A new year always brings big questions - What should I pay attention to? What’s changing? What will actually help me?
This playlist brings together shows that help you understand the world, reflect on where we’ve been, and feel a little more prepared for what’s ahead. From wordplay and trivia to cults, cash, culture, and AI - consider this your essential guide to kicking off 2026.
Want more podcasts? Podcast, the Newsletter shares weekly recommendations worth your time: https://podcastthenewsletter.substack.com/.
It’s curated by the team at Tink Media, an award-winning podcast marketing company.
NO.1
Start the new year feeling a little smarter with fun daily trivia challenges, wordplay, and brain teasers, often joined by celebrity guests like Ken Jennings, Dax Shepard, and Rachel Bloom. It’s the easiest, most fun way to make curiosity a daily habit in the year ahead.
NO.2
Artificial intelligence is shaping everything, whether we’re ready or not. The last invention walks through the history of AI - how it started, how we got here, and where it’s heading next. In 2026, this is exactly the kind of voice you want helping you understand what’s really happening.
NO.3
Part exposé, part survival guide. Hoodwinked explores how cults, grifts, marketing tricks, and persuasion tactics to show how people get pulled in and how to spot the red flags.
NO.4
For anyone who reads a headline and immediately wants more context, this one’s for you. Created by the team behind the wildly popular 1440 newsletter, 1440 explores expands on the stories shaping our world and explains why they matter.
NO.5
rePROs Fight Back breaks down the news cycle with clarity, compassion, and zero condescension - plus honest moments about how she stays sane through it all (including stress baking). A must-listen for starting the year informed without feeling overwhelmed.
NO.6
Some New Year listening is less about answers and more about reflection. Kelly Corrigan Wonders offers intimate, thoughtful conversations about meaning, connection, and what makes a life feel well-lived. It’s the perfect show for anyone easing into the year with intention.
NO.7
Want short episodes with big perspective shifts? Weirdly Helpful offers thoughtful, unexpected advice that doesn’t try to fix your life - just helps you think about it differently. Like, “How to bring the house down at Karaoke” or “How to stop apologizing so much”.
NO.8
This is gossip - but make it low-stakes, joyful, and about people you’ve never met. Normal Gossip shares outrageous, funny stories from everyday lives, proving you don’t need celebrities for great drama and some curiosity can just be pure fun.
NO.9
January is prime goal-setting season, especially when it comes to money - and meets that moment with humor and honesty. The show tackles debt, finances, and financial systems without any shame, spreadsheets, or lectures. And truly feels like your best friends talking about finances.
NO.10
At first glance, it’s an incredible fiction podcast - but it quickly becomes something even bigger. Two Thousand and Late blends storytelling with reflections on millennial pop culture, internet life, and growing up online. A thoughtful listen for starting the year by understanding how the past still shapes us.
NO.11
Life happens online, and Text Me Back hilariously helps make sense of it. It’s a show about the news, text threads and making your favorite people laugh, even when this dumpster fire of the world gets you down.
NO.12
This show looks back at movies and TV through a modern lens, asking what still holds up - and what definitely doesn’t. Plus, the hosts will make you laugh at all the embarrassing things we loved back in the day.