Bonjour. Today is Monday, March 9, 2026. Read the latest from Podcasts We Text AboutāArielle and I listened to Rotten Mango and had a lot to say about it. ššššš
xoxo lauren
šØthe one thingšØ
It does not seem strange to me that two childhood friends would look back upon their high school years and realize that some of their teachers were actually creepy pervs who wouldnāt have made it far in a post #MeToo world. It would seem strange to me if the two friends, who worked for the school paper, grew into women who become journalists and were able to connect as adults to re-report the allegations with skills and resources they didnāt have as teens. Thatās whatās behind KUOWās Focus: Adults in the Room. (Same team that made Peabody-nominated Lost Patients.) The high schoolers Isolde and Ella are now adults and this re-reporting starts from the moment Isolde reported misconduct as a kid (she was the first) to the moment the teacher being referenced ended up [spoiler alert] killing himself. Up to now. Was the school community groomed by a charismatic predator? Or did Isoldeās actions cost the life of a great teacher? Itās part memoir, part true-crime, part investigative journalism, and part friendship catch up between Isolde and Ella. I have had these same conversion with my friends from high school. Wasnāt that teacher weird? He did that to you, too? Iām the same age as Isolde and Ella. I sought praise from my teachers, I wanted to impress them, and I had friendships with them that I now see were strange. (Did anyone else go to Dennyās at night for pie with their English teacher, who asked her to install his sound system for him in his living room, and she did? Anyone?) There were few boundaries, which would make it very easy for a teacher to cross one. I can see a lot of women my age calling up their friends wanting to chat about Adults in the Room with them, book club style. This story gets dark, though, not just because of the suicide but because of the blame placed on Isolde and how the way they were scapegoated impacted them. I have been thinking about girlhood a lot lately and this is a sad podcast about that. An odd twist: Isolde and Ella were in the same graduating class as Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-Mays, co-hosts of one of my favorite shows Text me Back. (Lindy and Meagan had Isolde and Ella on the show last week and they DO reveal things that are not in the podcast.) Finally, this was one of the best pitch letters Iāve ever received. So thanks to Michaela Gianotti Boyle. It was personal and well structured and made me want to hear more. (The last few back and forths between us have been me saying, āplease send moreā āis there more yet?ā āI want more!ā) Start Adults in the Room here.
notes
āØAudio Flux Circuit 07: Trash or Treasure is ON! Inspired by the perspective of Kenyan-based visual artist and sculptor Cyrus Kabiru, the team is inviting stories about climate change. The deadline is April 6. Learn more here. Also, listen to Julie Shapiro talk about what makes a podcast great on Phantom Power here.
āØFreddy Cruz interviewed BOTH Arielle and me together on Your Mic, which is something that rarely happens, and it was so much fun. Listen to āThe Bad Podcast Ideas That Refuse to Dieā here.
āØI was interviewed in the new newsletter Podcasts Curated with Taste. I am so excited that thereās a new podcast newsletter out there! More, more, more! Subscribe and read it here.
āØYesterday, Arielle featured myth-free history podcasts in EarBuds.
špodcasts i texted to friendsš
šI wrote about Jacob Reed and Me in June as my āIf u only have time for 1 thingā feature after I got to preview the first episode, āThe Artist,ā at Tribeca. It was a Mystery Show-esque mission to find the Jacob Reed who has painted āSea Breeze II,ā a commercial painting that seems both uninspired and wildly popular. (Tracking this person down is harder than youād think, and the end of the story which I do not want to spoil is kind of a gut punch.) The whole season is starting to roll out and episode two, āThe Economist,ā ticked all the boxes of what I looked for in a show: unexpected and textured, with a variety of audio styles. Itās on a mission. Itās funny. The production team is going above and beyond. And Jacob Reed is doing the work. Itās clear this podcast has become part of his life and that he is pouring himself into the podcast. In āThe Economistā he tracks down a Jacob Reed who teaches economics to high schoolers, and at the same time heās trying to better understand economics he starts getting scammy emails from someone who wants to get a book written by a different Jacob Reed, oddly a book about economics, more reviews on Amazon, thinking she has the right Jacob Reed on the phone but doesnāt. Like episode one, this has elements of Mystery Show in that Jacob goes to extreme lengths to get to the bottom of these rabbit holes that are beautifully intersecting in this doppelgƤnger world he is inviting us into. This one episode takes you on multiple journeys. You will be surprised. You will learn about economics! You will laugh and hear storytelling in a new way. It will excite and inspire you about podcasts in general. As if that werenāt good enough, there are several ads soliciting listers who have similar same name dilemmas to call in with their stories that are so funny they stand on their own as fantastic pieces of audio. (One sounds like a sex hotline, the other is a more grifty infomercial or something.) Listen to āThe Economistā here.
How I discovered it: Tribeca
šIf you havenāt listened to anything on The Big Dig feed, youāre in for a treat. There are two full seasons there, one on infrastructure and one on gambling, and a third season, about fishing and regulation, is dropping now. The Big Dig is investigative that is heaaaavily rooted in great storytelling. Ian is just the best at building out entire worlds that help us see a larger picture. In season one you could have easily gotten lost in the story of Fred Salvucci, the engineer behind the Big Dig project. In Catching the Codfather, we are are invited to get lost in the story of seafood mogul Carlos āThe Codfatherā Rafael, who built one of the largest commercial fishing operations in the country before getting taken down in a federal sting. We hear the details of how he underreported regulated catch, evaded taxes, and skirted federal fishing limits, all getting really really rich while doing it. But you kind of get a soft spot for him. Heās quite the character. This show exhibits a great use of archival tape, and Carlos is fun to listen to. Heās a good storyteller and has an unforgettable voice. But too, his story is one of an immigrant who has to make his own luckā¦luck he just keeps pushing. Catching the Codfather is the story of the American Dream with grit and humor and action and itās told so well I could almost smellllllll the harbor. VERY cool side note: Ian is taking The Big Dig on tour, kind of, for something called The Highway Teardown Tour, where heāll be doing live events in places from Seattle to Philly to discuss what kind of infrastructure problems are impacting those communities. Learn more about that here. Start Catching the Codfather here.
How I discovered it: Subscriber
šIn 2010, Itaru Sasaki set up a wind phone in his garden in Åtsuchi, Japan as a private way to talk to his cousin who had died. Wind phones are disconnected, they are there for someone grieving to imagine connecting with someone theyāve lost. And on Thanks for Asking, Nora McInerny set up her own version, opening the phone lines to people who had someone to say to someone not here anymore. Listening made me cry harder than Iāve cried in years. I was on public transport and was doing that kind of sobbing where you start to choke and stop worrying about how you appear because you just canāt control your face anymore. You know? We hear from people telling their friends about the pop culture that would surprise them, their parents about the grandkids they never met, their siblings that yes they were right, they are gay. Itās touching to be reminded of the human connection that surrounds us, whether that be ours or someone elseās (I donāt know these people) but it also points to a very strange thing, that once upon a time these people were alive and suddenly they werenāt anymore. But all of us just have to keep going. If I think about it too much it seems crazy. If I think about it too much I want to lie down. The strangest thing is that many of people people werenāt nearly as sad as I was. They were excited and cheerful to be speaking to their dead friends and relatives. I was the one sobbing like a baby. There is a Wind Phone Part 2 but I am not ready for it yet. Listen to The Phone Phone: Part 1 here.
How I discovered it: Recommended by one of my favorite podcast recommenders, Joshua Rae of AMP
šI listened to Decoder Ringās episode about prunes on my way to day one of On-Air Fest. In it, Willa Paskin tells the complicated story of this healthy, delicious fruit that has a strange cross to bearāit is best known for helping people poop. Nothing anyone could do could change peopleās minds that it was food for old people, or that it was too embarrassing to eat. Not even a complete rebranding and name change (to dried plum) could save the pruneās reputation. I referred to this episode in casual conversation to no less than five people that day, then I just lost track throughout the rest of the festival, which was where a lot of people were thinking about podcasts finding an audience. I couldnāt think of a better example than to point to this story, which illustrates that whether youāre a prune or a podcast, you need to be true to who you are. If you lie about who you are, youāll confuse the people who love the real you, youāll piss off people who feel tricked into believing you were different, and you wonāt attract the attention of the people you should. Once you realize this you have achieved zen, itās like 90% of the battle. I can think of one guy, in particular, who approached me, wondering which social media platforms he needed to be on to market his show, and I launched into a lengthy conversation aboutā¦prunes. Jesus Christ, Lauren. This guy had never met me before and this is what I do. This is why people think I am crazy. This episode really does explain why this one fruit has two identities (and packaging that you might still see in stores) but thereās also a lesson about authenticity that works for people and brands. Someone should turn the story of the prune into a childrenās story about the importance of being true to yourself. Listen to A Prune By Any Other Name here.
How I discovered it: Subscriber
šRumblestripās Erica Heilman is best known for her Peabody Award-winning piece āFinn and The Bell,ā which tells the story of Finn Rooney, a 17-year-old from Hardwick, Vermont, who died by suicide in 2020. Ericaās focus was who Finn was and how his community responded to his death and remembered him, not so much the tragedy. (If you havenāt listened, do it now.) Days after Finnās death, hundreds of people from the community joined at a bonfire to remember him, and a songwriter named Heidi Wilson wrote a song, āHold On,ā for them all to sing together. Last week we got an update from Ericaāthe song has found new life in communities all over the world, in Wales and Australia and Ireland, for people who seek solidarity for Minneapolis. People in Minneapolis have been singing it to ICE agents. Itās become a song that makes people feel stronger, and this update is about how a song could do that and why āHold Onā did. Erica talks to Heidi who truly cannot believe how the song has spread. I think in listening to how much power āHold Onā has, you can kind of feel the power of the people when they come together for good. Kind of like the song, this episode gives you a real nice, empowering feeling. Listen to āHold Onā here.
How I discovered it: Subscriber
šIt was EXCITING to see something pop up in the Conspiracy, She Wrote feed. Cristen Congerās Unladylike has been quiet and I have missed her. On Conspiracy, She Wrote, Cristen is releasing a robust series on Candace Owens and how she went from fringe YouTube creator to mainstream conservative media start to independent conspiracy theorist, somewhere in there also becoming a devout Catholic (the super scary kind,) MAGAās dream come true, and a real American success story, technically. Cristen uses the Way Back Machine to trace Candaceās first articles online and kind of is the Way Back Machine to unearth Candaceās origin story, which includes accusing a classmate of threatening her. She has been clinging to this story of victimhood ever since, all while yielding an extreme amount of power and a pretty predictable playbook: thereās a big event, the official narrative, then Candace gives her reactionary explanation and treats any backlash as persecution. The audience loyalty grows. And repeat. This is a sharp and eye-opening series that exposes Candace for her flaws and strengths, too. The woman may understand media better than all of us put together. Because her story, her success, really is about how sheās figured out how to work media. Thatās all it is. Underneath thereās just air. Listen to āHow Candace Owens Happened, pt. 1: Becoming Red Pill Blackā here.
How I discovered it: Subscriber
šI know I have already written extensively about Camp Swamp Road, the series on The Journal that followed Valerie Bauerlein ās reporting about the murder of Scott Spivey, who was shot to death by Weldon Boyd, who was claiming Stand Your Ground law. Itās a really really complicated story completely worth going to if you havenāt already, one of my favorite episodes or series of last year. The reporters are still following the case and dropped an episode about the recent trial to see whether or not a South Carolina judge would give Weldon Boyed immunity. Iāve been obsessed with this series for multiple reasons. Itās a really interesting story that keeps challenging me through every twist and turn. And I love Valerieās reporting, which is straight-forward, thorough, and human. And the coverage has allowed us, in just a few episodes, to feel like weāve experienced the entire incident. With this new episode, weāre a fly on the wall in the court room. We hear unexpected witness statements, tears and a story from Weldon Boyd, and a ruling from the judge that surprised me. Listen to āCamp Swamp Road Ep. 6: Your Side, Their Side and the Truthā here.
How I discovered it: Subscriber
šDoes everyone remember that one time Dallas Taylor almost quit podcasting? He spoke about it in like 2023 or 2024 for a very open social post about the realities of maintaining a profitable podcast at the beginning of the āpivot to videoā era, a time when the industry seemed to be in real crisis. Dallas didnāt quit, but he did pivot, dedicating himself to both an audio-only version of his show Twenty Thousand Hertz and a completely separate visual version on YouTube. I point clients to Dallas when I want to show them who is doing video right so they can see what it looks like and what an investment it really should be. On Ad Infinitum, Stew Redwine had the conversation with Dallas that Iāve been wanting to have with him ever since. Dallas explains how video has helped him grow his audience, how audio has helped him go deep with that audience, and how both of these ways to storytelling can coexist. I sent this conversation to my team and will send it to clients or anyone who is confused about what to do about video for their podcast. It so clearly explains how to do audio and video together. It doesnāt say itās easy, but it lets us imagine what it can be. Dallas did the thinking and testing for us, Iām thankful heās sharing. The one annoying and pretty ironic part of this episode was that it was Ad Infinitumās first video podcast and relied so heavily on visuals that I often had no idea what Dallas was referring to. Stewart Redwine is sharing Dallasā advice, not taking it. Listen to Two Circles | Dallas Taylor on Podcasting, YouTube, and Creative Identityā here.
How I discovered it: Subscriber
šAdell Coleman (sheās done a lot of amazing things for DCP including Say Their Name) lost her mother young. Echoes of Her is her new storytelling podcast that honors the lives of mothers and motherly figuresāwho they were, how they loved, and the impact they left behind. Every episode closes with āTo Mom, with Loveā a letter where guests speak directly to the mothers and mother figures who shaped them, which is perfect for my new obsession / greatest fear, listening to wind phone conversations. Youāll find me listening in a puddle of my own tears. But this is not only a sad podcast. Listen to the episode āNana Did What?,ā Adellās conversation with her daughter, Athena, about Adellās mom. Athena is bright and curious and itās just this very special moment you get to sit in on, where Adell gets to pass her momās spirit down to her daughter. Listen to āNana Did What? Learning About Her Grandma She Never Metā here.
How I discovered it: Friend of Adell
Thank you!! So glad you are liking the show!