I bang on about my commute on here and on Twitter so much that people have actually started joking about it at work – I’m sure at some point someone is going to stage an intervention and steal my car keys and force me to get a job a bit closer to home. I really enjoy my job, but the hour in the car each way it takes me to get there is an obvious downside. When I moved back to our headquarters in September it started to really get me down, and I was desperate to find a way to make sitting in my car for two hours a day a little more productive and fulfilling. Podcasts were a natural choice – a way to unwind, give my brain a bit of stimulation and pick up a bit of knowledge and inspiration on the way. Podcasts help me serve two purposes really – they make my journey more interesting, but they also help me find direction and guidance. It’s no understatement to say that some of them have changed the way I think, and improved my stress levels and helped me find real clarity and intention.
Finding great podcasts isn’t always easy so I thought I’d share my favourites here for anyone else wanting to make their commute a little bit more engaging and inspirational!
001. The Lively Show { iTunes | website }
The Lively Show is the brainchild of Jess Lively, who helps people find ‘an intention based approach to their lives’. It’s the perfect podcast for anyone feeling a little lost, as her podcasts focus on topics such as simplifying your life and reducing stress, values based living, gratitude, running small businesses, wellness – and much more. Jess interviews inspirational people about their tips for living with intention, and how they find peace and fulfilment in their lives. Jess’s interview with Jay Papasan in particular totally changed my mindset and really helped me get out of the funk I was in at the beginning of the year.
002. Call Your Girlfriend { iTunes | website }
Call Your Girlfriend describes itself as a podcast ‘for long distance besties everywhere’ – and features the catchups and chats between two real life long-distance besties, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow. They chat about a ton of different topics – feminism, body talk, menstruation, parenthood, politics, music, films – but all in a completely hilarious and honest way. It’s an awesome mix of topics that can make you cry with laughter but then also really think about things differently (it also has me starting every sentence with either ‘ughhhh’ or ‘I mean….’ – seriously, I’ve listened to this podcast so much I think I almost now speak with an American accent).
003. The One You Feed {iTunes | website }
I found out about The One You Feed when Jess Lively interviewed Eric on ‘overcoming doubts and resistance’ for her podcast. Eric’s podcast is called The One You Feed because of the parable of the two wolves. His podcast is a way to ‘feed the good wolf’ by interviewing inspiring people and finding out how they keep themselves moving in the right direction. His interviews are so thought-proviking – plus Eric has the perfect voice for podcasting, it’s so relaxing!
004. The Good Life Project { iTunes | website }
The Good Life Project describes itself as ‘your unlock key to a life well-lived’. It’s one of the first podcasts I came across that started leading me to the type of inspirational people that have now started filling my bookshelves and podcast lists, and motivating me to ‘live better’ – people like Brené Brown, Danielle LaPorte, Simon Sinek, Kris Carr, and lots more.
005. Dear Sugar Radio { iTunes | website }
Dear Sugar started off as an advice column from The Rumpus and has now grown into a podcasts by the original columnists, Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond. It’s totally different to anything I’ve listened to before – the advice they give is so raw, honest and insightful that it can be quite an emotional listen. I also recommend Cheryl Strayed’s advice book – Tiny Beautiful Things – she is just so wise and compassionate and it really is a very rewarding read.
Special mentions
Not necessarily inspiring and thought-provoking – but these are three more podcasts I recommend for a bit of commute based enjoyment…
001. Serial { iTunes | website }
Do I really need to explain Serial – if you haven’t heard of it, where have you been? Serial debuted in October 2014 and is the serialised investigation into a murder that took place in 1999 – following the ‘plot’ and ‘characters’ as Sarah Koenig unfolds the story of what happened.
002. The No Sleep Podcast { iTunes | website }
I would never be able to listen to these in the middle of the night, but for a drive to work they are perfect. Just a collection of horror stories read aloud – the podcast version of stories around the campfire.
003. Welcome to Night Vale { iTunes }
I have actually stopped listening to this podcast as it got a little too bonkers for me, but it is a good listen. It’s ‘community updates’ from the town of Night Vale – reporting the rather spooky and strange goings-on that happen there. Hooded figures in the square, lights in the sky, and try not to look at the dog park…
What are your favourite podcasts? I’m always looking for new ones to listen to, so do share your favourites!
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