12 Cozy Podcasts That Will Warm Your Mind, Body and Soul

In today’s fast-paced world, where bright screens and loud social media notifications demand our attention, the charm of a cozy podcast offers a soothing respite. Imagine yourself tucked under a warm blanket, with a steaming cup of your favorite drink in your hand and the gentle voice of your host guiding you through a world of stories, reflections and quiet reflections.

Podcasts have become the perfect companion for those moments when you need solace and comfort, and I’ve handpicked 12 of them that will wrap you in warmth and provide refuge from the chaos of the day—whether you’re in search of compelling fiction, poetic serenity, immersion into an exciting hobby or nourishment for body and soul.

Phoebe reads a mystery

Cozy mysteries are a genre unto themselves, and they’re made even better when filtered through the soothing, melodic voice of Phoebe Judge ( Criminal and This Is Love ). I’ve listened to Phoebe read anything and I’m lucky because in Phoebe Reads a Mystery she does just that. In the series, she read such classics as Robert Louis Stevenson ‘s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , Oscar Wilde ‘s The Picture of Dorian Gray , Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , all of Moby Dick, and more, chapter by chapter. No other show will make you feel like you’re curled up under the covers.

You’re good

You Are Good bills itself as a “feelings movie podcast.” This isn’t really film criticism (although there is some), but rather an opportunity for hosts Sarah Marshall (from You’re Wrong ) and Alex Steed to tell guests about their favorite films and why those films hit us so hard. Sarah and Alex go back to the archives (most of the films are at least ten years old) to overcome all the emotions of nostalgia, joy and sometimes discomfort that films like Top Gun, High Fidelity, Steel Magnolias and Amadeus evoke. . . This is a kind and sensitive series, more about human nature than film history.

Poetry without borders

Reading poetry improves your memory and encourages introspection, and listening to poetry sung can make you feel like you’re nestled in a cocoon. Twice a week on On Beetry Studios’ Poetry Unbound, Padraig O Tuama introduces us to a poem. His soothing Irish accent is basically ASMR, and if you failed poetry in high school, fear not—he spends a few minutes unpacking the poem. The poets featured range from Richard Blanco to Yusef Komunyakaa to Emily Dickinson, and each episode is about 15 minutes long. Let a few people accumulate and settle down.

Drifting with Joe Pera

The stakes are low on Drifting Off With Joe Pera , which features comedian Joe Pera and his guests sharing jokes and relaxing conversations (to the backdrop of Ryan Dunn’s soothing score). You never know what you’re going to get, and it almost doesn’t matter because Joe’s voice is soft and gentle. with reduced stress levels, no matter what. The content is not laugh-out-loud, but a dose of deadpan humor delivered with Joe’s trademark sincerity and earnestness. Drifting Off releases on the first Sunday of every month and is a great way to combat your Sunday fears.

It’s good for you

In It’s Good for You , poet Nicole Perkins celebrates what makes people feel good and what people do to make themselves happy, in hopes that you will find something in your life that makes you happy and happy. you – and without affecting your income. Nicole’s lyrical delivery and soft voice immerse you in a warm aural bath, telling stories of people who love honky-tonks, bird watching, reading romance novels, and more. This is a reminder that you don’t have to feel bad about spending time on your hobbies: in This Is Good For You, “guilty pleasure” is a bad word.

Podcast “Blind Boy”

Hosted by Blindboy, the podcast Blindboy is a mix of short fiction, interviews, and comedy. Some of the conversations feel like intellectual deep dives into everything from the connections between heavy metal and futurism to mental health issues, and some sound like pages torn from Blindboy’s diary. He is thoughtful and funny and will make you feel like a friend. He gained fame through pranks on radio shows, and his comedy hip-hop duo Rubberbandits became a viral hit in 2010, and he wears a plastic bag on his head for anonymity, but this show is cooler than all the others. it can mean that it feels like a private conversation with someone who understands the human experience.

Hotline “Secrets”

The funniest thing about podcasts is that they all seem pretty intimate, even if the hosts are shouting about sports scores or the girls’ latest trips on The Real Housewives of Potomac . But when do voices tell secrets? It’s like you’re floating on the sea, being rocked by a wave. Nick van der Kolk launched Secrets Hotline as part of his podcast Love and Radio ; it was such a success that he included it in its own strip. The podcast is a place where people can leave anonymous messages about addiction, masturbation, difficult childhoods, raunchy moms, and other scenarios you can’t even imagine. Like many of these revealed secrets, these voicemails are voyeuristic and affirming: whatever dark truth you’re hiding, you’re not alone, and isn’t that a comforting thought?

homemade food

What could be more comforting than home-cooked food? Home Cooking began as a miniseries to help people cook during the pandemic, but has continued somewhat sporadically in hopes of inspiring people in the kitchen. Samin Nosrat (chef and author of the cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat ) and Hrishikesh Hirway (creator and host of the podcast Song Exploder ) interview people like Jason Mantzoukas and Antoni Porowski about the foods they love and help listeners cope with specific family problems. recipes and what to do with kohlrabi. Home Cooking contains all things good for the soul: food, humor and personal anecdotes from the hosts, Sameen’s infectious laugh and Hrishikesh’s many food puns.

Night call

Listening to Night Call is like driving down a deserted road in the middle of the night and listening to a strange radio station. Hosts Molly Lambert, Tess Lynch and Emily Yoshida talk pop culture, movies and conspiracy theories. These are three insightful friends with amazing insights into the things that are gripping the culture. Their chemistry is akin to what you might find at a party with your best friends. They often engage callers and listeners in discussions, making the sleepover even more meaningful. ( Night Call hasn’t had a new episode in years, but I keep coming back to the old ones.)

Remember Reading?

Remember Reading? , from HarperCollins, is a triumphant ode to the best books of our childhood. If they have an episode about a book you loved as a kid, listen to it and you’ll love that book even more. But if there’s an episode from a book you particularly disliked as a child, give it a listen anyway—I never got around to reading The Secret Garden, but this sweet conversation between Bridge to Terabithia author Katherine Paterson and Sarah Pennypacker ( Pax ) and Here in the Real World ) about secret places and quiet prose comforting shy children made me pick it up and give it another try.

Deck the halls (Happy Matrimony!)

Watching holiday romantic comedies reminds me of snuggling up in the winter with homemade cookies and comfy pajamas. The fiction podcast Deck the Halls (with matrimony!) is a holiday movie for your ears about everything that’s going on in the Regal Bride wedding business. The writing is dynamic and witty; staging, sound design and acting at the highest level; and the adorable characters will warm your heart like cocoa when you drink it with your cookies. It’s just so… cute.

Cat Community News

As I type this, my cat Monty Hermann lies next to me in a near-catatonic state, basking in the sun that floods my apartment. He recommends Community Cat News , a show that covers local news from a cat’s point of view, covering all the news that can be printed… for cats, from people unexpectedly opening the refrigerator to suspicious behavior of squirrels in the neighborhood. The Cat News Community is fun for cat lovers who are always curious about what’s going on in the minds of their furry friends. (Monty just hit me. He says this show is serious stuff, hard news. I’ll let you decide.)