I was on the plane getting ready to take off to Last Vegas this past November. One of my very best friends, Wendy, was sitting next to me. She was listening to something on her phone and seemed super into it. I assumed it was a song that she really liked, so I decided to ask her what she was listening to. She turned to me and told me, “I’m listening to a podcast. I love podcasts. Do you listen to podcasts? Do you like them?”
Podcasts? I swear I looked at her like she was crazy. The last time I had heard of podcasts was in college. I remember someone telling me they were for people that had no life. So, my opinion of podcasts was not very high.
When I got back from Vegas, there were about 6 other people who told me I should start listening to podcasts because they KNEW I would love them. I decided to take the plunge and try out this podcast thing all my friends were talking about.
One day into listening to podcasts and I was hooked. I didn’t understand what took me so long to buy into them. I started researching and listening. I instantly became “best friends” with all these podcasters and their opinions and stories.
My favorite thing about podcasts is that I can listen and LEARN wherever I go. People are using podcasts to stay on top of trends because it’s the most time-efficient way to get educated. You can multi-task your podcast listening in ways you simply cannot with other forms of content. I listen to podcasts at work, at the gym, driving, etc.
I also think that the popularity of podcasts as of late is due to the amount of ACCESS we have to them now. Back in the day you had to download the podcasts onto your computer and then sync it to your iPod before you could listen. Now we have unlimited data plans and almost everyone i know has Wifi at their home or place of work. People can listen to podcasts online, on their phone, or on their other mobile devices.
Here are my Top 5 Favorite Podcasts!
NPR Latino USA
NPR Latino USA is NPR’s only national Latino news and cultural weekly radio program hosted by Maria Hinojosa and produced by Futuro Media. Latino USA is the foremost Latino voice in public media and the longest running Latino-focused program on radio. Latino USA brings depth of experience, on-the-ground connections and knowledge of current and emerging issues impacting Latinos and other people of color to every broadcast.
My Favorite Episodes So Far:
- #1601 – ¡Tumbao! A Music Story Mixtape
- #1552 – Abuelos
- #1550 – Limited Data
- #1549 – ¡Ay Vey! Being Jewish and Latino
- #1548 – Family Values
- #1545 – America By The Numbers: What is the Latino Vote?
Follow NPR Latino USA on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr.
Another Round
Thank you BuzzFeed for making my days that much better with Another Round. Heben & Tracy are HILARIOUS and oh so REAL!! Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton cover everything from race, gender and pop culture to squirrels, mangoes, and bad jokes, all in one boozy show.
My Favorite Episodes So Far:
- Episode 36: U Mad? (with Margaret Cho)
- Episode 34: The Most Introverted Sasha Fierce
- Episode 28: Madam Secretary, What’s Good? (with Hillary Clinton)
Follow Another Round on Twitter and Facebook.
Stuff Mom Never Told You
Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin are my newest women crushes!! I am so in friend love with them!! Could y’all like…be my friends? They talk about anything and everything! They really do make me feel amazing and relaly motivate me to kick butt as a woman.
Hosted by Cristen and Caroline, Stuff Mom Never Told You is the audio podcast from HowStuffWorks that gets down to the business of being women from every imaginable angle. Fueled by boundless curiosity and rigorous research, Cristen and Caroline are girls-next-door gender experts who skillfully decode the biology, psychology and sociology of ladies and gents, from their evolutionary past to millennial present, to better understand all the Stuff Mom Never Told You.
My Favorite Episodes So Far:
- 2015 Women’s Year in Review
- Are vloggers making over beauty?
- #Blessed
- Little Miss Perfect
- Girls Who Lift
Follow Stuff Mom Never Told You on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and YouTube.
Beat Latino
Catalina Maria Johnson…you…are…AMAZING!! Thank you so much for introducing me to so many new additions to my music catalog. I honestly didn’t keep up with Latin music since I left to college. I started to pay more attention to it when I started to teach Zumba. But, this past year I have really tried to identify more with my roots and I have been wanting to keep up with Latin pop culture. Thanks to this podcast I have discovered so many songs and artists I wouldn’t have heard otherwise.
Beat Latino celebrates in every hour a different facet of the extraordinary diversity of the Latin & Latino musical universe – from traditional, roots music to the most cutting-edge avant garde, Beat Latino shares the best of our music with you! Presented in Spanish and English so that those who enjoy the music will also enjoy the information.
My Favorite Episode So Far:
- Faves #onrepeat for 2015!
- Mundial Montreal!
- Latin Grammy faves for 2015!
- The Browning of America
- Ay, la vida! Here’s to Life
Follow Beat Latino on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Read
Kid Fury and Crissle. Thank you…for making me laugh to the point of crying. Thank you for keeping it real. and thank you for always being there for me in the past couple of weeks to listen to when I was feeling down on myself.
Join bloggers Kid Fury and Crissle for their weekly “read” of hip-hop and pop culture’s most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea with a flippant and humorous attitude, no star is safe from Fury and Crissle unless their name is Beyonce. Or Blue Ivy. As recent transplants to New York City (Fury from Miami and Crissle from Oklahoma City), The Read also serves as an on air therapy session for two friends trying to adjust to life (and rats) in the big city.
My Favorite Episode So Far:
- Best Of 2015
- The Friend Zone and
- No Shave, No Shade
- Serena & The Hotline Bling
- Drunk for Drake
Follow The Read on Facebook and Twitter.
If you don’t listen to podcasts, then I highly recommend you do! There is literally something out there for everyone.
These podcasts and podcasters inspired to to start my own YouTube channel where I will be doing product reviews, music reviews, shopping hauls, Zumba videos, and so much more!! I am so excited to share my life and my opinions with you all. I can’t wait to start.
Thanks to all these amazing people for inspiring me and motivating me!
Other Podcasts I’m Listening To:
Do you listen to podcasts?
What are your favorite podcasts?
Any podcasts you suggest I check out?
Stay in love,
Anali – The Nueva Latina
