Podcasts for curious minds and broken hearts

It was a simpler life when our grandparents sat around on a Sunday evening in front of the radio listening to a weekly broadcast. Today, listening to podcasts allows us to recapture the relaxing and informative moments of a bygone era away from computer and TV screens. It really is a wonderful way to relax before bed or better endure a long travel trip.

Here are some podcasts that I’ve come to enjoy. May they serve to also inform you and renew your spirit:

Dear Sugars – The podcast begins each show with a greeting, “The universe has good news for the lost, lonely and heartsick. ‘Dear Sugars’ is here, speaking straight into your ears”. Hosted by writers Cheryl Strayed, in Oregon, and Steve Almond, in Boston, the show fields questions by listeners on a variety of personal topics, deep and dark, and offers radical empathy with each well considered answer.

RadioLab – Devoted to investigating a strange world. Created by Jad Abumrad and hosted by Jad and Robert Krulwich, Radiolab has won Peabody Awards, a National Academies Communication Award “for their investigative use of radio to make science accessible to broad audiences,” and in 2011 Abumrad received the MacArthur Genius grant. The show has an archive of hundreds of episodes and has toured in sold out shows nationwide.

On Being with Krista Tippet – The groundbreaking Peabody Award-winning public radio show and podcast. Conversation about the big questions of meaning in 21st century lives and endeavors — spiritual inquiry, science, social healing, and the arts. What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other? Each week a new discovery about the immensity of our lives. Hosted by Krista Tippett.

LongForm – The Longform Podcast is a weekly conversation with a non-fiction writer on how they got their start and how they tell stories. The show is hosted by Aaron Lammer, Max Linsky, and Evan Ratliff.

Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations – Awaken, discover and connect to the deeper meaning of the world around you with SuperSoul. Hear Oprah’s personal selection of her interviews with thought-leaders, best-selling authors, spiritual luminaries, as well as health and wellness experts. All designed to light you up, guide you through life’s big questions and help bring you one step closer to your best self.

Modern Love – The Podcast features the popular New York Times column, with readings by notable personalities and updates from the essayists themselves. Join host Meghna Chakrabarti (WBUR) and Modern Love editor Daniel Jones (NYT).

Design Matters with Debbie Millman – Probably the first podcast I ever listened to back in 2006 or so, and I’ve been listening ever since. The show is about design and an inquiry into the broader world of creative culture through wide-ranging conversations with designers, writers, artists, curators, musicians, and other luminaries of contemporary thought.

Beautiful Writers Podcast – Join Linda and her celebrity co-hosts (and original co-founder, Danielle LaPorte) as they bring together the world’s most beloved bestselling authors and creatives for monthly chats on writing, publishing, deal-making, spirituality, activism, and the art of romancing creativity. These up-close conversations—with the likes of Maria Shriver, Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Gilbert, Dean Koontz, Brené Brown, Van Jones, Geneen Roth, Martha Beck, Glennon Doyle, Anne Lamott, Rob Bell, Gabby Bernstein, Terry McMillan, Seth Godin, Dani Shapiro, Robert McKee, Marianne Williamson, Steven Pressfield, Arianna Huffington, Leeza Gibbons, Mary Karr, Gretchen Rubin are sure to inspire you.

Do you have favorite podcasts? Feel free to add them in the comments section.

Lisa Mikulski is a freelance writer and photographer based in Boston, MA. Available for print or online publications. Editorial, features, content development, and creative. She is presently working on her first memoir.