Podcasts have been a breakout media form that skyrocketed into popularity in the last few years and they haven’t lost any steam since. They range from educational to purely entertaining, and if you’re anything like me, you listen to them daily. Recently, women have made great strides in this new medium but still only make up about 22% of hosts. However, female listeners now make up 46% of monthly podcast listeners, so why isn't this equally represented in content creators? Yes, the media is still dominated by men but rest assured we are seeing the gap steadily closing. The following are podcasts on multiple topics created and run by women that we feel are worth tuning into:
BUSINESS
Girlboss Radio- Hosted by Sophia Amoruso and Neha Gandhi, this podcast is about women in business and hosts candid conversations with a wide range of women about their triumphs, losses, and advice from their journeys in business. It deals with personal and professional topics to make other women, entrepreneurs or not, feel heard and validated. It's a perfect blend of hilarity and practical tools.
Second Life- Hosted by Hilary Kerr, this podcast highlights issues that often face women who want to take the plunge into starting a business or a new career. It makes the point that at any age or circumstance you can achieve these dreams of balancing life with finding a career you love.
Women Inspiring Women- Created and hosted by Melanie Mitro, in this podcast Melanie shares her own experiences of starting her business from her kitchen table. Now, she is providing women with the tools and advice to do the same.
She Did It Her Way- This podcast by Amanda Boleyn is about moving into the entrepreneurial space full time through ‘hacks’, business strategies, and answers to audience questions. The podcasts feature interviews with women who’ve done just that and did it their way. This podcast will have you wanting to start making moves ASAP.
In Good Company- Created and hosted by Women Who founder Oteha Uwagba, this podcast is made for working women and provides a platform to share advice and personal experiences in their field and as women in the workplace.
EDUCATIONAL & INSPIRATIONAL
By The Book- This podcast is a social experiment on the subject of self-help. Hosted by comedian Jolenta Greenberg and culture critique Kristen Meinzer, the two live by the rules of a different self help book in each episode to find out which ones are worth trying and which ones are bull****.
All My Relations- Hosted by Matika Wilbur and Adrienne Keene, this podcast deals with topics facing Native people in North America, especially native women. While there is often humor in the show it deals with very real topics and tells individual stories about people from this culture that often do not get as much representation as others.
Clever Girls Know- This podcast provides financial education that is specifically targeted at women and deals with saving, getting out of debt, and building financial security through interviews with women who’ve been there and done that.
Black Girl In OM- Hosted by Lauren Ash, this podcast is here to empower and support women of color and promote personal wellness. Deeply empowering and inspiring, Ash brings in guests from the beauty and wellness industry to help women be the best versions of themselves.
Affirm- As in the name, this podcast hosted by Davia Roberts, is about affirming the experiences of women of color. The topic of mental health is the main subject in this show and specifically how it uniquely affects these communities.
MOTHERHOOD
The Motherhood Sessions- This podcast deals with an underrepresented topic in motherhood, the “profound identity shift” that comes with being a mother. These are open conversations, hosted by Dr. Alexandra Sacks, about struggles women face postpartum like mental health, workplace challenges, and parenting itself. This show acts as a reminder that you're not alone in facing these challenges and breaks down the social stigmas of motherhood.
Coffee and Crumbs- Hosted by Lesley Miller, Ashlee Gadd, and April Hoss, this show discusses all of the ups and downs of raising children and aims to help women feel heard and valued.
Spawned- Hosted by Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of coolmompicks.com, this show provides candid conversations on parenting and advice for other moms in a comedic way.
The Longest Shortest Time- A “parenting show for everyone” this show created by Hilary Frank and Hosted by Andrea Silenzi, tackles a WIDE range of topics on before and after becoming a parent.
Adoption Advocacy Podcast-This podcast by Francie Frisbie navigates the complicated subject of child adoption. They share the experiences of people in this system and offer support resources and advice. This show is trailblazing in an area of parenthood that is often not talked about like traditional parenthood is.
ENTERTAINMENT
Crime Junkie- Hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat tell new true crime stories both solved and unsolved every week in a captivating podcast that will definitely be your next binge.
Call Your Girlfriend- Co-hosted by self described long distance best friends Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow, the friends discuss pop culture and politics and highlight women doing awesome things.
Serial- This fascinating podcast by Sarah Koenig details the murder of Hae Min Lee and the subsequent trial and imprisonment of Adnan Syed...who may not be guilty.
Hysterical History- This comedy podcast by Alexis Lord and Hailey Strickon tells the weirdest but true facts from history. It’s educational but in the funniest way.
Fat Girls Club- Creators Jessica Torres and Liesl Binx discuss their experiences in the world as fat women. They talk about life, love, and everything in between. This show is a refreshing part of the movement to validate all bodies.
TECH
Women In Tech Podcast- Hosted by Espree Devora of WeAreLATech, this empowering show is all about women in tech and features conversations with women in engineering, journalism, entrepreneurs, and more.
AsianBossGirl- Hosted by Melanie Cheng, Helen Wu, and Janet Wang, this show is helping bridge the gap in gender and racial representation in tech. The women discuss their lives and respective careers in finance, tech, and production and talk about their experiences as women in these male dominated fields.
Tech Queens- This podcast by Frances Coronel shares the stories and advice of women of color in the tech industry through interviews.
Women Tech Charge- Hosted by Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon, this podcast is made up of candid conversations with women in tech, finance, and more. These conversations deal with the failures and successes of women in these fields and aims to inspire more people to “take charge” of their lives.
The Lady Tech Marketer Podcast- This podcasts connects women in tech marketing and helps them collaborate and navigate their careers. They discuss marketing trends, career advice, and empowering women in the fields. Inspiring meets shop talk.
These women are authentic, knowledgeable, and all around killin’ it, but there are so many more women led podcasts out there on an even wider range of topics, and I encourage everyone to seek them out. This field has majorly diversified in recent years and there are women from many different backgrounds and cultures featured in these podcasts, but as it is discussed in the shows these women still face barriers and discrimination all too often. Despite this, podcasting is one area of media that has more of these voices than ever. Ultimately, no matter your subject of interest there's a woman led podcast talking through it.