Laura Baxendale Editor-in-Chief & Podcast Critic

I listen to an unreasonable number of podcasts.

What started as a commute habit turned into a full-blown obsession. I'd find a great show, binge the entire back catalogue, then spend hours hunting for the next one. At some point I started keeping notes — which shows were worth it, which ones weren't, and why. That list grew into PodRanker.

I've reviewed and catalogued over 500 shows across true crime, comedy, business, language learning, and pretty much every other genre that exists. I average about 20 episodes a week, and I have strong opinions about all of them.

PodRanker exists because podcast discovery is still weirdly hard. Algorithms push whatever's trending, not what's actually good. I wanted to build something better — a site where every recommendation comes from genuine listening, not data scraping or sponsorship deals.

My day job is in IT, which means I'm wired to organize, categorize, and filter. I apply that same thinking to podcasts: cutting through the noise to find the shows that are actually worth your time.

I'm biased toward shows with great storytelling and hosts who sound like they actually care. I'll always tell you when a show has gone downhill or when the first season was better than the rest. Honesty over hype.

If you've got a podcast recommendation I should check out — or if you think I got something wrong — I genuinely want to hear about it.