From a father-daughter duo, the joys of motherhood, Nina Simone's legacy, and what life after prison is really like, this week's podcast selections offer plenty of insights into how we navigate our everyday lives.
The best podcasts of the week
1. Mom's Den
Transmission platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Society
With 11 children between them, singer Melanie Fiona, businesswoman and influencer Felicia La Tour, writer Ashley Chea and CEO of Black Love, Inc. Codie Elaine Oliver, are friends who travel the journey of motherhood together.
On their weekly podcast, The Mama's Den, they share laughter, tears, personal stories, and of course, parenting advice. But they don't stop there, they also have honest conversations about everything from motherhood, race, sexuality, health, religion, and dating.
The last episode begins with the women talking about some of the weird things their children have inherited from them, like sucking their thumbs and fingers and twisting their hair to fall asleep, which was really fascinating, and how to discipline children .
They also talked about the final season of Love is Blind, what they would tell their younger self about being a Black woman in the creative space, and why it's important to trust your voice and speak up.
“I'm not nice, I'm kind,” said one of the hosts. And I think that best sums up the collective strength and courage that everyone shares.
No topic is off-limits, so I understand why they make sure the kids are out.
(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)
2. Terribly famous
Transmission platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Culture
If you're even remotely intrigued, fascinated, or curious about celebrity culture, and love a podcast that feels like a “story time” for adults, then Wondery's Terribly Famous deserves a spot on your listening list.
Hosted by double comedy Anna Leong Brophy and Emily Lloyd-Saini, it ventures into the realities of life behind the glossy photoshoots and glamorous lifestyles of some of the world's most famous faces, revealing the struggles behind scene.
The scripted episodes are based on biographical research, bringing the stories to life through scenes (obviously they don't come from the horse's mouth!).
This week's episode focuses on the late singer George Michael, who on the one hand was one of the best-selling music artists of all time, but faced loneliness and deep personal struggles as a 'closeted' gay man rising to stardom. pop during a time when homophobia was rampant and, as the episode says, the tabloids were “gleefully outing people and tearing them down.”
(By Abi Jackson)
3. Legacy: Nina Simone
Transmission platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: History
In Legacy, writer Afua Hirsch and historian Peter Frankopan look at “some of the most extraordinary men and women who ever lived.”
They previously covered Napoleon Bonaparte and Pablo Picasso, and for their latest season, they are spotlighting singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone.
It's clearly a topic deep in Hirsch's heart, and some of the most powerful moments are when he shares anecdotes about how Simone's music has played a role in his own life.
Hirsch and Frankopan do a good job of guiding the listener through Simone's life and putting her in the context of the story (particularly talking about the civil rights movement), but she was such a complex, multi-layered character that a handful of episodes almost don't. I feel like it's enough to do Simone justice.
Music is central to Simone's story, and while the podcast has an accompanying playlist, it really suffers from not having her songs intertwined. It's interesting and informative, but above all it feels like a good starting point to then discover more about this powerful and important figure.
(By Prudence Wade)
4. Harry's daughter
Transmission platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Family
With three episodes completed, Harry's Daughter has done a great job of delving into the joys and challenges of parenthood, navigating life's twists and turns, and everything in between.
In this week's episode, host Natalie and her co-host Harry, also her father, continue a conversation they started last week about how to make the most of the beginning, middle and end of your 20s. In particular, whether it's really fundamental to configure your life.
The warm yet fun relationship between the father-daughter duo also seems to shine. In response to her brief burst of panic because she was approaching 30 (she is currently 27), her father joked and said, “Age is coming, girl.” But he quickly reassured his daughter and added: “It's nothing bad. The man upstairs is taking care of you.
Hearing how different Harry's life was at age 27 (he moved out and bought his first house with the help of Mom and Dad's bank) compared to Natalie's was eye-opening and makes you really think about how serious the condition is. of the economy. and the real estate market is really hot.
The most important thing I learned from the episode was when Harry talked about how much he enjoyed life when he was 20 years old. “He lives for today and not for tomorrow.” I think more of us could do more of that. It is not like this?
I also really enjoyed the original intro and jingle produced by Sampah and editing by Uzo. It helps set the sincere tone of the podcast.
(By Yolanthé Fawehinmi)
Focus on…
5. Life after prison
Transmission platform: All streaming platforms
Gender: Society
What is it really like to be in prison and how can you get your life back afterward? The fifth series of this award-winning podcast, hosted by Zak Addae-Kodua and Jules Rowan, both ex-offenders who aim to support and inspire those who have passed through the UK prison system, explores the challenges of coping with life on the outside , including trying to progress in a career with conviction, judgment of people, as well as practical issues such as bank accounts and housing.
In addition to sharing their own experiences, Addae-Kodua and Rowan interview ex-offenders who have managed to turn their lives around. Among them is producer and filmmaker David Navarro, who started a successful YouTube channel, Delinquent Nation, from prison. A promising athlete who qualified for the 2008 Olympics as a teenager and on a sports scholarship, his life trajectory took a very different turn after he turned his back on his sporting career and dropped out of college 'to live a life on the road'. '. He made a lot of money selling drugs and participated in robberies. He admits: “I felt like I didn't need to do anything else, I didn't want to do a nine to five… I got away with it too, I felt lucky.” So how does someone go from qualifying for the Olympics to selling drugs, ask Rowan and Addae-Kodua.
Giving himself a false narrative is one reason, but Navarro's first arrest, when he was 20, led to him being in and out of jail for most of the next decade.
Myths about prison life are also looked at, as it is supposed to be easy ('a holiday camp') and that all prisoners have PS5s and phones. But the reality is that if you get caught with a phone, you can add months to your sentence, and it's also extremely hard and lonely. The biggest punishment is losing your responsibility. There is support in prison, but it is not that easy: you first have to find it in yourself if you want to rehabilitate yourself.
Navarro was one of the lucky ones and finally changed his way of thinking. As he approaches 30, he recalls: “I didn't want to be that old man in prison, wasting his life, while your good friends get off the road and get on with his life, I envied them.” The strongest feeling is that you have to want NOT to go back.
And when you finally get your freedom, you still have a very difficult road ahead, even if you are lucky enough to have a support network around you. Addae-Kodua, Rowan and Navarro talk about the feeling of having the word “prisoner” stamped on your forehead and being judged harshly as you try to rebuild your life. Fascinating and thought-provoking, this podcast is invaluable not only to those who have lived the prison experience, their family and friends, but to anyone interested in what it must be like to serve time.
(By Caroline Duggan)
