No matter where I’m walking to or from, I always have something playing through my headphones. More often than not, it’s a podcast. I reserve my carefully curated Spotify playlists of various artists for my workouts, but any other time you’ll find me deep into a two-hour podcast. While some people have preferences for true crime or comedy, I prefer self-help, wellness and lifestyle podcasts, which always leave me feeling so much better than before I hit play. Here are a few of my favorite podcast-ers that help me feel like I have my life together.
1. It’s Me, Tinx
Tinx, or Christina Najjar, serves the big sister energy we all need, especially if you’re like me and need reassurance before making any decision. She covers topics relating to body image, gaining confidence, all things post break-up and even hosts weekly live shows where listeners can ask questions directly by dialing in to her “AMA” (“Ask Me Anything”) and she’ll give her full thoughts right then and there. You know those very niche and specific questions you secretly spend your alone time googling alone when no one is watching? Tinx has probably answered them all.
As a senior in college unsure of what my future holds, I rely so heavily on the advice of mentors and others who have gone through this stage of uncertainty before. Tinx makes me feel like I am exactly where I need to be. Listening to Tinx’s episodes on the way to class in the morning changes my outlook for the rest of the day. No longer do I question whether I’m doing the right thing or if what I’m feeling is normal. Every episode contains hilarious pop-culture references, sappy emotional moments and an all around positive feeling that will keep you smiling even after the headphones are off.
2. Anything Goes
Another podcaster who also gives off “best-friend” or “big sister” energy is Emma Chamberlain. Though it was her YouTube channel that launched her career, her podcast Anything Goes truly showcases her personality in a more vulnerable setting.
Typically recorded directly from her bed with coffee in one hand as she maneuvers a microphone with the other, each episode feels like a FaceTime call with your childhood best friend. Whether it’s an embarrassing story that happened to her years ago or her experience interviewing at the Met Gala, she always finds a way to make it relatable. Emma keeps it real and raw: She isn’t afraid to talk about the low points in her life despite her incredibly large platform. This vulnerability is what keeps listeners like me feeling connected and comforted that everything is going to be okay. If someone with 16.2 million followers on Instagram and 11.2 million subscribers on YouTube can have such similar experiences with burnout and loneliness, it makes me feel like I’m not alone and there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.
3. Huberman Lab
Who would’ve thought that listening to two-plus hours of a neurobiology professor at Stanford speak on all things brain-related could change the way I live my life for the better. While I am a nutritional science major with a fascination for anything and everything to do with health and wellbeing, I still believe that Andrew Huberman’s podcast is beneficial for everyone, regardless of their educational background.
Structured around his guest speakers, who are mostly professors, researchers and doctors, Huberman’s episodes focus on all the various ways to optimize your overall health, from sleep, exercise and diet to metabolism, hormone balance and so much more. At first I was hesitant to give this podcast a chance because I thought it would feel like another lecture on terms I had no understanding of, but Huberman has a talent for relaying such important information in a digestible manner. The back-and-forth conversations between him and his various guests are quite easy to follow and keep me wanting to learn more — so much so that I do my own research afterwards. There are countless wellness and lifestyle tips in each episode that he makes easy to incorporate into your daily routine. After listening to Andrew Huberman, not only do I feel just that much smarter, but I can also take the knowledge with me and notice significant positive changes in my lifestyle.
For the longest time, I struggled to hop on the podcast train, choosing to listen to my favorite album on my walk to class instead. Listening to other people speak didn’t feel appealing when all I wanted was to wind down and escape from all the chaos in my life. However, these three podcasts have definitely changed my mind. The ability to lift my mood for the better after just one episode feels incredible. Tuning in each week to learn, laugh and grow has made me feel like I have my life together (even if I really don’t).
