Life in a pandemic is strange.

At times, we do things around the house completely normal (Taco Tuesdays followed by Jeopardy have continued) and other times I find myself really observing and absorbing the strangeness of it all (seeing the children at my son’s VPK dismissed from class all wearing masks while the assistant teacher wears a mask and face shield).

In the time since I last posted, the world has been turned upside down (to borrow a quote from “Hamilton”) in many ways. In addition to horrific, record-breaking death tolls and confirmed cases of COVID-19, we’ve seen a global reckoning with racism occur in response to murder of George Floyd — right after the world learned the names Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery for similar reasons. I know it’s been a long while since I’ve shared on this blog, but I hope you’ve been following me on my other social media platforms where I've been much more active. If you haven’t, I’d like to take a brief moment to make it explicitly clear: Black Lives Matter. That statement has been true to me since before these terrible tragedies happened and will continue to be true until this country really ends its hideous affair with white supremacy and police brutality.

While this blog post is not about these recent events, I feel like it’s important to contextualize the recommendations I’m about to share because some of them came upon my radar, or were created in response to current events. It would be a disservice to the content creators who were impacted by these events not to mention them.

In general, podcasts were a medium that prior to the pandemic I spent some time on but not nearly as much as I’ve spent lately. I find myself tired of the news and bored with the television programs that don’t seem to reflect real life whatsoever anymore — a fault that’s not necessarily anyone’s but still true all the same. I’ve binge-watched most of the shows and movies worth watching (IMHO) on Netflix and Hulu. And sometimes, I find myself struggling to keep my mind focused when reading books. For that reason, I’ve mostly been relying on audiobooks and it’s also part of why podcasts have been more appealing lately. So here are the podcasts I’ve been bingeing during this pandemic:

Planners and Wine

As they mentioned prior to their first episode dropping, Meg and Myra had dreams of starting this podcast before the planner community imploded (for a second time in my memory). But when brands such as The Happy Planner and Erin Condren failed to recognize the gravity of what Black Americans were feeling and dealing with in light of the tragedies mentioned above, the two women jumped into podcasting on a weekly basis to discuss racism and current events within the planner community. As two Black women, they have brought their literal voices to the forefront of the community, which allows non-Black POC and white folks to truly learn and understand in an environment that, as a listener, feels non-judgmental but also unequivocally honest. Meg and Myra also have episodes that are a bit more lighthearted, as well, that are easily enjoyed with your preferred glass of wine.

Develop Your Dream

My friend Whitney told me at the beginning of this year that she wanted to launch a podcast and here we are just a little over halfway through 2020 and she’s published 12 episodes! Talk about having an idea and just going for it. The show is Whitney’s platform for exploring concepts and beliefs she learned in life about money, relationships, agency, boundaries, and more. I enjoy the show because as a Latina I find that I can relate to many of the perspectives and beliefs she’s held about these topics due to cultural norms and expectations we are exposed to from a young age. Each episode gives me a thought that I can do some self-reflection and interrogation on. I find myself asking questions such as: “Do I really think this way about money or was the environment I grew up in one that normalized or created this belief about money?” You don’t have to be Latinx to enjoy the show. I think the practice of constantly asking yourself questions about your beliefs is really healthy and this show is often a way for me to jumpstart those conversations with myself.

Co-Conspired Conversations

I came across the Co-Conspired Conversations podcast after I saw it recommended on social media during the week folks were participating in #AmplifyMelanatedVoices. The particular episode that was recommended was one that Myisha Hill (host of Co-Conspired Conversations) published in May called “Girl You Betta Apologize: The Problem with Rachel Hollis” with guest speakers Historian and Antiracism Educator Lettie Shumate and Coach and Educator Louiza “Weeze” Doran. It’s about an hour long, but it’s such an important listen if you find yourself drawn to folks like Rachel Hollis. The contextualization of how damaging her brand of female empowerment and self-development can be is crucial for anyone dedicated to practicing anti-racism in the work they do. The speakers cover everything from how social media platforms target and silence BIWoC to how and why divestment from privilege, comfort and whiteness is the only way to achieve liberation from white supremacy. Myisha has many more excellent episodes, including one that covers how to moderate online communities through a lens of social justice. I think it’s one that many in the planner community could benefit from giving a listen.

The Uncurated Life Podcast

Cindy is an icon in the planner community. Her Llamas Love Lettering videos on YouTube and posts on Instagram are the reason so many of us have learned how to handletter and doodle in our planners. I’ve been listening to The Uncurated Life Podcast since long before the pandemic, but like some listeners I’ve definitely missed an episode here or there, so I’ve been able to go back and catch up on previous episodes in this time. Cindy always brings her authentic voice, feelings and experiences to each episode no matter the topic she’s covering or guest she is interviewing. I admire her honest commitment to being intentional and grounded in not only living life but in setting goals and having plans. It’s easy to get caught up in the fluff of the planner community, but Cindy is constantly going back to the question of why.

Heart + Hustle Podcast

Angelica and Charisma are the hosts of the Heart + Hustle Podcast. I actually met Angelica over a year ago. She and I became connected through the Write Night Facebook group (a local online/in-person community for writers) and ever since then I’ve been following her super cool endeavors, which include co-owning a branding and design agency with her husband (who is also a truly cool person), running a paper good shop, and being a mom to the cutest little girl ever. But about the podcast… I am a newer listener to the show and I have been trying to catch up with current episodes published during the pandemic, which have covered topics such as how safely return to an office in the midst of a pandemic (Spoiler alert: it’s complicated AF and is going to require a lot of support and creativity) to how to handle being an entrepreneur during a pandemic. There are more than 130 episodes in their show’s history with so many different entrepreneurial topics covered. I really hope the pandemic is over by the time I catch up.

The Michelle Obama Podcast*

Her podcast may be one of the few truly wholesome and glorious things to happen during this pandemic. Former First Lady Michelle Obama just released her first episode before I published this blog post, so even though it’s new I had to include it. Fittingly, her first guest is her husband, former U.S. President Barack Obama (a.k.a. the first and last U.S. President I ever got to elect *sad face*). I’m looking forward to more interviews and insights from her as the show publishes more episodes. The first episode gave me a much-needed shot of hope and optimism that is hard to come by these days — however, as Michelle said: “When in doubt, rely on hope.”

My favorite quote from this episode: “As a former President who reads and knows history…” — Michelle Obama

*It’s important to note that this podcast is exclusively streaming on Spotify, so you’ll need to download the app or stream it via web.

These are the shows that have been making me smile/giggle, giving me new perspectives, and providing me a sense of community and optimism at times when inordinate amounts of social isolation and demoralizing current events have made me feel really disconnected from the world.

Are you a podcast listener? Which podcasts have you been enjoying?

(Disclaimer: I don’t like true crime so no recommendations for those shows, please!) 😉