10 Podcasts for Women
On the daily commute, at the gym or on the school run: whatever we’re doing we’re probably plugged into a podcast. And it’s not just true crime thrills and poltergeist potboilers that have our ears pricked. We can't resist a podcast that broadens minds, makes us feel seen and even changes the way we live. Read on for ten of the team’s favourite podcasts for women...
Best Female Health Podcasts
1. 28ish Days Later
In this acclaimed pod journalist India Rakusen delves into the world of periods. Uncovering the science behind the menstrual cycle, the BBC’s 28ish Days Later delivers bitesize episodes packed with easy-to-digest, honest information from both experts and real women.
28ish Days Later’s eye-opening facts will by turns frustrate you (chemicals are messing with your hormones! Advertisers want you to feel dirty!) and help you feel less alone.
Listen if: you want to better understand your monthly cycle
How many episodes?: 28, naturally
Episode length: 15 minutes
Where to listen: BBC Sounds, Spotify, Apple
2. The Dr. Louise Newson Podcast
As women we're often blissfully ignorant of menopause and perimenopause until BAM! Here come the hot flushes. Whether mid-meno or years away, there are few better ways to get informed than by listening to the long-running Dr. Louise Newson podcast.
Dr. Louise’s qualifications? She’s an award-winning doctor, author and educator specialising in all things hormonal. Who better to guide you, alongside expert and celeb guests, through the challenges of ‘the change’?
Listen if: you want empowering, evidence-based advice for managing peri/menopause
How many episodes?: over 320 with more coming
Episode length: 30 minutes
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple
3. Maintenance Phase
Personally victimised by fad diets and unqualified wellness ‘experts’? Don’t be fooled again! Activist Aubrey Gordon and journalist Michael Hobbes’s Maintenance Phase podcast debunks junk science one scam at a time. Though American, Maintenance Phase is relevant to listeners struggling with body issues or tempted by quick weight loss and wellness fixes.
Favourite episodes investigate the effectiveness of Weight Watchers and Keto, dig into COVID conspiracies and scrutinise Jamie Oliver’s school food overhaul.
Listen if: you’re a sucker for crash diets
How many episodes?: 88 and counting
Episode length: 50 minutes+
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple, Amazon
4. Bryony Gordon’s Mad World
Journalist and author Bryony Gordon talks all things mental health in her Telegraph podcast Mad World. This sometimes funny, always comforting pod features in-depth, honest conversations with experts and household names ranging from Stephen Fry and Fearne Cotton to Matt Haig and Prince Harry(!).
Covering stress, depression, addiction and more, Gordon lays bare the reality of modern mental wellbeing to improve understanding and provide a glimmer of hope.
Listen if: you need a reminder that celebs are just like us
How many episodes?: 56 episodes (complete)
Episode length: 30 minutes+
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple, Pocket Casts
Read more about our favourite health and wellness podcasts.
Podcasts for Parenting and Relationships
5. The Scummy Mummies
Plug into lively discussions with presenters Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn, plus a raft of great guests, including medical and parenting experts, psychologists and well-known faces. There’s no parenting subject The Scummy Mummies podcast won’t broach, from potty training to phone use, all with a down-to-earth tone.
Whatever life stage you’re at, this long-running podcast offers eps that’ll speak to you. And with live shows, merch and thousands of social media followers, listeners are part of a vibrant, supportive community.
Listen if: parenting dilemmas have you losing your sense of humour
How many episodes?: 320 with more to come
Episode length: 40 minutes +
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple, Amazon
6. How Not to Screw Up Your Kids with Dr. Maryhan
Hosted by psychologist and parenting expert Dr. Maryhan, the How Not to Screw Up Your Kids podcast does exactly what it says on the tin. Answering the parenting questions you’re afraid to ask, this smart pod isn’t scared to dig into the messiest aspects of raising children. Dr. M’ll help you deal with the small stuff - managing car journeys and first days at school - and the big stuff too. Think behavioural issues, ADHD and anxiety.
Though serious in subject, How Not to Screw Up Your Kids is an easy listen that feels like a chat with a thoughtful friend.
Listen if: you want to raise confident, resilient children
How many episodes?: 350, updating twice weekly
Episode length: 10 to 45 minutes
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple
7. Where Should We Begin?
Deeply intimate, the Where Should We Begin? podcast has a unique format: every week guests sit down with psychotherapist Esther Perel to discuss a broad range of relationship issues. Not just for couples, this eye-opening pod tackles problems with workmates, navigating break-ups and difficult family members too.
Where Should We Begin? provides frank, practical advice for navigating the thorniest of relationship dilemmas. Tune in to sate your voyeuristic side, stay for the great advice!
Listen if: your relationships could do with a little work
How many episodes?: 175, new episodes every Monday
Episode length: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple
Female-Centric Podcasts for Modern Women
8. Stuff Mom Never Told You
Feeling as much like a chat with friends as it does an informative docu-pod, Stuff Mom Never Told You never fails to give listeners something to think about. Discussing the lowbrow pop culture moments we can’t resist as often as they tackle the important stuff, SMNTY hosts Anney and Samantha talk trailblazing black women or abortion access one week but Twilight or America’s Next Top Model the next.
Judgment-free, educational and always entertaining, this pod will open your eyes and expand your mind.
Listen if: you’d welcome a fresh perspective
How many episodes?: over 2000 and still releasing
Episode length: from 10 minutes to over an hour
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple
9. Miss Me?
Childhood besties Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver turn the mic inwards for Miss Me?, a regular covers-everything podcast that feels like a cosy chinwag with your favourite girls. A BBC favourite, Miss Me? runs the gamut from LOL to oh-god-what's-happening-to-the-world as Miquita and Lily tackle everything from sexual health to Love Island.
While Lily has announced her (temporary?) departure from the Miss Me? pod Miquita continues at the helm with new co-host Jordan Stephens.
Listen if: you’re cravin nights out with the girls
How many episodes?: 160 and running
Episode length: 30 to 40 minutes
Where to listen: BBC Sounds, Spotify, Apple
10. Wiser Than Me
Hosted by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wiser Than Me is the podcast that mines the minds you’ve always admired. Each episode sees an older woman (who you might’ve named as your dream celebrity mum) join JLD for an anything-goes tete a tete with often touching, sometimes funny and always instructive results.
Guests have included Jane Fonda, Patti Smith, Nancy Pelosi and Gloria Steinem. Even Michelle Obama and Julie Andrews have been on.
Listen if: you need the guidance of a mother figure
How many episodes?: heading for 100
Episode length: 45 to 60 minutes
Where to listen: Spotify, Apple, Amazon
Behind the PrecisionBiotics® profile, we are a dedicated team of specialists passionate about gut health and wellness. With a deep understanding of the intricate relationship between the gut and overall well-being, we strive to provide insightful, science-backed information to help you navigate your journey to health and wellness. Our collective expertise spans nutrition, microbiology, and holistic wellness, enabling us to offer comprehensive advice and education on a broad range of topics. Feel free to get in touch if there is a certain topic you would like us to research and write a blog on.
