I have a looonnnggg commute. I get stuck in Hartford traffic every.single.morning. To make my commute more bearable I started listening to podcasts about two years ago. I thought I’d share a few of my regulars, perhaps a few you may not have heard of and can now enjoy too. They are not listed in any particular order, but I love them all.

1. Armchair Expert. This is a podcast by Dax Shepard (from Parenthood, one of the best shows EVER). At first when I saw the length of his podcasts I was like what?? Two hours long? But I have fallen in love with every single podcast he records. I find his ability to be introspective and to own the darker sides of his life to be really refreshing. He also has a really lovely way of interviewing his guests and they often dive into topics that are quite vulnerable. I just all around love his podcasts. Often times he interviews people I’ve never even heard of, which usually is a turn off for me, but I love to learn about the people on his show, mainly because of how wonderfully he masters getting to know people.
2. The Hilarious World of Depression. John Moe is the host of this podcast which starts every podcast by asking the question, is depression funny? Most of the time the guests on his show (who are all comedians) say yes, but mainly from the vantage point of being able to look back at periods of depression with a birds eye view. I really enjoy listening to John Moe. He has a really amazing voice and tackles not only issues related to depression but also anxiety, bipolar, and many other mental illnesses. And the people he interviews don’t hold back, they get into the details of their experiences, but there is also always laughter too. I will say that I do need to be in the mood for one of these podcasts, as sometimes it can trigger my own anxiety, but overall I highly recommend it. It goes a long way in helping people with mental health struggles to not feel so alone.
3. Getting Curious. OMG I am obsessed with Jonathan Van Ness (JVN). I just absolutely love everything about him. In his podcasts he is really open about his own struggles with things like anxiety, and I tend to go for podcasts where vulnerability is encouraged. He explores all different topics, hence the title Getting Curious, and he interviews experts to dig right in. Through his podcasts I learned that JVN is incredibly intelligent, he knows so much about history, world politics, U.S. politics, and so much more. I also love following his Instagram to see how he expresses himself through morning dance parties, gymnastics, and figure skating. You can’t go wrong listening to JVN during your commute to work. No matter what he always makes me smile.
4. Committed. This podcast is hosted by Jo Piazza and explores all different types of romantic relationships. My pal Katie got me turned onto podcasts where you basically feel like a voyeur looking in on the intimate details of someone else’s relationship. And this podcast has shown me that there are all different ways people have successful relationships. One podcast interviews two women who are married and both work in a brothel, another episode interviews a man in prison (who is in prison for life) and his wife who insists on remaining married to him. Sometimes it’s so riveting I want to linger in my car to hear the ending, but alas, work calls.
5. Under the Skin. This is hosted by Russell Brand and has given me a totally different view of him. He interviews well known people and they dive into topics about spirituality, compassion, kindness, and vulnerability. I particularly enjoyed his recent interview with Brene Brown because I am a HUGE fan of hers. If you enjoy podcasts that make you challenge your own world view, this is a podcast for you. All of the episodes of this podcasts from before August 2019 are available on iTunes, but he now moved over to Luminary which I think you have to pay for. Sad face.

So fellow parents with long commutes, any podcast suggestions for me? I stay away from the crime and murder type, but love anything about hearing people’s stories. Leave me a comment with your suggestions!