Best Mental Health Podcasts (2026)
Mental health podcasts have gone from niche to essential. Whether you want research-backed strategies from psychologists, raw conversations about what it actually means to be human, or practical tools you can use today, these ten shows deliver. All are actively releasing new episodes in 2026.
Waking up with a podcast on iOS
Podcast Alarm is a fully featured podcast player and alarm. You can set up queues of your favourite episodes and listen to them whenever you like. Why not subscribe to your favourite podcast and have the latest episode wake you up every weekday morning. There are lots of screenshots and videos in our "How to set a podcast as an alarm on iphone?" blog post.
1. Hidden Brain
Shankar Vedantam explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behaviour, drawing on psychology, neuroscience and economics. Each episode takes a single idea and unpacks it through storytelling and research in a way that genuinely changes how you think. It's the rare podcast that makes academic science feel like a page-turner.
2. The Happiness Lab
Yale professor Dr. Laurie Santos takes the science from her wildly popular course on happiness and turns it into something you can actually use. She challenges common assumptions about what makes people happy and backs everything with peer-reviewed research. If you've ever wondered why getting what you want doesn't feel as good as you expected, start here.
3. Unlocking Us
Brene Brown is back after a hiatus, releasing quarterly deep-dive series on vulnerability, courage and human connection. Her research on shame and empathy has shaped how millions of people think about emotional health. The conversations are honest, grounded in data and never preachy.
4. Therapy for Black Girls
Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, hosts weekly conversations about mental health, personal development and becoming your best self. The show covers everything from setting boundaries to navigating relationships, with a warm and accessible approach. It's built a genuine community, not just an audience.
5. On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Jay Shetty blends insights from his time as a monk with interviews featuring psychologists, authors and thought leaders. The focus is on purpose, emotional intelligence and building habits that support your mental wellbeing. Episodes are concise enough to fit into a morning routine, which is part of the appeal.
6. We Can Do Hard Things
Glennon Doyle, her sister Amanda and wife Abby Wambach have honest, unscripted conversations about the things most people avoid talking about. They cover parenting, identity, relationships and mental health with a mix of humour and real vulnerability. It feels like sitting in on a conversation between people who've stopped pretending everything is fine.
7. Where Should We Begin?
Therapist Esther Perel brings listeners into real (anonymised) therapy sessions with couples working through conflict, intimacy and communication. You hear the actual dynamics play out in real time, which is far more illuminating than any advice column. Even if you're not in a relationship, you'll learn something about yourself.
8. The Mel Robbins Podcast
Mel Robbins delivers science-backed strategies for breaking unhelpful thought patterns and taking action. Her style is direct and no-nonsense, covering confidence, motivation and emotional resilience with practical tools you can apply immediately. It's one of the most shared podcasts in the world for a reason.
9. Feel Better, Live More
Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, one of the UK's most recognised GPs, takes a whole-person approach to mental and physical wellbeing. He interviews leading experts on sleep, nutrition, movement and emotional health, always bringing it back to what you can actually change in your daily life. Over 600 episodes deep and still consistently excellent.
10. Mental Illness Happy Hour
Paul Gilmartin creates a space where people talk openly about depression, trauma, addiction and the full spectrum of mental illness. Guests range from comedians to therapists to everyday people sharing experiences they rarely discuss out loud. It's raw, sometimes heavy, and one of the most genuinely helpful mental health resources in podcasting.
Build a better morning
Starting your day with the right voice matters. Set a mental health podcast as your morning alarm and ease into each day with something that genuinely helps. Download Podcast Alarm and wake up to something meaningful.
Waking up with a podcast on iOS
Podcast Alarm is a fully featured podcast player and alarm. You can set up queues of your favourite episodes and listen to them whenever you like. Why not subscribe to your favourite podcast and have the latest episode wake you up every weekday morning. There are lots of screenshots and videos in our "How to set a podcast as an alarm on iphone?" blog post.
