Change the effect of hitting back on the playlist screen.
I use the widget in 1x4 mode and usually just tap on the picture to open the player. I often instinctively push back to attempt to return to the main podcast screen. This just causes the app to close through. I find this mildly frustrating since I feel most apps don't work like that. I can see reasons for the current situation but the way I use the widget it's not helpful.
Pressing on the back button returns to the previous screen until you ’re back on the app main screen. From that screen, pressing back will leave the UI. When you open the app from the player notification or a widget then the opening screen is the player screen, so this behavior is normal