Meditative Story

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 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]

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
Episode Storyteller Title Airdate
1 Lucy Kalanithi Learning to see things as they are 7/30/2019
2 Pico Iyer A home that had been waiting for me forever 8/2/2019
3 Arianna Huffington Life and love and the moment 8/6/2019
4 Larry Jackson To visualize ... and then make it so 8/13/2019
5 Michelle Thaller Finding meaning in the vastness of the universe 8/20/2019
6 Dan Harris Building a bond with my son 8/27/2019
7 Thomas Page McBee Fighting my fears – and winning in spite of losing 9/3/2019
8 Krista Tippett What we discover when we're not looking 9/10/2019
9 John Moore The perfect photograph I never took 9/17/2019
10 Danny Meyer How to find – and feed – your passion 9/24/2019
11 Jane McGonigal Finding my own reflection 10/1/2019
12 Peter Sagal Hitting the open road to find my way home 10/8/2019
13 Josh Radnor Finding permission to pursue my own dreams 10/15/2019
14 Zenju Earthlyn Manuel Navigating life in my own skin 10/22/2019
15 Hannah Brencher One envelope at a time 10/29/2019
16 Stephen Kuusisto Allowing sound to reveal life’s wonder 11/5/2019
17 Catherine Reitman Surrendering my old identity — and finding myself 11/14/2019
18 Keith Yamashita Starting the story of my life again 11/19/2019
19 Moj Mahdara Standing in my own truth 11/26/2019
20 Siri Hustvedt Learning to see what is in front of me 12/3/2019
21 Susan David Creating space to stand in truth 12/10/2019
22 A.J. Jacobs Acting as if you are bold 12/17/2019
23 Sinéad Burke Finding a way in 1/7/2020
24 Reid Hoffman Through friendship, a better version of myself 1/13/2020
25 DeRay Mckesson Making humanity appear, magically 1/20/2020
26 Paola Antonelli Riding waves 1/27/2020


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
Award Year Category Recipient Result Ref.
Webby 2024 Best Original Music Score / Sound Design Ep: "From great loss, a great freedom" by Isabel Allende Won [9]
Webby 2024 Best Featured Guest Ep: "From great loss, a great freedom" by Isabel Allende Honoree [9]
Webby 2023 Best Episode, Health & Wellness Ep: "Heading halfway around the world to find myself" by Morgan Harper Nichols Nominated [10]
Best Individual Episode Honoree [10]
Best Episode, Health, Wellness, and Lifestyle Ep: "The joy of being an unwilling traveler through life" by Maya Shankar Nominated [11]
Best Episode, Lifestyle Ep: "Finding magic in the quiet moments" by Jade Bowler Honoree [12]
Signal Best Bedtime Podcast Ep: "Finding My Flow State", by Chad Sanders Won
Best Driveway Moment Podcast Choosing compassion over conquest, by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado Nominated
Best Health & Wellness Podcast Meditative Story: Learning to heal by learning to feel, By Niall Breslin Won [13]
Best Self-Improvement & Self-Help Podcast From great loss, a great freedom by Isabel Allende Won [14]
2022 Best Individual Episode: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Writing the Main Character, by Franklin Leonard Won [15]
Best Individual Episode: Religion & Spirituality Sharon Salzberg: How I Found Kindness as My Compass Won [16]
Best Commute Podcast Robert Reich: The Accounting of This Parenting Business Won [17]
Best Individual Episode: Health & Wellness I Focus on Sensations That Ground Me, by Dallas Taylor Won [18]
Most Inspirational Podcast Meditative Story Won [19]
Most Innovative Audio Experience Won [19]
Best Religion & Spirituality Podcast Won [19]
Best Episode, Health and Wellness Ep: "Finding My Flow State", by Chad Sanders Won [20]
Webby Best Episode in Television and Film Ep: "The Hollywood version doesn’t go like this" by Randall Park Won [21]
Best Episode in Health & Wellness Won [21]
Best Individual Episode Eps: "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 Podcast Robin Arzón on Meditative Story: Even a superhero starts with small steps Honoree [23]
Best Individual Episode - Television & Film Meditative Story Nominated
Ambie Best Personal Growth / Spirituality Podcast Nominated [24]
2021 Best Personal Growth / Spirituality Podcast Nominated [25]
Webby Best Health, Wellness & Lifestyle Podcast Honoree [26]
Best Individual Episode, Arts and Culture Ep: "America’s Jam Session" by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III Honoree Cite
Best Individual Episode, DEI Ep: "Discovering the path to honor" by Ghuan Featherstone Honoree Cite
Best Arts & Culture Podcast Pastor Otis Moss Honoree [27]
2020 Best Health, Wellness, & Lifestyle podcast Meditative Story Honoree [28]

References

  1. ^ Robinson Ph.D., Bryan E. (2020-05-13). "Meditative Story: A New Type of Mindfulness Meditation". Psychology Today.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bryan, Robinson (August 1, 2019). "'Meditative Story': Arianna Huffington And Deron Triff's New Approach To Mindfulness". Forbes. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "'Meditative Story': New podcast helps you stay mindful". The Today Show. August 14, 2019. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Myerson, Collier (Aug 16, 2019). "Anxiously Seeking the Perfect Anti-Anxiety App". Wired Magazine. Retrieved Feb 4, 2020.
  8. ^ a b CBC Staff (December 20, 2019). "Best of 2019: Podcasts we loved this year". CBC Radio (Canadian Broadcasting Corp). Retrieved Feb 9, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "2024 Webby Award: Best Original Music Score / Sound Design". The Webby Awards. April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c "Shows devoted to religious or spiritual topics". Signal Awards.
  20. ^ "Individual Episodes whose topics..." Signal Awards.
  21. ^ a b "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.