5 Podcasts Exploring Personal Identity & Cultural Journeys šŸŒ

A curated list of podcasts exploring the intricate layers of identity, cultural transitions, and personal transformation

Welcome, new subscribers! And greetings to my long-time readers. Iā€™m jazzed to have you back here for another week of podcast recommendations. I share a list in this newsletter each edition curated by someone new, which means I rarely tell you what Iā€™m loving. So this week, I want you to click on this link and listenā€¦even if you donā€™t consider yourself a sports person or a basketball fanšŸ€

Letā€™s meet this weekā€™s EarBuds curatorā¬‡ļø

Iā€™ve always been intrigued by the concept of identity and how it develops and evolves uniquely for each person over time and with each experience.

Throughout my childhood, I had to move a lot. [I] lived in Algeria, Mali, the Ivory Coast, France, and then immigrated to Louisiana [U.S.]. I kept reinventing myself each time. How I chose to redefine myself was something curious, especially within differing cultural contexts.

Rhym GuissƩ, EarBuds curator July 2025

Podcast picks, curated by Rhym GuissƩ

Charlie's Place podcast cover art

Charlie's Place

At the height of segregation, when everywhere else was divided, Black and white people danced together to the biggest R&B acts of the time at Charlieā€™s Place.

How was this possible? And who was the mythic proprietor of this mythic space?

The Why Factor? podcast cover art

The Why Factor

Mike Williams talks with the playwright and actress Sarah Jones about what it is like to grow up in a family with so many different national identities.

Still Processing podcast cover art

Still Processing

Hosts J. Wortham and Wesley Morris dive into the complexities of being biracial in America, starting with the historical unease around Blackā€“white interracial relationships and how films like Get Out capture that discomfort.

The hosts explore the identity struggles of biracial individuals, asking whether dual identity is a gift, a burden, or something in between. All this while unpacking pop culture, politics, and personal experiences along the way.

Invisibilia podcast cover art

Invisibilia

Alix Spiegel explores the science of personality, from how it shapes our behavior to how it can be changed.

A seasoned psychotherapist shares how cognitive behavioral therapy has helped prisoners transform their lives, while author Annie Murphy Paul challenges the validity of personality tests, comparing them to Tarot readings, revealing why, despite their flaws, we canā€™t seem to resist them.

TED Radio Hour podcast cover art

TED Radio Hour

Psychologist Steven Pinker explains how human identity is shaped by the interplay between our genetic makeup and our environment, rejecting the idea of a "blank slate," while emphasizing that both nature and nurture matter.

He illustrates this through compelling examples, like separated identical twins, showing how much of who we are is inherited, yet also highlighting the surprising ways life experiences and chance mold our personalities.

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Community

šŸŽ™ļøElectric Futures, a USC podcast that focuses on the people and communities on the frontlines of the energy transition, launched season two: ā€œYour Community, Electrified.ā€

šŸš˜In Late Great Classics, host Jon Ruhff, a classic car owner himself, dives deep with industry experts, builders, and die-hard enthusiasts to uncover what makes these machines legendary.

šŸ“£RSS.com launched PAID, a new programmatic advertising feature that makes it easier than ever for RSS.com podcasters to start earning revenue automatically. Programmatic Ads Inserted Dynamically.

šŸ’–In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell recommends Brave Little State. She writes: ā€œVermont Public sets out to answer, via beautiful storytelling, the questions real people are sending in. Episodes tell stories of not just Vermont, but Vermont people. Itā€™s like weā€™re listening in on a town hall.ā€œ

šŸ“–On the EarBuds Blog: Tosin Sulaiman shares five podcast recommendations for Disability Pride Month and in honor of the 35th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Podcast news from Podnews

  • TIME has published its 100 Best Podcasts of All Time. Eliana Dockterman wrote about how she chose the list ā€” ā€œsorting out who can conduct an insightful interview or piece together a compelling monologue.ā€

  • Mother Jones published a profile of conservative podcaster Shawn Ryan, who has one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S., and more than 4.6 million followers on YouTube.

  • Nielsen says that YouTube posted a new record of 12.8% of all TV usage in the U.S., partially driven by school-aged audiences. Netflix also benefited from this annual summer increase, reaching the #3 slot for the first time. The data is also affected by the lack of sports during June.

Spotlight

Oceanography podcast cover art

Oceanography is a marine science podcast exploring the latest ocean research, climate science, and environmental discoveries. From whale communication and underwater soundscapes to sustainable fishing gear and microplastic pollution, the show dives deep into the science shaping our understanding of the worldā€™s oceans.

You'll learn about deep sea ecosystems, endangered species protection, and the powerful connections between ocean health and life on land.

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