Meditative Story

Last updated
Meditative Story
Meditative Story.png
Presentation
Hosted byRohan Gunatillake
GenreMeditation / Society & Culture
LanguageEnglish
UpdatesWeekly
Production
No. of seasons6 (as of August 9, 2023)
No. of episodes100+
Publication
Original releaseJuly 2019
ProviderWaitWhat
Related
Website meditativestory.com

Meditative Story is a podcast that combines first-person storytelling, mindfulness prompts and original cinematic music, to create a unique listening experience. [1] [2] [3] It is owned and produced by WaitWhat, the media company founded and led by former TED executives, Deron Triff and June Cohen. The first three seasons were created in partnership with Thrive Global, a behavior change technology company led by Arianna Huffington and Dan Katz. [2] Variety describes Meditative Story as “part first-person narrative podcast and part guided meditation.” [4] The podcast is hosted by Rohan Gunatillake and has featured guests such as On Being’s Krista Tippett, A Slight Change of Plans’ Maya Shankar, travel writer Pico Iyer, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, journalist and amateur boxer Thomas Page McBee, award-winning writer Isabel Allende, comedian Tig Notaro, Grammy award-winning composer and musician Terence Blanchard, actor Randall Park, musician and Leinster Rugby player Niall Breslin, NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller, Peloton exercise instructor Robin Arzón, and MOMA curator Paola Antonelli, among others. [5]

Contents

History

The idea for Meditative Story originated with the show's executive producer Deron Triff, who told Forbes “[We're] big believers in storytelling as a vehicle to transform people’s lives... We wanted to blend the storytelling experience with tools and strategies for mindfulness and wellness. Our first call went to Arianna and her team, and we embarked on this venture together." Huffington described the series as “a response to a deep cultural need in our hyper sped up world to have a moment to recharge." [2]

The first episode of Meditative Story, featuring author and surgeon Lucy Kalanithi, aired on July 29, 2019.

In 2021, the team behind Meditative Story launched a spinoff audio series, Meditative Story: Sleep Song, which is available in the Meditative Story podcast feed.

In 2022, the show was distributed by public media organization PRX's Dovetail publishing platform; PRX also provided sponsorship and promotional support. [6]

Format

In each classic episode of Meditative Story a different guest narrates a personal story about a time and place where everything changed for them. All of the stories reflect on a broad theme, like friendship, discovery or loss. The stories are scored with original music, and punctuated by mindfullness prompts from the host Rohan Gunatillake, who also ends each episode with a guided meditation. [7]

The brief mindfulness prompts, which are inserted directly into the narrative, invite listeners to observe and reflect on the details of the scenes and moments the storyteller is describing. And the original sound design for each episode is composed to complement the storyteller’s narrative.

There are also meditation episodes which solely feature host Rohan Gunatillake, who walks listeners through a meditation centered on a specific theme, topic or event.

Meditative Story: Sleep Song was created as a “dream score” - a bedtime experience born out of the positive feedback from listeners about the original music composed for the podcast. The immersive melodies from each Meditative Story episode are used to create these custom music-only soundtracks, which are available on the Meditative Story podcast feed.

Episodes

Season 1
EpisodeStorytellerTitleAirdate
1Lucy KalanithiLearning to see things as they are7/30/2019
2 Pico Iyer A home that had been waiting for me forever8/2/2019
3 Arianna Huffington Life and love and the moment8/6/2019
4Larry JacksonTo visualize ... and then make it so8/13/2019
5 Michelle Thaller Finding meaning in the vastness of the universe8/20/2019
6 Dan Harris Building a bond with my son8/27/2019
7Thomas Page McBeeFighting my fears – and winning in spite of losing9/3/2019
8 Krista Tippett What we discover when we're not looking9/10/2019
9John MooreThe perfect photograph I never took9/17/2019
10 Danny Meyer How to find – and feed – your passion9/24/2019
11 Jane McGonigal Finding my own reflection10/1/2019
12 Peter Sagal Hitting the open road to find my way home10/8/2019
13 Josh Radnor Finding permission to pursue my own dreams10/15/2019
14Zenju Earthlyn ManuelNavigating life in my own skin10/22/2019
15Hannah BrencherOne envelope at a time10/29/2019
16 Stephen Kuusisto Allowing sound to reveal life’s wonder11/5/2019
17 Catherine Reitman Surrendering my old identity — and finding myself11/14/2019
18Keith YamashitaStarting the story of my life again11/19/2019
19 Moj Mahdara Standing in my own truth11/26/2019
20 Siri Hustvedt Learning to see what is in front of me12/3/2019
21Susan DavidCreating space to stand in truth12/10/2019
22 A.J. Jacobs Acting as if you are bold12/17/2019
23 Sinéad Burke Finding a way in1/7/2020
24 Reid Hoffman Through friendship, a better version of myself1/13/2020
25 DeRay Mckesson Making humanity appear, magically1/20/2020
26 Paola Antonelli Riding waves1/27/2020


Reception & Awards

Meditative Story has received strong praise from Variety, [4] Forbes, [2] Wired, [7] The Today Show, [3] CBC Radio [8] and others. Forbes describes it as "a completely new kind of listening experience that blends intimate first-person stories with mindfulness prompts, enveloped in beautiful music composition.” [2] It was named one of the Top Podcasts of 2019 by Canada's CBC Radio [8]

Awards
AwardYearCategoryRecipientResultRef.
Webby2024Best Original Music Score / Sound DesignEp: "From great loss, a great freedom" by Isabel Allende Won [9]
Webby2024Best Featured GuestEp: "From great loss, a great freedom" by Isabel Allende Honoree [9]
Webby2023Best Episode, Health & WellnessEp: "Heading halfway around the world to find myself" by Morgan Harper Nichols Nominated [10]
Best Individual EpisodeHonoree [10]
Best Episode, Health, Wellness, and LifestyleEp: "The joy of being an unwilling traveler through life" by Maya Shankar Nominated [11]
Best Episode, LifestyleEp: "Finding magic in the quiet moments" by Jade Bowler Honoree [12]
SignalBest Bedtime PodcastEp: "Finding My Flow State", by Chad SandersWon
Best Driveway Moment PodcastChoosing compassion over conquest, by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado Nominated
Best Health & Wellness PodcastMeditative Story: Learning to heal by learning to feel, By Niall BreslinWon [13]
Best Self-Improvement & Self-Help PodcastFrom great loss, a great freedom by Isabel AllendeWon [14]
2022Best Individual Episode: Diversity, Equity & InclusionWriting the Main Character, by Franklin Leonard Won [15]
Best Individual Episode: Religion & SpiritualitySharon Salzberg: How I Found Kindness as My CompassWon [16]
Best Commute PodcastRobert Reich: The Accounting of This Parenting BusinessWon [17]
Best Individual Episode: Health & WellnessI Focus on Sensations That Ground Me, by Dallas TaylorWon [18]
Most Inspirational PodcastMeditative StoryWon [19]
Most Innovative Audio ExperienceWon [19]
Best Religion & Spirituality PodcastWon [19]
Best Episode, Health and WellnessEp: "Finding My Flow State", by Chad SandersWon [20]
WebbyBest Episode in Television and FilmEp: "The Hollywood version doesn’t go like this" by Randall Park Won [21]
Best Episode in Health & WellnessWon [21]
Best Individual EpisodeEps: "When the student is ready, the master will be long gone" by David Duchovny and "One beating heart" by Joel McHale Honoree [22]
Best Health, Wellness & Lifestyle PodcastRobin Arzón on Meditative Story: Even a superhero starts with small stepsHonoree [23]
Best Individual Episode - Television & FilmMeditative StoryNominated
AmbieBest Personal Growth / Spirituality PodcastNominated [24]
2021Best Personal Growth / Spirituality PodcastNominated [25]
WebbyBest Health, Wellness & Lifestyle PodcastHonoree [26]
Best Individual Episode, Arts and CultureEp: "America’s Jam Session" by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III Honoree Cite
Best Individual Episode, DEIEp: "Discovering the path to honor" by Ghuan FeatherstoneHonoree Cite
Best Arts & Culture PodcastPastor Otis MossHonoree [27]
2020Best Health, Wellness, & Lifestyle podcastMeditative StoryHonoree [28]

References

  1. Robinson Ph.D., Bryan E. (2020-05-13). "Meditative Story: A New Type of Mindfulness Meditation". Psychology Today.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bryan, Robinson (August 1, 2019). "'Meditative Story': Arianna Huffington And Deron Triff's New Approach To Mindfulness". Forbes. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "'Meditative Story': New podcast helps you stay mindful". The Today Show. August 14, 2019. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Spangler, Todd (July 31, 2019). "Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global Teams With Former TED Execs for Mindfulness Podcast Series". Variety. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  5. "Meditative Story on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Feb 4, 2020. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  6. Spangler, Todd (12 January 2022). "Siegfried & Roy Podcast From Apple TV Plus Uncovers Duo's Private History (Podcast Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 Myerson, Collier (Aug 16, 2019). "Anxiously Seeking the Perfect Anti-Anxiety App". Wired Magazine. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  8. 1 2 CBC Staff (December 20, 2019). "Best of 2019: Podcasts we loved this year". CBC Radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corp). Retrieved Feb 9, 2020.
  9. 1 2 "2024 Webby Award: Best Original Music Score / Sound Design". The Webby Awards. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Heading halfway around the..." Webby Awards.
  11. "The joy of being an unwilling..." Webby Awards.
  12. "Finding magic in the quiet..." Webby Awards.
  13. "Individual Episodes that examine health and..." Signal Awards.
  14. "Self-Improvement & Self-Help". Signal Awards.
  15. "Individual Episodes that aims to..." Signal Awards.
  16. "Sharon Salzberg: How I Found Kindness As My Compass". Signal Awards.
  17. "Individual Episodes that are the..." Signal Awards.
  18. "Individual Episodes that examine health and..." Signal Awards.
  19. 1 2 3 "Shows devoted to religious or spiritual topics". Signal Awards.
  20. "Individual Episodes whose topics..." Signal Awards.
  21. 1 2 "The Hollywood version doesn't go like..." Webby Awards.
  22. "David Duchovny: When the student is ready..." Webby Awards.
  23. "Podcasts Health & Wellness 2022". Webby Awards.
  24. "2022 Winners & nominees". The Ambies.
  25. "2021 Winners & nominees". The Ambies® — Awards for Excellence in Audio.
  26. "Podcasts, Health, Wellness & Lifestyle Honoree, 2021". Webby Awards.
  27. "Arts & Culture (Ind. Episodes) 2021". Webby Awards.
  28. "Health, Wellness & Lifestyle 2020". Webby Awards.