Podcasts have been shown to have academic, educational and accessibility benefits, and each podcast pick for this week does exactly that.

1. The Mind Full Podcast

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Health and wellbeing

It’s a treat to discover a podcast in its second season that immediately makes you want to immerse yourself in the back catalogue.

In his Mind Full Podcast, Irish comedian, broadcaster and meditation teacher Dermot Whelan deftly weaves a celebrity interview with insight from an expert on a related subject, such as nurturing creativity, the pleasure mindset, the power of self-awareness and the strengths of neurodiversity.

Season one opens with Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy on how he finds his flow state, while the second season has Selling Sunset’s Mary Bonnet sharing how deeper happiness isn’t necessarily found in million-dollar mansions.

Other guests may not be big names outside Ireland, but their themes are universal and Whelan wraps the honest appraisals and insight with gentle threads of humour and acceptance.

Each episode ends with a minute or two of guided meditation that’s like sinking into a warm hug after a proper heart-to-heart.

(By Amy Crowther)

2. Parents vs. The Internet

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Family and parenting

How can parents better protect the mental health of their children?

By age 11, most children have a mobile phone and are constantly bombarded with information, videos and messages via Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms, leaving their parents to fight a daily battle against dangerous content putting their children in harm’s way.

It’s why The Daily Mail’s Liz Hull and Esther Ghey have come together to host the 10-part podcast series, Parents vs. The Internet, where they speak to experts and allies about how we can better protect our children and why mobile phone companies need to take responsibility for safeguarding children.

In the latest episode, Hull and Ghey are joined by Hannah Oertel, the founder of Delay Smartphones, who discusses her campaign, Ghey’s daughter, Brianna Ghey, who sadly died after she was ambushed and brutally stabbed by her school peers, how smartphones can impact relationships and how “stranger danger” can also happen online as much as in person.

Parents vs. The Internet is an important podcast that is also campaigning for internet restrictions for all children under the age of 16, and for teachers across the UK to receive training in mindfulness. As listeners, it’s something to get behind.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

3. Reclaiming Narratives – The 4D Podcast

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Careers

Reclaiming Narratives, a podcast by 4D – which stands for four-dimensional – is hosted by four friends: Bukola, also known as B, Winnie, Nike and Hannah, who met while in senior leadership roles in the corporate world.

From exploring what it takes to be a thriving black woman in the workplace, taking ownership of our narratives, to being intentional about fostering a sisterhood beyond the corporate world, the four-part limited series was a heartwarming listen.

The first episode focused on the power of sisterhood, the impact it has had on the hosts’ career progressions and confidence, being transparent about money, why it’s important to be your own cheerleader and more.

Apart from being inspired by how much these women have collectively achieved, it was a delight to listen to these black women – some also mothers – at ease and singing each other’s praises.

Finding safe spaces in people isn’t something to be taken for granted. It’s a life hack, a form of self-care and the true joy of community.

(By Yolanthe Fawehinmi)

4. Never Live It Down

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: Life

Vogue Williams’ new podcast, Never Live It Down, is all about delving into people’s “deepest, darkest secrets”, as the Irish model and media personality asks them to reveal their most embarrassing moments.

Williams has already made an impact on the comic celebrity podcast world, inviting listeners into the nitty-gritty of married life with her husband Spencer Matthews on Spencer & Vogue, and having no-holds-barred chats with comedian Joanne McNally on My Therapist Ghosted me – and fans looking for a laugh won’t be disappointed with Never Live It Down.

Each episode features a different celebrity guest, laying bare the biggest cringes and awkward moments they’ve encountered. The series kicked off with Canadian comedy star Katherine Ryan (who’s just as honest as you’d expect!), followed by British comedian Eshaan Akbar.

The latest episode sees 30-year-old stand-up Grace Campbell take to the hotspot – who chats through outrageous things she did in her 20s (one of them will raise certainly some eyebrows!) and the worst things men have said to her during sex. I won’t spoil what her most embarrassing moment of all time was… but be prepared to laugh out loud!

(By Abi Jackson)

Spotlight on…

5. Kill List

Streaming platform: All streaming platforms

Genre: True crime

Hosted by tech journalist Carl Miller, Kill List follows his investigation into Besa Mafia, a hitman-for-hire site on the dark web.

In 2020, Chris Monteiro, who Miller describes as an “IT specialist by day, hacker by night”, managed to successfully gain access to Besa Mafia. There, he found the names, addresses and photos of targets, as well as messages between the site’s administrator and their customers.

The disturbingly pragmatic messages are read aloud with a distorted voice effect, amplifying the chilling content. They are difficult to listen to, with customers describing what kind of ‘accident’ they want their victim to endure.

Miller contacts those that he can to warn them and these calls are infuriating to hear: people often hang up before he has a chance to explain.

Besa Mafia ultimately proved to be a scam, but it revealed the dangerous nature of its customers, with some even violently taking matters into their own hands.

So far, Miller’s investigation has resulted in 28 convictions across 11 countries, leading to more than 150 years of prison time and has undoubtedly saved lives.

(By Amelia Braddick)