By Andrea Crowley-Hughes

If 2016 was a wake-up call and the start of a marathon to protect the most vulnerable – and our civil liberties – from the Trump administration, 2018 felt like the part in a marathon where the runner’s exhausted and has to take frequent breaks to keep from running out of steam.

That’s why this year, podcasts were my self-care. I work alone during the day, and instead of the cold companion of a news feed (where panic-inducing or just flat-out surreal updates are a click away), I chose to fill the acoustics of my working spaces with actual voices, ones that could help me process what was happening in the world, share stories of real-life milestones and a good serum recommendation now and then, even lull me to sleep.

Instead of a “best podcasts of 2018” list, I’m going to delve into the year and pull out my memories of podcasts that helped bring me through it, laughing, pondering and savoring the reassurance transmitted by the spoken word.

January: Call Your Girlfriend

First, listen to the song by Robyn, asking yourself if there’s anything better. Then listen to the podcast by the same name and you’ll learn that yes, yes there it. When it was cold and dark outside, I would back in the beams of Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow’s long-distance friendship and the podcast it birthed. Through health crises, government scams and the ever-taxing patriarchy, Ann and Amina continued to shine as they always do, and to shine a light on everyday sheroes. Highlights this year: ‘Be a Good Ancestor with Stacey Abrams’, ‘Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise,’ ‘White Fragility’

February: Sleep With Me

In the first months of 2018, I knew in my bones that I had to get my sleep in order. The year before, I’d been wired much of the time, either staying up too late on a telecommute that lacked boundaries or simply kept awake by racing thoughts that crossword puzzles couldn’t quell. So I cut out caffeine and tried to wind down before bed. It turns out there is a whole podcast dedicated to lulling people to sleep. Scooter’s voice is purposely droning, the stories he tells are rambling and seem to be built on dream logic. It might take awhile for this podcast’s effect to kick in, but luckily there’s a vast back catalog.

March: Forever 35

A lot of people got into skincare this year, and thinkpieces on the Internet managed to make it controversial. I maintain that is is not only not a con, but a sensorily soothing experience that helped me develop a self-loving routine. Kate Spencer and Doree Shafrir use skincare as a jumping-off point, but they launch into a vulnerable and delightfully chatty look into both of their lives. Because our hosts with the most serums set intentions each week, we can quite literally hear their growth. And they bring in an all-star cast of authors, illustrators, entrepreneurs and more as guests. Highlights: ‘Bath of Least Resistance,’ ‘Keep It Moving with Alexis Tirado,’ ‘Sephories Sale Season with Nicole Chung,’ ‘How The Pod Sausage Is Made with Samee Junio,’

April: Keep It

Crooked Media, where Pod Save America lives, expanded its slate of podcasts this year, and Keep It is a breath of fresh air because of the sharp takes of Ira Madison, Kara Brown and Louis Virtel. The focus is pop culture with politics thrown in, the pace is quick and addictive, and it is a fun, smart listen that keeps me upbeat, snarky and entertained no matter how tedious the work day.

May: She’s All Fat

‘Next level’ is an oft-overused phrase, but the work that April K. Quioh and Sophia Carter-Khan are doing on this podcast is befitting of it. They talk with radical self-love about their experiences in fat bodies, and point out the obstacles that exist within the body-positive movement. They teach without apology, share without fear and put their all into every episode.

June: Natch Beaut

Just so you know, Natch Beaut host Jackie Johnson is a lot. She’s loud, and you can probably feel her intense energy radiating from your phone. I usually am drawn to a calmer ‘cast, but there’s something about this one that started to get me going as the summer drew nearer. What are the odds I’d ‘meet’ someone who also graduated high school in 2003 and is into natural, cruelty-free skincare and beauty? Highlights: ‘Face Mists with Nico Santos,’ ‘Yes I will sip with Lyric Lewis’

July: Still Processing

Summer is the time when Still Processing co-host Jenna Wortham feels most alive, so it’s the season I associate with her and Wesley Morris. This podcast is a powerhouse: Wesley and Jenna look at movies, music and all sort of media with a searching and analytical lens, and filter everything through a friendship like no other. ‘We Can’t Burn It All Down (Even Though Sometimes We Want To),’ ‘We Heard Lauryn Hill, But Did We Listen?’

August: Bad With Money

I found myself having to re-jigger the household budget around this time of year, so I turned to an old friend, Gaby Dunn. The first season of Bad With Money is an exploration of how emotional finances can be, complete with scripts we learn from our childhoods. The second season branches out to social issues, such as money myths about millennials and the strongest takedown of Amazon I’ve heard. If you want to support Gaby, her book is out!

September: Ologies

Even in my post-grad school days, fall always makes me want to be in school. Luckily, Ologies’ Alie Ward is a fun teacher who will give lessons over morning coffee. She interviews scientists (many of whom are women!) about everything from bees to Mars to the science of fear, and is true to her motto “Ask smart people stupid questions.” Her genuine curiosity brings back everything that is fun about lifelong learning. Highlights: ‘Selenology (THE MOON) with Raquel Nuno,’ ‘Oceanology (OCEANS) with Ayana Johnson,’ ‘Malacology (SNAILS & SLUGS) with Jann Vendetti,’ ‘Lepidopterology with Phil Torres’

October: Bodies

This fall, I became an aunt twice over. I thought a lot about women’s health, and the complexities of the living in a body, whether or not one is making a tiny human. Bodies with Allison Behringer is a gently reported, insightful journey not just through concerns about bodies, the lives people in them, their relationships and our society.

November: Yo! Is This Racist?

Back in the heyday of blogs, I frequented Andrew Ti’s “Yo! Is This Racist” blog. Learning there was a podcast was a balm on my soul in the harsh days of November, when I was reeling from an experience at a journalism conference where women of color were harmed and disrespected. It’s not the job of podcasts to help us find our moral compass – we have to be engaged in the neverending work of allyship – but just hearing from Andrew and Tawney Newsome – was clear proof that people cared about dismantling racism.

December: Let’s Talk About Cats

By December, I had enough bandwidth to think about cats and not much more. It had been an intense year – moving, canvassing to flip my congressional district, staying calm through crises and working hard, both in the day-to-day and on myself. When there’s no energy to talk about anything else, Mary Phillips-Sandy created Let’s Talk about Cats. It’s a delightful escape to the world of whiskers and snuggles that’s taking me through the end of the year – and into cat parentdom!