Unlock Your Mind’s Hidden Strength: 17 Podcasts That Could Transform How You Battle Anxiety and Depression Forever

17 Best Self-Help Podcasts for Anxiety and Depression For Listening

Looking for a self-help podcast that offers practical information about anxiety, depression, emotional wellness, or personal growth? The right show can provide useful ideas, encouragement, and a sense that you are not alone.

The challenge is finding something credible and genuinely helpful. Podcast apps contain thousands of programs, and a show’s title does not always make its focus clear.

This updated guide brings together 17 podcasts covering anxiety recovery, depression, OCD, therapy, relationships, addiction, and everyday coping skills. Most are available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the show’s website. One of the recommendations is my own podcast, so consider that my shameless—but transparent—plug.

Podcasts can be excellent educational tools, but they are not a replacement for therapy, medical care, or crisis support. With that in mind, here are 17 self-help podcasts worth exploring.

1. Men’s Self-Help Podcast

The Men’s Self-Help Podcast focuses on emotional wellness, motivation, relationships, confidence, and the challenges men often find difficult to discuss openly.

I personally script and host each episode. Many shows also include a listener message about a relatable life problem, followed by practical, solution-focused guidance. The podcast is created primarily for men, although many of the topics have broad relevance. Available on Spotify.

I’m the show’s host, Dr. John Moore.

The Men’s Self-Help Podcast

2. The Anxious Truth

If you struggle with panic attacks, agoraphobia, or anxiety that keeps you from living your life, this is one of the most respected shows in the space. Host Drew Linsalata is a therapist who’s been through his own anxiety recovery, and it shows in how directly he talks about avoidance, reassurance-seeking, and what actual recovery requires.

The show has been featured by The New York Times and Vogue as one of the go-to podcasts for anxiety, and with well over 300 episodes, there’s a deep archive to work through.

Listen to The Anxious Truth

3. The Hardcore Self-Help Podcast

If you’re looking for a straightforward, no-nonsense approach to mental health challenges, you might want to give this show a try. Speaking for myself, I can tell you that I’m a subscriber and listen to every episode.

Hosted by neuropsychologist Dr. Robert Duff, you’ll dive deep into a variety of issues ranging from anxiety to depression to relationships (plus a lot more).

Listen to the Hardcore Self-Help Podcast

4. SelfWork with Dr. Margaret Rutherford

SelfWork explores anxiety, depression, relationships, perfectionism, emotional health, and the patterns people often hide from others. Dr. Margaret Rutherford has a warm, down-to-earth style and explains complicated psychological ideas without making the listener feel lectured.

Many episodes feature listener questions or concerns. Although some topics are framed with women in mind, the insights often have much wider relevance.

Listen to SelfWork

5. Terrible, Thanks For Asking

Sometimes, laughter really is the best medicine. That’s why I like the podcast, “Terrible, Thanks For Asking.” The host of the program — Nora McInerny — encourages listeners to be upfront and unashamed about their mental health challenges.

There’s lots of banter interwoven with the reality of depression, anxiety, and other life challenges. If you want something to lighten your day, this podcast may be exactly what you need.

Listen to Terrible, Thanks For Asking

6. Not Another Anxiety Show

Not Another Anxiety Show offers practical discussions about anxiety, panic, stress, and the physical sensations that often accompany them.

The podcast is hosted by Kelli Walker, a registered nurse and wellness coach. Her conversational style makes the material approachable for listeners who want coping ideas without overly clinical language.

Listen to Not Another Anxiety Show

7. TherapyLab

TherapyLab explores how therapy works, what different approaches involve, and how people experience the process of emotional change.

Hosted by psychotherapist Dr. Sheri Jacobson, the archive includes conversations about mental health, wellbeing, and different therapeutic perspectives. It is a useful choice for listeners who are curious about what happens inside the therapy room.

Listen to TherapyLab

8. The OCD Stories

Hosted by Stuart Ralph, The OCD Stories takes a close look at the world of obsessive-compulsive disorder through the lens of people who have it and the clinicians who treat it.

This show is particularly interesting to me because I have OCD and have been open about this for many years. If you’re looking for an informative program that truly educates, consider giving this one a shot.

Listen to The OCD Stories

9. Popcorn Psychology

I stumbled across this show a while back and was very impressed. The hosts are a trio of licensed therapists who examine movies and characters through the lens of psychology.

If you’re looking for something fun but nerdy at the same time, you’ll truly dig this podcast. Well, at least I do. Sometimes it’s good to look at our humanity through film.

Listen to Popcorn Psychology

10. Recovery Unscripted

Recovery Unscripted focuses on addiction treatment, mental health care, recovery, and the people working on the front lines of these issues.

Host David Condos speaks with clinicians, advocates, and people with lived experience. The episode archive offers firsthand stories and professional perspectives that may be encouraging for people in recovery and those who support them.

Listen to Recovery Unscripted

11. Depresh Mode with John Moe

Depresh Mode is the successor to the long-running “Hilarious World of Depression,” and it carries on the same spirit under the same host, John Moe. Comedians, musicians, authors, and other public figures join John for honest, occasionally funny, conversations about living with depression, anxiety, and other common mental health conditions.

What sets it apart is the mix of humor and candor — it never trivializes the subject, but it also refuses to treat depression as something that can’t be discussed with a laugh along the way.

Listen to Depresh Mode with John Moe

12. The Psychology Podcast

Worth noting: after 11 years and 478 episodes, host Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman recently wrapped up this show’s current run. It’s no longer producing new episodes, but the full archive remains available and is genuinely one of the richest catalogs in the space — deep, thoughtful conversations on psychology, creativity, and human potential with guests ranging from researchers to authors.

If you’re looking for a show that’s educational, informative, and thought-provoking, the back catalog alone is worth exploring.

Listen to the Psychology Podcast archive

Archive note: The show concluded in 2025 after 478 episodes, but the complete back catalog remains available.

13. Sexology

As the show’s title suggests, this podcast is all about intimacy. The connection to mental health, including anxiety and depression, comes through in episodes that focus on how these issues can impact things happening (or not happening) in the bedroom.

Hosted by sex therapist Dr. Nazanin Moali, this one may not be suitable for all listeners given the subject matter, but if you’re looking for something insightful and different, it’s worth a shot.

Listen to Sexology

14. The Anxiety Guy

The Anxiety Guy focuses on fear, panic, worry, health anxiety, and the habits that can keep anxiety going.

Hosted by Dennis Simsek, the show offers personal insights and coping ideas drawn from his own experience with anxiety recovery. Listeners should treat the material as educational guidance rather than individualized clinical care.

Listen to The Anxiety Guy

15. Calmer You

Calmer You explores anxiety, confidence, stress, self-criticism, and ways to feel more grounded in everyday life.

The show is hosted by Chloe Brotheridge, a hypnotherapist and author of The Anxiety Solution. Episodes combine interviews and practical discussions about moving forward when worry or self-doubt feels difficult to manage.

Listen to Calmer You

16. Your Anxiety Toolkit

Hosted by Kimberley Quinlan, a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in anxiety and OCD, this show is refreshingly practical — each episode tends to pick one specific problem (social anxiety, perfectionism-driven burnout, the depression spiral that follows a panic attack) and walks through science-backed strategies you can start using right away, without a lot of throat-clearing first.

With hundreds of episodes and a large, dedicated following, it’s a strong pick if you want tools over theory.

Listen to Your Anxiety Toolkit

17. Therapy in a Nutshell

Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist who condenses therapy skills and psychological research into short, digestible episodes. The mission is straightforward: make real, research-backed mental health tools accessible without needing a clinical background to understand them.

It’s a great pick if you want practical, bite-sized guidance you can actually put to use the same day.

Listen to Therapy in a Nutshell

Wrap Up

These 17 podcasts represent only a small part of what is available, but each offers a useful starting point for learning more about anxiety, depression, recovery, relationships, or emotional wellness.

Sample a few episodes and pay attention to whether the host’s style and approach feel useful to you. A podcast can offer education, validation, and practical tools, but it should complement—not replace—professional support when symptoms are significantly affecting your life.

For a broader mix of mental health, fitness, relationships, money, science, and entertainment, see our guide to the 50 best podcasts for men.