In order to be the most effective animal advocates as is possible, it's important to regularly remind ourselves of why we went vegan, to network with other vegans, to stay informed about animal issues, and to be inspired to help animals. After all, if we don't work in an animal-related field or have frequent discussions with other vegans, it can be easy to go long periods of time without really thinking about why we went vegan. Regularly networking with other animal activists helps us to exchange ideas, stories, and tips, and to have a sense of community.

One excellent way to stay informed and inspired is to listen to podcasts. Even those of us with busy lifestyles can find the time to listen to a podcast or two, as listening to audio is a great way to pass the time while commuting, exercising, relaxing, washing dishes, and doing other activities that don’t require your undivided attention. (It's best not to have earbuds in while walking, running, biking, or driving on the road, though!) And, unlike when you’re browsing the web, when you’re listening to podcasts you don’t have to worry about getting distracted by annoying comments or accidentally seeing graphic photos of animals on factory farms.
I’ve been listening to several animal rights/vegan podcasts lately. Here are my top 3 favourites:
1) Food for Thought Podcast with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.
I could write a whole article about Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, but in short, Colleen is a vegan advocate who promotes joyful vegan living and compassionate communication. Her podcast, Food for Thought, focuses on a different topic to do with animal rights and/or veganism in each episode. Examples of podcast episode titles include “Traveling to Africa: Planning and Preparing for a Dream Trip” (this was an exciting one), “Advocacy and Adaptation: Fitting In and Living Joyfully in a Non-Vegan World”, and “Animal Word Origins”.
Although of course I don’t agree with everything Colleen says, I do love her message of unapologetic and compassionate vegan living. I’ve listened to about 25 of her podcast episodes so far. They are inspiring and informative!
In addition to creating her own podcast, Colleen also makes videos, writes books and articles, gives speeches, and more! Her podcast and other materials can be found on her website at http://www.joyfulvegan.com/podcast

I'd recommend Food for Thought if you are looking for: information, advice, and inspiration to help you lead a joyful, compassionate, and unapologetic vegan activist lifestyle.
2) The Vegan Option with Ian McDonald.
The Vegan Option is a documentary-style podcast hosted by Ian McDonald. The episodes are so fascinating—and sound so professional—that they are definitely worth a listen! Examples of episodes include the “Vegetarianism: The Story So Far” series (about the history of vegetarianism—it’s very interesting), “Science Fiction and Animals” (which includes a funny Doctor Who parody audio sketch), and the “Veganism in Politics” series (which I look forward to listening to soon). Find his podcast at http://theveganoption.org/category/show/.

I'd recommend The Vegan Option if you are looking for: compelling documentary stories and ideas about animals and veganism in society.
3) Our Hen House Podcast with Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan.
Our Hen House Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan. The main section of each podcast includes interviews with various animal rights/vegan activists; there’s also an animal rights news segment and a “Rising Anxieties” segment about how the animal industries are taking notice of the animal rights movement. Each episode also includes some commentary and chit-chat. It reminds me of listening to the radio because it has lots of different sections to it. I don’t agree with all of their positions on certain subjects, but I usually really like listening to this podcast. And it provides plenty of inspiration to activists who are looking to do more to help animals. You can find the podcast at http://www.ourhenhouse.org/podcast/. They also have an "Animal Law" podcast and a "Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan" podcast.

I'd recommend Our Hen House if you are looking: to keep updated on the latest goings-on in the animal rights world, and to be inspired to help animals by hearing about what other activists are doing.
 
Just to let you know, I will be posting this post on my new blog, as well. Have a nice week!