EarBuds Podcast Collective: *Leaving Your Comfort Zone*

How EarBuds Podcast Collective works:

Each week, a theme is chosen by one of our curators. That curator finds 5 podcast episodes (from anywhere!) to go along with that theme. Listen to these podcasts by clicking on the links above, through the RadioPublic app, or you can find (most of) them on your favorite podcast app (iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast…)

PODCAST CURATOR’S NAME: Scott Gurian, host & producer of the Far From Home podcast

WHY THIS THEME?: My favorite audio stories contain unexpected surprises or moments that challenge me, make me slightly uncomfortable, or make my ears perk up in some way. Here’s a collection of memorable pieces from the past few years that exposed me to unfamiliar territory or put me in situations where I didn’t immediately know what to think.

MONDAY EPISODE (1/22): Far From Home – Just Plain Weird – 37 minutes

My friends and I get thoroughly creeped out while driving across Turkmenistan, one of the oddest and most authoritarian countries in the world.

TUESDAY EPISODE (1/23):  The Truth – Do You Have a Minute for Equality? – 15 minutes

The Truth features well-produced audio drama “movies for your ears” that sometimes have a dark, kind of twisted tone reminiscent of The Twilight Zone. This episode is one of my favorites.

WEDNESDAY EPISODE (1/24): Love + Radio – The Wisdom of Jay Thunderbolt – 31 minutes

Good audio has the power to transport listeners to places they might never otherwise go and experience situations they’d never ordinarily encounter in their everyday lives. Here’s an extreme example.

THURSDAY EPISODE (1/25): Reveal – A Frank Conversation with a White Nationalist – 24 minutes

It’s hard not to sit on the edge of your seat while listening to this conversation between an African American host and a guest with markedly different views of the world.

FRIDAY EPISODE (1/26): This American Life – Tarred and Feathered: Act II: Help Wanted – 30 minutes

For this episode, I’m highlighting one story: “Help Wanted” (Act II of the show, 27 minutes long). This story dives deep into the moral complexity surrounding an issue most people are afraid to discuss.

GET IN TOUCH: Write me at info@farfromhomepodcast.org, follow me on Instagram @farfromhomepodcast and on Twitter @scottgurian.

SHAMELESS PROMO: Monday’s episode comes from my serialized podcast where I’m in the midst of documenting the crazy adventures I experienced on an 11,000 mi. / 18 country road trip I took from London to Mongolia in a ridiculously tiny car. Start with episode 1 of Far From Home if you want to hear the full story of how the journey came about!

CROWDSOURCING QUESTION: What’s something you’ve done that’s taken you out of your comfort zone?

HASHTAG FOR DISCUSSION: #EarBudsChallenge