When I started walking to work, I started listening to podcasts.

WARNING: I’m not a podcast expert. (And I am always looking for recommendations!) However, I do have my favorites and I find myself constantly bringing them up in conversation whenever possible.

So here is a list of my current podcasts shows and some reasons why I love them:

Short, daily listens:

BuzzFeed News: Reporting To You – I was so excited to stumble upon this short, news show. There is a new episode every weekday – usually less than 5 minutes – that covers 3 or 4 top or trending stories. Totally relevant, super quick, and helps me feel in the know. Plus, who isn’t a fan of BuzzFeed? Easily in my top 5 favorite podcasts.

The Good News Podcast – Brought to you by the Cards Against Humanity studio in Chicago – this one makes top 3! This is a great listen, new episodes also released every weekday – always less than 10 minutes long. Simple idea – news stories that are meant to make you smile and bring you positivity. Today’s episode gave the results of a study to find the song that makes people the most happy. And the world’s happiest song is… Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen.

Tiny Leaps, Big Changes – I’m going to be honest here and say that I often skip through some of the episodes here that don’t necessarily apply to me, but I find a lot of motivation within this show. It’s a self-help podcast, exploring different ideas to help you get the most out of your life. The guy Greg who creates this podcast hasn’t posted consistently lately, but there’s a lot of good stuff in his archives.

Weekly intrigues:

New Music Friday – This is a new one and I am mad at myself for

not starting this first! Spotify updates a playlist every Friday with new music that was released throughout the week. This podcast goes over any new hits that were released (most likely available on the playlist) and which artists to watch. Simple, quick, and noteworthy.

My Favorite Murder – This is going to sound strange but I promise that this is actually a good listen. The podcast talks about true crime and famous murders that include twists, turns, glaring warning signs, and more. I’ve only listened to a fraction of these because of their length, but I listen to most of my podcasts on 1.5x speed which helps. This podcast is super interesting without being a total buzzkill. Stay safe, don’t get murdered.

This Is Love – This podcast makes it onto my top 5 favorites and it’s only released 3 episodes so far. Brought to you by the creators of the podcast Criminal (which I have not listened to yet), this show explores the mysteries of love in all forms (not just romantic). The second episode titled Something Large and Wild is one of the best episodes I’ve ever listened to across any podcast ever. It’s an incredible story of a distance swimmer helping a last baby whale reunite with its mother and IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL. Seriously so excited for more to be released here.

Duolingo Spanish Podcast – I use the Duolingo app regularly to strengthen mi español, and this podcast helps to further that education with true, bilingual stories. The narration goes back and forth between Spanish and English and is geared towards intermediate Spanish speakers. In true Spanish fashion, these stories always rip out mi corazon out in some way, shape or form – even the happy ones.

Famous People:

Anna Faris Is Unqualified – First of all, as a big fan of The House Bunny, I love Anna Faris. I’ve listened to all the episodes of Unqualified available and was still begging for more. Anna plays “Dating Dealbreakers” with her guests, does characters such as the obnoxious Kayla and snoody studio CEO Karen Sarducci, and gives unfiltered advice to callers. If you only listen to one episode, listen to Terry Crews. He goes off on a long tangent about what he has learned about life, love and masculinity and it is truly inspirational. So much of what he said was extremely relatable and relevant. (I asked my boyfriend to listen as well and he agreed.) Might be my favorite podcast, definitely in my top 3. “Fuck you, Sim.”

Straight Talk with Ross Matthews – I just became a straight-talker after falling in love with Ross on Celebrity Big Brother. I’ve listened to the 2018 episodes, but I’m currently in the process of binging on all episodes available. It’s going to take me a while, but it’s going to be worth it. I have already laughed enough in the first 20 episodes to make me seem crazy to my co-workers and those who pass me on the street. It’s silly and upbeat and also in my top 3 favorite podcasts. Order your Squatty Potty today.

Here’s The Thing with Alec Baldwin – Let me just say that I love the way Alec interviews his guests. Hard hitting questions that dig deep and tell good stories from the entertainment industry history. Recently he interviewed Jann Wenner, the creator of Rolling Stone Magazine, and that was a good listen! As a fan of NBC, I most enjoyed his interviews with Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels and QuestLove. I’ve been told that Alec was one of the first big celebrities with a podcast, so there are more interviews available than I have time to listen to. I’ve added my favorite celebrities to my queue to start, but there’s a lot more for me to dig into here.

Snoop Dogg’s GGN Podcast – I’m still making my way through the Snoop archives, but I have not been disappointed by one episode of the Double G News Podcast. I saw Gabriel Igelsias do stand-up last November where he talked about being a guest on this show. He brought his son with him to the recording, and both were offered the opportunity to smoke weed with Snoop, which made for a great bit in his stand-up. Listening to the episode and all the coughing was quite amusing, as was the Seth Rogan episode where he times how long it takes him to roll a cross-joint. (Fun Fact from this episode: Seth rolled all his own joints in the movie Pineapple Express.) The archives go back to 2015, so I am looking forward to binging on hours and hours worth of the sultry Snoop voice.

Bachelor Nation:

Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe – (I am only putting the Bachelor shows at the bottom of this post because not everyone cares as much as I do, but… ) I LOVE KAITLYN and her podcast is the reason I first opened up the podcast app – no joke. I am just such a huge fan of Kaitlyn’s and she is the only celebrity whose DMs I have tried to slide into. One of the best parts about Off The Vine is that she will recap the Bachelor shows, but she is also a fan of Big Brother (my reality show dream). I have found a good amount of behind-the-scenes insight to both shows as a result of this podcast.

The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast – Just as I loved to watch Ashley I cry on her Bachelor shows, I could listen to that New Jersey accent gossip all day. Nothing against Ben, but I listen to this one for Ashley I. I cannot get enough of her and I loved her on Bach Winter Games! The Almost Famous Podcast is the first one that I listen to after a Bachelor franchise show airs some drama. All good things love, dating, and Ashley I.

If you have any podcast suggestions, please let me know!

Thanks for reading.