“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” - Network (1976)

All of us here at Vocal Fry Studios have a hill we’d die on, and I’d bet over the last few years many people have become an “activist” in some sense.

I like to think that podcasters are activists whether or not they mean to be. We fight for stories we care about and chase the ones we need answers to. By sharing different perspectives, experiences and resources, podcasts can set the table for listeners to take action, too. Creating meaningful content is important work!

But oftentimes it feels like there’s a jukebox of social issues in my brain that is constantly adding tracks to the queue. There’s a lot to fight for right now – the climate crisis, racial injustice, women’s reproductive rights, a housing crisis, and gun control, to name a few.

EVERYTHING feels urgent – everything IS urgent!

We all have an idea of the change we want to see for our world. But given the circumstances, it all feels a bit hopeless these days. But it’s now or never people! It’s time to get out of the funk and find some courage.

So here’s a list of podcasts that have me inspired to start a social revolution.

Take Back the Fight - Social Movement Organizing

Full disclosure, this podcast inspired this blog post. Nora Loreto takes a ground-level look at what it actually takes to organize a social movement – what and who is involved – plus the roadblocks that come with getting “organized.” She also takes a fascinating look at how social movements have changed in the digital age.

99% Invisible - The Missing Middle

I had to give a shout out to this recent episode of 99% Invisible produced by fellow Fry Jay Cockburn. Jay’s ambition to get this story on such a major show is so ridiculously inspiring. Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis and Toronto’s rental ecosystem isn’t helping. As he explains in the episode, the housing situation in Toronto isn’t anything like what he expected when he moved here from the UK. Middle-sized housing options are zoned out and it’s taking a hit on the city’s residents. Take a listen to hear what it’s like to cleverly expose a problematic bureaucracy and chase a story that could shake up an entire city.

The Roxane Gay Agenda - Tap Dancing on Thin Ice (w/ Imani Barbarin)

“The pandemic has revealed a broken system that keeps the disabled in poverty.”

Roxane Gay is what I’d refer to as a modern day feminist icon, so when she started her podcast three years ago I knew I’d be immediately hooked. Her podcast is brutally honest and raw, so when she had powerhouse disability activist, Imani Barbarin, on the show I knew I was in for a fiery episode. And let me tell you, this podcast left me feeling fired, the hell, up. Roxane and Imani have a frank and important conversation about dealing with the injustices and barriers that surround the disability community and what needs to be done to improve things. It’s an inspiring episode that will reassure you that it’s okay to be mad and you don’t always have to be nice about standing up for what’s right.

What a Day - How Chappelle Fueled a Netflix Walkout

In 2021, trans Netflix employees and their allies held a walkout in protest of the platform endorsing Dave Chappelle’s transphobic special The Closer. Hosts Gideon and Tre’vell take an informative deep dive into the walkout and talk to B. Pagels-Minor, a former Netflix employee. The three of them discuss how things went from a “trans day of rest” to a full blown walkout and what taking a stand looks like within a corporate structure.

The Decibel - What students think about the end of masking

Hey, walkouts are for everyone. The Decibel did a great job covering Sophia Alexanian, a 16-year-old high school student who co-founded a group called Ontario Students for COVID Safety in Toronto. In March 2022, she organized a province-wide school walkout to protest the hasty end of the mask mandate in schools. She feared for the safety of her and her classmates. I loved this episode because there’s plenty of great tape from Sophia passionately explaining the cause and her efforts to create a social movement with students across the province. It’s an encouraging reminder that our future leaders are tough as hell and that if 16-year-olds can stand up, you can too.

Life Kit - How to be an activist without burning out

Ready to join a fight? Well, you better get ready to do it in a healthy way too. After all, if you can’t fight for your own well-being, how can you fight for anyone else’s? Host Andee Tagle is joined by author Karen Walrond to discuss the intersection of activism and joy in an episode that I’d consider essential to the modern-day revolutionary. There are so many ways to be involved in social movements you care about, and Karen opens up about how even kindness and small, everyday actions can be a form of resistance.

Special mentions from other Frys…

Clarkesworld Magazine Podcast - Saturn Devouring His Son by EA Mylonas

Recommended by Jay Cockburn: “Clarkesworld does sci-fi short stories, but this one is by an activist writer called EA Mylonas. It's a story about how capitalism and corporatism eats up generation after generation. And the ending is the least hopeful version of hope, but it’s one tiny act of protest by a man who has fully bought into the company life.”

Maintenance Phase - The Body Mass Index

Recommended by max: “i think the first time i ever looked at my Body Mass Index was when i was 11. it was the start of a long history of deeply hating my body, which i still struggle with to this day. the path has been rife with self-sabotage – tangoes between anorexia, bulimia, over-exercise, self-harm, you name it. i've been in remission from my eating disorder for five years now, with no small part owed to what i've learned from listening to Maintenance Phase. This podcast takes a much-needed critical stance on the fatphobia intrinsic in society; hosts Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes break down the anti-fat bias in our healthcare system, and call out the bullshit in things like fad diets, calories, the BMI, and more. i'll admit that i have not yet made peace with my own body, but Maintenance Phase is helping me take steps to do that, little by little, and a revolution within myself is revolution enough for me.”

Okay now GET OUT THERE and don’t forget to wear sunscreen!

Podcasts to inspire your social revolution