Podcasts by women
July 25, 2016 12:14 PM Subscribe
I am in need of a few additional podcasts and as nearly all of the podcasts I listen to are hosted by guys, I would like some recommendations of podcasts by women. See below the fold for my interests and my current podcasts.
I am open to podcasts on other topics but these tend to be the things I am most interested in. I am not particularly interested in topical/news podcasts
RPGs - system agnostic: Ken and Robin Talk about Stuff, Happy Jacks
History: Rex Factor, Saga Thing
Soccer: Spanish Football Podcast, Football Weekly
Food: Special Sauce
Urbanism: Phila-state, There Goes the Neighborhood [sadly short lived]
General nerdery: Radio Free Burrito, Unattended Consequences
Thanks!
I am open to podcasts on other topics but these tend to be the things I am most interested in. I am not particularly interested in topical/news podcasts
RPGs - system agnostic: Ken and Robin Talk about Stuff, Happy Jacks
History: Rex Factor, Saga Thing
Soccer: Spanish Football Podcast, Football Weekly
Food: Special Sauce
Urbanism: Phila-state, There Goes the Neighborhood [sadly short lived]
General nerdery: Radio Free Burrito, Unattended Consequences
Thanks!
Best answer: Invisibilia is "...about the invisible forces that control human behavior – ideas, beliefs, assumptions and emotions." Hosted by three women (Lulu Miller, Hanna Rosin and Alix Spiegel), and it's amazing.
posted by jasper411 at 12:25 PM on July 25, 2016 [9 favorites]
posted by jasper411 at 12:25 PM on July 25, 2016 [9 favorites]
Strong Opinions Loosely Held is a new favorite of mine.
And I know you said you've got your fill of guys, but the guys who do Stuff You Should Know have a decidedly feminist bent (they rail against stuff like the vocal fry backlash) and they're very entertaining.
Seconding Invisibilia.
posted by cooker girl at 12:26 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
And I know you said you've got your fill of guys, but the guys who do Stuff You Should Know have a decidedly feminist bent (they rail against stuff like the vocal fry backlash) and they're very entertaining.
Seconding Invisibilia.
posted by cooker girl at 12:26 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
History: Stuff You Should Know's Stuff You Missed In History Class
Also sort of history and news and social justice: Criminal
Human behavior, but story-based, sort of TAL-ish but better: Invisibilia
Politics, pop culture: Another Round (everyone should be listening to Another Round)
General Nerdery: The Allusionist (language/etymology)
Pop culture, sort of: Crybabies
posted by Lyn Never at 12:27 PM on July 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
Also sort of history and news and social justice: Criminal
Human behavior, but story-based, sort of TAL-ish but better: Invisibilia
Politics, pop culture: Another Round (everyone should be listening to Another Round)
General Nerdery: The Allusionist (language/etymology)
Pop culture, sort of: Crybabies
posted by Lyn Never at 12:27 PM on July 25, 2016 [6 favorites]
History: You Must Remember This (early Hollywood history)
posted by chaiminda at 12:28 PM on July 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by chaiminda at 12:28 PM on July 25, 2016 [7 favorites]
I couldn't decide if I should include my favorite food podcast even though it's a woman and a man, but it's short and funny: Spilled Milk.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:30 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 12:30 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The Specialist, hosted by Casey Miner. It's great!
posted by veery at 12:36 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by veery at 12:36 PM on July 25, 2016
Definitely The Specialist and Invisibilia! I also agree that everyone should listen to Another Round.
Fresh Air with Terry Gross has top-notch interviews. The woman is a public radio pioneer.
Science Vs. just moved to Gimlet Media and is about to launch another season. I heard a rough cut of the first Gimlet episode and it's so interesting!
Stuff Mom Never Told you is a mix of history and cultural commentary. Conversational, well-researched, with the occasional interview.
posted by radioamy at 12:52 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Fresh Air with Terry Gross has top-notch interviews. The woman is a public radio pioneer.
Science Vs. just moved to Gimlet Media and is about to launch another season. I heard a rough cut of the first Gimlet episode and it's so interesting!
Stuff Mom Never Told you is a mix of history and cultural commentary. Conversational, well-researched, with the occasional interview.
posted by radioamy at 12:52 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Seconding The Allusionist and Gastropod. Good Job, Brain! is a trivia podcast; the host is female, the overall group is two men and two women. Flash Forward is a podcast about the future.
posted by madcaptenor at 12:52 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by madcaptenor at 12:52 PM on July 25, 2016
Less Than Or Equal is a podcast hosted by Aleen Simms about diversity and inclusion in geekdom.
posted by zamboni at 12:54 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by zamboni at 12:54 PM on July 25, 2016
Best answer: For food you might like Food52's Burnt Toast.
General nerdery: Nerdette, Galactic Suburbia.
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:57 PM on July 25, 2016
General nerdery: Nerdette, Galactic Suburbia.
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:57 PM on July 25, 2016
Strangers is wonderful
Death, Sex and Money
The Allusionist
Mystery Show is GREAT.
All hosted by super talented women and all are highly compelling
posted by JenThePro at 1:02 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Death, Sex and Money
The Allusionist
Mystery Show is GREAT.
All hosted by super talented women and all are highly compelling
posted by JenThePro at 1:02 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Dork Forest is good for general nerdery. Jackie interviews people about what they are passionate about.
My Favorite Murder
posted by ELind at 1:03 PM on July 25, 2016
My Favorite Murder
posted by ELind at 1:03 PM on July 25, 2016
Seconding Stuff Mom Never Told You. This is always my #1 podcast rec bc it is generally awesome and surprisingly privilege-sensitive for a podcast hosted by two white girls.
posted by Tamanna at 1:12 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Tamanna at 1:12 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
I can't recommend 2 Dope Queens enough for comedy.
+ 1 for Stuff You Missed in History Class
posted by Crystalinne at 1:12 PM on July 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
+ 1 for Stuff You Missed in History Class
posted by Crystalinne at 1:12 PM on July 25, 2016 [3 favorites]
The Sexiest Podcast
By Kim Belair and Ariadne MacGillivray
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:13 PM on July 25, 2016
By Kim Belair and Ariadne MacGillivray
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:13 PM on July 25, 2016
The Splendid Table podcast is, of course, food-related and it is amazing. I only found it a week ago and have listened to several episodes. The main host is a woman with a very soothing voice, who is engaging and a good interviewer. They have segments about all kinds of interesting food-related topics. Highly recommended.
posted by HoteDoge at 1:13 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by HoteDoge at 1:13 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
Pop Culture Happy Hour! It's a mix of women and men, but the main host is female.
Also n-thing Invisibilia.
posted by barnoley at 1:39 PM on July 25, 2016
Also n-thing Invisibilia.
posted by barnoley at 1:39 PM on July 25, 2016
Ask Me Another for nerdy word games and trivia
Startup (Seasons 2-3; Season 1 is hosted by Alex Bloomberg) for, well, startup stories
Seconding Gastropod and nthing the Allusionist
Seconding Fresh Air
Seconding Good Job Brain!
Code Switch is usually cohosted by a man and woman and is excellent
posted by General Malaise at 1:59 PM on July 25, 2016
Startup (Seasons 2-3; Season 1 is hosted by Alex Bloomberg) for, well, startup stories
Seconding Gastropod and nthing the Allusionist
Seconding Fresh Air
Seconding Good Job Brain!
Code Switch is usually cohosted by a man and woman and is excellent
posted by General Malaise at 1:59 PM on July 25, 2016
Girl on guy, Aisha Tyler
posted by pyro979 at 2:06 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by pyro979 at 2:06 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
nthing Criminal and Mystery Show.
Newer seasons of Start-Up as well.
posted by Lutoslawski at 2:12 PM on July 25, 2016
Newer seasons of Start-Up as well.
posted by Lutoslawski at 2:12 PM on July 25, 2016
Thirding The Allusionist. Does interest in the workings of the television and comedy industries fall under "General Nerdery"? If so, highly recommend The Jackie and Laurie Show.
posted by saladin at 2:14 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by saladin at 2:14 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
As mentioned above, You Must Remember This is a very good podcast about Hollywood history, and by extension, American and world history as well.
The host is very knowledgeable about the topic and she presents information is an engaging and accessible way. Also, if you're looking for movies to watch, listening will really add to your list.
posted by Fister Roboto at 2:39 PM on July 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
The host is very knowledgeable about the topic and she presents information is an engaging and accessible way. Also, if you're looking for movies to watch, listening will really add to your list.
posted by Fister Roboto at 2:39 PM on July 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
There aren't very many female hosted podcasts, are there? Most of the ones I listen to like the MU Podcast are male hosted, but you might like:
All Games Considered has Mags, sometimes more women.
Sadly it looks like the Geek Girls Rule podcast is dead.
posted by Canageek at 2:51 PM on July 25, 2016
All Games Considered has Mags, sometimes more women.
Sadly it looks like the Geek Girls Rule podcast is dead.
posted by Canageek at 2:51 PM on July 25, 2016
I asked this a few years ago, many of the answers are still available: Where are all the cool lady podcasts?
Of those answers I like Stuff You Missed In History Class and Throwing Shade best. I also recommend Invisibilia, The Allusionist and Criminal.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 3:01 PM on July 25, 2016
Of those answers I like Stuff You Missed In History Class and Throwing Shade best. I also recommend Invisibilia, The Allusionist and Criminal.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 3:01 PM on July 25, 2016
"On Being" with Krista Tippett. From their website:
On Being is a Peabody Award-winning public radio conversation and podcast, a Webby Award-winning website and online exploration, a publisher and public event convener. On Being opens up the animating questions at the center of human life: What does it mean to be human, and how do we want to live? We explore these questions in their richness and complexity in 21st-century lives and endeavors. We pursue wisdom and moral imagination as much as knowledge; we esteem nuance and poetry as much as fact.
posted by onecircleaday at 4:07 PM on July 25, 2016
On Being is a Peabody Award-winning public radio conversation and podcast, a Webby Award-winning website and online exploration, a publisher and public event convener. On Being opens up the animating questions at the center of human life: What does it mean to be human, and how do we want to live? We explore these questions in their richness and complexity in 21st-century lives and endeavors. We pursue wisdom and moral imagination as much as knowledge; we esteem nuance and poetry as much as fact.
posted by onecircleaday at 4:07 PM on July 25, 2016
Oh yes of course Criminal and Mystery Show as mentioned above. I am embarrassed that I forgot to mention those.
I was hesitant to recommend Death, Sex, and Money because it's often pretty emotional and I wasn't sure if that's what you're looking for. But it's really fantastic.
posted by radioamy at 4:17 PM on July 25, 2016
I was hesitant to recommend Death, Sex, and Money because it's often pretty emotional and I wasn't sure if that's what you're looking for. But it's really fantastic.
posted by radioamy at 4:17 PM on July 25, 2016
Burnt Toast by Food52. Great stories, perfect podcast length, interesting people and delicious food.
"Burnt Toast is a podcast from Food52 for people who never stop wondering about food. Join host Kenzi Wilbur, plus a rotating cast of guests, for controversial cooking topics, food culture, and occasional good-spirited debate."
posted by belau at 4:59 PM on July 25, 2016
"Burnt Toast is a podcast from Food52 for people who never stop wondering about food. Join host Kenzi Wilbur, plus a rotating cast of guests, for controversial cooking topics, food culture, and occasional good-spirited debate."
posted by belau at 4:59 PM on July 25, 2016
Response by poster: Wow! Thanks for all the suggestions. I have a lot of listening to do.
posted by nolnacs at 5:22 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by nolnacs at 5:22 PM on July 25, 2016
General Nerdery: The Allusionist (language/etymology)
I have been binging recently on "Answer Me This" recently, co-hosted by Helen Zaltzman of The Allusionist. Other host is a male but Zaltzman not exactly a wallflower and I find their banter so charming.
posted by mark k at 9:36 PM on July 25, 2016
I have been binging recently on "Answer Me This" recently, co-hosted by Helen Zaltzman of The Allusionist. Other host is a male but Zaltzman not exactly a wallflower and I find their banter so charming.
posted by mark k at 9:36 PM on July 25, 2016
Best answer: Your interests make me pretty sure you'll be into Flash Forward, which somebody else mentioned. It is very thoughtfully produced.
posted by knile at 10:07 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by knile at 10:07 PM on July 25, 2016
Jumping in to lavish (more) praise on the hilarious and thoughtful 2 Dope Queens. And Gastropod. And you, for asking this!
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:11 AM on July 26, 2016
posted by athirstforsalt at 12:11 AM on July 26, 2016
On the cold beverages front, MetaFilter member kitteh has a newish podcast series on beer / craft beer called Harpyhour.
posted by taz at 4:50 AM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by taz at 4:50 AM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Did anyone mention Invisibilia yet? Also, The Startup Podcast by Gimlet is great - Season 3 is hosted by Lisa Chow, who used to do Planet Money.
posted by busybee at 6:55 AM on July 26, 2016
posted by busybee at 6:55 AM on July 26, 2016
Baltimore: The Rise of Charm City recently finished its first season, and I really enjoyed it - it does best when focused on a local "institution" imo - Shake and Bake, the Great Blacks in Wax Museum, the Afro-American - but it was a solid season overall.
posted by EvaDestruction at 7:43 AM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by EvaDestruction at 7:43 AM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Science: Brain Science Podcast hosted by Ginger Campell. She's an emergency room doctor, so it gets somewhat technical, but at the same time, she is not a neurologist/neurological researcher, so she makes sure that everything gets explained well. Like Answer Me This, the older episodes are a buck, but all of the episodes since 2013 are free.
posted by Hactar at 8:30 AM on July 26, 2016
posted by Hactar at 8:30 AM on July 26, 2016
I must recommend Retail Nightmares with Alicia Tobin and Jessica Delisle. Alicia is one of the funniest, quickest people I've ever heard and Jessica is also great. It's ostensibly about their time working in retail jobs and the people they had to deal with/work with/avoid during these times. But it's a lot more. The most recent episode (56) was especially great.
(Also, I always like seeing that people are listening to Saga Thing. Its pretty cool and not just because one of my professors is a co-host.)
posted by Merinda at 8:37 AM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
(Also, I always like seeing that people are listening to Saga Thing. Its pretty cool and not just because one of my professors is a co-host.)
posted by Merinda at 8:37 AM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Baby Geniuses is consistently delightful, hosted by stand-up comedian Emily Heller and artist Lisa Hanawalt (she does Bojack Horseman and wrote a book and is just the best).
posted by JDHarper at 12:34 PM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by JDHarper at 12:34 PM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Still Buffering is a podcast by Dr. Sydnee McElroy and her much younger sister Rileigh Smirl (and recently, their other syster Teylor) about life as a teenager and how it's changed from generation to generation. It's a fun listen!
Sydnee also has a podcast with her husband Justin called Sawbones which is a really fun overview of various medical malpractices throughout history (Sydnee being the expert and Justin being the unknowledgable to-be-educated foil).
posted by flatluigi at 6:42 PM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sydnee also has a podcast with her husband Justin called Sawbones which is a really fun overview of various medical malpractices throughout history (Sydnee being the expert and Justin being the unknowledgable to-be-educated foil).
posted by flatluigi at 6:42 PM on July 26, 2016 [1 favorite]
"Introspectology is the podcast where we go inside other people's heads to find out who they are, how they think, and what it's like to be them." - over at http://www.introspectology.com/ , a wide variety of interesting guests.
posted by DancingYear at 11:18 PM on July 26, 2016
posted by DancingYear at 11:18 PM on July 26, 2016
Science for the People is hosted by THREE women (Desiree Schell, Rachelle Saunders, and Bethany Brookshire), and is seriously awesome.
I also love Note to Self hosted by Manoush Zomorodi. It focuses on tech and life stuff, and specializes in longer series such as the one on dealing with digital overload.
nth-ing:
Strangers
Invisibilia
Mystery Show
Criminal
Death, Sex, and Money
On Being
posted by Frenchy67 at 5:22 AM on July 27, 2016
I also love Note to Self hosted by Manoush Zomorodi. It focuses on tech and life stuff, and specializes in longer series such as the one on dealing with digital overload.
nth-ing:
Strangers
Invisibilia
Mystery Show
Criminal
Death, Sex, and Money
On Being
posted by Frenchy67 at 5:22 AM on July 27, 2016
Criminal: It's nominally about crime and lawbreaking, but it ranges farther than you might expect based on that description. Each episode explores a theme or incident that's at least tangentially related to crime: the Venus-flytrap black market (yes, that's a thing), police dogs, etc.
Sawbones: Weird, funny, and curious stuff from medical history – basically, all the wacky ideas people had about medicine and human biology before medicine really caught onto this "science" thing (which was surprisingly late). It's hosted by a husband-wife duo, but she's the MD and the star of the show, and he's there to keep the discussion going and make jokes. Some people find the humor grating, but I don't mind it.
For Colored Nerds: Another male-female pair – they're friends who discuss pop culture, current events (but not in a newsy way), feminism / LGBT / intersectionality, etc., all from the perspective of two smart young African-Americans.
Futility Closet: Another husband-wife pair. Each episode leads with a little-known story or curiosity from history, some of which are quite fascinating. It seems to be very well researched. Episodes typically close with a "lateral thinking puzzle", where one host presents the other with an odd scenario (sometimes a real incident, sometimes not), and the other has to figure out the story behind the oddness by asking only yes-or-no questions (it'll make more sense once you hear it). These are hit-or-miss, but sometimes pretty enjoyable. The style is not at all flashy – I mean, these are people who spend hours in libraries researching historical esoterica without pay – but some of the stories are really neat, and it's often stuff I hadn't heard about elsewhere.
Oh No Ross & Carrie: Yet another male-female team. They're skeptics who "investigate" various forms of pseudoscience, alternative medicine, and fringe religion – but they don't have the axe-grindy tone you might expect from self-described skeptics. It's all very light-hearted and humorous and friendly, and they sometimes go out of their way to give the subjects of their investigations the benefit of the doubt. Their recent nine-episode expose of Scientology is not to be missed. They've also gone undercover in the Mormon church, the Ordo Templi Orientis, a couple of extremist Christian sects, a couple of UFO religions, and so forth.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 7:23 AM on July 28, 2016
Sawbones: Weird, funny, and curious stuff from medical history – basically, all the wacky ideas people had about medicine and human biology before medicine really caught onto this "science" thing (which was surprisingly late). It's hosted by a husband-wife duo, but she's the MD and the star of the show, and he's there to keep the discussion going and make jokes. Some people find the humor grating, but I don't mind it.
For Colored Nerds: Another male-female pair – they're friends who discuss pop culture, current events (but not in a newsy way), feminism / LGBT / intersectionality, etc., all from the perspective of two smart young African-Americans.
Futility Closet: Another husband-wife pair. Each episode leads with a little-known story or curiosity from history, some of which are quite fascinating. It seems to be very well researched. Episodes typically close with a "lateral thinking puzzle", where one host presents the other with an odd scenario (sometimes a real incident, sometimes not), and the other has to figure out the story behind the oddness by asking only yes-or-no questions (it'll make more sense once you hear it). These are hit-or-miss, but sometimes pretty enjoyable. The style is not at all flashy – I mean, these are people who spend hours in libraries researching historical esoterica without pay – but some of the stories are really neat, and it's often stuff I hadn't heard about elsewhere.
Oh No Ross & Carrie: Yet another male-female team. They're skeptics who "investigate" various forms of pseudoscience, alternative medicine, and fringe religion – but they don't have the axe-grindy tone you might expect from self-described skeptics. It's all very light-hearted and humorous and friendly, and they sometimes go out of their way to give the subjects of their investigations the benefit of the doubt. Their recent nine-episode expose of Scientology is not to be missed. They've also gone undercover in the Mormon church, the Ordo Templi Orientis, a couple of extremist Christian sects, a couple of UFO religions, and so forth.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 7:23 AM on July 28, 2016
It might not match your topics (though maybe the general nerdery category?), but Everything's Coming Up Podcast is hosted by Allie Goertz & Julia Prescott and they and a guest pick an episode of The Simpsons (from seasons 1-9) and dissect the heck out of it.
posted by sillygwailo at 5:51 PM on August 5, 2016
posted by sillygwailo at 5:51 PM on August 5, 2016
Response by poster: I'm still figuring out which of these podcasts will be part of my permanent rotation but thus far it looks like this:
Definite keepers
The Specialist
Nerdette
Invisibilia
Flash Forward
Likely
All Games Considered
Dork Forest
Gastropod
Burnt Toast
Stuff You Missed in History Class
posted by nolnacs at 12:56 PM on August 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
Definite keepers
The Specialist
Nerdette
Invisibilia
Flash Forward
Likely
All Games Considered
Dork Forest
Gastropod
Burnt Toast
Stuff You Missed in History Class
posted by nolnacs at 12:56 PM on August 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
History: Stuff you Missed in History Class
General Nerdery: Sampler (bonus -- will introduce you to more podcasts), Science Vs. (about to restart)
posted by sparklemotion at 12:21 PM on July 25, 2016 [5 favorites]