Five Best Health & Wellness Podcasts Of 2024

ALSO...Five Best Science Podcasts Of 2024

The Health & Wellness genre category in podcasting is as wide-ranging and often so ambiguous that listeners can retrieve podcasts as diverse as ones that focus on sexual positions, keto diets, mindfulness, mental health, upper-body exercises, and gut health.

Given the breadth of this genre, the five best chosen here are not strictly health podcasts. Instead, these five podcasts span the expanse of this genre. We have a wellness lifestyle show, a show focused on unconventional treatment, a life hack daily show, a show that spotlights people who have overcome trauma in their lives, and a show that focuses on the power of optimism.

As I've mentioned before,Ear Worthy uses a panel of people from around the U.S., from Texas to California, New Jersey to Oregon, and Alabama to New Hampshire. Also, we do not choose the low-hanging fruit of podcasts with high visibility because of marketing by their podcast network. Just because a podcast has thousands of downloads does not make it a quality, ear-worthy show.

In no particular order, here are Ear Worthy's Five Health & Wellness Podcasts of 2024.

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Salad With A Side Of Fries

I'm looking for a diet that is healthy, but also allows me to enjoy eating some "bad" foods without the guilt pangs that send my self-esteem into self-flagellation.

That's why I so enjoy the Salad With a Side of Fries podcast hosted by Jenn Trepeck.

In the beginning of each episode, Trepeck says, "Welcome to Salad With A Side Of Fries, talking wellness and weight loss for real life. I'll clear up the myths, misinformation, bad science, and marketing and teach you how to eat and how to cheat."

Now, this is my kind of wellness, diet, and fitness podcast. I don't want to run seven miles on the beach in army boots. Or go to CrossFit and flip tractor tires.

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from kicking my food issues with my own weight management saga.” says creator/ host Jenn Trepeck.

Episodes come in two formats. First, full circa 50-minute episodes on such topics as clean eating, meditation for stress, headaches and migraines, and oral care.

Trepeck is an excellent host who has an obvious passion for the subject and a lot of expertise. She's a solid interviewer who listens well and can guide a fluid conversation with a guest.

My favorite attribute of Trepeck's is her focus on motivating listeners, not lecturing to her listeners. Trepeck is not one of those wellness podcast hosts where "failure is not an option."

Instead, she recognizes and conveys that making lifestyle, fitness, and diet changes is exceedingly hard. Look for small wins, she urges, and do not make perfectionism the enemy of gradual progress.

My favorite episodes include Fitness:Fact Or Fiction?, Top three remedies for weight-loss resistance, and the Live From New York show.
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Getting Personal With Plant Medicine

In the first episode of the Getting Personal With Plant Medicine (GPPM) podcast, creator/host Diana-Ashley Krach talks with her life and podcasting partner -- JR Krach -- about the inherent flaws in Western modern medicine. While there are copious flaws with our health care system, the Krach's rightfully focus on the indiscriminate prescribing of medications to solve every physical problem. Soon, the couple rightfully asserts, people's health suffers because of dangerous interactions between medications and medication side effects.

The show's elevator pitch is simple yet effective: "Whether you're just starting to explore the potential of plants or are a seasoned alternative healing expert, our show invites you to unwind, learn, and discover the remarkable healing power of earth and plant medicine."

As a host, Diana-Ashley Krach excels because of her encyclopedic knowledge of the topic, her no-nonsense interview skill, and the uniqueness of her laugh -- unabashed and thunderous. In her episodes, Krach doesn't delay and dives into the topic at hand.

Check out Getting Personal With Plant Medicine. Diana-Ashley Krach is an excellent host, sensible and passionate about plant-based medicine and concerned about her listeners' health.

Episodes of note include the two-parter on moving from prescription pills to plant-based medicine, and chocolate and roses as plant medicine.
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Arielle & Ned's Daily Tips That May Or May Not Help You

Then we have the life lessons, life hacks, and daily tips. So many. Too many. After watching hours of these lessons / hacks /tips, I'm convinced that WD-40 can solve our renewable energy crisis, eliminate all credit card debt, and resolve the Middle East crisis. Apparently, WD-40 can do almost...well, everything.

In December 2023, a new podcast launched, "Arielle and Ned's Daily Tips That May Or May Not Help You." Right away, I liked this concept. No pretentiousness such as some sites or shows with titles like, "Life Hacks That Will Save Your Life" Or "Secret Life Lessons That Only You Will Know After Reading, Liking, and Reviewing With Five Stars" in this article.

Instead, Donovan and Nissenblatt tell you right in the title of their podcast that their daily tips may not help. There's no money-back guarantee that their tips will revolutionize your life.

This daily podcast -- now over 180 episodes -- showcased podcasting at its most flexible, fun, and informative. It is only two minutes in length, offering life hacks and lessons of high or minor value, and is fun to listen to.

The show has tips that range from cooking a large meal to softening butter, and composing better emails to combating morning face.
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The Life Shift

On The Life Shift podcast, host Matt Gilhooly has candid conversations with people about the pivotal moments that changed their lives forever.

It's one of those indie podcasts that, when you find it, you feel like you've discovered audio gold. If you don't know, indie podcasting is hard. It's building a media business from conception to birth through maturation. It's finding listeners amid a sea of other podcasts.

On the podcast's website, it reads: "We all have our stories, but through these conversations, we discover communities. We learn that there are commonalities through the ups and downs that we all face. But most importantly, we learn that we are not alone."

The Life Shift podcast highlights life-altering moments and humanizes the struggles and triumphs through them all.

In November, Matt Gilhooly began a 30/30 challenge. Producing a podcast day for the entire month of November. And we thought running a marathon was difficult. This is like running 26.2 miles backward and blindfolded.

The episodes that affected me include a woman in fashion who lost her eyesight and became a novelist, a domestic violence survivor, and a woman dealing with bipolar disorder.
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Blue Sky

In the beginning of every Blue Sky podcast, host Bill Burke reminds listeners that, "There is always blue sky above. Sometimes, you just have to get your head above the clouds to see it."

Despite the opening bouncy, happy music and the buoyancy of that quote, this podcast does not pretend to offer listeners a rose-colored, overly optimistic, and utopian view of our world. It is certainly not an exercise in toxic positivity, which is a dysfunctional way of managing emotions that involves denying or invalidating negative emotions, especially anger and sadness.

Instead, Blue Sky uncovers and underscores inspirational stories in the midst of political division and global uncertainty.

“Optimism is more than just a state of mind, it’s a creative force that leads to action and positive outcomes, even in the most challenging of times,” Bill Burke says. “On Blue Sky, we feature guests who embody this spirit and inspire these same qualities in our listeners.”

Blue Sky recently released a special three-episode miniseries, in which Burke highlights how optimism isn’t just a feel-good attitude—it’s a powerful tool for tackling today’s most pressing issues, from race and identity to national unity.
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Honorable Mention -- Nutrition Diva -- Through nearly 800 episodes, host Monica Reinagel has never strayed from pursuing truth in the area of nutrition. She leaves no study unturned and is often the enemy of confirmation bias and oversimplification.

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Five Best Science Podcasts Of 2024

Science podcasts are a bright spot within the podcast industry, counteracting the growing number of conspiracy, extremist, and fact-free podcasts.

The best science podcasts blend a rigorous investigation of a scientific concept along with a slice of humor. Dry, academic science podcasts are best left for nights when sleep evades us.

As I've mentioned before, Ear Worthy uses a panel of people from around the U.S., from Texas to California, New Jersey to Oregon, and Alabama to New Hampshire. Also, we do not choose the low-hanging fruit of podcasts with high visibility because of marketing by their podcast network. Just because a podcast has thousands of downloads does not make it a quality, ear-worthy show.

In no particular order, here are Ear Worthy's Five Science Podcasts of 2024.

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Science Vs

 Hosted by Australian science journalist Wendy Zukerman, Science Vs is successful for two primary reasons. First, Zukerman's good-natured humor topples listener expectations about what a science podcast should sound like. Second, the unique mission of the podcast-using scientific investigative techniques to separate fact from myth-sparks interest, controversy, and insight.

And they do so tongue-in-cheek, but also with no fear of proclaiming "the data isn't clear" or "we need more data for greater certainty." Behind the wily wisecracks of Zukerman and the show's refusal to take itself too seriously, Science Vs is deadly serious about facts, research, facts, and conclusions. But it never seems to get too far ahead of its skis, making claims it cannot substantiate.

The show's success is evident from its consistent ranking as one of the most downloaded podcasts. This year's episodes of note include microplastics, ask Wendy anything, and what's at the edge of space.

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Unexplainable podcast

Scientists don't really know what 95 percent of the universe is made up of. That fact is particularly shocking, considering we live in an age where humans seem to know it all. 

That's why Vox's science podcast - Unexplainable - is especially timely because it takes listeners on a journey into the unknown and then explores that feeling when "you think you understand something and there's just so much more." 

Unexplainable host Noam Hassenfeld reminds us that we don't understand exactly how the nose works, or what's going on inside the earth? And does anyone know about ball lightning?

Produced by Vox - known for quality, thoughtful podcasts - Unexplainable host Hassenfeld explains that the podcast isn't about the answers. "It's about the questions," he says. Alex Trebek would be proud of him.

Unexplainable launched its first episode in March 2021. Dutifully, that initial episode focused on the mystery of dark matter, which is composed of particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light. Therefore, dark matter can not be detected by electromagnetic radiation and can't be seen directly. 

The format of Unexplainable is straightforward and is smartly designed to enhance understanding rather than grovel for listeners. In the show, host Noam Hassenfeld is joined by an array of experts and Vox reporters each week to look at fascinating unanswered questions in science and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them.

Episodes that are ear-worthy this year includes does your gut have feelings, how did Earth get its water, and what do dinosaurs sound like.

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Big Picture Science

Big Picture Science. It's a terrific podcast that exposes junk science, highlights new scientific discoveries, and finds the science in everyday life. Big Picture Science is produced at the SETI Institute's radio studio in Mountain View, California. The program began with the title Are We Alone? in 2002 as a commercially-supported call-in show distributed to a handful of stations on Radio America by Bill Oxley and Seth Shostak, who actually broadcast from their respective living rooms in San Diego and Mountain View.

The show's co-hosts are Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley. Shostak and Bentley have been doing for years, so they are comfortable as hosts, interviewers, and with each other. The co-hosts can geek out on hard science and still laugh at science nerdiness, and they can get tough with junk science theories and claims. In essence, they make an enjoyable combo,

On the April 15, 2024, episode, "For The Birds" we hear about migratory birds that travel thousands of miles in a display of endurance that would make an Olympic athlete gasp. More importantly, we discover what can we do to save disappearing species? 

Plus, we learn how 19th century bird-lovers, appalled by feathered hats, started the modern conservation movement.

On the recent July 11, 2024, show - "Aliens Now" - the co-hosts talk to astrophysicist Adam Frank about the possibility of intelligent life on other planets.

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Taboo Science

Here is the marketing pitch from Taboo Science: "Taboo Science is a podcast that answers the questions you're not allowed to ask. It's hosted by Ashley Hamer, a science writer and podcaster. Every episode dives into a different societal taboo to understand the science that makes it tick, the reasons we don't talk about it, and the impact that has on society at large. Why don't we eat people? Why are my swear words different than my parents'? And what makes porn, porn? It's science class if science class had one of those anonymous question boxes. It's Taboo Science."

Ashley Hamer is a writer, podcaster, and science communicator in Chicago. She is the creator of Taboo Science and the former host and content lead of the science podcast Curiosity Daily.

The podcast began in September 2020, and it didn't pull any punches in its first several episodes. Topics included pornography, profanity, cannibalism, penises, and vaginas. I can just sense the uptight people who are organizing bans.

If you, as a listener, are into your science being serious stuff with people with PhDs speaking in solemn tones, Taboo Science is not for you.

But if enjoy a beaker full of fun with your science lesson, and don't mind your poop being referred to you as "butt nuggets," then Taboo Science is for you. 

The most taboo episodes this year include its miniseries about the weird and colorful world of kinks and fetishes. Be prepared to be shocked. Or not.

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Short Wave

Short Wave is a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast that gives us a sneak peek behind the science headlines - all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor. 

The original host of the show was Maddie Sofia, who is an actual scientist with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Rochester Medical Center. The new host,

Emily Kwong is perfectly capable of presenting science from a different wavelength.

Short Wave can do a sub -10-minute deep dive because Sofia is so fluent in science and communicating key concepts. Recent episodes include a tale of swarming locusts in Africa and how scientists in Tempe, AZ are using a low-carb diet to minimize crop damage. 

Or a truly troubling episode about a condition called silicosis, and it's been known about for decades. So why is it now emerging in new numbers among workers who cut kitchen counter tops? NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce explains in such a way you'll say a prayer that you kept your old Formica counter tops. 

 New discoveries, everyday mysteries, and the science behind the headlines - all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.

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Honorable Mention Why This Universe - The biggest ideas in physics, broken down. Join University of Chicago theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman as they answer your questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more.