emilyyhill

[emilyyhill]

She’s On The Money | Podcast Review

One thing I couldn’t find less interesting? Financial advice.

One thing I want to be? Financially secure.

Introducing She’s On The Money, a podcast for millennial women to help make financial education interesting and sustainable!

Overall: 9/10

Groovy jingle: 7/10

Fun & lighthearted: 8/10

Social commentary: 8/10

Compelling: 7/10

Duration: Approximately 50 minutes

Ads: 2

Host: Victoria Devine and Georgia King

Review:

I stumbled across She’s On The Money by accident, thanks to Spotify recommendations, and THANK GOD I DID. This podcast is a hidden gem that is changing the way I think and act about spending and saving.

Hosted by Financial Expert Victoria Devine and Journalist Georgia King, She’s On The Money is a structured feature podcast. The 50 minute show is split across four main segments, including:

Money Wins (tips!) and Money Confessions (realistic!),

A feature discussion (education!),

Money Diaries (real life case study) and

Listener Questions (relevant!).

Sprinkled with hilarious, relevant examples of where our money goes - oat milk, for example - and what’s important to Millennial women (like skincare!), Georgia and Victoria’s down-to-earth conversation will have you taking up little ways to save without becoming Amish!

Their feature discussions are insightful and educational, covering topics that are relevant to your every day. My favourites include the pink tax episode, fast fashion and personal insurance episodes.

Whether you’re saving $10 a week, or a $1000, She’s On The Money will empower you to educate yourself on money matters. The goal: to help you be more financially secure - both now, and in the future.

You’ll love this podcast if you:

Love a good self-help or self-improvement podcast;

Don’t blink twice when it comes to a thrifty buy;

Seem to struggle with saving, spending or finances in general;

Are looking for a podcast with substance, but in a fun way. Kind of like… Have You Been Paying Attention on Channel 10 (not sponsored content, just a funny TV show).

You can listen to She’s On The Money on Apple Podcasts, or right here on Spotify.

[emilyyhill]

Thailand by Matheo JBT

[emilyyhill]

[emilyyhill]

[emilyyhill]

The Michelle Obama Podcast | Review

With only 6 episodes to date, the former First Lady is still in the early days of her podcasting career. With charm and wit, Michelle Obama’s dialogue on everything and anything is a wholesome reminder of better days.

Overall: 6/10

Groovy jingle: NA

Fun & lighthearted: 7/10

Social commentary: 8/10

Compelling: 4/10

Duration: Approximately 45 minutes

Ads: 2

Host: Michelle Obama

Review:

I kind of wish this review could just be a running list of beautiful things Michelle Obama has said on her podcast episodes so far.

Offering wisdom, kindness and intelligence, it’s no wonder so many Americans fell in love with Michelle Obama and her family. Each episode is a delightful slice of wholesomeness, as Michelle chats with her friends, family and husband Barak.

Her conversational dialogue is not a critical analysis of life’s greatest questions. Rather, it gives you a window into Michelle’s mind and heart. Covering topics like parenthood, female health, storytelling, and the experiences of people of colour, there is a piece of wisdom for any listener to take away.

These episodes fly by as your settle in to a conversation between friends - often fading into the background like comfortable hum.

As most of the guests (and of course Michelle) are from the Southern USA, you can’t help but love listening to their accents, unique turns of phrase, and charismatic personalities.

The Michelle Obama Podcast feels like a cup of tea with your Aunty, while you wait for cookies to bake and wisdom to gently fill your heart.

You’ll love this podcast if you:

Love the Obama’s, and simply want to listen to everything they have to say;

Are looking for a podcast that is gentle to listen to;

Enjoys truthful yet optimistic commentary about the challenges of being a parent, woman, person of colour or professional;

Don’t mind a podcast that isn’t hype-y, overproduced or structured. It is literally a conversation between Michelle and her guests.

As a Spotify Original podcast, you can find the Michelle Obama Podcast exclusively on Spotify.

[emilyyhill]

instagram | birgittetheresa

[emilyyhill]

By: Emilia

[emilyyhill]

Life Uncut | Podcast Review

Bachie favourites Laura and Brittany talk about sex and relationships. That’s the podcast.

Overall: 3/10

Groovy jingle: 6/10

Fun & lighthearted: 4/10

Social commentary: 2/10

Compelling? 0/10

Duration: Over an hour, sometimes two hours plus!

Ads: 0

Hosts: Laura Byrne and Brittany Hockley

Review:

I’m not saying people participate in The Bachelor franchise for fame, attention, social media following etc etc. They’re looking for love, duh.

BUT. IF Laura and Brittany hadn’t been Bachelor favourites in their respective seasons, this podcast *probably* wouldn’t have 3 million followers.

Life Uncut is an unstructured, semi-out of control conversation between two friends who may or may not forget that people are listening to them. Among lots of giggles and unscripted anecdotes, there is A LOT of over sharing.

Covering sex, masturbation, motherhood, contraception, psychology, relationship advice etc., there is a lot happening. However - every episode feels kind of the same.

Without referencing existing literature, and lacking professional background in the topics they are talking about (Laura is a Jewellery Designer and Britt is a nurse), the conversations are missing substance and critical thought.

The girls avoid talking about anything left-of-centre. As two white, heterosexual women, they rarely create opportunities for dialogue around non-traditional relationships or people of colour.

Although this podcast wasn’t for me, it might be just what you’re looking for. You’ll love this podcast if:

You’re the friend who sits in a conversation and just listens;

You’re looking for validation as a twenty-something or thirty-something female;

You love anything Bachelor related;

Sex, dating and relationships are your favourite thing in the world.

Life Uncut is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

[emilyyhill]

No Such Thing As A Fish | Podcast Review

Love trivia, suck at trivia, ambivalent about trivia - THIS podcast is the unexpected general knowledge podcast you didn’t think you’d love.

Overall: 8/10

Groovy jingle: 8/10

Fun & lighthearted: 10/10

Social commentary: 2/10

Compelling? 3/10

Duration: Approximately 45 minutes (but sometimes up to an hour)

Ads: 2

Hosts: Four fact finders for BBC’s QI comedy show - Dan Shreiber, James Harkin, Andrew Hunter Murray and Anna Ptaszynski. Plus special guests.

Review:

Put simply - No Such Thing As a Fish is a compilation of fascinating conversations about absolutely miscellaneous things with 4 of Britain’s brightest fact finders.

With over 330 episodes and almost 4000 topics (to date), the lighthearted conversation between the group means you will never be bored of listening!

Dedicating each episode to four unique facts, the group cover topics like “sleeping” satellites, conservative laws about women and swimwear, product promotions gone awry, famous animal penis injuries - and that’s just one episode!

If your knowledge of the UK is limited, some of the dialogue may be lost on you. Regardless, the banter between the four will keep you listening, until they soon return to more generalist topics.

My only complaint about this podcast: One of the hosts sounds like he has a permanently blocked nose. Other than that, No Such Thing as a Fish provides the perfect commuting company!

You’ll love this podcast if:

Trivia, general knowledge or useless facts are your thing;

You’re wanting something that is always interesting but requires little mental energy, pre-exisiting knowledge or opinion; or

You love a British accent.

Releasing one new episode each Saturday morning (in Australia), you can find No Such Thing As a Fish on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

[emilyyhill]

sleep doesn’t help if it’s your soul that’s tired

request @s-cxure

[emilyyhill]

“You are helpful, and you are loved, and you are forgiven, and you are not alone.”

— John Green

[emilyyhill]

Shameless | Podcast Review

Covering sugary celeb gossip to the sensitive -isms (racism, feminism, homophobia-ism), the Shameless girls are the perfect companions on a Monday morning commute!

Overall: 8/10

Groovy jingle: 8/10

Fun & Lighthearted: 7/10

Social commentary: 6/10

Compelling? 3/10

Duration of each episode: 1 hour

Ads: 2

Hosts: Michelle Andrews and Zara MacDonald

Review

The best way to describe this podcast is like drinking a sugary cocktail while talking about politics. With your best mate. Maybe while wearing track pants?

With professional history working for pop-culture sites like Mammia Mia, the Shameless girls absolutely thrive in presenting funny, lighthearted “quick-and-dirty” celebrity news.

However, Shameless shouldn’t be overlooked as an audio Daily Mail.

Covering topics like racism, queer-phobia, mental health, influencer culture and more, Melbourne journalists Michelle and Zara are presenting Gen Z with the respectful yet searing commentary so many desire.

You will love this podcast if:

You are interested in the slightly deeper analysis of celebrity and/or pop-culture news;

You are open to whole a variety of commentary, from The Bachelor to vagina-plasty to Black Lives Matter; or

You need something sweet yet opinionated to spice up your podcast life.

Releasing episodes on Monday and Thursdays, the podcasts are perfectly spaced out to keep you wanting more.

Shameless is available on Apple podcasts and Spotify.

[emilyyhill]

By: Caroline

[emilyyhill]

Everyone Has an Ex | Podcast Review

Overall: 7/10

Groovy jingle: 6/10

Fun & Lighthearted: 6/10

Social commentary: 0/10

Compelling? 8/10

Duration of each episode: 30 minutes

Ads: 3 per episode

Host: Georgia Love

Review

Remember former Bachelorette Georgia Love?What is she doing now? Making a raw yet juicy podcast about failed relationships apparently!

Everyone Has an Ex is a collection of unconventional stories of relationships gone bad, told through interviews with the ex-lovers themselves.

Georgia interviews every day people, reality TV stars, other celebrities to create a 10 episode run of stories you just can’t stop listening to.

Respecting her Bachelor roots, Everyone Has an Ex reflects strong reality TV vibe. Georgia takes you on the journey from love at first sight to heartbreak and healing, all in half an hour.

Georgia’s commentary can feel a little 60 Minutes like (she is a journalist after all), but who doesn’t love a salacious documentary feel?

Covering heterosexual, homosexual, open relationships, dating, married and casual relationships, Georgia creates space for people to tell THEIR story THEIR way. Props to you George!

You will love this podcast if:

You’re obsessed with reality TV and celebrity gossip;

You love docu-style podcasts, featuring raw, real life interviews with host commentary;

You’re looking for short bites of audio content that requires little to no critical thinking.

If you want to listen to Everyone Has An Ex, you can find it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

[emilyyhill]

Dreamlike | airpixels

Location: Karst Mountains, Guilin, China

[emilyyhill]

Please don’t leave (the conversation).

For the past 7 days, I have been fully anti-depressant free. Before that, I was 7 days on a half dose.

I documented a lot of my journey with depression and anxiety as writing became an outlet. A way to share what was going on for me without having to speak it to every friend, every time I had coffee with someone.

There is a lot of reading and a lot of support for those experiencing depression. Experiencing depression is the hardest thing I have ever endured, and I am so thankful people all across the world can support each other through the written word.

You know what is all too common though? Those who were once avid advocates for mental health awareness going silent when they are well. As soon as they are recovered, they step away from the conversation entirely, leaving it alone. Out of sight, out of mind.

It happens in so many arenas of life.

We post black squares when George Floyd is murdered, but racial injustice never crosses our minds otherwise. 

We fight for the fires in the Amazon, but never consider joining the conversation regarding agricultural burning and deforestation. 

We desire to change the date of Australia Day, but don’t spare a thought to the experience of our Indigenous Australians on any other day of the year.

I could harp on and on. But mental health is the hill I’m choosing to die on. I’ve been guilty of it myself. I’ve seen my friends do it. And it’s not okay.

If we choose to step away from the conversation once we are mentally well, we leave those in the midst of it with no example to look to. We leave them with no encouragement that we can, and will, thrive again on the other side.

With no hope to look to, with no example of what can be, well intentioned encouragements feel empty and void of reality.

I have been 7 days with my anti-depressants. And another 7 on half-dose. This is my third attempt at weaning off. And my third time wondering if I will ever be okay without those little tablets that saved my life almost three years ago.

Choosing to go on antidepressants to help me recover was huge. Coming off them is even bigger.

Unlike my experience with depression, there isn’t a hashtag. There is not a plethora of blogs about “life after”. There isn’t any commentary around the feeling of failure when you try to wean off your medications too soon. No one talks about mourning the life you lost while depressed: the birthdays you didn’t enjoy, the weddings you weren’t present at, the laughs you didn’t have. The conversation simply doesn’t exist.

Depression is represented as an ominous cloud, and once it lifts, you’re all good. Life is normal. You are just like everyone else. Congrats, you’re recovered!

Spoiler: this isn’t true.

But because people who have had depression leave the conversation when they are well, no one knows it. It is presented as this neat little chapter, that simply ends when you start to feel better.

But here is a secret that no one talks about – depression kind of sticks around in some shape or form for quite a while. Even when you feel well.

Not in the same soul-sucking, life draining, exhausting kind of way. You do get better and you do feel well, and life does have colour again! But you are always kind of wondering if it will pop back up. If the “good patch” will expire and if being well is a little too good to be true. You might worry if you will ever be okay with your meds, or if you will have to keep seeing your therapist every fortnight for the rest of your life (expensive, to say the least).

To the dismay of some, the answer to a lot of those questions is ‘maybe’. Maybe you will relapse. Maybe you will need to take your antidepressants for longer than you expect. Maybe you will continue to see your therapist. Maybe you will always keep your finger on your emotional pulse, alert for the early signs of a slip. And that’s okay. Any of those scenarios is 100% okay.

I don’t want to be one of those people who walks away from the conversation when I get well. I want to keep bringing mental health to the forefront. I want you to know that you are safe here: struggling or not, well or not, somewhere in the middle or not.

At the moment, my journey looks like medication withdrawal. A little dizzy, disrupted sleep, but feeling emotionally quite stable. Waiting it out. Giving it another go. Because depression doesn’t end when you start to feel well.

[emilyyhill]

Covid said I could.

You all know what I’m talking about. The C-virus. The thing that’s turned everyone’s life upside down.

In some way or another, we’re all feeling it. I would bet my absolute bottom dollar that everyone is impacted by this in some way.

The world is changing. 

I have seen my world completely change around me. Friends are video calling, just because. I couldn’t buy peas at Coles. I am no longer seen as the “odd one out” for wanting to work from home. And my social media feeds are full of posts about how we need to wash our hands and stick together (not literally stick or you’ll be shunned).

I didn’t cope very well. At all.

It took me a while to accept that “it” (Coronavius) was actually happening. I spent the first two-ish weeks thinking that it nothing more than a media storm. That it wasn’t actually real, and within a week or two, the news would be on to the next thing (probably global warming).

Turns out I was wrong. My next response was panic. I Googled everything under the sun. I read every article. I watched every press conference. I subscribed to RSS notifications (which I now definitely regret).

Then – shock. I’m still kind of in this phase to be honest. Just repeating, “Wow. This is crazy. This is really happening. Wow. This is crazy.”

Creating a new normal.

But now I’m in the “Creating a new normal” phase. I’m trying to build new structures into my life to ease the confusion, anxiety and uncertainty. This doesn’t look like much – meditating, new morning and evening routines, writing lists of things I am grateful for, short online work outs.

I am not thriving right now – not at all. But I’m doing what I can to soothe my mind and soul.

Please don’t hate me. 

I know that I am writing this from a privileged place. Please don’t hate me for that. We are all handling this differently, each one of us feeling pain points in different areas. I am not trying to degrade your experience. I hope you know that whatever you’re feeling in response to the impacts of this situation is allowed, and in many instances – absolutely normal.

The impact of the situation on my family and I is relatively small. I am incredibly lucky to still have some hours of work, as does everyone in my family and most of my friends. I love living at home with my family. I have few ongoing expenses as I pay for things upfront in January (like registration, insurance and my phone bill).

This isn’t the case for everyone. For some, home isn’t a safe space. Or perhaps home isn’t secure as they are threatened with being unable to make rent or mortgage payments.

Sorry, this got a bit more doom and gloom than I hoped. But it’s the honest facts of what is happening in our world, and to the people we love. 

It’s why I feel so incredibly guilty for being somewhat thankful for some of the changes that have happened in my life from COVID-19.

Perhaps this comes from the gratitude mindset I’ve tried to adopt, or maybe because I’m an introvert. But some of the changes that have come from this have released a heavy burden on me. 

And I hope this can encourage you to find the good amongst the turbulence.

Covid said I could.

Tidy space, tidy mind.

Firstly, my house has never been cleaner. I finally cleared out that shelf that had a bunch of random stuff on it. I bought and assembled a new bed. I cleaned my room, the downstairs office, the bathroom. As someone who thrives in clean spaces, but also neglects tidying when she’s busy, this has brought so much relief for me.

I actually really like online study!

I am thriving with online study. I was working full time prior to now while also trying to juggle two internal subjects at uni. I explored external study options at the beginning of semester, but it wasn’t possible with the subjects I was taking. Covid has gifted me the online study options I wanted. I don’t have to travel 2 hours to attend classes, and I’m not missing out on tutorials by purely watching online. Covid said I could do online study.

I have time to focus on things I was neglecting before.

My colleagues have lost their shifts over the past week, and mine have been halved at best. This isn’t something necessarily to be grateful for, but the extra time is. It gives me an opportunity to finish this semester well – to be the best team member I can be in my group assignment, to finish this semester without intense stress. To graduate knowing that I gave my last two subjects the time and attention they deserve.

I don’t have to be sorry for protecting my health.

I have a weak immune system. A full, busy life isn’t healthy for me. I often bite off more than I can chew. Then I have to let people down when I can’t continue to maintain my commitments when a virus flares up in my body (cytomegalovirus, if you’re curious).

Recommended self-isolation lifted a lot of guilt from my shoulders – there were no longer gaping holes where I was meant to be. I am not cancelling on plans, or asking to work from home when I feel fatigue flaring up. I don’t have to spend every day asking myself if I am healthy enough to go out, because the answer for everyone is no.

Isolation is GREAT for intentional self care.

For those who know me, I went through a rough mental health patch on various occasions across the past two years. During these times, my self-care was amazing. But as I felt well again and life went on, all of my great habits fell by the wayside. Covid said I needed to start looking after me again. Yoga, meditation, good sleep routines. We’re back on baby.

Covid said, “Let’s be kind to eachother.”

Covid said that we could be kind, just because. I am someone that loves to serve, to help and to care. My acts of love and kindness so often get rejected in “normal life” – people don’t accept the free coffee or offer of help just because. But now, people NEED help and they are willing to take it with open arms, and even show gratitude for it (who knew!). I hate that it took a global pandemic for people to foster kindness – regardless of being friends, colleagues, or strangers.