I am a podcast fiend. Not owning a TV (which I wouldn’t change for a moment!), I listen to and enjoy podcasts like it is a side hustle job.
Podcasts are an easy avenue to learn more, become educated on issues I am not familiar with, and stay on top of current news, events, and cultural trends.
For me to hit the subscribe button to a podcast means this person has something important to say and I want to learn more. But I have to really love a podcast before I commit to subscribing.
What expertise does this person have that I can learn something new? Will this podcast broaden my horizon and invite me to consider a new perspective or ideas? Can I experience more truth, beauty, and goodness by following? How will this make me a better version of myself, a more thoughtful, loving human being?
I find asking similar questions helps me be more intentional and aware of what I consume through my ears and mind.
Lately, I have found a new branch to follow in my podcast loving family tree. I find myself drawn to podcasts that deal with healthy relationships and how to make a good relationship great.
When it comes to Catholic online dating, who wouldn’t want those things wrapped nicely together?
Here are several podcasts I recently discovered that I think can help us love better and become the best version of yourself when it comes to dating and serious relationships.
The Small Things Often with Dr. John Gottman
Dr. John Gottman is the leading relationship and marriage therapist in the United States. His best selling book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country’s Foremost Relationship Expert, offers ground-breaking research and tools on how to make good relationships great.
As a single woman, I have found it to be one of the top three books I have read over the last few years. It has offered me many tools I know I can take with me into a serious relationship and future marriage.
The premise behind Small Things Often is that “Successful long-term relationships are created through small words, small gestures, and small acts,” according to Dr. Gottman.
Each episode is no more than 10 minutes long, but is based off the many relationship principles Gottman teaches and uses with clients. I really enjoy it, and think it is a simple way to do something good with your partner for your relationship.
Unlocking Us with Brene Brown
Brene Brown became famous several years ago with her TED talk and research on shame and vulnerability. Since then, she has opened up thoughtful dialogue and honest conversations on topics that are sometimes too difficult to bring up.
Within the last month, she has launched her newest project, this podcast. The tagline sums it up quite well: “Conversations that unlock the deeply human part of who we are, so that we can live, love, parent, and lead with more courage and heart”.
In order to become more free to love ourselves and love others, we have to be comfortable talking about the uncomfortable (and sometimes more messy) things of life. Brene Brown offers listeners this is a very relatable way.
My favorite recent episodes are on anxiety, calm + over/under-functioning and comparative suffering.
On Being with Krista Tippett
This is one of my favorite podcasts of all time. A show about the big questions of meaning-spiritual inquiry, science, culture, and the arts.
Now you might be thinking, Patty, how does a show like this (covering so many topics) help you love better? I am a firm believer we become better humans, more loving and empathetic, when we consider perspectives and experiences outside the realm of our lived experience.
This podcast stretches me in those critical ways.
There is more to life and love than our personal experiences. This podcast reminds me to take a thoughtful, more gentle approach to those around me and the wider world.
If you’re looking for a good place to start, I would recommend a recent episode on gratefulness with a Benedictine monk.
Podcasts are a quickly growing type of media where we can learn and grow as people.
What podcasts are you listening to these days? What is stretching you to grow into a more loving version of yourself?
