There are at least eight podcasts that I listen to religiously and another half-dozen that I dip into on occasion. That doesn’t leave much room for new shows to slip into the rotation.
But over the past couple of months two podcasts have weaseled their way into my weekly earbud diet due to their consistently compelling content. I also discovered a third one that, while it may not become one of my favorites, is certain to be perfect for someone you know.
The idea behind “How to Be Anything” is so simple that it’s remarkable that no one has tackled it so directly before. Richmond journalist Emily McCrary finds people who have unusual jobs and interviews them about what they do.
If that sounds somewhat anodyne, the stories her subjects tell are anything but. From the doctor who works above the Arctic Circle providing medical care to the tower climber who ascends more than 2,000 feet to repair cell phone towers, these are people who often work at the extremes of society.
Even more fascinating is how McCrary ends up pulling deeper meaning from her forays into far-out vocations. For some guests, like Irish sheepdog trainer Paddy Fanning, their jobs saved them from lives that threatened to spiral into ruin. For others, like Arctic doctor Jen Pond, surprising themes, like the historic mistreatment of Native people, are incidental to their journey.
McCrary even uncovers a new story related to 9/11 when such a thing seemed practically impossible in her episode on Dr. Cindy Otto. Otto founded a dog training center after her experience working with canine teams that combed the wreckage of the Twin Towers and is now training cancer-detecting dogs, among other amazing pursuits.
Episodes are never longer than 25 minutes, some as short as ten, making them bite-sized treats that go down easy. The number of commercials can be off-putting but the canny choice of subjects plus McCrary’s supportive interviewing style makes it worth wading through the mattress ads.
If one skilled journalist makes “Anything” great, you’d think four of them would make “The Virginia Press Room” that many times better. While that math doesn’t quite work, the podcast is still pretty excellent. [Disclosure: VPM, the owner of Style Weekly, coproduces “The Virginia Press Room.”]
Hosted by the charmingly avuncular Michael Pope, a National Public Radio reporter, the show invites a rotating cast of Virginia journalists to dig into the top stories of the week. While the content has skewed toward political coverage as the Virginia statewide races come to a crescendo, the variety of reporters on the show allows for a refreshingly broad range of topics.
Issues related to data centers have come up a number of times and a recent episode featured Shannon Heckt from the Virginia Mercury reflecting on how parts of Southwest Virginia are still recovering from last year’s Hurricane Helene.
The podcast format allows journalists to talk through their craft in an often fascinating way and Pope does a fantastic job keeping the mood light, even when the conversation turns toward weighty topics.
The only criticism I can level against this consistently engaging podcast is that the musical intro to the game show portion of each episode ends with a grating high tone, at least to my old ears. But even a sting with a little sting to it won’t stop me from listening.
If you or someone you love has been caught up in the pickleball frenzy that erupted around the time of the pandemic, “The Pickle Gals” may be your new favorite podcast. Co-hosts Chrishawn Spackman and Rachel Rhoney are both avid players and Rhoney lends a local flair to the conversation as director of programs & partnerships at Performance Pickleball RVA.
Episodes delve into unexpected angles to the sport, like the interpersonal challenges of finding, keeping and sometimes cutting loose a playing partner. Guests have ranged from a national promoter to a clinical psychologist. If the soundtrack of your life is punctuated by the “pock pock” of pickleball, this podcast will be music to your ears.
