7 Inspiring Podcasts To Help Women Shine In 2021
A list of 7 podcasts every woman on a mission should listen to.
words Sarah Bagharib
I started listening to podcasts a few years ago and they accompanied me on my morning commute to work. They were a great and inspiring way to start my day as I tuned in to stories of other women and learned how they charted their own paths. And now that I’ve been working from home, I listen to them on my morning runs and get so energised and ready to start my day!
Podcasts started regaining their popularity in the past few years and there are plenty of amazing ones that speak to women. There are so many factors that contribute to helping a woman thrive and recognise her full potential; good physical and mental health, knowing your self-worth, playing to your strengths, great community support, and more.
Some of these podcasts I’ve been listening to have really helped me gain clarity and new perspectives on my struggles with impostor syndrome and self-doubt and have provided actionable steps I can take to manage them. They’ve also helped build my confidence to step into my power as a minority woman and a new entrepreneur who’s also juggling a 9 to 5 and motherhood! My experiences are of course unique to me but these podcasts truly speak to all everyday women on their own journeys.
So, here’s a list of 7 podcasts every woman on a mission should consider listening to.
1. Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
The guru on vulnerability and courage launched her first podcast in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic last March and it was a beautiful gift and guide for someone who was dealing with a lot of fears and anxiety of the new and unknown.
I’d like to share some gems from the first episode of the podcast where Dr. Brown talked about what vulnerability means and how we should face newness.
“Being new at something is incredibly vulnerable. // If the definition of vulnerability is the uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure then being new at something is the epitome of vulnerability. // You know that the only way to get to the other side of the discomfort of being new is to push right through the middle.”
This podcast is really helpful for anyone who’s seeking growth and is open to doing the inner, uncomfortable work in order to recognise their full potential.
2. Something Private with Nicole Lim
This podcast hosts insightful, intimate conversations surrounding feminine health that includes, but are not limited to, sexual wellness, reproductive health, and also other societal issues that impact women. You may be thinking - how can this podcast inspire a woman to thrive?
Well, the more we learn, the more we’re aware and the more we take care of our own sexual and reproductive health, the more we’ll be able to improve our physical and mental health! We tend to discredit or neglect the importance of maintaining sexual and reproductive wellness because we feel that they’re secondary to other resources we need to live our best lives. But in reality, we need to be in tune and pay more attention to our own minds and bodies in order to allow ourselves to work at our best!
3. Work Party with Jaclyn Johnson
Talking about work, here’s a fun and motivational podcast for working women! It’s a great space to turn to for inspiration if you’re looking for career advice, business advice, or even general personal development tips and tools. Hosted by the founder of Create & Cultivate, Jaclyn Johnson is your audio cheerleader and shares her own experiences through her podcast episodes and interviews of running her media company that aims to help women create and cultivate the career of their dreams.
I’ve learned a great deal from this podcast and always feel armed with the right kind of tips that can help me be a more fulfilled working woman after listening to the different episodes with a variety of superwomen guests.
4. Not Perfect Podcast with Poppy Jamie
Perfection is… impossible but we tend to seek and chase perfection instead of leaning into our strengths and channeling them to create something meaningful for ourselves. Perfection may also be a huge stumbling block to our end goal and quite unproductive.
In this podcast with mental health activist and entrepreneur Poppy Jamie, you can expect an exploration of what it means to be human and how to thrive from the inside out. A lot of great wisdom comes through this podcast and there’s also so much value in the sharing of practical and actionable steps you can take in order to thrive and shine.
5. Chief Best Friends with Niki Torres
I’m going to start by sharing the description you can find of Chief Best Friends on their page -
“This is not a typical podcast on entrepreneurship. It’s a podcast to figure out business success while cultivating meaningful friendships.”
While it may cater to women entrepreneurs, I think it’s still relevant to everyday women from all walks of life as each episode highlights the stories of beautiful friendships with great purpose. Community and friendship are essential to our success; at least to me. But I’d like to think most of you would agree with me too!
The journey is less lonely and a whole lot more fun with a community cheering us on. The stories shared on Chief Best Friends truly echo this and it’s really inspiring to hear how the guests on the show have navigated life and their careers with great support from their “work wives and work besties”. The episodes make me reflect on my friendships and the women who’ve helped me recognise my worth and remind me of my potential.
6. The Michelle Obama Podcast
This podcast needs no introduction really! If you’ve read former First Lady, Michelle Obama’s best-selling memoir ‘Becoming’, you’d want to jump right into the audio version of the book and more. And if you haven’t read it, this is a place you can start to learn about what it’s like to not just be the wife to a former US President, but also a working mother, a minority woman, and a woman who is committed to using her voice to shed light on injustices all around the world. The conversations she has with her guests are enlightening, funny and will give you the right kind of wisdom you need to take stock of your own achievements… and own them!
7. Frankly, My Dear with Fariza Salleh
I’ve only recently come across this podcast but I am here for it! Frankly, My Dear is a safe space for women to share their unique stories through raw and vulnerable conversations with the host, Fariza Salleh. I’d like to think that we share the same belief that it’s through listening to and resonating with the stories of other women that can help us feel less alone on our individual journey. It’s powerful to be able to lean into these stories as the force and strength of women in our community and seek inspiration through them that can empower us to keep going.