Indie Podcast Roundup: The Human Psyche

Sep 24

THIS INDIE PODCAST ROUNDUP FOCUSES on a few of the entertaining aspects of light and dark duality in our psyches ranging from debunking mysteries to haunted house & past life regression advice that pairs nicely with your pumpkin spice.

Seeking answers from other humans to learn about the human condition brings a multitude of perspectives that we’ve only scratched the surface of here at Human Amplified. Knowledge certainly is power. Keeping an open mind helps us gain knowledge.

So, once a quarter, Human Amplified is dedicated to introducing you to other indie podcasts that are similar to the content we’re delivering to you. Perhaps these podcasts have overlap with our show, or perhaps they contain an extension of information that we haven’t covered so far. Either way, we think you’ll find gems of information, whether in one episode or many, in the list of amazing podcasts below…

…especially if you’re burning through episodes during workouts, cooking dinner, or in your new found quiet time at home and want more!

I hand-selected these after listening and learning more about the creator’s story. I know that the time and effort these creators put into their shows is full of passion and love, which furthers our mission of finding the kindred spirits who want to spark new ways of living and empowerment leading to transformation from the inside out. That means every podcast in this list is not a paid promotion, but a carefully considered choice based on what you, dear reader and listener, are seeking.

For this podcast roundup, let’s focus on podcasts that will help us settle into a nice season of shorter days, cooler weather, and reflection on our lives and how we want to live while trying to balance the light and dark in nature and in our nature. Topics include:

Mysteries of our existence (and Big Foot).
Rumors, legends, and weird public opinions debunked.
The spirit world - with some fun twists just in time for spooky season.
Role playing games and managing fear.
Black superheroes we all need to look up to - an important message in times like these.

The list is in no particular order, because who could choose they are so good! The list contains a mix of topics that all somehow tie back to exploring the human psyche. I recommend one or two episodes per podcast, but seriously, explore because it was so hard to choose.

Here’s the list:

Dimed Out

Malcom Foster, known by Mal to his listeners, is a bloke from Northern England relocated to Texas. He’s a cat guy. He posts inspirational talks before jogs on Insta. He’s got an insatiable curiosity about not only movies, music, and history, but likes to dive deep into the mysteries of our human existence.

Mal’s personality shines through on Dimed Out, starting with a punk tune and introspection that sometimes leads into guest interviews, research-based stories on awesome humans, or a hodge podge of topics.

My personal favorite episode of Dimed Out is Episode 17: The Isle of Manbear. In this episode, Mal talks to a hilarious (I laughed out loud more than once when listening) married couple from the Isle of Man about what it was like living on an island during the Coronavirus outbreak and how it is now for the island to be virus free. (I’m so jealous, being over here in the virus-ridden US.)

Plus, they explore the existence of Big Foot (which is so perfect to get us into the autumn mood), the value of teaspoons (I prefer to eat with teaspoons over tablespoons, too), living in a different time period, and the importance of traditions. You can also hear the wine being poured, which makes you feel like you’re there with this crew!

Wow. It’s interesting to see how the light and dark intermingle throughout the episodes of this entire podcast.

Tap the image below to go to the Dimed Out website.

Rumor Flies

Rumor Flies is a myth debunking show that’s been around for eight impressive seasons, since 2016. It’s the brain child of three friends in New Orleans, LA - Ryan, Greg, and Josh.

This podcast covers a variety of light-hearted to heavier rumors or questions about our humanity. But, what do these saucy hosts debunk, backed by extensive research with cited credible sources, that applies to the here and now? Anti-vax issues. Check out their Season 8 finale: 810 - Anti-vax pt. 2: Full Wakefield.

Y’all - this episode right here is one that every single person on this planet should listen to as we await a quickly-developed Coronavirus vaccine. This episode is about two hours long, so consume it in 30-minute sections for a week. It gets sort of technical at first, but that information is so important to understand the debunking that comes later in the episode.

Full of plenty of dude humor and some cussing plus some hard-to-hear historical vaccine flubs make this episode not for the faint of heart. But, I like the dude humor. It helps.

Speaking of the duality of light and dark, when it comes to the topic of vaccines, vaxxers and anit-vaxxers both think the other side is the dark side. Funny how that works. What is the real line of demarcation? And what are the various shades of gray here?

You can also hear more from Greg in Episode 048: Narrowly Escaping Distracted Driving of the Human Amplified podcast (formerly the On Being Human podcast), where we talk about a crazy car wreck that happened while he was on his way to recording for Rumor Flies.

Tap the image below to go to the Rumor Flies website.

The Cosmic Coach

Suzie Kerr Wright of Nashville, TN by way of Boston is one of my favorite astrologers, tarot card readers, mediums, and holistic life coaches here around town! She wears many hats, and she’s good at them all.

Her show, the Cosmic Coach, airs on Nashville’s Hippie Radio 94.5 on Sunday mornings. She says it’s the place for “cosmic common sense.” AND, inside scoop: she’s putting out a separate series of haunting episodes for the fall, so you’ll want to stay tuned for those, for sure. I can’t wait.

Suzie brings on spiritual healers and other psychics that are amazing, plus gives advice in her own right depending on the topic. It’s so hard to choose a favorite episode, but I’ll go ahead and recommend a tie between 12. HELP! My House is Haunted! and 2. Guest Tish Owen Topic: Past Life Regression.

Close runners up include how to connect with your spirit guides, how to know when spirit is talking to you, and even how to stay positive in challenging times.

If you think your house is haunted, Suzie gives advice on how to not freak yourself out and how to help stop the weird stuff going on. And, what I like about hearing Suzie and Tish talk about past life regression is that it’s serious business, “mucking around” in the human psyche. Whew - no other place I’d rather be!

You can also hear Suzie and I chat about astrology, mediumship, and dish about her life in Episode 021: What it Feels Like to Be Me - Inside the Mind and Personal World of Nashville Astrologer and Pychic Medium, Suzie Kerr Wright of the Human Amplified podcast (formerly the On Being Human podcast).

Tap the image below to go to the Cosmic Coach show on Suzie’s website.

View from the Carnival

Robin Land of Tyler, TX is a masterful host, handling some of the most sensitive personal stories out in podcast corners of the internet. He’s a newspaper veteran retired from advertising director and publisher positions. In his spare time, he works on View from the Carnival for fun and because he is so inspired and passionate about helping others know they’re not alone in their mental health valleys. Where there are valleys, there are also peaks and therefore, hope.

Robin is also a dad, husband, and person I consider a new friend. One of his unique hobbies, that I hope we get to explore when he comes on the Human Amplified podcast for the upcoming season 3, is steampunking out his studio mannequin, Tina.

I was on his show in Episode 039: Interview with Brandi to discuss recovering from abuse, so you can check it out. But, an interesting episode that’s worth calling out is actually different than Robin’s typical content: Episode 28: Interview with James Ward - Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons.

The sound in this episode is cell-phoney due to changing recording circumstances back in May when COVID lockdown was going strong here in the US. I’m also not crazy about how the co-host treats the host. But, this episode fits in so nicely if we’re exploring the light and dark duality in the human psyche because to basically be a founding father of role playing games (RPG), you have to be comfortable exploring your own psyche and getting others to do the same. Secondly, RPG players get to immerse themselves in imagination and push the boundaries of their own reality, acting out scenarios ranging from fantastical to apocalyptic.

In addition to listening to the guys talk game shop, skip to 20 minutes in to hear James Ward’s take on being a better man in the face of anger and taking the path less traveled. Then again at 39:35, James Ward talks about his diabetes amputation and dealing with the fear.

Tap the image below to go to the View from the Carnival website.

Persuade You

Stephen Morris is a self-described nerdy guy living in TN with ADHD and alopecia areata. You can read more about his story in this article, Finding Your Purpose through Hope, that he guest wrote for the Human Amplified blog (formerly the On Being Human blog).

He’s the voice behind the Persuade You podcast, where he tries to convince listeners to give the time of day to various people, places, and things that he thinks are worth it. He details the ins and outs of everything from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and the importance of sun protection, as a father to a young kiddo, to video games and anime.

While I can identify with being a nerd, I’m not in Stephen’s target audience. But his podcast is worth mentioning because I love his thoroughness, passion, and storytelling style and perspectives. I think it will definitely resonate with some of you badass humans.

My favorite episode is Episode 34: Static Shock.

This episode was inspired by the death of Chadwick Boseman (the Black Panther actor) and Stephen’s desire to highlight Black heroes in a time in our human history where we need to be honoring and looking at the Black heroes in our superhero worlds as well as the here and now real world. Stephen did his due diligence and makes connections with how Static Shock can teach us and our kids real world lessons.

Tap the image below to go to the Persuade You website.