Back to the podstack

Complicated beauty competition, a mother leaves, who's your father, killing curling, sustainable concerts, heatless jalapenos.

After an unplanned break, Podstack returns! I have realized what some travel and a few busy weekends can do to my listening queue. Even though I was still tuning into my weekly regulars, I was struggling to find time for checking out new shows. I like to dedicate more focused time to that kind of listening so I can really savor and enjoy it. I have slowly started to find more of that time and get back into the routine again. So here are some new listens from my queue lately!

And in order to finally get back to writing this, I took Ted’s advice.

This week’s podstack

The Competition - 49 Girls is a Lot

When I heard that this show had intrigued Wil Williams enough that they brought back their podcast newsletter, I knew I needed to listen. And obviously it is so worth it! The story of a beauty pageant that tries to be much more than a typical/old school beauty pageant is made compelling in many layers. There’s the host, who competed when she was younger, and has come back as judge but mostly to learn what makes girls want to compete today. There’s the different aspects of the competition, from scholarly interviews to fitness testing that reminded me of gym class in ways I actively try to forget! And then there are the different stories and dynamics of the girls competing. Like the ones who are stepping way outside their comfort zone because the prize money would help fund their education much more than most scholarships can. Each episode makes you need to listen to the next. There are so many psychological and sociological impacts from being part of the competition and I think it can teach us something about being a young girl in the US right now.

Mother is a Question - Why Can't a Mother Think That? (Anne, Pt. 1)

Mother is a Question opened their new season with a two part episode that answers the brave and difficult question of what happens when a mother needs to leave. Anne knew she needed to step away from her family in order to escape a dark and unhappy place she was falling into, but it’s not something that women are often seen doing. It wasn’t easy on her or her children, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t necessary. You can hear her reliving her heartbreak about the decision and what it was like to leave England and find herself in Wyoming. The difficulty of the situation is felt even deeper as one of her daughters is heard from in the episode. These two episodes feel like such a strong representation of what this show hopes to accomplish - to discuss and understand motherhood from many angles and perspectives. To go deep on what it means to be a mother, with all the different forms that can take. (transcript)

Inconceivable Truth - Warren | Chapter 1

I think I must’ve been in the mood for more narrative series because once I listened to as much of The Competition as I could, I dove into Inconceivable Truth. This story documents the journey of a strained relationship between father and son, and the complicated turn it takes when the son discovers that man was never actually his biological father. The process of fertility treatments used to be very different when they were newer and this is an example of what can happen because of that. Like when neither the mother, father, or child realize what, or who, was actually responsible for the conception. Even though this looks at the impacts of early fertility treatments and popularity of at home DNA tests, it’s also a story of the desire to know your biological roots. Host Matt Katz may love the man who raised him and have complicated feelings about the one he thought he was related to, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to know who he’s actually biologically related to. It’s a compelling story and told so well that you can’t help wanting to know what he discovers next.

Broomgate - E1: The Mystery Broom

This story of a broom that almost killed the sport of curling almost has a true-crime level of intensity to it and I’m here for it. I’m already asking people in my life what they remember about broomgate back in 2015. I don’t know how I missed it or don’t remember it happening, but I’m so glad I get to hear what really went down through this series. Since the brooms in curling are so crucial to controlling the results of a throw, the addition of a broom that seems to give an advantage like never before sends the world of curling into outrage. Where other sports have definitely had their equipment improve and advance their abilities over the years, it seems like curling didn’t want this much advancement added to it. I’m only two episodes in, so I’ve met the host, who was a curler and has a personal involvement in the story, and the people who made the broom, but there’s still so much to learn about what happened the year of broomgate. A scandalous Canadian curling investigative podcast is the genre I didn’t know I needed!

Earth Care - Understand the Carbon Footprint of Travelling to a Concert | S5 E3

The sustainability of the live music industry might seem like a niche climate topic but that’s exactly the point and I think we’re going to see more things like this. By talking about all the ways live music can and is trying to be more sustainable, you can learn about your impact and technologies or innovations that apply to things other than live music. Like how a venue in Scotland is turning body heat into power. Or how you can select sustainable aviation fuel when flying somewhere. The work host Sarah Christie is doing to compile information and resources to help us understand the many ways to be more sustainable takes some of the overwhelming and helpless feelings away from climate conversations. Plus, she just cares so much and focuses on solutions not dread, which you can’t help getting inspired by. (transcript)

Decoder Ring - How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

The history of jalapeno’s heat tells the story of the lengths the food industry will go to to accomodate a market. Since the heat levels of jalapeno peppers can be fairly unpredictable, it made it difficult for them to sell in the U.S., where tolerances for spicy food can vary a lot. In order to take away the unpredictablility, they needed to control the heat. But how do you do that? Grow jalapenos that have no heat and then add the amount you want. This is as much about farming and food production, as it is about the history of Mexican food in the U.S. and both sides of the story teach you so much about what happens when a food or cuisine becomes popular in a new area. I love food stories like this and when you apply Decoder Ring’s rabbit hole style to it, it becomes so much more than just a food story. (transcript)

Thank you for reading! If you listened to something this week that made your heart sing, your imagination wander, or your brain ponder, I’d love to hear about it!