The 10 Best Podcasts to Listen to This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving isn’t all turkey and mashed potatoes. But if you’re having trouble focusing on what to be grateful for during a busy year, one of them should be podcasts, because podcasts are always there for you, even when it comes to reminding you of everything you have to be grateful for. For. Here are 10 shows that can help you bring gratitude back to Thanksgiving.
Wonderful!
About the wonderful! , Rachel and Griffin McElroy share what makes them happy. This is a heartwarming show that radiates nothing but positivity, and each episode teaches you to find joy and gratitude in your everyday life. Some episodes are about big things (the human experience), some are about little things (simple comforts like a song or a TV show). They are all funny and filled with facts and history. And their recurring Poetry Corner segment will help you find beauty in the world. Listeners love the duo for their chemistry behind the mic, and it makes sense—they are married, after all.
Tiny victories
Whenever it’s hard to find something to be grateful for (it’s all common these days), you can just pat yourself on the back for making it through the day. That’s what Tiny Victories is all about: celebrating the little victories that happen to us every day but often go unnoticed. And what a shame it is. Hosts Annabelle Gurwitch and Laura House spend 15 minutes sharing their wins from the week and inviting listeners to adopt their fun, tiny winning attitude.
My unsung hero
To quote the late, great David Bowie: “We can be heroes, just for one day.” In each My Unsung Hero episode of Hidden Brain, a guest is asked to share the story of who saved him: a group of women who swoop in to help a shocked mom at the airport, people who stop to pick someone after terrible fall to the ground. ice. The show is a reminder that there are good people who do small but impactful acts of kindness all the time. Each episode feels like a heartfelt “thank you” to the hero. who may or may not listen. But it’s also a reminder to activate your inner hero when the opportunity arises. (Listen to my story here .)
Handsome/Anonymous
In each episode of Beautiful/Anonymous, Chris Gethard calls a random person, sets a timer for an hour, and allows the caller to call in on a tangent of their choice. The result is a collection of raw, unfiltered conversations that invite listeners to walk (err…listen) a mile in someone else’s shoes. Some of the guests go through some pretty intense experiences: a woman whose father just gave her a kidney, a woman who saved a stranger’s life, a shipbuilder who talks about how his life changed after taking Adderall for the first time. Chris feels empathy and curiosity for all of them.
Everything will be fine
We’re told that keeping a gratitude journal can help us get out of depression, and if you read the news, you might need these random reminders to keep yourself cheerful. Expressing more gratitude through Everything Will Be Okay is almost like looking into someone else’s audio gratitude journal. Every day, Nora McInerney ( Terrible, Thanks for Asking ) shares a short story, essay, or interview about something that might make you feel like things are actually going to be okay. It’s a reminder to enjoy corgi butts, yard sales, prickly pear cactus, Elin Hilderbrand books, or whatever else makes you feel better about being alive.
Secretly incredibly exciting
The world is a curious place, and there are wonders to be found everywhere. “Secretly Incredibly Fascinating” is a reminder that even the most mundane things are secretly incredibly exciting. In each episode, Alex Schmidt ( Jeopardy! champion , creator of the buffalo emoji ) and Katie Goldin (host of Creature Feature ) come together to explore things that seem too boring for a podcast episode—baking soda, CAPTCHAs, neon, chalkboards. By the end of the episode, you’ll be like a toddler who just discovered trains and Googling things like “ball bearing worksheet sets” and “books about paper clips,” and Alex and Katie will help you discover something new, for which you can be grateful. .
Small triumph, big speech
Have you baked challah? Take out the compost? Get out of bed? You deserve a pat on the back. Or maybe a speech. That’s what Dylan Marron ( Conversations with People Who Hate Me , The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks ) serves up at the Big Small Triumph Speech , where people with small victories call in to get a sonic high-five from the host and guest. Life is hard, and sometimes you need to be reminded to pause and take note of your smallest achievements.
tell me about it
Meet Adal Rifai, an eccentric billionaire who forces a new guest to share, argue and defend what he loves most on his game show Tell Me About It . With the help of his audio butler Eric, he challenges his participants to games that will earn them points on his “Highlights” scoreboard. What do you know? Billionaires are good for something! (Fictional ones, anyway.) This one encourages people to show him (and you) the beauty of Dungeons & Synthesizers , retirement plans, and gaming miniatures.
Ten percent happier
What would your life be like if you were ten times happier? That’s not the promise of Dan Harris’ podcast—his mission is much more realistic. It aims to bring you just 10% closer to a feeling of abundance and satisfaction. In Ten Percent Happier , Dan talks to meditation teachers, scientists, and celebrities (from the Dalai Lama to Queer Eye’s Karamo) about enlightenment, psychedelics, science-based methods for happiness, and more, all in an effort to teach you skills you need to become a happier and more grateful person. Dan was forced to practice meditation after experiencing a panic attack on live television and has been on a journey to find peace in a stressful world ever since. If he can do it, so can you.
Everything is wiser
In All the Wise Men, Kimi Culp meets people who have gone through it and become wiser, full of grace, and better people. Culp is a superb journalist and host, able to make guests feel comfortable enough to tell us about their toughest days, from surviving a terrorist attack to being kidnapped to working to keep an abusive family member behind bars. After listening, you will feel grateful for your situation, no matter how serious it is, and you will be motivated to overcome difficulties and come to a more optimistic state. Kimi donates $2,000 per episode to a non-profit organization that makes a difference, so this podcast is not only about giving thanks for our lives, but also about giving back real money.