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A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon an article announcing that relationship and sex therapist Esther Perel would be launching a new podcast on Spotify.
My first thoughts:
"OMG...YES! I can't wait to listen!"
Then:
"Dammit...how am I going to recommend this to readers if the podcast is exclusive to Spotify?"
You see, I don't often recommend or review podcasts that aren't available to the public for free. I completely understand that large podcast companies have bills to pay, and I also don't think it's fair for independent podcasters, creators, and artists to keep creating stuff for free for the rest of us.
That said, the soaring trend in podcast listening has come about via free listening, so it's difficult for a podcast blogger to recommend shows that are on pay-to-listen apps.
But I do have a paid Spotify account (my husband and I have a family plan that we've used for years to listen to music), so I decided to listen to the How's Work? podcast, Esther Perel's latest foray into counseling podcasts.
Who Is Esther Perel?
Esther Perel is a licensed and practicing psychotherapist. She's best known for counseling couples on a variety of topics and issues, often helping them to reflect on themselves through the lens of their childhood and the trauma they've had in life.
Her first podcast, Where Should We Begin? (produced by Audible, but available for free on all the major podcast apps) features real counseling sessions that she has with couples. The sessions are edited for time, and sometimes to conceal names, but what you do hear is raw, insightful, and unlike any other podcast out there.
Esther has a way of homing in on the underlying issues that each individual brings to the couple, and how those issues affect communication and intimacy. Episodes of Where Should We Begin? average 45 minutes, but I could listen to double that.
The How's Work? Podcast
In her newest podcast, How's Work?, Esther sits down with duos who work together. In the first episode, it was two male business partners; in the second, two female co-workers.
The podcast aims to shine light on the things that form us as individuals and how those things relate to life in the workplace. Because, honestly, a lot of people hold their careers and workplace relationships as dearly and tightly as they do their romantic relationships.
I have to take a second to mention the title of the show, because I think it's genius. The title for Where Should We Begin? seems to have naturally come from the beginning of a standard counseling session. It's also a loaded question, one that can stir up a lot of emotions.
I love that the team behind How's Work? kept to this theme, using a phrase that's exchanged between humans everywhere, and one that can also lead to a mix of feelings and internal struggle. The title is also a little ironic to me, because it's so casual and Esther is such an eloquent speaker.
The first 3 episodes of How's Work? are fantastic. In addition to the two episodes already mentioned, there is a Prologue episode that features Esther talking to a room of professionals about how the people we are outside of the workplace - as well as cultural changes and societal pressures - contribute to our workplace problems and stress.
Esther digs deep with the duos in How's Work?, and the show is just as hard-hitting and thoughtful as Where Should We Begin? It's the type of podcast that feels like it's all about other people's problems, but actually helps you to work through your own stuff.
I absolutely recommend checking out How's Work? That is, if you have a Spotify account.
[Related Post: 3 Thought-Provoking Relationship Podcast Episodes That Will Challenge You]
Listening on Spotify
This brings me to the crabby part of this review, which has absolutely nothing to do with the podcast itself. But like I said above: it must be done.
I first tried listening to podcasts on Spotify a few years ago. Back then, I was using the native Apple podcast player to listen to podcasts, and Spotify to listen to music. One day, I found podcasts on Spotify and I thought I'd hit the jackpot. No more switching between apps; it was an all-in-one solution (and one I was already paying for).
Alas, my phase of listening to podcasts on Spotify didn't last long. At the time, there were very few podcasts actually publishing their shows on the platform, and some just stopped updating their feeds altogether without notice. I realized that I was missing episodes from some of my favorite shows, and that Spotify wasn't doing much to support podcast listening.
A lot of that has changed since then. In the last 11 months, Spotify has sunk a ton of money into becoming a big player in Podcast Land. But I'm still not sold, which is what made it so difficult for me to recommend a Spotify-exclusive show.
Here are the reasons I still don't like listening to podcasts on Spotify:
Spotify's current settings are all related to music, not podcasts. When I open up my Spotify app, it goes straight to music, even if the last thing I was listening to was a podcast. There is no setting for listening to podcasts at a higher speed or a different volume. These are just general settings that apply to anything that's being played, including music.
The current options for notification settings are all music-related. I'm not someone who gets push notifications for new podcast episodes, but I know a lot of people who rely on that to know when their favorite show has published a new episode.
Currently, there is no auto-download option for new episodes, or "delete download after play" setting. So, unless I want to stream podcasts (which I do not recommend), I have to manually download every episode I want to listen to, and then remember to go back and delete the episode when I'm finished listening.
It's just. not. convenient. Or efficient! I listen to a lot of podcasts about productivity and efficiency, and none of them would recommend all this time tapping around in an app when there are other apps that require very little effort and provide a better experience.
It's been about a year since Spotify started their massive push to be a well-known name in podcasting, but they've yet to update their settings to be on par with other podcast apps.
I'm super happy with the PocketCasts app, which I have been using for a few years now. The idea of switching over to Spotify just to listen to one show that I really like (How's Work?) is annoying. It's also unlikely. I'll probably forget all about the show for several weeks, and then binge the backlog one day on a flight. Doable? Yes. But I'd prefer to hear the show as it comes out every week.
As much as I love Spotify for music, I just can't get behind their current settings/features for podcasts.
Your Turn
Have you listened to How's Work? Leave a comment to share your thoughts about the podcast. And if you have an opinion about listening to podcasts on Spotify, share it! I want to know what other listeners are experiencing!
