Arielle Nissenblatt Says "It's Never Too Late To Celebrate Father's Day With Podcasts"

 Did you know that Anna Jarvis, who was instrumental in having Mother's Day designated as an official holiday, ended up hating that day toward the end of her life? Why such disdain? Because Jarvis hated the crass commercialism that accompanied Mother's Day, and the sense that celebrating mothers was now only a one-day affair instead of a daily event. 

Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated Father's Day. And in that same spirit of continual recognition for the role fathers play in our culture, Ear Worthy is publishing an essay from podcast consultant, podcaster (Trailer Park: The Podcast Trailer Podcast), and podcast influencer supreme Arielle Nissenblatt about podcasts that encapsulate the true spirit of celebrating fatherhood.

In Nissenblatt's wonderful essay, she recommends several podcasts related to fatherhood. As the creator of the consistently helpful and crowdsourced podcast recommendation website, EarBuds Podcast Collective, Arielle knows a thing or two about podcasts that can inspire, inform, or make us laugh and cry.

So here you are. From Arielle Nissenblatt:

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It’s Father’s Day season! There are some podcasts that by dads, for dads. Some that are by dads, for others. Some that are by others, for dads. And then there are all the other podcasts out there that, when the season comes around, they bring us all the feels via dad content. 

I love when a podcast breaks format to bring us holiday-specific episodes. And there’s something about Mother’s and Father's Day episodes that warms my heart. Maybe it’s knowing that the hosts that I admire and follow week after week on their podcasts also have loving, beautiful, complicated, tough, and otherwise completely human relationships with the people that brought them into the world or raised them. There’s something about Ira Glass co-hosting an episode of This American Life, isn’t there?

I know these holidays can be tough for folks – whether it’s because they have complicated relationships with their parents, they’re missing their parents, they’re struggling with their relationships with their own kids, and anything in between. But I hope these episodes shed some light on the nuanced relationships that can exist within the dad-verse.

Here are some of this year’s best dad-specific podcast episodes in honor of Father’s Day 2023:

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

A Father’s Day Special with Sarah Silverman

In this episode, host Sam Fragoso interviews comedian Sarah Silverman. They reflect on loss, caretaking, and her new special, which is called Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love. Silverman and Fragoso spend a good deal of this conversation sharing the legacy that her father left with her. We even get to hear a voice note that he left her, which will leave you both laughing out loud and crying.

The Heart

DAD: Forgive and Forget

Kaitlin and her Dad fought so much when she was a teenager that the family calls those years '“World War III.” She tells the story of what happened after she left home and decided to love him anyway. As she became an adult, therapists and friends urged her to examine what really happened in those years. When she tries to talk about it with the family, she knows she has a big decision to make.

An Army of Normal Folks

Coach Bill Courtney: “I Was Miserable on Father’s Day, Until…"

Father’s Day can be a tough one for many. But what if you’re able to turn it around later in life? That’s Bill Courtney’s story. Listen in for a difficult yet redemptive tale of fatherly love.

DILF (Dad I’d Like To Friend)

When Mom Becomes Dad

This episode wasn’t made specifically for Father’s Day, but I wanted to include it here because it shows a different side to fatherhood and this holiday. In this episode, host Kevin Seldon interviews someone who began their parenthood journey…as a mom!

Modern Love

The Marriage Proposal That Wasn’t

Bob Morris could tell that something was changing with his elderly father: His car was clean, his manners had improved, and he had a shine in his eyes. He had a new “lady friend.” Her name was Arlene. Arlene loved Bob’s father, but she also set clear boundaries with him. She didn’t want to care for him when he got sick and — despite what Bob’s father led Bob to believe — she didn’t want to marry him. In this episode, Anna Martin talks to Bob about his father’s last love story. Then, she talks to Arlene herself about a misunderstood marriage proposal and the limits of love. 

Wikilisten

Father Part 1 and 2

Each episode of this show is a deep dive into a Wikipedia page and then some commentary from hosts Victor and Rachel. In this two-episode series, we learn about the Wikipedia entry for Father’s Day. “Father” has many meetings, and this Wikipedia entry attempts to make sense of some of them.

The Moth

I Will Be Your Father Figure

In this episode of The Moth, a live storytelling show, we hear stories of fathers and fatherhood. Get ready to feel loved, excited, embarrassed, and everything in between. 

Kelly Corrigan Wonders

Thanks For Being Here Amy's Dad Harold "Wes" Westlund

Amy Zuckerman shares a remembrance of her late father Harry “Wes” Westlund. Wes was a special man whose dream of becoming an Air Force fighter pilot was taken away just days before he was to receive his wings, due to a heart murmur. Amy says that although her dad lived his entire life under the threat of a heart defect, he had no issues at all with his capital “H” heart. He was a loving, caring and kind man who made all around him feel comfortable and welcome.

Here’s to the dads, the dad figures, the parents, the guardians, and everyone in between. And here’s to podcast listening, which brings these stories to our ears week after week. Happy listening!

 

Podcaster, Podcast Consultant, & Podcast Journalist Arielle Nissenblatt