While Valentine’s Day can be an absolute downer if you let it, it can also be an opportunity to practice gratitude for all of the many forms of love you have in your life. Think of all of the friends, work wives, familial bonds, mutuals, and beyond who’ve helped shape your life along the way. If V-Day is a celebration of love, that means it’s also a celebration of the many non-romantic bonds that have provided you with support, new perspectives, laughs, and connection, in ways that romantic love isn’t always able to.
For Valentine’s Day this year, we’ve rounded up some podcasts that focus on the platonic partnerships in our lives. Whether you want to hear from real-life BFFs or long-time work wives, we’ve curated a listening list that’ll have your heart feeling full. Dig into these intimate convos about work, life, and partnership—all in celebration of the undeniable amount of love in your life.
Partners
Let’s talk about partnerships of all kinds: friendly, romantic, work, and beyond. This new podcast from Mailchimp and host Hrishikesh Hirwa interviews partners across the board about how they met, what they’ve built together, and how they make it work. The first episode already features an *iconic* duo: Samin Nosrat and Wendy MacNaughton, the author and illustrator behind the James Beard-winning cookbook Salt Fat Acid Heat. Listen to them talk about creative synergy and learning each other’s work love languages.
Call Your Girlfriend
You can’t talk about friendship podcasts without mentioning CYG—appropriately coined as “A podcast for long-distance besties everywhere.” If you don’t already tune in weekly, prepare to make their Friday episode drops a weekly part of your listening diet. I once described their pod as “a phone call between two super brilliant friends who are deeply entrenched in pop culture, The Internet, politics, and feminist theory.” And I stand firmly by that statement. They’re even writing a book called Big Friendship (July 2020), inspired by their theory that friendship between women can be the most influential and meaningful relationship of your life.
A Thing Or Two
Work wives Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo are the co-authors of a book conveniently titled Work Wife—and their podcast follows suit. They talk about the jarring (and rarely-discussed) highs and lows of entrepreneurship, including what it was like to shut down their business, having a work partner who is pregnant (and stressed AF), and not knowing what the future holds. No filters and no sugar-coating, just really real conversations between decade-long work wives.
Still Processing
There are few friendships as dynamic, insightful, and hilarious as The New York Times Magazine‘s culture journalists Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris. Whether they’re providing non-stop hot takes on Netflix’s latest binge-worthy series or the JLo-of-all-trades pop stars of the early 2000s, you’ll walk away from each episode with a wealth of new information and perspectives on technology, pop culture, and beyond. There’s a reason this series is a podcast finalist for the Ellies—alongside their NYT counterparts 1619 and Trump Inc.
Wait Up, Hold Up!
Two Latinx entrepreneurs and BFFs saw there was a lack of women of color in the world of podcasting, and promptly decided that they could help fill that gap. Every week they work to highlight the voices of other black and brown women who are changing up their respective industries. With great hosting chemistry and a wide array of guests, every episode has something new and interesting to offer about work, money, politics, and more.
Best Friends with Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata
Real-life soulmates Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata have the kind of friendship that induces envy with every sentence—but thankfully, they have a podcast that’ll make you feel part of their circle. They cover all of the topics you likely do with your friends, including being very single, coping with anxiety, navigating your career, and much more. They also answer plenty of audience questions about maintaining and nourishing your friendships.
Girlboss Radio
Typically, Girlboss Radio is all about Sophia Amoruso having really real convos with women in business about their wins and losses. However, this week she sits down with her BFF of over 16 years, Monika Norwid, to talk friendship. In this super candid chat, the duo talk about all the growing up they’ve done together, supporting each other through thick and thin, and all the practical ways they’ve maintained their friendship for so long.
