Why I listen to Podcasts
I did not really start listening a to podcasts heavily until early September of 2019. For the most part, I never really drove that much until. I had driven a car in high school, but was definitely more into listening to Taylor Swift’s latest pop hits than paying attention to the news. When I started driving again last year, the noise vacuum quickly aggravated me. I already had a Spotify subscription, so I clicked on the “Podcasts” tab and clicked on the first one that popped up. I found quickly fell in love with that first podcast, and many others. Over the last months, podcasts have enriched not just my commute in the car, but also my train and walking commute. Every day I’m learning something new! In the next sections, I’ve outlined some of my favorite podcasts that I think are worth a listen!
The Journal
The Journal is a daily Podcast hosted by The Wall Street Journal Reporters Kate Linebaugh and Ryan Knutson. The show covers mostly news scoping business, the latest headlines, and in-depth investigations. I really like this show not only because of how genuine the reporting is, but also because the stories themselves are new perspectives on old or breaking news. Their in-depth reporting took two of their journalists to mainland China to cover the major Coronavirus Pandemic. They broadcast interviews with their quarantined journalists, allowing listeners to empathize with the claustrophobia they were experiencing, as well as the uncertainty of knowing when they could leave. At one point these reporters were in the epidemic’s epicenter, Wuhan, and they detailed how they made a narrow escape out of the city just minutes before the lockdown took place. Not many American news agencies could afford to send journalists into a health hazard, but the fact that The Wall Street Journal could emphasizes their commitment to raw, on-the-ground reporting.
I also appreciate this podcast’s very nuanced glances at business stories. One of my favorites was their coverage of the online pet-supply retailer, Chewy, and how they were giving giants like PetSmart a run for their money. Eventually, PetSmart Goliath acquired their agile competitor. In covering this story, The Journal discussed what made Chewy a unique business model. They were all about personalized customer service, something that not many online retailers were. By interviewing both Chewy employees and customers, the reporters painted a detailed picture of how the business thrived.
Overall, I really appreciated this show, and listen to it daily on my nightly commute home.
Motherhood Sessions
I heard about Motherhood Sessions as an advertisement while listening to The Journal. Although I’m currently not a mother, the show piqued my interest. I browsed through the featured stories and they included an anecdote of a mom who regretted quitting school to start a family but were now eager to start over. Another story was of a young mother who divorced her husband after months of abuse. Yet another one was of a young woman with an estranged father who was weary of including him in her daughter’s life. The show is hosted by renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Alexandra Sacks. She offers a calming, listening presence that guides the featured mother through her words and emotions as she recounts her experiences.
My overall take from this show is that it is very raw. It’s not rare for the guest to break into tears over a memory. The show emphasizes how motherhood is not just a glowing, happy experience. It’s rather filled with both highs and lows. It also showcases how modern motherhood is a diverse concept. The show has interviewed lesbian, single, and working class mothers from all walks of life.
I find myself drawn to this podcast specifically at times when I’m feeling the need to hear something on a human level. This is often when I’m just doing nothing. Not driving. Not walking. Just listening.
Learn Hindi on the Go
Finally, I just recently starting listening to Learn Hindi on the Go. This takes up my morning commute to work and school. This podcast was started by an Indian husband and wife team who come from a long lineage of Hindi instructors. I love how they go slowly through different sentence structures, and provide ample time for the listener to repeat phrases and words. I often get weird looks from neighboring drivers or metro commuters when they find that I’m talking to myself!
Despite the strange glances, I still continue to talk with the speakers, and have incorporated the Hindi I’ve learned in real conversations with South Asian friends and colleagues. I’ve even utilized this show to help me learn to write Urdu. Urdu uses the same script as Arabic (a language I am fluent in), but with minor adjustments. After discussing with a native Hindi speaker, she recommended me to learn Urdu script instead of Devanagari, as it would be much easier for me to accomplish. So I often pause-play this podcast as I write down the transliteration of what they are saying into Urdu. It’s an involved practice, and through semantic encoding, I think it helps me retain the language more effectively. I’ll go over language learning techniques more in detail in a future post!
Final thoughts
This is just a snapshot of what I listen to! I’ve found that podcasts have really enriched my life, have helped me to become a better listener, and have exposed me to a variety of points of view. I will continue listening for many years to come!