Pod Almighty!
There’s never been a better time to get hooked on podcasts. Just ask these UVic grads, professors and students who’ve poured their creative energies to help inform, entertain and, most of all, connect us. Pick a UVic podcast, or two, or three—and get listening!
We asked the talented people behind these UVic podcasts to tell us more about them.
The 4th Floor Podcast
Hosts: UVic Astronomy and Physics student Chris Gallon, Calvin Schmidt, BSc ’18, Jason Beaman, BSc ’19.
Inspiration: A large group of friends that study in the Physics and Astronomy Department’s 4th floor in the Elliot building are some of the smartest, wittiest, absurd and wholesome people. Many of them work in an astronomy outreach program called the Astronomy Open House, held every Wednesday night year-round from the Bob Wright building, where they answer the public’s questions on the universe and everything in it. The team wanted to share their experiences with listeners, introduce some incredible people and their work, and have a good laugh at some terrible jokes.
For fans of: space, the universe, general science, physics and comedy.
Why you should tune in: They help make the physics and astronomy community appear lighthearted and fun, where they pair laughs with some interesting science history, news and events. Their last word: “While we include some semi-serious-science stuffs, we’re fun and easy listening.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Anchor, Stitcher, 4thfloorpodcast.com.
Amazing Places
Host: Dean Murdock, BA ’03, MA ’07.
What it’s about: A weekly podcast celebrating the amazing people and places in our communities.
Topics covered: Reimagining our public spaces (creating pandemic patios and parklets), active transportation (walking and biking), the true cost of free parking, loneliness and social connectedness, to name a few.
For fans of: Community building, local government, healthy communities.
Best thing about the podcast format: According to Murdock: “The discussions are always conversational. There's no script. The interviews go wherever the discussions take us. Each episode is about a half hour, so it's enough to dig into an issue without becoming an exposé on the topic.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor.
Build Your Dream Network
Host: J. Kelly Hoey, BA ’87.
Inspiration: Career and networking questions Hoey receives from readers of her book (Build Your Dream Network: Forging Power Relationships In A Hyper-Connected World).
What it’s about: The Build Your Dream Network podcast reframes the essential skill of networking for the social media age. “In the podcast, I address the frustrations and challenges of networking, answers questions about how to network “the right way” and share creative strategies for building meaningful connections, whatever your career or business goals,” says Hoey.
Where do you record your shows: Offices of Penguin Random House in New York City.
Why you should tune in: To get the actionable and practical networking advice they need to change their career trajectory.
Best thing about the podcast format: “It allows me to provide advice in a format that reveals to the listener, a little more of my personality than may otherwise come across in the pages of my book,” says Hoey.
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcasts, Pocket Casts, Anchor.
The Clearihue Corner
Host: Hosted and created by English undergraduate Teresa Sammut for the English Students’ Association.
Topics covered: Everything and anything to do with literature and sometimes even movies, television shows, and, most importantly, literary adaptations.
Gateway episode: It all depends on your interests, says Sammut. “I would say our most popular episode is the pilot—The Gothic Heroine. We had a lot of fun talking about our undying love for Jane Eyre. A close second would have to be our episodes on Gilmore Girls, or Bridgerton. You can truly hear how much of a blast we had in each of these episodes.”
Why you should tune in: “You should tune in if you like to listen conversation around literature, history and relevant media. We get critical, passionate and even crack a couple of jokes here and there. When you listen to The Clearihue Corner, you’re hanging out with us and are part of the fun. Also, who wouldn’t want to hang out with a couple of nerdy English majors?”
Where to find it: Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor.
Educated Messes
Hosts: Kyla Schnellert, BCom ’16, and Kelsey Bowyer.
What it’s about: A podcast to help you sift through the BS around work, well-being and relationships. The Educated Messes team says: “We are passionate about taking care of our mental health so that we can show up in the world feeling as good as possible. We ask questions, seek answers, and share our own experiences-–to help you navigate the messier parts of life.”
For fans of: The Happiness Lab, Brené Brown, Esther Perel, Armchair Expert, self-help books, psychology, meditation, therapy, vulnerability, and most of all life-long learning and growing.
Gateway episode: Episode 01: “Why is it so Hard to Try New Things?” is a great place to start. “Our community also seemed to really connect with Episode 15: ‘Why is it So Hard to Make Friends?’”
Why you should tune in: “Our goal with Educated Messes is to share our personal experiences in an effort to help people feel less alone in what they’re going through. The world can feel a little superficial at times, and we’re strong believers that being able to relate to each other on the gritty stuff that makes us human can help us get through difficult times.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, educatedmesses.com.
Give & Go Vikes
Hosts: Liam McDonough, BCom ’16, and Tyler Lowey.
What’s it about: The Give & Go hosts chat to Vikes student-athletes and alumni about sports. Sponsored by the UVic Alumni Association.
Topics covered: Training regimes, game-day routines, what athletes were thinking during the competition, funny stories amongst teammates and a bit of background on how the players ended up at UVic.
Where the shows are recorded: Lowey is in Kamloops, McDonough was in Victoria and they use Anchor.fm to record.
Why you should tune in: The hosts are hilarious, and you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how Vikes student-athletes train, compete and have fun in their day-to-day lives.
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor.
The Martlet Pod
Host: UVic Political Science student Laura Smith.
What it’s about: Each 30-minute episode covers the most important news from the latest issue of UVic’s student-run newspaper, the Martlet. In every episode, a writer or two from the newspaper comes on to discuss one of their latest pieces. “Usually, we’ll discuss the piece itself as well as give some behind the scenes on the challenges or successes of writing it,” says Smith.
For fans of: Any news podcast/show… the biggest inspiration is the New York Times podcast The Daily.
Why you should tune in: “The topics discussed on the Martlet Pod are always linked to Victoria, and it is so important to keep up with not just national or global news but also what is going on in our own community,” says Smith.
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, cfuv.uvic.ca
Meet Me in the Quad
Hosts: UVic’s Office of Student Life. Teresa Sammut (4th year Humanities student) hosted season 1; Nicole Crozier (Office of Student Life staff, MEd student) hosted season 2; and Briar Mayoh (4th year Science student) will be hosting season 3.
What it’s about: “Student life at UVic! There are a variety of different types of episodes. Some are conversations with students about their UVic experience (either broadly, or focused on a specific topic), some have been conversations with professors about what online classes entail, while others have been conversations with a variety of different staff members who share advice on their areas of expertise.”
Best thing about the podcast format: “The podcast format allows for more in-depth and nuanced conversations than many other forms of online information sharing.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor.
Megawatts and Microphones
Hosts: Graham Wilson and Laura Magallanes from UVic’s Mechanical Engineering program. The podcast is connected to UVic’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic).
What it’s about: Billed as a podcast about energy systems, M&M’s hosts explain how energy, electricity and sustainability intertwine, and how we can move towards a greener world. While the issues discussed might be huge, the explanations don’t have to be.
Gateway episode: “Energy Systems 101”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Anchor, megawattsandmicrop.wixsite.com.
That Neuroscience Guy
Host: UVic professor and alumnus Olav E. Krigolson, BEd ’97, PhD ’07.
Inspiration: “I love teaching people about what I do—just another great way to share it. And also, I was on [CBC’s] Quirks and Quarks, and Bob MacDonald told me I had a great voice and that I should do a podcast. So, when you get that kind of an endorsement....”
What it’s about: “The neuroscience behind things that we experience in everyday life.”
Where the shows are recorded: “My living room.”
Gateway episode: Episode 1 “The Neuroscience of Impulse Shopping”
Why you should tune in: “Because you can find out why you behave the way you do!”
Best thing about the podcast format: “It's fun!”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher.
Nonfiction Podcast
Hosts: David Leach, BA ’93, and Deborah Campbell, professors of creative nonfiction in the Department of Writing.
Inspiration: “When we moved classes online, some of us found monologuing a lecture into a microphone kind of a slog. We thought, what if we could just talk shop with a fellow writer? We’re both book authors who have worked as magazine writers and magazine editors, yet we come at the writing process very differently. That made for fascinating conversation. We wanted to create audio content to share with students—and now the public—as we converted our courses to remote learning this year. We also wanted to stay connected as colleagues during the pandemic.”
What it’s about: How to research, write and revise nonfiction prose, from memoir to literary journalism.
Where the shows are recorded: They record via Zoom from “very messy home offices” in Oak Bay (David) and Salt Spring Island (Deborah).
Best thing about the podcast format: “The conversational tone is more lively than a standard lecture. Ideas and stories get sparked by the interplay between co-hosts and guests. Plus, the two of us can argue about who finds writing more difficult.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, Anchor.
Scales of Change: A field guide to the Dragons of Climate Inaction
Hosts: Adam Huggins, BSc ’18, Dipl ’18, and Mendel Skulski.
Inspiration: Sponsored by the UVic Alumni Association, the Webby-nominated Scales of Change was inspired and informed by UVic Environmental Psychology professor Robert Gifford’s research into pro-climate behaviour.
What it’s about: Scales of Change asks: “Why do we struggle to take action on the climate crisis? We present the answer as 36 species of ‘dragons’ (organized into seven genera). These dragons exist only in the mind, but their diverse effects can be seen and heard everywhere.”
For fans of: Future Ecologies, 99% Invisible, Radiolab, Flash Forward, For The Wild, Outside / In, Threshold, How To Save a Planet, A Matter of Degrees, Love and Radio.
Where the shows are recorded: Interviews were recorded in person on campus at UVic, in Vancouver, Victoria, Pender Island, and Galiano Island, and remotely in New York, Berlin, Washington DC, and Puyo (Ecuador).
Best thing about the podcast format: “We love storytelling and sound design. A good podcast can change your world—even on your commute or while you do the dishes.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, futureecologies.net/dragons.
Skaana
Host: Mark Leiren-Young, BFA ’85.
Inspiration: “While I was writing my book, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World, the people I interviewed kept telling me more amazing stories about whales and oceans and I had nowhere to share them. My wife, Rayne, said I should do a podcast and interview them. I said, ‘Hmm, interviewing people is fun, but the tech side and spreading the word is a lot of work.’ She said, ‘What if I do all the production?’ It turned out she wasn't bluffing.”
What it’s about: Long form interviews with experts on orcas, oceans, eco-ethics and the environment.
Frequency of episodes: “Skaana is monthly and when we score enough Patreon patrons we'll start doing episodes every two weeks. We also do a short-form podcast, Orca Bites by Skaana, that we release twice a month.”
Why should people tune in: “Guests are eco-heroes from around the world who are doing amazing things and, despite the serious topics, our conversations tend to stay casual and fun. We also hit issues that people rarely dive into—like my current faves, anthropodenial and personhood.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, skaana.org.
The Soliloquy Project
Hosts: No hosts as such. The more traditional “interview” episodes feature Karen Lee Pickett (MFA '08) and Erin Kelly, associate professor of English.
What it’s about: “The Soliloquy Project is a Greater Victoria Shakespeare Festival original podcast, which allows you to engage with both Shakespeare and the outdoors (our two favourite things!) while staying safe and socially distanced this winter.” They’ve created audio-only performances of some of Shakespeare's best soliloquies, specially designed to be listened to “on location” in a variety of spots around the Victoria area. Each performance will be accompanied by a more traditional podcast episode, featuring artistic director Karen Lee Pickett, and UVic Shakespeare scholar Erin Kelly.
Why you should tune in: Provides a unique opportunity to experience theatre in a socially distant way, where you can take it at your own pace and have an excuse to get outdoors.
Where to find it: vicshakespeare.com/the-soliloquy-project.
Story Untold
Host: MFA candidate Martin Bauman.
What’s it about: “You won't find the same pool of guests week-in and week-out here. Maybe that's maddening to some listeners, but I wanted the freedom to follow my own curiosities—even if that meant interviewing an astronaut one week and a spoken word artist the next. There is only one guiding principle behind each episode: ‘ordinary people with extraordinary lives.’”
For fans of: The Tim Ferriss Show, CBC's Q, WTF with Marc Maron
Gateway episode: #18 “Ultramarathoner Charlie Engle on addiction, sobriety, and running across the Sahara Desert.”
Best thing about the podcast format: “I love the freedom it allows to dig into a subject without time constraints or concerns about where a story would fit into a newscast.”
Where can listeners find it: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher.
Suited Up
Host: Carly Grabher, BA ’20.
Inspiration: “When hearing how successful entrepreneurs got to where they are today, I would often hear them share the ‘highlights reel’ of how they got from Point A to Point B rather than the unfiltered, challenging story. So, I created Suited Up to have in-depth conversations with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial artists about those incremental steps in between Point A and Point B that made all the difference in their respective careers.”
For fans of: The Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher and How I Built This hosted by Guy Raz.
Best thing about the podcast format: “In a growing social media world where there is a lot of focus on appearance, I have found that removing our sight and emphasizing what each other is saying tends to put guests of Suited Up at ease. As a result, guests open up more and together we can have profound conversations.”
Where to find it: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Radio Public.
The Indigenous Cultural Evolutionist (TICE)
Host: Alumna, master’s candidate and Governor General’s Awards-winning playwright Kim Senklip Harvey.
What it’s about: “I am a proud Nation member of the Syilx, and Tsilhqot'in with ancestral ties to the Dakelh, Secwepemc and Ktunaxa communities, and I am an Indigenous theorist and cultural evolutionist. I invite you to share space as I capture readings, conversations and explore Indigenous ways of being to ignite, support and celebrate Indigenous sovereign power, spiritual nourishment and contribute to my community's cultural evolution.”
Topics covered: Writing, Indigenous culture, leadership, Indigenous creative writing and storytelling, BIPoC intersections and allyship, Indigenous love.
For fans of: All My Relations, Secret Life of Canada, Think Indigenous, Unreserved.
Why you should tune in: “To balance out colonial media and white led storytelling. If you're not listening to an Indigenous femme on the reg, start tuning it!”
Where to find it: Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, Anchor.
Two Young-ish Writers
Host: Writing new grad Josh Kozelj.
Inspiration: “It can be hard for young writers and journalists to make it in an industry, especially with the seemingly constant stream of news about professional writers being laid-off or bought out. So, with this podcast, I wanted to explore what inspires young writers to continue pursuing a career to break through in this industry—one that many assume is dying.”
Gateway episodes: Samantha McCabe, Vancouver-based freelancer on reporting on sexual assault. And Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author.
Why you should tune in: “I encourage listeners to tune in and learn about what inspires countless young writers, like myself, to pursue a writing career. From uncovering their big article, or a profile they wrote years ago, I promise to do extensive research on my subjects and ask thought-provoking questions that will promote a free-flowing conversation about their work.”
Where to find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher.
Waving Not Drowning
Host: Rebecca Gagan, assistant teaching prof in the Department of English and founder and director of UVic Bounce.
Inspiration: “We had planned to make a video series in which faculty shared their experiences with challenge and difficulty as students. However, since it was not possible to make videos because of pandemic restrictions, we pivoted to the podcast medium.”
Topics covered: Student wellness, mental-health, resilience, navigating the challenge of university
Gateway episode: Episode #6: Susan Breau on Stick-to-itiveness
Best thing about the podcast format: “It's so nice to be able to listen and to step away from the screen--especially during the pandemic.”
Where you can find it: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Anchor.
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Other podcasts from the UVic community to check out:
Beyond the Jargon, Let’s Grow Together, Learning Transforms, The Veracity Podcast, U in the Ring, Full Circle, Taking Up Space, Dene Talk.
--Michael Kissinger, BEd ’94