‘Significant Others’ is a narrated podcast examining folks’ lesser-known stories from outside of history’s spotlight

History August 5, 2022
Listen to ‘Significant Others’

Team Coco’s “Significant Others” is a narrated nonfiction podcast about individuals several feet away from history’s spotlight who greatly influenced the people in their orbit. Episodes share unexpected tales of talented and lesser-known folks who impacted the lives of their better-known friends, partners, children, or siblings and changed the world. The podcast examines these stories and shares how they are still relevant today.

Did you know about James Baldwin’s connection to Maya Angelou and how he was responsible for her seminal memoir? Mohandas Gandhi learned about passive resistance from his wife, Kasturba, and helped India gain independence from Britain. Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita would not have existed if his wife did not stop him from destroying the manuscript. These are the kinds of historical narratives we’ll hear all season.

Start “Significant Others” episodes in any order, running less than an hour on average. The series is narrated and written by Liza Powel O’Brien, someone who can potentially relate to the folks highlighted on the podcast. Liza is a writer and Conan O’Brien‘s wife. You might recognize featured voices from guests like Jameela Jamil, Rita Wilson, Timothy Olyphant, D’Arcy Carden, and Lisa Kudrow – just to name a few.

Leo Tolstoy is known as one of the best authors of all time, and his wife was partially responsible for classics like War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In this episode, Megan Mullally stars as Countess Sophia Tolstoy and Nick Offerman voices Leo Tolstoy. In a recent bonus episode, psychotherapist Esther Perel explored Leo and Sophia Tolstoy’s dynamic and if Sophia’s issues resulted from the era she lived in.

Tune in for an episode about First Lady Mary Lincoln and if Abe Lincoln would have been elected president without her. In upcoming episodes, hear about Molly Day Thatcher and Elia Kazan, Virginia Woolf, Dr. Spock, and more.

We recommend this podcast for fans of “Stuff You Missed in History Class” and “The Dead Ladies Show Podcast.” Tune in weekly for new episodes of “Significant Others” wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Listen to ‘Significant Others’
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