13 Must-Listen Podcasts That Will Make You Want to Go for a Longer Walk
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."
A good podcast is a great walking partner. Getting engrossed in an episode makes even well-worn paths seem exciting, and hitting play on the next one can keep you moving even after you’ve reached your step count. Fortunately, we live in a golden era of podcasts: Whatever your interest, there’s likely a podcast available, whether it’s The Office (Office Ladies), crafting (A Very Serious Crafts Podcast), science (Ologies), cereal (The Empty Bowl, surprisingly thoughtful and delightful), or even the paranormal (Dark House).
Whether you’ve never listened to a podcast before or you’re always on the lookout for new recommendations, here are 13 compelling podcasts to stream during your next walk. They'll definitely keep you on your toes!
1. For fascinating conversation: Armchair Expert
If the name Dax Shepherd makes you think frat-boy comedy (or “who?”) the first lesson of his podcast, Armchair Expert, is that people are not always who they seem. Turns out he’s super-thoughtful about the human condition, and his wide-ranging talks with fellow celebs and with fascinating experts go way beyond talk show chatter about Hollywood projects. Jump right in or try an episode with his wife Kristen Bell, or a fascinating one on anxiety and depression with Stanford’s Nina Vasan.
2. For the truly curious: Hidden Brain
Let yourself be taken on a journey into the why of our lives: Why do we make the decisions we do? What’s behind marriages that last? Why does everybody wish they had just a little more money? NPR’s Hidden Brain host Shankar Vedantam is committed to science, and his storytelling will pull you along like the best mystery story—only what you’re discovering is something real and fascinating about people. Try the episode on the placebo effect; you’ll never look at a pill the same way again.
3. For haunted house fanatics: Dark House
House Beautiful, known for sharing the stories of beautiful homes, turns its lens on the most haunted residences in the country. Follow cohosts Alyssa Fiorentino and Hadley Mendelsohn as they cross the thresholds of four bewitching homes with sinister pasts. Each episode uncovers strange histories with the help of authors, set designers, psychic mediums, and paranormal investigators. Dark House delivers a podcast that meets at a fascinating node between true crime, interior design, and the paranormal. Fans of "American Horror Story: Murder House" won't be able to unplug.
4. For self-improvement: Happier
Gretchen Rubin is a happiness expert (she’s the author of The Happiness Project, among others), but that doesn’t make her a pollyanna about the subject. She and Happier co-host Elizabeth Craft bring a positive but practical approach to finding more moments of happiness in everyday life, whether that’s through revisiting high school experiences or dealing with your email inbox. Each episode covers a lot of great ground, but if you finish one with a few more minutes left on your walk, check out their A Little Bit Happier series: 3ish-minute episode with names like The Lesson I Learned From a Thumbtack in My Shoe.
5. For music lovers: Song Exploder
Get both music and stories with Song Exploder, where musicians dive deep into how they created a particular song, guided by host Hrishikesh Hirway, a composer. There’s a huge range of artists and genres represented, so even if you ease in with a musician you already know, you might be even more amazed by the ones you don’t. It’s a great way to forge a deeper connection with music, and learn about how it all works at the same time.
6. For binge-listeners: Wild Thing
If you left the idea of a yeti being a real creature back in fifth grade, it’s time to dust off your former willingness to believe. Lauren Krantz hosts Wild Thing’s nine-part first season with equal parts skepticism and curiosity. Join her as she interviews credible believers and explores a mysterious, enormous nest, and leave feeling just a little more open to the possibilities of the world around us. (And then try season 2, all about UFOs and alien life. It’s mind-boggling.)
7. For food lovers: Spilled Milk
“This is Spilled Milk, the podcast where we cook something delicious, eat it all, and you can’t have any,” is the intro to every episode of Spilled Milk, which is hosted by Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton. The two are full of banter, memories, and yes, some actual techniques and recipes, as they dive into topics like dream grocery stores, mashed potatoes, and even paper towels and moral quandaries.
8. For intimate, personal confessions: Death, Sex & Money
Hosted by Anna Sales, this interview-style podcast dives into the topics—death, sex, money—that are often avoided out of squeamishness or manners. Unsurprisingly, episodes are frank and revealing: there are some big names, like Marlo Thomas, who talks about her parents’ marriage and her own, as well as regular folks with rich life experience, like a couple reunited after 51 years. The real focus is on honest stories, as in the episode on what it’s like to be a sibling, charged with emotion.
9. For Hollywood-history lovers: You Must Remember This
You Must Remember This is the perfect show for Old Hollywood obsessives—or anyone eager to catch up on the secrets, history, and drama of celebrities from another era. Karina Longworth, the show’s host, describes it as “creative nonfiction,” and on each episode, she tells a fascinating, coherent story, with clips from movies and interviews spliced in. Don’t miss the themed mini-series and seasons: “Dead Blondes” for instance, is a string of episodes on stars such as Grace Kelly and Carol Landis.
10. For answering questions you didn’t know you had: 99% Invisible
After listening to an episode of 99% Invisible, hosted by the calm-voiced Roman Mars, you’ll feel informed about something quirky and unexpected. The show focuses on exploring “all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about.” In practice, that means understanding the surprising history of highway signage or what it’s like when everyone in a small town in Spain wins the lottery—except one lone resident. (And don’t miss their episode all about walking itself!)
11. For true crime lovers: Dr. Death
Search true crime in any podcast app and you’ll be overwhelmed by the great options, but the two seasons of Dr. Death, hosted by journalist Laura Beil, each tells a tight, riveting stories of an individual doctor who scammed their patients, often to heartbreaking degree. It also explores how the system fails to catch these bad seeds—but how we can all make our voices heard. It’s not maudlin, but warning: there are sad, dark moments. Ultimately, though, it’s an important, eye-opening crime series.
12. For timely conversation: Call Your Girlfriend
The show opens each week by playing a few seconds of Robyn’s hit song of the same name. Call Your Girlfriend is hosted by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, and is billed as “a podcast for long-distance besties everywhere.” Conversations range from periods to politics, and pretty much everywhere in between. It’s frank, funny, and intimate. This podcast is best listened to weekly, since it does often feel like a rundown of the week’s cultural and political news.
LISTEN NOW
13. For sports (and storytelling) fans: ESPN’s 30 for 30
You don’t have to be a sports fan, or deeply knowledgeable about team and player stats, to enjoy ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast, which just wrapped its first season. The podcast—like the TV series it’s based on—is about stories and sports narratives. Consider the Heavy Medals series, a seven-part series about the rise and fall of gymnastics coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi; it’s well-reported, compelling storytelling on subjects worth the closer look.
Go here to join Prevention Premium (our best value, all-access plan), subscribe to the magazine, or get digital-only access.
You Might Also Like
