Meditative Story
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
Websitemeditativestory.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.[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]

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
2Pico IyerA home that had been waiting for me forever8/2/2019
3Arianna HuffingtonLife and love and the moment8/6/2019
4Larry JacksonTo visualize ... and then make it so8/13/2019
5Michelle ThallerFinding meaning in the vastness of the universe8/20/2019
6Dan HarrisBuilding a bond with my son8/27/2019
7Thomas Page McBeeFighting my fears – and winning in spite of losing9/3/2019
8Krista TippettWhat we discover when we're not looking9/10/2019
9John MooreThe perfect photograph I never took9/17/2019
10Danny MeyerHow to find – and feed – your passion9/24/2019
11Jane McGonigalFinding my own reflection10/1/2019
12Peter SagalHitting the open road to find my way home10/8/2019
13Josh RadnorFinding 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
16Stephen KuusistoAllowing sound to reveal life’s wonder11/5/2019
17Catherine ReitmanSurrendering my old identity — and finding myself11/14/2019
18Keith YamashitaStarting the story of my life again11/19/2019
19Moj MahdaraStanding in my own truth11/26/2019
20Siri HustvedtLearning to see what is in front of me12/3/2019
21Susan DavidCreating space to stand in truth12/10/2019
22A.J. JacobsActing as if you are bold12/17/2019
23Sinéad BurkeFinding a way in1/7/2020
24Reid HoffmanThrough friendship, a better version of myself1/13/2020
25DeRay MckessonMaking humanity appear, magically1/20/2020
26Paola AntonelliRiding 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
AwardYearCategoryRecipientRef.
Webby Nominee2023Best Episode, Health & WellnessEp: "Heading halfway around the world to find myself" by Morgan Harper NicholsCite
Webby Nominee2023Best Episode, Health, Wellness, and LifestyleEp: "The joy of being an unwilling traveler through life" by Maya ShankarCite
Webby Honoree2023Best Individual EpisodeEp: "Heading halfway around the world to find myself" by Morgan Harper NicholsCite
Webby Honoree2023Best Episode, LifestyleEp: "Finding magic in the quiet moments" by Jade BowlerCite
Webby Nominee2022Best Episode, Health and WellnessEps: "To chase the sunset" by Florence Williams and "The Hollywood version doesn’t go like this" by Randall ParkCite
Webby Nominee2022Best Episode in Television and FilmEp: "The Hollywood version doesn’t go like this" by Randall ParkCite
Webby Honoree2022Best Individual EpisodeEps: "When the student is ready, the master will be long gone" by David Duchovny and "One beating heart" by Joel McHaleCite
Signal202210 categories, including Gold awards for Best Inspirational podcast and best individual episode, DEIMeditative Story & various episodesCite
Ambie Nominee2022Best Personal Growth / Spirituality PodcastMeditative StoryCite
Webby Honoree2021Health, Wellness, & Lifestyle podcastMeditative StoryCite
Webby Honoree2021Best Individual Episode, Arts and CultureEp: "America’s Jam Session" by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss IIICite
Webby Honoree2021Best Individual Episode, DEIEp: "Discovering the path to honor" by Ghuan FeatherstoneCite
Ambie Nominee2021Best Personal Growth / Spirituality PodcastMeditative StoryCite
Webby Honoree2020Best Health, Wellness, & Lifestyle podcastMeditative StoryCite

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.
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