The only reason that I don’t snooze my alarm every morning is that I know that I have new episodes of my favorite podcasts to listen to. I get out of bed, press “play” and listen while I get ready for the day ahead of me. There are podcasts focusing on every topic you could imagine- gossip, news, thrillers, storytelling, etc.- but my favorites are the influential podcasts. The ones that tell me to DO something: write that book, organize my life, and make my dreams a reality. If you want to make a change in your life or get some inspiration, these podcasts are for you! Here are the influential podcasts that I’ve been obsessed with this year.

1. The Lavendaire Lifestyle

The Lavendaire Lifestyle (LL) podcast is hosted by Youtuber and influencer Aileen Xu. After watching Aileen’s Youtube channel for over a year, I came across her Podcast and have been obsessed with it ever since! Every episode offers ways to make your dreams a reality. She has guests ranging from authors to bloggers and influencers who are making a difference in the lifestyle and personal growth world. Definitely give this podcast a listen if you want to take control of your fears and put your insecurities behind you in order to get things done.

2. I Want Her Job

If you have ever looked up to an entrepreneur or businesswoman and thought “How does she do it?” this one’s for you. Every week there is an interview with a successful woman who loves her career. It’s extremely inspirational and motivating because you get to listen to how these women made something from nothing. For example, one CEO tells the story of how she used to be flat broke and homeless but worked hard to build her own company. Listeners get an insight into the hard work that gets put into creating a business and the time it takes to grow. Another thing I love about this podcast is that it talks about such a wide variety of careers and lifestyles. Every woman has her own story and way that she lives her life, which can influence yours too. So if you need some motivation to start that business your dreaming about, give this one a shot.

3. Best of Both Worlds

The Best of Both Worlds podcast is great if you’re in need of work-life balance. Two working mothers talk about how they manage their lives to make time for their careers and family. One of the hosts, Laura Vanderkam, is the author of “I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Build Lives that Work,” which is a book focusing on a study of women who are successful in their careers while making time for themselves and their families. I don’t have a busy career or two kids at home, but I’ve learned a lot about managing my priorities through this book and the podcast.

4. Goop

If you’ve never heard the term “goop” before, it may sound a little strange. Goop is Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, which includes a blog, magazine, and now the podcast. The magazine is absolutely gorgeous, but I wouldn’t pay $15 for one issue, so I’m beyond grateful for this free podcast! During the first episode, Gwyneth interviews Oprah Winfrey. Yes, OPRAH! Oprah shares her perspective on topics ranging from her own successes to the MeToo movement and advice for young women. This episode is fairly long, but definitely one worth listening to.

5. Optimal Living Daily

I love this personal growth podcast because it’s only 10 minutes! Optimal Living Daily is a podcast that narrates influential blogs and books that offer minimalism and productivity advice. If I don’t have too much time in the morning, I’ll listen to this podcast for instant motivation. I love being able to listen to articles while I get ready for my day that I would read on my own if I had the time. This podcast is great if you want to dip your toes into the podcast world to get a feel for it.

6. Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert

I loved Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”, so naturally, I was super excited when I found this podcast. The podcast digs deep into topics on creativity and the internal fear that surrounds it. Elizabeth Gilbert implements many of the ideas from her book to advise aspiring creatives to make their dreams a reality by overcoming their insecurities. The podcast hasn’t had a new episode in well over a year, but there are over two-hundred to listen to with advice that’s relevant as ever.

If you have a great idea but have stopped yourself from pursuing it, try listening to some of these podcasts. They can give you that push you didn’t know you needed. You can thank me later!