During this season of life, I have discovered the holy grail of commuting into a city. It’s the one thing that will make you quickly forgive reckless drivers, melt away your stress while sitting in the same spot on the Interstate for 30 minutes, and wipe away your tears as you watch your estimated arrival time tick up with every passing minute.
Just kidding. But I did start listening to podcasts during my commute to Atlanta.
They won’t actually erase the stress acquired from big-city driving, but they will help you feel like your hours spent weekly on the road aren’t wasted. You can use podcasts to learn about new subjects, develop current hobbies, gain goal-crushing levels of motivation, or simply decompress after your workday.
There are an abundance of podcasts out there, and the sheer number of people now sharing their radio-voices with the world can be overwhelming. I suggest picking a topic you’re interested in and doing some research, but for now, I’ve done a little bit of the work for you.
Here are 5 podcasts, coming highly recommended from ME, to make your commute suck a little less.
This American Life
For people who enjoy moving stories, gaining new perspective, and the human experience.
This American Life is released weekly, produced by Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. The best way I can describe This American Life is as a platform for people to tell their stories… but it’s so much more than that. Their website has a favorites page, which is a good place to start listening to see if their storytelling methods connect with you. I recommend beginning with episode 597: One Last Thing Before I Go, ESPECIALLY if you like crying in the car on the way to work! Just kidding, but after listening to this ep, I called at least three people and demanded they listen to it. I wish I could give this podcast more justice, but words can’t quite describe how touching and well-crafted it truly is.
Anna Faris is Unqualified
For people who like laughing, the entertainment industry, Dear Abby and crude language.
I’ll admit, I hadn’t given Anna Farris much thought before becoming a fan of her podcast. Sure, The House Bunny is hilarious, and yes, I was a little too sad about her and Chris Pratt’s split for someone who has never met either party… but I’ve never even seen Scary Movie. HOWEVER, her hilarious and surprisingly insightful podcast has turned me. I might even order her book. The podcast is marketed as “not-so-great relationship advice from completely unqualified Hollywood types.” It’s hosted by Anna, and her long-time friend Sim, and their charisma and camaraderie keep me cracking up like a crazy person every time that I listen. They somehow manage to even make ads funny. Each week they have a celebrity guest who they’ll interview, then play a few fun games with. My favorite is the dating deal-breakers. Finally, they have a guest caller or two who have relationship questions. This is where the unqualified advice comes in. As someone who has always dreamed of having a Dear Abby type column of my own, I love living vicariously through this podcast. I recommend starting with the Jack Johnson episode, #91, to get a feel for the tone of the podcast and learn a little bit about a really cool human, too.
Serial
For people who like true crime, alternate perspectives, and continuous story lines.
So… I haven’t actually listened to Serial, because I’m a wimp who can’t even watch Scary Movie without having nightmares. But, my fellow intern and podcast worship buddy, Helena, has! She zipped through season 1 in just a week, because that’s how addicting this podcast is. The first season was released during the fall of 2014, and unless you were living under a rock that year, you remember the social media buzz surrounding it. Each season unwraps a controversial legal case, giving the viewer multiple perspectives. The show is so popular that Saturday Night Live even has a skit satirizing it. Most people universally love season 1, and season 2 has mixed reviews, but still plenty of fans. The sheer amount of people who vouch for- nay, rave about- this podcast is reason enough to give it a listen.
The Secret to Success
For people who enjoy super levels of motivation, discussion about personal values, finance and business, and laughing at other people’s mishaps.
I am a sucker for all things motivational- quotes, books, videos, podcasts, you name it, I’ll divulge in it. Something about that feeling of having a fire lit under you, ready to tackle every single dream and ambition you’ve ever thought of reaching, is addicting. This podcast will light that fire for you, for sure, but it’s not just empty words and loud yelling. There’s depth to it, because there’s depth to the men who host it. High-energy co-hosts Eric Thomas and Carlas-Quinney Jr., and guests discuss all things personal development, entrepreneurship, family, relationships and values. They have found the balance between having high levels of success and still being a morally-driven, people-oriented person. Also, you can feel the love in the room between these people when you listen to them speak. Read through the episode descriptions and see what jumps out at you. Come for the motivation, stay for the laughs and the fun.
Happier With Gretchen Rubin
For people who enjoy situational advice, personality assessments, and… being happy.
This podcast is a breath of fresh air! Happier with Gretchen Rubin is hosted by, you guessed it, Gretchen Rubin, but also her sister, Elizabeth Craft. This podcast consists of one one-hour episode released weekly, and sporadic “littles,” which are 5-10 minutes of helpful advice. Listening to Gretchen and Elizabeth talk about their experiences and ideas is soothing. I haven’t listened to an episode of this podcast that I didn’t like, but recently I enjoyed episode #139. This episode explained “why it’s good to be full of desire but easy to please.” As someone with high standards (and who easily gets disappointed when they’re not upheld) for myself, others, situations, events, and everything in between, this message resonated with me deeply. Again, with this podcast, I’d suggest scrolling through the episodes and seeing if any of the issues they tackle jump out at you.
There you have it, folks. Kiss that stressful commute goodbye, and start enjoying the sweet, sweet sound of entertainment/crime/motivation/psychology-focused discussion!