These Are The Top 18 Women-Led Podcasts You Need To Download Now
Photo by Gaston Roulstone on Unsplash
Looking for a new podcast to spark inspiration, motivation, and help you in your path to becoming your best self?
Then you’re in luck, because I’ve rounded up the top eighteen women-hosted podcasts so you can try them out during your commute, while you’re making dinner, or when your other favorite series is on hiatus between seasons.
“Podcasts are such a uniquely personal medium because they’ve become part of people’s daily routines,” shares Jenny Mast, former executive producer of original content at Stitcher. “ It’s almost as if podcasts have become a tool that helps us shape our own identities. ”
I spoke with the host(s) of each show to get you the Cliffnotes! Each shares her take on why she started the podcast, what she hopes listeners gain, who her dream guest is, what you can expect when you tune in, and into which episode she suggests you dive.
Here are your top eighteen podcasts to download now, listed alphabetically below (because there’s no way to rank all of this goodness otherwise).
Take a look, and then a listen!
Cathy Heller PHOTO CREDIT: STEPHANIE DAY
Host Cathy Heller started her show “to inspire people to build the life they deserve, find their purpose, and recognize that they are enough- scars, bruises and broken pieces and all.”
Expect it to be “inspirational, empowering, and informative”.
Dream guest: Rachel Hollis
Start with “How To Stop Overthinking”.
Lori Harder PHOTO CREDIT: VIOLETA MEYNERS
Host Lori Harder hopes her listeners “get that they are normal, that life can be fun and light, and that we are all struggling with something and that’s what creates our strengths”. She advises, “stop trying to make people like you and start trying to make you like you.”
Expect it to be “fun, enlightening, and soul-filling”.
Dream guest: Tony Robbins
Start with Episode 348 “How To Take The Big Leap”.
Financial expert Jean Chatzky COURTESY OF SANDRA WONG GEROUX
The TODAY Show’s Jean Chatzky hosts because “the women I met speaking around the country and the women who sent me emails every day clued me into a massive hunger for open, honest, and judgment-free money conversation, so I started it for them.” She shares, “the life you want is the target. Getting a grip on your money is how you achieve it”.
Expect it to be “accepting, smart, and self-deprecating”.
Dream guest: Shonda Rhimes
Start with Episode 154: “Invest Like A Woman”.
Majo Molfino PHOTO CREDIT: HELENA PRICE
San Francisco-based Majo Molfino wants you to know that, “it’s okay to be in process”. She shares advice that was shared with her by Luvvie Ajayii, “being a truth-teller isn’t easy, but we can’t wait around for others to speak up. We’re the ones we’re waiting for.”
Expect it to be “deep, meaningful, and real”.
Dream guest: Mindy Kaling
Start with “Eileen Fisher: Reclaiming The Voice”.
Alix Spiegel and Hanna Rosin PHOTO CREDIT: STEPHEN VOSS/NPR
DC-based co-hosts Alix Spiegel and Hanna Rosin started the show “to understand the invisible forces that shape and control our lives. It’s for you if you want to understand how you behave in uncertainty, how your thoughts work, or from where your emotions come.”
You can expect it to be “reflective, intense, and evolving”.
Start with “Emotions”.
Myleik Teele CREDIT: ITAYSHA JORDAN
Host Myleik Teele “wanted to give the advice I wish I’d gotten sooner,” explaining, “we tend to feel alone when we’re experiencing something for the first time. I’m here to let you know you’re not alone.”
Expect “truth, advice, and empowerment” from her show.
Dream guest: Robert Greene
Start with “How To Finish The Year Strong!”
Tallia Deljou PHOTO CREDIT: LIBBY MALCOLM
Tallia Deljou created this to “give people who have achieved ‘success’ on paper, but are searching for something more, the space to cultivate deeper relationships with themselves and have the permission and courage to turn inward ”.
Expect it to be “light, honest, and deep”.
Dream guest: Elizabeth Gilbert
Start with “Introducing Sincerely, Me”
Cara Alwill Leyba PHOTO CREDIT: ANGELICA GLASS
Host Cara Alwill Leyba created this “for success-driven women on the edge of change to provide a unique and intimate experience to learn and be inspired”.
You can expect to feel “empowering, motivating and honest” content.
Dream guest: Oprah Winfrey
Start with “There Is Room For You At The Table”
Jane Younger PHOTO CREDIT: JANE YOUNGER
The Balanced Blonde//Soul On Fire
Host Jordan Younger shares, “I hope my listeners feel a sense of community, feel less alone in their spiritual and wellness journeys, and that they have a friend out there who truly sees their soul even if we have never met face to face.”
You can expect it to feel “upbeat, curious, and real”.
Dream guest: Marianne Williamson.
Start with Episode 78: “The Down-Low on Human Design” with Jenna Zoe.
Jenna Kutcher PHOTO CREDIT: GOAL DIGGER PODCAST
Minnesota’s own Jenna Kutcher hosts and shares, “true stories of women paving their own ways and tactical educational content to apply to their dream business that grants them permission to do it their own way and succeed.” Kutcher encourages others to “Stop waiting for permission to chase your dreams and get out and imperfectly pursue them.”
You can expect “high-end content, with a laid back approach, and inspiring conversation”.
Dream guest: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Start with episode 241 “Our Best Instagram Tips Ever”
Elise Loehnen and Gwyneth Paltrow COURTESY OF GOOP
Co-hosts Elise Loehnen and Gwyneth Paltrow “wanted an opportunity to connect with incredible thinkers, healers, scientists, and doctors in a more relaxed, long-form context”, so they created the show. They share that, “while we are all conditioned to believe that change takes a tremendous amount of work and energy, in our experience, we’ve found it can be in an instant. Our hope is that listeners might take away one moment of resonance that will shift something in their own lives”.
Expect it to feel “curious, open-minded, and thought-provoking”.
Dream guest: Gloria Steinem
Start with “How Does Childhood Stress Manifest In Adulthood With Gabor Mate’”.
Julie Solomon PHOTO CREDIT: KARA COLEEN
Host Julie Solomon “couldn’t find a go-to, results-driven podcast resource for influencers, bloggers, and entrepreneurs that was actionable and easily digestible, so I created it!”
Expect her content to be “actionable, influential, and authentic”.
Dream guest: Brene’ Brown
Start with Episode 2 “How To Beat The Algorithm And Grow Your Instagram”
Jillian Michaels PHOTO CREDIT: JAMES LAW
Host Jillian Michaels “entertains and empowers woman to be their best selves and live their best lives”. She shares “information on health and self-care, laughs, tears, and inspiration”.
You can expect the show to be “irreverent, informative, and inspirational”.
Dream guest: Oprah Winfrey
Start with Dr Sanjay Gupta’s episode “Chasing Life”.
Shelli Varela PHOTO CREDIT: DAVID WILE
Toronto-based Shelli Varela “leads with possibility, not logic, so you can say yes to what is true for you, and build an impactful business doing it”.
Expect “authenticity, empowerment, and transformation”.
Dream guest: P!nk
Start with Episode 40 “How To Build Your Tribe”
Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin PHOTO CREDIT: LIZZY JOHNSTON
Hosted by Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin out of Atlanta, they share that “Our Unladylike passion is driven by our relentless curiosity to demystify why things are the way they are for women, girls, and gender-nonconforming folks today.”
You can expect to feel “feminist, fearless, and revelatory”.
Dream guest: Samantha Bee
Start with “How To Leave Dietland”, Parts 1 and 2
Jodi Flynn PHOTO CREDIT: JEAN DEAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Hosting from Maine, Jodi Flynn hopes “to inspire women to overcome self-doubt so they can lead with confidence, integrity and a sense of humor”.
Expect her show to feel “supportive, welcoming, and insightful”.
Dream guest: Brene’ Brown
Start with “100% Jodi: Beliefs That Stop You”.
Diana Espir COURSTESY OF DIANA ESPIR
Diana Espir takes her background as an entertainment reporter and “steps away from the filtered and regimented media to birth this show,” sharing her advice, “set the bar low and let yourself be pleasantly surprised”.
You can expect it to be “controversial, ballsy, and witty”.
Dream guest: Simon Cowell
Start with “Started With Music…Now We Here”
Manoush Zomorodi and Jen Poyant PHOTO CREDIT: TORY WILLIAMS
Hosted by Brooklyn’s own Manoush Zomorodi and Jen Poyant who “quit our jobs, joined a weird blockchain project, and documented the whole thing”. They talk about “ways of defining success beyond 100x returns and valuations.”
Expect it to be “soulful, vulnerable, and punk-rock”.
Dream guest: Gwyneth Paltrow
Start with “Meet The Stable Geniuses”.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.
