10 Podcasts that are Changing the Game on Storytelling
The podcast phenomenon is nothing new. The easy-to-consume format can be inserted within any situation in our busy lives.
Whether it’s a quick 15 minutes while you walk the dog or a full hour commute to work… these stories, when done well, connect us on an emotional level and are changing the storytelling landscape for the better. With over 700,000 active podcasts out there, finding a good one can be tricky. Lucky for you, I have narrowed down my personal Top 10 faves that have captivated my attention and ears over the last few years.
SERIAL – Season 1 (NPR)
THEME
True Crime, Investigation
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
A high-school senior named Hae Min Lee disappeared one day after school in 1999, in Baltimore County, Maryland. A month later, her body was found in a city park. She'd been strangled. Her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for the crime, and within a year, he was sentenced to life in prison. The case against him was largely based on the story of one witness, Adnan’s friend Jay, who testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae's body. But Adnan has always maintained he had nothing to do with Hae’s death. Some people believe he’s telling the truth. Many others don’t.Host, Sarah Koenig sorted through thousands of documents, listened to trial testimony and police interrogations, and talked to everyone she could find who remembered what happened between Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee. She discovered that the trial covered up a far more complicated story than the jury – or the public – ever got to hear. The high school scene, the shifting statements to police, the prejudices, the sketchy alibis, the scant forensic evidence — all of it leads back to the most basic questions: How can you know a person’s character? How can you tell what they’re capable of? In Season One of Serial, she looks for answers.
WHY I LIKED IT
One of the first podcasts I ever listened to years ago, this story/investigation is told so vividly through interviews with former classmates, witnesses, and even Adnan himself from prison. It will make you question everything as you go back and forth on whether he did it. This is one of the top podcasts of all time and a must listen for any newbie.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
S-TOWN (NPR)
THEME
True Crime, Mystery
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
S-Town is a podcast from Serial and This American Life, hosted by Brian Reed, about 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.
WHY I LIKED IT
The storytelling in this podcast is right up there with Serial, which makes sense since they come from the same people. But the difference is that, what starts out how you think a typical crime podcast is going to go (murder, whodunit, etc.) ends up being a beautiful story on life.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
THE HABITAT (Gimlet)
THEME
Science, True Life
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
On a remote mountain in Hawaii, there's a fake planet Mars. Six volunteers are secluded in an imitation Mars habitat where they will work as imitation astronauts for one, very real, year. The goal: to help NASA understand what life might be like on the red planet—and plan for the day when the dress rehearsals are over, and we blast off for real. Host Lynn Levy has been chronicling this experiment from the moment the crew set foot in their habitat, communicating with them through audio diaries that detail their discoveries, their frustrations, and their evolving and devolving relationships with each other. From those diaries, Gimlet Media has crafted an addictive serialized documentary: the true story of a fake planet.
WHY I LIKED IT
This is the true story of six strangers, who are picked to live in a Mars simulation house and have their lives tape recorded. Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real. Okay it isn’t quite “The Real World”.... these people are highly intelligent professionals who have dedicated a year of their lives to live like astronauts. The results are not only entertaining, but fascinating as you really do feel like they are up in space.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
DIRTY JOHN (Los Angeles Times)
Theme
True Crime
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
Debra Newell is a successful interior designer. She meets John Meehan, a handsome man who seems to check all the boxes: attentive, available, just back from a year in Iraq with Doctors Without Borders. But her family doesn’t like John, and they get entangled in an increasingly complex web of love, deception, forgiveness, denial, and ultimately, survival. Reported and hosted by Christopher Goffard from the L.A. Times.
WHY I LIKED IT
Scandal, money, greed, drugs… and just downright creepy. This story had me on the edge of my seat as I listened in weekly. A successful single mother just wants to fall in love again and is willing to overlook A LOT in order to make it happen. John is the villain master manipulator who will stop at NOTHING to get what he wants. You hear from Debra, her mother, daughters, and more as they tell the story of the dangerous man they came to know as “John”. Also they made this podcast into a series on Bravo, so you know it must be somewhat salacious.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
DR. DEATH (Wondery)
THEME
True Crime, Medical
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
We’re at our most vulnerable when we go to our doctors. We trust the person at the other end of that scalpel. We trust the hospital. We trust the system. Dr. Christopher Duntsch was a neurosurgeon who radiated confidence. He claimed he was the best in Dallas. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. But soon his patients started to experience complications. And all they had to protect them was a system ill equipped to stop the madness. From Wondery, the network behind the hit podcast Dirty John, DR. DEATH is about a medical system that failed to protect these patients at every possible turn. Reported and hosted by Laura Beil.
WHY I LIKED IT
This story could happen to anybody. My husband had to stop listening, for fear he wouldn't be able to trust a doctor again. The thing I found most interesting though, was Chris' intense determination to achieve ANYTHING he put his mind to… at the risk of ANYBODY.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
COLD (KSL)
THEME
True Crime
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
Susan Powell vanished on Dec. 7, 2009. Her body has never been found. From the beginning, West Valley City, Utah police suspected Susan's husband, Josh Powell, had murdered her. They never arrested him. COLD dives deep into the case files, uncovering never-before-heard details. You'll learn why Susan stayed with an abusive husband, why Josh did what he did and how the justice system failed Susan and her two boys.
WHY I LIKED IT
I had heard of this story prior to listening because of my last name (Powell) and it takes place in Washington (where I live), but didn’t know much beyond that. It is fascinating as the podcasts retraces their story through audio and actual journals that Josh and Susan kept through the demise of their relationship and beyond. I recommend not looking up how it ends and just experiencing the story through the show.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
THE DROPOUT (ABC Radio)
THEME
True Crime, Science
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
Money. Romance. Tragedy. Deception. The story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos is an unbelievable tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. How did the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire lose it all in the blink of an eye? How did the woman once heralded as “the next Steve Jobs” find herself facing criminal charges — to which she pleaded not guilty — and up to 20 years in jail? How did her technology, meant to revolutionize healthcare, potentially put millions of patients at risk? And how did so many smart people get it so wrong along the way? ABC News chief business, technology and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, along with producers Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson, take listeners on a journey that includes a three-year-long investigation. You’ll hear exclusive interviews with former employees, investors, and patients, and for the first-time, the never-before-aired deposition testimony of Elizabeth Holmes, and those at the center of this story.
WHY I LIKED IT
While this is also True Crime, nobody is physically hurt or killed in this show (whew). It instead details the story of a power-hungry young woman’s quest to become the next Steve Jobs of the medical field. Her idea was so simple and seemed so pure that she fooled everyone and then lost it all when her lies and deception became too great.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
THIS IS LOVE (Radiotopia)
THEME
Love, Stories, People
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
From the makers of the award-winning podcast Criminal, “This is Love” investigates life’s most persistent mystery. Stories of sacrifice, obsession, and the ways in which we bet everything on each other.
WHY I LIKE IT
I just started listening to this podcast and am enamored with the storytelling and general sweetness of people’s recollection of their great loves. This so far has been a “feel good” podcast that will make even the blackest of hearts believe in love again.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
THE DAILY (The New York Times)
THEME
News, Current Events
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
This is how the news should sound. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, hosted by Michael Barbaro and powered by New York Times journalism.
WHY I LIKE IT
The daily focuses on a hot news topic each morning, interviewing the reporters closest to the story. With everything going on in the world, they somehow break it down so anybody can understand what is going on.
LISTEN HERE 🡥
THE POWELL MOVEMENT
THEME
Sports, Action Sports
PODCAST DESCRIPTION
The Powell Movement is the podcast that pushes the envelope and is designed to be the go-to show for sports enthusiasts who want to know what it takes to achieve success.
WHY I LIKE IT
I am (of course) biased, because this is my husband’s podcast, but it truly is a must listen for anybody who enjoys action sports. After 20 years at K2 Sports, Mike’s connections to world-class athletes and industry experts are unparalleled. His interviews will have you laughing out loud as guests recall some of their highest of highs and lowest of lows. With over 125 guests... he's got an athlete for anybody (ski, snowboard, skateboard, inline, mountain biking, etc.). Some of his biggest include Ski legend, Glen Plake and Pearl Jam bassist, Jeff Ament, among many others.