Last year I really got in to podcasts...
I have a forty-five minute drive to and from work each day, and whilst my morning drive is usually accompanied by the radio, by the evening I'm ready for something different. I have a whole load of podcasts I dive in and out of, but these are my absolute favourites. They also happen to be showcasing female talent - by women, on women's issues, for women.
1. Made of Human by Sofie Hagen
Let me start by saying how much I love Sofie Hagen. Danish comedian and all round lovely person, in MohPod she discusses life with a series of interesting people - how we do it, fuck ups and all. It is just the right combination of humour, sensitivity and frank talk, which is guaranteed to leave me feeling optimistic... no matter how crap my day was. Throw in feminism, fat activism, left wing politics and a compulsory evil dictator scenario question - it is an uplifting and life-affirming listen, for sure. Favourite episode? The 2017 live episode with Josie Long.
2. Women's Hour
What, you still think Women's Hour is just for middle aged women? I'm a fully-fledged BBC Radio 4 listener, no shame here! I listen to the Today programme in the car on my way to work to make sure I get my daily dose of news and politics - but admittedly turn the volume right down the minute John Humphrys comes on air. Women's Hour, however, airs mid-morning when I'm at work, so I catch up instead with their podcast. Expect discussions around relatable, everyday issues from experts and ordinary folk alike; it's easy listening with a soul. Some of my favorite episodes recently have been on masculinity, being 18 in 2018, and how to grow your side-line.
3. The Guilty Feminist
A podcast which starts with 'I'm a feminist, but...' is my kind of listen. Life is full of contradictions, much like my feminism. But that's ok! Hosted by Deborah Frances-White (and in the early days Sofie Hagen), she discussed contemporary feminism with her guests - and the hypocrisies that come with it! Lighthearted and laugh-a-minute funny, it was the first podcast I discovered and still a firm favorite. Issues range from period poverty to porn to ageing; each episode leaves me shouting 'oh my god YES! THIS!' at my dashboard. In a less sexual way than that sounds.
4. Get It On with Dawn O'Porter
Essentially a podcast about clothes - but it's so much more than that. Really! Dawn chats with various celebs and well-known folk about their wardrobes and what clothes / fashion means to them. Again, that sounds so vapid, but it's just... not. The sociologist in me loves how Dawn deconstructs the meaning behind what we wear and how we wear it - its so insightful. And it's not just women! Guests include Dermot O'Leary and Jason Segal, but I just loved the episodes with Gemma Cairney, Dawn French and Edith Bowman.
5. Women of the Hour by Lena Dunham
From the creator of Girls, Lena interviews women - both famous and not - about a whole load of relevant issues. Both interesting and inspiring, this is a recent find for me, but one which I'm really enjoying. I've never actually watched Girls and don't know much at all about Dunham, so that wasn't the draw for me, but the concept really speaks to me. As I say, I haven't been listening all that long but so far so good! The first episode I tuned in to was on (reproductive) Choice - where Dunham made the controversial and now widely-reported comment about abortion.
So, those are my top 5 podcasts for 30-something women!
What are yours?
