May Podcast RoundUp: Celebrating AAPI Heritage

This month we’re excited to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. According to Pew Research, the Asian population in the U.S. nearly doubled between 2000 and 2019 and is projected to surpass 46 million by 2060. Currently, 22.6M Americans trace their roots to more than 20 countries in East, South, and Southeast Asia, each with its own histories, languages, and cultures.

Asian Americans are increasingly listening to podcasts, with a 25% growth in listenership since 2018 (Nielsen Podcasting Today 2021). Part of the driving force behind this growth are the accomplished AAPI podcast hosts who are stepping up to the mic across every genre. 

Let’s dive into some of our favorite podcasts.

Use science to reveal patterns in human behavior

Shankar Vedantam is a journalist, writer, and science correspondent originally from Bengaluru, India. Since 2015, his Webby award-winning podcast Hidden Brain has captivated audiences through science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices, and direct our relationships. Episode topics include: how your beliefs shape reality, surprising sources of joy, and how to complain productively. Fittingly, the show draws in a highly educated audience, with 85% holding a bachelor's degree or higher. 

Uncover crime in marginalized communities

Audiochuck’s Strangeland is a true crime podcast that reexamines cold cases in immigrant neighborhoods. Season two tells the story of Sasikala Narra, an Indian tech worker who was tragically murdered in 2017. Six years later, the case is still unsolved, so Strangeland has conducted their own investigation—discovering new leads, potential motives, and questionable behavior by local authorities. This show's cohost is Tinku Ray, an award winning journalist with more than 30 years experience across three continents. Despite having lived in England and the United States, Tinku considers herself an Indian first. She is always interested in finding out more about the Indian communities living outside India. Listeners are highly educated millennial women—85% of whom have a bachelor's degree or higher, over a third of whom are mothers.

Explore the weird and wonderful ways humans interact

As a research psychologist and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth has spent years exploring the weird and wonderful ways in which humans behave. A lover of asking questions both big and small, Angela has come to believe there’s really no such thing as a stupid one. In No Stupid Questions, she has partnered with Freakonomics host Stephen Dubner to put this belief to the test. Their conversations range from friendship and parenting to immortality and whether dogs are better than people. The resulting podcast is incisive, humane, and occasionally charming. The audience is 20% AAPI and 52% higher-earners with a HHI of $100k+.

Not your mother’s self help

A humorous and insightful look into what advice works, what doesn’t, and what it means to transform yourself. Half advice show, half cultural critique, and one wild ride through the world of wellness. Co-host and creator Kristen Meinzer is an advocate for women and people of color in the podcasting space. She was named a 2020 Woman of the Year by The Women's Center in Washington DC and one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Podcasting by Quill in 2021. In How to be Fine, Kristen and Jolenta Greenberg dissect the inner workings of the betterment industry, offering up some advice along the way. According to the Women’s Podcast Listener Report, over half of female podcast listeners say they listen “to get advice about personal situations,” meaning Kristen’s wisdom is in high demand! 

Embrace nerd-culture on a journey through the zeitgeist-iest films, comics and more.

Jason Concepcion is a writer, editor, gamer, reader, and NBA superfan best known for his work at The Ringer, creating and hosting the Emmy-award winning digital series NBA Desktop. And now, he’s partnered with Crooked Media to create X-Ray Vision, a podcast that transcends pop culture and entertainment. Test your fandom knowledge with panel discussions on the latest nerd news, casting, and show lore while staying tuned for deep dives into all of your favorite franchises—whether it's the ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe, DC Comics fandom, or the latest episode of Succession. 

AAPI women in leadership and culture

Someday is Here is a podcast created for Asian American and Pacific Islander women on leadership, faith, and culture. This is a space for AAPI women to explore and validate living in both Eastern and Western worlds. Each week, they’ll celebrate heritage and highlight history as they explore AAPI journeys, parts that they are proud of and those of pain. Host Vivian Mabuni is a national speaker, author, bible teacher, and podcast host. 

Interested in advertising on any of the above or learning more about the SXM Media podcast network? Let us know in the chatbot or contact us here.