What do successful Australian women read and listen to on their morning commute?
IMAGE VIA @endlessbookclub/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY DAISY HENRY
“I enjoy thinking about waking up with a community of people all listening to the same live broadcast.”
I usually have a short window of time in the morning. Admittedly this is self-imposed and could be remedied by fewer snoozes, but I’m usually throwing back a coffee and running out the door in a rush. Once I’m in the car, I can reset, which is why my morning commute to work is sacred and gives me a much-needed chance to slow down.
What I listen to usually depends on my mood. Sometimes, I opt for the news and catch up on recent headlines (in which case I’ll turn to The Daily Aus, 7am or The Briefing), while other mornings I’ll tune into new episodes from Big Small Talk, Shameless or Culture Club for a pop culture fix. Occasionally, I’ll be hyperfixated on an audiobook – the latest one is The Lonely City by Olivia Laing.
We bring you new career advice each week. Find it over in our Life column.
I do also tend to get trapped in routine easily and wind up listening to the same things each week. When I’m in the car and driving past people with their headphones on, or when I catch a glimpse of a book someone might have tucked under their arm as they’re walking to work, I’m eager to know what they’re consuming.
Are they bingeing a gory true crime podcast on the tram? Are they listening to a thought-provoking audiobook to start their morning? What cool, new Substack are they reading on their phone? Nosy as ever, I decided to turn to some of the most successful women I know for a peek into how they start their day.
Veronica Sullivan, Festival Director, Melbourne Writers Festival
I alternate between books and podcasts on my 30-minute tram trip to work, largely determined by how sleepy I am on a given day – I cannot emphasise strongly enough that I am not a morning person. If I’m still waking up, I’ll usually be listening to one of my favourite pop culture podcasts from Australia or abroad, while working through Sudoku, Wordle or Connections on the New York Times games app.
I’m drawn to podcasts with erudite and entertaining hosts (with whom I have inevitably developed strong parasocial relationships) discussing movies, music, books, films and online culture. Some of my favourites include See Also, Las Culturistas, Literati Glitterati, The New Yorker Critics at Large, and the OG, the Slate Culture Gabfest.
If I’ve dusted off the mental cobwebs by the time I’m en route, I’ll read my current book, usually fiction but sometimes nonfiction or poetry. Recent reads have included Theory and Practice by Michelle de Kretser, The Lasting Harm by Lucia Osborne-Crowley, Rock Flight by Hasib Hourani, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, and (of course) Intermezzo by Sally Rooney.
Steph Claire Smith, co-Founder and Chief Community Officer of Kic
View this post on Instagram
It takes me 30 minutes to drive to the office and I really cherish that time to myself (working mums will get it!). My go-to podcast is Pop Culture Parenting as it helps me better understand mental health and behaviour in kids and how we as parents can support them. Another favourite is The Imperfects. Their deep, raw conversations with guests always leave me reflecting.
When it comes to music, it honestly depends on my mood! Most days, I’m blasting music I know by heart so I can sing along. I have a few playlists that I continuously go back to with artists like Taylor Swift, Missy Higgins, G Flip, Shania Twain, Robbie Williams – and even Disney soundtracks, especially when I’m dropping Harvey off at daycare!
Monique Thomas, director of Goodbyes
Since I live close to the office, I do most of my morning listening and reading at home. My day starts with the alarm radio – usually PBS, RRR, or RN – which keeps my phone out of the bedroom. I enjoy thinking about waking up with a community of people all listening to the same live broadcast.
After making coffee, I’ll put on The Daily Aus for a quick news catch-up and sit down for about 30 minutes to read through articles or Substack posts I’ve saved on my ‘To Read’ list. My current favourite Substacks are FeedMe by Emily Sundberg – dense, almost daily and packed with business insights – and The Paris End, which publishes witty weekly columns and reviews.
Outside of that, the articles, reports, and podcasts I save tend to be about 60 per cent fashion industry, pop culture, or business-related, with the remaining 40 per cent covering new areas of interest or curiosity. Continuing to learn outside of work has become a priority for me. When I do head to work, I often pop on a podcast. Recently on rotation have been After Work Drinks (love the girlies), The Antoinettes, Raising the Curve, Style-ish, and Upstream.
Sianna Catullo, Narungga Woman and co-founder of Blakground Productions
My mornings always start with a workout, which helps set a positive tone for the day. I take a quick 10-minute drive to the gym. On the way, I tune into 774 ABC radio for news updates, but lately, I’ve been seeking more balanced perspectives. To diversify my sources, I turn to Instagram, following credible accounts like Al Jazeera English, NITV, ABC Indigenous, ABC News, and SBS News.
I would describe myself as ‘politically charged’. I have six years of experience in political fashion and using social media to educate and update people. I think social media is a great place to share opinions and education and I follow a lot of ‘activist’ and political accounts that align with my values. Staying informed on various perspectives is key to shaping my own views. Every day post-gym, I take my dogs for a walk and tune into a friend’s podcast called Rushing Slowly – it’s all about finding and practising stillness and being present while being busy.
Almay Jordaan, Director of Food, Neighbourhood Group
I’ve always been a voracious reader and I strongly believe in reading across a wide range of genres and styles. I have a massive cookery book collection which I dip into constantly and I do actually read them. Over and over. I’ve always got one food-specific book on the go that’s more academic, currently, it’s the hair-raising (for me, anyway) Ultra Processed People by Chris Vam Tulleken which dissects everything we put into our bodies.
Substack is my new thing too and two favourites are written by Jess Ho (mostly hospitality stuff, but I find her writing hilarious) and Inexplicably Hot by Gill Hutchison (hot things guys do). Gill is a gifted writer!
I drive around a lot for work and kids, so I’m also an audiobook fiend. I spend hours listening to audiobooks, mostly mystery and spy novels and you better believe I crushed ACOTAR by Sarah J Maas. Yes, I was into it and no don’t judge me. Whatever I don’t have time to listen to goes on my Kindle. There’s a balance though, every other book I listen to has to be ‘serious’ and a book that recently stood out and resonated with me was The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron. It was some eye-opening stuff for me personally and I can recommend it if you’re also this type of person.
Lib Hutton, director, Project Hutton
My morning commute is in car from Brunswick to Collingwood. With two kids and a busy office it’s the only part of my day I get total and utter peace. Post Kinder drop off I do a quick flick of the stations to hear what the networks are talking about and if there are any PR opportunities to jump on. For the second half I pop on a podcast ––at the moment it’s either an episode from After Work Drinks, Lazy CEO Podcast, How I Built This or Mamamia Outloud. I try to limit the morning phone calls so I’m taking full advantage of this peaceful little window.
Mariela Summerhays, writer
View this post on Instagram
These days, my morning commute consists of a short walk from the kitchen to my backyard studio/office. I’m up before the rest of my household and while getting my children’s lunches together, I listen to Olivia Dean’s Messy on vinyl. I’m trying to consume albums in their entirety at the moment (against my natural urge to play the same song on repeat).
On days when I have meetings, my driving-phobic self will get an Uber. I will typically read The Gentlewoman – which is the only magazine I keep and continue to reread as I do paperbacks – or attempt to chew through one of my book clubs’ current novels. I prefer physical or digital copies borrowed from my local library, the latter read on my phone (never audiobooks). I’m currently jumping between Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Long Island Compromise and (no surprises here) Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo.
I wish I could consume podcasts the way everyone else seems to. I feel like I’m missing out on so much interesting content, but I’ve never been an auditory learner. The only podcast I consistently listen to is Hamish and Andy. I’ve loved listening to their good-natured banter since adolescence and feel that laughing is one of the better ways to start the day.
Stacey Burt, founder of Little Company
I currently have a long commute to the kids’ school, and travelling by car gives me precious time to connect with them before the day begins. Balancing family time and personal growth can be challenging, so I save my podcasts for my solo drive home. I like to focus on a monthly theme, which allows me to dive deeply into specific topics. With so much information available, it can be overwhelming, so having a focus helps me explore subjects in greater depth. This month, I’m delving into finance, enjoying insightful conversations by Ramit Sethi that encourage real dialogue about money.
Every season, I travel to Melbourne for work and being on the plane is one of my favourite times to listen to downloaded podcasts. I tune into business-related shows, with My Daily Business by Fiona Killackey on repeat. I’m always inspired by the ideas and practical tips that can enhance various aspects of running Little Company, from marketing and productivity to mindset and leadership.
For more podcast recommendations to start your morning, try this.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
