Kickstart 2024 with a healthy dose of non-toxic positivity with the best in podcasts and experts for mental health and more. It’s time to get into the right frame of mind for healing, happiness, acceptance, and everything in between. These are the experts and best podcasts to follow discussing mental health, motivation, leadership, relationships, and everything in between. Your daily dose of friendly encouragement awaits.
The pandemic era of our lives may have felt like lost years, presenting unprecedented challenges like social isolation and economic upheaval, but the contemporary collective has nonetheless triumphed. Emerging post-pandemic to face a brand-new day, we began to emphasise mental health and emotional wellness alongside other schools of thought, all pivotal cornerstones in humanity’s journey towards recovery and resilience. It is now clearer than ever before that wellness is more than a day at the spa; it’s the recognition and nurturing of mental health, the fostering of deep and genuine connections, and the pursuit of sustainable happiness both at work and at home.
Get into full swing for 2024 and arm yourself for every challenge with these top podcasts, covering subjects like mental health, motivation, leadership, relationships, and more! Aired across listening platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, these episodes allow you to hear from experts covering subjects like mental health, relationships, leadership, and more.
The best podcasts and personalities to follow for better mental health and motivation in 2024
The Mel Robbins Podcast
From motivational speaker and author Mel Robbins comes the Mel Robbins Podcast, a robust and lively series that brings listeners through the ups and downs of life — but with great advice. New episodes are released on Mondays and Thursdays, which each running between 40 minutes to one hour. Across the episodes, Mel and her guests, which include experts in their fields, address specific themes and subjects including personal mindsets, attachment styles, behavioral patterns, and even health. The aim is to help listeners to change their lives by changing their perceptions and unlearning negative thought patterns. Get up close and personal with ‘your pal’ Mel and kick off the year with one of the best mental health podcasts available today.
First aired: October 2022
Host: Mel Robbins
Genre: Motivation, Mental Health
TED Radio Hour
If you love listening to TED talks for inspiration, TED Radio Hour is the podcast for you. Produced in collaboration by TED and National Public Radio (NPR), the hour-long episodes explore themes like happiness, creativity, interpersonal relationships, lifestyle choices, psychology, tech, and more, bringing listeners through anecdotes shared in related TED talks. In essence, each episode further expands on pre-existing TED talks, adding more meat to subjects deserving of coverage. Broadcast across public radio stations in the United States, it is also available in podcast form online.
First aired: April 2012
Host: Manoush Zomorodi
Genre: Technology, Entertainment, Design, Humanities
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
If you want to start off your 2024 with good vibes, follow Gretchen Rubin as she embarks on a mission to help listeners become happier than ever. The habits, happiness, and human nature author and speaker brings her unique charm to the subject of self-improvement, highlighting real-life situations and pop-culture moments to truly hit home the message. Each episode champions the importance of mental health, centering the pursuit of happiness through the habits we form and maintain.
First aired: February 2015
Host: Gretchen Rubin
Genre: Self Improvement, Mental Health
The Happiness Lab With Dr. Laurie Santos
One of the best mental health podcasts to guide your 2024, The Happiness Lab is hosted by Dr. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Santos quantifies happiness, utilising science to help us to truly attain the lives we want. The episodes are generally 20 to 40 minutes in length, making for easy listening on any daily commute; they cover a broad range of subjects relating to happiness, and how our lived human experiences and interactions with others can contribute to how we perceive it.
First aired: September 2019
Host: Dr. Laurie Santos
Genre: Self Improvement, Mental Health
The Therapy Crouch
Hosted by the dynamic duo of model and television personality Abbey Clancy and footballer Peter Crouch, The Therapy Crouch is a fun and zesty weekly podcast that addresses the complex world of relationships. Whether you’re swiping, dating, in a long-term relationship, happily married, or anything else in between, this duo has got sound advice to share in their no-holds-barred, heartfelt, and hilarious podcast. Listeners can learn from the trials and tribulations the couple have faced, which are expressed in fun and personable stories that are easy to enjoy, and even easier to laugh at.
First aired: January 2023
Hosts: Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch
Genre: Relationships, Couples Therapy
Conan O’ Brien Needs A Friend
A fun, fiesty podcast befitting former talk show host, Conan O’ Brien Needs A Friend brings together key people of the entertainment industry, from top comedians to actors the likes of Jeff Goldblum, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey. As with the line-ups on late night talk shows, political figures also feature in this star-studded podcast: former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, and President Joe Biden have all appeared as notable guests. The episodes run between 30 to 90 minutes and feature lighthearted interviews and conversations between Conan and his guests, centering on their successes, careers, and more.
First aired: November 2018
Host: Conan O’Brien
Genre: Comedy, Interviews
Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware
Hosted by mother and daughter duo Jessie and Lennie Ware, this podcast is comfortingly familiar in a way that is reminiscent of family gatherings — fun, lively, and loud in all the best ways. A star-studded cast of characters join this effervescent twosome, including top musical personalities like Ed Sheeran, Paloma Faith, and Mel B of the Spice Girls, as well as culinary greats the likes of Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, and Yotam Ottolenghi among others. Together, they light up the kitchen and the dining table with topics centering food, family, and everything in between, making for the perfect light-hearted listen on dreary days.
First aired: November 2017
Host: Jessie and Lennie Ware
Genre: Food, Lifestyle, Interviews
Mental Illness Happy Hour
Over a decade since its inception, Mental Illness Happy Hour is one of the longest running and best mental health podcasts we think you need to follow in 2024. The podcast addresses often taboo topics related to mental health and emotional wellbeing, presented in a lighthearted, humorous style that puts listeners at ease. Hosted by comedian Paul Gilmartin, who, in 1999 was diagnosed with clinical depression, the podcast is a nuanced and poignant production that draws laughter whilst simultaneously sparkling realisations and deep thinking. Gilmartin’s charisma is the perfect foil for the heavy subject matter, and he navigates choppy waters with genuine ease, punctuating his messages with well-timed comedic punches.
First aired: November 2011
Host: Paul Gilmartin
Genre: Mental Health and Disorders
The One You Feed
If you’ve lost your zest for life, The One You Feed may just provide a much-needed dose of wisdom and verve; it is, after all, one of the best mental health podcasts to carry into 2024. Hosted by behavioral coach and writer Eric Zimmer with guests comprising thought leaders and experts in development, the podcast focuses on themes like mindfulness, resilience, and the building of positive habits as part of best mental health practices. In their shared quest for growth and emotional wellbeing with which to meet life’s challenges head-on, listeners can glean practical advice and reflective insights.
First aired: January 2014
Host: Eric Zimmer
Genre: Wellbeing, Mental Health, Motivation
That Relationship Show
Improve your most important relationships by tuning in to That Relationship Show with couples experts Naomi Rather and Deborah Curtis. With new episodes releasing every month, the podcast spotlights relationships, and teaches listeners how to navigate the deep and torrid pool of problems that most couples encounter in their lives together. Want to learn how to love more securely? Tune in and buckle up for the adventure of a lifetime.
First aired: May 2017
Hosts: Naomi Rather and Deborah Curtis
Genre: Relationships, Couples Therapy
A Bit Of Optimism
Undoubtedly enjoyable and one of the best leadership and mental health podcasts to take with you into 2024, Simon Sinek’s A Bit Of Optimism first took flight in the thick of the pandemic. Since then, it has evolved into a hopeful and honest space where the leadership guru and self-proclaimed ‘unshakeable optimist’ shares casual conversations on leadership, life, love, purpose, and more with industry experts and creative minds. The episodes are punctuated by Sinek’s charisma, a trait he uses to eke stories and insights from his guests that ultimately provide the perfect shot of optimism and enrichment to brighten up your dreariest days.
First aired: June 2020
Host: Simon Sinek
Genre: Leadership, Teamwork, Personal Development
Modern Love
Romance, love, and relationships — explore it all in the New York Times’ Modern Love podcast. Born of the original Modern Love column which first allowed external glimpses into the messy, tangled love lives of real people, the podcast features a selection of engaging stories and conversations highlighting that which all romantic souls seek: love and connection, along with all its highs and lows, regrets, joys, pitfalls, and pleasures. These stories and essays are testament to the strength of the human heart, and highlight, at their core, just how much love is worth in our modern world. Add this to your list of the best podcasts for 2024 if the thought of love makes you smile — and if it doesn’t, add it anyway.
Can’t get enough of the podcast? Watch the Modern Love series on Amazon Prime.
First aired: January 2016
Host: Anna Martin
Genre: Love, Relationships, Romance
Where Should We Begin?
As much as it is a salve for the canyon of loneliness that sits between us and those we love, relationships at their worst can cut deeper than any other wound. Hosted by iconic psychotherapist Esther Perel, Where Should We Begin is a weekly podcast, each 30 minutes to an hour long, exploring the bare, raw, intimate, and profound details of very human love stories. Through the eyes of strangers, listeners can glean insight into their own relationships, navigating difficult romantic situations, workplace conflicts, and familial fractures which are reflected in the lives of others. If there’s one takeaway from this podcast, it’s that we’re not so different after all — nor are we ever truly alone in our troubles.
First aired: October 2017
Host: Esther Perel
Genre: Relationships, Couples Therapy
(Main and featured images: @teamcocopodcasts/Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which is the best mental health expert to follow in 2024?
Some of the best motivational and mental health experts who have podcasts include Mel Robbins, Simon Sinek, Gretchen Rubin, Eric Zimmer, and Dr. Laurie Santos. Other top experts and podcasters include Dr. Caroline Leaf, Nora McInerny, Dr. Christian Jessen, and Jeremy Godwin.
– Which is the best mental health podcast on Spotify?
Some of the best mental health podcasts on Spotify include Mental Illness Happy Hour, The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos, Where Should We Begin?, Terrible, Thanks For Asking, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, The Hilarious World of Depression, The Anxiety Guy Podcast, and more.
The story originally appeared in Prestige Malaysia.
Emmelyn curates and creates content in Kuala Lumpur, where she's spent the past decade building a portfolio comprising copy and video spanning both print and digital platforms. Endlessly fascinated with cookbooks, interior design, aesthetics, and video games, she is also an ardent foodie - a lemon tart, lychee martini, and coffee enthusiast. Her favourite animal is the common wombat. She's written one award winning cookbook.
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