How I got hooked on podcasts

Originally published on Medium.

I consider myself to be as much of a Netflix addict as the next person. But honestly, nothing feels as great as knowing I have the perfect podcast waiting for me to press “play.”

I was first introduced to podcasts in December 2014. Since I had the entire month off from school, my sister Anam wrote to me from Florida, suggesting I look into a podcast that she was listening to during the long drives of her trip.

It was the soon-to-be viral Serial, an investigative journalism themed podcast hosted by former Baltimore Sun reporter Sarah Koenig.

From the very first episode, I was totally hooked. I let Koenig — with her pensive narration and compelling storytelling style — carry me through each episode. I had never met this woman, but there was something about her approach that made me feel as though I was an ally in her mission to solve this puzzling murder case.

Photo by Tobias Hüske on Unsplash

By the time I finished the podcast, instead than being pissed about the inconclusive ending like a lot of other listeners of Serial, all I could think about was finding more podcasts with the same addictive quality.

From that point onward, I became obsessed with podcasts like This American Life, Invisibilia, Gilmore Guys (being the huge Gilmore Girls fan that I am), Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People, Dirty John, Ear Hustle and more. As a regular commuter averaging about 10 hours a week in a bus or train, in the past three years podcasts have become a big part of my life.

Now that I’m studying public relations/corporate communications, I hope to have the courage to eventually start my own podcast.

The one downside of getting lost in the intimate world of podcasts?

That moment when you’re on a crowded bus or train, listening to a new episode and literally laughing out loud because the host is just so damn funny…only to look up at someone staring at you, wondering if you’re crazy. Believe it or not, this happens to me all the time.

#ArshiaSultan #investigativejournalism #thoughtprovoking #funny