

Meditative Story
WaitWhat
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!
Episodes
Mentioned books

5 snips
Apr 18, 2023 • 38min
The secret to aging well, by Chip Conley
A California native, Chip Conley grew up visiting the towering redwoods and indulging his curiosity about wise and aging things. But as an adult pioneering a boutique hotel company, he begins to feel the weight of middle age and loses the curiosity that once drove him to innovate and explore. In his story, Chip shares the journey that led him to founding the Modern Elder Academy and how he learned to embrace his own aging and appreciate the wisdom of the elders in his life.If this story resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to show, and we’d be so grateful.Listen to Andrew Bird's Meditative Story "Listening to the space around you": https://listen.meditativestory.com/AndrewBirdPIOVisit Chip's website: chipconley.comVisit the Modern Elder Academy's website: modernelderacademy.comRead Wisdom Well: https://wisdomwell.modernelderacademy.com/Read Chip’s book, Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder: https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Work-Making-Modern-Elder/dp/0525572902Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 13, 2023 • 16min
Learning to show love and kindness to ourselves, by Rohan Gunatillake
Today, Rohan shares a Lovingkindness Meditation born out of a Spring walk around Oxford. In this practice, phrases are repeated that gradually move our focus from another, back to ourselves, and, finally, to larger and larger circles, encompassing the entirety of the universe. As Rohan shares, kindness is a natural quality of the heart that we all have to some degree — and with the right techniques and the right environment, it can be grown, cultivated. If this meditation resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to show, and we’d be so grateful.Listen to Sharon Salzberg's Meditative Story, "How I found kindness as my compass": https://listen.meditativestory.com/SharonSalzbergMedStoryRead Sharon Salzberg's "Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness": https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157062903XEach episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Apr 6, 2023 • 33min
Reducing anxiety 24 hours at a time, by Bakari Sellers
Bakari Sellers made history when he became the youngest African American elected official in the United States. But beneath the surface of his successful career, Bakari is consumed by anxiety about his own mortality. This week, Bakari shares how living life in 24-hour increments empowers him to contend with his greatest anxieties and get more out of every moment.If this story resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to show, and we’d be so grateful.Listen to Al Harris' Meditative Story "Celebrating a life beyond the score": https://listen.meditativestory.com/AlHarrisPIOLearn more about Bakari: https://bakarisellers.comRead Bakari’s children’s book, Who Are Your People?: https://amzn.to/40HVIjYRead Bakari’s New York Times Best Seller, My Vanishing Country: A Memoir: https://amzn.to/40YOeZSEach episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 30, 2023 • 34min
How I connect to my unique place in history, by Zuri Adele
Actress Zuri Adele, known for playing Malika Williams on the popular Freeform show Good Trouble, spent parts of her childhood largely isolated. But while attending Spelman College in Atlanta, Zuri becomes immersed in the rich history and ritual of the African diaspora. This week, Zuri shows us how embracing her community and her unique place in history allows her to trade her feelings of isolation for connection.Follow Zuri on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/zuriadele/Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 23, 2023 • 36min
Together, we move from fear to hope, by Varshini Prakash
Climate activist Varshini Prakash first became aware of the effects of a changing planet when her grandparents’ village in India was flooded in a monsoon. A child then, she felt overwhelmed and powerless. In this week’s episode, Varshini shares how she came to find hope and build courage through the large and small communities in her life.Varshini Prakash began her activist career protesting university policies while a student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 2017, she co-founded the Sunrise Movement, which has galvanized youth throughout North America to demand a green economy and hold elected officials accountable. In addition to her position as Sunrise’s executive director, Varshini co-edited the book Winning the Green New Deal: Why We Must, How We Can.Listen to Kristin Windbigler's episode of Meditative Story, "We’re doing this thing together": https://listen.meditativestory.com/KristinWindbiglerPIORead Winning the Green New Deal: Why We Must, How We Can: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Winning-the-Green-New-Deal/Varshini-Prakash/9781982142438Follow Varshini on Twitter: https://twitter.com/varshprakash Learn more about Sunrise Movement: https://www.sunrisemovement.orgJump into a virtual welcome call for people interested in learning more about Sunrise Movement: https://www.mobilize.us/sunrisemovement/event/354486/Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 14, 2023 • 17min
A meditation for balance, renewal, and reframing, by Rohan Gunatillake
Sometimes on Meditative Story, we break from our usual episodes to share a reflection from our host, Rohan Gunatillake, occasioned by moments that we might like to take a beat to sit with. Today, Rohan welcomes the interstellar shift in our solar system that produces the Spring Equinox. On our special planet we call home, we only experience two days per year where day and night measure equal length. For Rohan, the arrival of Spring is an opportunity to reflect on balance, on renewal, and yes, on the welcome perspective of being one speck of creation in this incredible, dynamic cosmos.Listen to Isabel Allende’s episode of Meditative Story, "From great loss, a great freedom": https://listen.meditativestory.com/IsabelAllendePIO.Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 9, 2023 • 35min
Finding possibility in life’s forced pauses, by AD
As a WNBA player, AD is used to saying, “I’m good” as an automatic response, no matter the injury. It’s what allows them to be a successful athlete, and to wrap their whole self around that identity. But when basketball is fully stripped away from them, they have to look inward to explore who they are — and the full range of identity available to them.Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 2, 2023 • 42min
From great loss, a great freedom, by Isabel Allende
Best-selling author Isabel Allende has led an extraordinary life marked by moments of tragic loss. A coup in her home country of Chile forces her family into exile, and an unexpected illness takes away one of the most important people in her life. And yet, at 80 years old, Isabel feels a lightness that contradicts the attachment she felt in her youth. In this episode, Isabel teaches us how the most unbearable losses can sometimes offer the most profound gift: the freedom to live a joyful, fearless life.Isabel's website: https://isabelallende.com/Isabel's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allendeisabel/Isabel's Twitter: https://twitter.com/isabelallendeIsabel's episode on our sister podcast, Spark & Fire: https://sparkandfire.com/isabelallende/Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 23, 2023 • 30min
Finding my flow state, by Chad Sanders
Like so many of us, Chad Sanders wants to feel a sense of belonging — but as he grows up, he feels too often like he's living in the shadows of other people’s judgment. Fortunately, life has a way of giving us glimpses into our limitless possibility. A magical high school English class and, later, an auspicious walk with the filmmaker Spike Lee give Chad two unforgettable windows to his creative flow. Turns out, by letting go of how others think he should be, Chad learns he can walk into every room as himself.This episode is a Signal Awards Silver winner for Best Individual Episode — Bedtime Podcast.Listen to Franklin Leonard’s episode of Meditative Story, "Writing the Main Character": https://listen.meditativestory.com/LeonardSandersepEach episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 16, 2023 • 33min
Making adjustments in free fall, by Curtis Rivers
Through his long and storied career as a stuntman, Curtis Rivers has appeared in scores of films and television shows, ranging from James Bond movies to Captain America to Game of Thrones. He has won a Screen Actor Guilds Awards as well as membership in the Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame. The Briton is also a two-time Guinness World Record Holder, in the longest-duration parachute jump (45 minutes) and the longest bungee cord jump (from a hot-air balloon just above 15,000 feet). In today’s Meditative Story, Curtis shares how his ability to visualize the path ahead became a key component to his success, and allowed him to forge a new future for himself along the way. Curtis now works primarily as a stunt coordinator and inspirational speaker. He is the author of The Fearless Path: What a Movie Stuntman’s Spiritual Path can Teach You about Success. Listen to Forrest Galante's Meditative Story "Adapting to life's unexpected nature": https://listen.meditativestory.com/ForrestGalantePIOInformation on Curtis' book: https://www.curtisrivers.co.uk/the-bookCurtis' Website: www.CurtisRivers.comCurtis' LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/curtisrivers/Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.comSign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


