Everyone and their mum seem to have a podcast these days. When all you need is a smartphone, editing software and an interesting topic in mind, it’s very easy to get your own series up-and-running. But with so many podcasts out there, how do you pick the ones worth your time? Well, we’ve been discussing this here at Angelfish HQ, and the team have come up with their top recommendations for you.

So, whether you’re listening on a sunny beach, on the morning commute, or as you get ready for the day, here are our best picks. Each team member had different recommendations, giving a real insight into what they like doing in their spare time, their interests and their hobbies. Insights like these are so useful when recruiting for market research so that we can learn more about our respondents when going through the validation process. You can learn more about the best ways to make extra money on the side with market research here.

Project Manager Jade: 

“I like listening to podcasts when I get ready for work in the morning, and sometimes on the commute in. They’re so interesting and I often learn something new, especially when listening to episodes about health and wellbeing.”

1. Fit & Fearless

Think all things fitness and health with this one. As part of the #GirlGains crew, Tally, Zanna and Vic offer inspiration to those wanting to increase their body confidence. Truly educational and utterly inspiring, this podcast is great for those looking for a bit of extra spring in their step!

2. Happy place

Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast series shares advice from famous faces and wellbeing experts on how to work through feeling blue to finding joy each and every day. It’s a great one to have playing in the background.

3. Deliciously Ella

Ella and Matthew Mills, founders and CEO of Deliciously Ella, interview experts in health and nutrition to bring a little inspiration to everyday diets. From making sustainable changes to dealing with stress, they cover a wide range of topics and give me inspiration for every-day meals.

Senior Project Manager Kelly:

“For me, podcasts are just a bit of fun and make a nice change to the usual segments you hear on the radio. Most of the time, I listen to them as-and-when, either when cooking, commuting to work, or on a long car journey.

1. Jules & Sarah The Podcast

This is a bit of fun really. Jules Von Hep and Sarah Powell bring to you nonsense-driven podcasts that’ll leave you with a smile on your face. It feels like I’m hanging out with them – and they make pretty good company! 

2. Wobble

Jules and Sarah also have a podcast called ‘Wobble’ which is all about happiness and body confidence. Again, their chatty, laid-back style put a positive spin on the fact that, sometimes, it’s okay not to be okay. With so many pressures to look good and to take that ‘perfect insta shot’, it can be tricky to keep positive about the way you look. This podcast is a breath of fresh air.

3. The Fringe of It

Bloggers Liv Purvis and Charlotte Jacklin’s chatty podcast is literally just that – a chatty podcast! It’s as if you’re in on the conversation with them as they discuss millennial life, best shopping picks, and what they’ve been up to recently. A great one for easy listening.

Project Executive Molly:

“I love to travel and, during long-haul flights or road trips, I like to listen to a few podcasts! A fan of true crime dramas, I had to recommend ‘My Favourite Murder’ – one I didn’t expect to laugh out loud to! I also like easy-going podcasts, too, which I can have on in the background on the commute into work.

1. My Favourite Murder

I love true crime dramas so this podcast is really up my street! Hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the ‘My Favourite Murder podcast’ puts a comedic spin on true crime stories. Whenever I listen in, I feel like they’re in the room with me and that I’m part of the conversation!

2. Is This Adulting?

The ‘Is This Adulting?’ podcast comes from the initiative to help those who don’t feel worthy of the title ‘adult’. They want to break the stigma of mental health while keeping things light-hearted. They talk about topics that so many find difficult to speak up about, which I feel is so important in this day and age.

3. The Wooden Spoon

This podcast is by a group of four university students who discuss what it means to be successful beyond the books and grades in school. They chat about the fact that, once you leave school, life is no longer defined by scores and deadlines, and instead is about defining success that’s unique to you.

Validator Sian:

“Having just got back from my holiday abroad, I could recommend quite a few podcasts to those wanting to listen to something new sunbathing on the beach or travelling between locations, but these are definitely my favourite.”

1. Food Psych

In each episode of these podcasts, I learn something new about diet culture. Listening to Christy Harrison and her guests talk about body positivity and acceptance, I learn how they’ve made peace with food and how to break away from diet culture.

2. Casefile

The ultimate true-crime podcast! As they say themselves; fact is scarier than fiction – and this is certainly the case with these episodes. Each one takes you through a different case, really one to get your teeth into!

3. Off Menu

A bit more lighthearted, ‘Off Menu’ with James Acaster and Ed Gamble is definitely one for a good giggle. In each episode, they invite special guests into their imaginary restaurant, where they have to choose their favourite starter, main, dessert, and drink. Served with a side of comedy, this podcast really is one for a laugh.

Co-Founder Lisa:

“I like to keep busy – if I’m not at work, I’m usually spending time with my little one, so when I have a spare moment I love to listen to a podcast or two! I like to stay creative and take inspiration from what other business owners do, so here are my top three recommendations for you!”

1. Make it Happen

Jen Carrington is a creative coach for business owners. Her podcast does exactly what it says on the tin: helping other creatives push their creativity in the right direction, overcome fears and produce the content they want to produce.

2. Food for thought

Simplifying wellness, Rhiannon Lambert is the UK’s leading Nutritionist, helping to live a healthy lifestyle. Cutting through the fads and offering evidence-based advice, she encourages you to live well through a balanced diet.

3. Bryony Gordon: If I Can Do It

Bryony Gordon is a journalist and author who talks about the obstacles people face throughout life on the road to success. From speaking to female refugees who’ve fled South Sudan’s deadly civil war, to discussing body positivity with those making waves in the industry, this is a truly inspiring podcast.

Gaining in-depth insights

Everyone’s selections and preferences are so different and we hope this gives you an insight into the team here at AFO! It’s insights like these that big brands find particularly useful when they’re conducting market research. If you’d like to take part in one of our market research studies, and are successful in meeting all of the criteria set out by our clients, then you’ll be entered into the validation process. This is where you’ll have a quick chat with a member of our team.

You’ll often get asked a ‘random’ question during our initial phone interviews that are a bit of fun. This is so we can gain an insight into who you are as a person, your likes, and your dislikes. To discover one of the best ways to make extra money on the side, take part in market research with us! Just sign up to our panel. We’ll send you invitations to studies that are relevant to you, so you can pick and choose the ones you’d like to go for!

Sign Up Here.

When shopping for new clothes, it can sometimes be a demoralising and frustrating experience. Going from shop to shop, the labels on clothes seem to hold no relevance to the actual measurements of the clothing, leaving many questioning their true size. The lack of standardisation across high street stores and online fashion retailers is causing confusion and upset amongst women. How is it possible to be a size 10 in one shop and a 16 in another? A ‘medium’ in one store and a ‘small’ elsewhere?

What is vanity sizing?

‘Vanity sizing’, a term coined to reflect the upset consumers are experiencing, describes clothing of a certain size becoming bigger over time, tapping into buyer mentality and encouraging shoppers to buy smaller sizes to feel good about themselves – we all know how great it feels to buy a top a size smaller than expected! Although a new term, vanity sizing is not a new phenomenon by any means; sizes have been gradually getting smaller over the years – for example, a size 14 in 1958 would now be considered a size 8 by today’s standards.

Walking into a shop and not knowing where to start is beginning to frustrate shoppers. There has been a lot of exposure of this issue on social media, with online influences sharing their sizing struggles in the dreaded fitting rooms. For example, motherhood, fashion and beauty blogger, Kerri Northcott, posted this photo on Instagram. She stated, “these [shorts] were a size 16 that I had no chance of doing up, followed by a different pair of shorts that were a size 16 that were a bit too big”. Many of her followers chipped in with their bugbears about brands and their sizing too.

Standardisation of sizes

It’s interesting to consider the differences in the fashion world. Take shoes, for example. It doesn’t matter if you’re buying from Primark or Russell & Bromley: you’re pretty much guaranteed to be the same size. So why can’t clothes adopt the same philosophy?

Unfortunately, there is no legal requirement to enforce standard sizing, so manufacturers vary the measurements depending on store and demographic; astoundingly, Zara’s dress sizes even vary depending on where in the world the garment was manufactured. Another highstreet store, H&M, lowered their measurements only to receive a considerable amount of backlash on social media. As a result, they are now changing the way they size their clothes. So how can we make a real difference to the standardisation of clothing sizes? Well, taking part in market research could prove valuable to high street brands who want to improve the buyer experience. Getting involved in accompanied shops will allow you to feed back your thoughts and opinions to well-known brands. Not only this, but you’ll receive an incentive for your time – yes, really, you can get paid for shopping! The dream, right?

The future

Last year, Primark announced that they were changing the way they sized their womenswear, adopting an S, M and L approach to their clothing rather than number sizing in the hope this would provide a clearer guide to their ranges. And, with high-street store H&M already adjusting their clothing ranges to adhere to the correct measurements, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Now it’s time for the rest of the high street to get on board and make the changes.

At Angelfish Opinions, we conduct market research for brands who want to get valuable insights from their customers. To take part and start making waves with your opinions, sign up to our panel. You’ll get sent relevant invitations to studies to get involved with, including accompanied shops where you can get paid for shopping at your favourite stores!

Sign Up Here.