Meditative Story combines extraordinary human stories with meditation prompts embedded into the storylines — all surrounded by breathtaking music. Think of it as an alternative way into a mindfulness practice, through vivid stories and cinematic music and production values. Meditative Story is an original series produced by WaitWhat and supported by our members. Our community tells us that they listen to the same episodes over and over again, and according to data provided by Apple Podcasts, Meditative Story may have the highest engagement of any podcast in the world. And that makes us proud!
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As an author and poet, Mark Nepo has spent decades writing about spirituality and serenity. But his life wasn’t always as calm as it is now. Growing up, Mark feels challenged by the demands of his perfectionist father and struggles to feel seen. Years later, after surviving a battle with cancer, Mark looks back and realizes that watching his father refurbish a boat in their backyard provided one of the most important, surprising lessons of his life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac...
A street in Honduras. A conference room. The fifth lap of a bike ride. Crisis can descend on you in unexpected places – and so can clarity. All that’s required of you, really, is to be there for it, and to stretch yourself in ways you hadn’t expected. Mariann Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese in Washington, DC, tells of three defining moments of struggle and grace in her life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-s...
Varshini Prakash, founder of the Sunrise Movement, shares her journey of finding strength and hope through community. From a childhood "magic cabin" that fostered imagination and acceptance to performing Indian music at a Jewish temple to bridge cultural divides, she learned the power of shared vulnerability. As a climate activist, she recounts how collective rituals and consistent connections with peers help her overcome fear and burnout, demonstrating that together, we can tackle the biggest problems and sustain fierce hope.
To truly see what is right in front us, requires the practice of looking, of careful and sustained attention – without expectation or judgment. Join author and essayist Siri Hustvedt on an hours long trip to the museum spent in front of just one painting. And discover more than just what's on the canvas. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Today's storyteller Steven Ho grew up in a strict Vietnamese-American household where the stakes were always high. He felt an overwhelming pressure to walk the straight line set before him — a line of overachieving and excellence. As Steven grew up, he encountered places and circumstances that catapulted him into a deep curiosity and affection for the world around him. Steven began to wonder if there might be more than he could have ever expected, waiting for him outside the lines. See Privacy P...
Sitting in the school library, staring down at his unfinished chemistry homework, pre-med student Case Kenny feels helpless. He faces a difficult choice: did I choose the wrong major? And who will I disappoint if I admit that? Now an acclaimed podcaster (New Mindset, Who Dis?), Case shares three stories from his early life about being wrong, and how he slowly learns what’s right for him. The key: Learning to see wrongness as a chance to re-examine who he is and what his right next step might be....
Growing up in the Kennedy family, Tim Shriver sees close relatives compete at the highest level of U.S. politics and learns a very specific definition of what it means to be a winner. As a result, a fierce competitiveness finds its way into every aspect of his life. But as the years go on, Tim begins to question whether this winner-takes-all mentality is the healthiest way to live. Maybe there’s a way that competition can bring out the best in all of us, regardless of who gets the gold medal. Se...
Before becoming a MacArthur award–winning entomologist, Dr. Marla Spivak is adrift – first as a young woman in search of direction, then deep in the Amazon, severely ill and fearing death. Time and again, it’s the hum of bees that shows her a path forward. Apiculture doesn’t just become her life’s passion, it reveals a deeper truth about the connections that bind us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Growing up, Isha Sesay learned the importance of caring for others from her mother, an ethos that shaped her early life and advocacy work. Through personal challenges like bullying and grief, she forged her own path, often as an outsider. However, it was her mother's own debilitating stroke that taught Isha the profound lesson of vulnerability, forcing her to embrace the regenerative power of receiving care and support from her community.
Just out of school, writer Alex Morris gets a job performing and teaching improv comedy in London, playing absurd characters night after night. But his knack for hiding his true self starts long before he ever steps onstage. Alex is hiding a secret — one that only his family and a few close friends know: he’s slowly losing his sight. He shares a story about his struggles living with a degenerative eye disease and the lengths to which he would go to pretend he didn’t need help. See Privacy Policy...
As a young writer and performer, Sara Benincasa found her voice doing stand-up comedy. For years, it seemed better than therapy. But slowly, doubts surfaced. While the external validation she received made her feel successful and even loved, something was missing. In this episode of Meditative Story, Sara shares how she came to look inward, instead of outward, for richer feelings of worth. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#...
It’s not surprising that Martha Beck, best-selling author and columnist for O, The Oprah Magazine , grew up as a high achiever. Attending Harvard University for both undergraduate and doctoral degrees, Martha spends years fighting to be the smartest person in the room and contending with serious anxiety. It’s only after a revelatory trip to Japan that Martha learns to put her rigid pursuit of intellect aside and find true happiness in the peaceful empty spaces between all things. See Privacy Pol...
What’s the hardest part about being the main character in your own life? You’re also writing the script as you go along. And sometimes it’s hard to know when you need a scene change. Filmmaker Franklin Leonard encounters plenty of dramatic moments as he seeks to follow his creative dream. But those big moments, he comes to realize, aren’t what will change him into the person he truly wants to be. Change happens not in an explosion or a sudden shift of scenery, but slowly, in moments of reflectio...
Psychologist and author Susan David invites us into the sad days after she loses her father as a child – and the kind teacher who helped her carve out space to feel her grief and sadness honestly. It's a lesson she takes into her own journey as a parent. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Fresh out of nursing school, Wayne Little finds a treasured mentor in his first job – a nurse whose lifelong mission inspires his own. Years later, in the middle of a global pandemic, he calls on those lessons he learned so long ago. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Hannah Cross is a licensed clinical social worker, devoted to helping people with emotional and behavioral concerns. The way she approaches her work is rooted in a life-changing early job, one she almost didn’t take — at a youth incarceration center. Working with these young people, she comes to realize that while the textbook approach might sometimes fail, there’s a reliable healing power in a simple, loving presence. This insight helps her see her own younger self anew, and embrace her past. S...
Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate love of all kinds — whether it’s the unconditional love of a pet, the instinctual reflex to help those who are suffering, or, perhaps most important, the time we take to send love back to ourselves. Love has many dimensions, and it doesn’t always involve a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Take some time with Rohan as he guides you through a celebration of love in its many varied forms. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pr...
Lex Gillette is a 5-time medalist at the Paralympic Games, and a world record holder in the long jump, but he’s more than that too. As he learns to navigate the world after losing his sight, he’s worried about being left out and overlooked — or, just as bad, being seen only in terms of his disability and his athletic gifts. Lex shares the story of how he began to forge his identity on his own terms, creating a spotlight that he steps into with his entire being. Each episode of Meditative Story c...
Tony and Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden recognizes that, like so many of us, she is who she is because of the people that raised her. In this episode, Marcia Gay tells the story of how she’s learned to reevaluate all that she inherited from her parents, and to let go of learned patterns that no longer serve her. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Tech entrepreneur Suneel Gupta grapples with his Indian and American identities, feeling divided and trying to assimilate in his youth. After a decade in Silicon Valley leaves him unfulfilled, a national crisis prompts him to pursue his childhood dream of public service, leading him to confront and ultimately embrace all facets of his identity, realizing strength in wholeness. The episode concludes with a guided meditation on collapsing perceived separations.
When Kelly Rizzo’s husband Bob Saget passes away without warning, she’s faced with the challenge of moving forward day by day without leaving her memories of Bob behind. As she processes her grief, Kelly reflects on the way her father left his home country and never returned, but realizes that his memories of that place will always be a part of him. Now she must find a way to honor her own memories even as her life moves forward. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pri...
CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year, veterinarian Dr. Kwane Stewart, has long had a passion for helping animals. Yet when a difficult work environment leaves him entirely depleted, he starts to consider walking away from his profession forever. It’s only when an unexpected encounter reminds him to return to the fundamentals, that he rediscovers the magic of his craft. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Gretchen Rubin is an expert on happiness, and she's spent her career helping people build the habits to achieve it. But she assumed that if something works for her, it should work for just about anyone. A series of chance encounters, and a healthy helping of curiosity, makes Gretchen realize that maybe there isn't one path to happiness after all. That there's no right or wrong way to build a meaningful life, just the way that works for you. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Cal...
Whether it’s by train, plane, or automobile, travel can produce a lot of stress in both the body and mind. Luckily, there are some simple things we can do to provide ourselves with relief. This week, Rohan shares a meditation designed for the busy travel season, aimed at grounding your body in the present moment no matter where you’re coming from or where you’re going. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
As an artist and writer, Beth Lisick has had her share of freelance side gigs. But nothing can prepare her for this latest assignment: tending to the unforgettable Bill, who leads Beth on an epic journey through New York City. What she learns along the way: Everyone’s struggles are not immediately visible. And neither are the gifts they have to offer us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Matthieu Ricard, photographer, humanitarian, and author of Notebooks Of A Wandering Monk , has spent years of his life in the presence of some of the world’s greatest mindfulness practitioners and felt the weight of their powerful compassion. In this episode, Matthieu shares how he learned to stop trying to analyze or understand this power, and instead let his mind experience and absorb it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy...
Nature filmmaker Tom Mustill travels the globe capturing breathtaking footage of animals while highlighting the work of the world’s leading conservationists. But one summer day, on a vacation kayak trip, he comes face to face with nature in a way he never expected. He shares the story of how this rare and terrifying encounter re-sparks his sense of wonder — reminding him to sometimes put down the camera to see the world as it truly is. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Californ...
As the daughter of UN diplomat, Nadia Owusu grows up across several worlds. Trailing her father from Africa to Europe before moving to the United States for university, Nadia grapples with her fractured identity. But when Nadia returns to her father's village in Ghana, she finds an unexpected and affirming answer to who she is. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Gracia María is a modern-day medicine woman, practicing community rituals in the tradition of her Peruvian ancestors. In connecting with her ancient roots, though, she realizes she also needs to rebuild the bonds with her immediate family, in order to share with them the person she's become. She learns the value of staying centered in her authentic self – knowing it will eventually bring others to her. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19...
As a runner of marathons and ultramarathons, author and advocate Mirna Valerio knows a thing or two about finding reserves of power within herself. When she makes the decision to leave her job as an educator and build a new career around inclusivity in the running world, she must find a different kind of strength to take action and learns that it’s always there for her, even when her fear doesn’t go away. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://ar...
