Six Podcasts to Make Your Commute This Week More Enjoyable

Since starting a fairly long commute for my day job a couple years back, podcasts have been my savior.

Let me break it down for you. It takes me 45 minutes to get to-or-from work, which means I spend an hour-and-a-half in the car every day — or seven-and-a-half hours every week.

To some, that might not sound like a lot of time in the car, but to me, well… I’d rather be teleported any day than have to navigate my teeny tiny car down a highway full of tractor trailers and other Nascar wannabes playing demolition derby.

Some say I drive like a grandma. Whatevs. Okay, now that my rant is done, onto podcasts…

I pretty much tell anyone and everyone I can about podcasts. “Oh, your son got his braces off?! Cool! Listen to this hilarious podcast!” I remember sometime around 2010 hearing that podcasts were “the next big thing,” but prior to two years ago, I had no clue what they were.

Now, I’m completely amazed by the fact that you can learn a new language, hear mesmerizing stories of true crime, or get your celebrity dirt all while driving to work, cooking dinner, unloading the dishwasher, taking a shower, painting a room (I could go on), or doing any other monotonous chore.

So heading in to a new work week, I thought it would be fitting to tell you about six of my favorite podcasts that have inspired me, kept me entertained, or have otherwise taught me something new and worthwhile.

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ALLEGEDLY WITH THEO VON & MATTHEW COLE WEISS

You never know what you’re going to get when your weekly Allegedly podcast downloads. Allegedly features interviews with celebrities ranging from Casey Anthony’s former bodyguard, Rob Dick, to Denise Richards, to Jan from The Office. The celebrity serves as the judge while the hosts compete for points by telling stories of their escapades in Hollywood.

Hosts Theo Von and Matthew Cole Weiss are allegedly great friends but couldn’t be more different, which brings an added flavor to the show. Von is a southern boy from Louisiana, former Road Rules cast member-turned-comedian, while Matthew Cole Weiss is a former TMZ star, journalist covering the celebrity beat, and proud gay man. Combined, the two of them have a hilarious chemistry that’s sometimes raunchy and mostly outlandish.

Side note: I binged-listened to Allegedly while painting my bedroom and it kept me entertained for hours.

CRIMINAL

Each episode of Criminal tells the story of a true crime … but they’re not your run-of-the-mill robberies or murders. These are crimes that have a human edge to them. For example, you’ll hear about a woman who found out decades later that her mother had stolen her identity and wrecked her credit, or a man who faked his death just to see who would show up to his funeral. Criminal even covers Tony, a tiger who’s kept in captivity at a Louisiana truck stop. As an added bonus, Criminal’s website features cool artwork for each episode they release.

HOW I BUILT THIS

This inspirational podcast is for the entrepreneurial-minded person who dreams of starting the next big company. Host Guy Raz (you may know him from the TED Radio Hour podcast) interviews the people who built some of our favorite brands from the ground up — from Spanx, to Crate and Barrel, to Chuck E. Cheese … By the way, did you know the man who created Chuck E. Cheese is the same man who invented Atari?! How I Built This explains what it takes to turn a dream into a reality and create something from nothing.

MISSING RICHARD SIMMONS

Health and fitness guru Richard Simmons is notorious for getting up-close-and-personal with his fans … That is until February 15, 2014, when he stopped showing up to the exercise class he taught at his beloved Beverly Hills studio “Slimmons.” The question of why and where Simmons disappeared to plagued Dan Taberski so much that he decided to set out on an in-depth investigatation. The result is a podcast that has taken the country by storm. Taberski interviews everyone from his former masseuse, most devoted followers, and even his brother.

MORTIFIED

Most of us can vividly remember our awkward teenage years filled with braces (or headgear if you’re my husband), bad hair, and clothes that make you ask, “What was I thinking?” During that time in our lives, when it came to dealing with the most difficult things a teenager faces — like getting that cute boy or girl to like you, fights with best friends, and dealing with the rules set by our parents — we usually wrote about it in our diaries. Well, this podcast reveals those entries that once held our deepest darkest secrets, as read by the writers themselves. The result? A hilarious and embarrassing look back on our most formidable years.

SCIENCE VS

Science Vs takes some of the most widely debated subjects — say, organic food or fracking, and breaks them down in an unbiased way using purely scientific facts. Science was never one of my favorite subjects, but this makes it enjoyable and easy to understand. Host Wendy Zukerman is also energetic and passionate about each topic, and has a really cool Australian accent that’s fun to listen to.

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If you’re new to podcasts and have an iPhone, I recommend using the purple Podcast app that comes installed on your phone. Adding new podcasts is easy — just search for them in the app and click “subscribe.”

If you have an Android phone, try the Stitcher app. Otherwise, in most cases, podcasts can be streamed on a podcast’s website (click the images above to visit each one).

The above is just a partial list of my favorite podcasts — enough to keep you entertained all week long. Keep an eye out for more posts on my must-listen-to podcast to come!

Do you have any favorite podcasts you just can’t live without? Please let me know in the comments below!