Why you should listen to podcasts in the morning

Not everyone is a morning person. I became one, only after having kids. Like you, I need a boost in the morning after my alarm goes off. Studies show that turning on the lights, eating right, stepping into the cold and exercising are some of the best ways to start your day. I'd like to add one more thing to that list; podcasts. I find that one of the best ways to get my day off on the right foot is with something that makes me think, maybe even think differently.

Here are my top 10 podcast picks for your morning commute. These are based purely on my interests as an entrepreneur, professional woman and mother. Spoiler alert, I'm not a big sports fan so there are no sports podcasts on my list. Some may be better than others with kids in the car, but my children have been subjected to many of these over the years because I thought they'd learn a thing or two. I acknowledge these may not hold the same appeal as the Frozen soundtrack, but nevertheless please enjoy:

1. How I Built This - A new podcast comes out every Monday and I love to start my week with a 30 minute podcast about successful entrepreneurs. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this
2. The Feed Podcast - Full disclosure I'm completely biased with this pick as my husband, Steve Dolinsky is the co-host with Chef Rick Bayless. However, no other food podcast holds my attention like this one does. It's different every week and less about cooking and more about story telling, highlighting interesting food professionals or dishes from around the country or the world. https://thefeedpodcast.libsyn.com/
3. Fresh Air - No one interviews like Terry Gross, in my opinion, She is one of the best in the business. I love when big stars say how honored they were to be on her show. Whether it is an author, a move star or a or public figure, she is honest and straight forward and boy does she do her homework. I always learn something new. https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/
4. Ted Radio Hour - If you really want to feel smart listen to this podcast. It's hosted by the Guy Roz, the host of "How I Built This". Each week's theme is based on a popular Ted Talk. https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2016-12-09
5. This American Life - No other podcast, in my opinion, does storytelling better than This American Life. It continues to be one of the top podcasts on the charts and for good reason. Each episode is well researched, edited and produced and has led to many a driveway moment" for me (an NPR term for listeners who stay in their car to hear the end of a show or segment). Their contributors vary as do the themes, which keeps it relevant and interesting. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast
6. Planet Money - One of my favorite all time podcasts is the Giant Pool of Money which was a co-production of "Planet Money" with "This American Life". This episode summarizes the housing crisis. Making the economy interesting and understandable isn't easy but Planet Money nails it. I think this podcast should be assigned to kids as homework when studying Economics. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/ https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/355/the-giant-pool-of-moneyhttps://www.npr.org/sections/money/
7. WTF with Marc Maron - Marc Maron, a comedian with a checkered past, he was at the forefront of the podcasting craze. He features a lot of comedians as his guests and is a fan of promoting others. His interviews are long, deep and often raw. He gets to a place with guests that others may not and given his failed marriages and personal struggles with drugs and alcohol, he makes an interesting host. His interview with President Obama was fantastic. Note: his podcasts frequently include "swears". So maybe listen without the kids in the car, unless they are teenagers. https://www.wtfpod.com/
8. Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me - Given that I may not be completely objective as this podcast hails from my hometown Chicago Public Radio, I still believe it's one the most fun radio hours/podcasts around. Peter Sagal is a great host and Bill Kurtis and the other regular guests makes the week in review and current events fun and even game show like. https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/
9. The Gist with Mike Pesca - This is a Slate podcast and they have many great ones. Pesca is a terrific host and weekly topics can include anything from current events, pop culture, sports, politics or anything that irks him that week. He's known to have an "irreverent" personality and that's what makes this podcast interesting. https://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/gist.html
10. Sound Opinions - This is the preeminent rock and roll talk show/podcast. It also hails from Chicago Public Radio but I had to include it because Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot are consummate professionals, great music writers and true music lovers. They also argue sometimes like Siskel & Ebert. While I don't always agree with their "buy it, try it or trash it", I always appreciate their perspective. https://www.soundopinions.org/