Jorden Williams, Content Designer at BANES Carers Centre, has shared some fantastic podcasts for us carers. These audio files can be downloaded on your device and are great to listen to whilst carrying out our caring duties. Which ones sound intriguing to you?
Have a giggle, find inspiration or feel part of a captivating conversation.
If we’re always on the go (as we in the caring community often are), podcasts are a fantastic way to factor some ‘me-time’ into our day. We love that we can have a giggle, find inspiration or feel part of a captivating conversation – all while doing the dishes!
Best of all, many podcasts are free and easy to access – all we need is a smartphone or computer. There are so many reasons to hop on the podcast trend.
From gripping true crime episodes to laugh-out-loud comedy shows, there’s more choice than ever before. With so many options, it can be hard to know where to begin. That’s why we’ve compiled this short list to get us started, keeping carers’ interests in mind. Take a look at some of our favourites below.
Happy listening!
1. 'Feel Better, Live More' with Dr Rangan Chatterjee
We just had to start with this podcast, which comes highly recommended as the number one health podcast in the UK and Europe. Each episode alternates between a detailed and lengthy discussion among Dr Chatterjee and experts in health, to an inspirational bitesize clip - perfect if we’ve just got 10 minutes to spare that day.
We’ll hear stories, advice and fantastic life-hacks from leading health care professionals and personalities, all designed to help us become healthier and happier. We like that there’s no pressure here to overhaul our life. We can just pick up some simple tips that work for us, that fit around a busy schedule. To start, perhaps try this special episode (starts about six minutes in) with a range of speakers sharing useful tips to help us look after our mental health.
Listen here or in your favourite podcast app.
2. 'No Such Thing as a Fish' with Dan, James, Anna and Andy (the makers of QI)
Fun fact - African wild dogs vote on whether to go hunting or not by sneezing! Bet you didn’t know that. Well thanks to the writers of the BBC show QI (aka the QI Elves) we’ll learn some wonderful and bizarre facts each week.
There are a lot of episodes to catch up on and the great thing about this podcast is we can join in at any point because every episode is different to the last. This podcast isn’t specifically for carers, however it’s funny, light-hearted and has the completely random entertainment value we all need sometimes to escape from the daily grind. After listening to this we’re sure to add a little spice to our Zoom calls!
Listen here or in your favourite podcast app.
3. 'Who Cares Wins' with Kyro Brooks and James Townsend
Ok, so we knew this one was coming right? Kyro and James are the brains behind Mobilise, and Who Cares Wins was the beginning of our journey. Community is at the heart of what we do, building a space where carers can come together and support each other.
This feeling of community is reflected in the podcast as we feel part of the conversation. These down to earth presenters tackle the struggles carers face and yet still manage to make us smile. They share incredible stories, wisdom and experience of people who have been caring for a loved one.
Listen here or in your favourite podcast app.
4. 'Happy Place' with Fearne Cotton
Phillip Schofield, Sam Smith and Jessica Ennis-Hill; Fearne hosts fantastic interviews with just about everyone. These household names openly discuss love, loss and life on her podcast.
Fearne brilliantly draws out intimate and insightful details in the conversation leaving us hanging off every word, ultimately finding out what happiness means to others. We recommend listening to an episode whilst having a soak in the bath or on a walk to clear your head. The perfect remedy if we’re feeling overwhelmed and want to adjust our outlook.
Listen here or in your favourite podcast app.
5. 'Griefcast' with Cariad Lloyd
Described on her website as “a podcast that examines the human experience of grief and death - but with comedians, so it’s cheerier than it sounds.” And that’s exactly what we get.
Cariad lost her dad to cancer when she was just fifteen, and it took her many years to express what she had gone through. She created this podcast as a way to talk to others about their personal experience of grief. These raw conversations reflect on the complex feelings that we have with death, which is beautifully balanced with a frank sense of humour throughout. The podcasts ultimately remind us we all have our own unique journey with our loved ones – and that we’re not alone.
Listen here or in your favourite podcast app.
Share with us!
We’ve touched on a few fantastic podcasts here to help us get a sense of what’s available and how they may help us in our caring role. But we know there are so many more out there. If there are any favourites we haven't mentioned, do share with other carers in our Facebook community to tell us all about it!
Or we can also connect with other unpaid carers in our fun and uplifting Virtual Cuppas via Zoom. We carry out our cuppas from Monday to Friday so you can join whenever from wherever! Click here to view our timetable.
About the Author
Jorden Williams, is a Content Designer at BANES Carers Centre
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