Blog Insights From Our Office Looking for a new podcast to try? 45 great picks from the TED staff Posted by: TED Staff May 22, 2015 at 4:20 pm EDT There’s something so cool about finding a new podcast to love — each little download opens a door to new ideas, new jokes, new ways of seeing the world. Working at TED, as you might guess, many of us have strong opinions about this. Beyond the podcasts we all love: This American Life, Radiolab, The Moth, Serial, and of course our own TED Radio Hour — here’s our list of 45 you might not know you needed to listen to right this minute. For great storytelling Snap Judgment “It’s a 56­minute whirlwind that always seems to go by too fast,” says Ellyn Guttman, of our TED Books team, about this hard­to­describe NPR podcast hosted by Glynn Washington. “It’s similar to This American Life but edgier,” adds Kim Nederveen Pieterse of our Partnerships workgroup. “It questions race, identity and ‘the system’ through personal storytelling and music.” Criminal This podcast bills itself as “stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.” Photographer Ryan Lash says, “After binging on Serial for the third time, this show satisfies my cravings.” The Story Collider Science meets stories in this podcast from former TED staffer Ben Lillie. “Sometimes scientists share funny moments from their lab; other times they explain how they became fixated on niche topics. Sometimes it’s non­scientists telling science­y stories,” says writer Kate Torgovnick May. Recent episodes include “Who Looks Like a Scientist?,” about an offhanded sexist remark overheard by TED Fellow Renée Hlozek, and “Questioning a Hero,” with TED speaker Ed Yong — on what happened when he interviewed Sir David Attenborough. State of the Re:Union “I’ve been listening more and more,” says Alex Rudloff of TEDx. The concept of this NPR show: it takes a snapshot of America, community by community. “It’s got a grassroots, local focus. And Al Letson’s a great storyteller who, coincidently, hosted TEDxJacksonville.” Love + Radio This podcast weaves fact and fiction, pulling together interviews and stories that relate to a theme. “Radiolab featured their segment ‘The Living Room,’ in which a woman learns intimate details of her neighbors’ relationship because they never close their curtains,” says TED­Ed animator Lisa LaBracio. “It’s a podcast that introduces you to the strangest of strangers, but also gives a gentle reminder that we’re all a little bit strange.” Invisibilia Many members of our staff love this NPR podcast, which explores the intangible forces that shape our lives. Cloe Shasha of our Content team says, “It’s just fascinating to consider the mysteries of our perception and assumptions.” Emily Pidgeon of Design Services adds, “I’ve devoured every episode because they get into emotions, thoughts and perceptions in a way that’s captivating. If I could, I would erase my memory and relisten.” The Truth This show harkens back to the radio plays of yesteryear. “They do a great job with storytelling and production. It’s a lot of fun to listen to — sometimes sad, sometimes funny, always entertaining,” says Jai Punjabi of our Technology team. Mystery Show A soon­to­launch podcast hosted by Starlee Kine, Mystery Show promises to solve a real­life mystery every episode. A trailer has Kine talking to one person about the mustached woman who helped her out of a bind, and to another who has been pondering a mystery for 20 years. “The show doesn’t launch until May 22,” says Thu­Huong Ha of our Editorial team. “But Starlee’s trailer is characteristically quirky, intriguing and giggle­inducing.” Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything “Each episode feels like a stream of consciousness variety show mixed with music, philosophy and a dose of skepticism,” says LaBracio. “I love the range of topics that he covers and the surprises that he uncovers along the way. One of TED­Ed’s artists, Celeste Lai, works on it now too.” For a more thoughtful life On Being A classic podcast from Krista Tippett. “This weekly conversation grapples with the many facets of human connection and existence,” says TED Prize director Anna Verghese. “It explores value, faith and meaning.” Lisa Bu of our Distribution team recommends this podcast too. She says, “It explores the big questions at the center of life: What does it mean to be human, and how do we want to live?” My Brother, My Brother and Me This podcast could go here, or in the “For belly laughs” section. “It’s three brothers — Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy — who, essentially, seek out the strangest Yahoo! Answers questions and dish out advice on them,” says writer Torgovnick May. “Sometimes their advice is good. Sometimes it’s terrible. But the real joy is the trio’s lightning­quick wit with each other.” The Dinner Party Download “It’s a podcast structured like a dinner party, and intended to make you a scintillating host and/or guest,” says Haley Hoffman of our Technology team. “They bring in a celebrity for a short interview, dish out interesting factoids about current events and have a themed cocktail.” Emily Ludolph of our Partnership team loves this podcast too. “Know all my amazing office jokes?” she says with a wink. “I get them from their ‘icebreaker’ opening.” Alan Watts Podcast A collection of lectures and seminars from the iconic philosopher, curated by his son. “Alan Watts has a gift to make abstract ideas come to life,” says Bu. “He can bring Eastern philosophies close to the hearts of Western audiences.” The Longest Shortest Time This show is intended to be a “bedside companion for parents.” But Hoffman, who is actually not a parent, finds herself fascinated by it. “It’s spectatorship for people who like worry,” she says. Death, Sex + Money “Touching, poignant and direct, Anna Sale interviews folks — both famous and not — about the three things we want to talk about anyway,” says TED­Ed’s Caroline Cristal about this WNYC show. “The interviews are always interesting, and it’s great to hear different perspectives on these topics and how people handle them.” For random knowledge Stuff You Should Know “This podcast is super fun,” says engineer Michael Rhing. “Each episode does a great job covering a subject in about 30 minutes. The episode that got me hooked was ‘How Skywriting Works’ — never really something that I thought would have an interesting history. But they proved me wrong.” The Memory Palace This podcast surfaces surprising stories of the past. Just one classic: the story of German prisoners of war, captured on a submarine, who attempted to escape a prison camp in Arizona by digging their way out. “It’s one of my all­time favorite podcasts,” says photographer Lash. “The episodes are short, non­traditional, wonderfully intimate notes from history.” Gastropod A show about food, through the lens of science and history. “What’s not to like?” asks Helen Walters, our Ideas Editor. “And it’s helmed by the lovely Nicola Twilley, who is absurdly smart.” Desert Island Discs Archive You’re stranded on a deserted island; choose eight records, one book, and a luxury to take with you. BBC Radio 4 has been posing this question since 1942, and the entire archive is online, more than 1,500 programs. TED.com editor Emily McManus will someday listen to them all. Philosophy Bites Fifteen­minute interviews with philosophers, by philosophers; Rachel Saunders of TEDx is obsessed. “Episodes start with the philosopher summarizing his or her position — and then comes follow­up questions and analysis,” she says. “Some episodes are abstract (‘Noël Carroll on Humour and Morality’), while some are more specific and relevant (‘Jeff McMahan on Gun Control’). And many are with TED speakers (‘Alain de Botton on Philosophy Within and Outside the Academy).” Word Gang Best described as “a weekly show about words and the people who use them,” this show goes on the road to parks, prisons, poetry slams and more for lively conversations about words. “It’s from my pal Rives,” says content director Kelly Stoetzel. Freakonomics Since 2010, Freakonomics co­author Stephen J. Dubner has done a podcast version of the well­known book franchise. “Digging through the archives turns up some real gems,” says Amanda Ellis of TEDx. “One of my favorites was ‘Why Do People Keep Having Children?’ on the history of why women in various parts of the world keep having multiple children. Another good episode made the case that gossiping may be good for you. Very interesting.” Free Thinking A BBC Radio 3 stalwart, this show features in­depth conversations with thinkers and cultural critics. Things often veer in the direction of debate. “It’s like listening to your favorite sociology professor and favorite economics professor duke it out,” says writer Torgovnick May. “It’s where to turn when you want an hour­long discussion of violence in culture or how Dante’s Inferno has influenced us.” Meanwhile in the Future This new podcast from Gizmodo imagines science fiction­y futures and asks experts to take them to their most logical extremes. It’s produced and hosted by longtime TED­Ed contributor Rose Eveleth. “It’s a podcast about overthinking things,” says Thu­Huong Ha of our Editorial team. “Two episodes are out so far — about artificial wombs and if Earth had a second moon — but I think it’s going to be great.” For belly laughs The Indoor Kids A podcast dedicated to video games, action figures, comic books and more.