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Episode List

Audible Feast's Best Podcast Episodes of 2018

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Feb 12th, 2025
Here are the best podcast episodes I heard in 2018. I listened to over 2600 individual episodes, and preference on this list goes to non-serialized shows. These are the episodes that I'm still thinking about months later, that just left a mark. See my website, AudibleFeast.com, for an additional list of the best podcas...

Episodes

    November 8, 2018

    TechnologySocietyCulture
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    1:11:19s

    This was one of the best podcast episodes I heard all year. It's classic Reply All investigation - which they are so good at. It was genius to first go through everything Alex needed to protect his identity given the type of people he might be

    November 7, 2018

    SocietyCultureDocumentary

    29:52s

    You may remember from previous posts that I am an engineer, so this is top of mind for many women in my field at some point - it can be very awkward to be the breadwinner or even to contribute equal earnings to a family pot. It was so thought-p

    November 13, 2018

    SocietyCulture
    --

    21:00s

    Wow. If you need a tearjerker (and I often do, I welcome them - if you have any suggestions I will gladly accept), this is it. It's incredibly beautiful, sad yet hopeful, tender, and real. I love Sara's bravery to let us in to the most painful

    November 14, 2018

    SocietyCultureDocumentary

    54:53s

    This was a very heavy, you-need-to-look-in-the-mirror-as-a-parent episode of the MEN series - it hit so close to home. Celeste and John begin by talking about how John remembers using "you're such a woman" as an insult to another boy as a kid,

    April 17, 2018

    NewsPoliticsNational

    23:04s

    There is no way this episode was NOT going on the best of list, because they made up a song about Scott Pruitt to the tune of Michael Jackson's Beat It, and it was amazing. 

    April 26, 2018

    SocietyCultureComedy
    --

    51:35s

    I wrote about this in a separate post, but trigger warning, host Sarah Rice shares the story of her recent miscarriage. The ladies still find time to discuss some lighter topics, like Katy Perry's smelly jellies. 

    April 4, 2018

    Music
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    2:01:58s

    PLAYLIST sometimes makes me feel sort of mushy, nostalgic for a song I haven't heard in years or that is one of my all time faves. This was the case in this episode. I had totally forgotten about how much Tori Amos changed the way I listen to m

    June 3, 2018

    ArtsEducationHistory

    26:57s

    Loved hearing Eric Marcus (who I interviewed in 2017) on this episode where people from two generations that sandwich my own non-generation (I'm a 1980 baby) talk about a word that I myself feel conflicted about; when I was younger, it was not

    June 13, 2018

    SportsSoccerSociety
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    45:39s

     I don't think Maradona will be too thrilled with this account of his life, but I was totally engaged throughout the entire episode, and I have been telling people about this one all week. Great new show from Gimlet - it's succeeding in storyte

    May 8, 2018

    ComedySocietyCulture
    --

    28:38s

    Thanks to my Podcast Brunch Club Podcast co-host Adela for this recommendation - I listened while I was on a plane and I must have looked like a crazy person cracking up as I heard William and Jordan's advice about what you should do if you see

    May 17, 2018

    MusicSocietyCulture
    ----

    34:27s

    In this story only slightly tangentially related to music, the listener is constantly wondering whether they're going to learn the truth. 

    August 16, 2018

    ScienceNatural Sciences
    --

    35:37s

    A breathtakingly scary story about a couple who lived to tell what happened when a forest fire descended upon them.

    July 30, 2018

    SocietyCultureRelationships
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    27:29s

    Whewwwww. I love this discussion of the concept of settling in relationships. I don't really believe in it myself, I think it's a cultural construct derived from the acceptance of judging strangers we have no business judging. Each couple's rel

    April 24, 2018

    SocietyCultureBusiness
    --

    32:46s

    Host Alicia Menendez draws out deep feelings from her guests - what a great skill. Cristela Alonzo talked about her imposter syndrome as the lead character in Cars 3 and I almost cried. She said she always felt she achieved because of hard work

    January 12, 2018

    SocietyCultureDocumentary
    --

    42:34s

    Lessig's stunning bravery to be open enough to share his childhood sexual abuse by the hand of someone who is not behind bars floored me. His vivid storytelling painted a clear picture for me of what that boys' choir school looked like, how his

    May 1, 2018

    True CrimeSocietyCulture
    --

    42:22s

    What I waited nearly two years for ... In the Dark is amazing. Terrific investigative journalism with the perfect reporter-host, Madeleine Baran, who along with her team, won a Peabody Award for the first season of the show. This was the best s

    July 2, 2018

    SciencePhilosophyMedicine
    --

    25:59s

    I love this because it's so different from anything I've heard. The last immersive podcast I listened to was The Walk, and I just couldn't ever get into it, I think it needed a different type of narration style. Here, it's very clear what you s

    July 10, 2018

    ArtsPerforming ArtsSociety
    --

    23:13s

    Sometimes, when I'm lucky, I come across a storyteller that in any medium, on any show, I can tell - the story being told is uniquely "that person." Al Letson, Andrea Silenzi, Glynn Washington, Erica Heilman are all great examples of this. I lo

    October 17, 2018

    SocietyCulture
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    30:43s

    At the risk of sounding dramatic, Maria Menounos' commentary on what time means to her given her potentially shortened life was profoundly impactful for me. Why should we spend hours, days, weeks of our lives worrying about meeting non-family m

    May 1, 2018

    ComedySocietyCulture
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    36:00s

    I haven't heard Terry Gross interviewed very often, and I love that she was interviewed by a comedian who is honing her interviewing skill. Robinson just gets better and better. This was really fun and personal.

    December 11, 2018

    SocietyCulturePersonal Journals
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    29:23s

    Host Vanessa Lowe has a knack for finding stories that make you think about the night in new ways. I've listened to this show forever, and I would listen to the back catalog over and over again because it makes me want to settle into my bed or

    October 3, 2018

    KidsFamilyPets
    ----

    58:35s

    Congratulations to Varmints! on 100 episodes! Paul and Donna have profiled dozens of critters, have kept the show fresh and creative the whole time, and truly produce something fun, funny, family-friendly, and educational to listen to. How awes

    March 14, 2018

    Music
    --

    20:20s

    Some of the best Song Exploder episodes are songs from a TV show or movie. I was thirsty for everything Black Panther at the time and this was fantastic, of course it made me want to go watch the movie again and listen for the Killmonger music.

    June 15, 2018

    SocietyCulture
    --

    38:14s

    Maria Hinojosa and Luis Gallo bridge two generations to share what Medellín once was and the incredible investment in urban planning that transformed the city. A surprise bonus was the connection that Hinojosa and Gallo have as reporters in the

    September 24, 2018

    ScienceSocial SciencesArts
    --

    49:13s

    I am not done with #MeToo, I want to keep hearing more angles, perspectives, solutions. It was terrific to learn about the social psychology (if you will) and societal reasons why #MeToo is a thing now, but couldn't have been even twenty years

    March 23, 2018

    SocietyCulture
    ----

    42:09s

    Al really should meet Terry Gross and just, you know, chill and have coffee. What's wrong with sending her a love letter first to break the ice? I was laughing out loud. 

    October 9, 2018

    BusinessManagementCareers
    --

    38:51s

    I was yelling "YES! YES! YES!" listening to this while simultaneously wondering if it would be kosher to send it to my boss. No offense to him, but his reviews are along the lines of "attagirl" which leave me almost no actionable growth opportu

    September 5, 2018

    BusinessSocietyCulture
    --

    36:16s

    A story of a different kind of heroism, and the long-lasting trauma from it, on the worst day in American history - all in a Brooks Brothers store. 

    November 6, 2018

    SocietyCulturePersonal Journals
    --

    42:52s

    This is one of the bravest stories I've ever heard. Erin didn't go into a burning building, save a puppy who fell into a sewer, or fight in a war, but she put her stuttering story out there for everyone in the world to hear. She endured the cru

    July 31, 2018

    SocietyCulture
    --

    21:14s

    I recognized Maeve Higgins' voice immediately and was therefore in love. Everything is Alive is a very silly show about inanimate objects and the life they lead. Poor Maeve just wants to be famous.

    November 20, 2018

    ArtsPerforming ArtsComedy
    --

    1:12:37s

    RISK! is so good because it's no-holds-barred, totally open and honest, and attracts phenomenal storytellers. I particularly loved the first story about a woman who OD'ed on mushrooms and essentially left a suicide note for her family, which of

    August 8, 2018

    HealthFitness
    --

    38:06s

    I was riveted listening to a biological problem so many women deal with and are told to accept.

    March 1, 2018

    SocietyCulturePersonal Journals
    --

    1:13:13s

    I got choked up multiple times during this episode and felt spurred to activism, so yeah, it was frickin' great. The book in question is "I Am Jazz." The way the community responded to the potential banning of this book was what the true Americ

    March 26, 2018

    True CrimeNewsPolitics
    ----

    31:12s

    Caught is a great binge-worthy miniseries, and this was my favorite episode. Not only does the episode address what happens at wilderness camps and how the young people are impacted by it, but also compares this type of treatment to regular juv

    August 13, 2018

    ComedyMental Health
    --

    42:56s

    I share Zimmern's extreme love of the Minnesota State Fair, so he's always been one of my favorite food celebs. It's sad how many chefs travel down the path of addiction, and Zimmern tells all of the details in this interview. My favorite quote

    March 7, 2018

    SocietyCultureNews
    --

    18:17s

    Sometimes an episode will stick with me because I find myself so drawn in to someone's emotional diary-like story; this is one. It was heartbreaking listening to Dumala share how her husband just didn't come home when he was supposed to, and sh

    February 14, 2018

    SocietyCulturePersonal Journals
    ----

    32:45s

    Just wow. Beautiful, beautiful story about the strongest love between a man, his wife, and their daughters. All the feels.

    March 28, 2018

    SocietyCulturePersonal Journals
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    28:37s

    HumaNature is SO GOOD. Every story is told first-person, about something that has happened in nature. I loved this narrative about a man who sailed out into the ocean in search of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

    June 12, 2018

    ScienceComedySociety
    --

    1:09:23s

    I laughed out loud several times listening to this episode of Ologies, especially at Alie Ward's nose puns (nas-hole, OMFG) and the discussion of cocaine ingestion. 

    January 17, 2018

    Music
    ----

    27:52s

    If you're not familiar with this show, each episode explores a single song and how it has impacted people's lives. Tolhurst's songwriting memories interspersed with these very emotional stories was masterful; I was completely engrossed in this

    January 28, 2018

    SocietyCultureDocumentary
    ----

    50:40s

    Why it's great: Excuse my language ... holy shit. My boys are NEVER playing youth football and if I can prevent it, never any football. I really love watching football for the skill the players exhibit - the amazing catches, tricky footwork - b