Best Podcasts to listen to with a cup of tea
Whether you’re on holidays or taking a few moments for yourself on the weekend, relaxing with a cup of tea and a compelling podcast is a great way to unwind. There’s a podcast on just about anything – crime, comedy, parenting, mindfulness, news and current affairs, and so much more. We help narrow down your options with our round-up of the best podcasts in Australia. All you need to do is brew a cup of your favourite Nerada Tea or an Organic Herbal Infusion, sit back and listen. Put on the headphones and enjoy!
Health and Mindfulness Podcasts
You might think that more money, a better job or Instagram-worthy holidays would make you happy. Yale professor Laurie Santos, PhD, has studied the science of happiness and found that many of us do the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. In her hugely popular podcast The Happiness Lab, Santos takes you through the latest scientific research and shares surprising and inspiring stories that will forever alter the way you think about happiness. She’s changed the lives of thousands of people through her much-admired class, "Psychology and the Good Life", and she'll probably change yours, too.
If time is tight, what's the one thing you should be doing to improve your health and wellbeing? In Just One Thing, TV host and scientist Michael Mosley reveals surprisingly simple tips scientifically proven to change your life for the better. Learn, for example, how to reset your brain with your breathing, why you should stand on one leg and the health benefits of cold showers.
Hard to go past a podcast with the word tea in the title and Aussie Jules Sebastian nails it with her Tea with Jules series. She interviews identities like Sally Fitzgibbons, Katherine Sabbath and Neale Whitaker asking the hard questions about what they want to be remembered for and what success really means to them. Some thought provoking content!
Image Credit: Hope
News and Current Affairs Podcasts
Chat 10 Looks 3 is an entertaining podcast featuring Australian journalists Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb, who muse over what they're listening to, reading, irrationally exhilarated by, watching and cooking. This podcast team has developed a devoted following, so if you’re curious to hear what all the fuss is about or simply looking for a good laugh, try this one on for size.
No time to read today’s headlines? No worries! In a matter of minutes, The Squiz Today will get you across the day’s happenings. Published weekdays at 6 am, this short daily news podcast aims to fit into your first-thing routine – over your morning cup of tea.
The ABC’s Conversations Podcast spends an hour drawing you into inspiring stories of people and places around Australia. From indigenous pioneers, political stalwarts to unheard tales of people with an extraordinary yarn to tell you’ll find yourself flicking to the next episode wanting more.
Parenting Podcasts
In popular ABC podcast Parental As Anything, pre-eminent parenting author Maggie Dent talks to parenting experts from around the world to find practical solutions to the challenges parents face today. There’s practical everyday advice on everything from raising teen girls and how to stop your kids from fighting to how to talk to your children about the news.
Created by independent women’s media group MamaMia, This Glorious Mess dishes up all the disasters and delights of parenting with a healthy dose of humour. The podcast is a twice-weekly look at parenting as it truly is: confusing, exhausting, inspiring, funny and full of surprises. Join hosts Tegan Natoli and Leigh Campbell for This Glorious Mess Little Kids on Mondays and Andrew Daddo and Holly Wainwright for This Glorious Mess Big Kids on Fridays.
Image Credit: Mamamia
Specialist Topics Podcasts
The Allusionist is a witty podcast for anyone fascinated by language. In her signature entertaining style, British host Helen Zaltzman channels her logophilia (love of words) into a funny and educational podcast that explores the English language and lexicon – from etymology to profanity.
For music lovers, Strong Songs is a podcast that picks apart songs to see what makes them work. Host and multi-instrumentalist Kirk Hamilton takes you deep into the inner workings of a piece of music, breaking it down and explaining what makes it melodious.
Long-running podcast Hidden Brain professes to help curious people understand the world – and themselves. Host Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behaviour, shape our choices and direct our relationships. Diverse topics range from investigating the power of apologies to looking at why adults laugh half as much as children do.
Australia’s favourite scientist, Dr Karl, has his own podcast. Science with Dr Karl tries to answer the questions of the world, as asked by listeners, with science. It’s both funny and fascinating.
Brains On is for scientifically curious kids and is one that parents can safely put on to generate some great educational conversations. This award-winning podcast is great for children of all ages to learn more about their world. How far can a cloud travel? How does taste work? Boil the kettle and enjoy some peace while the kids tune in!
Love and Relationships Podcasts
Actress Marlo Thomas and talk show host Phil Donahue fell in love on live television and wed more than 40 years ago. In their new podcast Double Date, the couple intimately interview other celebrity couples about their relationships. The result? Heart warming, fascinating insights into the fabric of successful relationships.
Listen to iconic Belgian relationship therapist and TED alum Esther Perel counsel couples as they reveal the most intimate, personal and complicated details of the conflicts that have brought them to her door. Where Should We Begin? is real and raw, with Perel providing incredible insights that we can apply to our own love-lives.
Image Credit: Popsugar
Crime Podcasts
Serial is a gripping investigative journalism podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig, who narrates this nonfiction story over multiple episodes. Some people have heralded this podcast as some of the best long-form investigative journalism out there. In season 1, Koenig’s probing into the conviction of Adnan Syed for the murder of his high school girlfriend led to the reopening of the court case! Fill your teapot and prepare to be sucked into Serial’s compelling twists and turns, which leave even the host unsure of who to believe at the end of the day.
Not all true-crime podcasts are created equal. Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad has serious credentials that put it at the top of our list. Retired cold-case investigator Paul Holes and investigative journalist Billy Jensen dig deep into unsolved murders, unidentified remains and missing-persons cases. Each episode, you get a front-row seat as the duo attempts to solve crimes using all manner of techniques, from old-fashioned detective work to DNA tracing and social media geotargeting.
Comedy Podcasts
My Dad Wrote a Porno is a side-splittingly funny, award-winning comedy that is more PG-friendly than its title suggests. Though most people might try to ignore it, when Jamie Morton discovers his dad has tried his hand at amateur erotica, Jamie gathers a group of friends each week to read a chapter of his father’s terrible novel. Absolutely, hilariously bingeworthy.
Winner of Best Comedy and Outstanding Production at the 2019 Australian Podcast Awards, Sizzletown is the world’s first late-night call-in podcast, hosted by legendary comedian and broadcaster Tony Martin. Since his breakfast radio days in the late 80s, Martin has been one of the best in the business; if you love his work, you'll love this podcast. Treat yourself to his unique brand of humour, based on whimsy and a measured pace that modern comedy can often lack.
Relax with Nerada Tea
If you’re in need of a hot beverage to enjoy whilst you listen to our podcast, perhaps try our Herbal Organics range. From Camomile, to Peppermint or even our new Echinacea and Lemon tea, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.