The book podcasting revolution: Seven podcasts to tune into in 2019

The word of this year is podcasting. To be honest, it has been the word of the past five years, steadily moving from whispers in closed corners of the internet, to more confident conversation, and even some shouting, among collaborators and competitors alike.

A number of podcasts have taken my fancy at the beginning of this year. Many are lifestyle and culture podcasts, featuring conversations about how to live a better life, a fuller life, and live it to its absolute optimum.

Not all of them are new. Some have definitely been around for a long time, and some are beginning to prickle at the embers of 2019’s resolutions and “New Yous”. So have a listen to the following conversations. I won’t hold a ballpoint pen to your temple and force you to subscribe, but I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

1. The Vulnerable Podcast
"Men don’t speak about ‘things’ enough." This is the motto for this season on The Vulnerable Podcast, hosted by the charismatic Alyssa Rochelle. In the podcast’s entirety she unpacks the conversations that we are too afraid to have. The latest season is all about conversations with men around vulnerability, emotional intelligence, sexuality and more but go back through the seasons to hear her pertinent discussions with women about love, sex and boundaries in relationships.

A welcome discussion to be weaved throughout this year.

2. Between the Covers
More books. Between the Covers is a conversation hosted by David Naimon in Portland, Oregon. The conversations are always brilliant, and he makes no apologies about interviewing all authors—both up-and-coming and established—from all genres.

Episodes that stick out for me go as far back as 2017, but listen to the latest episode featuring Jeffrey Yang as they discuss his book, Hey Marfa (Graywolf Press). Intense, but easy listening.

3. Learning to Adult Slowly with Professor Green
For Millennials, life is full of contradictions. One being that many of us are adults, and are treated like adults, but do not fully believe that we are.

Rapper Professor Green’s new podcast Learning to Adult looks at this, exploring topics of the heart with transparency and openness He unpacks conversations with guests on topics such as grieving, body anxiety and resilience, exploring the unique challenges of this day and age. We go deeper with this one.

4.  Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations
For those who loved The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey, you’re in for a treat to kick off your New Year. You can now tune into Oprah’s podcast Super Soul Conversations and get your fix in a new batch of episodes (published each Monday), created with Tolle, titled A New Earth: Awakening Your Life’s Purpose.

The 10-week collaborative series sees two of the most powerful thinkers in the world speak to readers about their books, answer queries, and open us all up to a new life, and our life’s purpose.

5. The Doctor’s Kitchen Podcast
I am a big fan of Dr Rupy Aujla (right), a.k.a. The Doctor’s Kitchen, on social media. If he’s not dazzling with recipes on Instagram Stories, he’s posting about living a meaningful life through the dishes he makes.

His message: No myths. No fads. Just delicious, healthy food. In this podcast, his second series, he speaks to doctors about what to eat for particular health benefits. Episodes like Eat For Your Bladder and Eat For Your Immunity are enough to get your New Year resolutions kicking into gear.

6. Optimal Living Daily
I am a minimalist at heart. When you want 10 minutes to yourself each morning, there’s nothing better than throwing on this podcast and getting some wisdom with Justin Malik, who reads from blogs and websites (with permission) that focus on productivity, minimalism, Zen and how to live to your optimum.

For similar podcasts, check out the other titles in the series: Optimal Finance Daily, Optimal Health Daily, Optimal Relationships Daily and Optimal Business Daily. Short bursts of how to live your best life.

7. Movers + Mavericks
Was one of the resolutions you noted into your notebook this year to "get active" or "move more"? If so, this is the podcast for you.

The podcast values connecting listeners to the joys of moving, as well as those who are encouraging others to get moving, through the power of community, teamwork and motivation. It is brought to us by weMove, the global community of curated experts and knowledge seekers who share, learn and experience across the fields of movement, nutrition and wellbeing.

We started Mostly Lit in April 2016, but in late October 2018 I launched a new podcast, What Matters with Alex Reads. The key thing surrounding both is the quality of conversation.

The podcast is simple. I, Alex Reads, speak to engaging people about what matters to them, their journey and their lives. Among guests, I have spoken to bestselling authors Jonny Benjamin and Emma Gannon, creative entrepreneurs, and many others who have remarkable stories to share.

The seven suggestions outlined are podcasts to get listeners closer to their goals. Whether that means tuning into What Matters for advice on entrepreneurship, listening to The Food Doctor to discuss what’s best to ingest for a life filled with vitality, or even hearing Professor Green show a side of himself that not many get to see, these are all podcasts that will get you there.

The Bookseller Podcast, launched in December 2018, can be listened to through thebookseller.com. The second episode, featuring an interview with Dr Rangan Chatterjee, is available now.