Three Ear Worthy Podcasts: How To Get Wet When You're Dry; Brands For A Better World; Havoc Town

 This week, we have three ear-worthy podcasts that include a show about having fun without alcohol, a show that spotlights brands that foster a sustainable future, and an audio drama about a strange plague in a New Hampshire town.

Two of the shows are independent podcasts, and one is from iHeart, which we usually do not showcase. In this case, the audio drama is so good, it is our exception to our own rule.
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Brands For A Better World

 This podcast brings you the stories behind the people and products building a more just, healthy, and regenerative future. The show is from the Heritage Radio Network, which HRN's podcasts cover everything from the artistry of baking to the craft of brewing, the complexities of cheese mongering to the challenges of solving climate change. HRN shows offer many different voices and topics, but they share the same goals.

Here's the key part that makes HRN so attractive to Ear Worthy and potentially to listeners.

Mr. Pruett explains: "HRN is a non-profit, so we always have a David and Goliath battle versus the larger networks to attract funding, advertisers and listeners. I like to say we have a non-profit model but a for-profit mindset. We seek to provide the best programming to attract listeners interested in our genre. Many of our listeners are serious foodies. It's good fun, actually."

 HRN Chairman of the Board Ronald Pruett, Jr, says: "HRN’s mission is to build a more sustainable world by shifting how we think about food. Through storytelling, we amplify voices, spotlight solutions, and inspire change that helps foster equity and environmental stewardship for all." 

Here's the show's mission: "We’re bringing you the stories behind the people and products building a more just, healthy, and regenerative future for us all. Tune in weekly and together, we’ll learn about why these better products and brands were created, how they’re helping fix broken systems, and what you can do to support them. You’ll discover some new brands to love, and get some sparks of inspiration that will help you live your best life. The show is hosted by Gage Mitchell, Founder of Modern Species, a sustainable brand design agency helping better brands grow to scale their impact.

Episodes of note include a recent one with Victoria Ho, who tells us about her journey into food and wellness, and how that sense of purpose drove her to launch her new Ayurvedic cooking system brand, Khalo. She discusses the interconnectedness of food, health, and personal growth, and how cooking serves as a form of self-care. 

In a July episode, host Gage Mitchell speaks to Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a preventive cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods, who discusses the critical role of nutrition in managing heart disease and the challenges faced in integrating dietary changes into medical practice. She shares her journey from traditional medicine to creating a food company aimed at reducing reliance on medications through nutrition. 

 Check out Brands For A Better World. You'll learn a lot about the people bringing us new brands for a regenerative future. 

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 How To Get Wet When You're Dry

This podcast, hosted by Anna Wolfe, explores sex, sobriety, and dating, focusing on love and lust without alcohol. Journalist, lover, and several years into recovery from both alcohol and an eating disorder, Anna Wolfe brings personal experience to discussions about relationships and recovery. She's not a therapist, a guru, or an expert - just a woman who thought it would be nice to share these things and now deeply regrets it.

It's an issue that is too often ignored or deflected. Excessive alcohol use is responsible for about 178,000 deaths in the United States each year, and excessive alcohol use was associated with an economic cost of $549 billion in 2024.

Listening to the trailer, listeners are in for a wild ride for the charmingly volatile Anna Wolfe. She admits: I'm a person who doesn't think before they speak." And it shows. However, Wolfe is massively entertaining, and demonstrating that having a great time does not mean you need alcohol to put you in the mood. 

Check out How To Get Wet When You're Dry. Who knows? It may be your route to sobriety. 

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Havoc Town

Havoc Town is a superb audio drama from iHeart's Grim & Wild Channel, which is made up of 13 shows on a similar theme.

A strange plague has struck Abbesstown, NH, a sleepy farming village in the foothills of the White Mountain: Fever, the vomiting of blood, wild night terrors that wrack the victims. No medicine seems to work against it, and so the Reverend Josiah Abbess, believing something infernal is at work in his flock, begins his campaign to root out the evil. 

What follows becomes known as The Abbesstown Vampire Panic. 200 years later, and the peace is once again violently shattered when a man drives his truck into the side of city hall, attacking those who come to assist him with an ax. Wild eyed and sweating blood, ranting of a coming storm, he is finally taken down by the town’s police and brought to the hospital. 

In the following days, a familiar old plague follows. In the midst of the ensuing panic, Jury Havock, scion of the Havock business empire, appears. He is cool-headed. Pragmatic. Determined to get control over the sickness overtaking the population. But Corinne Abbess, the last of her disgraced bloodline, is suspicious of this would-be messiah, and becomes determined to uncover the truth about his sudden appearance in town, and all the unbelievable events that follow.

Check out Havoc Town. It's RFK, Jr's dream -- a town where no one is vaccinated against a mysterious, evil plague. Does vitamin A ward off evil spirits?