Time to Turn On & Tune In: 12 Podcasts to Help You Get Through 2020

Let’s get real. Staying indoors all the time can become rather boring. Luckily, there is a little thing called podcasts.

When it comes to podcasts, an endless collection of quar-entertainment awaits your ears. Whether you want motivation to combat the quarantine-blues, would like to learn something new, or desire to focus more on your own wellbeing, there is a podcast for every setting, every mood, and every need.

Here are our favorite podcasts of 2020.

Podcasts Championing Dialogue & Inclusivity

Code Switch – NPR’s popular podcast fearlessly tackles the subjects of race and identity head-on. Hosted by people of color, Code Switch tells stories the way they are meant to be told.

Go Off, Sis – In this R29 podcast, two girls – Rach & Mimi – discuss topics from love and wellness, to COVID-19 and the hard truths around being a Black woman in America.

Women’s Hour – Based on the daily BBC Radio 4 show, the Women’s Hour Daily Podcast welcomes diverse voices in a non-stereotypical fashion to talk about issues that matter most to women in their personal life and at work. Intimate, frank, and funny conversations await.

Podcasts That’ll Make You Laugh

Plumbing the Death Star – How would you save Han from Jabba’s palace? Could you handle being the Tiger King? How would you make a Chamber of Secrets? Wacky questions like these are answered in this worldwide phenomenon of a podcast.

The Last Laugh – In weekly interviews, comedians get real as they talk (and laugh) about what it’s like to be a comedian in this current cultural and political movement.

Entry Level – Many of us have held jobs that are so insane, you just have to laugh. In Entry Level, host Brooks Wheelan interviews guests to find out what craziness they had to put up with in order to get to where they are now.

Motivational & Wellness Podcasts

Unlocking Us – Author, researcher and vulnerability expert Brené Brown, debuted her podcast in March, 2020, as something “that’s real, unpolished, honest, and reflects both the magic and the messiness of what it means to be human.”

Optimal Living Daily – Focusing on minimalism, personal growth and life optimization, this podcast examines concepts like mindfulness, developing consistency, and living intentionally.

On Being – In her award-winning podcast, host Krista Tippett – Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, New York Times bestselling author, and National Humanities Medalist – asks us to consider: What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? Alongside experts, teachers, and leaders, Tippett ponders the notions of isolation, race, love and loss, and the place we hold in the world.

The Best Museum Podcasts

The Rubin Museum’s Mindfulness Meditation – Expert teachers guide 45-minute weekly mediation sessions, each inspired by a work of art from the Rubin Museum’s collection. Beginners, dabblers, and skilled mediators are all welcome.

The Smithsonian's Sidedoor – Audio producer and storyteller Lizzie Peabody, takes the public through Smithsonian’s side door to get a glimpse of the treasures and experience stories that are typically hidden from the public eye.

Museum Confidential – Hosted by Jeff Martin of Philbrook Museum of Art, Museum Confidential takes a behind-the-scenes look at museums, and dives into relevant conversations about the challenges facing the field today.