One of the best developments in entertainment has to be podcasts, especially when it comes to feeling connected and forming community. How wonderful that we can learn something new about the world on our morning walk, or feel like we’re having end-of-day wines and catching up while we do the school run.
As a woman, I find the podcast world can be a nurturing space - full of honest conversations and the sharing of experiences that make me feel a little less alone in a very busy existence.
If you’re looking for some fantastic female-driven podcasts this International Women’s Day, here are eight excellent options.
Former Bachelorette star Georgia Love hosts this unique podcast where each episode sees her interviewing a guest about a significant past relationship they’ve had. From forbidden love to deception, tragedy to life’s bittersweet curve-balls, each story will be making you laugh or cry – in the best way, of course.
2. Jeans And A Nice Top
It would be remiss of me not to mention my own podcast about dating and relationships, borne from a frustration in not being able to find a casual/chatty dating podcast that felt relatable to modern relationships and their very unique dramas. Each ep, my co-host Ash Austen and I chat about everything from text etiquette to ghosting (and how to deal with it).
3. After Work Drinks
Journalists Grace O’Neill and Isabelle Truman come together each week to have consistently insightful and hilarious chats about everything and anything going on in the world and their lives. These women are refreshingly smart and honest – they’ll cover major social movements one week, a pop culture moment the next.
4. The Guilty Feminist
Comedian Deborah Frances-White brings guests onto her show, where feminism reigns supreme, but the realities of our insecurities, hypocrisies and the overall journey of trying and failing is acknowledged. It’s kind of like a safe space for people who want to do better, but sometimes screw it up.
5. Call Your Girlfriend
Anyone with a long-distance best friend will revel in this podcast, hosted by two besties (Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman) who call each other once a week to chat about life. Fiercely feminist and passionate about empowering women, it’s a great mix of light-hearted fun and dissection of the stuff that matters.
6. Life, I Swear
There is something particularly special about hearing honest accounts from women of their experiences and how these shaped them. This podcast has that in spades – created by Congolese-American writer Chloe Dulce Louvouezo, each episode is a beautifully produced story of one Black woman’s experience, whether a particular moment or longer life journey.
7. She’s On The Money
There is huge empowerment in managing your finances, and after generations of conditioning that money-management was something left to men, be it husbands, fathers or professionals, it’s refreshing to see a strong movement toward giving women the resources they need to find financial security independently. This Australian podcast not only delivers educational episodes around personal finance, it also has a thriving community on Facebook of women encouraging other women in their finance management.
8. Ladies, We Need To Talk
Yumi Stynes presents this ABC podcast, in which women from all walks of life come together to chat about a particular topic, be it vaginas and all that they do for us, to emotional abuse. It’s like having a coffee in a safe space with other women who get it, and want to share with you about it.
Words by Melissa Mason.
Melissa is a freelance writer and podcast host. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.