Grab A Wine: Here Are 8 Podcasts to Wind Down With
As many of us have transitioned to working from home, the separation of office life and downtime can be difficult to maintain. When you spend eight hours on calls in your lounge room only to then shut your laptop and continue with your evening, it’s easy to end up carrying all that work stress with you.
Although public transport or peak hour traffic was a nightmare, our commute helped separate work life and home life a bit more. So, what can we do to wind down effectively now the lines are blurred?
Something I’ve personally found helpful is podcasts. I’ve always been a podcast fan, but lockdown saw me using them in a new way. Where once, they got me through those long commutes - now they take my mind away from work as I go about my dinner prep (and maybe as I eat cheese and drink wine. Nightly.)
If you’re looking for some new podcasts to wind down with, here’s what I’m currently enjoying.
1. The Zest Is History
I’m going to be cheeky and mention my podcast first up. My co-host Josie Rozenberg-Clarke and I recently started The Zest Is History, where each week we chat about a weird, compelling story from Australia’s past – over a few wines, of course.
Conversational podcasts always make me feel like I’m sitting down for post-work drinks with friends. They’re the perfect companion to cooking dinner, in my opinion.
2. After Work Drinks
Speaking of post-work drinks, Grace O’Neill and Isabelle Truman’s podcast After Work Drinks is consistently both insightful and hilarious. These women are refreshingly smart and honest – they’ll cover major social movements one week, and a pop culture phenomenon the next.
A great way to catch up on whatever has been big news through the week.
3. Rabbit Hole
If you’re not a fan of conversational podcasts, Rabbit Hole is my latest story-driven obsession. Following the rise of YouTube from the perspective of a die-hard fan for the first set of episodes, it’s an eye-opening look at how the content we are targeted with by algorithms and the like can have a major impact on how we see the world.
I won’t tell you too much more, because part of the brilliance is how the story unravels.
4. The Slow Home Podcast
Never has there been a more apt time for this podcast, helmed by Brooke McAlary, a woman who was inspired to say no to living at 110% in order to find some life balance. While lockdown was a difficult period, for many it was a wake-up call to live more mindfully, and this podcast will help you continue that journey.
5. The Eleventh
Another story-driven podcast, The Eleventh goes deep on arguably the most pivotal political moment in Australian history – Gough Whitlam’s dismissal in 1975. New facts and details emerge as ABC Radio investigate the stages that led to the controversial moment, and with each episode focused on a different contributing element, it’s easy to follow along.
6. Where Should We Begin? With Esther Perel
Perel, a couple’s therapist, records her meetings with real couples discussing their relationship issues in this insightful and addictive podcast. Whether you’re loved up, single or have hit a rocky patch, there are lessons to be learned here – and Perel’s patient and empathetic approach makes it enjoyable, not painful. Her current series focuses on couples in lockdown, which is fascinating.
7. Everyone Has An Ex
Georgia Love, star of The Bachelorette, hosts this enthralling podcast in which each episode sees Love chatting to guests about a significant past relationship. From forbidden love to deception, tragedy to life’s curve-balls, you’re never sure if this week’s story will be making you laugh or cry – in the best way, of course.
8. Always Was, Always Will Be Our Stories
This brand new podcast from Tiddas 4 Tiddas founder Marlee Silva is one of the best of 2020 so far. Each week, Marlee sits down with a different Indigenous leader to hear their story and learn from their life experience. Marlee’s intention was to continue the tradition of storytelling in Indigenous Australian culture, and these truly feel like the stories we need to hear right now.
Looking for more podcast recommendations? Try one of these 13 feel-good podcasts.
