Scott: I love podcasts for almost the same reason I love good books: they provide escape along with a dose of education and sometimes controversy. I love them for their independence of thought. Anyone can start a podcast, and no subject is off limits. Most often, content creators are beholden to no one, and the only critic that matters is you, the listener, and whether or not you choose to listen.

Above is a sample of our favorite podcasts, chosen for their broad range of topics. Malcolm Gladwell is always great, even when I disagree with him; the women at Invisibilia keep me in awe of their ability to find and tell ridiculously good stories; How Did This Get Made? is one of those guilty pleasures that asks the same questions we often ask ourselves, but with the insight of industry semi-insiders who are very aware of their C-list status; The Office is my all-time favorite show (though Ted Lasso is catching up), and Jenna and Angela are exactly who you'd hope they'd be, and in some parallel universe I'm sure we're all neighbors and best friends. 

The list, of course, feels endless. There's the classic first season of Serial, the TED Radio Hour, Joe Rogan (despite the controversy, you have to appreciate the casual flow of ideas, even if some of the ideas are ridiculous; at least it's not cable news, where the not-so-secret ingredient seems to be to yell at people until they agree with you); and Smartless, which might be the best name for a podcast ever. 

Let us know what your favorite podcasts are. We love hearing from you, and we're excited to expand our podcast library with great new material.