Debbie Millman profiles designers, makers, writers, and educators.
Radiolab, with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, is a radio show and podcast weaving stories and science into sound and music-rich documentaries.
99% Invisible is a tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.
Meditation, Emotional Healing, Spiritual Awakening.
Comedian Catie Lazarus talks to wildly diverse people who do what they love and live, in the least contrived sense of the word, meaningful lives.
Brain Pickings
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a reader and a writer, in that order. I write about what I read – stimulating and timeless ideas across psychology, art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more – on Brain Pickings, which I founded in 2006.
What podcasts do you listen to?
Design Matters with Debbie Millman – fantastic, wide-ranging conversations with notable designers, writers, illustrators, and other creative minds. Favorite episodes: Chris Ware (easily the most brilliant cartoonist working today but notoriously reticent – this is his most honest, deepest interview by far); Terry Teachout (the Wall Street Journal’s tremendously engaging drama critic); Sophie Blackall (one of the best children’s illustrators of our time); Jake Barton (transforms museums and public spaces, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, into incredible storytelling experiences); Wendy MacNaughton and Caroline Paul (artist-writer creative duo and couple).
Radiolab – Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich have not only forever changed science storytelling, but have also created a whole new genre of radio unto itself. Favorite episodes: The Man Behind the Maneuver (Heimlich, that is – who is still alive and a fascinating nut); Speedy Beet (how Beethoven kept pushing his listeners’ psychological limits); Rodney Versus Death (absolutely fascinating story about rabies).
99% Invisible – Roman Mars does for design what Radiolab has done for science, only he makes it all his own and all wonderful, infusing the minute, obscure, and esoteric details of everyday life with tremendous interestingness. Favorite episodes: I Heart NY, TM (about the copyright absurdities around Milton Glaser’s iconic I♥NY); Nobel Effort (about the little-known layout artist who made Looney Tunes what they are); A Series of Tubes (the rise and fall of pneumatic tubes in the age of electronic communication).
Tara Brach – remarkable mindfulness teacher based in DC. She has changed – saved, even – my life. The podcast consists of live recordings of her classes – hour-long lectures about the philosophies and tenets of mindfulness, and half-hour guided meditations. A good place to start is her four-part introductory series, which covers the basics of mindfulness as a psychoemotional tool for well-being.
Employee of the Month – comedian Catie Lazarus talks to wildly diverse people who do what they love and live, in the least contrived sense of the word, meaningful lives. Some great episodes: The inimitable Rachel Maddow; Studio360‘sKurt Andersen; Jezebel founder Anna Holmes; The New York Times’ David Carr; feminist icon Gloria Steinem.
How do you listen to podcasts?
Always with headphones. Mostly at the gym. Often while commuting on my bike (not recommended for the traffic-safety-cautious or, well, the sane) or on the subway. Occasionally on flights.
