Claire Bidwell Smith is a therapist, renowned grief expert, and author. She hosts New Day, a podcast on Lemonada Media. Every week on New Day, Claire finds one new way to make life a little better.
Before hosting New Day on Lemonada Media, I wasn’t a big podcast listener — I tend to read and listen to music more than anything else in my spare time. But since I’ve started working in podcasting, I’ve discovered that there’s a whole other level of intimacy that comes with listening to podcasts and that there is truly a podcast for everyone interested in just about anything (as you can see from my list).
Maintenance Phase
The hosts of this podcast tackle every self-help guru you can imagine, really putting them to the test in important ways. And they do it in a way that’s laugh-out-loud funny.
Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown
OMG, remember Blossom? She’s grown up now and really, really smart. Also still very weird, but that combo makes for a great podcast with fascinating guests and conversations.
Terrible, Thanks for Asking
I love Nora McInerny’s openness and her edgy ability to explore the topic of grief. Talk about someone who wants to eradicate shame. This is it right here.
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
Who doesn’t have a million questions about relationships? As a therapist, I am very aware of how intimate sessions with clients can be for myself and for them. But I couldn’t have imagined that outside of that room, in an audio recording where only voices are heard, the intimacy and vulnerability would be even more heightened. What Esther and her clients share is brave and powerful.
Super Soul
Oprah has been holding and modelling what’s possible for all of us for decades with her TV show and writing. This podcast is just another platform for Oprah to teach us through her deep and thoughtful conversations with the wisest thinkers alive today. I learn so much with every conversation.
On Being with Krista Tippett
This is the podcast that I think every writer longs to be on (Krista, call me!) and for good reason. Krista is a master interviewer and journalist whose questions offer her guests insights into their professional and personal lives that they wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Call Your Girlfriend
Listening to this podcast is like having a date night with your best girlfriend, the one who knows all of your stories (including the ones that you’re not proud of) and still loves you. Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman are great interviewers and hosts, and they’re often introducing me to people I’ve never heard of before through their guest choices, but it is their deep-rooted friendship and connection that I keep coming back for.
The Confessional with Nadia Bolz-Weber
Nadia blows my mind with EVERY episode. She has the unique ability to find the humanity in every person, no matter what mistakes they may have made.
Dani Shapiro’s Family Secrets
Never boring. This podcast was my quarantine obsession, and I still listen every chance I get. Fascinating family secrets spilled and revealed every week.
Pocket Casts Blog 