Thanksgiving isn't all about turkey and mashed potatoes. But if you're having trouble focusing on what to be thankful for during a stressful year, one of them should be podcasts, because podcasts are always there for you—even when it comes to reminding you of all the things you have to be grateful for. Here are 10 shows that might help you put the "thanks" back into Thanksgiving.
Wonderful!
On Wonderful!, Rachel and Griffin McElroy share the things that delight them. It’s a heartwarming show exuding nothing but positive vibes, and each episode teaches you to look for joy and gratitude throughout your daily life. Some episodes cover big things (human experiences), some small things (comforts as simple as a song or a TV show) They’re all funny, and packed with facts and history. And their recurring “Poetry Corner” segment will help you find beauty in the world. Listeners love the duo for their chemistry behind the mic, which makes sense—they are married, after all.
Tiny Victories
Whenever it's hard to find something to be grateful for (all to common right now), it can help to simply pat yourself on the back for making it through the day. That’s what Tiny Victories is all about: celebrating the little wins that happen to us every day, but often go on noticed. And what a shame that is. Hosts Annabelle Gurwitch and Laura House spend 15 minutes going over their wins of the week, and invite listeners to adopt their cheery, tiny victory mindset.
My Unsung Hero
To quote the late, great David Bowie, “we can be heroes, just for one day.” Each episode of My Unsung Hero )from Hidden Brain) invites a guest to share a story someone who saved them: a group of women who swoop in to help an overwhelmed mom at the airport, people stopping to pick someone after a terrible fall on the ice. The show is a reminder that there are good people out there performing small yet impactful acts of kindness all the time. Each episode feels like a heartfelt “thank you” to the hero. who may or may not be listening. But it’s also a reminder to activate the hero inside us when the opportunity arises. (Listen to my story here.)
Beautiful/Anonymous
On each episode of Beautiful/Anonymous, Chris Gethard calls up a random person, sets the timer for an hour, and lets the caller go off on the tangent of their choice. The result is a collection of raw, unfiltered conversations in which listeners are invited to walk (errr…listen) a mile in someone else’s shoes. Some of the guests are going through pretty tough stuff—a woman whose dad just gave her a kidney, a woman who saved a stranger’s life, a ship builder talking about the change in his life after taking Adderall for the first time. Chris has empathy and curiosity for all of them.
It’s Going to Be OK
We are told that keeping a gratitude journal can help pull us out of depression, and if you read the news, you might need those occasional reminders to be cheerful. Enter more gratitude, via It’s Going to Be OK, which is almost like dropping in on someone else's audio gratitude journal. Every day, Nora McInerny (Terrible, Thanks for Asking) shares one short story, essay, or interview about one thing that can make you feel like everything really is going to be okay. It’s a reminder to delight in Corgi butts, a yard sale, a prickly pear cactus, Elin Hilderbrand books, or anything else that makes you feel better about being alive.
Secretly Incredibly Fascinating
The world is a curious place, and there is wonder to discover everywhere you look. Secretly Incredibly Fascinating is a reminder that even the most mundane things are, well, secretly incredibly fascinating. On every episode, Alex Schmidt (Jeopardy! champion, creator of the bison emoji) and Katie Goldin (host of Creature Feature) come together to investigates things that sound too boring to be podcast episodes —baking soda, CAPTCHAs, neon, chalkboards. By the end of the episode, you’ll be just like a toddler who has newly discovered trains, googling stuff like “ball bearing sheet sets” and “books about paperclips," as Alex and Katie help you discover something new to be grateful for.
Small Triumph Big Speech
Did you bake challah bread? Take out the compost? Get out of bed? You deserve a pat on the back. Or maybe a speech. That’s what Dylan Marron (Conversations with People Who Hate Me, The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks) serves up on Small Triumph Big Speech, where people with little wins call in to receive an audio high five from the host and a guest. Life is hard, and sometimes you need to be reminded to pause and take account of your tiniest accomplishments.
Tell Me About It
Meet Adal Rifai, an eccentric billionaire who forces a new guest to share, argue, and defend the thing they love the most on his gameshow Tell Me About It. With help from his audio butler Eric, he challenges his contestants to games that will give them points on his Most Interesting Thing High Score Board. What do you know? Billionaires are good for something! (Fictional ones, anyway.) This one is urging people to show him (and you) the beauty in Dungeons & Synthesizers, retirement plans, and gaming miniatures.
Ten Percent Happier
What would your life be like if you were ten times happier? That’s not the promise of Dan Harris’ podcast—his mission is much more realistic. He’s aiming to get you just 10% closer to feelings of exuberance and content. On Ten Percent Happier, Dan talks to meditation teachers, scientists, and celebrities (from the Dalai Lama to Karamo from Queer Eye) about enlightenment, psychedelics, science-based happiness techniques, and more, all in an effort to teach you the skills you need to be a happier, more grateful person. Dan was driven to practice meditation after experiencing a panic attack on live TV, and has been on a journey to find peace in a stressful world ever since. If he can do it, so can you.
All the Wiser
On All the Wiser, Kimi Culp sits down with people who have been through it, and emerged on the other side wiser, full of grace, and better all around humans. Culp is a great journalist and host, able to make guests feel comfortable enough to talk us through their toughest days, from surviving a terrorist attack, to being kidnapped, to working to keep a violent family member behind bars. After listening, you’ll feel grateful for your own situation, no matter how grave, and be motivated to push through your hardships to a more optimistic place. Kimi donates $2,000 every episode to a nonprofit that is making a difference in the world, so not only is this podcast all about giving thanks for our lives, it’s about giving back with real dollars.