Real talk: are podcasts the new wave of self-help?
President Higgins meets Blindboy Boatclub in his study in Áras an Uachtaráin for the Blindboy Podcast. Pic: Maxwells
You can probably tell, just from talking to your friends group, how ever more popular podcasts are becoming. Everybody’s going to suggest a different show you listen to. There are reportedly over 400m monthly podcast listeners worldwide, while in Ireland, 46% of us listened to a podcast on a monthly basis in 2022, according to the Digital News Report. The wellness sector is one of the biggest podcast genres and covers a range of subjects; just look at our guest editors, The Two Norries, and their varied guests and live audience makeup to see how much cross-appeal they possess.
might crudely be described as Dublin’s answer to . Calvin O’Brien and Terence Power are, as their award-winning podcast’s tagline goes, “two lads from the inner city of Dublin sitting around doing what they do best, talking bollox”.
Beginning at their kitchen tables in winter 2020, the Dublin pair have done live shows at Vicar Street, talked on Newstalk about accent discrimination, and claimed the Listeners Choice Award (40,000 votes cast) at the inaugural Irish Podcast Awards last year. They’ve been plain-speaking about their lives from the very start; listen to episode two, ‘Background’ to hear Power talk about growing up in Dorset St flats and battling addictions, and O’Brien on coming to terms with mental health issues.
Even before one-half of the Rubberbandits started a podcast over five years ago, Blindboy has been an important, galvanising influence for young Irish men and a force for good in Limerick in particular. Though it’s notoriously difficult to tot up listenerships for podcasts, he gets hundreds of thousands of hits per episode and up to 1m a month. It’s easy to hear why.
Press play on any random episode – there are over 280, plenty to choose from – and his laid-back demeanour is instantly evident, whether he’s talking about the first signs of spring and St Brigid’s crosses being a version of Irish swastikas – the Nazis ruined the swastika, which had been around for a thousand years before them, says Blindboy – sex education, or the genius and philosophy of video game, to coincide with the lauded TV series. Blindboy will open your eyes and your mind.
Series four of Michael Mosley’s came out at the start of 2023 and it’s the perfect listen to help you find resolutions for the year ahead. But whether it’s January or six months later, it’s never too late to start listening, as Mosley tests potential fads so you don’t have to, all in 15-minute episodes. So far this season, he’s talked about the benefits of putting your phone down, even just for a little bit longer than usual, to possibly help reduce depression and anxiety; swapping a pint for a glass of red wine (it improves blood sugar and fat levels); and why tai chi, ‘meditation in motion’, might be the exercise for you.
NPR’s “is here to help you get it together” with its archive numbering over 500 10-20 minute episodes on topics including meal prep, financial advice, how to be a better movie watcher, and relationships with in-laws.
On , author Anna Mathur offers twice-weekly short episodes that hopefully will remain with you longer than their running time. Solo episodes on Mondays are about topics such as dealing with resentment and five ways to beat procrastination, while Fridays feature guests discussing the likes of healthy anxiety, ‘Dr Google’, and how to feel more energised. Advice is often simple, but effective.
Pandora Sykes says there’s no such thing as “getting it right” but does ponder what we might be getting wrong. On , Sykes – who already has one podcast hit under her belt with the renowned , with Dolly Alderton – interviews experts about myths, anxieties, and trends of modern life.
focuses on the losses everyone suffers on life’s long and winding road. The key is how we utilise them and recover. With a stellar lineup of top-level guests revealing their lowest lows, is now on series 16 (!) and shows no sign of, well ... failing.
Síle Seoige talks to people from all walks of life on .
“My hope is that these conversations will at times inspire, challenge, educate, comfort, or simply entertain,” she says. From the first episode talking about vulnerability with Lucy Kennedy through to the likes of sex educator Jenny Keane, Seoige does just that.
The Blizzards singer Niall ‘Bressie’ Breslin has released self-help and children’s books and, like Blindboy, his podcast, , has helped men in particular to at least think of opening up, whether sharing how they feel or practising meditation. In January, Breslin did daily 10-15 minute episodes as part of a ‘31 days of meditation’ series.
The prolific Caroline Foran has recorded over 150 episodes of , which “explores everything from what anxiety is and why it happens to us, how our brains work and why it’s actually very normal to the various tools and techniques necessary for owning it”.
Hosted by Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh and comedian Gearoid Farrelly, lends an ear and offers unwavering, unconditional support to help get things off your chest. Beginning in late 2021, they’re the voice of reason to guests, listeners, and each other, noting the little daily things that can rile us up.
, meanwhile, is a comfort listen with Tara Flynn and Marian Keyes. They answer listeners’ questions, queries, and problems with deep empathy, a good reminder for when a friend next calls looking for advice.
Seeking to debunk the junk science behind health fads, wellness scams, and nonsensical nutrition advice on are Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes (who will be familiar to fans of the renowned , a show about public misconceptions around persons, phenomena and events, which he left in October 2021). They’ve done their research and offer detailed responses on topics such as the food pyramid, eating disorders, and Goop.
is in a similar vein, and doesn’t pull punches. It says: “At best, the ‘conspirituality’ movement attacks public health efforts in times of crisis. At worst, it fronts and recruits for the fever-dream of QAnon. As the alt-right and New Age horseshoe toward each other in a blur of disinformation, clear discourse and good intentions get smothered.”
The series has amassed almost 300 episodes as it aims to dismantle New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy-mad yogis.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s has been running since January 2018 and is now in excess of 350 episodes, two episodes a week, one bite-sized, the other a three-course meal, usually exceeding two hours.
Suffice to say, there’s something to appeal no matter what you’re after, whether guidance, advice, or simply an engaging listen.
As for , let host Steven Bartlett explain: “A few years ago I was a broke, university dropout, living in a studio-flat in a rough area. At 18, I started a company which would eventually become Social Chain, an industry-leading marketing company.
“At 26 the company was generating $600m a year in revenue. At 27, I resigned as CEO, and launched podcast with the simple mission of un-filtering success and giving you the knowledge needed to create the life you want.”
is a regular at the top of the podcast charts, with star interviewees such as Davina McCall and Richard Osman, as well as an impressive list of football people, including Gary Neville, David Moyes and Jesse Lingard.
There are about three hours of content across three episodes in a given week, so like , you can get A LOT out of it.
“[Weight Watchers is] such a missed opportunity because some people really do need support. Maybe your spouse doesn't understand what you're going through. Maybe your boss doesn't understand what you're going through. You need other people that share that experience. But instead, it became something that was just another avenue for people to feel shitty about themselves.” - Michael Hobbes,
“I would rather grow up where I grew up [rather than a wealthy environment], because I think it gives me more empathy and understanding of difficulties that people experience.” - Dr Sharon Lambert,
“We can learn to love ourselves better through other people.” - Amir Levine,
“I think it's easy to be overwhelmed by the challenge, but actually what we need to do is to be motivated by it.” - Sinéad Burke on the way the world, and society, is constructed,
“I don’t think you can dream of having a career in music and be a negative person.” - Rick Astley, How to Fail “Mental health, I think it’s useful to look at it in terms of its range of variability and your control or capacity to understand and control where you are on a variable scale.” - Dr Michael Keane,
“We can live in a way where we're living in an artful way, where we're engaged and paying attention and making each choice count, or we can live like [we’re] sleepwalking through the day, which many many of us do. Many of us do just go along, just repeat yesterday again.” - Rick Rubin,
For all the well-intentioned wellness podcasts out there, there are plenty more narrative-driven shows charting what we’ll call the dark side of the wellness industry. Here’s a sample of what you should listen out for
A three-part series about yoga teacher and influencer Guru Jagat, who died suddenly in 2021. Her celebrity clients included the likes of Alicia Keys, But as the Covid pandemic grew in 2020, Jagat started talking like a far-right coronavirus conspiracy theorist and spreading disinformation.
Jeff Divine fancied himself a self-help guru, leading the Twin Flames Universe ascension workshop - his words literally lead followers to commit crimes. A sense of dread pervades this six-parter from 2022. It’s narrated by Encanto star Stephanie Beatriz.
How far is too far? James Arthur Ray was an Oprah-endorsed self-help teacher who achieved fame, fortune, and influence, but when tragedy strikes his exclusive retreat, many people, as well as his followers, question his unorthodox methods.
