6 Podcast Reddit Threads We Texted Each Other (that are revealing about listeners)

Hello, Lauren here. When I found out I was going to be a mom the only thing I was nervous about was that parenting would cut into my podcast Reddit time, and it has. It is truly one of my favorite places on the internet. Redditors are great, they will write essays about what they love, who they hate, what irks them, what they’ve discovered, and it’s a great way for me to get a read on what just normal podcast listeners (as opposed to freaks like me and Arielle) are listening to. I love it when someone is ISO “an actual play RPG podcast that took place in a small town where the circus came to visit and all the characters took on archetypes from the circus and challenges were decided based on drawing tarot cards and it was a somewhat creepy podcast” and one of the Redditors actually swoops in with the answer!

Listen, reading this stuff every day is a LOT OF WORK but someone has to do it. I’ll be swooping in every so often as your Reddit corespondent so you can spend more time with your children or families or friends or whatever. Below, six Reddit threads I sent Arielle that tell us a lot about podcast listeners. Click away and pleeeeeeease post your favorite Reddit threads, or podcast subreddits, in the comments.🙏

Share

I am really missing a lot of podcasts that just disappeared. Some said they were taking a break and some just moved on to brighter things. I have a few that I keep my fingers crossed that they might show back up one day. I really miss Vanished In The Valley, Pure Decking, Podcast At Ground Zero, Roast Battle, The Langley Files, Planet A$$, and There’s Treasure Inside Edition. Really hope these podcasters are doing alright and will dust off the microphone and return. What podcasts are you all missing?

Andrew Huberman, Ali Abdaal, the whole “productivity optimization” crowd gained momentum when I (27M) was finishing university around 2018-2022. I was anxious, directionless, and genuinely unsure what I wanted from life. In those moments of uncertainty these channels gave me structure and a sense of forward momentum. They felt like a lifeline during a period when everything felt chaotic

Now that I’ve built some actual stability, I can’t believe how much time I spent consuming content about doing things instead of just doing things. I wasn’t indifferent to these creators - many of them had genuinely interesting guests: researchers, athletes, therapists, people I respected. And I told myself I was learning. I was investing in myself. I was optimizing.

But recently I realized I was putting this content on because it was easier than sitting with my own thoughts. It felt productive without the discomfort of actually being productive. I could spend two hours watching a video about building habits instead of spending twenty minutes building one. I eventually understood that a lot of this content is just structured procrastination with a better aesthetic.

When I cut it out - and became more intentional about my phone use generally - I started finishing books again. I started having real conversations. I got better at tolerating boredom, which it turns out is where most of my actual ideas come from

Aside from the format problems, I noticed how much of this content had quietly shifted toward selling things. Supplements, courses, productivity apps, affiliate links buried in every description. I get that people need to make money, but there’s something uncomfortable about realizing that the “optimize your life” advice is often just a delivery mechanism for commerce. The creators aren’t necessarily living the life they’re describing - they’re living the life of someone who makes content about that life

When self-improvement content first emerged it was more niche, more earnest. The hosts seemed to have a genuine reason for making a show. Now the whole ecosystem has industrialized. New videos every week, each one slightly more alarming in its thumbnail than the last, all competing for the same anxious young audience

Life’s too short to spend it watching other people explain how to live yours

I often find myself mimicking the behavior of people I’m around for a long time, including podcast hosts. Knowing this about myself and wanting to improve, I think listening to a podcast with a really friendly and lovable personality at the forefront would help me behave more like the person I want to be. I’d like to be someone welcoming that anyone feels like they can open up to, while also being interesting to listen to. Just a generally nice person.

Maybe the podcast host someone who frequently does interviews (although that doesn’t have to be their main thing, or a thing at all, as I’d like to listen to banter among people who are familiar with one another, too). Could be any gender, idc.

If this is too broad of a category, here are some other things I might find interesting:

- things relating to science or academic disciplines

- comedy

- horror (I’ve really been enjoying creepcast)

Any recommendations?

I’ve heard it said that podcasts spread ONLY by word of mouth. As an absolute, of course that’s false, but it does seem to me that podcasts, unlike other kinds of media are far more heavily reliant on word of mouth to get big.

Is that true?

• The International Women’s Podcast Awards submissions are OPEN. Send the entry form to a woman podcaster who deserves a big round of applause!

Thanks for reading us! ICYMI, last week we debated…