Now that the leaves are changing, you’ll have more time for walks, pumpkin spice and podcasts. Here are a few that are on the top of my list.
Weight For it
If you’ve ever struggled with your weight (all of us basically) this is an excellent look at fat bias in our culture. Host Ronald Young Jr. details his struggles with yo-yo dieting, dating and how others perceive him. But what really makes this series unique is learning how overweight people are seen by doctors, fashion designers, reality TV and pharmaceutical companies.
Earwitness
This series follows Toforest Johnson’s conviction for the shooting of a Sheriff’s Deputy in 1995 and the revelations that a key witness was secretly paid a $5,000 reward to tie him to testify against him. Journalist Beth Shelburne’s laser-focused reporting and interviews take you all the way back to the beginning. It’s like hearing injustice play out in real time. After decades of appeals, the U.S Supreme Court will decide whether it will review Johnson’s case in October 2023.
King Slime: The Prosecution of Young Thug and YSL
Before the Trump indictments , the Fulton County DA’s office, charged rappers Young Thug, Gunna and 27 others with participating in organized gang activity as part of a criminal enterprise. Journalists George Chidi and Christina Lee report on this fascinating, trainwreck of a trial. There’s an exclusive interview with DA Fani Willis. Atlanta is never, ever boring.
Dear Alana
Alana Chen is a normal teen who loves her Catholic faith. That loyalty is frayed when she struggles with her sexual identity and wants to come out. Host Simon Kent Fung lived a similar truth and tells Alana’s tragic story. Her diaries reveal the pain she was experiencing and displays how she was manipulated by the church she loved so much.
Believable: The Coco Berthman Story
A social-media influencer becomes the poster child for anti-sex-trafficking causes. Berthman claims she’s been trafficked multiple times with minimal evidence to back it up. You’ll learn that a lot of it is a grift and she is not who she says it is. There’s even a crazy Celine Dion storyline. Turns out you can make this stuff up.
The Dream
This wildly popular series about multi-level-marketing scams and wellness tackles the “life coaching” industry in Season 3. After Covid, a bad breakup and a major bout with depression, Host Jane Marie shares her own personal journey when she hires a life coach for herself. It’s revealing, raw and sometimes funny.
Say More: Dr? Sheila
I’m normally not into scripted podcasts but they had me at Amy Poehler as a couples therapist. There are tons of famous patients on this series. Fred Armisen, Rachel Dratch, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, John Lutz, Chris Parnell and Maya Rudolph will all keep you laughing about their ridiculous relationship struggles. Even the commercials are hysterical.
Exposed: Cover Up At Columbia University
Dozens of women complained that they were sexually assaulted by obstetrician Dr Robert Hadden. Columbia University covered it up for over 20 years. Thankfully, the survivors never gave up. You’ll hear how they finally received justice for these horrific crimes. Their resilience is why you’ll want to keep listening.