July 26, 2017

My Favorite Podcasts

119 comments

Hi friends! It’s been one of those days so far – you know the kind – basically a comedy of errors. Matt made it half way to the office before I realized he had taken my phone with him by accident, then Ashe threw up all over his car on his way back to bring me my phone (she was with him to go to doggy daycare, which is on his way to work), etc etc. Ashe also nipped our neighbor this morning while we were out on a walk. When we are away from home she’s fine with strangers (basically just scared of them/avoids them), but when we’re at home/near the house she’s REALLY territorial and it’s definitely a problem. We did group puppy training classes with her at a training center nearby and she did really well, but the problems are all when she’s at home and that territorial instinct kicks in, so I think we might need to have someone come in for a one-on-one behavioral session at our house. Any recommendations for dog trainers in the DC area that will come to you for private sessions and specialize in this sort of thing?

Things are looking up now, though – I made it downtown and Matt made it back to work (and dropped Ashe at doggy daycare – Freyja is staying home and getting a walk from my mom later because she’s fine with less constant entertainment) without further incident, and I enjoyed listening to a podcast while on my walk to the metro, as usual!

best podcasts

So – I thought it might be fun today to talk about podcasts, because I have a TON of favorite ones by now and I know you guys probably have some other ones to share that I should check out! I always love getting new podcasts recommendations – the more the merrier. That way I have lots to pick from for my walks depending on my mood! For podcasts that are a series/you need to listen to them in order, I usually commit to one and listen to it all the way through (like the true crime ones). For ones where each episode is a separate entity that can be listened to in any order, I pop in and out depending on what sounds interesting!

My Current Favorite Podcasts:

  • Intuitive/Mindful Eating/Nutrition-Related Podcasts: Food Psych (wonderful for helping with intuitive eating/body confidence), The Psychology of Eating, Body Kindness, The Nutrition Diva’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Eating (short episodes with awesome evidence-based analysis of hot nutrition topics), RD Real Talk, The Love Food Podcast
  • True Crime/Investigative Podcasts (obsessed with this genre of podcasts lately): Missing Richard Simmons, Up and Vanished (I’m listening to this right now – skip the bonus behind the scenes/Q&A episodes and just listen to the main ones or it’s overwhelming), In the Dark, Serial (season 1 – season 2 was not as good), S-Town
  • Blog/Business/Entrepreneur-Related Podcasts: Food Blogger Pro, The Lively Show (a lot about mindfulness and living the life you want to live), Smart Passive Income, Go Strong Podcast (this is from a local personal trainer – he’s interviewing other local DC area entrepreneurs)
  • Running-Related Podcasts: Strength Running, The Runner’s World Show
  • General Interest: NPR’s Hidden Brain, This American Life, 10% Happier with Dan Harris, Dear Sugar

Your turn! What are your current favorite podcasts, either on my list or not?

Oh, and one more request to round out this super random post: for my parent readers, what baby monitor do you recommend? I’m so overwhelmed by the options! I don’t think I want anything too intense that’s going to have me obsessively looking at it all the time, but obviously we want to make sure that we can keep an eye on the baby, too! Thoughts?

So, to recap, thank you in advance for comments regarding one-on-one behavioral dog trainers in the DC area, your favorite podcasts, and baby monitors. Yes, most random post ever. 🙂

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Have a great day guys!

- anne

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119 comments
  • For a baby monitor, we got a foscam, which you sync to your phone so you can watch the baby directly from your phone - so cool! Not the best sound quality but it is cheaper than other baby monitors (which seem to break after a year or so anyways). We have a small house so we can hear her without the monitor.
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    • We also got a Foscam since it was so much cheaper than "baby monitors". We never could get audio working, but we also didn't try very hard since our apartment is small enough that we don't need the audio. Setup was a bit of a pain, but at like 1/4 the cost of a dropcam or regular baby monitor, we get it was definitely worth it overall.
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      • Oh, and I can see the video on my phone when I'm away from home too, unlike a normal monitor. We don't really use this but I thought I'd mention it in case it's helpful.
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  • Got to love those mornings that make you appreciate the less hectic mornings! I listen to all those but I also recommend simple pin podcast - everything you ever wanted to know about how to Pinterest as a blogger lol
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  • Ear Hustle and Stuff You Should Know are two great podcasts not on your list. I love most of those you listed!
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  • I listen to much of the same as you - I would add season 1 of "Off Shore" and "The Accused" to your true crime/investigative list. I also love "Crime Writers On," which discusses crime podcasts/documentaries and updates on cases (like Serial, etc). Now that you are going to be a mom, you should add "Another Mother Runner" to your list. That is the only running podcast I listen to, so I will have to give your running recommendations a try. We just used a simple baby monitor with no video. Not sure if anyone does that anymore, but the video would have made me feel way to paranoid.
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    • Ooo yes I'm almost caught up on "Up and Vanished" and kind of want to continue the True Crime podcast streak - I'll check those out! Another Mother Runner is a good one, too! And yeah I can't decide if a video monitor would be helpful or more stressful...
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      • Hi Anne! We have just used a basic Philips Avent monitor (this one https://www.toddlership.com/products/philips-avent-dect-baby-monitor-1?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=33102677330&gclid=Cj0KCQjw--DLBRCNARIsAFIwR25ltIwpdjsQ31UpLp_zJURihpS1oWfnulk0OpPcNWV4jPIRL0iU9loaAu1WEALw_wcB) for both our babies. Almost everyone gets video monitors but I knew I'd just be staring at it obsessively checking and freaking out if baby was stirring etc. We've had no issues at all. I really feel like video monitors are mostly hindrance as they give you more to worry about, looking at friends who have them (barring preemies and very sick babies, of course). But, like everything with babies, it's a super personal choice and you must do whatever you think is best!
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        • I can't decide if the video option would be helpful or more stressful! Hmmm... thank you for your thoughts!
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  • I absolutely love Podcasts! I don't really have any suggestions. I think most of the one's I listen to you've already mentioned here. Maybe the That's So Maven podcast from Rachel, The Healthy Maven. Hope your day is looking more up now!
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  • We have this monitor: https://www.amazon.com/Infant-Optics-DXR-8-Monitor-Interchangeable/dp/B00ECHYTBI/ref=zg_bs_166870011_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RPS02XY60Q6TDGWYDAQ9 I would go with a video monitor because if you ever intend to allow your baby to self soothe (aka cry without rushing in), it's nice to take a peak and see that they are safe without going into the room and possibly prolonging the process. I relied on the Baby Bargains website and book for lots of product recommendations.
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    • Hm that's a good point about the video option being helpful for the cry it out method!
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    • Second this monitor rec! We have a 6 month old and it's worked well for us so far. Definitely glad we got the video; I don't find I'm paranoid about checking it and actually think it saves me trips from going to check on the baby in person
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      • I echo the video monitor. We let A cry for 3-4 minutes before going in, so with the monitor I can see if we need to attend to her immediately (like she got her leg caught between the crib slats) or if she just lost her paci, and needs a few seconds to find it and go back to sleep. This is the one we have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CZUD4R8?colid=2INZH1BWWB011&coliid=I1VOP5PE6KXKA&ref=br_ADD_TO_CART_title_link
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        • Ditto on this monitor! The video was helpful for knowing when baby was stirring/just being a noisy sleeper versus needing mommy. I probably only 'obsessively' checked the monitor for the first couple weeks then exhaustion set in and I just slept :) Plus we've had for 2+ years and only had to replace the battery once.
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  • We love our motorolla monitor. It has it's own video monitor but also has an app that links to your phone, so you can use that function as well. It's great for traveling. We bring it with us and then can check in on her when we're staying at my parents house but don't feel so tied down to the house when she's napping
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  • If you like NPR podcasts, you should give Invisibilia a try. In terms of baby monitors, we use the iBaby monitor, which is synced to your iPhone (or iPad). I like it, though it does drain your battery so I would recommend keeping a charger nearby.
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    • Invisibilia sounds fascinating - thanks for the rec!
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  • i'm so incredibly obsessed with podcasts lately!! they get me moving (i love going on walks with them) and make my commute a billion times better. i need to try all of your recommendations - my favorites lately have been Almost 30 and Soul on Fire by the Balanced Blonde!
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    • So true with the commuting being way better! My long walk to the metro flies by!
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  • Another great general interest podcast is Risk. The tagline is something along the lines of "real stories you never thought you'd share." Each episode is stand alone and they are essentially a compilation of people sharing life experiences. Some of them are on the wild side, but a lot of them are truly heart wrenching. It's worth a listen, you may just have to find which style of episode you prefer. My preferences are funny, themed like Halloween or holidays, and intense life experience stories.
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    • Ooo sounds up my alley for sure!!
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  • We live out in Old Town Alexandria and have been working with a trainer named Gerson Flores to do in home puppy training. He used to be a part of Old Town School for Dogs and has since started his own business Mandala Dog Training. It has been really helpful to have Gerson come to the house, observe Poppy in her own environment and work with us towards our training goals. I cannot recommend him enough. We also have a cat and its been a challenge, so I've really appreciated your Zara/puppy updates!
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    • Thank you for the recommendation!
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  • Also a huge fan of podcasts! My favorites are Death Sex and Money, HerMoney with Jean Chatzky, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Hidden Brain, Young House Love Has a Podcast, Planet Money, Invisibilia and Freakonomics. My guilty pleasures are Here to Make Friends (a Bachelor / Bachelorette recap show) and The Big Boo Cast (just these two Southern women who chitchat for an hour, but for some reason it's so fun to listen to).
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  • I don't have a recommendation on a dog trainer in the D.C area, but just wanted to share my experience with you in case it's at all helpful. My dog seems very similar to Ashe. She's a rescue and we adopted her when she was around 5 months old. She was pretty skittish (specifically fearful of loud trucks, tall men and some (although not all) other dogs. We did two six week courses of training and it helped with general tricks (sit, stay, leave it, etc.) but did not help with her fearful tendencies. We had someone come to the house and she pretty much told us that our pup probably had bad experiences with trucks, tall men, other dogs, etc. during her "imprinting phase" before we adopted her and that there wasn't a whole lot we could do other than give her treats when she's in "scary" situations and try to avoid those things that scare her. This was all true, btw. She was shipped up to MA from TN in a big truck full of other scared dogs. She's now five years old and we no longer go to dog parks (we can do solo hikes) and I walk to the other side of the street if there's another dog being walked in our neighborhood to avoid confrontations. It's, of course, not ideal. But, for us, once we came to terms with the fact that she just doesn't want to be around other dogs and stopped forcing it (dog parks, play dates, etc.), all of our lives got much better. I think you should totally try a trainer at your house first, but worst case scenario, you can just tell strangers, neighbors, etc. that she's not great with other people and please give her her space - and that's totally OK. Just like people, not every dog is super social. Oh, and favorite podcasts: For running: "I'll have another with Lindsey Hein" and "Ali on the Run". For comedy: "2 Dope Queens" and "Soooo many white guys".
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    • Thankfully Ashe LOVES other dogs - and actually she does a lot better with new people when they have a dog with them, which is cool... and she's scared of but not aggressive with strangers when out and about. But with new people without a dog that come to our house/in her territory, that's the issue. She's also not good at all with kids, which makes me nervous given our impending new addition. I'm hoping we can do something about it, but you're right that it's good to be prepared just in case we can't! Thank you for your thoughts!
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    • Agree with I'll have another! Bold statement but it's my favorite podcast!
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  • I would strongly recommend against getting anything that hooks up to wi-fi or links to your phone. They are very insecure and people can tap into the network easily. It's very creepy, and I thought people were overreacting when I heard this, but one day our baby monitor started picking up a stranger's phone call! It was so, so creepy. We immediately got a new one! We have a levana now and love it.
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    • Yikes that is creepy!!
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  • Sorry to hear about your pup! Our dogs did a similar thing when we moved from St. Louis to Seattle. We had a trainer come to the house and after the first session there was a huge difference. I hope you find a great trainer in D.C. "Invisibilia" is a fascinating podcast and I love their weaving of storytelling and science. If you enjoy "Hidden Brain" this one is right up your alley.
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    • I'm so encouraged by everyone saying that they had success with trainers! Someone else recommended Invisibilia as well and it sounds fascinating - thank you!
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  • We love our Nest cam! Allows you to watch baby on your phone, look back in time to see the history, talk through the microphone etc. Can even check up on them when you're out of the house and someone else is watching baby.
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  • I'm not from DC so can't recommend an at home trainer, but I definitely think you're barking up the right tree (ha! sorry, couldn't resist) :) I've hired at-home trainers for issues with my dogs in the past and it was the best investment. The ones I worked with offered post-meeting email support as well, which was great for all of my random questions. Thank you so much for sharing a podcast list! I'm always looking for new recommendations. Currently I'm loving NPR's How I Built This and Ted's Radio Hour. My most favorite is Young House Love has a Podcast.
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    • I'm so glad to hear you had success with trainers! Gives me hope :) NPR and Ted have such great podcasts. I love Young House Love, too - they are so cute!
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  • We have a Motorola video monitor. My husband is a techie and refused to have a normal monitor with a tiny screen. I thought he was crazy and went along with it but now when I see friends squinting at their hand held monitors I'm really glad we have our large one! It's about the size of a Kindle and you can see things really well. And I'd recommend a Snuza monitor that clips to the diaper for peace of mind! I think it saved my daughter's life one night and recommend it to everyone.
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  • I don't know if she'll come out as far as DC, but April with Core Canine is in Alexandria and she's amazing.
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    • We are in Arlington so I bet that would work! Thank you!
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  • Sorry about your puppy troubles! It's super stressful. I'm not in DC, so can't recommend anyone unfortunately, but the 1:1 training is a great investment. We had someone come to our house before our baby was born and we learned so many tips. It turned out that our dog was sensing that we were anxious when someone came in the house (we were worried he would bark/get aggressive) so he sensed that anxiety and thought "I need to go into protection mode" which is the opposite of what we wanted! It's a vicious cycle. Our trainer helped us change our tactics and make him feel like we were in charge of the situation so he could relax and go off-duty. Also, we have the Infant Optics monitor and it's been great. We wanted something with its own monitor (not a phone) so we wouldn't have to deal with set-up when a babysitter/grandparent would watch her. It's easy to use and the video is so nice to see what's going on in there (especially when the baby gets older and if you're doing sleep training - I always want to run in at the first sound I hear but now I look at the monitor and see that she is sucking her thumb and trying to get back to sleep on her own).
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    • That gives me hope that you had success with a trainer! I'll check out the infant optics monitor, too - thanks!
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  • Glad your morning smoothed out. Thanks for the podcast ideas, I had been looking for some new ones.
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  • I love podcasts for runs and walks! My current fave is "I'll Have Another" by Lindsey Hein. It's kind of running focused (Lindsey is a runner and a lot of her guests are runners) but she also has other athletes, entrepreneurs, and just generally interesting people on the show. I always save that one as a treat on my long runs!
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    • Sweet, just subscribed!
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  • In addition to those already mentioned, I recommend The Birthful Podcast (great for pregnancy and baby). Also Call Your Girlfriend (politics and pop culture from a feminist perspective), The Broad Experience (working women stuff), The Longest Shortest Time (parenthood). Unrelated, I also want to recommend the novel Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Takes place in 1820s Iceland and based on true story. I just read it and given your recent trip you might like it!
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    • Awesome just added that book and those podcasts to my list!
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  • I don't know what your political beliefs are, but Pod Save America is one of my current faves. It definitely leans left, but maybe living in DC, you'd be entertained either way??!!
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    • Ooo yes I like that one, too!
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  • I love podcasts! I've actually been trying out new ones this week because I'm all caught up on the ones I like and am waiting for my next Audible credit. I'm excited to try the ones you listed! I love Happier with Gretchen Rubin, Happier in Hollywood, and I just started listening to Side Hustle, which I really like so far too.
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  • I have two monitors, and am glad I have 2. The brand is not super important, because I think both aren't fabulous, but I basically have one monitor that is wi-fi enabled that I can use on my phone, and a separate monitor that is a standard video monitor. The wifi one is pretty cool, but I have a nanny and babysitters, and I wouldnt want them to have access to the wifi one (on their phone) because they would basically be able to look into our home at ANY time. Hence why we like to have 2!
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    • That's smart to have two versions!
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  • I thought I was the kind of mom who didn't need to see her kid on a monitor (just an old fashioned sound monitor for me), but I kicked myself for not getting a video one. In fact with baby number 2, I will most definitely buy a video monitor. It is lovely to see if baby is fussing with eyes closed, broken out of a swaddle, has a leg in the rails, is standing up hollering at the side and so on. I would have loved to know how long she could wait before I went in there. (I know you can tell by the crying, but visual cues help) My friend could actually speak into her monitor and tell her toddler to lie down, or that she was coming right there, which was super neat and my friend loved the feature.
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  • I love hearing about what podcasts other people are listening to! I've added In the Dark and Food Blogger Pro. You and I listen to quite a few of the same podcasts.
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  • I've fallen in love with podcasts recently! A couple of my favorites that you didn't list are: "Terrible, Thanks for Asking" (does not need to be listened to in order), "The Bright Sessions" (which does need to be listened to serially), "Homecoming" (serial), "Criminal" (not serial and based on your other favorites, I think you'd really like this one), and "Wrongful Conviction" (not serial). I'm going to check out "Food Psych" and "In the Dark" right now!
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    • The description for "Terrible, thanks for asking" is so good! Excited to check out all of these, actually - great recs!
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  • Hi! So sorry to hear you're going through that with puppy. My husband and I got a puppy this spring and he has issues with resource guarding. (I had never heard of it, but after doing a ton of research, we learned that it's pretty common). We had him in a group puppy class in Mclean, VA and they recommended a behavior specialist as well. We've been working with Kathleen at The Diplomatic Dog and I highly recommend her. She is wonderful!! http://www.thediplomaticdog.com Hop this helps! Hang in there. Working with a trainer one on makes a huge difference!
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    • Awesome, thank you for the rec!
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  • The Humane Rescue Alliance is a local humane society with wonderful programs. I'm not from DC but familiar with their work as someone also in animal welfare, and I would be confident to say that they would offer great services for behavior issues.
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    • Thank you for the tip!
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  • Old Town School for Dogs and Fur Get Me Not both do private in home training. I've never worked with Old Town School for Dogs, but I took my dog to Fur Get Me Not for group classes there. The thing I liked about their trainers is they try to give you the information and tools you need to keep up the training on your own. None of these things will be fixed in a handful of sessions, so it's nice that they try to help you get long term results.
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    • I'll look into those, thank you!
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  • My husbands really in to podcasts and i like to listen when we're in the car together. I need to get more in to them myself. They'd be great to listen to when I'm on a walk with my daughter and she falls asleep. This is a great starting point!
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  • Can't believe I'm the only one commenting here who is obsessed with the My Dad Wrote A Porno podcast! It's hilarious - as in, tears of laughter on the way to work funny. I also love No Such Thing As A Fish and Stuff You Missed in History Class. Happy listening :)
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    • Yesss to My Dad Wrote A Porno - I binged through the first season and it was hilarious.
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    • Omg, I have listened to that podcast before! It's HILARIOUS!
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  • We didn't have a monitor and it all worked out. When they are little little they don't go many places :)
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    • I do wonder about just doing that approach - I mean, clearly monitors are a new thing and for the most part people were fine without them, right?! The only problem is our upstairs is really hard to hear from downstairs, so that makes me nervous.
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  • We just got a German Shepard puppy and I have been doing some research on dog trainers. The one that comes highly recommended is Off Leash K-9. They have offices in Northern VA. They cost a small fortune but supposedly have a 100% guarantee. I have signed up for the puppy training and am considering their 2 week program. As far as a baby monitor, I have not used one in years, but I can tell you, sometimes with all this stuff the simpler the better. Too many bells and whistles and it is a pain in the ass. When your are tired and stressed...you want simple. Not something you need an engineering degree or 3 pages of instructions to figure out. Just my 2 cents :)
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    • Thank you for the tips - I appreciate it! :) Totally agree simple is good!!
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  • My friends and I were all just talking about how we listen to podcasts more often than music now (and we're all HUGE music lovers). I listen to pretty mindless ones though... Sword and Scale-- if you like true crime! Doug Loves Movies--comedian Doug Benson has a panel of 3 or 4 guests (usually fellow comedians/actors) and they play movie trivia games. I LOVE it. Again With This--2 women are rewatching and critiquing the original Beverly Hills 90210. Happy Sad Confused--Josh Horowitz is one of my fave celebrity interviewers!
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    • These sound awesome, thank you!
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  • Get the Nest instead of a baby monitor - it's way better! We got it with baby #3 and love it.
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    • We'll look into that!
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  • My favorite podcasts are In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg on BBC radio 4 for history, culture, literature discussions on a particular topic with a panel of professors (it's not for everyone, lol, but I've learned a lot from it!) and Game of Owns for Game of Thrones analysis ;) heh ;)
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    • Ooo I'll have to check out Game of Owns!!
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  • Sword and Scale is my favorite crime podcast. Definitely on the darker side , but very interesting!
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    • Sounds fascinating!
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  • Anne, I think you would really like How I Built This by NPR - really cool stories about how companies got started - like Five Guys, Patagonia, Spanx, etc. Also, How to be Amazing by Michael Ian Black is also good for fun, interesting interviews. And of course Fresh Air by NPR is the best. And Tina Muir's new podcast, Running for Real, is good! Praying you are feeling good! Loved your giving up running post - you are a very good role model for us to listen to our bodies and society's pressure.
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    • I keep meaning to subscribe to How I Built This - I'll do that now! The others sound good, too - thank you! And I appreciate the kind words :)
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    • Also, it's insane how many podcasts NPR has! They are crushing it - all so good!
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      • Haha. Yeah, NPR can be overwhelming, but you know because they are from NPR, they are high quality (esp. Fresh Air!). Thanks for this post and conversation. I love seeing what other people like and new things to check out. Podcasts are the best thing ever! Alec Baldwin has one too on NPR (http://www.npr.org/podcasts/452538242/here-s-the-thing-with-alec-baldwin) that is pretty good too. Ok, we must stop before we go down the rabbit hole too far (like youtube). Oh and Planet Money is really good too! Really interesting stories although sounds boring - it is actually really great. Ok, for real, I'm going. :)
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        • Matt really likes Planet Money and I've listened to it with him before - it is really good! I'll have to check out their other ones too!
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  • Love the podcast one bad mother! I am expecting my first and have loved the mom stories and humor
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  • For baby #2 I stumbled on this awesome site - https://www.babygearlab.com/ - I bought whatever monitor they recommended and it was great! I've found their other reviews super helpful as well.
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    • Sweet, I'll check it out!
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  • Thanks for all the podcast suggestions! I'm always looking for new ones. I listen to quite a few of the nutrition/food ones you listen to (also an RD) as well as the Runner's World podcast. I recently started listening to I'll Have Another with Lindsey Hein (she's a run coach and interviews other runners and athletes) as well as Another Mother Runner (I'm not a mom, yet, but they have lots of interesting interviews as well). Both are entertaining and interesting. Also, if you like home stuff "Young House Love Has a Podcast" is entertaining and useful! And A Couple Cooks is a fun one too with short episodes. How I Built This is really interesting for a business owner and I find it fascinating to hear how people built thriving businesses from the ground up. Good luck with the puppies! We have a 10 month old golden retriever and he is adorable but also full of energy and requires lots of training. The hard work does pay off. You're brave to take on two new ones at once!
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    • Thank you Sarah! :)
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  • I love having a video monitor. My son will be 3 in October and we still use it. I like to see if he's out of bed, what he's doing if he starts crying, etc. This is the one we have. It's pretty basic and affordable. Has the video, you can hear the baby/kid and you can actually talk through the monitor. That part is kind of creepy. But my husband and I have used it when he's upstairs in our son's room and I'm downstairs and we're trying to communicate. Better than yelling up the stairs. :) My son was super creeped out by that feature at first and now thinks it's hilarious! https://www.target.com/p/summer-infant-clear-sight-digital-video-baby-monitor/-/A-14957029
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  • We have the Motorola video monitor. I find it very useful for naps and when they are first going to sleep. If you are going to let baby self soothe some, then I think it is worth the peace of mind to see them in the monitor. Past a year I really don't use a at night since our rooms are so close and I can hear the baby easily.
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  • In the entrepreneurial category, you might like How I Built This! Guy Roz is the host of TED Radio Hour (also excellent) and hosts How I Built This, where they talk to entrepreneurs who build their businesses from the ground up. The episodes on Southwest Airlines, Spanx, Aden + Anais, and Drybar are all stand out episodes!
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    • I just subscribed to that - sounds great!
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  • I am a podcast addict - so I read all the comments above just for the recommendations! Some podcasts that I love and not previously mentioned are: The Popcast; What should I read next?; NPR's - 1A; Pantsuit Politics ( 2 women who aim for a lot of nuance); Nutrition Matters; The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivy! For audiobooks, I just discovered Playster which is an app with a plan to just listen to unlimited books each month for price of 1 book on other services! Happy listening!
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  • Hi! I can't recommend the DC Dog Wizard enough! ( http://dcdogwizard.com ) My dog didn't struggle with the same issues, but was very aggressive to other dogs and had some serious separation anxiety. We took him to Scott ( DC Dog Wizard) last year ( he was 7 years old). Scott uses an e-collar with adult dogs, which I know isn't for everyone, but I don't think he uses one with puppies. He does in home trainings or a bootcamp-like program where he takes the dog for 2 weeks. Scott will come out to your house for a free consultation and talk to you about options. It was definitely an investment, but my husband and I both agree we should have done it years ago! If you have any questions let me know!
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    • I'll check it out - thank you!
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  • Oh! And my favorite podcast is The Weeds, by the crew at Vox. Very very in-depth look at policy, incredibly enlightening and very snarky.
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  • I'm currently loving That's So Maven by the Healthy Maven; I also love Blissful Bites podcast and for a while was on RunnersConnect Run to the Top but haven't listened to it in a while.
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  • Zen Parenting Radio is my absolute favorite; it's mostly about self awareness and how that relates to relationships. Otherwise The Dinner Party Download, Radio Lab, and This American Life... I used to have a 1 hour commute to work and podcasts saved me!
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    • I'll have to check out these recs... Zen Parenting sounds interesting!
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  • LOVE podcasts! so many of your nutrition picks are on my list too! I also love Happier with Gretchen Rubin and Death, Sex, and Money (which i think is also NPR?) is really good - random controversial (or just juicy) stories and interviews
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    • Ooo sounds interesting!
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  • David's (The Healthy Maven) podcast That's So Maven is AWESOME, and honestly deals with everything health and blogging and girl bossing. She has awesome guests and awesome conversations, and I've learned and taken away so much. She interviewed other bloggers, Instagram personalities, skincare founders, entrepreneurs, etc. and I always finish feeling so inspired. Another fave is Georgie's (In It 4 The Long Run) Chasing Joy Podcast, which is just super positive and also talks about similar topics, always with an emphasis on positivity. This one has a lot of a 20-something focus, but I think it's awesome for anyone!
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    • Lol, and by David I meant Davida (stupid autocorrect!), sorry!
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    • I've been meaning to check out Davida's! I'll subscribe to that now so I remember to peruse it - thanks! I'll check out the other one too!
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  • I have a Motorola monitor that I love. Not sure which one exactly, but it's the basic video monitor that doesn't connect to the phones. We tried one that connected to our phones but it was a hassle and the monitor didn't pick up that well either. The basic Motorola video monitor has a good picture and is super easy to use. Not a lot going on, which I like. And I just don't want to be able to see him from my phone if I'm gone. It keeps me from being obsessive.
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    • Yeah I agree... that would be hard to stop looking at!
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  • Not a podcast, but I just finished watching the documentary What the Health, and if you've seen it I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!
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    • I haven't watched or heard of that - sorry! I'll look it up and see if it's something I'd be interested in checking out!
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  • Definitely second the recommendation for Criminal podcast! It's produced locally (to me) in NC by WUNC out of Durham/Chapel Hill and has some really interested stories/cases. Some terrifying, some just funny!
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    • Oh cool! I didn't realize it was produced in my old stomping grounds!
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  • I need to get with the times, because I have never listened to a podcast before ? I may have to check some of these out! I do love my video monitor, we have the Summer Infant Dual View Video Baby Monitor. I like that I can see what my almost 3 yo son is doing and the baby. My son has torn up books before so it's been good to keep an eye on him during nap time, because sometimes if he's quiet it's never good.
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    • Haha yeah that's like with the dogs... we're like "uh oh, it's too quiet right now..."
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  • NPR's Morning Edition is always great. And Freakonomics is also very stimulating!
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    • Yes, agree with both of those!
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  • So glad to hear how much you're investing in Ashe to ensure a happy life for everyone. Especially before baby comes. Even if she isn't good with kids, she may be very different with your baby, since it will be "her" baby too. Definitely send home a hat or swaddle the baby uses in the hospital before the meeting, and be sure she has a safe place you can send her to when baby arrives (our dog has a bed in the main living area of his house we send him to when we sense he or our toddlers need space). I'm sure whatever trainer you find will help with that adjustment. As for podcasts, have you heard of Pregtastic? It is a very informative, fun to listen to pregnancy blog. I also love The Moth.
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    • Thank you LM! Here's hoping we can get everything sorted out before the baby comes. I think you're right it will probably be okay with our baby... but I'm worried about having other people's kids over. She has a crate that she loves so that's helpful, but I don't want to always have to worry about her/crate her when people come over. Talking to all sorts of trainers this week about moving forward with one-on-one sessions, so we'll see - stay tuned! I'll check out those podcasts, too!
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  • Thanks for sharing your podcasts. I too love several podcasts you had mentioned, so, it seems we have similar "taste" in audibles. :) I subscribed to a couple podcasts you mentioned. Currently, I am loving and listening to Missing Richard Simmons! So interesting!
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    • I was obsessed with that podcast!! So good!
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  • Hi Anne! I love The Model Health Show -- it's amazing and full of great stuff, not to mention the host, Shawn Stevenson, is great. I got to meet and interview him a few times, and he is worth the listen! :)
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    • Cool, I'll check it out!
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