Favorite Podcasts of 2016

the best true crime podcasts

When I spent over an hour everyday in the car driving to and from my desk job, I really discovered the glory of podcasts, and from there my love has continued to grow. At the time, I only listened to two or three… but now I’m always on the hunt for the latest and greatest!

I think one of the biggest reasons I love podcasts is that I will listen while editing photos, walking the dog, cooking, cleaning, etc. I get bored fairly quickly, so it’s a great way to stay engaged with something while continuing to work without turning on the TV and sinking into the couch.

Above are just some of my favorite listens, but I’m going to dive a little deeper and list a few extra of what I think are the best podcasts I’ve listened to this year.

COMEDY:

LadyGang – Some episodes are very #girlboss and inspriring, others can be a little crude for my taste, BUT I love that the three girls narrating are a Hollywood TV host, actress and social media superstar/online boutique owner. They often have much different viewpoints on the same topics, and they’ve interviewed some well-known women in the industry that provide some great girl-power advice.

Anna Faris is Unqualified – This is a new listen for me after reading all the rave reviews. I fell in love with Dax Shepherd after binging Parenthood, so I’ve listen to her interview him and it’s pretty great. I can see why it’s a good fluff listen!

Straight Talk with Ross Matthews – My mom actually got me hooked on this. It is laugh-out-loud hilarious, and a feel-good podcast for sure. Not to mention that when Ross gets heartfelt, he has some really amazing advice for listeners that you can always apply to yourself. Comedy with a touch of motivational speaking – I like it.

Juicy Scoop with Heather McDonald – My mom also told me about this one, which I wasn’t sure I would be into at first. However, I’m a big Chelsea Handler fan, so I deemed it worth a listen. It’s funny, and if you like the gossip mags and websites, you can basically save your $$ and listen to this podcast instead. Celebrity scoop and juicy stories about real life scenarios… it’s like US Weekly and Lifetime all rolled into one.

Bitch Sesh – As a lover of all things Real Housewives, this is my favorite comedy podcast. If you follow any of the shows, this podcast is beyond hilarious. I laugh out loud in every single episode, and I was also a HUGE fan of Casey Wilson who plays Penny Hartz from Happy Endings (we own all the seasons of this show, #love). When I heard she was one of the hosts, I knew I’d be hooked!

TRUE CRIME:

Serial – The series that got me hooked on true crime podcasts. I give it a 10 out of 10. Season one rocked my world, but sadly I didn’t find season two as captivating. If you want to get started in this category of podcasting, this is where you start! PS – if you liked this podcast, you should watch HBO’s “The Night Of.” Amazing.

My Favorite Murder – I mentioned on Friday that I heard about this podcast from this blog, and I’ve been binging ever since. Like, binging so hard that I’ve been triple locking every door in the house and Christian has had a Come to Jesus with me to reel it in (and I know he’s right). I was on the phone with my sister and was casually talking about how you can’t trust anyone… and she was like, are you still listening to that crime podcast 24/7?!

If you’re a true crime addict, this series is for you. Not to mention the hosts are quite hilar AND dig back to 1800’s – one of which being a story from the Tower of London that I just visited (London travel post here)! Just check out some of the taglines in their shop – it even made Christian laugh. I feel like I’ll be getting this mug from him for Christmas.

I do wish the title was something different, as it does appear to make light of situations that are truly devastating. I don’t think true crime stories and mysteries are for everyone, and while there is always something to learn about protecting yourself, following your gut, being careful, etc., sometimes ignorance can truly be bliss. It’s like those who choose not to watch the news – I get it! I do enjoy when they talk about the survivors (usually female survivors). Talk about bada$$ chicks. Always fight back!!! Ok my PSA is officially done.

Accused – I finished this is a weekend and it was really good.. Very Serial-esque, except the verdict of the accused was the opposite (innocent).

Last Podcast on the Left – This is probably my least favorite of this category, but still worth an honorable mention. It’s a little hard for me to keep up because I feel like they’re so many people in the room chatting over each other, BUT they cover some seriously front-page mysteries, and they do a ton of research.  It causes you to really rethink your opinion on some of notable cases you’ve heard about for years.

Criminal – I’ve only listened to one episode of this podcast, but I like that it covers different situations – people who have been in the wrong and who have been wronged. Every episode is different, and it’s definitely fascinating.

BUSINESS:

Girlboss Radio with Sophia Amoruso – Duh. Sophia Amoruso is THE boss. She interviews other female powerhouses, and it’s full of great financial advice and just overall bosslady-ness.

Being Boss – A great podcast for learning new organizational tools in your business, along with taking note from other entrepreneurs on their own trials and errors. I have complete respect for anyone willing to let others learn from their mistakes. Preach on!

The Lively Show – My sister got me hooked on this podcast a year or so ago because there are lots of great interviews (all categorized so you can easily pick the areas that interest you most) with bloggers, business experts and minimalists. Over the past year it’s ventured a little further from the areas that interest me most, BUT if you dig back to the earlier parts of the podcast, there are some really great episodes.

If you love podcasts already, I hope some of these will interest you. If you don’t yet listen to any but think you could enjoy them while driving, exercising or cooking – I hope this will be a short guide to a few listens that will bring you some entertainment!

And of course, if you have any podcast recommendations that you think I would enjoy – there’s always room for more!  Thanks so much for reading, and if you have any recommendations for similar roundups you’d like to see on CBL, I would love to hear! XO –

36 Comments|See Comments

36 thoughts on “Favorite Podcasts of 2016”

  1. Love BitchSesh! It’s hilarious. I’m also obsessed with “You Must Remember This”. It’s kind of like Juicy Scoop for Hollywood in the 1940s-1980s. And since you like true crime, there are several episodes on the Manson murders. It’d really interesting!

  2. Podcasts are seriously amazing! I don’t think the world knows about their awesomeness as much as they should, so thanks for sharing! Like you, I’m a total housewife nut so I need to check Bitch Sesh..how have I not heard of this one yet!? On it now. Happy Monday, girl!!
    xx Tess | Sequins are the New Black

  5. Thank you for the true crime recommendations! I am a podcast addict – they’re so great for commuting to work. January Hart turned me onto the Boss Girl Creative Podcast, short episodes on everything a creative entrepreneur needs to know.

  6. Great blog and roundup of various podcasts! Lately I’ve been enjoying “Here’s The Thing” with Alec Baldwin. He has conversations with various artists around what inspired their career, how they grew up, what got them to where they are at today, etc.

    My favorites are with Sarah Jessica Parker and Jimmy Fallon!

  7. Out of all of those the only one I know and that I’ve heard is serial and I love it! I love podcasts so I’m definitely gonna save this post for the future when I feel like listening to a podcast.

    2. Completely agree! In the Dark had me hooked. Only 9 episodes so it’s easy to get through quickly!

      1. I listened to two episodes and had to take a break, only because child abductions make me more intensely sad than other true crime stories. BUT, after y’alls comments I’m going to try to pick it back up!

    3. Seconded! I like that not only is it a mystery/true crime podcast (with the conclusion spelled out clearly in the first episode), but it takes a critical look at the way localities analyze and escalate serious crimes. Definitely worth a listen!

  10. I LOVE the LadyGang and Serial too! Since you’re a fellow housewife lover, you have to check out Heather Dubrow’s podcast – Heather Dubrow’s World, it’s amazing. Also, another fun, good feel podcast to check out is Jules & Sarah The Podcast. Can’t wait to check out Bitch Sesh and My Favorite Murder after reading your post!

    2. I second this one! Watch What Crappens has me laughing out loud every episode. So hilarious!!!

  13. Pretty of subject BUT where did you get the Mississippi coffee mug from on Snap? I need that in Tennessee!!!

  14. I said “yay!!!” out loud when I saw the title of this post! I’m super pumped because I’ve never heard of so many of these and I’m running out of new episodes to listen to. I’ve been listening to a lot of Girl Boss Radio lately, and I’m loving the people she’s interviewing, but is it just me or can Sofia Amoruso say some cringe worthy things to her subjects? (AKA things I would probably say in an interview #awkward). I really appreciated her recent interviews with Jessica Bennett and Anne-Marie Slaughter, but I just wish she brought a little more to the conversation. In the same vein, maybe it’s because I also listen to so much Jess Lively, who is really skilled with interviews and digging deep with her subjects, so it’s probably not a fair comparison. I haven’t read her book yet, but’s it’s on my hold list. Thanks for the suggestions, now I need to clear up some storage on my iPhone so I can download all of these!
    P.S. If you need a new series to watch, Good Girls Revolt on Amazon prime is awesome. Very girl-boss inspiring and the 60’s-70’s fashion is on point!
    -Grace
    theperceptionofgrace.com

    1. Thank you so much for this amazing comment!! I have been seeing those tv show previews – but it’s great to hear that it’s good. I’ll have to watch (I love a good TV binge, I cannot lie).

  18. Off-topic from the ones you listed, but I got started on a great podcast called the Popcast- all about pop culture. They cover movies and TV shows, trends and fads. If you’re into movies and TV like me, you’ll love it!

  19. I am so going to check these out…thank you for your recommendations! For crime podcasts I also recommend “In the Dark” and “Up and Vanished”!!

  20. My love for podcasts seriously knows no boundaries, so I loved this post! Some of my favorites are:
    -Serial
    -In the Dark
    -Startup Podcast <– in its 4th season and absolutely worth the time investment!
    -Mystery Show (which has only 1 season and is no longer in production! Major sads for that one)
    -EMCrit, Core EM podcast, Pediatric Emergency Playbook, and UpToDate are all amazing resources for staying current with guidelines/emerging research in healthcare– might be worth a listen in your husband's unlimited free time (ha! if only!)

  22. Serial was the first podcast I listened to and I was instantly hooked! I enjoy “The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe” from Dirty Jobs. I learn something every single episode! I’m saving this post for future reference when I want to listen to some new ones :).

  23. The Love What Matters Podcast is really good and uplifting. I like the murder mystery stuff too but when it gets too dark I like to listen to this. It’s a few feel good stories that just show how great people can be in this world. The host is one of the co-hosts of my favorite radio show called The Bobby Bones Show which I’m obsessed with too. I listen to their show every day on the I Heart Radio app (they don’t really have music or commercials on this because they cut it out. Just talk)

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