Digitally speaking, podcasts [1] have been around for ages, and yet they've never felt more current, and necessary, during life in lockdown [2]. That's because right now, our favourite podcasters are releasing special episodes on the impact of COVID-19, providing solace amidst the pandemic by calling upon everything from mental health to anxiety, and bringing some much-needed positivity, too. Some are offering the tools and techniques to look after your well-being, while others are bringing light relief and laughter during these strange times.
If you're starting to feel the pressures of navigating this new normal, listening to an uplifting podcast might be the most effective, and the simplest, outlet to reframe your thoughts and mindset. Or else, just give you some good old escapism from real life. Right now, tons of topical episodes are surfacing in light of the global pandemic. There's Fearne Cotton's Happy Place, in which she chats over the phone to Russell Brand [3] on letting go and feeling grateful for life's small pleasures, and the return of Google X's ex-chief business officer and all-round inspiration, Mo Gawdat, on Elizabeth Day's heartfelt How to Fail podcast, discussing how to cope with anxiety during the coronavirus [4]. And then there's always Table Manners With Jessie Ware, whose virtual dinner with comedians Mel and Sue is sure to put a smile on your face. For the podcasts spreading a little positivity in a big way, keep reading to tune in to these six new episodes.
Deliciously Ella: Reframing Our Thinking — How to Believe Good Things Can Happen
Ella Mills, or Deliciously Ella [5], as we've come to know her, burst onto our feeds back in 2011 when — post-diagnosis of a chronic illness and having to rethink her diet — she started blogging about healthy, vegan recipes. This led to a cookbook, followed by her own Deliciously Ella line of nutritious snacks, and most recently a podcast [6].
Hosted by Ella and her husband, Matthew, the podcast breaks down often ambiguous and confusing topics in the wellness industry, chatting to experts on everything from gut health to diet myths, our impact on the environment, and the key to finding happiness. Over the lockdown period, Deliciously Ella has released a handful of uplifting podcast episodes, including "Reframing Our Thinking — How to Believe Good Things Can Happen" [7] — which features an in-depth discussion with neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart about "the power of the mind, the law of attraction and whether creating the life we want is luck, faith at work or something explainable by science."
It's a great listen if you're feeling like negativity is getting the better of you right now, as it examines the ways in which we can reframe our negative thoughts [8], especially in such an uncertain period.
How to Fail With Elizabeth Day: Mo Gawdat on Coping With Anxiety
Elizabeth Day, the author and journalist who brought us the bestselling book How to Fail: Everything I Ever Learned From Things Going Wrong [9], also hosts her own podcast [10] exploring the same theme of failures and how they can ultimately lead to success. She's interviewed everyone from Phoebe Waller-Bridge [11] to Camilla Thurlow, Jess Phillips, and Dolly Alderton, asking guests every week to reveal their three biggest failures and their learnings from each one.
To shine a light on the difficulties that we're faced with due to COVID-19 — feelings of anxiety and loss, self-isolation, external societal pressures — Day has released a series of special episodes. She's invited back Mo Gawdat (the guest in her most-downloaded podcast episode ever) to talk about coping with anxiety during the coronavirus pandemic [12], discussing how to tackle negative thoughts, and learning to accept situations outside of our control.
She's also invited philosopher Alain de Botton to talk specifically about staying sane during this strange time and dealing with grief and loss, while her episode titled "Listeners Share Their Coronavirus Stories" [13] sees everyone from NHS doctors and teachers to struggling parents revealing their personal stories and experiences of the coronavirus. It's full of tear-jerkers, laugh-out-loud moments, and some very moving stories.
Fearne Cotton's Happy Place: Russell Brand — In Isolation
Fearne Cotton's Happy Place [14] explores the idea of happiness and how to find joy in your life. She chats to inspiring athletes, writers, and celebrities who have made positive changes in their lives — people like Gok Wan, Matt Haig, Gary Barlow, and Mel C. Listening to any Happy Place episode leaves you with a distinct feeling of positivity and may just help you to feel like you're not in this alone.
In a new episode focusing on life in isolation [15], Fearne chats to Russell Brand [16] about complacency, the power of letting things go, and becoming grateful for the small things in our lives. They discuss the importance of meditation as a way of pressing pause — specifically the podcast GABA [17], whom Cotton has partnered with on a seven-minute recording [18] to help us reconnect to our happy place.
Table Manners With Jessie Ware: Mel & Sue
If you're looking for some light relief during COVID-19, spend a few minutes with Jessie Ware and her mum, Lennie, on Table Manner With Jessie Ware [19], and I promise they'll have you smiling in no time.
Table Manners celebrates good food, fun, and family, hosting the likes of Jamie Oliver, Emilia Clarke, and Yotam Ottolenghi from their home in South London. The mother-daughter duo and their guests dish up both new recipes and their own homemade concoctions (including Lennie's famous chicken soup and matzo balls and triple-threat brownies), as well as chat about anything and everything — especially if it has to do with their guests' dream last supper.
Without being able to host at their house, the duo have gotten creative and are making Table Manners a virtual dinner date by doing their interviews over video chat. In their latest episode with comedians Mel and Sue [20], the four of them chat over dinner about life after The Great British Bake Off, their favourite meals, and what they're eating during lockdown (which mostly involves creating makeshift meals out of misshapen pasta and eating the remnants of the cupboard). It's the kind of feel-good listen we need right now — and might even spur you on to get cooking, too.
Feel Better Live More: John McAvoy on How to Thrive in Lockdown
Dr Rangan Chatterjee, GP and host of the Feel Better Live More podcast [21], explores health and well-being within his episodes to demystify and simplify some of the biggest misconceptions in the industry — covering topics like diet, breathing, sleep, depression, and, most recently, the impact of COVID-19.
Releasing a series of coronavirus-specific episodes, in "Episode 107: How to Thrive in Lockdown," [22] Dr Chatterjee chats to previous guest John McAvoy about the current situation and looking at it as an opportunity to reevaluate our lives. Having spent a year in a prison cell for armed robbery, McAvoy went on to become one of the biggest record-breaking athletes. In the podcast, he shares what he's learnt from his time in isolation and how we can apply it to ours, from keeping fit to maintaining a daily routine. In additional episodes, Dr Chatterjee also chats to leading expert in behaviour changes Professor BJ Fogg on how we can create new habits and Dr Gabor Maté to discuss the life lessons we can take from this experience.