Podcasts are a popular form of entertainment in 2025. Not only is user engagement increasing, but people starting their own podcasts has skyrocketed over the last year or so. Maybe it’s the accessibility, maybe it’s the creativity or freedom. You can multitask and listen to your favourite voices whilst still getting work done – it’ a win-win! Whatever the reason, if you haven’t found a show you listen to on the regular – you are seriously missing out.
Being the host of my own podcast (shameless plug due at the end of this article) and an avid podcast listener, I would consider myself somewhat knowledgeable in the ‘podcast realm’. With that being said, I present you with five (or four, if you consider including my own to be a ‘cop-out’, as a love islander might call it), of what I consider to be some of the best podcasts to listen to right now.
Whether you are looking for something to learn, a safe space or just something to ease the mind, there will be something in here for everyone. So, if you’re not already, by the end of this article you absolutely will be a podcast enthusiast too – watch out, 2025 Spotify Wrapped!
1: The Diary of a CEO – (Stephen Bartlett)
When I’ve mentioned this podcast to different people, notably more males seems to be familiar with it than females. Maybe it’s because, on a surface level, it seems like something for the ‘finance bros’, when, in reality, the lessons I have learnt from their episodes have been invaluable, to say the least. So, both ladies and gents, listen up – because this podcast may be the one to change your life.
The Diary of a CEO is hosted by self-made millionaire, Stephen Bartlett. The likelihood is, you, the reader, are a student in Manchester, maybe living in Fallowfield (more likely than not), and often commute to your lectures by bus. Maybe you are nearing the end of your degree and are starting to feel at a loss of where to go next; entering the adult world seems daunting, right? What if I were to tell you that Stephen Bartlett, successful entrepreneur, podcast host and multi-millionaire, was once very much like you? Living in Withington, enrolled at Manchester Metropolitan University, he wasn’t always this majorly successful CEO. But his story is inspiring, how he built himself from the ground up and persisted in his dreams, showing us that the ‘average’ uni student, like you or I, can genuinely ‘make it’ too – because he, once, was just like us.
In his episodes, we hear from experts in different fields, from nutrition to finance, relationships to businesses, and snippets of anecdotes he includes for how he got to where he is today. You are guaranteed to leave each episode feeling on top of the world; gaining free expert knowledge on how to optimise your sleep, how to reduce toxic social media usage, the science behind its impacts, and more, all to help set you up with the tools you need to become your best CEO. You could very well be cleaning your house, and an hour later have a much clearer idea of how you’re going to get that lifelong business plan up and running.
It is an extremely useful, helpful, and insightful form of content consumption, while also incredibly motivating. So whether you want to kickstart your own company, improve your daily habits, or simply have an interest in the science behind, really, anything you could imagine – this is the podcast for you.
Episode recommendation: Former Netflix CEO: “They’re Lying To You About Hard Work!”
2: The Girls’ Bathroom – (Sophia and Cinzia)
This one is for the girlies at heart. Having come across the Girls’ Bathroom just over a year and a half ago, it’s safe to say I am hooked – and once I get you on it, you will be too.
Picture this: it’s a Friday night, you’re out with the girls, and you happen to stumble into the girls’ bathroom. Emotions are high, thoughts are running wild, and before you know it you’re having a huge debrief on all the latest relationship gossip – but it’s the best vibes.
‘He said what to you?’ – ‘you’re too good for him!’ – within five minutes, you and Sarah are instantly best friends. The girls’ bathroom is a magical place, full of unsolicited, unprofessional advice and the utmost hype woman energy. This is what Sophia and Cinzia emulate every week – but make it more… *demure*.
In their pink bathroom set-up, every Wednesday they are presented with a number of relationship/friendship dilemmas sent in by listeners, and together they break down how best to go about the situation. We get a true representation of the female thought-process, as they go back and forth trying to understand, what is often, the confusing and mysterious inner-workings of a man’s mind, potential solutions, and all around empowering, positive energy. It’s as if you are talking to you’re best friend, hearing the two have a chat and make you giggle; Sophia and Cinzia bring the perfect light-hearted start to your Wednesday morning; or easy-listen wind down for your evening.
Not only are you guaranteed some helpful, girly advice, but they’ll have you crying tears of laughter in no time. Somehow, they always seem to know when to put out the right episodes, and never fail to bring a highlight to your week. I promise you, the girls’ bathroom is the place to be.
Episode recommendation: Boy Talk: Who am I meant to marry??
3: The Comfort Zone – (Ro Mitchell and Jaycie Fry)
In need of a safe space? Somewhere you can go to when you just need to let the weight of the world off your shoulders? Looking for a bit of guidance? The Comfort Zone podcast is the perfect place to start. It’s cosy, it’s welcoming, it’s warm and safe and the most nonjudgmental space you could find. Every week, Ro and Jaycie offer their advice and insights into different struggles one might face; providing, not only solutions but, reassurance that you are never alone, and proof that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
With the beginning of each episode, the co-hosts start with their highs and lows of the last week. They keep a closeness to their audience by showing that they, too, experience hardships, but flip it around by always managing to find positives in the thick of it all.
Throughout their episodes, you might find Ro and Jaycie’s friendship to reflect that with a close friend of your own. Their constant reassurance, support and advice to one another is a mirror of the relationship you have with that ‘safe person’ in your life. The person you feel totally comfortable with, able to open up to without fear of judgement; the person that makes you feel warm. Their relatability and vulnerability is what makes their podcast such a safe place to go to – they do not hide, but in fact celebrate, what it really is to be human, and that mental health is nothing to feel ashamed of.
It’s warm, it’s real, it’s relatable. Even if the specific topic that week doesn’t apply to you, the Comfort Zone is the perfect podcast to have in the background with a nice cup of tea, and make you feel heard.
Episode recommendation: when self care feels hard…
4: The Run-Through with Vogue – (Chioma Nnadi and Chloe Malle)
This one is for all my fellow student-journalists and/or fashion-world-lovers; so listen up! If you want to live that Carrie Bradshaw, Sex in the City life, then this is the podcast for you. Head of British Vogue, Chioma Nnadi, and Vogue.com editor, Chloe Malle, bring us episodes every week about the hottest topics in the Vogue/CondeNast offices. From fashion week behind-the-scenes, to Vogue cover shoots, latest fashion trends and celebrity-insider gossip, this is the ultimate podcast for any aspiring writers.
Every time I listen to one of their episodes, whether on a hot-girl walk or the bus on my way to a lecture, I really feel like I’m embodying that Devil Wears Prada fantasy. But this is Chioma and Chloe help us realise: maybe it’s not so much a fantasy after all…
With Chioma Nnadi being a University of Manchester graduate herself, hearing and being reminded of her success story on the regular is an omen to one of the inspiring messages of this podcast: you can achieve it too. Chioma was once in your very shoes, has reached her dreams and far beyond – the sky really is the limit, so who’s to say you can’t do the same?
One of my favourite episodes so far has been their recent ‘How We Got Our Jobs At Vogue and More…’ – a student journalist’s user manual to getting a kickstart in the journalism industry and a must-listen for advice from some of the best in the industry. Learn from the experts, get their insights, and (if you’re into this sort of thing) use the podcast as a manifestation tactic to get yourself to the big story-lines, fashion week, and that Forbes’ 30 under 30 title. You can do it too.
Episode recommendation: Vogue Editors On Their Favourite Paris Fashion Week Moments
5: Healing Beauty – (Mila Burek)
Of course, I couldn’t write a guide on the best podcasts to listen to without shamelessly plugging my own (although some may call it bias)…
I launched this podcast at the beginning of this academic year, with the aim to give my advice and anecdotes on topics relatable and relevant to being in your 20s – or thereabouts. I want to share my experiences and insights of personal experiences to hopefully help anyone going through something similar; whether that be on navigating university or mental health, solo travel or my thoughts on latest trends.
Having just entered my 20s, I relate to the struggle of not knowing what to do whilst also wanting to do a million things at once. So, I decided to start interviewing guests to talk on the fields they specialise in, the behind-the-scenes of what it took for them to get to where they are today and offering insight into their day-to-day lives. Hopefully, this way, I can offer listeners a better idea on whether the field they are looking at going into is right for them.
I’m bringing you along on my journey of healing, showing you this is a constant ongoing process. While I have my own lessons I have learnt and hope can be of benefit to you, learning is an ongoing, never ending process. Here, we are healing and learning together, as I include your input to some questions of my own in each episode. I want it to feel like a conversation between two friends, navigating what can often be a confusing, unexpected journey called ‘life’… but finding the beauty in it along the way.
Episode recommendation: the reality of being a full-time athlete… all the lore, behind-the-scenes, & is it worth it?
Ultimately, I think what makes a podcast good is its relatability to its audience – something that all of these share in common. Even if its listening to self-made millionaires or writers of Vogue, their backstories, detailing where they came from and got to where they are today, help to wake us up to the reality that our dreams are not as ‘far-fetched’ as we might have convinced ourselves for them to be. It’s safe to say that there is something positive that can be taken from each of these, and room for everyone’s interests… what you choose to learn and take from them, however, is entirely up to you.
