Up First from NPR - Your Next Great Listen

Episode Date: November 30, 2025

Are you searching for your next favorite podcast? With an endless queue of options, it can be hard to choose. That’s where Lauren Gonzales, co-writer of the Pod Club newsletter, can help. The Pod Club newsletter aims to cut through the clutter and help you decipher what’s worth listening to. Sign up for the newsletter here: npr.org/podclub.Podcasts featured in this episode:It’s Been A Minute: The key to thriving later in lifeLife Kit: Overwhelmed by your smartphone?Close All Tabs from KQEDSpooked: The Thin PlaceThroughline: Does America Need a Hero?Operation Night Cat from NHPRA Whole Other Country from Marfa Public RadioOur Common Nature from WNYCLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is the Sunday story from Up First. Before we get started today, a lot of listeners have been asking how can they support the show? And there is a super easy, totally free thing you can do, and it takes literally two minutes. Go into the podcast app where you're listening right now and rate and review this show. That's it. Doing that helps other people find up first, and that helps keep us going. Thank you so much. Now, if you're like me, your podcast queue is always overflowing with options,

and it seems like there are new podcasts launching every day. But deciphering what's actually worth listening to, that can be a challenge. And that's where NPR's Pod Club newsletter comes in. It just launched this summer. So I sat down with one of the writers, Lauren Gonzalez, to get to know more about this new offering that's, dedicated to bringing you hand-picked podcast recommendations. Lauren Gonzalez, welcome to the podcast.

Hi, thank you for having me. Yeah, so can you explain, like, what's the origin of Pod Club? How and why did it get started? So Pod Club actually started within NPR first. I think a lot of people expect podcasters to be always excited and totally up to date on what all the podcast launches are, but we struggle as much as everyday listeners do too. And so we started Pod Club actually as a Slack channel to give producers, editors, reporters a chance to connect to the joy of audio again.

And so it became almost our online water cooler station. And it led to so many things. We had book club style podcast discussions, and we would be sharing our favorite recommendations. And we made a decision that we really wanted to bring, this fandom and curiosity to our listeners and readers as well so that they could be enjoying and fan-girling about podcasts as much as us. So how do you even begin to decide which ones make the cut for a newsletter?

Yeah. So at Pod Club, we really start with the personal, you know. I think about, you know, just even in my own personal life, the podcast that I'm really excited to share are the ones that have connected with me. because of where I'm at with my life, what I'm wrestling with, or just what I'm curious about. And so we really start there. I had a few weeks ago I was listening to this episode of It's Been a Minute. It's like after a certain age, women's health disappears from public discourse.

And that's despite the fact that approximately 2 million women in the U.S. go through paramenopause each year. It was all about the murkiness of menopause. And it really made me think about my mom's own journey. journey with menopause a few years back and how hard that was for her and for us as a family, but it really led her to rediscovering herself and new passions that she didn't even know she had, like a newfound appreciation and talent for art. I also wrote about an episode from Life Kit, which was all about tips and tricks for using your phone less, which I'm really looking

to find ways to break habits there. And so that is just kind of a way that we are curating, just starting with the personal, what's on our mind, and what episodes are helping us better understand the world around us. Well, why is it so important to kind of guide your audience to these podcasts in particular? Well, I, you know, I think we're all struggling right now with an overload of information, whether it's on our screens. I mean, mainly it's on our screens, right? But I think that we're inundated with misinformation,

basically, like, we don't know how to parse through what we're going to enjoy, you know? And decision fatigue. There's decisions fatigue. You don't want to make any more decisions. Yeah. And I think that at some point, the Internet and the algorithm became our go-to for just getting any sort of content. And I think we're all missing the times in which a friend or a family member would just tell you, hey, I really loved this podcast episode. And so we want to be your stand-in friend to really, again, pick some of the gems that might not be ones that pop up on your feed but are still really worth a listen. They're the episodes that make you want to take the long way home, right? Those often get lost and we want you to give it a listen. What have you learned about NPR listeners from putting

this newsletter together? I mean, I think that podcasts and newsletters both benefit from a sort of intimate relationship with your audiences, you know, audiences want to hear from us, but we also want to hear from them. In our newsletter, we always put a question out to our readers, something that sparked some of our curiosity after listening to an episode, and we kind of want to hear back from them. And we've been really surprised with some great responses. Our readers have shared dinner party tricks, some favorite fun facts. I actually had a person who wrote back to me after I shared my thoughts on digital minimalism, and they thanked me for reminding them not to buy a cell phone.

I guess they have gone many years without a cell phone. We're sort of reconsidering it, listen to the LifeKit episode, and decided not to make that purchase, which is I'm glad that she and I both really benefited from that listen. Yeah. My goodness. Well, you know, look, I love Life Kit,

but I also love my phone, but, you know, more power to the people who are trying to be minimal, minimalist. Fair enough. For the record, I kept my phone too, but I enjoyed the listen. When we come back, Lauren offers some personalized recommendations for your next podcast. Listen. What memories will your loved ones cherish when you're gone? At Dignity Memorial, the details aren't just little things, they're everything. They help families create meaningful celebrations of life with professionalism and compassion.

To find a provider near you, visit DignityMemorial.com. This message comes from TED Talks Daily, a podcast from TED, bringing you new ideas every day through TED Talks and conversations. Learn about the ideas shaping humanity, from connecting with your inner monologue to finding out of aliens exist. Listen to TED Talks Daily. This is Iro Glass. On this American life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy, David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant turn. And it did take me a while to realize it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right, because the monkey pressed the button.

Surprising stories every week, wherever you get your podcast. We're back with Lauren Gonzalez of the Pod Club newsletter talking about, you know, finding your next favorite podcast. So, Lauren, what's on your radar right now? Are there any hidden gyms that we need to know about? Yeah. Oh, I've got so many gyms for you. Are you ready? Yes, yes.

So I'd love to recommend close all tabs. It comes from KQED, which is one of our member stations from. California. This is a tech show, but you don't have to be a techie to like it. It's really for listeners who are curious about how tech shapes our lives and our world. And they really cover so much ground, how tech has transformed the war in Ukraine, how you should feel about AI slop, and how there are still really some online communities out there that spark joy and curiosity. That it's not all doom and gloom on the internet. Okay. And so, you know, I know that people have lot of different interests. I have certain interests. So I was wondering if you had any

podcast, you know, dealing in the horror space or with comics or anything like that. I love Marvel and DC. What do you have along those lines? I have a couple of things and I have to say this is such a fun challenge for me. I love being like a little podcast curating machine on the spot. It's very fun. Okay, so if you love horror, which I know you do, I would recommend the classic Spooked, also from KQD. It is definitely for the people who love the paranormal and the unbelievable, unexplainable. But I think even if that's not your jam, you're going to love the storytelling here. I feel like Spooked is the kind of podcast that you want to just press play when you're just around a campfire with friends and just listen.

I'm going to have you start with the episode, The Thin Place. This is about a paramedic who can save lives and can also see dead people. Let me give you a little snippet of that. I was standing at the foot of her bed and there was nurses and firefighters on one side. There was a doctor and some other nurses and maybe some texts on the other. I remember standing there and just feeling this super immense sadness like if you

stand in a cold pool you can feel the weight of the water the cold water on you but it's not covering your entire body that's kind of how it felt I turned and the woman from the car crash was standing just

right behind me and I just I just looked right at her, and she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at herself on the table. Well, leave you on that little teaser. And if you listen, let me know what you think about it. Absolutely. Yeah.

Okay, I heard that you're a Marvel DC Comics fan. Yes, I'm a big, yeah, big comics fan. Okay, I think you're going to really love this one. So earlier this summer, ThruLine, did an episode all about Captain America. Don't be afraid, son. You're about to become one. of America's saviors. Calmly, the young man allows himself to be inoculated with strange seething liquid.

There, it is done. He's changing. They really dive deep into the history of this superhero and how Captain America has really evolved from its, you know, you know, start or its creation during World War II and how, you know, he has symbolized many different things at different points in American culture. And I think they really wrestle with this question of what does it mean to be an American superhero and what it has symbolized throughout American culture. Thank you so much for that, because I, you know, for those two recommendations, so that's giving me, you know, some fodder, some food to, to chew on.

like maybe during the holidays. If people, though, are, like, stranded on their way home for Thanksgiving or want to download something to, like, get them through their holiday travel, what do you recommend that will really, like, hook people or, you know, what's their next great binge listen? Okay, I have three amazing binge-worthy listens for you. So I'm going to start with Operation Nightcat. It's from New Hampshire Public Rican.

and it came out earlier in November. It follows one of the biggest poaching cases in New England's history. And there's a surprising twist and connection to violence that was covered up in the New Hampshire prison system. So I definitely encourage you to listen to that. I've really enjoyed a whole other country from Marfa Public Radio. It's about a midwesterner from the 90s who moves down. South and fights to create his own Republic of Texas. It really is a wild ride. I would also

recommend our common nature. It's from WNYC, and it's hosted by Yo-Yoma. I've been describing it as a cross-country road trip set to his music. He's traveling to Maine and West Virginia and Alaska, and he's connecting with local leaders there who are really taking care of the natural world. and then he plays an accompanying song of his that kind of, you know, feels resonant with the story and the conversations that he's having. So it's really beautiful,

and there is this one episode where he performs alongside Wabanaki musicians to welcome the dawn in Acadia, Maine. And so if you're looking for a beautiful series and a new morning routine, I recommend you listen to that one too. Well, you know, thank you so much for all of these,

recommendations. Absolutely. You know, people are going to have a lot to listen to, and I can't wait to try them out. Great. Yes. Enjoy this, and I hope it fills any holiday lulls during your Thanksgiving. You can subscribe to the Pod Club newsletter at NPR.org slash Pod Club. We also put links to all the podcasts we mentioned in this episode and to the newsletter sign up in the show notes.

This episode of The Sunday Story was produced by Thomas Coltrane with help from Andrew Mambo. Leanna Simstrom edited this episode. The engineer was Jimmy Keeley. The Sunday Story team also includes Justine Yan and Jenny Schmidt. Our executive producer is Irene Noguchi. I'm Aisha Roscoe, and Up First is back tomorrow with all the news you need to start your week. Until then, have a great rest of your weekend. Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks?

Amazon Prime members can listen to Up First sponsor-free through Amazon music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get UpFirst Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org. Public radio is American as Apple Pie. This giving Tuesday is our first without federal funding. And we need you to keep this American tradition alive. Give now at donate.npr.org.