Pantsuit Politics.
If I could only recommend ONE podcast, it would be this one. It is a political podcast by two women who are friends from college, have different political views (one R, one D) and discuss current events in a NUANCED way. It is the only political podcast I regularly listen to and it does not make me (more) hopeless or (more) enraged. I often walk away with a new understanding or a shift in perspective. Even in the realm of healthcare, they have introduced me to new ideas. And they are both super likable women who happen to be both smart and wise. We could all use a little more nuance in our lives, especially right now.

Blue Babies Pink.
This one is really a must listen to anyone who is a Christian, I think. Brett is a Christian, a pastor’s kid, a person raised in the evangelical culture, and he is also gay. If that sentence raised your hackles or if you think that he cannot be both, then you should probably give this a listen. This podcast is his story, about how hard he fought against this, and how heartbreaking it has been, and how he finally found some peace in it. You and I may differ in our beliefs about homosexuality, but if we are Christians there is no doubt that we are called to love people well…all people. If you aren’t sure how to love LGBTQ people, this is a good starting place. It is easy to make assumptions about another person, but it is a lot harder to listen to someone’s heart and not be moved in some way. I don’t think time spent listening to another person’s story is ever wasted. We don’t get to write other people’s stories, no matter how much we want to, but we do get the opportunity to love them through it all.

In The Dark.
This is a true crime podcast that covers the Jacob Wetterling case from 1989, but it really so much more. It covers many tangential issues from law enforcement to the harm done to the lives of (innocent) suspects to the problems with the sex offender registry to how a family survives something like this. It was so incredibly well done (though there are some parts that are difficult to listen to) and I haven’t listened to another true crime podcast that comes close to this one for me.

Crime Writers On.
This show started as a discussion of Serial between true crime authors, but unfortunately I did not come to it until well after Serial (and I was super late to Serial as well). Now they cover a mash-up of true crime, pop culture, and other podcasts. I get a lot of great recommendations from them and they are just such a fun group to listen to.

For The Love with Jen Hatmaker.
If you know and love Jen Hatmaker, you will probably love this. I really, really, REALLY loved the Moxie series. She had so many wise and funny people on, and she is so wise and funny herself, that it makes for really enjoyable AND challenging listening.

That rounds out my Top 5.

Here are a few of my other faves…

Impolite Company (politics/religion)
The Hamilcast (Hamilton)
Accused (true crime)
The Bright Sessions (fictional, sci-fi)
Serial (true crime)
Stranglers (true crime)
Hidden Brain (psychology)
True Crime Garage (true crime)
Homecoming (fictional)

How about you? What are your Top 5 podcasts?