Podcasts saved my life.
Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But hyperbole aside, they did, in a way, save me. I first started listening to podcasts in 2012 when I first moved to Korea. Back then I knew very few people here, and I was living far from the busy, bustling city of Seoul. For the first few months I was alone a lot, and lonely. I was the only English-speaking person at the public school where I was teaching so I also didn’t have many people around that I could talk to about anything besides the weather, and the awful or angelic behavior of the students. And although I’ve always been completely comfortable being by myself, it was hard. It was the first time I remember not having someone…anyone in my life to call up and hang out with. In the evenings after work and on weekends I sought music, movies, television, NPR and any noise in the form of a human, English speaking voice that I could find. And, oh joy! - I discovered that I could listen to my favorite NPR shows on something called podcasts! Over the years my podcast library has expanded to include everything from news to self-help to D&D, but there are a few that I listen to as a form of soul-searching meditation, like being in church and listening to an uplifting sermon. Their conversations are deep and contemplative, and often show me a better way of living and being.
StoryCorps
If you like crying in public while listening to a podcast this is just the one for you. These are often short audio clips of stories that real people tell about their families, friends, and things that have happened in their lives by interviewing someone they know. I used to listen to it all the time while commuting on the bus or subway, but I found myself crying all the time on trains, buses, or sitting in a cafe surrounded by strangers. The stories are sometimes funny, sometimes heart-wrenching, and almost always heartwarming and hopeful. I’ve started listening to this one when I’m at home alone, with a box of tissues handy.
On Being with Krista Tippett
This was one of the very first podcasts I discovered and downloaded. I can’t remember what exactly drew me to it, but what I do remember is that the very first episode I heard had me instantly enthralled and hooked. It was a discussion about the poet Rumi, although I don’t recall who the interview was with. It was one of the most beautiful and soul-satisfying interviews I had ever heard and I was desperate to hear more like it. It was exactly what I needed at the time. Krista Tippett interviews writers, artists, philosophers, scientists, teachers, religious figures and everyone in-between and beyond, about what life means and how best to live it. I’ll admit that I don’t love every single interview. In fact, I’ve skipped quite a few of them, although I do believe there’s probably a good life lesson to be learned from every one.
Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations
This one is relatively new for me, but has very quickly become one of my faves. It’s basically Oprah’s famous show on a podcast. Similar to On Being, Oprah interviews renowned writers, actors, artists, etc, and talks to them about overcoming struggles, what spirituality means to them, questions about the soul and purpose, and what it all means. I love the way Oprah and her guests often delve into the mystical and mysterious in a way that feel instructional. Not merely deconstructing and attempting to define the undefinable, but they present things like a manual for living a more centered, more attentive, more spiritual existence. And she often discusses the soul’s purpose, which is something I’ve been desperately searching for and always hungry to hear more about.