16 Podcasts to Listen to During Lockdown and Beyond

Have you been complaining that you just don’t get enough time to spend on things you love? And that your work, personal life is just too hectic for you to think about spending tome for yourself, enrich yourself, better yourself.

Well you would not have asked for a better opportunity. Guys!!!! we are home under a lock-down.

We all know it’s for our safety, yet we feel caged. Why not use this time for something that will prove helpful in future?

Yes, I know we have Netflix, Amazon and many OTT platforms. But there is another totally different way of getting entertained and educated as well.

My dear friends welcome to the world of podcast!!!, lets take a look at Podcasts to listen to during lockdown and beyond.

What Is a Podcast: A Short Introduction

Podcasts are basically entertainment or infotainment in audio form made available on the computer or smartphone through various podcast apps.

They are quite different from audio books. They could be limited series or have telecast weekly, daily.

Podcast is simply a piece of audio, a story or an interview or a documentary series that you can download and listen to whenever you want.

Podcast is something which you can subscribe, download and listen to any time you want.

It could be anything and of any genres. The world of podcast is endless. So, to help you in this difficult lockdown period, here are our picks of “must listen to” Podcast (in no particular order) from various genres.

You can read about podcasts in our posts on Podcast Basics.

Please note we have tried to make a list based on things you would want to listen in these difficult times.

How to Listen to Podcasts?

There are three main ways to listen to a podcast

• On a computer: You can play podcasts directly from the websites or podcast directories. Just google podcast directories and you will find a ton of choices. You can also download iTunes desktop app and listen to your favorite podcasts there.

• On a smart phone, android or iPhone: There are many apps available in apple / google play store for this.  If you have an iPhone, you can use the Apple podcasts app to listen to podcasts. It is by far the best way to discover podcasts on apple devices. There are many other iOS only apps for podcasts such as Overcast, Castro 3, Downcast, PodCruncher, iCatcher etc.

The easiest way to listen to podcasts on our android phone is by using Google Podcasts app. There are many other apps on android for listening to podcasts such as Podcast Republic , Podcast Addict , BeyondPod , Doggcatcher , Player FM , Podkicker , AntennaPod etc ..

• On a smart speaker: Smart speakers have become a household commodity these days, every two out of five American homes have a smart speaker.

You can listen to podcast on your smart speaker by connecting your phone via a Bluetooth or wired connection.

Some of the smart speakers have a tie-up with the podcasting apps and that makes it easy to play your favorite podcast directly by using Google assistant or Alexa or Siri.

The smart speakers have not really become very popular for listening to podcasts yet. The content discovery is still difficult and finding the right podcast to play without looking or reading any details about it is not easy.

16 Podcasts to listen to during lockdown and beyond

                The podcasts are segregated in various genres, here is a list of 16 Podcasts to listen to during lockdown and beyond.

Music

1. Song Exploder: This is a music podcast where musicians are interviewed, and they explain how they thought and actually made their music piece by piece. The show is created by Hrishikesh Hirway. So the music nerds who wish know how and why about a certain song, do listen to this.

2. Maed in India: The show is India’s first indie music podcast that showcases the best Indian independent musicians from India. Each episode brings you an artist/band along with an exclusive stripped down session of their original music. The weekly show prides itself on being the destination for new music, little known stories, and unreleased songs never heard before.

Business/Corporate

3. Business Wars hosted by David Brown: This gives us inside information and happenings in the business world, the competition and what drives these business owners, inventors. It’s something like what will Amazon do to beat Netflix or what Starbucks does to capture larger market share.

4. Dear HBR: Work can be frustrating. With empathy, experience, and humor, veteran Harvard Business Review editors and co-hosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn explore solutions to your workplace dilemmas.

5. Freakonomics: Each week Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the Freakonomics books tells you things you always thought you knew (but didn’t) and things you never thought you wanted to know (but do). from the economics of sleep to how to become great at just about anything. Dubner speaks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, intellectuals and entrepreneurs, and various other underachievers. Special features include series like “The Secret Life of a C.E.O.” as well as a live game show, “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know.”

6. The Indian Startup Show:  Hosted by Neil Patel the show talks about startups in India.

Lifestyle/Motivational

7. Talk therapy: It is a podcast about a very difficult and underrated responsibility: parenting and relationships. It is an in depth discussion with therapists and counselors about the art, science and technique dealing with every situation. Join co-hosts and mental health professionals Kelly Bos (MSW) and Kelly Bourne (RN, MA) for timely discussions on topics that matter to you. Whether battling overwhelm, dealing with out-of-control toddlers, or navigating disagreements with your partner, Kelly and Kelly offer tips, tools and a relatable take on life’s stickiest situations. After listening you can expect to feel more calm and in control, armed with resources to take your life to the next level.

8. Hidden Brain: Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.

Comedy

9. How Did This Get Made? Hosted by Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas, the podcast talks in a funny way about bad movies and why they were made.

10. Entry Level with Brooks Wheelan!!: Brooks interviews a guest and finds out what garbage they had to put up with before they got to the position, they’re in now. This a show about all the bad jobs we have had before landing the one we want.

11. The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes: This is a great motivational and inspiring talk as it talks about the best things or essential tips and habits that the most successful people have.

Podcasts for kids

12. But Why? : The public radio host Jane Lindholm helps answer kids’ most burning questions. This is ideal for curious kids and parents. It features several kid-submitted questions, usually on a single theme, and with the help of experts, it gives clear, interesting answers.

13.  Animal Sound Safari : This Australian podcast travels in a Magic School Bus-style “safari mobile” to discover animals around the world.

14.  The Book Club for Kids: In this podcast young readers talk about a book. The show includes a celebrity reading from the book. Plus, the author joins us to answer your questions. Book Club won the Literacy in Media Award.

Podcasts for Job Seekers

15. Career Cloud Radio: Founded by Chris Russell, Career Cloud Radio is now hosted by Justin Dux. It is a great podcast that gives advice to job seekers. Best thing is three are more than 11 years’ worth of episodes available for download, you can binge listen

16.  Yonder: This podcast is perfect for people thinking about working from home. It talks about how companies approach remote and distributed working. features interviews with people thinking about distributed teams, remote work, and how to create happy, productive, free-range workers.

WTF from Marc Maron is a also a great podcast , you can read more about it here.

Summery:

This list is by no means complete but just our pick. The podcast universe has anything and everything for each and every one, depending on their likes and dislikes, mood or time constraints.

Make the most of this platform to kill the time you have on hands. We truly believe that these will be helpful not just now but also when you get back to the actual world.

There is great material to be heard while commuting, travelling or doing household chores. For now, stay home, stay safe, stay informed.