Podcasts I am Listening to

We are so lucky to have more resources than ever before to educate and inform ourselves with. Podcasts are a fantastic way to learn about different topics and hear people speak about their lives and experiences. They can take the form of interviews, panel discussions and fictionalised stories. They can help us as therapists to learn about different topics which expands our awareness, can challenge our biases and helps us to empathise more deeply with our clients. They are also a great resource to use in our work to help clients expand their awareness, feel more understood and feel empowered in their own process. Statistics show that 20% of Irish people listen to more than one podcast a week and there are so many to choose from. Here are some of the podcasts that I am listening to right now.

Where Should We Begin with Esther Perel

Esther Perel has been a psychotherapist for over 35 years in New York. She is a best selling author and her Ted Talks have over 28 million views. In each episode, we meet a different couple who speak anonymously about their real life issues. It is very insightful to see how Esther responds, being both very empathic and at times challenging. She navigates through the information presented to explore the themes and real needs behind the stories. She also gives insights into her own process of working with each couple. There are four seasons so far so a wide range of issues are covered including infidelity, health problems, sexual issues, extended family dynamics and the impact of COVID.

I Weigh with Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil is a British actress and activist (you might know her from the comedy series The Good Place which I also recommend!). In this series, she challenges society’s definition of worth through weight by asking different thought-leaders, performers, activists, influencers, and friends about how they are working through their past shames to find where their value truly lies. This includes a wide range of diverse voices in an accessible way to celebrate progress, not perfection. Guests include Ireland’s Aisling Bea to Reese Witherspoon, Depak Chopra to former U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy.

Unlocking Us Brene Brown

If any of you have been in my class, then you have heard me talk about my deep love of Brene Brown! She is a highly experienced academic researcher but speaks about topics in such an accessible and real way (her soothing Texan accent definitely helps this in my opinion). The tag line of this podcast describes it as “conversations that unlock the deeply human part of who we are, so that we can live, love, parent and lead with more courage and heart”. Some episodes are Brene discussing an aspect of her own work and others are episodes with people who can range from Dolly Parton to Barack Obama. There are lots of useful takeaway pieces of information e.g., around self care, stress, neuroscience and our responses to shame.

Glow West- Conversations about sexual wellness with Dr Caroline West

This is an Irish podcast by Dr. Caroline West who completed her PhD on the topic of pornography. I was lucky enough to hear Caroline speak about her research at some conferences and she speaks about the topic in the media regularly. Glow West is a podcast that explores sex, sexuality, and the body, through a sexual wellness perspective. Its looks at many aspects of sex related issues, and offers a space for calm, informed conversations. The focus is on taking the shame away from sexual pleasure. Guests include activists, sex educators, academics, sex workers and sexual health experts.

The End of the Line

This is a different format as each episode is approximately a ten minute monologue of a women telling you her story about why she doesn’t have children. There are 12 episodes in season one and it covers a wide range of situations. Some involve loss and trauma, others have chosen to be childfree and are very happy about it. However, all the women feel judged for their situation. The stories are true and inspired by the actresses who narrate them.

These are just a few of my favourite podcasts at the moment. I hope you find them interesting and that it inspires you to explore this resource for yourself.