Last week, Savoir Flair brought you an edit of podcasts that are both educational and entertaining in order to get your brain flexing alongside your other muscle groups at the gym. This week, give your brain a break with one of these four pop culture podcasts, which cover topics from the history of Old Hollywood to your new favorite Netflix series and dishy sessions that will make you feel like you’re hanging with your #girlsquad. Keep reading for four truly absorbing podcasts that will make your daily workout fly by.
If you’re looking for the best way to listen to podcasts during your workout, we highly recommend the Overcast app, available on iTunes.
You Must Remember This
As you might suspect, the history of Hollywood is fraught with murder, kidnapping, extortion, and other intriguing tales of crime and passion. In this podcast, host Karina Longworth uncovers some of the most fascinating stories about the rise of Hollywood. Instead of using a straightforward narrative, however, she weaves drama and suspense into her retelling, making each episode as titillating as a blockbuster movie.
A great starting point for this podcast is Longworth’s 12-part installment covering the Charles Manson murders.
Call Your Girlfriend
If you usually hit the gym with a workout buddy and she happens to have bailed on you, turn to the helpful mentorship of Anne Friedman and Aminatou Sow through an amazing podcast entitled ‘Call Your Girlfriend’. From the first episode, you’ll feel like you’ve known these two long-distance best friends forever – you’ll laugh at their hysterical sense of humor as they discuss politics, feminism, pop culture, workplace drama, and more.
You can start anywhere in the timeline of this podcast, but our favorite recent episode discusses Queen Yoncé, Melania Trump, and the Met Gala.
Serial
Most of the podcasts on this list offer so many topics that you can start listening at any point in the archives, but ‘Serial’ is the kind of story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end (sort of). If you were hiding under a rock last year and missed its viral popularity, you can catch up on the entire story while awaiting the next season. Fans of true crime will become utterly engrossed by the story that investigates the mysterious 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee in Baltimore, Maryland. Told by host Sarah Koenig, this podcast is constructed in such a compelling manner that you might just binge the entire season in a single day.
Pop Culture Happy Hour
If you’re a pop culture aficionado, you’ll feel right at home with ‘Pop Culture Happy Hour’ by NPR. In-depth analysis of celebrities, films, books, and more by witty hosts will make your workout zoom by without notice. Recent topics include a look at Netflix’s new series The Get Down and Stranger Things as well as the backlash against Pokémon Go.
You can stream the episodes here or download them via iTunes.
