🔌 5 podcasts to help you recharge
Spoiler alert: I made you a playlist
Classical piano. Meditation music. Ambient white noise.
Whatever the soundtrack is to your relaxation, I’m all for it. But when I’m feeling anxious or depleted, sometimes I need to be talked out of it. (Or through it.)
Often, the overwhelm happens on days when I don’t have a scheduled therapy appointment, and there are only so many times I can tap into loved ones for a venting sesh. (I’m fortunate that my sister doubles as an incredible therapist and life coach… 10/10 recommend. But still.)
Enter podcasts. They’ve played a huge role in helping me navigate burnout, anxiety, and self-care over the past few years—especially while on long neighborhood walks.
Below are five podcasts I’ve turned to when I’ve needed a recharge (along with a few recs from friends because lately, my consumption has been way too heavy on the news front and light everywhere else. )
My go-to podcasts for burnout and anxiety:
1. The Mel Robbins Podcast
I feel like I was late to the Mel Robbins game… I didn’t come across her until a few years ago, but I’m such a fan. (You may recognize her name from the Let Them Theory—her new book that seems to be everywhere on social media right now.) Looking for her advice on a particular topic? There’s a whole searchable section of her website. 😍
2. Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead with Brené Brown
It’s hard to talk about self-care without mentioning Brené Brown’s work. (The Gifts of Imperfection is a must if you haven’t read it!) Brené is a researcher and storyteller who's spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy—and her podcast episodes are always treasure troves of self-discovery.
3. Beyond Balance with Catherine Zack
I first met
as part of the IndeCollective program in 2021, and have adored her content ever since. A corporate lawyer-turned-meditation teacher, Catherine shares fantastic tips for navigating burnout and living life on less stressful terms. She’s currently unplugged in Costa Rica so I hope she doesn’t see this Substack notification until March when she’s back online!4. Help Me Be Me by Sarah May Bates
I first stumbled across Help Me Be Me back in 2020 and quickly went down a rabbit hole bingeing past episodes. She frames her podcast as “self-help for people who hate self-help,” which is just *chef’s kiss.* Help Me Be Me is full of practical tools to help us overcome a whole slew of emotional challenges. I’m so glad I rediscovered it recently; there’s a recent episode on collecting yourself in times of overwhelm that really resonated.
5. We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle
What list would be complete without the wonderful Glennon Doyle? (I know, I know, it’s cliché—but Untamed was game-changing for me in the midst of the pandemic.) Admittedly I haven’t listened to the show as much lately, but it was a staple a few years ago while navigating some major life decisions.
Podcast recs from friends:
I asked friends to share the podcasts (and, specifically, the episodes) they’ve been turning to lately, and I loved their answers. Had to share a few below:
I made us a playlist
Mixtapes, mixed CDs, and playlists all fall into my “love language” category. So I made one for you. (Well, for all of us.) I’ll continue to update it as I go.
If you have other recommendations, give a shout—I’d love to hear from you!
Last week’s recap
I mentioned this in last Sunday’s newsletter (check it out for a template you can copy/paste!), but inspired by
, I started doing a Sunday Instagram recap to look back and reflect on the past week. Sharing these in the recharge for the foreseeable future.📚 Reading: Onyx Storm (something tells me this is going to be my answer next week, too…). Apparently it’s the fastest-selling adult novel in 20 years?! 🤯
🎞️ Watching: Peaky Blinders on Netflix (somehow my husband and I have never seen it!) and September 5 in theaters (which I wanted to love but thought was sort of meh)
🤓 Learning: All about book publishing! Day one of
’s Deep Dive conference was in-cred-i-ble. I was absolutely blown away and can’t wait for another full day of sessions today. (Next on my list: subscribing to their podcast!)🍴Eating: Hawaiian macadamia chocolates
👩🍳 Cooking: Two winners this week! This quick and easy jambalaya recipe from the NYT (we subbed frozen cauliflower rice!), and our favorite granola recipe (also NYT, but taken from Eleven Madison Park)
🎧 Listening to: This “Winter Acoustic” playlist on Spotify
🛠️ Doing: Calling my representatives to push back on Trump’s executive orders and RFK’s confirmation. I downloaded the 5 Calls app, which gives you a script and shows you exactly which representatives to reach out to.
💛 Simple pleasures: Sunsets from our balcony (again and still). Photos below!
💭 Obsessed with: Watching Waffles (our puppy) complete dog puzzles. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and I’m convinced he’s a genius (contrary to what the teacher of the doggy training class thinks…)
👀 Looking forward to: Day two of the Shit No One Tells You About Writing conference and hearing a sorority sister of mine present. Honestly, the whole retreat has me SO fired up about the book I’ve been writing and feeling more aligned professionally than I have in a minute. Super grateful for the experience!
🆕 Favorite follow:
. I just discovered her Substack this week and am hooked.
How do you recharge?
One of my goals in starting the recharge is to learn from my peers:
How have they navigated burnout?
What resources were helpful to them as they recharged?
What can we collectively learn from one another in this journey?
If you’re open to sharing your story and being featured in an upcoming edition of the newsletter, I’d love to hear from you. (Your name and/or company can stay 100% anonymous.)
Thank you, as always, for reading.
thank you so much for sharing 🖤 hoping to keep you hooked ;)