𤳠10 podcasts I texted my friends
đ đ Can you tell I'm experimenting with what to call these things? đ đ¤¸ââď¸
Bonjour.
Today is Monday September 29, 2025. This email is too full for more links, so I guess youâll just have to skim for yourselves!
xoxo
lauren
~sponsored~
Whatâs Next? With Lacey is the career podcast for anyone whoâs ever Googled âWhat does a marketing coordinator actually do?â or âHow do people even get jobs in health tech?â Hosted by Lacey, itâs your backstage pass into the careers youâve heard of â but donât fully understand.
Every other week, Lacey chats with young professionals across industries like entertainment, finance, education, and everything in between. Think of it as an unfiltered informational interview, minus the awkward LinkedIn cold message. Guests share what their day-to-day really looks like, how they got their start, what they wish theyâd known earlier, and what itâs actually like behind the job title.
No corporate-speak, just honest conversations that make the working world feel more accessible and less mysterious, whether youâre in college, mid-job hunt, reconsidering your path, or just nosy about what other people do all day.
You might like this episode about Podcast Marketing & Monetization:
âď¸Reply to this email for classified ads and sponsorship opportunities. âď¸
đ¨the one thingđ¨
The Journalâs âCamp Swamp Roadâ is about a WSJ piece that started as a road rage incident and ended up being either a stand your ground case or murder, depending who you ask. In 2023 on Camp Swamp Road in South Carolina, Weldon Boyd and Bradley Williams killed Scott Spivey, who they said was driving erratically and shooting his gun out the window. Scott Spiveyâs sister, the person who is for some reason the one going through all the audio of the incident and all the audio Weldon Boyd has with his family, friends, cop buddies, feels differently. The reporting here is so good and the story touches all sort of political avenues but itâs also soooo emotional. The image of a tow truck hauling Scottâs body to the departmentâs impound lot inside the truck depletes me, then I was further gutted to find out why that happened in the first place. The audio we get to hear feels will pull you in so full youâll forget what youâre doing. Camp Swamp Road also has such a strong sense of place. WSJ reporter Valerie Bauerlein details the people and stores and roads so well, and those accents are beautiful. Youâll feel like youâre in South Carolina, too.
notes
â¨OOO BABY!!! Get thisâŚpleaseâŚso exciting: Podcast Marketing Magic is opening its Substack chat for premium subscribers. These weekly chats wonât just be a place to hang out and talk shop. Itâll be that too â but itâll also be a place for you to come get prompts and direct feedback from Tink. More here.
â¨To celebrate that and International Podcast Day (Tuesday Sept 30) weâre having a Substack live stream from 10AM-12PM ET. Weâll be hanging out to talk about anything you want to talk aboutâgrowth, favorite podcasts, whatever.) More here.
â¨Eurowaves is celebrating International Podcast Day with something special: The Ultimate Guide to European Podcasting Events! Go subscribe now so you never miss an event â or an entry, sign up, or ticket deadline!
â¨Yesterday, Arielle featured 5 scary podcasts for Halloween (curated by Amy Traydon and Monique Sanchez of Another F*cking Horror Podcast) in EarBuds.
â¨I was on Podcast Advertising Playbook talking all about the power of cross-promotion!
~sponsored~
Immigrantly is an award-winning podcast that challenges the rulebook on immigrant stories. Hosted by Saadia Khan, a rights activist, social entrepreneur, and unapologetic truth-seeker, this show unpacks the complexities of identity, race, and belonging through unfiltered conversations with artists, academics, culture shifters, and everyday disruptors. Whether unpacking generational trauma, challenging labels, or exploring cultural mashups, Immigrantly invites you to rethink what it means to belong in todayâs world.
đpodcasts i texted to friendsđ
đThe 13-episode first season of Who Shat on the Floor at my Wedding? was so exciting because it seemed to come out of nowhere and there was nothing quite like it. It is something we will talk about for a long time. Season three moved to episodic so instead of hearing Karen and Helenâs personal wedding story, Lauren and Karen are solving poop mysteries for other people. The move to episodic is usually a sign that quality will down but in this case it has not at all. Iâm loving this third season. The last episode introduces us to Veronica who hosted a sleepover with two friends after a drunken night out and woke up to find that someone had shit in her dishwasher. Right off the bat Lauren and Karen are pretty sure they have the Who? part solved. (You guys, it was Sharon.) But this doesnât mean they donât spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to figure out the How? part, or theâŚSeriously? part. The process includes them going to a dishwasher store to find out if poop can come up through the pipes (no) or if someone can physically straddle a dishwasher and take a shit in it (yes.) You can see photos of them straddling a dishwasher in the store on their Instagram. They also talk to a forensic pharmacologist and sleepwalking expert, all the while racking up these really funny details, making this story more complicated than it looks, even though you guys it was absolutely Sharon. It is a simply a blast to listen to this showâthe music and sound effects are such a delight and Lauren and Karen are so funny. (âDoes Sharon hate you? I might come back to this to find out why Sharon might hate you and shit in your dishwasher.â) Stick around for the episodeâs epilogueâLauren and Karen share something they discovered after the case was closed that makes the entire thing even funnier. My favorite thing about this episode was actually that it was about what it says about friendship. Shitting in your friendâs dishwasher after a drunken night out and in the middle of an adult sleepover is what friendship is all about. Listen to Who Shat In My Dishwasher? here.
How I discovered it: Long-time listener
đLast week I listened to something that made me stop what I was doing instead of keep multitasking like I usually do when I listen. It was partially because I wanted to relish every sound, but it was also because it is unlike anything Iâve ever heard and more of a meditation than a podcast episode. You will ruin the experience if youâre distracted. Iâm taking about Botanismi, which is full of tiny journeys into somewhere weâve never been, the liminal place between plants and people. One voice centers you and narrates while another comes in to explain things like electroreception, the mysterious way insects detect electric fields. While listening to the sporopollenin episode I wrote down âspooky goodâ in my notes. It uses this substance, one of the toughest things ever made by living things, to tell a story about someone who is gone. An episode about a plant that used to live on land but decided to return to the sea is a story about separation and finding community and partnership. I think. These are like paintings. You might react differently. (That episode had me swaying slowly like I was listening to a song.) This podcast made me stop and listen, it made me. Iâm thankful for that. (In English in Italian.) Listen to Botanismi here.
How I discovered it: A pitch letter from Giacomo Bagni that was so good it was not a pitch letter
đBrian Reed likes to get a mixture of journalists drunk at bars before asking them questions. In that spirit Question Everything season return was in a bar with drunk journalists and a loose and lively conversation and some healthy arguing about the inescapable Jeffrey Epstein. In attendance were the people who have broken stories, been following the Epstein case closely, and gotten to as close to the truth as anyoneâVicki Ward (who sounds like Miss Bliss,) David Enrich, and Tara PalmieriâŚoh! And Taraâs Trump-supporting, MAGA producer who ends up kind of being the conversation VIP if you ask me. Itâs like heâs the MAGA whisperer (âdonât shoot the messenger!â) He shares what new MAGA are pissed about and what they actually care about (not what journalists say, âno offense,â) and why. Hearing this group of Epstein-heads compare notes about what theyâve heard about but havenât talked about yet, what they know, what theyâve never said before, and what they are afraid to say is most surprising because it reveals how much we donât know at all. Ultimately they are getting to the heart of what this story is really aboutâhow power works in the shadows. Listen to The Epstein Files here.
How I discovered it: Press release a long time ago, subscriber
đThe Worst of All Possible Worlds published a 250-minute episode about Bar Rescue, the reality TV series where Jon Taffer helps struggling bars transform their businesses. I have seen this show but havenât thought about it much, itâs always seemed like trash (which I like) but not fun trash. Keep in mind I love Kitchen Nightmares, which Bar Rescue is trying to be but is actual its polar opposite. Josh, Brian, A.J. and Twitch streamer / Bar Rescue scholar Slowpuke introduce us to the mind of Jon Taffer, the odd way he got into rescuing bars without any qualifications and how the show is made and itâs mission, which is not rescuing bars. I love a good TV episode scene-by-scene break-down, and thatâs what they do here, for some of the most unbelievable Bar Rescue episodes. They cover one episode is about a pirate themed bar run by a bunch of sweeties that Jon pretty much just humiliated and destroyed; they cover an episode you canât even find anymore because it is so batshit it caused a huge lawsuit and had to be pulled. Bar Rescue is something worth studying, itâs like the worst, most exaggerated level of all that is wrong with celebrity and reality TV. Listen to Bar Rescue here.
How I discovered it: I donât remember, long time subscriber
đWhen I found out that George Civeris is 13 episodes into a new podcast, United States of Kennedy, with Lyra Smith, I thought, why do I not know this? George definitely isnât promoting it on his other podcast, Straightiolab, which I listen to religiously. Maybe thatâs because looking at the Apple Podcasts reviews, people seem to hate United States of Kennedy. The reviews are so, so bad. Like âwhat is really going on, here?â bad. But I think this show is funâitâs chatty and a little gossipy, so maybe people who were expecting something more academic are disappointed. But the cover art and vibes do not promise that at all. So far the collection of episodes has felt like a dishy tome of fairy tales, each one really unfortunate, pretty weird, and tied to some lesson Iâm not sure I can always put my finger on. (I did agree with one review that said the second episode is an advertisement for another podcast.) I love hearing George talk about anything, heâs able to pluck out cultural and historical details to not only flesh out incidents from George Magazine to Chappaquiddick, but make it really really funny too. Iâm getting to know Lyra and like her, these two are good together. This show is a surface-skimming kind of thing, but I feel like I actively ignore things about famous people and politicians, so I am grateful for the brush-up with two funny people. Listen to United States of Kennedy here.
How I discovered it: Apple Podcasts feature
đThe underdog nature of an actor like Amy Adams with six Academy Award nominations and no Oscar will cause rabid fans to treat the actorâs career almost like a cause to supportâget this person an award already! In the spirit of whatever that is, Dane McDonald and Louis Peitzman started Chasing Amy Adams, a movie-by-movie breakdown of Amyâs films with some really good guests (Ira Madison III, Wynter Mitchell.) I started with the first, guest-less episode which introduced us to Louis and Dane (I remember Louis from his Buzzfeed days, do you?âŚDane is the host of Chasing Chalomet) and took us through Drop Dead Gorgeous. We learn that Louis is kind of a Drop Dead Gorgeous academicâhis Drop Dead Gorgeous oral history âJesus Loves Winners: How Drop Dead Gorgeous Found Cult Success As a Flopâ helped turn it into a cult favorite. Louis and Dane talk about why the messy ending, if it could even be considered one, actually makes a lot of sense and that weird plotting and pacing is a queer concept. (In movies like Romy and Michele, âwhy follow structure when you can just get to interesting set pieces, funny lines, and women serving?â) This is the kind of podcast that will let you bask in your love for Amy, find appreciation for her lesser works (how have I not seen Psycho Beach Party?) and make you watch all sorts of movies in new ways. Listen to Chasing Amy Adams here.
How I discovered it: Pocket Casts feature
đRadio Atlantic is a show I sometimes sleep on for some reason. It was only with the drop of episode two that I noticed theyâre doing a series on the American education system thatâs so well reported and beautifully made I donât want people to miss it. Hanna Rosin brings us to Oklahoma to illustrate that if the way public schools are changing there is a bellwether for whatâs to come for the rest of us, we should be really worried. In Oklahoma we meet Summer Boismier (I remember her from Borrowedâs âBorrowed and Bannedâ series,) a teacher who got fed up and left before getting her teaching degree revoked and another teacher, Michael, who has stayed but is terrified. Then thereâs Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who thinks Bibles belong in schools and that out-of-state teachers should take a purity test. Hanna really takes us to meet these people. We feel Summerâs sadnessâsheâs unmoored, her teaching certificate has been revoked, and sheâs back in OK living with her mom, not of her own accord. In Michaelâs classroom, we look at what art he has put on his walls, wondering whether or not itâs too woke. And in Ryan Waltersâ office, Hanna has a really direct interview him, making him confront his seemingly sudden switch from âcloseted wokeâ to insane, and the way he interprets the constitution and American history. She also confronts him about the porn scandal that isnât the scandal that you think it is but it is a scandal still. Itâs one of those interviews that has you on the edge of your seat for every moment. Start An American Education | 1. Is Oklahoma Breaking Public Schools? here.
How I discovered it: Long time subscriber but missed ep 1, noticed series at ep 2
đThe pitch letter I got for See You in Court, about the legal battles that changed Canada, was almost apologetic, âI know youâre in the US but you still might like this show!â And of course! Americans are always hoping to live vicariously through Canadians, even if itâs court drama. Maybe especially if itâs court drama, which is universally juicy. One episode tells the story of Jean Marc Richard, who in 1999 was promised via mail that he had won a cash prize of $833,377 from Time Magazine. This is the kind of thing that most of us see and discard, we know itâs a scam. Jean Marc found a lawyer to sue Time, claiming that this was misleading marketing and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court. This is a fascinating story about the Consumer Protection Act and the existential question about what a consumer is, what they are expected to understand, and how stupid we have to assume they are. Canada actually had to adapt what they were already doing in the USâassume consumers are credulous and inexperienced. Jean Marc testified in court that he lost sleep and was completely stressed about it, and if that annoys you to hear (like me,) maybe itâs just because youâre jealous you didnât think of it first (also me.) Listen to The man who picked a fight with a piece of junk mail here.
How I discovered it: Kind of apologetic but very sweet and good pitch letter
đRemember that scene in The Nightmare Before Christmas when Jack Skellington is surrounded by trees with different holiday doors on them, and he gets to pick one to enter? Thatâs kind of what Start Here is, but for music genres. Pianist, composer and producer Alexis Ffrench dedicates full episodes to genres you might not know much aboutâK Pop, Afro Beats, Stadium Pop, Drill Folkâto explain what they are all about and more importantly where to start listening. Not knowing where to start is such a huge barrier for all sorts of media. What should a beginner know? Alexis brings in people who loooove the genre and itâs always fun to hear people talk about things they love. I started with grime (he brings on âgrime enthusiastâ Jeffrey Boakye, author of Hold Tight: Hold Tight: Black Masculinity, Millennials and the Meaning of Grime) who convinced me to add a few songs to my playlist. Listen to Episode 1: Grime here.
How I discovered it: Apple Podcasts promo
đI love you!
đq & a & q & a & q & ađ
Jaime Roque
Jaime Roque is the host of ReCurrent (new season coming out November 4, 2025). Jaime is an audio story teller, musician, and educator whose work bridges public radio and audio podcasts. On ReCurrent, he guides listeners through sound-rich journeys that illuminate how cultural heritage lives in everyday placesâfrom his motherâs kitchen table and radiating out to murals, sacred sites, and neighborhood hubs.
Shreya Sharma: Tell us about ReCurrent in ten words or less.
Discovering the unexpected places and impacts of cultural heritage.
SS: Who should listen to ReCurrent?
If youâre curious about how culture shapes art and the world around you, this is for you. ReCurrent goes beyond what people traditionally expect from Gettyâinto murals, soundscapes, and living communitiesâtold with audio recorded out in the field. Youâll learn alongside me in real time as the story unfolds.
SS: Which ReCurrent episode had the most impact on you?
The first one. My mom passed during that first season, and making that story reshaped my sense of what matters. It reminded me that the work is about people firstâmemory, care, and presence.
SS: Have you ever come across any story/piece of art you encountered as an adult that you wish youâd have seen as a kid?
Yesâthe story of AmĂŠrica Tropical. I visited Olvera Street countless times growing up and never knew that powerful muralâand its historyâwas right there. I wish Iâd learned earlier how art in public space can speak truth, disappear, and be recovered again.
SS: Whatâs a moral from a story that stuck with you the most? Why?
That cultural memory survives because ordinary people decide itâs worth saving. From family photo boxes to community murals to a single tape someone bothered to keepâpreservation is a collective act of love.
Thanks for sharing What's Next? with Lacey! I will also definitely be checking out all of these pods!!
From team KCRW - - thank you for sharing Question Everything!