The Pod Files

 

The ‘casts -

(Notes spoken to Siri, and edited later if I remember

(Changed tactic now where starred dialogue denotes quoting from the show’s own notes

Daily Dad Jokes - 1 May 2026

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - 6 May 2026: flamboyant

The Slowdown - episode 1267: 7 January 2025: Today's poem is What the Body Gives Away by Saba Keramati.

Daily Facts - 4 February 2026 

7 Good Minutes - 7 December 2025: *Embrace the Flow: Preparing for Change with Daily Adaptability - Learn how to transform your relationship with change through daily adaptability practice. / This episode reveals how small, intentional acts of flexibility can build the resilience you need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

New Podcasts - 14 April 2026: *Dreaming Against the Machine - Dreaming Against the Machine launches today - a show from Multitude that explores ideas about how to realistically create better and more inclusive futures. It's hosted by journalist and astrophysicist Dr. Adam Becker, who has spent the last several years examining and debunking Silicon Valley billionaires' visions for the future.

The Daily Quiz Show - 23 November 2025: General Knowledge 

StarDate - 5 May 2026: Event Horizon

7 Good Minutes - 7 December 2025: *7 Good Minutes: Extra - The strongest trees are… - In today's 7 Good Minutes: Extra segment, we explore the wisdom of trees that dance with the wind while staying rooted. Reflect on how you can cultivate both deep grounding and graceful flexibility in your own life.

MinuteEarth - 14 June 2025: Kangaroo Etymology

Counterbalance - Season 3 Episode 3: 15 April 2026: Weaveless - Kælanuka - 2nd day of Cukolon'kos, 5th year of the Var, 101st Generation / Arriving in a big town, Raka, Lyn and Malaki gather fresh supplies and information about where they are. But something about this town seems odd. Is it really worth untangling its secrets?

New Podcasts - 15 April 2026: *We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson has hit 500,000 YouTube subscribers, after just 603 days. The show claims to have followed "the FlightStory blueprint", using learnings from Diary of a CEO.

Podnews Daily - 1 May 2026: Podcasts help Apple's figures - Services revenue, which includes Podcasts, is at an all-time high. 

Podnews Daily - 20 May 2026: Podnews Report Card unveiled at The Podcast Show

Podnews Daily - 21 May 2026: *Global podcast revenue rises to $9.2bn - Across the world, the podcast economy grew 23% last year, says new data from Owl & Co. Global podcasting is now worth $9.2bn in revenue, says the data. The biggest increase came from direct ad revenue, but revenue from consumers (membership tools like Patreon and Supporting Cast, etc) also significantly increased, and is now worth $2.2bn alone. / Vox Media's podcast network, Vox.com and New York magazine, have been sold to James Murdoch for a reported $300mn. The Verge and other Vox websites aren't part of the deal. (James Murdoch is the one that split from his father Rupert Murdoch's media empire some years ago). / 43% of British adults now listen to an ad-supported podcast monthly, says new data from Sounds Profitable and Sound Insights. 44% of UK podcast listeners recalled ever making a purchase after hearing a podcast ad, according to the findings of The Advertising Landscape UK, which were shared yesterday at The Podcast Show.

Podnews Daily - 22 May 2026: *New podcast features from Spotify - Spotify announced a set of new podcast features. / "Users can ask Spotify questions about the podcast they're listening or watching, and get answers in real time." - this feature is available in the US, Sweden and Ireland for Premium users. / Dynamic Creator Sponsorships are now available for creators in the Spotify Partner Program. The feature allows sponsorships to be dynamically scheduled. / Memberships (which "will launch for select creators soon") appears to be an equivalent to Supporting Cast, Patreon or Apple Podcasts Premium Subscriptions. Pricing and details weren't given. / Personal Podcasts are coming next month to Premium users in the US. It's a tool that lets listeners generate and schedule short, private audio episodes tailored to their interests and their listening habits. Examples given are "Help me understand economics in five minutes", or "Share my daily city updates". After a free set of credits per month, listeners will have the option to purchase more.

Podnews Daily -  25 May 2026: *The biggest shows become bigger still - Podcast listening is consolidating, it seems

Sounds Profitable - 22 May 2026: *The State of U.K. Podcast Advertising, Brazil's Audio Opportunity, & More - This week in the business of podcasting: THE DOWN DAD / A new Sounds Profitable and Sound Insights study of 5,033 U.K. adults finds 43% of British adults listen to ad-supported podcasts monthly, with 79% of those listeners recalling a podcast ad in the past week at nearly equal rates across genders, offering a direct transatlantic comparison to the 2025 U.S. Advertising Landscape. / Owl & Co's Global Podcast Economy Report finds the global podcast industry generated $9.2 billion in revenue in 2025, up 23% year over year, with publishers that treated video as a monetization layer seeing the fastest revenue growth. / The fifth annual Podnews Report Card, based on creator feedback, finds YouTube has climbed to second place among major podcast platforms, overtaking Spotify but still trailing Apple Podcasts. / Rodrigo Tigre, co-founder and president of Ozen.fm, argues that Brazil's podcast advertising market is dramatically underdeveloped relative to U.S. digital audio and identifies three structural barriers that have now matured enough to be overcome.

Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You - season 3 episode 81: 23 March 2026: *A Tip For Breaking Your Phone-in-Bed Habit - Scrolling a phone in bed can quietly stack up problems: later bedtimes, worse sleep, and a neck-and-shoulder position that starts to hurt. A simple fix is to stop the in-bed scroll and use a phone blocker that cuts off games and social apps after a set time. Tools like Jomo can add friction that makes late-night doomscrolling harder to keep doing.

New Podcasts - 15 APRIL 2026: MSP 1337 | Cybersecurity Education & Security Guidance Chris Johnson | Cybersecurity Education & Security Guidance - Educational sound bites to help MSPs and their clients navigate Cybersecurity. / Cybersecurity maturity is a journey; don't go it alone. Interviews and guidance from fellow MSPs and other Industry experts. / Our goal is Secure Outcomes, and together we can make a difference.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - 7 May 2026: dudgeon

StarDate - 6 May 2026: Ringing Down

BirdNote Daily - 5 November 2023: *What the Pacific Wren Hea

Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You - 24 March 2026: *An (Anti?) Tip for Indecision 

Sheer Pod Attack: A Queen Song By Song Podcast - season 1 episode 11: 23 April 2026: *Seven Seas of Rhye - Set sail for one of Queen’s most intriguing early creations as we plunge into the instrumental 1973 version of “Seven Seas of Rhye”, the closing track from their debut album. In this episode, we explore how a one‑minute burst of musical imagination became the seed of a future hit and a defining moment in Queen’s evolution.

We unpack the track’s origins, its role as a mysterious teaser of the band’s ambition, and the musical ideas that would later explode into the fully realised single on Queen II. Expect discussion of its swirling piano lines, flashes of proto‑Queen theatricality, and why this miniature instrumental still feels like a statement of intent from a band about to find its voice.

Along the way, we dig into the early 70s context, the band’s creative headspace during the debut album sessions, and how “Seven Seas of Rhye” hints at the fantasy‑driven world Freddie Mercury was beginning to build. It’s a short track with a long shadow — and we’re giving it the spotlight it deserves.

Raise anchor, ready your imagination, and join us as we chart the first appearance of Rhye in the Queen universe.

Podnews Daily - 26 May 2026: *Goalhanger invests in creators - The company has a new investment and partnership arm

7 Good Minutes - 8 December 2025: *Break Through: Creative Problem-Solving When You Feel Stuck - Transform frustrating moments of feeling stuck into opportunities for breakthrough thinking. This episode reveals practical techniques for engaging your creative mind and finding solutions when traditional approaches fail.

BirdNote Daily - 6 November 2023: *Using Machine Learning to Forecast Bird Migration - PhD student Mikko Jimenez and his colleagues are using machine learning to improve our ability to forecast bird migration. Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that can find patterns in huge amounts of data much faster than a person can, and then use those patterns to make predictions. Still, Mikko says it’s not as simple as computers to the rescue.

Daily Facts - 5 February 2026

7 Good Minutes - 8 December 2025: *7 Good Minutes: *Extra - The mind that feels - In today's 7 Good Minutes: Extra segment, we explore how feeling stuck often signals that your mind is preparing for a breakthrough. Reflect on how your most challenging moments of confusion have led to your greatest insights.

Daily Comedy News with Johnny Mac - 21 May 2026: *Stephen Colbert’s Final Late Show: Cancellation Questions, CBS-Paramount Politics, and What’s Next - Johnny Mac covers the final episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” revisiting Colbert’s July announcement that the season would be the last and questioning CBS’s claim that the cancellation was purely financial amid Paramount’s merger with Skydance and its $16 million settlement with Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview. It cites reports the show loses $40 million annually and argues CBS could have tried budget changes instead of cancellation. Using excerpts from an April Hollywood Reporter interview, Colbert recounts how he learned the news, discusses the $40 million figure, the collapsing broadcast model, and the possibility of mixed motives, and says he focused on finishing the show with jokes rather than anger. The host also speculates about a Taylor Tomlinson timeline, notes Colbert has been approached about future work, includes an Obama exchange about Colbert running for president, and mentions Kimmel and Fallon airing reruns in solidarity while The Washington Post reflects on late night’s polarization in the Trump era.

Spielberg Reloaded - Trailer: 25 May 2026: *Coming June 3 - Steven Spielberg didn't just make movies. He made the movies that made you love movies.From the shark that kept a generation out of the ocean to the robot boy at the bottom of the sea, from Normandy Beach to the surface of an alien mothership, Spielberg has spent fifty years using popular cinema to ask the questions that matter most: What are we afraid of? What do we reach toward? What do we owe the people we love, the people we've lost, and the people we've never met?Spielberg Reloaded tells the story of one of the most important filmmakers who ever lived — one film at a time. Each episode dives into a single chapter of his work: the craft, the cultural moment, and the questions that have followed his films long after the credits rolled.

New Podcasts - 22 April 2026: *We Are All Workerbees - Work is being rewritten. By AI, shifting expectations, economic pressure, and the lived realities workers and employers are facing every day. Most people are trying to understand where they fit in all this change. / And it isn’t just workers. Concerned parents, students, and anyone thinking about the role of people and meaning in work are all trying to make sense of this moment too. / In We Are All Workerbees, hosts Heiko Roth and Nikki Vegenski sit down with workers, hiring managers, and people in the thick of it to talk honestly about what work feels like right now, how it’s shifting, and what these changes actually mean in real life.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - 18 May 2026: vindicate

New Podcasts - 22 April 2026: *The Sunfall Train - The world will fall apart in eight days, at the hands of an impossible monster. / That is, according to a mysterious letter trusted by biologist Kieran Grimshaw, almost-PhD. To prove it, they’re on a trek across Colorado with the only person who believes them: their cousin Vic, local bike mechanic/farmer/part-time musician. But proving the apocalypse is coming isn’t the same thing as stopping it, and when the truth takes a turn towards folkloresque beasts, phantom railways, and old rivalries, the cousins realize they’re matched up against something far more than they bargained for. And every night at sunset, they can hear a train whistle.

StarDate - 17 May 2026: Hercules Cluster

New Podcasts - 22 April 2026: *More than Lucky Podcast - For women who know it takes more than luck to build a meaningful life. / More Than Lucky is a reflective, soul-centered podcast for women 35–50 who are ready to create intentional change — without sacrificing their peace. / If you’re navigating reinvention, personal growth, evolving relationships, motherhood (or choosing not to), career shifts, or simply asking “What’s next?” — this space is for you. / Each episode offers thoughtful conversations on: • Mindset and meaningful change • Spiritual perspective grounded in real life • Goal-setting without burnout • Creating joy and calm in the middle of growth / This isn’t hustle culture.This is conscious evolution. / Episodes are short, intentional, and designed to help you reconnect with yourself — so you can move forward feeling aligned, empowered, and yes… lucky.

Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You - season 3 episode 83: 25 March 2026: *A Tip For Leading Change at Work - Maia Molina-Schaefer shares a practical approach for starting a new job or stepping into a new leadership role without triggering immediate pushback. By focusing on six to eight weeks of flawless execution and small, consistent wins, trust builds before any big proposal lands. The "slow down to speed up" mindset helps change management, relationship building, and stakeholder buy-in happen faster once credibility is established.

New Podcasts - 22 April 2026: *Investing in Regeneration: Transforming Planning And Finance through Systems Thinking - What if finance could be the carrot that pulls us toward a regenerative future? Investing in Regeneration is a podcast about changing how we understand, plan, and finance projects — unpacking real deals and initiatives to show how money can move differently, and why that matters for climate action, nature restoration, and social justice. / Each episode takes you inside a real transaction or initiative through three lenses: 1. Understanding the context and theory of change/ Planning the deal: how it originated, who was involved, and what it took to bring it togetherFinancing: the instruments, structures, blended components, and lessons that made it possible (or nearly didn't). / We bring together the people who are actually making these deals happen: financiers and fund managers sitting alongside project developers, community leaders, and indigenous voices. The providers and the recipients of finance, in the same conversation. / Because the gap between those two worlds is exactly where the most important knowledge lives, and where the biggest systemic barriers hide. / The podcast is built around a simple but powerful idea: the three revolutions we need aren't just technological or political. They are revolutions in understanding — how we read and value complex systems; in planning — how we originate deals that work for people and planet; and in finance — how capital is structured, de-risked, and deployed to unlock regenerative outcomes at scale. / Listeners are leaders in finance, development, infrastructure planning, policy, and mission-driven organizations who are tired of siloed thinking and hungry for practical models. You'll hear about nature-based solutions, water and soil restoration, public-private-community partnerships, blended finance structures, and the kind of innovations that rarely make it into mainstream investment conversations — but urgently need to. / This is not a podcast about theory. It's about practice: the origination story, the partnerships forged, the financial architecture, the friction that had to be overcome, and the honest lessons guests would share with anyone trying to replicate or scale what they've built. / Hosted by Mónica Alejandra Altamirano, Investing in Regeneration bridges the gap between bottom-up changemakers and top-down decision-makers — because systemic change only happens when both are in the room. / If you believe regenerative investment is not only necessary but possible, this podcast is for you.

StarDate - 18 May 2026: Moon and Venus

New Podcasts - 22 April 2026: *Green Frequency - LAUNCHING EARTH DAY 2026 - Green Frequency: Earth Radio is an environmental science podcast exploring the research, stories, and decisions shaping our planet. / Each week, we unpack emerging environmental research, hear stories from civil society and the frontlines of conservation, and follow developments in global environmental policy and climate action. / From forests and oceans to courtrooms and conference halls, Green Frequency connects science to the real-world contexts where it is applied across communities, institutions, and global systems. / Hosted by Clark Marchese, founder of Pine Forest Media, the show brings together scientists, journalists, and practitioners from around the world to share knowledge, perspectives, and solutions. / This is Earth Radio. A place to tune in, stay curious, and listen closely.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - 19 May 2026: demeanour

New Podcasts - 23 April 2026: *Why Are You More Successful Than Me? With Richard Bacon - Richard Bacon returns to his broadcasting roots with a new ongoing interview series asking successful people the question that keeps him up at night: Why Are You More Successful Than Me? / Richard meets people he believes are more successful than him to ask them why. Don’t be thinking Richard isn’t successful. He is. He’s doing absolutely fine. But this series isn’t about Richard’s insecurity. It’s about curiosity, ambition and what really drives people who operate at the top of their fields.

Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You - 26 March 2026: *A Tip For Cleaning Out Dust Bunnies - Dust bunnies under the bed and dresser get out of hand fast, especially when pet hair joins the party. A quick blast of air from a hair dryer pushes the buildup into the open so it can be vacuumed or swept up. This simple cleaning trick helps keep under-furniture dust and hairballs from turning into a full-on nightmare.

New Podcasts - 23 April 2026: *The Sound Of My Father - When a long-lost tape surfaces, John Court embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Born to a US Marine and a wahine Māori who fell in love in WWII, John's search also reveals a hidden NZ history.

 

The Slowdown - episode 1268: 8 January 2025: Today’s poem is The Pacific by Jennifer Jean. 

New Podcasts - 23 April 2026: *Practice Marketing Insider - Practice Marketing Insider, hosted by Kristie Plantinga, is a marketing advice show for therapists who want to thrive in an online landscape that feels like it changes every day.  Each week, Kristie examines one piece of outdated or overblown marketing advice and explains why it’s inaccurate and what therapists should do instead to stay ahead.

BirdNote Daily - 7 November 2023: *The Striped Owl: A Yelling Owl - Striped Owls are known for their diverse vocalizations. Their repertoire includes deep hoots, eerie screeches, and a range of calls that help give an otherworldly ambiance to  tropical rainforests from Southern Mexico all the way to Argentina. Despite their eeriness, in many local cultures, Striped Owls are believed to bring luck to those who encounter them — so consider yourself lucky if you spot one.

New Podcasts - 23 April 2026: *Lung Cancer Voices of Hope - Lung Cancer Voices of Hope is a new podcast from LUNGevity Foundation that brings together people living with lung cancer and experts in care to share clinical guidance, insights, and support. The first episodes explore what happens after a diagnosis, how treatment decisions are made, and why community plays such a critical role in navigating the disease.

StarDate - 19 May 2026: Moon and Jupiter

New Podcasts - 24 April 2026: *Al Security Brief - AI Security Brief unpacks how AI is reshaping cybersecurity, from emerging attack techniques to zero-day research and real-world adversary activity. Powered by TrendAI threat intel and featuring conversations with international law enforcement, AI policy leaders, and security leaders, each episode delivers one insight worth bringing back to your team. Hosted by AI security practitioners Johnny Hand and Dustin Childs.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day - 20 May 2026: cordial

New Podcasts - 24 April 2026: *Adventure Life Travel Show - Adventure Life Travel Show is a podcast for curious travelers who want to experience the world more deeply. Join our host, Adventure Life Trip Planner Jason Maynard, to hear stories from fellow travelers and conversations with global insiders, including safari camp owners, remote lodge hosts, and locally-rooted destination experts. Enjoy behind-the-scenes insight into the world's most remarkable places and get inspired to embark on journeys that truly change you.

Daily Tips That May or May Not Help You - 27 March 2026: *A Tip For Boosting Morale - Creative collaboration can turn into an endless loop of critique, especially on newer projects and with newer collaborators. A quick “what’s working” email every week or two helps call out the moments where the team “nailed it,” which builds morale and reinforces the behaviors that make projects better. Useful for creative teams, feedback culture, and collaboration habits at the end of a long week.

New Podcasts - 27 April 2026: *Hat Business: Stories for Kids is a funny, heartwarming kids podcast packed with short adventures, silly moments, and gentle life lessons. Perfect for ages 4–8 (and grown-ups who pretend they’re not listening but totally are). / Each episode whisks your child into a world of silly stories, big feelings, and playful learning with Ruby and her magical bucket hat leading the way. From backyard cubby builds to banana bandits and talking animals, Hat Business helps kids learn about kindness, resilience, and imagination through bite-sized, screen-free fun. / Whether you’re on a long car ride, at bedtime, or just need five minutes of giggles, this is the kids podcast for silly stories, big adventures, and lots of laughs.

Sheer Pod Attack - season 1 episode 12: 1 May 2026: *Critiquing Queen (1973) - In this explosive deep‑dive, Sheer Pod Attack turns its critical lens toward Queen’s self‑titled 1973 debut album—a record often overshadowed by the band’s later bombast but packed with the raw DNA of what would become one of rock’s most iconic sounds.

Joining the show is Martin “Marv” Quibell, host of Pods Like Us and a connoisseur of all things Queen, who brings his sharp ear and encyclopaedic knowledge to the table. Together, you dissect:

🎸 The album’s fusion of proto‑metal, theatrical rock, and baroque flourishes 

🥁 Early hints of the band’s signature multi‑layered production

⚡ Why this record still divides fans and critics

🧩 How Queen sets the stage for the band’s evolution across the ’70s.

Expect spirited debate, unexpected insights, and a few lovingly delivered jabs at the album’s quirks. Whether you’re a die‑hard Queen fan or a curious newcomer, this episode offers a fresh, thoughtful look at the band’s audacious beginnings.

Into The Podverse - 27 May 2026: *Why Spotify Al Podcasts Are Bad for Independent Podcasters Building Audiences - What if your listeners could create a version of your podcast that’s perfectly tailored to their exact whims, instantly and for free, without you ever recording a word? / In this episode of Into the Podverse, Tony Doe explores a "bombshell" announcement from Spotify’s 2026 Investor Day: the launch of AI-powered personal podcasts. This isn't just a new tool; it’s a fundamental shift that turns Spotify from a simple distributor into a massive content generator, putting every independent creator in direct competition with "infinite zero marginal cost content" that never misses a deadline. / Why you need to listen: The "Squeeze" is Real: Discover why middle-tier creators, those too big to be niche darlings but not yet "unbreakable", are the most at risk in this new era of surgical AI precision. / The AI-Proof Strategy: We break down the specific human traits, like raw authenticity and lived experience, that AI still can't replicate, and how you can use them to build a brand that feels "distinctly human." / Monetisation for the "Tiny" Show: Learn about a game-changing feature that allows you to start earning ad revenue with as few as 10 downloads per month, including a new way to withdraw funds directly without stress. / Is this the end of independent podcasting as we know it, or the beginning of a human-led renaissance? Listen now to find out how to stay relevant in a world of automated audio.

New Podcasts - 28 April 2026: *Work life with Molly Graham - The world of work is changing, fast. The full range of human emotion can happen on the job: ambition and failure, joy and burnout, confidence and self-doubt. Company builder Molly Graham knows all about those messy feelings – and she believes they can actually be the roadmap to a meaningful career. On WorkLife, Molly sits down with all kinds of people – founders and operators, entertainers and creatives – to explore how to build a career without losing yourself. Each week, she’ll uncover the messy stories behind the shiniest successes, and share the real lessons about work that no one ever posts on Linkedin.