9 Guilty Pleasure Podcasts for Women

Last Updated on October 28, 2021

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This list of podcasts for women includes some that might expose your favorite guilty pleasure, but they're perfect for escaping life's chaos.

Ladies, is it just me, or does the phrase "guilty pleasure" trigger a feeling of giddiness?

Seriously: just thinking about your favorite guilty pleasures can make you grin, and even blush, no matter how hard you try to play it cool.

I don't care how mature, worldly, or woke you are: you have at least one guilty pleasure that is slightly embarrassing to admit out loud. Maybe it's watching The Bachelor, playing Candy Crush, or that you covet expensive shoes.

For me, it's my love for General Hospital. I've watched this soap opera since I was 14 years old.

The story lines are ridiculous, and the 2.5 hours I spend watching it each week are hours that I could fill with productive or educational activities. But I don't care. I swear that watching it gives me endorphins.

My other guilty pleasures: hot chocolate, tortilla chips, and certain podcasts that my husband would never listen to with me. Like By the Book and Happier in Hollywood, two podcasts that drop new episodes on Thursdays. I LOVE Thursdays.

Indulging in one of those podcasts after a long, hard week is the perfect way to "escape" real life, if only for 30 minutes.

And don't worry: there's nothing embarrassing about any of the podcasts in the list below. But they might expose some of your favorite guilty pleasures!

I give you permission to subscribe to them, and enjoy them. With no apologies. Because if listening to them provides you with a little pleasure, who cares what anyone else thinks.

Click here to get this podcast list emailed to you!

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Podcasts for Women Who Want a Little "Escape" from Reality

Hallmarkies Podcast

For many women, there is no greater guilty pleasure than a Hallmark movie (except maybe an entire Sunday binging Hallmark movies).

I admit to getting sucked into their holiday movies when I go home at Christmas.

If you're one of the millions of Hallmark Channel junkies out there, there are a few Hallmark podcasts for you! Hallmark themselves recently came out with their own "official" podcast, but it's too new for me to have an opinion about it.

The show I recommend is the Hallmarkies podcast. This show is hosted by Hallmark Channel super fans. They discuss recent Hallmark movie premieres, the famous Countdowns (to Christmas and Valentine's Day), and much more.

Guests on Hallmarkies include Hallmark actors and writers, as well as the hosts from other Hallmark-themed podcasts. This is a fun, casual show that will have you commenting out loud as you listen!

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Gilmore Guys

There are a lot of chronological, TV re-watch podcasts out there, but I consider Gilmore Guys to be a top podcast for women.

The Gilmore Guys re-watched all 8 seasons (if you count the Netflix reboot) of the Gilmore Girls TV show, and discussed them, episode by episode.

The great thing about re-watch podcasts is that even though both Gilmore Girls and the Gilmore Guys podcast have completed their runs, you can still go back to the beginning of both and watch/listen. The first episode of Gilmore Guys was in 2014, seven years after the Gilmore Girls original series finale aired.

A couple of disclaimers for ya: First, episodes of Gilmore Guys are not short. Early episodes run at least one hour, while later episodes spill into 2-3 hours. You probably won't listen to an episode in one sitting, but it's worth starting and stopping to finish each one.

Second disclaimer: since the Gilmore Guys podcast ended, their feed of episodes includes other podcasts that they think their fans will like. If you want to listen from the beginning of Gilmore Guys (that's where I recommend you start), scroll all the way to the bottom of the feed, or change your podcast player settings to show oldest episodes first.

Also Be Sure to Check Out: 13 of the Best Podcasts for Women, Made by Women

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Dishing with Digest

I've already admitted to watching General Hospital, but the truth is that there was a time back in the 90s and early 2000s when I watched a lot of other soap operas.

Even though I only watch GH now, I like to listen to Dishing with Digest, which is the official Soap Opera Digest podcast. Dishing with Digest is the perfect mix of industry news and reminiscing about the glory days of soap operas.

In each episode, the hosts start with a little general soap chatter, and then go right into an interview with a soap star. The episode titles tell you who the star will be, which I find helpful, because I'm not familiar with some of the other soaps or story lines and it's easy to skip those.

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Out on the Lanai  (a Golden Girls podcast)

The Golden Girls: you either love them or hate them.

I've written about the Golden Girls before. There are a bunch of GG re-watch podcasts out there, but the one I recommend is Out on the Lanai.

Diehard Golden Girls fans will love the conversation between the hosts of this podcast. They're the types of conversations you'd have with your girlfriends nowadays, after watching a couple of GG reruns.

Whenever I catch an episode of the Golden Girls at the gym, I go find the corresponding episode of OOTL and see if they talk about the things I thought were notable about the show. It's a fun game - you should try it!

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The Mortified Podcast

If you're not familiar with The Mortified Podcast, you've got some catching up to do. There are over 150 episodes waiting for you to binge.

On Mortified, grown adults share stories, diary entries, letters, songs, and artwork from their teen years.

From the utmost embarrassing to the deep and introspective, these stories are like a looking at a train wreck - you can't help yourself.

Mortified stories are told live on stage in front of an audience. The podcast also includes narration. The live shows have even been recorded and have made the jump to the screen as The Mortified Guide on Amazon.

You might also like: 5 Storytelling Podcasts for Fans of the Mortified Podcast

Divorce Court

Other peoples' problems and straight-talking no-nonsense judges: this is the stuff guilty pleasures are made of.

Yes, there is a Divorce Court podcast. It's basically just audio of the TV show, edited down to be short 20 minute podcast episodes.

I personally think that listening to this podcast is much more fun than watching the show on TV. The pace seems faster, and hearing the judge's reactions - without being able to see her facial expressions - is priceless.

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Honorable Mentions

My Best Break-Up

Hilarious and insightful host Maeve Higgins speaks with guests about their break-ups; romantic and otherwise. My Best Break-Up is relatable, but it won't make you cry. You'll probably end up rooting for the guests!

Dear 1995

If you like Mortified, check out Dear 1995, in which the 40-something-year-old host reads from her 1995 diary. Her present-day bestie is there to help her analyze, critique, and cringe at her teenage musings.

My Favorite Murder

If you like girl chat and ripped-from-the-headlines true crime drama, My Favorite Murder is the podcast for you. It's actually a comedy podcast, and has a bit of a cult following.

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Your Turn to Recommend

What are some of your favorite podcasts to indulge in? Do you have a guilty pleasure podcast to share? Leave a comment below to add to the list of podcasts!

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