Over the years, podcasts have gained a lot of popularity within the media. With a variety of topics to talk about, they’ve become a source of education and advice on pretty much anything ranging from business to health! If you haven’t listened to a podcast before, we highly recommend that you try listening to something new either on your next walk, while you fold your laundry or on your commute to work. So without further ado, here are 5 podcasts to listen to when you want to feel empowered! 

1. Happier with Gretchen Rubin

As the #1 bestselling author of “The Happiness Project” and “Better Than Before”, Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth Craft host the “Happier” podcast. At about 30 minutes per episode, Gretchen and her sister give practical and realistic advice on how to truly be happy while also maintaining good habits. If you’ve been struggling with finding real joy, this podcast is a great fit for you since the topics are both thought-provoking and lively! 

 2. Work in progress with Sophia Bush

If you haven’t figured it out yet, One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush has her own podcast! Through her own journey with self-discovery, she realized that we can be masterpieces and works in progress all at the same time which lead to the beginning of her podcast. The discussions center around personal, professional and sometimes political topics while maintaining a light-hearted and witty vibe. Overall, this is a pretty versatile podcast and is applicable to anyone who enjoys hearing about others’ paths to success and how change is possible at any point in life. Listen Now.

3. Pretty Big Deal

Hosted by supermodel and body inclusivity activist Ashley Graham, this podcast should be your go-to confidence booster. With guests like Hailey Bieber, Serena Williams and fashion designer Christian Siriano, her podcasts showcase other brilliant and inspiring individuals from a variety of careers including actors, entrepreneurs, activists and musicians. All in all, she aims to inspire others and creates an open and honest space where her guests talk about what makes them a big deal!

4. Your Motivational High 5

For those who find themselves in a time crunch and don’t want to listen to a long podcast, this is perfect for you. With episodes ranging from 5-20 minutes, this podcast emphasizes topics such as inspiration, positivity, mental health, self-improvement and self-esteem. Just like Sophia’s work in progress podcast, this one is also very versatile and up anyone’s alley!

5. The Minimalists

Also on the shorter side, this podcast aims to emphasize how living a minimalist life can actually amount to a more meaningful one. Hosted by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, the messages shared here are quite refreshing in comparison to the consumerist society that we have come to be. If you’ve been meaning to declutter certain aspects of your life, I would highly recommend this podcast for tips on how to get started and potentially develop better habits!

6. The School of Greatness

Yeah I said five. But I wanted to throw in a really valuable bonus! While this podcast is on the longer side, the hype is worth it. In his podcast, Lewis Howes, a New York Times bestselling author, athlete, keynote speaker and entrepreneur, shares inspiring conversations with leaders across various fields. One of the reasons why it’s so popular is because of the wide range of topics covered in this series including business, entertainment, sports, science, health and literature. The aim here is to inspire listeners to unlock their potentials in hopes of becoming the best versions of themselves possible!

The words “self-help” have been thrown around for quite a while and I’m sure you’ve heard your share of them during this pandemic. With more free time on our hands, self-improvement seems like something that many of us have neglected for so long but now find the time to learn more about ourselves. While this period of isolation has proved difficult for some, we can always find joys in small things including learning how to empower and love ourselves. So give these podcasts a try during your next run or cleaning session and let us know what you think!