Thomas Leblanc & Tranna Wintour, hosts of CBC Podcasts’ Chosen Family. Photo by Jimmi Francoeur. Courtesy of CBC.

Finding a good podcast is hard. See, I feel like podcasts require a lot more investment than other digital media. I listen to podcasts while I’m doing mundane tasks. When I listen to a podcast, I am inviting the host(s) into my life. If I watch a YouTube video, I’m designating a specific block of time for the content creator. The experience of watching a YouTube video is a lot more compartmentalized than turning on a podcast while I’m cooking supper. That’s why I like podcasts that make me feel like I’m part of the conversation. A good podcast should create a sense of some communal experience.

Lately, I have been listening to Thomas LeBlanc & Tranna Wintour’s podcast Chosen Family.

Montreal comedians Thomas Leblanc & Tranna Wintour shine a light on the intersection of art, identity, and sexuality. Join CHOSEN FAMILY every second week for deep and spontaneous conversations featuring renowned artists and up-and-coming creators. CHOSEN FAMILY was named one of the best Canadian podcasts of 2018 by Apple Podcasts. (CBC)

Chosen Family started back in 2017, with its first season produced by Montreal’s Phi Centre. The second season of Chosen Family, now produced by CBC Podcasts, premiered on June 19. The podcast is currently on a break with a return date of September 18.

LeBlanc and Wintour interview a variety of guests on the podcast, several of whom are artists of different disciplines based in Montreal (Chosen Family is a bilingual podcast). Guests have included stand-up comic Margaret Cho, stylist Karla Welch, and writer Lauren Morelli. There are great conversations about issues relating to the LGBTQ community (media representation is a recurring topic on the podcast). 

What I enjoy most about Chosen Family are the frank discussions between LeBlanc and Wintour. LeBlanc and Wintour do not shy away from talking about their insecurities, their successes and failures, and their relationships with others. In some way, these earnest, incredibly raw discussions feel comforting. Their vulnerability creates a space, if temporary, that motivates self-reflection. 

And of course, it is a podcast full of laughs and good times!

I am nearly all done listening to older episodes of Chosen Family, so I am eagerly awaiting the podcast’s return next week. Join the positive energy of LeBlanc & Wintour’s Chosen Family, an excellent podcast that I cannot recommend enough.

Listen to Chosen Family: CBC / Spotify / Apple Podcasts

Follow Thomas LeBlanc on Twitter and Facebook.
Follow Tranna Wintour on Twitter and Instagram.