I Confess, I Am A Podcast Junkie

How It All Began

My love for all things mysterious and true crime started when I was about 6 years old and watched my first episode of Unsolved Mysteries (I mean, kids of the ’80s, am I right?). There is something so mesmerizing about a show like this. We as humans are really just curious about the unknown. Fast forward about 30 years later, I am still obsessed with all things true crime and mysterious, but now I get my fix with podcasts. My commute is an hour each way, we do several road trips a year for gymnastics meets or to visit family in Florida, I do daily walks, so this gives me plenty of podcast listening time. I get asked a lot for recommendations, so here are some of my go-to podcasts.

True Crime

My Favorite Murder :This is the OG of true crime podcasts. Listening to Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark is like sitting with your girlfriends. They’re funny, unfiltered, and very entertaining. I will say that there is a good bit of chat prior to the cases, so the episodes tend to be a little long, but if you’re short on time and/or not interested in the pre-show chatter, use that skip button. This is the podcast that got me hooked on listening to podcasts. They have full-length episodes and minisodes where they share listeners’ hometown stories. Fun fact I also made an MFM themed Nyx purse and sent it to them. Their show tagline is something we should all live by, stay sexy and don’t get murdered.

The First Degree: This is a fairly new podcast, hosted by Jac Vanek, Alexis Linkletter, and Billy Jensen. In this podcast, they interview a friend/family member of the victim or perpetrator of the crime they are discussing, hence “the first degree.” Bringing the first-degree aspect into the podcast really brings it down to a personal level. We often hear the stories, but forget sometimes that these are real people and so many others were affected by the crime.

Southern Fried True Crime: Erika Kelley hosts this all things southern true-crime podcast. I found this podcast when I was trying to find out more information about a local New Orleans murder/suicide that I had heard about when we took our friends on a ghost tour, and I wanted to hear the full story. For reference, Episodes 2 and 3: The Ballad of Zach and Addie are the New Orleans episodes.

Red Handed: A British true-crime podcast hosted by Hannah and Suruthi, they discuss everything from murders to hauntings to possessions. I absolutely love listening to them. Like MFM, they feel like they could be your friends.

New Orleans Unsolved: This one is freshly out, it is hosted by Anna Christie and Thanh Truong. They are exploring the unexplained and mysterious unsolved crimes of our city. The first season is focused on 17-year-old Eddie Wells. Support the local podcasters!

The Vanished: Hosted by Marissa Jones, she discusses different cases of missing persons and like The First Degree, interviews people who know the victims.

Everything Else

While the majority of my podcast library is true crime, I do have other podcasts that I listen to. Here are a few (there are A LOT more than this):

This Podcast Will Kill You: Okay, it sounds like true crime, but it’s not. Hosted by the Erins (maybe this is why I love them, my first name is really Erin, but I am a middle name user), they were grad students that were studying disease ecology and wanted to share their love for all things disease with the rest of the world. They discuss how the disease lives, mutates, spreads, symptoms, and history, all while sipping on the episode themed Quarantinis or the non-alcoholic Placeboritas. So if plagues and disease are your thing, tune in.

Rant and Rave With Becky and Erik: Okay, so this one is fresh, brand new, and I am loving it. I literally started listening yesterday on my commute and I am hooked. Becky is a single mom from NYC and Erik is a NOLA local, dad of two. These two friends bring the honesty and the laughs, if you haven’t noticed, I love a podcast that makes me feel like I am listening to friends, to people I can relate to and who make me laugh. This podcast is totally different from most I listen to, but I am here for it.

The Dream :Focused on the multi-level marketing trend, think all those products that your friends are all trying to convince you to buy to make your skin, health, life better. The hosts talk to people who have been a part of different companies and even join one of the makeup companies to have a real-life experience. Season two discusses the ‘wellness industry.’ I haven’t started the new season yet, but I will soon.

Noble Blood: Who doesn’t love royals? This podcast is hosted by Dana Schwartz. She makes history fun and interesting as she explores the trials and tribulations, family drama, murders, and all things royal.

Life Will Be The Death of Me: Chelsea Handler is known for her unfiltered comedy, but after some intense personal therapy and exploration, she wrote the book ‘Life Will Be The Death of Me.’ The podcast follows along with her tour of the book and she discusses many of the experiences that led her to seek the therapy and help others to see that therapy and mental health are not a taboo subject.

Nola Famous: I mean, does it need further explanation? Full of our local celebrities, this podcast celebrates everything that makes New Orleans amazing.

Beyond Bourbon Street: Mark Bologna hosts this podcast that explores all things New Orleans: food, music, places.

Happy Listening

While my library is full and I am constantly adding more podcasts to my “to listen to” list, I am always looking for more, so tell me what your go-to podcasts are?

Nikki
Nikki was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she has lived in Seattle and Portland. After visiting New Orleans, she fell in love with the city, and she and her husband decided to take a chance and move from the PNW to NOLA. Nikki has two kids, Amaya (16) and Tyson (13), she and her husband Dave have been married for 16 years, they live on the Northshore. Nikki works full time as a NICU nurse. Nikki and her family have fully embraced the culture of New Orleans, while they live on the Northshore, they play in New Orleans as often as they can. As a member of New Orleans Mom, she hopes to bring the perspective of the veteran mom and life with big kids and teenagers.

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