Over a year and a half ago my sister-in-law mentioned how wireless earbuds were the best invention ever. It enabled her to listen to her favorite podcasts for moms while cleaning or doing anything around the house.
“Adriane, it’s the best thing! I stick these bad boys in, learn a lot of useful information while getting my house clean. I bet you listen to some amazing
Ummmm, Podcasts?
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To be honest, I had never heard of such a thing. I was super intrigued as to what this radio meets internet thing really was.
Now the podcast world is exploding and for good reason.
Table of Contents
Confession Time
Ever since my sister-in-law mentioned the word, podcast, I became a junkie.
A little fact about me is that I have OCD (or possibly
And I no longer need to apologize for being me.
Win. Win. And another Win.
My interests slowly began to grow about how the brain works, how to be a better parent, what God wants me to do with my life, how to be a successful entrepreneur, and how to be
Finding Time to Listen
A question I often get asked is, “How in the world do you have time to listen to all these podcasts for moms or read as much as you do?”
The answer is I build it into my schedule.
I try to work out every day. The gym I’m most motivated to go to is 20 minutes away. That’s 40 minutes of good listening right there. I simply plug my phone into the car.
As my little guy gets bigger, I’ll probably listen with one earbud instead of blasting it through the whole car. Right now, he enjoys listening to people talk. On occasion, he will request, “Mee Mow” (Mickey Mouse) so I kindly oblige.
How to make time for podcasts:
Here are some tips on how to squeeze listening time into your busy day.
Listen to podcasts…
- While Driving | If you’re like me and you drive around all day, always have something in the queue ready to listen to. That rhymes!
- In Driveline or Pickup | Pass the time while waiting for your kids after school or practice.
- While cleaning or organizing | My wireless headphones are the best gift my parents have ever given to me! While putting groceries away, cleaning, doing laundry or any other household chore, I listen while I work.
- In the shower | I try not to do this to give my brain a rest, but it can be a good time to listen.
- On long road trips | My husband gets to tow our 30-foot trailer camper so in between chats with my him, I listen or read.
- While grocery shopping | I often order my groceries online (best thing EVER!), but if I go to the store by myself, I always have earbuds in.
- When Working out | Working out on exercise equipment or lifting weights seems to be a popular time to listen to a podcast.
- The Dentist! | I neglected my mouth for too many years so I have to go back every three months for cleaning. No Bueno! Lying in a chair for an hour with no kids works great to listen to a podcast. They only bug me when it’s time to rinse.
You may also like: Simple Systems To Keep Your Home Organized and
Clutter Free
Are podcasts beneficial or harmful for your brain?
There are a few studies I found on what listening to podcasts do to our brains. One by Jack Gallant of UC Berkely found that a lot more of our brain is engaged when we are listening to a story especially if it’s interesting. The meaning of what we are listening to is represented all throughout the brain, not just in the primary auditory cortex. That’s good!
We’re building upon
Now, try to wrap your mind around that one.
But there are also studies that show too much listening is not good for us. In the list above, I try to pick and choose a few times a day to put on a podcast and not every chance I get.
Research suggests that when we sit in silence, cell development increases in the hippocampus, the part of the brain mainly associated with memory and also apart of where our emotions are stored. We need to be cautious to not overload ourselves with auditory content just as much as we do with any other media intake.
It’s great to consume information, but our brains also need time to digest that information. To best do this, it’s encouraged to have moments of silence throughout your day and engage in the physical world we live in.
Podcasts for Moms That Are Worth Listening To
I have a laundry list of podcasts that I subscribe to. In order to avoid over-listening, I try to prune my list down to the ones that bring value to me or you, my readers.
Instead of only giving you the list of my subscribed podcasts for moms, I thought I’d also share specific episodes that really made an impact on how I live my life and in turn,
I separated them out into the categories knowing that not all of these will interest you.
Another strategy in helping our brains retain information is to relisten. The two that I have relistened to more than two times are the Executive Functioning episodes with Seth Perler on the Tilt Parenting Podcast and the Give Yourself the Gift of Done with Jon Acuff, author of “Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done” on For the Love Podcast. Both have improved my life in more ways than one. I reference the first one regarding my kids on the daily and the Jon Acuff episode just about every week for me.
35 Podcast Episodes That Will Help You Be a Better Parent
Before I get into the 35 incredible episodes, check out my interview with Andrea from The Flourish Together Podcast! We talked about Family Meetings and Emotion Coaching! It was so much fun to be ON a podcast. It’s a little different than sitting in my car listening.
Parenting
Parenting is my jam!
I love learning about different strategies, techniques, tips,
Family Looking Up with Camille, Beth and Andrea
- Episode 89: Four Keys to Becoming An Effective Parent with Dr. Wally Goddard
- Episode 13: Do Good. Be Kind with Chris Kurtz
Parenting Great Kids with Dr. Meg Meeker
- Episode 8: Yes! You Can with guest John O’Leary
- Episode 55: Raising Kind Kids with Dr. Thomas Lickona
- Episode 74: Kids and Screens: Help for Parents with Dr. Tom Kersting
Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan Peters
- Episode 37: The Yes Brain: How To Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience In Your Child with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
- Episode 22: Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome with Ty Tashiro
- Episode 7: Raising Creative Kids with Dr. Susan Daniels
Screen Smart
- Episode 14 – Porn and Your Kids with Chris McKenna (with Protect Young Eyes)
- Episode 5 – Video Game Addiction with Cam Adair (of Game Quitters)
Mind Matters with Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC
- Episode 24: True Grit – Fostering Tenacity and Resilience with Emily Mofield, EdD and Megan Parker Peters, PhD
- Episode 5: The Creativity Crisis with Steve Coxon, PhD
How to Talk to Kids About Anything with Dr. Robyn Silverman
- Jan 15, 2019: How to Talk to Kids about Drugs and Alcohol with Jeremy Schneider
- Oct 23, 2018: How to Organize your Life so You Can Bring Out the Best in Your Child and You with Julie Morgenstern
- Sept 25, 2017: How to Talk to Kids About Peaceful Sibling Relationships with Dr. Laura Markham
Raising Neurodiverse Kids
Out of my three kids, so far we know our two oldest are neurodiverse children. If you have never heard of that phrase, it basically means brains differences are just that, differences instead of something being wrong or abnormal. It also leads to helping these kids see their strengths in the way their brain is wired instead of focusing on fixing any perceived deficits.
Our boys are gifted learners which usually comes with asynchronous development in the brain. They are both also Twice-Exceptional meaning there is something paired with the giftedness.
In fact, some of these podcast episodes I listed below are how I figured out very valuable information that was able to help eliminate power struggles with one of our boys.
Many lightbulbs have gone off while listening. These have provided me with the resources that have brought calm and joy into our home simply because of knowledge. For that, I am forever grateful.
Understood is THE
Tilt Parenting with Debbie Reber (my hero!)
- Episodes 96 (Part 1) and 97 (Part 2): A “Masterclass” in Executive Functioning with Seth Perler
- Episode 140: Julie Lythcott-Haims on How to Raise an Adult and Help Our Kids Successfully Launch
- Episode 144: Dr. Sharon Saline on What Our ADHD Kids Wish We Knew
- Episode 90: Dr. Dan Siegel on Helping Our Kids Develop a “Yes” Brain
Mind Matters with Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC
- Episode 8: A guide to Self-Advocacy (with Deb Douglas)
How to Talk to Kids About Anything with Dr. Robyn Silverman
- Nov. 12, 2018: How to Help Kids with Autism, ADHD and Other Neurological Disorders Gain Better Brain Balance with Dr. Robert Melillo of Brain Balance Centers
- Dec 11, 2018: How to Talk to Kids about the Gifts, Tools
and Rituals of the ADHD Brain with Peter Shankman
Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs
- Episode 134: Understanding Sensory Based Behavior with Christy Bennett, OT
Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan Peters
- Episode 42: With Understanding Comes Calm with Julie Skolnick
Good for the Soul
Lastly, these episodes are good for the heart, soul
Read more: How to Take Care of MYSELF so I Can Give More to My Family (It’s More Than an Occasional Pedicure)
I read this quote while looking up the podcast guest’s websites to provide for you, “Self-care is not selfish. It is the foundation for serving others.”
What wisdom!
For the Love with Jen Hatmaker
- Series 1, Episode 3: Girlfriends Can Save the World with Shasta Nelson
- The Entire Series: For The Love of Change!
- Series 14, Episode 4: Give Yourself the Gift of Done: Jon Acuff
- Series 7, Episode 3: A Time to Lead, A Time to Follow: Chasing the Next Big Thing with Nicole Walters
She Proves Faithful
- Episode 70: Is Self Care Biblical?
Going Scared with Jessica Honegger
- Episode 30: Create Compassionate Spaces with Curt Thompson
- Episode 7: Being Kind Over Being Right: Bob Goff gets real (another one of my heroes!)
Oprah Super Soul Conversations Podcasts
Science of Success
- Nov. 29, 2018: Stop Being Afraid To Be YOU – The Power of Bold Authenticity with Dr. Aziz Gazipura
Wire Talk with Karen Stubbs
- Episode 112: Anxiety in Motherhood with Special Guest Dr. Emily Shupert
The Mom Inspired Show
- Episodes 78 (Part 1) & 79 (Part 2): Cancer Prevention and Healing Foods with Kim Maravich
Other podcasts for Moms I enjoy listening to:
- Drive Time Devotions (with Tom Holladay of Saddleback Church)
- Christy Wright’s Business Boutique
- The G.O.A.T. Show with Mike Arce
- Ted Radio Hour with Guy Raz
- Personality Hacker
- Flourishing Together Podcast with Andrea Worley
- In It by Understood
- Northridge Church
Download the Full List
For easy access, I made a full list of all the podcasts for moms and episodes listed above in both a Word Document and PDF with links. You choose! (Click on the links to download)
Instead of writing summaries of each of the podcasts for moms, I provided the links. If you have any questions about any of these episodes or topics, leave a comment below or contact me directly.
I’d love to hear your input and what you listen to!
My hope is that these make as great of an impact on your life as they have for me.
Originally written on March 6, 2019; Updated on September 26, 2019
Hello!!! I’m Adriane. I’m a mom to three loud boys, am a research-a-holic and very passionate person who writes at Raising Kids With Purpose. Parenting can feel so hard sometimes but with mindset shifts and understanding, it can be very enjoyable. My hope is to inspire parents like you to create lifelong connections with your children and enjoy the journey along the way!
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