Three Podcasts That Are Ear Worthy: Afghan Star; But We Loved; Risky Business

 The three iHeart podcasts recommended all possess a common trait: They all defy conventional wisdom and request that we think differently. In Afghan Star, it's a cultural upheaval. In But We Loved, it's examining gay history. In Risky Business, it's sharpening our critical thinking skills amid a fire hose of daily misinformation.

Afghan Star is hosted by John Legend, and tells the story behind the show that launched a cultural revolution in Afghanistan.

From the fall of the Taliban until its return, the reality competition show Afghan Star spotlighted an Afghanistan that could be: women singing without hijabs, Afghanistan’s first rapper, people of warring ethnic groups hugging and cheering for each other on stage.

Tune in Wednesdays to learn how a ragtag team scrambled to make the show every week, and the dangers they faced in trying to push the country forward.

 In But We Loved, host Jordan Gonsalves exposes us to intimate interviews with LGBTQ+ elders, where he learns about queer history through stories of love and perseverance.

As a religious kid growing up in conservative Texas, Gonsalves lacked Queer role models.

Now, as a journalist, he’s searching for the wisdom and belonging he craved when he was coming of age in this new podcast series.  Tune in Wednesdays.

Read my more in-depth review of But We Loved.

In Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikovat, the hosts challenge listeners to think more critically, logically and systematically about the world. This skill is sorely lacking in today's society.

Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova met playing poker, the ultimate game of optimal, risky decision-making. They became fast friends, spending countless hours chatting (and sometimes disagreeing) about how the sorts of risks that play out in a game like poker are mirrored in our daily lives.

Now, they’re bringing those conversations to their new show. Tune in Thursdays.