Two essentials for your queue
The best show I've heard in a long time and celebrating women in audio.
There are two things I’d love for you to add to your queue this week: Skyline Drive and more podcasts by, for, and about women.
In honour of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, I’m going to take a quick diversion from previously planned recommendations to highlight some of my favourite shows and episodes that feature women in some way.
Before I get into that list, I need to talk about a show that has completely captured my heart and may be one of the best shows I’ve heard in a long time. I’ve been waiting for the finale to write about it and I finally brought myself to listen to the show I didn’t want to end. I considered pushing this another week, but I can’t stop thinking about it and I need to share it with you.
Special Feature:
Skyline Drive is a show about astrology but I hesitate to describe it that way. Because I know that those who don’t really believe in or care about astrology will write it off too quickly. But they’d be missing out on a truly exceptional story. Since it’s told by someone who has always been skeptical of astrology, even though he’s always had it around him, you don’t get the perspective on astrology that you’d typically expect. This isn’t a story about astrology. It’s the story of believing in something bigger than ourselves, and that thing might not be in the stars. I think it’s in our hearts. And it’s told through a story of loss, love, grief, and curiosity.
I’m going to try to play it cool while talking about this show, but Skyline Drive is easily one of my favourite shows to come out in the last few years. It’s my go-to answer when people ask me what podcasts I’m listening to lately or what’s my favourite podcast. I know I love a lot of shows, but this one is doing all the things I enjoy in a podcast in a really heartfelt and fun way. Mangesh Hattikudur is the perfect host and “investigator” into the world of astrology – a world he’s always known about but always been a little skeptical of. Through interviews with experts, studies of cultural moments and influences, discussions with his family, and the many personal lessons he learns along the way, you get this beautiful blend of documentary and personal journal. I’m a big fan of both those genres. Beyond the great storytelling, THE MUSIC (see playlist one and two for more). Oh my goodness the music. It emphasizes moments when it needs to and strikes you in the feels, both happy and sad. If I could go back in time and hear the show for the first time again, I would.
Mangesh never set out to make such a personal and emotional show, but by the end of the first episode, unexpected and inescapable turn of events send the story in that direction. And as he discovers by the end, it might be what he needed it to be all along.
What I’m learning is I love shows that have a documentary style to them but told through a personal voice. I don’t need the stakes to be life or death, but I do need to feel why they matter to the person telling the story. There’s something magical in that. Skyline captures that magic perfectly. And as perfect as the ending is, I wish it never had to end.
I’ve laughed, I’ve cried (a lot), I’ve danced like a total dork in the kitchen – this show is everything you need in storytelling that manages to get incredibly personal while also teaching you about the bigger impact in the world.
I’ll end it with my favourite quote from the last episode.
I realized who I became in that moment, in the driver’s seat, steering an endless road. And I know who I can be. I don’t have to waste time endlessly obsessing over the future. I can choose moments like this, the ones that make my heart leap. I can choose the long way home, over and over and never regret it. And I can fill the time I have left – because I understand how precious that time is – with a series of skyline drives.
More great shows for your queue
I know I just raved about Skyline Drive, but The Loudest Girl in the World is right up there with it as a top podcast ever. Lauren Ober takes you on a personal journey has she is diagnosed as autistic in her 40s. It’s about understanding what that has meant for her entire life leading up to now and how she navigates this new realization. Because she documented the entire process, you hear some very raw and emotional moments, and you learn a lot about neurodiversity as Lauren learns it too. Lauren might say she’s clumsily navigating her way through her autism diagnosis but I think what she’s doing is incredibly beautiful and brave. By listening, we can all learn how to be more understanding of ourselves and each other.
Last year Laura Mayer released one of the most entertaining audio documentaries about the podcast industry I’ve ever heard. In an attempt to get a show acquired and finally cash in on some podcast success like she’d seen so many of her colleagues achieve, she created a show with the sole purpose of selling it. It’s an example of learning how to shamelessly promote yourself, but more than that, it’s an example of truly embracing your voice and your unique creative style. She made jingles, she made merch, she made people think about the kinds of audio stories we prioritize, and she even made a musical. Even if you don’t work in podcasting, it’s a really fun listen and always had me grinning as I listened. It was so refreshing to hear a story like this from her perspective.
I love the history lessons you get from Simone Polanen and the whole Not Past It team. You can tell they like to have fun with it through the sometimes playful scripts, the music and pop culture references, and even the topics they choose. Each week they pick a moment from that very same week in history and explore how it shaped our lives. I’m always coming back to this show to learn something new and my favourite episode so far was the one about Sally Ride. She was the first American woman to travel into space for NASA and basically saved the space program. The reason this episode is told so well also comes from the very personal guest who helps them tell Sally’s story. You gotta listen to find out! And if you’re feeling the Oscars buzz, they just did a great episode about the history of the Oscars and all the chaos behind the notorious La La Land and Moonlight mix up. P.s. this show is also on my list of awesome podcast theme songs.
Virgie Tovar shares my love and enthusiasm for snacks, so naturally her show won me over immediately. She has this great way of warming up her guests by starting episodes with both of them enjoying one of the guest’s favourite foods or snacks. Besides raving over delicious snacks, Virgie dives into the dynamics of shame, power, and self-love that surround people’s relationships with food – from eating disorders and trauma to the politics of food. The show brings such a positive and empowering approach to food that rebels against the diet culture we’re so often bombarded with.
Megan Tan created one of the first documentary-style podcasts that showed me what this style could be like when it’s told through a personal lens. As we’ve learned repeatedly, I really like that style! And Megan introduced it to me with Millennial. Her latest show, Snooze, brings that style into it, except it’s not just about Megan’s journey. It’s about helping people stop hitting snooze on scary or intimidating things they want to do. From getting a driver’s license to reading a tough book, Megan is there as an encouraging friend and accountability partner.
And even more that I want to celebrate again and again!
Immigrantly: A boundary-pushing, border-crossing podcast that gives diverse voices and stories home.
Unladylike: A feminist lifestyle podcast on a mission to stay curious, build empathy and raise hell.
Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi: A podcast about the studies, data, and interviews that might answer “does normal even exist?”
Copper & Heat: A podcast exploring the unspoken rules and traditions of restaurant kitchens through the stories of people that work in them.
TV, I Say w/ Ashley Ray: A podcast that keeps listeners up to date on the shows everyone is talking about, digs deep into classic tropes, and breaks down the best moments in television.
Work Appropriate: A podcast that delivers humorous but practical workplace advice for a range of listener questions.
Natch Beaut: A podcast that explores the self care space while laughing, yelling, singing, and keeping things cruelty free.
How to Do the Pot: A podcast to help women feel confident about cannabis for health, well-being, and fun.
Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant: Hear what it takes to find and save some of the world’s most intriguing and endangered creatures.
Fierce: A podcast that’s shedding much-needed light on the fierce women that history has undervalued.
The Waves: Each week a pair of writers and guests talk through one news story we can’t stop thinking about, and unpack what gender has to do with it.
Sounds Like a Cult: A podcast about the modern-day “cults” we all follow.
Ethnically Ambiguous: A podcast about being Middle Eastern and immigrants in America.
FOGO: A nature show — by the most reluctant host ever.
There Are No Girls on the Internet: A podcast about the ways marginalized voices have shaped the internet from the very beginning.
Every Little Thing: A podcast about answering even the most niche questions, no matter how much of a rabbit hole they involve.
Beginner: The story of a 24 year old Pakistani-American immigrant, learning to do the things she never did as a kid, and that are integral parts of an American childhood.
The Pod Broads: Interviews with women in the podcasting industry about their life, their work, and how the two intersect.
Alpaca My Bags: A podcast exploring what truly makes travel and tourism responsible.
I’ve already made this soooo long, so I’ll stop…for now. 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!
You’re on target with Skyline Drive. Astrology is a topic I would normally dismiss, yet host / creator Mangesh Hattikudur entices listeners into a fascinating world of myth, history, science, and magical spiritualism. It’s a wild ride.
LOVE.