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Welcome in! For those who don’t know me, I’m Arielle Nissenblatt, founder of this joint. I live and breathe podcasts so that I can help you find your next listen. The whole shtick of this newsletter is that each week is curated by a different person — anyone can curate a list (submit here) — which means I rarely share what I’ve been listening to. Correcting that here! — see this week’s listening history😉
With that, I’ll get on with it. This issue of EarBuds is curated by Chris Baron, host of No Ordinary Monday, a show with a fascinating premise. There’s an episode for everyone!
Happy listening!
If this newsletter has ever rescued you from scrolling aimlessly through podcast apps by introducing you to a show, you can support it here.
5 Podcast Episodes with Wild On-The-Job Stories
These podcast episodes, along with their descriptions, were curated and written by our curator, Chris Baron.
1) Ologies with Alie Ward
This episode dives into the world of volcano scientists, who risk their lives studying some of the most unpredictable forces on Earth.
Jess Phoenix’s field stories — lava bombs, toxic gases, and narrow escapes — pretty much hit the bullseye for crazy career stories.
2) No Ordinary Monday
This episode captures a real life nightmare: a paramedic thrust into the chaos of the Lockerbie plane crash.
Tony Bonnar was among the first responders to arrive and face the carnage. It’s the kind of insane career story that shows how ordinary people can find themselves at the centre of extraordinary events.
3) Pipeline
This opening episode of 39 Hours recounts the shocking true story of professional divers who were sucked hundreds of feet into an oil pipeline — a disaster so surreal and terrifying it barely seems possible.
It’s a visceral reminder of just how dangerous some careers can be.
4) Snap Judgment
“The Mercenary” episode of Snap Judgment follows a man whose work drags him into the darkest, most volatile corners of the world, and the moral lines he has to navigate are as intense as the danger itself.
5) Radiolab
I chose “Hello” from Radiolab because it captures one of the most surreal, dream-like career stories I’ve ever heard of — living and working alongside a dolphin in close quarters, blurring the line between home and animal training.
It’s the kind of strange, brave life most of us can’t imagine, and it opens a window into a world where work and reality collapse into something extraordinary.
I picked these podcasts because I’m drawn to stories about the wild, brave, and sometimes downright unbelievable things people do in the line of work. Whether it’s a diver trapped in a pipeline, a scientist risking their life in the field, or a paramedic running toward disaster, these shows capture the grit, courage, and humanity behind extraordinary careers.
They make me feel connected to people who choose to step up when it really counts — and that’s the kind of storytelling I love. There are superheroes out there, and most of the time we never get to hear about them, and celebrate them — but in these podcasts, we can.
Thank you to our new supporters: Oswin from Trapped History, Hilary, Randi, Fallon, Oran, Tamar, and Edward!
If you have a podcast recommendation that you think we should share (or you want to suggest your own show), all you need to do is fill out this form. Get priority consideration by becoming a supporter of EarBuds.
Community
📣 In Podcast The Newsletter, Lauren Passell writes… If you haven’t listened to anything on The Big Dig feed, you’re in for a treat. There are two full seasons there, one on infrastructure and one on gambling, and a third season, about fishing and regulation, is dropping now. Catch the Codfather.
🐱 What is Audio Flux and how can you get involved? Find out here.
🚛 Discover more podcasts via Trailer Park: The Podcast Trailer Podcast
🎧 Podcast Club at the Brooklyn Public Library is back in action. Learn more.
📖 WWII history comes to life this season of History For The Reckoning, which features an interview with George Takei.
Spotlight Podcast
Trapped History is a history reboot for everyone. It tells the stories of the forgotten – of the hidden heroes ignored by the history we were taught in school. We take our name from something the writer James Baldwin said: “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” We want to break people free from those stories. Whether it is women's history, Black history, military history, cultural history – all of this, hidden or forgotten, is also trapped history. And so we give you a history podcast for the curious, with inspiring tales of unsung heroes, people who broke the mould with their courage and defiance.
Podcast news from Podnews
More Americans are listening to podcasts every month than ever before, according to The Infinite Dial 2026 from Edison Research at SSRS. The research, with support from SiriusXM Media, was released yesterday afternoon and co-presented by VP Megan Lazovick and Editor of Podnews, James Cridland. It also shows the significant growth of online audio for Americans age 55+. You can watch the full presentation and download all the slides here.
YouTube announced new “top podcast lineups”. A blog post, which has a YouTube podcasts logo on it, says: "To further serve advertisers looking to tap into the podcast momentum on YouTube, today we’re introducing our US Top Podcasts lineup across key verticals - Sports, News, Comedy, True Crime and Society & Culture - enabling brands to tailor their approach to key podcast verticals.” (We’re not quite sure what this means).
In Singapore, podcasts are more influential than influencers. Acast has shared new data focusing on the Singapore podcast market, saying that 69% of listeners have considered a brand for the first time because of a podcast, and podcasts are more credible than YouTubers and journalists.
