The best podcasts for learning more about economics (it's more fun than you think)!

I am the host of Clotheshorse, the podcast that loves clothes but hates capitalism. And guess what? I am obsessed wth economics (also: fake fruit, cats, Korean food, and vintage cookbooks). Yes, I was the kid that read the encyclopedia for fun, but learning more about economic systems and the factors sort of steering our economy has helped me understand fast fashion and its impacts a lot more. It's also helped me make sense of why the things that happen around me are happening. My podcast Clotheshorse is ostensibly about fashion and its impacts on the planet and its people. But it's also about WHY we shop so much and HOW the fast fashion model succeeds in a time when so many of us are struggling. To understand the model of fast fashion (and how it spread like wildfire, taking over every major retailer), you have to learn more about economics and the flaws within our economy/late stage capitalism. I know it sounds boring, but economics are fascinating and more about human behavior than anything else! A good economics podcast draws you in with personal stories and shared experiences. I come from a low income background, so understanding the systems that have framed my life (and sometimes held me back or kept me awake at night) has actually helped me grow as an activist and a person who talks to people about big issues!

Clotheshorse began as a podcast on a mission to pull back the curtain of glamour and mystery that obscures the real truths about the clothing we buy. After all, clothing is a basic need. It keeps us warm and protects us from the sun. Yet it can be an addiction, and certainly a way we show the world exactly who we dream of being. Shopping is both a hobby and a social activity, so it’s no wonder that the average American buys a new piece of clothing every 5.5 days! We spend so much money looking at clothes, buying clothes, and talking about clothes. Do we know the true price of our clothes? Who makes them? How are they made? The answers to these questions contain some very dark truths and many extremely toxic practices. Clotheshorse explores them all. Over time, Clotheshorse has evolved into an exploration of life in late state capitalism, from our experiences as workers to our relationship with consumerism.

ECONOMICS! I promise that economics are super soapy, super fascinating, and really more about human behavior (good and bad) than spreadsheets or arithmetic.