Best Commuting Podcasts

This summer, I have had an hour commute. And not just an hour in traffic, but like 60 whole miles of the Columbia River Valley between Hood River and Portland, and then back again. Not to mention more driving around the city for work. Because of this, podcasts have become the best co-pilot.

My favorites are a bit random, but still provide entertainment for all of my moods.

Crime Podcast: 

• Wine and Crime
  • It’s honestly the only way that crime can be funny. Basically each episode has a crime topic, a wine pairing that goes along with the topic, and endless giggles from some hilarious gals. I have learned a-lot about wine, signed up for a wine club (Winc), listened to some crazy crimes, and honestly have laughed out loud in the car by myself.  (This has explicit content, so idk if that makes it more or less enticing, but just be warned.)
  • Episode Suggestion: Evil Twins  ( Dec. 12 2017. But please listen to all of them)

Health and Wellness Podcasts: 

• Rip It Life
  • My instagram adventure icon, Al Goldman, has created a movement of ripping life! She wholeheartedly wants to teach people to switch their mindsets to look for adventure in the smallest places. Through interviews and solo sessions, Al is always one to motivate me to be positive. (Sometimes explicit)
  • Episode Suggestion: Primal Living Meets Rip It Life (April 17 2018. This one’s concise, so if you have 20 minutes, it’s awesome)
• Wellness Realness 
  • Christina Rice is so REAL. She is a holistic health coach, and redefines relationships with your body and food. Hearing her talk about the healing powers of gut health, leads me away from crash dieting. She instead focuses on taking away stressors, adding in whole foods, and creating a healthy body from the inside out.
  • Episode Suggestion: Devyn Sisson on Kitchen Intuition, Healing Relationships Through Food, and How Stress Affects Health (Jan. 14 2018)
• Straight Up Paleo 
  • I found this through Wellness Realness. Christina is a co-host, and the topics are similar to her other podcast. I don’t necessarily eat paleo, but her and Kara have some great opinions about having a healthy lifestyle. I love that the topics vary so much, and they mostly focus on listener questions. The questions usually apply to me, so it’s great to know that others in the world have similar feelings.
  • Episode Suggestion: Binge Eating Recovery, Protein Powder, and When To Unfollow Someone on Social Media (Feb. 17 2018)
• Finding Your Shine 
  • More motivational lifestyle stuff! Formally known as Wine and Shine, this podcast has a couple of ladies talking about feeling empowered. Topics range from food to social media, exercise, traveling, self-love, and more!
  • Episode Suggestion: Changing Your Perception: Body Wisdom, The Imposter Syndrome, and Food with Cara Cifelli (July 9 2018)

Science Podcast: 

• StarTalk 
  • Being a business student, I didn’t get to take many science classes, but this one helps me delve into mysteries of the universe. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is incredibly smart, and he is a great teacher about all sorts of topics relating to the cosmos, science, and society as a whole. It proves that science is genuinely everywhere.
  • Episode Suggestion(s): Cosmic Queries: Time and Higher Dimensions (Dec. 8 2017. This one hurts your head, but so worth it) ; Katy Perry’s Cosmic Curiosity (Aug. 10 2018. Because I love anything Katy Perry)

Entrepreneurship Podcast: 

• Marketing In Yoga Pants 
  • When I am feeling especially entrepreneurial, this keeps the motivation going. Brit hosts an awesome show where she talks with all sorts of strong, women business owners. Pick up on some great female-owned businesses, while also fueling your own passions as a businessperson.
  • Episode Suggestion: Empowering Women through Design with Sensi Graves (July 19, 2018, a business owner out of Hood River!)

Art History Podcast:

• Art History Babes 
  • More wine drinking then podcasting! But these babes talk all things art history. Normal longer episodes hold evaluations of known and not-so-known art and artists. The BB episodes are short and to the point, while also not being explicit for educational purposes.
  • Episode Suggestion(s): Paint It Black (Sept. 25 2017) ; Episode 100! Meme Fest: The Art of Memes (Aug. 29 2018)

Everything Else 

• Dressed: The History of Fashion 
  • April and Cassidy talk about the history behind fashion. The cultural, political, physical, and emotional influences of the clothes our ancestors have worn.  Also, this one is a branch of the How Stuff Works gang, so it’s thorough and professional!
  • Episode Suggestion: Fashion and Sustainability (Aug. 28 2018)
• Time Suck
  • Dan talks about popular topics, but adds his own vulgar and matter-of-fact opinion to it. You can tell he is there to have a good time, and give the smallest details on some important moments and people. (Always explicit!!)
  • Episode Suggestion: The Donner Party: Cannibalism, Cholera, and More Horribleness (July 2 2018)
• Stuff You Should Know
  • A CLASSIC! My first podcast for last on the list. Josh and Chuck have such a charm, and they cover such a wide array of topics, that you can be a know- it- all in all sorts of random topics.
  • Episode Suggestion(s): How Traffic Works (Aug. 11 2018); Recycling Updates: How’s It Going? (July 24 2018); Why Isn’t the U.S. On The Metric System? (July 1 2017); How Gene Editing Works (June 2 2016); The Dark Origins of Fairy Tales (Nov. 3 2015); How Color Works (May 21 2015); Some Movies That Changed Filmmaking (Feb. 26 2015); Could You Live Without A Refrigerator? (Jan. 2 2014); and the list goes on and on…

Nic and I are planning a GIANT road trip. Let us know your favorite podcasts to listen to!

Feature Image credit: Marcus Catlett