4 podcasts for parents looking for advice, inspiration, and a bit of fun

Have you caught podcast fever? One of my favourite ways to pass the time on a long walk or while I’m folding laundry is to listen to podcasts. For parents, especially, podcasts are an easy way to get information, inspiration, and some “me time”. And there is so much great content available. Here are four podcasts I like to listen to:

1. For when you’re in need of inspiration:

The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes. Lewis Howes is a professional athlete turned entrepreneur who interviews some of the most inspirational people on the planet including Noah Galloway, Sara Blakely, and Jen Bricker. If you aren’t familiar with some of those names be sure to check out these and his other interviews. The guests are always fascinating, and even if you don’t know anything about them going in, chances are you’ll be riveted. Many of Lewis’ guests talk about sports and activity and the impact they’ve had on their lives. For example, listen to the interview with Meatloaf, the musician and actor, who talked about the benefits of playing team sports and its impact on his career.

2. For when you want a heart-to-heart about life, work, and parenting, but none of your friends are around:

How She Really Does It with Koren Motekaitis. This podcast is hosted by Koren Motekaitis, who is, in her own words, “a mother, wife, family member, friend, entrepreneur and community builder”. I discovered this podcast when I was googling Brené Brown and found that Koren has interviewed Brené several times. My favourite is Episode 65: “Letting go of perfection and loving yourself”. I believe this is must listen for all parents. Brené and Koren discuss how to let kids experience failure. Particularly poignant is a story about how Brené reframed success for her competitive swimmer daughter and Koren’s own experiences in swimming as a child and now as a swim coach.

3. For when you want modern parenting advice:

The New Family. Shout-out to Canadian Brandy Weikle and her podcast that explores what families really look like today. There is no end to the topics she covers on her show, which features fascinating guests and top parenting experts who discuss raising kids and modern families. We especially love Episode 6, in which AfL Role Model, Kari Svenneby was interviewed about encouraging families to be active all year round.

4. For when you want a fun chat with your quirkiest friend but she’s too busy binge-watching Westworld to talk to you:

Spawned with Kristen and Liz of CoolMomPicks. A fun, quick-moving podcast with the two moms behind the popular blog, Cool Mom Picks. Kristen and Liz chat about topics many parents will relate to. For example, in Episode 13, “Competitive crochet” they talk about the pressure they feel seeing so many kids specializing early. They talk about how to know when your kids are over-scheduled, under-scheduled, when you should let your child quit, and when you should push. They bring a refreshing sense of humour to their conversations and have a great chemistry. This is a fun one that I like to listen to while I clean up the kitchen.