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Pick of the Week

IMO: Fashion Focus

This new spin-off from the former first lady's audio series accompanies the release of a coffee-table book documenting her style journey. The production is sleek (typical of the Obama brand), with appearances by including former Teen Vogue editor Elaine Welteroth and Hollywood legend Jane Fonda. In the style of Michelle personally, the series delivers substance together with its polish, uncovering important details about the challenges she faced as the first Black woman to occupy the White House.

On Hold

Exam outcomes. The bus. Your marriage ceremony. We're familiar with the mixed emotions associated with expectation. Now imagine expecting a jailed romantic interest? A baby born via surrogate? Or the period spanning clinical death and revival? This reflective podcast, presenter Katy Davis listens to incredible narratives of navigating such uncertainty.

The Preventionist

This series from an established audio team continues their tradition of thorough examinations into debated issues. Host Dyan Neary speaks with caregivers whose children were taken away after allegations of abuse were made by a single medical professional, and probes whether a preventive measure was justified.

Disclosure

Freedom of information requests aren't the sexiest topic, but journalist Jason Leopold and legal expert Matt Topic turn them into a compelling series. The information they've obtained by using them in the US feature getting Donald Trump's chief of staff to testify under oath that the commander-in-chief's tweets aren't literal.

European Comparison: Top Performers

This limited series places European countries against each other on real estate, childcare and substance regulations to identify the best. The parenting segment examines different concerns including Iceland's feminist protest to the situation where much-vaunted Sweden nightmarishly limits preschool services if their parents have another baby. The finest provider of childcare? Surprisingly, it's not Nordic.