe Denton Hurst and Brooke DeVard.

It’s Been a Minute

Code Switch

I Said What I Said

Focus on Africa

The Republic

Throughline

In the Dark

What Now? with Trevor Noah

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• The Curation: the list of podcasts mentioned in Funbi’s issue, with specific episodes to start with.

  Read the full interview to learn more about Funbi’s approach to audio storytelling.

1. Modern Love

Start here.

About this podcast

For more than 20 years, the Modern Love column has given New York Times readers a glimpse into the complicated love lives of real people. Since its start, the column has evolved into a TV show, three books and a podcast. Each week, host Anna Martin brings you stories and conversations about love in all its glorious permutations, dumb pitfalls and life-changing moments.

Status: Ongoing

2. Freakonomics

Start here.

About this podcast

Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.

Status: Ongoing

3. No Stupid Questions

Start here.

About this podcast

Research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of "Grit") and tech and sports executive Mike Maughan really like to ask people questions, and they believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they have a podcast where they can ask each other as many “stupid questions” as they want. New episodes each week. "No Stupid Questions" is a production of the Freakonomics Radio Network.

Status: Ongoing

4. I Said What I Said

Start here.

About this podcast

I Said What I Said is one of Africa’s biggest podcasts, hosted by friends Jola (Jollz) and Feyikemi (FK) Abudu and they have been saying the quiet parts out loud since 2017.

Each week, they unpack pop culture, careers, money, dating, family and the many confusions of modern adulthood with brutal honesty, big laughs and zero pretending.

Status: Ongoing

5. People I (Mostly) Admire

Start here.

About this podcast

Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt tracks down other high achievers for surprising, revealing conversations about their lives and obsessions. Join Levitt as he goes through the most interesting midlife crisis you’ve ever heard — and learn how a renegade sheriff is transforming Chicago's jail, how a biologist is finding the secrets of evolution in the Arctic tundra, and how a trivia champion memorized 160,000 flashcards.

Status: Ongoing

6. The Best One Yet

Start here.

About this podcast

This is the best one yet (it's a TBOY). Feel brighter every day with our 20-minute pop-biz news podcast. The 3 business stories you need, with fresh takes you can pretend you came up with — Pairs perfectly with your morning oatmeal ritual. Hosted by Jack Crivici-Kramer & Nick Martell.

Status: Ongoing

7. The China in Africa Podcast

Start here.

About this podcast

Twice-weekly discussion about China's engagement across Africa and the Global South hosted by journalist Eric Olander and Asia-Africa scholar Cobus van Staden in Johannesburg.

Status: Ongoing

8. Love Letters

Start here.

About this podcast

Love stories. Dating stories. Relationship stories. Stories about romance, marriage, partnership, sex, loss, and the human heart. Served with a side of advice. Hosted by Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein.

Status: Ongoing

9. The Republic

Start here.

About this podcast

The Republic is a narrative podcast series exploring pivotal Nigerian and broader African historical events and figures. In the second season, host Wale Lawal traces the life and legacy of writer and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. For much of the 90s, Saro-Wiwa led a non-violent movement against oil pollution in the Niger Delta’s Ogoniland. The Nigerian government, however, responded by arresting and later executing Saro-Wiwa and 8 other activists. How did this incident reshape Nigeria’s trajectory?

Status: Season 2 ended

Every week, we ask the people who live and breathe podcasting —producers, writers, editors, and culture shapers— to share their journey in podcasting and the shows that have left a lasting impression long after the credits played.

In this newsletter:

• Part 1 - Meet the Curator: a conversation with our featured curator about their career and perspective on podcasting.

• Part 2 - Curated with Taste: recommendations by the curator according to specific prompts.

• Part 3 - The Curation: the definitive list of all podcasts mentioned in the issue

Academia was Funbi’s gateway to podcasting. The first show she discovered was Freakonomics. How? Because when she explored Apple Podcasts for the first time, it was only natural for her to search for one of her favourite subjects, Economics.

Five years later, while completing her Master’s degree, the final assessment for one of her courses was to create a podcast. Funbi was excited because she already loved podcasts. All she needed was to figure out how to make one. A friend of hers, who was a singer, introduced her to GarageBand and taught her everything she needed to know to record and edit a podcast.

It was that same knowledge of GarageBand that came in handy when she produced her first podcast in a professional setting. Just one month into a role at an international development consultancy, she realised that the in-depth articles on UK trade policy would be better experienced as a podcast. She pitched the idea to the company, and they approved it.

Over the years since, Funbi has gone on to script the award-winning The Republic and has produced a range of shows spanning culture, business, faith and public policy.

In this issue, she speaks to us about her journey into the podcast industry, and how curiosity continues to drive both her work and her creativity.

Damilola: What draws you to podcasting as a medium for storytelling?

Funbi: I think podcasting gives you a sense of people’s personalities. It’s another way of gaining knowledge.

It started for me with curiosity, and I’m still a curious cat. I love getting as much knowledge as possible. Podcasting was simply a different medium of learning and hearing other people’s perspectives without having met them or being in the same room as them.

Damilola: How has it shaped the way you think about storytelling?

Funbi: I think with podcasting, there’s no one format. You have the regular interview-style formats, like Steven Bartlett’s (Dairy of a CEO), with questions and answers. You’ve got narrative podcasts that are growing. You now have ASMR podcasts that people engage with.

You discover new things and different dynamics and because I listen to different kinds of podcasts and not just one genre, I might listen to one show today and a completely different one tomorrow.

What I find is that it always gets my creative juices flowing. Even when I create something of my own, even if it’s an interview-style podcast, I’m looking for ways to infuse more fun and wonder so it’s not too boring.

I’ll think, “Oh, I listened to this narrative podcast. This is what it did. How can I underlay some music here to make this conversation more interesting?”

Damilola: What was the first podcast that really stuck with you, and why did it stick with you?

Funbi: I mentioned Freakonomics earlier, but the other one I would talk about is Modern Love from The New York Times.

I am a big Modern Love girly. This was even before Miya Lee came on to do the storytelling for Modern Love. I discovered it when celebrities were the ones reading the stories and then telling you why they had selected them.

For me, Modern Love was, and still is, one of the best ways of understanding human connection and relationships.

They tell stories in a way that isn’t prescriptive. They’re not saying, “This is how you should live your life.” They’re saying, “This is how people are living life. This is how it’s impacting them.”

One episode that really stuck with me and that I’ve listened to several times was one that Stanley Tucci did. He read an essay about what it was like to be an older dad.

When we talk about age-gap relationships, people forget that with age-gap relationships comes age-gap parenting.

Stanley said that the essay was especially poignant for him because he became a dad again in his late fifties, going into his sixties. That episode made me tear up a bit. So yeah, that stayed with me for a long time.

Damilola: What’s your favourite podcast you’ve created, and why?

Funbi: I think each one I’ve done has had its own unique impact on me.

When I first started, my first independent podcast production work, The Wealthy Woman Podcast, was for a women’s community based in London. It was founded by three friends.

It was a community for women of African descent who were working in high-flying corporate roles, had left corporate to start their own businesses, or were rising through the ranks in the companies they worked for.

They wanted to create a platform and community for women of African descent and women of faith to discuss what it looks like to build wealth and build businesses in real time.

I really enjoyed that. Seeing the camaraderie between the three women, who had been friends for over ten years, and watching them create a space where other women like them could feel seen and heard while sharing the advice they wished they had received earlier was fantastic.

Each podcast I’ve worked on has been near and dear to my heart in some way.

Damilola: What makes a podcast great to you?

Funbi: A podcast has to engage me. Your ability to pull me into the story or the topic you’re discussing is what makes a good podcast to me. I try to bring that into what I create because I was a consumer of podcasts first.

So sometimes, as a producer, I put myself in the seat of a listener and ask, “If I were listening to this, would I enjoy it?” If the answer is yes, then keep going. If it’s no, then I ask, “What can I do to make it different?”

Damilola: Can you mention any podcast you think is great?

Funbi: They’ve gone on a break now, and I miss them. No Stupid Questions.

It is such a great podcast because it’s literally in the name. There are no stupid questions. Every silly question you could think of, or every question you thought was stupid, they’ve pretty much covered it.

Damilola: What does excellent podcast production mean to you?

Funbi: A podcast having excellent production means you feel like you’re in the room with them. You’re not just a fly on the wall.

Damilola: When you’re listening, what makes you feel like you’re in the room with them?

Funbi: I think that comes from the producer giving pointers to the hosts. It’s in how the conversation flows.

As you’re producing and recording, you have to remind hosts that there are listeners. They might not be in the room with you now, but you should imagine that they are. Draw them into the conversation, whether through a little aside that brings them into the fold.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that has excellent production?

Funbi: There’s one I’ve been listening to recently called The Best One Yet.

It’s a business podcast. It gives you the top three business stories, what’s happening on the New York Stock Exchange, and other business news.

It’s just so well produced. First of all, you wouldn’t think two white men would make me so giddy and have me kicking my feet over business news, but they do.

It’s so fun and fresh. It’s not financial jargon. It explains finance and the stock market in a way you can actually understand.

Damilola: Can you mention any podcast that changed your perspective on something?

Funbi: There was an episode of I Said What I Said a couple of years back. I think it was the episode they did with Tobi Hamilton.

She shared what it was like to go through a stillbirth. I think that was the first time I had heard a woman openly talk about that experience.

It was very heartbreaking, but I loved how openly she was able to share her experience.

Damilola: Can you mention a podcast that sent you into a rabbit hole?

Funbi: There was People I (Mostly) Admire, which is part of the Freakonomics Radio network. It’s hosted by Steve Levitt.

He interviews friends and acquaintances. There was one episode with — I think a mathematician or maybe a mountain climber. Someone doing something really interesting.

After listening to the episode, I went down a rabbit hole trying to find out who this person was and the work they had done. I was obsessed with them for that whole weekend.

After listening, I started looking up who the speaker was, why Steve had chosen them, how they did what they did, and everything else.

Damilola: What is a podcast you’d always recommend?

Funbi: I have a few that I always recommend when people ask me where to start.

The first is The Best One Yet. If you want to know what’s happening in business and the stock market, it’s fun. They even start each episode with a rap. They produced their own intro music, and it’s fantastic. I’d love to create something like that someday.

The second one I always recommend is No Stupid Questions. It’s fun and full of really interesting conversations.

Looking through my current library, I Said What I Said is always a consistent feature. I don’t listen to it as religiously as I did when I was younger, but I still listen every now and then, and I still recommend it.

If you want a podcast that will make you laugh while giving you a sense of Nigeria’s social and cultural climate, I’d recommend I Said What I Said. It’s a great podcast.

There’s also a newer podcast I’ve been listening to called The China in Africa Podcast. It covers what’s happening in terms of government relations, investment, and China’s role across the continent.

The last one I’d recommend is Love Letters by The Boston Globe. It’s similar to Modern Love, but it’s centred more around Boston and explores love, relationships, and human connection.

Damilola: Can you mention your favourite podcast created by an African?

Funbi: My favourite podcast created by an African was The Republic which focused on June 12.

I thought that was fantastic because I hadn’t seen anything like it before. I later got to work on Season 2, which was a complete fangirl moment. It was crazy. But Season 1 made me think, “Oh my God, I can’t believe we were able to produce something like this.”

Damilola: Can you mention five people you’d love to see on the newsletter?

Funbi: Ebiye Suowari, Calvin Wanguku and Kendall Breitman

Modern Love

Freakonomics

No Stupid Questions

I Said What I Said

People I (Mostly) Admire

The Best One Yet

The China in Africa Podcast

Love Letters

Some have come up as people’s first entry point into podcasting, while others have been mentioned as shows that turned the cogs in their minds. Regardless of the context in which they were mentioned, these are the podcasts that come to mean a lot to multiple people.

In this issue, I’ll be listing the top five most recommended shows on the newsletter and including excerpts of what past curators have said about them.

If you missed our post on the 3 Important Elements of A Great Podcast, you can catch up here.

Think someone you know would appreciate this newsletter? Send it their way!

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1. Radio Workshop

The African audio documentary show has been the most recommended podcast on the newsletter. Through thoughtful storytelling, it captures the lives of African youth and the many ways they navigate every facet of their human existence.

2. Fela Kuti: Fear No Man

The multi-award-winning podcast has been widely celebrated for its exceptional production and its vivid portrayal of the Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti. It is a great example of how audio can bring both a person and an era to life.

3. Search Engine

PJ Vogt’s Search Engine is one of those shows that leaves you thinking long after the episode ends. By following internet-age questions to unexpected places, it has broadened the minds of some of our curators and deepened the way they think about the world around them.

4. Radiolab

For many audio professionals, Radiolab was their introduction to the medium. It revealed just how immersive and inventive narrative audio could be and has, for over two decades, remained one of the defining shows in podcasting.

5. This American Life

Another podcast that served as an entry point into podcasting for many was This American Life. With its deeply human storytelling, it has long documented both the ordinary and extraordinary moments that shape American life.

Though these five shows have appeared multiple times, they are only a small glimpse into the many brilliant podcasts our curators have recommended over the course of the newsletter. Let them be your starting point into the wider world of great shows waiting to be discovered on Podcasts Curated with Taste.

One question I’ve asked in every interview is: What makes a podcast great? The responses have varied, but a few themes keep come up again and again.

Some patterns have emerged, and in this issue I’ve pulled together the three most-mentioned elements of what audio professionals believe make a great podcast. I’ve also included a few honorable mentions that came up in at least two interviews.

1. Your Host

Across many of the interviews conducted, the most frequent response to what makes a great podcast has been the host.

Gathoni Ngumba mentioned that there are certain podcasts she listens to simply because she likes the host, and on the flip side, Mayowa Idowu shared that there are podcasts he simply will not listen to because of who hosts them.

Beyond people’s personal feelings about a host, there are other qualities a host possesses that can directly shape the success of a podcast. Is your host knowledgeable about the subject matter of the show? Can they carry a conversation well? Are they able to present the podcast in an engaging way?

In his interview, Ayodeji Rotinwa stressed the importance of getting a good host or narrator, noting that it is a producer’s responsibility to keep interviewing until the right host is found.

Arielle also pointed out that chemistry between hosts is something she pays close attention to, adding that many of her favourite podcasts are hosted by people who are clearly friends. That ease, rhythm, and familiarity often translates into a better listening experience.

2. Its Purpose

The first step after deciding to create a podcast should be figuring out why you want to make one. Strip away the accolades, the perceived fun, or the pressure to simply have a show, what purpose do you want it to serve? The answer to that question informs every single decision you make about your podcast.

Andreea Coscai gave an example of how knowing the purpose of a project she worked on helped guide every element of it, right down to the branding of the show.

Similarly, Adaorah Oduah noted that a great podcast knows what it sets out to do and does not deviate from it.

Knowing your why also sharpens your understanding of how to respect the time and attention your audience is giving you. James Gilmore touched on this in his issue, pointing out that knowing what a podcast is for affects how it interacts with its audience. A podcast with a clear purpose is often more intentional in its choices, more considerate in its delivery, and ultimately more compelling to listen to.

3. The Structure

A story lives in its structure.

Jasin Bauomy said that a great podcast is one that serves the story best. It contours itself to the needs of the story, rather than forcing the story into a format it was never meant to fit. Does the story work best as a tightly produced narrative? Will it be strengthened by the use of tape and field audio? Or is it best told as a conversational show?

Structure is what helps a podcast make sense of itself. It determines pacing, clarity, emotional build, and how well a listener can stay with the story from beginning to end. A good structure doesn’t call attention to itself; it simply makes the listening experience feel natural and intentional.

There were also a few other elements that came up enough times to deserve an honorary mention: sound quality, storytelling, knowing your audience, and having a unique idea.

It goes without saying that none of these elements mentioned exist in isolation. Strong storytelling can be let down by poor pacing. A brilliant idea can fall flat if it is not shaped with a clear understanding of who it is for. And even the most compelling host can lose a listener if the sound quality makes the experience difficult to sit with.

If there is one thing these 21 conversations have reinforced, it is that there is no single formula for making a great podcast. But there are patterns. And there is a level of care that listeners can always feel. Whether it begins with the right host, a clear purpose, a structure that serves the story, or a distinct understanding of the audience, the best podcasts seem to know exactly what they are trying to do, and commit to doing it well.

In April we published “Curated for True Crime,” and in February, we launched the segment with “Curated for Love.”

This month, we have compiled a list of comedy podcasts to entertain you and make you LOL.

Read the first half of Curated for Comedy published yesterday, for more recommendations.

Enjoy!

1. Scam Goddess

Start here.

Recommended by Andreea Coscai as a podcast that sent her down a rabbit hole. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Scam Goddess is an award-winning comedy podcast dedicated to fraud and all those who practice it. Every episode, the Scam Goddess herself Laci Mosley (iCarly, Better Call Saul) covers the hottest scams on the streets today while also giving in-depth breakdowns of the wildest robberies, rackets, and capers throughout history. It’s like true crime, but without all the death—aka True Con!

Status:

2. Thirst Aid Kits

Start here.

Recommended by Adaorah Oduah as a podcast that sent her down a rabbit hole. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Thirst is natural… so let’s celebrate it! Join Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins as they dig deep into the various ways women express their thirst, asking: why do we desire who we desire? At a time when men are Not Doing Great, Bim and Nichole want to ask keep asking questions about Hollywood inclusion and opportunity, through illuminating and hilarious conversations with special guests, original fanfic designed to make you sit up, and of course [REDACTED]. Bring a straw… and come thirst with us.

Status: Feb 8, 2021

3. Who Shat on the Floor at My Wedding?

Start here.

Recommended by Lauren Passell as a podcast that has great production. Read her full interview here.

About this podcast

Who Shat On The Floor At My Wedding? was a question shared by brides Helen McLaughlin and Karen Whitehouse after they tied the knot on 11 August, 2018 on a boat in Amsterdam. It was a question that launched a podcast, which led to the hiring of unqualified detective Lauren Kilby, the purchase of a €99 lie detector, and the bothering of some of the world’s best forensic experts - all in an attempt to find out “poo dunnit”.

For season 2, the investigative trio take on a brand new mystery set in Sweden (Scandi Noir if you will) called The Case Of The Tiny Suit/Case.

For season 3, the unqualified detectives attempt to solve real non-crime crimes and ridiculous mysteries submitted by YOU - our precious listeners. Their selection criteria for new cases is simple: “Anything the police laugh at is a case for us.” And because ‘time is money’, all cases need to be cracked within 24 hours.

Status: Last updated Feb 26 2026

4. Heavyweight

Start here.

Recommended by Lauren Passell in response to the question: “What is a podcast you would always recommend?” Read her full interview here.

About the podcast

Maybe you’ve laid awake and imagined how it could have been, how it might yet be, but the moment to act was never right. Well, the moment is here and the podcast making it happen is Heavyweight. Join Jonathan Goldstein for road trips, thorny reunions, and difficult conversations as he backpedals his way into the past like a therapist with a time machine.

Status: Ongoing

5. Fuck Buddies

Start here.

Recommended by Kattie Laur as a podcast with excellent production. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Welcome to F*ck Buddies, the dating and sex advice podcast setting out to smash toxic masculinity and rape culture. We’re here to answer all of your sticky, sexy questions!

Status: Ongoing

6. Las Culturistas

Start here.

Recommended by James Gilmore as a podcast that has excellent production. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Status: Ongoing

7. The Breakfast Club

Start here.

Recommended by Tony Doe

About this podcast

“The World’s Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!”

Status: Ongoing

8. 2 Broke Twimbos

Start here.

Recommended by Gathoni Ngumba as her favourite podcast created by an African. Read the full interview here.

About the podcast

What do you get when you combine two Zimbabweans with absolutely no financial muscle nor any real life influence? When all they possess is body odour & Twitter accounts? Welcome to 2 Broke Twimbos.

Status: Ongoing

9. Good Hang with Amy Poehler (The Ringer)

Start here.

Recommended by Arielle Nissenblatt as a great podcast. Read her full interview here.

About the podcast

Come hang with Amy Poehler. Each week on her podcast, she’ll welcome celebrities and fun people to her studio. They’ll share stories about their careers, mutual friends, shared enthusiasms, and most importantly, what’s been making them laugh. This podcast is not about trying to make you better or giving advice. Amy just wants to have a good time.

Status: Ongoing

10. Imaginary Advice

Start here.

Recommended by Lauren Passell as a great podcast. Read her full interview here.

About the podcast

Experiments in audio fiction | Anthology series by Ross Sutherland Tribeca Independent Fiction Award 2025 (for “They Will / They Won’t”) British Podcast Award Winner: Best Fiction Series “Few people are as skilled at turning moments of regret into transcendent, artistic works (…) One of podcasting’s brightest lights” —AV Club “As close as you can get to an audible psychedelic trip” —Stylist “Sutherland’s laboratory for various experiments in audio fiction, full of strange excursions and sublime turns of phrases” —Vulture, Ten Essential Fiction Podcasts that Shaped the Genre

Status: On Hiatus (Last updated Feb 25 2026)

11.Our Ancestors Were Messy

Start here.

Recommended by Mike Rahfaldt as a podcast that has excellent production. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

A recap of the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that made headlines and then history in pre-Civil Rights Era America. Host Nichole Hill takes her guests through the story of an ancestor in search of opportunity, adventure, love, and a way to beat Jim Crow. Along the way, these ancestors make messes that land them in the gossip columns of Black newspapers.

Status: Last updated April 8 2026

12.So True

Start here.

Recommended by James Gilmore as a podcast that has excellent production. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Weekly podcast from beloved gay comedian Caleb Hearon. basically just getting into it and sorting it all out and kind of identifying what’s really real. A Wave series.

Status: Ongoing

In April we published “Curated for True Crime,” and in February, we launched the segment with “Curated for Love.”

This month, we have compiled a list of comedy podcasts to entertain you and make you LOL.

Enjoy!

1. Ridiculous Crime

Start here.

Recommended by Gathoni Ngumba in response to the question: “Can you mention a podcast that has pulled you into a rabbit hole?” Read her full interview here.

About this podcast

True Crime is more than blood, guts, mayhem, and murder. Zaron Burnett and Elizabeth Dutton share outlandish tales of capers, heists, and cons that shine a light on the absurd and outrageous side of criminality. Always 99% murder-free and 100% ridiculous, this is Ridiculous Crime, a podcast by iHeartRadio.

Status: Ongoing

2. Sibling Rivalry

Start here.

Recommended by Jill Achineku in response to the question: “Can you mention other podcasts that has excellent production?” Read her full interview here.

About the podcast

Monét X Change, Miss Congeniality of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10 and winner of AS4 and Bob The Drag Queen, winner of Season 8 (she won the first time) are not actually siblings but they are the intensely hilarious comedy duo with infectious chemistry behind the hit podcast Sibling Rivalry.

Status: Ongoing

3.No Such Thing

Start here.

Recommended by Arielle Nissenblatt in response to the question: “Can you mention some narrative podcasts that you think are great?” Read her full interview here.

About the podcast

Join Manny, Noah, and Devan — three best friends and journalists — as they settle dumb arguments by actually doing the research.

Each week, they start with a debate or discussion. Why don’t men ask follow up questions? Should schools ban phones? Is dating an AI chatbot cheating? Then, they go out into the world, talk to experts, conduct experiments, and find the answer.

NO SUCH THING is an explainer podcast about pop culture, the internet, and whatever weird thing your group chat can’t agree on. If you’ve ever had a take so strong you had to fact-check it, this show is for you.

Status: Ongoing

4. Secretly Incredibly Fascinating

Start here.

Recommended by Arielle Nissenblatt in response to the question: “Can you mention a podcast that sent you into a rabbit hole?” Read her full interview here.

About the podcast

A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way! (For research sources, bonus episodes, and how you can support the podcast, visit sifpod.fun.)

Status: Ongoing

5. Text Me Back With Lindy West And Meagan Hatcher-Mays

Start here.

Recommended by Lauren Passell as a podcast she will always recommend. Read her full interview here.

About this podcast

Bestselling writer Lindy West and democracy policy expert Meagan Hatcher-Mays are two Award-Winning Best Friends From High School (Most Likely To Make You Laugh in their high school senior poll - sorry to intimidate you!). Each week, Lindy and Meagan hilariously digest what’s going on in the news, their lives and their text threads with their singular combination of political smarts, embarrassing sincerity, and a truly concerning level of investment in pop culture. Text Me Back is a podcast about best friendship and making your favorite people laugh, even when this dumpster fire of a world gets you down.

Status: Ongoing

6. The Daily Zeitgeist

Start here.

Recommended by Lauren Passell in response to the question: “What is a podcast you would always recommend?” Read her full interview here.

About this podcast

There’s more news and less comprehension today than any historical period that didn’t involve literal witch trials, and trying to stay on top of it all can feel like playing a game of telephone with 30 people, except everyone’s speaking at the same time and like a third of them are openly racist for some reason. From Cracked co-founder Jack O’Brien, THE DAILY ZEITGEIST is stepping into that fray with some of the funniest and smartest comedic and journalistic minds around. Jack and co-host Miles Gray spend up to an hour every weekday sorting through the events and stories driving the headlines, to help you find the signal in the noise, with a few laughs thrown in for free.

Status: Ongoing

7. We’re Here to Help

Start here.

Recommended by Lauren Passell as a podcast that has great production. Read her full interview here.

About the podcast

Jake Johnson (New Girl, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Gareth Reynolds (The Dollop) don’t feel qualified to give strangers good advice. Most of their friendship over the last 15 years has been based around dumb bits, but they do (for better or worse) want to try to help people out. Like your friendly local bartender or your tipsy uncle at a family gathering, Jake and Gareth are on the caller’s side and trying to help. Each episode, the guys make several pitches to callers (whose questions range from trivial to serious) with their best attempts of advice. They can’t promise their suggestions will be perfect, but it will be the best they’ve got. Jake and Gareth also occasionally bring on a friend, peer or even an expert to help along the way.

Status: Ongoing

8. Too Scary; Didn’t Watch

Start here.

Recommended by Nichole Hill as a great podcast. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

A horror movie recap podcast for those too scared to watch for themselves; hosted by Emily Gonzalez, Henley Cox and Sammy Smart. New episodes every Wednesday!

Statue: Ongoing

9. Pour Minds

Start here.

Recommended by Adaorah Oduah as a podcast she’d always recommend. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Two single Houstonians residing in Atlanta, Drea and Lex are navigating their way through life, friendships and dating. Discussing all the hot topics while getting lit on their favorite wine along the way! Just like having a good ol’ drunk therapy session with your friends, pull up a chair, join the convo and wine down!

Status: Ongoing

10. Ologies with Alie Ward

Start here.

Recommended by Adaorah Oduah as a great podcast. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Volcanoes. Trees. Drunk butterflies. Mars missions. Slug sex. Death. Beauty standards. Anxiety busters. Beer science. Bee drama. Take away a pocket full of science knowledge and charming, bizarre stories about what fuels these professional -ologists’ obsessions. Humorist and science correspondent Alie Ward asks smart people stupid questions and the answers might change your life.

Status: Ongoing

11. Bar Afrique

Start here.

Recommended by Andreea Coscai as her favourite podcast created by an African. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

These are the stories about African independence that you’ve never heard of, told over a drink... or three.

Status: Last updated Dec 2 2025

12. Let’s Make a Horror

Start here.

Recommended by Andreea Coscai as a podcast that has excellent production. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Comedians Mark Chavez, Maddy Kelly, and Ryan Beil will make you laugh while they try to make you scream. Over 10 episodes, Mark, Maddy, and Ryan will learn what it takes to make truly frightening horror, interviewing Hollywood writers, directors, and enthusiasts; probing their deepest fears; and eventually taking a stab at writing and directing their own shocking short film.

Status: Last updated Dec 12, 2023

13.Stay Hydrated

Start here.

Recommended by James Gilmore as a great podcast. Read the full interview here.

About this podcast

Join Chris Hall and his sister Lizzie as they dive deep into the corners of pop culture to see what the culture that has popped says about us. Joined by friends from across music, social media, TV and more, every week they talk about everything, and yet at the same time, somehow nothing - from the nostalgic to the chronically current.

Status: Ongoing