When do you usually listen to podcasts? Is it while making dinner, cleaning the house, or out on a long walk? Either way, this weeks podcasts all provide you with something to either laugh or learn about…

Podcast of the week

1. On Purpose With Jay Shetty

Streaming platform:  All streaming platforms and YouTube

Genre: Self-help

In this week’s episode of On Purpose With Jay Shetty, the author and lifestyle guru is joined by fellow Brit living in America, Emma Grede – a businesswoman, entrepreneur and fashion designer – and the outcome makes for an incredibly inspiring listen.

Very transparent about her upbringing in East London, where she would use money earned from paper rounds to buy magazines, Grede also opens up about her journey to success, which has been marked by many ‘failures’ along the way, and discusses how navigating fear is necessary for personal growth.

My favourite moment, however, is when Grede speaks about why women need to be more selfish and stop over-extending themselves. “Society has set it up for women that you’re one or the other. You’re either putting on your heels and banging out the door and don’t see your kids, or you’re like this really sweet mom. It’s like, no, I’m both. I’m actually everything,” she said. “I am every woman.”

The pair also get into the realities of running your own business – Grede is the CEO and co-founder of the denim company Good American, a founding partner of Skims, and co-founder of Safely – starting your career again, not being afraid to pivot, effective decision-making, and the importance of being open to constant growth and change.

2. British Scandal

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Politics

(Wondery/PA)

The next season of Wondery’s British Scandal, which takes a deep dive into the murky world of politics, by focusing on a situation that invoked uproar in Westminster in the late Nineties, launches on November 29.

This particular story, The Aitken Affair, takes listeners back to when the British government was drowning in scandals and divided over Europe – until the press tipped Jonathan Aitken MP as a future Prime Minister, and the man to bring things back on track. But things quickly took a turn after a phone call from a national paper, which forced Aitken to try and clear his name, while more secrets came to life that resulted in him standing in the Old Bailey facing perjury charges.

British Scandal is a great podcast for politics lovers and does a great job at exploring the story of the former MP of South Thanet. It’s narrated by Alice Levine and guest host Rob Delaney, who encourage listeners to think about whether Aitken was truly a misunderstood politician who had been gravely libelled, or a liar who had woven a web of deceit?

3. I Said What I Said

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms and YouTube

Genre: Society and culture

(Eggcorn Digital/PA)

Six years ago, Feyikemi ‘FK’ Abudu and Jola ‘Jollz’ Ayeye recorded the first episode of I Said What I Said podcast. But what started out as a casual conversation between two friends has since grown into the biggest podcast in Africa – and it’s easy to see why when you listen.

In this week’s episode, they are joined by Nigerian music executive Teezee, who apparently had “been begging to get on the podcast for months”. He talks about enjoying fatherhood, juggling his many hats in the music industry, striking the balance between using air-conditioning, being vulnerable and the ups-and-downs of pursuing a creative career – making for an engrossing chat which I took a lot away from. One thing it delves into is how sometimes we have many creative ideas we want to pursue, and are told to focus on one thing at a time – but maybe there are ways to pursue them all. What do you think?

4. Stuff You Should Know

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Society and culture

Stuff You Should Know – a production of iHeartRadio – is for curious minds. If you think about the most random question you may have, you’ll probably find the answer to it at some point if you listen to this podcast. From champagne, the Stonewall Uprising, true crime and Rosa Parks, hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant share their research and findings on the things they think we should all know about – perfect if you’ve got a pub quiz coming up in the near future!

In this week’s episode, they talk about plate tectonics and how they can make Earth inhabitable, bringing listeners in on their research on Earth sciences and how it’s only been 60 or so years since we’ve found out that continents move around. And even though scientists are still figuring out exactly how they do, one thing is for sure, that super-slow movement is super important.

While Clark and Bryant aren’t experts on the topic, it’s great to hear two people talk about things that matter to them – and so many more of us. They do the hard work on our behalf, and we just have to listen to how they arrive at their conclusions. A treat.

Spotlight on…

5. The Second Victim

Streaming platform: Audible

Genre: Family

(Audible/PA)

The Second Victim is a new eight-part Audible podcast, which follows the story of Daisy, a transracial adoptee born from child rape. The series starts off in Daisy’s adopted family home in 1970s rural England, where she becomes a member of a white family, and the only black child in her local community – going on to explore how her identity crisis and alienation impacted her childhood.

When she eventually finds out she was conceived through the rape of her birth mother, Daisy embarks on a lifelong goal of finding and prosecuting her biological father. Across the eight episodes, The Second Victim follows Daisy’s journey as she fights injustice – not just for her mother, but for herself and other children born under the same circumstances.

Taking a unique storytelling approach in first person, which is enriched with Dolby Atmos sound design, Daisy’s experience is told through two different perspectives — her present-day reflections, and the raw, immersive recounting of her past experiences.