I asked successful women about the media they consume on their morning commute
words by evie dinkelmeyer
“I like to consider my commute as down time.”
Have you ever been on a pin-drop silent train ride to work and wondered what everyone’s listening to through their headphones? What podcast might they be smirking to? What sentences are they furiously tapping away at on their laptop?
If I see someone deeply engrossed in a book you’d best believe I’m side-eyeing it, trying to catch a peek of the cover when they flip a page. Being nosy is fun and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
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The morning commute is a big chunk of free time with nothing to do but entertain yourself, and I’m interested to know what smart, successful women are doing with that time. Given how much content is out there, what we’re choosing to engage with says a lot about us.
Consider this a more dignified version of those ‘What song are you listening to?’ TikToks, where I instead ask five successful women how they’ve been keeping themselves busy on their commute. Here are their insights.
Clarissa Harris, True Tribe’s Managing Director
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Currently, if I’m not listening to some old-school Jazz Liberatorz or new-school Sault, I usually have a podcast going. Ted Talks Daily is a regular because it keeps me informed on what or who is making progress in the world and it’s short enough to listen to every day. To unwind on the way home I love to get my pop culture fix and have a laugh along to Flex & Froomes.
A book I actually have in the car just in case I’m stranded somewhere with no battery is Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss. Every chapter offers advice from a global leader in their respective field so you can pick it up anytime.
Cait Emma Burke, Fashion Journal’s Editor
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Anyone that knows me (and every member of the FJ team) will tell you I’m not a morning person. I loathe waking up, and if I had my way my days would start at a leisurely 11am. But because that’s not how the world works (sadly), I try to enhance my mornings via the media I consume. I’m a huge Shameless fan and often listen to their wrapups of what’s happening in both pop culture and more broadly in the world. They’ve really perfected that balance of high and low-brow content.
I’m also a sucker for self-development content, and lately, I’ve been listening to The Mind Body Green and Expanded by To Be Magnetic podcasts on my walk to work. The former interviews health specialists about a wide variety of topics – longevity, mental health, brain ageing, gut health etc – while the latter is a little bit woo-woo. It’s about manifestation, but it combines this practice with neuroscience, psychology and epigenetics. I like to take in this type of content in the morning because it keeps me sharp and focused for the (always jampacked) day ahead.
Paola di Trocchio, PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Program Manager
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Some days I catch the tram for my morning commute, other days I walk. If I catch the tram, I love to read a novel. I’m currently reading The Winter Dress by Lauren Chater. It tracks the history of a 17th-century silk dress that was recovered from a shipwreck on a small Dutch island in Texel.
Given my background as a fashion curator, this is a deeply compelling read as the details of the dress reveal the history of the time it was created in and the lives of the people who lived within it. If I walk, I’ll listen to a podcast. At the moment I’m enjoying Glynis Traill-Nash’s new podcast In Fashion where she interviews fashion favourites like Nicky Zimmermann on their careers.
Genevieve Phelan, writer and publicist
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The Modern Love Podcast is apt for my current breakup girl persona… some eps at least! [I] highly recommend one called ‘Stop Looking for the Perfect Partner’. [It’s] loaded with perspective and reassuring realities. And when I’m after something a smidge more lighthearted but intelligent, it’s always some After Work Drinks with Grace O’Neill and Isabelle Truman (two of my OG and unfailing loves).
I’m also finally devouring the infamous Untamed by Glennon Doyle and it couldn’t be better timed. I am feeling motivated by every page and it’s like a little written crutch for me right now. She talks about pain giving way to a ‘rising’, and it’s getting me in the mood for a real renaissance.
Tinika Pasinetti, remote IT automation engineer and DJ
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As a remote IT automation engineer and DJ, my commute is different to most people who travel to an office and varies day-to-day. I like to consider my commute as downtime to walk to the coffee shop before I sit down in my home office, or while I’m at the gym.
The media I consume on my commute is usually from LinkedIn which I find invaluable to keep up to date with my industry (hello AI). When I’m not reading academic articles, I am listening to music for enjoyment. This is important for me as a DJ, as a lot of the time I am listening to music to plan for my sets, so it’s less relaxing and usually performed under pressure.
For more on the morning commute, head here.
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