As I mentioned in this post, about this time last week I was in the midst of a LONG drive from Lexington, KY to Miami, FL. Just me, my ragdoll cat, and what felt like an endless stretch of highway. Thankfully I thought ahead and equipped my iPhone with hours of entertainment. I’m talking podcasts! Below you’ll find the 8 that made the miles fly, kept me engaged, and provided just enough nuggets of knowledge to shoo away the clouds of boredom.

Go Fork Yourself

Auditory food porn, Go Fork Yourself features Travel Channel’s own Andrew Zimmern and Hey Eleanor! blogger Molly Mogren. Each episode they chat about what’s up in the food world, give travel recommendations and exchange stories. If you’ve ever found yourself binge watching Food Network or Travel Channel shows, listening in on the convos of these two will be right up your street.

Mystery Show

This podcast (hosted by my current girl crush and This American Life veteran Starlee Kine) sets out to solve one mystery per episode — think: disappearing video rental store and a unique belt buckle found owner-less in a gutter — with only one rule. The mystery can not be solved by simply Googling. My friend J.D. specifically recommended Episode #2: Britney. And it did NOT disappoint.

Criminal

This is a podcast about crime (duh!) and tells stories of people who have done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. While the episodes felt a little short to me, this could have been because I was trying to kill HOURS, and they are probably the perfect length for a morning commute or a nice walk around your neighborhood after dinner. And lo and behold, the very first episode was about the Michael Peterson case! A story I’ve been obsessed with since watching the Sundance Channel miniseries, The Staircase (and then proceeding to make everyone I know watch it too).

Selected Shorts

Selected Shorts brings on stars of stage and screen to read aloud pieces of short fiction. Featured stories are by established and emerging writers alike, their words coming to life in a new way when performed by talented actors. This story time for adults had a definite calming effect on me as there is something so zen about being read to.

Ear Biscuits 

Youtube stars Rhett & Link record a weekly candid conversation with their fellow creators all of whom are gaining huge popularity for work and content in new media. If you find yourself going down the rabbit hole of YouTube with any frequency, you’ll wanna download a few of these interviews. I especially enjoyed listening to the episodes featuring Tyler Oakley, Jenna Marbles, and Ingrid Nilsen. As a fairly recent YouTube aficionado, I enjoyed hearing how these folks “made it big” in the world of vlogging.

Mortified

In much the same way as the live show of the same name, Mortified allows adults to share writings from their past in an attempt to “share the shame.”  I loved the Mortified documentary so I’m not sure why I had never checked out the podcast before! Definitely check it out if you haven’t already…super funny, super relatable, super feel-goody in that “we made it through!” kind of way.

Filler 

Filler operates in much the same way as Ear Biscuits. Hosts Matt Shore and Harry Hitchens sit down with a major player from a creative industry and have a chat over coffee. The guys are quite good at getting their interviewees to delve deep into their stories and help connect the dots in order to draw lessons from their experiences. I especially enjoyed their interview with Blaise DiPersia, a designer/hired gun at Facebook.

Which would you choose? What podcasts do you listen to? Would love your thoughts… even though I don’t plan on driving long distances ANY time soon! Phew!

P.S. Another great podcast host ❤