The 10 Best Podcasts out There for Women, by Women
Chances are your weekend plans involve being horizontal on your couch in a food-induced stupor (#same). But even so, that doesn’t mean old reruns of Keeping Up with the Kardashians or Vanderpump Rules are your only option when it comes to entertainment—some of the best podcasts out there are run for women, by women, and they are totally binge-worthy.
These amazing women offer inspiration and advice on love, sex, career, friendship and everything else that matters to the modern female. Grab your phone and a pair of earbuds, and fire up one of these series.
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2 Dope Queens
BFFs Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams keep it real—and so, so funny. In 2 Dope Queens, which also happens to be a live comedy show in Brooklyn, Robinson and Williams cover it all, from sex and romance to race and hair journeys. Best part is they’ve had amazing comedian guests, including Jon Stewart, Broad City‘s Abbi Jacobson and more. Once you’ve devoured a few podcast eps, be sure to check out a few episodes from their eponymous HBO special.
Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert
As an extension of her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Gilbert further explores the topic of creativity through her debut podcast, offering her own insights alongside those of her guests (including fellow author Brené Brown). If you’re looking for motivation—or simply want to get yourself out of a rut—Magic Lessons will get you excited about your own potential.
Girl On Guy with Aisha Tyler
We’ve been obsessed with Aisha Tyler for well over a decade (remember her as Joey’s and then Ross’ girlfriend on Friends?), and that feeling only intensified after listening to Girl On Guy. The comedian, author and producer talks to men she loves about everything from family to physical injuries. LL Cool J, Criminal Minds’ Joe Mantegna, Empire’s Andre Royo, and Magic Mike’s Adam Rodriguez are all in the archives. Prepare to laugh your ass off.
Dear Sugars Radio
She may have become a household name after her memoir Wild was adopted for the big screen, but Cheryl Strayed was doling out her particular brand of hard-earned wisdom well before Reese Witherspoon decided to serve as its mouthpiece. Both she and co-host Steve Almond wrote a beloved advice column for The Rumpus called “Dear Sugar,” and this podcast is its audible second life. From a spouse’s troubling pot habit to emotional infidelity, no listener-generated question is too difficult or risqué for this pair to answer—always in an unexpected, thought-provoking way.
The Great Girlfriends Show
Entrepreneurs Sybil Amuti and Brandice Daniel started this conversational series to provide women with the information they need to establish a successful business of their own, but it delves well beyond the boardroom. Yes, there are discussions about networking, but also maintaining life-long friendships, surviving hardships and creating a life you can be passionate and excited about.
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Nerdette
While you’ll find plenty of talk about technology, science and history as the name would suggest, Nerdette is actually a forum for women to geek out over anything they’re passionate about—including pop culture. Co-hosts Greta Johnsen and Tricia Bobeda gush over all manner of things with their guests, from performance artist Miranda July’s meditation practice to Tavi Gevinson’s love of music, and you’ll get plenty of book recommendations along the way. If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, the duo’s recaps with playwright Peter Sagal are not to be missed.
Stuff Mom Never Told You
Is being a perfectionist really worth it? How can we manage anxiety? What is the relationship between feminism and witchcraft? These are just some of the questions addressed by Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin in their 30-minute podcast, which is brimming with information, statistics and entertaining stories from their listeners. The conversation is simultaneously hilarious, sharp and intricate.
#GirlBoss Radio with Sophia Amoruso
Now that she’s no longer running the show at Nasty Gal, Sophia Amoruso spends her days chatting with fellow #girlbosses such as Charlize Theron and nail artist Madeline Poole about their careers and the lessons they’ve learned on the way to success. If you enjoyed the Amoruso’s no-holds-barred book of the same name, you’ll love listening to this weekly podcast.
Women of the Hour with Lena Dunham
Getting Girls creator Lena Dunham and Buzzfeed together sounds like the stuff pop culture dreams are made of. And it sort of is in practice: The internet juggernaut gave Dunham a platform to interview influential women such as Janet Mock, Zadie Smith and Emma Stone, where they candidly discussed their relationships, careers, sex and more. The podcast came to a halt in 2017 and Dunham hasn’t produced new episodes since, but the archive is still worth diving into.
Last Name Basis
We all have our thoughts on pop culture, but few approach the world’s daily musings with the same fresh, on-point and playful perspective as husband and wife Patrick and Franchesca Ramsey (you may recognize her as the host of the MTV webseries MTV: Decoded). The Pope, ComicCon and sex with robots is all fodder for the couple, who are also incredibly open about their marriage—both the good and bad parts.
A version of this article was originally published in November 2015.
