If you live and work in San Diego area, you are probably no stranger to the traffic that is ever-increasing. My 5-day-a-week commute leaves me with more time behind the wheel than I care to admit. After hearing many songs and news stories on repeat during my drives,
I decided to explore podcasts to bring some novelty to my solo time in the car.
There are podcasts that cater to just about any topic of interest – career change, stress management, life hacks, cooking, and parenting to name a few. I’m tuned in to all things mom life, work/life balance, and effective parenting strategies right now and wanted to share a few of my current favorites!
Here are the 4 podcasts currently on my commute’s heavy rotation:
1. Coffee + Crumbs
I discovered this podcast via Google search of potty training podcast episodes when I was in thick of potty training my daughter a couple of years back. Founded by Ashlee Gadd, who also is the mastermind behind the Coffee + Crumbs blog, she and her 2 co-hosts provide support, encouragement, and perspective on various motherhood topics.
You might enjoy this one if you like podcasts on a high energy frequency. It instills laughter, lightly touches on personal faith, and also covers the struggles of parenting. Standout episodes: Potty Training is the Worst (Episode 6, Season 1), Motherhood + Work: The Why (Episode 57, Season 3) and Motherhood + Work: The How (Episode 58, Season 3). More from Coffee + Crumbs writers can be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/coffeeandcrumbs/ as well as their blog page at https://www.coffeeandcrumbs.net/.
I follow and stream my favorite podcasts on Spotify:
2. Best of Both Worlds
I was searching for Laura Vanderkam’s other podcast, Before Breakfast, which focuses on time management strategies, when I found this one. I delved into Best of Both Worlds when I found that she and co-host Sarah Hart+Unger focus on balancing working mom life with family life. They engage in candid discussions about their own experiences and regularly feature guests to contribute to the content. They had me intrigued in the first two lines of their introduction on https://bestofbothworldspodcast.libsyn.com/:
“Love your career? Love your family?”
My current fave episodes: Self Care (Episode 68) and Mom Guilt (Episode 48). You can find Laura and Sarah on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/best_of_both_worlds_podcast/.
3. The Engine Mom Podcast
I found this one while searching for a new podcast about motherhood and productivity, and am so glad that I did. Host Maria Alcoke refers to the podcast as “Fuel for the Driven Mama” and she is quite right. Her episodes feature inspiring guests discussing the triumphs and challenges in their careers and home life, self-care techniques (intention setting and guided meditations, anyone?), and how to make time for the things that matter. Recent goodies to check out: Parenting and Partnering to Your Skillset (Episode 82) and How to Live Limitless in Motherhood (Episode 78). Learn more about the podcast here: https://enginemom.com/ or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the_engine_mom/.
4. Generation.Mom
Quickly moving up the ranks as my favorite podcast, I discovered this one through The Engine Mom Podcast, as co-founder Lara Schulte was guest on Episode 82. Lara met her co-host Jenn Rout in a local mom’s group shortly after their babies were born. They connected over a mutual desire to find a new balance between their pre-baby and post-baby lives.
I enjoy how frank and candid they are in their topics of discussion. Lara and Jenn, as well as their guests, share their experiences openly and honestly. They let us know that it’s ok to feel the feelings that the parenting books and birthing classes don’t prepare us for in motherhood. There is no sugar coating on this one, and that’s what I love most about it. Try Motherhood, Not What You Expected? Us Too (Episode 5, Aired July 11, 2018) and The So-Called Crime of Maternal Ambivalence (Episode 3, Aired June 24, 2018) on for size and see what you think. Learn more at: https://generation.mom/podcast/or follow them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/generation.mom.
Have a favorite podcast that makes your commute more bearable? Please feel free to share!
