Three for Three: My Top Podcast Picks

By Afia Jones

Americans check their phones every 12 minutes, which adds up to 80 times people are delved into the activities that take place on their phone, according to the New York Post. In the same report, it’s stated that the longest time a person can go without their phone without feeling a seperation anxiety is four hours.

For people who are trying to stay away from their phone screens for that average number of four hours or even longer, I would suggest podcasts. They range from 30 minutes to two hours, or even longer depending on your selection.

Currently, there are over 550,000 active podcasts, according Podcast Insights, and finding a podcast you like is like.

However, I am here to suggest my top three podcasts that I think people should listen to. I find all three podcasts make me just want to plug up my phone to my speaker, put my phone up somewhere and just listen to the dynamic hosts and their insightful or comedic statements made throughout the show.

 

1. “The Read”

The podcast is run by two hosts, Kid Fury and Crissle West, who moved to New York from their hometowns about five years ago with the goal to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

Every Thursday, the pair delve into the mess of celebrity news and go through their mail bag in which they have their listeners send in questions that usually are based on issues they are encountering in their personal lives. These letters are primarily about people encountering petty relationship issues in which Fury always gives his classic advice: “Break up with him [or her].”

The duo always end the show with a “read.” This is the most entertaining section for me. The hosts individually rant about things that have bothered them throughout their week. Sometimes, their reads are serious or other times it can be as simple as Fury talking about how annoyed he is that New York is so dirty and has encountered flying roaches.

You can find this podcast here.

 

2. “The Friend Zone”

Similar to “The Read,” this podcast is also hosted by friends that discuss both celebrity news and hard news. The show is hosted by three people, Francheska Medina, Dustin Ross and Assante, posting episodes every Wednesday. While they discuss celebrity news at times, the real focus of their show is about the betterment of one’s mental health and the importance of evolving yourself and your mind because like Dustin says, “Who in the hell wants a musty brain?”

One of the main things that I like about this show is that they pose questions in the beginning to make the listener start crafting their own thoughts before they reveal their own opinions or answers to the question.

In one episode, Medina revealed that she is currently friends with her ex’s girlfriend — which was the woman that he was cheating on Medina with. She brought this up because she wanted to know from her co-hosts and listeners how far can your forgiveness go. She also went on to discuss just how important it is to forgive somebody who has hurt you or else you’re doomed to be bitter and angry forever.

You can find this podcast here.

 

3. “Missing Richard Simmons”

The most unusual podcast I have ever listened to has to be the story of how Richard Simmons went missing. This show is hosted by filmmaker Dan Taberski who was a regular in Simmons’s classes and even befriended him.

Taberski goes on many interviews with friends and regulars who attended Simmons’s class, and a majority of the interviews are people talking about just how selfless Simmons is. Many recount how Simmons has gone out of his way to help them and made such a positive impact on their life.

One story in particular that stood out the most to me was a woman who talked about her experience in his class. If you have seen the “Nutty Professor,” then you’ve seen how Eddie Murphy’s character was trying to keep up with a high-energy Simmons as he profusely sweats and smiles throughout the workout. However, we don’t see him completely crumple to the ground and sob in the middle of the workout, which is what this woman shared when she attended his class.

While this story talks about how Simmons abruptly stopped conducting his classes and communicating to friends and family, I believe this story is not simply an autobiography of Simmons’s life but also encourages listeners to be more empathetic to those around us.

You can find this podcast here.

My hope is that when you look or even listen to my suggestions, it gets you to at least step a foot into the realm of podcasts and see that Twitter or Instagram aren’t the only intriguing things that take place on your phone.