Podcasts have become basically the most important part of my life, you guys. I hunger for more! But the two that I’ve fallen for in a big, big way since I wrote about this last are SMNTY & WTF. Acronyms!

SMNTY stands for Stuff Mom Never Told You. It’s run by two dope queens (but not those 2 Dope Queens…), Cristen and Caroline. So far I’ve listened to the episodes on A Practical Wedding, A Feminist Marriage, Lady Libido Liberation, and the trope Lesbian Bed Death. This show is like having a conversation with your best friend (if you happen to be a woke-ass lady with woke-ass friends). It’s so refreshing to hear this sort of talk outside of the classroom. I try my damnedest to approach everything in life through an intersectional feminist lens, so hearing the voices of like-minded individuals is reaffirming. They recently did a series on rom-coms that I can’t wait to listen to!

WTF stands, of course, for exactly what you think it stands for. Hosted by Marc Maron, who is one of my favorite comedians, WTF has some of the best guests in the game. Joanna Newsom. Abbi & Ilana. Natasha Leggero. Ali Wong. It’s ENDLESS. Maron the show is based on his experiences doing the pod, and believe me, there’s enough material. WTF goes deep. I especially appreciate that Maron talks about his experiences as a man with an eating disorder, because that’s a large subset of the population that gets NO attention. As someone who has experienced disordered eating and still struggles, the episode with Nikki Glaser really spoke to me. I listened to it today, and it struck a damn chord. I was never in real physical danger (thankfully), but the mental state that accompanies eating disorders and food issues is intense, and it can manifest dangerously in a lot of other ways—reckless behavior, drinking, drugs, etc.

Oh gosh, look at me. Tryna talk about podcasts and delving into the darkness of eating disorders. For another day and another post.

Podcasts, man. As I’ve described them to my dad, it’s like NPR all day but 100% interesting all the time. But alas, my dad still doesn’t know what podcasts are. I’m not even sure he truly understands what an mp3 is. Either way, I’m so glad I discovered this *free* form of entertainment, finally!

Seriously, though: what pods should I be listening to??

—DellaBites