my favourite podcasts.

For a really long time, I refused to listen to podcasts. I'm a visual person, I said. I can't concentrate, I said. I don't have time, I said. 

And then my favourite blogger Elise* started a podcast and I had to listen. How could I not? If Elise has a podcast, I guess I'll tryyyy, I said. 

And so a podcast listener was born. 

And now I have a few favourites (and yes, I talk in "ands"): 

Elise Gets Crafty - Obviously this had to make the top of the list. Elise mainly talks about blogging, business, and creativity. I blog, but I'm not a business owner, and I don't consider myself to be very creative. And yet I'm excited every Wednesday morning to hear a new episode. I love Elise's take on things; she and her guests always leave me feeling inspired. 

The Joy the Baker Podcast - I only recently started listening to this show, hosted by Joy Wilson and Tracy Benjamin, but I'm already a huge fan. You guys, they're hilarious! I can't even tell you what they talk about because it seems like they talk about everything—blogging, life, hilarious things on the internet, penises. (It's true, I only started listening a few episodes ago and penises have been mentioned in the last two.) Yup. If you like laughing and hanging out with girlfriends, this podcast is for you. 

The Sarah R. Bagley Podcast - Sarah's tagline is "a recovering perfectionist's guide to a B+ life" so of course I'm a fan. I've always been a perfectionist and now, partly because of Sarah's blog and podcast, I see the virtue in allowing myself to relaaaax. Or to try to, anyway. Every time I listen to Sarah interview a guest, I feel like I'm grabbing coffee with a couple of friends. See? Relaaaax.

The Lively Show - Also a podcast with an interview format, Jess and her guests talk about everything from wellness and relationships to blogging and careers. Each episode has something in common though: living with intention. After listening, I always feel more purposeful and take away a new idea for how I can live a better life. 

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In case you're like me and think you can't focus or don't have enough time to listen to podcasts, here are a couple thoughts: 

1. Find a podcast you love! People had recommended podcasts to me over the years, but none of them ever really caught my interest. It took a podcast by someone I already knew, about topics I was already interested in, to get me hooked. (Now that I am hooked though, I might go back and try some of the suggestions given to me before.)

2. Multitask! I listen to podcasts while I'm making coffee and breakfast in the morning, while I'm putting make-up on and getting dressed, or while I'm doing mindless tasks around the apartment. I can't read while doing these things, but I can sure as heck listen. Sure, I might miss a second or two of a show, but if the conversation's about something I'm really into, I'll take a short break from the other thing I'm doing and give my full attention to the show, or I can always listen to that part later. (And you know what I remembered? Back in high school I used to love listening to talk radio shows while I got ready for school in the mornings!)

Do you have any podcast recommendations for me? Let me know if you listen to any of these!

*Technically I should write "my favourite blogger, Elise," but this is literally what I say when talking about her to friends—"My favourite blogger Elise..." all in one breath, as if that was her name, haha.