Notable Listens: Podcasts to Play for May 

Welcome to the first month of our Notable Listens series! Each month, we’ll be sharing a list of five podcasts to check out, curated by our podcast expert, Alison Osborne. We try to ensure that each list features a wide variety of topics and genres so you can find something that piques your interest. Or listen to all of them and expand your horizons! 

Without further adieu, here’s our Notable Listens for May: 

1. The Dropout 

I first listened to The Dropout a couple of years ago and became obsessed with the story of Elizabeth Holmes and the wild Theranos scandal. 

The Dropout podcast by ABC News follows the journey of Elizabeth Holmes building Theranos. Now, if you haven’t heard of Theranos, it was a blood-testing startup that shook the medical and innovation world. After years and years of building the business, it was revealed that this company was incredibly flawed. 

I promise you that your jaw will be on the floor while listening to this series.

2. Storytime with Seth Rogan 

A newer (August 2021) podcast, Storytime with Seth Rogan definitely stands out as one of the best celebrity shows. 

Rather than Seth sitting down with some celebrity friends and having a discussion (the common trend for celeb shows), this podcast takes hilarious, wild, and sometimes just weird stories from celebrities and turns them into an audio-based theatrical production. 

Through creative sound design, expert editing, and just incredible humor from Rogan and his guests, each episode holds your attention and has you laughing throughout the entire show. 

3. Stress Test 

For all of you interested in educating yourself on your personal finances (as most of you should be), Stress Test is a great listen. The pandemic hit the economy hard and for many of us, we saw a change in our personal finances. 

Created by The Globe and Mail and hosted by columnist Rob Carrick and editor Roma Luciw, Stress Test is giving listeners advice on how to move through the financial world during some of the most stressful times when it comes to finances. 

4. Inappropriate Questions 

A podcast that I always recommend, Inappropriate Questions is answering some of those questions that we may have that are just too uncomfortable, intrusive, or just inappropriate to ask. 

Co-hosted by Elena Hudgins and Harvinder Wadhwa, the podcast is making space for curiosity and questions. Everything from whether you should ask a blind person if they need help, how someone got pregnant, to have you lost weight? The podcast is a must-listen. 

5. Where Should We Begin? 

Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall during couples therapy sessions? Now you can. 

Hosted by the incredible, well-known therapist Esther Perel and created in partnership with Global Media and Gimlet, I can’t say enough good things about this show. Every episode features a different therapy session between a couple with Esther. It’s raw, authentic, vulnerable, sometimes uplifting, and other times heartbreaking. 

This is a beautifully produced podcast and one that I will never stop listening to. Esther has such a calming presence and there’s something special about hearing these intimate conversations.