Let me set the scene for you. You need to do chores around the house like cleaning your room, doing the dishes, etc. You are having one of those moments when you don’t really want to listen to music and you don’t want to commit to an audiobook. The happy in-between? Podcasts. If you think podcasts are a super nerdy thing to listen to, you are correct. Here are my top five favorite podcasts for whenever you’re in the very specific mood of wanting to listen to a podcast.

“TED Radio Hour”:  A classic. Everyone knows TED talks. This is TED talks in podcast form. Host Guy Raz interviews previous TED talk presenters and other experts and asks them to dive deeper into certain topics. It gives a more informal and personal look into an abundance of topics from “How Art Changes Us” to the “Climate Crisis.”

“The Sleeping at Last Podcast”: One of my favorite musical artists, Ryan Curtis O’Neal, makes music under the name “Sleeping at Last.” He decided to make a podcast that explains his process of making his songs step-by-step from the inspiration to actually putting the music out. It’s a fascinating look into the music industry and O’Neal’s voice is very soothing to listen to.

“The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe”: Does everyone remember that hilarious show “Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe?” The same guy started a riveting storytelling podcast based off of an old radio show. Each episode is a true story about a real person, place or thing. He tells stories in a funny, disjointed way so you don’t figure out what the story is about until the very end. Each episode is short and keeps you enthralled until the final word.

“Skimm This”: My AP English 3 teacher told the class to sign up for an email subscription to this podcast that educates about current events in a relatively impartial and concise manner. If you don’t have time to read the news, with the “Skimm This” podcast, you can listen to it. This podcast airs daily and is generally 10-15 minutes long. I’ve learned so much just from listening to this every day, and it has made me more inclined to research current issues.

“Terrible, Thanks for Asking”: Started in November 2016 and hosted by Nora Borealis and American Public Media, this podcast is a “funny/sad/awkward podcast about being honest about the hard things in life, and telling the truth when someone asks, ‘so how ARE you?’” This podcast is so important. I hate that we find it culturally acceptable to respond “good” to every “how are you?” when sometimes, we aren’t actually good. This podcasts finds normal people with normal lives and tells their stories. I have cried every single time I’ve listened to it because it’s such an honest and raw and personal look into peoples’ lives.