Podcasts are my go-to after a long day or when I know I am going to be in the car for long periods of time. I travel between home and school fairly often, with more than an hour's worth of driving each way, and these podcasts never fail to keep me entertained the entire time. Just a fair heads up, some of these can be pretty explicit so maybe test them out at home first before listening to them in public.
1. "My Favorite Murder" with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
This clever duo comes together every week to tell each other, and their thousands of listeners, a murder. Both of them are extremely socially aware and do their best to advocate for victims and their families. Additionally, the are very involved in fundraising for ending the rape kit backlog in America and have their listeners get involved with that every chance they receive.
2. "Sleep With Me" hosted by Scooter
I came across this podcast due to My Favorite Murder and haven't looked back since. This is my all-time favorite podcast to recommend to anyone suffering from a lack of sleep. The episodes are about two hours long and are designed to make listeners fall asleep, with long, winding stories that have no end goal. Scooter even refuses to say any words during the podcast that could be seen as upsetting, so if true crime is not your thing, give this podcast a try!
3. "Up and Vanished" (Season One) hosted by Payne Lindsey
Following my obsession with Serial, I gave Up and Vanished a chance. Payne Lindsey investigates a cold case in Oscilla, Georgia, and garners so much attention from it, he ends up being the key piece they needed to solve the case. Once again, I don't want to post spoilers, but if you like to listen to murder stories where you know that justice is served at the end, this is for you.
4. "Serial" (Season One) hosted by Sarah Koenig
Typically, I am not a big fan of podcasts that follow one case for an entire season, but this was a game-changer for me. This podcast made such a splash in the true crime world that it ended up bringing the suspect back to trial in an appellate court. I won't spoil the names or details of the plot, but if you like a plot twist-filled story and real testimonies of crime, this podcast is for you.
5. "Other People’s Lives" hosted by Joe Santagato and Greg Dybec
This podcast quickly became one of my favorites after listening to a couple of episodes. If you are picky about what you listen to, this is not one of those podcasts where you have to listen to every episode, as they do not build off of each other. Each episode features a guest who phones in and tells about their life and an interesting aspect of it. Previous episodes have featured a child of a transgender woman, a phone sex operator, and people that believe the Earth is flat. The boys handle everything in a very respectful manner and are more than happy to let the guest lead the conversation.
