In honor of Women’s History Month, this March I decided to listen only to podcasts made by women, about women, for women. This means that I only listened to female-hosted shows that featured female guests who shared their challenges, careers, and other experiences as females. I tried to find new shows that I had never listened to before and I’ve since subscribed to several of them!
Click here to see the playlist on Spotify!
This month’s playlist includes conversations with doctors, businesswomen, actresses, activists, and more! If you’ve been following my monthly podcast picks, you know that I typically enjoy listening to business/entrepreneurship and education podcasts, so I tried to push myself and listen to regular talk shows and celebrity gossip shows, but I just really didn’t think they were that good, so I left them off this playlist. Only want to share the best with y’all!
Unsurprisingly, my favorite female-hosted podcast that I discovered this month was Female Startup Club. This is basically How I Built This except it’s hosted by an Australian woman named Doone Roisin and instead of interviewing the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, she interviews the female creators of smaller new companies (who may go on to become the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies!). There isn’t as much storytelling a la Guy Raz, but I think it is a helpful podcast for people trying to grow their businesses today. I also like how there are a handful of fast questions she asks each guest at the end of each episode, like “how do you win the day?” where founders share their morning routines – similar to my “Fun Stuff” section in my small business features!
Here are three episodes that I thought were super interesting and are included in the Spotify playlist embedded at the bottom of this post:
- How this Founder solved her own skin problems by developing a natural skincare line, with COCOKIND’S Priscilla Tsai: Priscilla left Wall Street to found her business, Cocokind. Definitely check it out if you’re looking for clean and affordable skincare products!
- Brightland’s Founder Aishwarya Iyer shares how she describes her olive oil like wine and markets it like a beauty brand, and why the financials should be your #1 priority: Do you know what’s in your olive oil? After you find out, you’ll want to look into Brightland.
- Partake Founder Denise Woodard shares her key learnings in building the allergy-friendly cookie company that Rihanna and Jay Z invested in: Allergy-friendly food doesn’t have to taste bad, and it turns out not all companies need to rely on social media marketing.
Asian Hate & Gaslighting in Georgia | Add to Cart with Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak
This was my first time listening to this podcast, and apparently, it’s usually a shopping/consumerism show, but this episode was more serious and captures the two Asian female hosts’ initial reactions to the shootings in Georgia. It’s not a newsy or informative episode, it’s more emotional and contains a lot of personal and social commentary on racism, sexism, and the Asian experience.
Ep. 13 Skin-Care Layering | Allure: The Science of Beauty
I basically only use face wash, toner, and moisturizer so it was truly wild to learn what goes into a double-digit skincare routine. The hosts also share their own routines and their recommended products.
#46. Ignite Intentionally: A Cannabis Conversation with DeJanae Evins | Black Girl In Om
If you don’t know what a cannabinoid is, check out this episode! I am not very familiar with the history of cannabis or the chemistry of it, and it was interesting to learn more about how it’s been used in the past. DeJanae Evins talks about the healing and self-care uses of cannabis and how it fits into the definition of holistic health.
Big Magic | By the Book
The two female hosts apply the lessons from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book on creativity, Big Magic, to their lives for two weeks and share their experiences. It’s casual and an easy listen!
Rachel Cargle | I Weigh with Jameela Jamil
Rachel Cargle is an anti-racism activist and she talks about all of her ventures, from The Great Unlearn resources to her charity, The Loveland Foundation. She also talks about choosing not to have children and all her online presence.
Meena on Ambition & Awareness | hey, girl.
Meena as in Meena Harris, creator of Phenomenal Woman and niece of Kamala Harris! She talks about the new children’s book that she wrote, Amibitous Girl, and how she became a businesswoman.
Ep 104: ELLEN POMPEO – It’s All in The Game | Jemele Hill is Unbothered
Ellen Pompeo plays Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy and while I don’t watch the show (medical shows gross me out), I still enjoyed how raw and real this conversation is. She shares about her experience as the wife of a Black man, and the pay gap and business of Hollywood. This is a long conversation, but it’s a good one.
Episode 51: Missy Franklin | Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy
Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin talks to Olympic soccer player Julie Foudy and they’re just so nice and Missy has the best outlook on life! She won five medals at her first Olympics when she was just 17, but didn’t do very well four years later in 2016. She talks about what happened leading up to her second games and what she learned from that experience. If you haven’t watched the documentary about her, Touch the Wall, you definitely should, it’s currently on Amazon Prime Video!
Behind the Scenes with Little Women Food Stylist Christine Tobin | Radio Cherry Bombe
Greta Gerwig’s Little Women film was visually stunning! The production design and the costumes were amazing, and the food scenes spreads were scrumptious. Christine Tobin talks about her research for the movie, her role on set, and how she became the most prominent food stylist in Boston.
Who What Wear: Meredith Koop on Styling Michelle Obama and Katherine Power on Her Clean Makeup Line, Merit | Second Life
After reading Michelle Obama’s Becoming, I knew that clothing was a whole thing when she was helping her husband campaign and once she got into the White House. Meredith talks about picking Michelle’s wardrobe up until this year’s inauguration ceremony and how she chose which designers to work with. Then, the second guest, which is co-founder of Who What Wear, talks about starting several businesses and her versatile makeup products.
Feminist Movie Friday: Cinderella | Stuff Mom Never Told You
I grew up watching Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, but didn’t understand the cultural significance of it and how incredible it was to have such a diverse cast. It was cool to learn more about the context of the film industry before the movie came out and to do a deep analysis of this movie.
Glennon Doyle: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life | Super Soul
A conversation between Glennon Doyle and Oprah? Can you name a more inspiring duo? This episode was recorded a few years ago, before Untamed was published, but it’s still sooo relevant. Glennon focuses on how she dealt with alcoholism and addiction and the way we are rarely honest with ourselves and others.
Episode 170: Emergency: Women In Medicine during Covid | The Broad Experience
A doctor talks about her experience when the pandemic started and how that impacted her and her family. They also talk about how this is a traumatizing time for physicians and the importance of mental health.
431: An Achiever’s Guide to Burnout and Balancing Happiness | The Goal Digger Podcast
The past month I’ve felt pretty burned out, so this was a reminder that everyone goes through these phases and it’s important to just take care of yourself. Access Hollywood host Zuri Hall is the guest and she talks about her career path and how she finds moments to relax.
Designing Gear for Women with Edita Hadravska | Wild Ideas Worth Living
“Shrink it and pink it.” I’ve never heard of this expression before, but that is exactly what clothing companies used to do when adapting men’s clothing for women. Edita is a clothing designer for the outdoor brand Arc’teryx and she talks about how her team is making clothes specifically for women.
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