My Top 7 Podcasts: A Balanced Diet for the Mind, Body, and Soul

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From the Archives — Jason's earlier writings, lightly revised.

You are what you listen to. Most of us don't pick our podcasts on purpose — we fall into whatever the app feeds us. I got tired of that, so I started choosing on purpose. Here's my list: a little local, a little national, a little history, a little philosophy. Nothing fancy, but it keeps me honest.

1. Town Talk with Ted Schubel The local essential. Ted's on NewsTalk 1230 in Fredericksburg every weekday morning, talking with the people who actually run things around here — school boards, county leaders, business owners, nonprofits. If you live in this area and you don't know what's going on in your own backyard, this fixes that. I care about my community, and this is where I hear from it directly.

2. CNN 5 Things and Fox News Hourly Update My daily balance. Yes, both. I listen to CNN's morning briefing and Fox's hourly update, and I do it on purpose — one leans left, one leans right, and the truth usually lives somewhere between them. I don't want to be told what to think. I want the facts from both sides and I'll make up my own mind, thank you. Five minutes here, five minutes there, and I'm caught up without getting my blood pressure up.

3. A Short History Of One story, done right. This is a Noiser Network show where each episode takes a single historical event and goes deep — the real context, the real people, the whole thing. It's the kind of history I wish they'd taught in school: vivid, well-told, and honest about how messy it all was.

4. Boring History for Sleep Exactly what it sounds like. Slow, calm narration about the dullest corners of the past — treaties nobody remembers, kings who ruled for three weeks, everyday life in some century nobody thinks about. It's my off-switch. When my brain won't quit running at night, this puts it to sleep. Falling asleep in the middle is not just allowed, it's the point.

5. The Daily Stoic I'm a practicing Stoic, so this one's personal. Ryan Holiday reads a short lesson every day from the Stoic thinkers — Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus — and connects it to ordinary life. Some days it's a reminder I needed. Some days it's a kick I earned. Either way, it keeps my head straight.

6. Ridiculous History Proof that truth really is stranger than fiction. Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown dig up the weirdest stories from human civilization — the stuff too strange to make up. It's funny, it's wild, and every episode leaves me with something to tell somebody at dinner. This is the one that reminds me history was made by real people, and real people are a mess.

7. The Wildcard: Trust the Algorithm Here's one that's not a show — it's a habit. Every so often, let the algorithm recommend something new and just listen. No research, no reviews, just click and see. It's the digital version of wandering into a new section of the library. Some of the best things I've ever heard came from a recommendation I almost skipped.

Pro-Tip: Listen Commercial-Free I listen to most of these commercial-free as a subscriber to Amazon Music. If you want to do the same, you can subscribe here: https://amzn.to/4t291Jt (full disclosure — it's an affiliate link, and it helps keep this site running).

What's in your rotation? I'd genuinely like to know — drop your favorites in the comments.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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