Podcasts.

There’s no denying that podcasts are in the limelight. A staggering 8 million episodes have been published on iTunes, so where do you begin deciding which ones to listen too? Which of the masses are worth forgoing your usual morning Insta scroll?

One of my favourite quotes – ‘Fill your ears with positivity’ by Gary Vee really got me thinking about making a conscious effort to fill my ears with positivity. We all make such an effort to fill our eyes, thoughts and lives with positivity, but what about when it comes to what we listen too? Filling our eyes with what uplifts us, challenges us and teaches us is so vital and we should apply the same principles when it comes to deciding what we listen too.

Right now, there are 500 different podcasts trending in the health charts – however, there’s plenty more health, wellness and fitness-themed podcasts beyond this ranking. I never really expected podcasts to become such a craze. I’ve always listened to music, but audio-books were never really my ‘thing’ when I was younger, so I expected podcasts to be the same.

However, I can happily say I was pleasantly surprised and now I think I listen to podcasts more than music. I’ve found that the ones that interest me the most tend to fall into the following categories…

1. Fitness and/or health related
2. Humour
3. Educational

Like with most things, it’s a lot of trial and error, but when you find the genre that you enjoy, it really is a game changer.

Podcasts allow for you time and quite often, I’ve found myself laughing, crying and everything in between! I’ll have one on when I’m driving, running, walking and sometimes even when I’m baking.

I try to keep my list quite short as I really like to give each one my full attention and having so many would make it impossible to keep up. So all of the above in mind, here are the ones I’m currently loving!

1. ‘Get Up & Grow Girl’ – @leelajasminesule

I’ve followed Leela on Instagram for a couple months now and I’ve always found her captions very relatable and inspiring. So when she announced she was working on a podcast, I couldn’t wait to listen. It’s a self-development podcast for ambitious, dedicated ‘go-getters’. Leela interviews a variety of experts in the fitness, wellness and business world. It’s so interesting listening to the people and the stories behind the brand.

2. ‘Working it Out’ – @workingitout_

Nicole’s podcast is a place where you can tune in, and tune out of everything else. It’s a safe place of reassurance, knowledge and power. It explores all the aspects of our lives we feel we should have ‘worked out’, but haven’t. Everything from mental health to body positivity, to relationships and social media. It is a refreshingly honest and real extension of her wonderful Instagram. I particularly love how Nicole talks so openly about mental health. She is a real advocate for someone who is very passionate about removing any and all stigmas.

3. ‘Fit & Fearless’ GirlGains – @thegirlgains

This was one of the first podcasts I really fell in love with. I’ve followed Tally, Vic & Zanna on IG since the beginning of time so I knew I was going to be able to relate to it. It’s a motivational, educational podcast that talks about everything that comes under the umbrella of fitness. Body image, eating disorders, Crossfit – you name it and they’ve talked about it.

4. ‘My Dad Wrote A Porno’ – @mydadwrotea

One of the most addictive, hilarious and instantly engaging podcasts. The effortlessly charming trio James, Jamie & Alice work their way through critiquing the erotic novel written by Jamie’s dad, Rocky. Listen at your own risk because trust me, you wouldn’t want to accidentally press play without headphones in. C bombs are dropped on the regular!!

5. ‘The Guilty Feminist’ – @theguiltyfeminist

I spoke about my love for Deborah Francis Whites podcast on an earlier post, and it still remains up there in my list of top 5. The combination of humour and politics makes it accessible to everyone – both men and women. It is the perfect balance of humour, self-education and therapy.

I feel more self-aware, motivated and I’ve also found I’ve developed a variety of opinions and views on topics that I didn’t know much about. I’ve switched up my usual morning scroll for podcasts and it has done wonders for my mood.

Hopefully you’ll find a new love for podcasts like I have and if you’re already a podcast listener, what are your go-tos?

I’m always on the look out to expand my list!!

Amy xo.