Meditative Story

Meditative Story

Author: WaitWhat Language: English Episodes: 100
There’s a particular kind of quiet that happens when a story pulls you in completely, and that’s the space where Meditative Story lives. Produced by WaitWhat, this series weaves extraordinary, personal narratives from all walks of life with gentle meditation prompts that arise naturally within the tale itself. It’s not a guided meditation followed by a story, or vice versa; the two are seamlessly blended, all set against an original score of breathtaking, cinematic music. The result feels less like a traditional mindfulness exercise and more like being transported into a deeply reflective state through the power of nuanced storytelling and immersive sound design. Listeners often find themselves returning to favorite episodes, discovering new layers of meaning or calm with each revisit. This podcast sits at a unique crossroads of human experience, touching on themes of society, culture, health, and spirituality without prescribing a single path. It’s an invitation to pause, to listen closely, and to find a moment of mental clarity within the flow of a compelling human story. The production values are intentionally high, making each episode a rich audio experience that supports both engagement and relaxation. For anyone curious about an alternative, narrative-driven approach to mindfulness, this series offers a resonant and beautifully crafted journey.
Episodes
A more spacious response to life, by Judith Grisel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:09
Judith Grisel is an internationally recognized behavioral neuroscientist and professor of psychology known for her research on the role of the brain in drug addiction. She is also a former addict. Years into her sobriety…
Finding unity, through our difference, by Pastor Otis Moss [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:55
As Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Otis Moss carries the torch for generations of church and civil rights leaders, including his own father, a regional director in the SCLC, and a friend of D…
Day of the Dead meditation: a celebration of life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:06
On the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, we allow ourselves space for our memories and our grief about those we’ve lost — as well as for joy, and even humor, around the continuity between life and death…
Adapting to life's unexpected nature, by Forrest Galante [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:47
Jackals and leopards in the fields. The sound of a lion’s roar. Majestic African bush elephants outside the front door. This is childhood for Forrest Galante as a kid growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe. He’s adventurous an…
Navigating life in my own skin, by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:59
In precisely chosen words, the writer, artist and Zen priest Zenju Earthlyn Manuel tells a story from her girlhood, a road trip from LA to Louisiana in 1957. While five-year-old Zenju sits in the back seat dreaming of co…
Hitting the open road to find my way home, by Peter Sagal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:40
Host of NPR’s Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!, Peter Sagal is wrecked and stuck in the wake of a divorce. Suddenly, he finds himself with two free weeks. In need of a healthy distraction, Peter jumps on his Harley for a long…
Finding my own reflection, by Jane McGonigal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:18
What's is like to be an identical twin? Game designer Jane McGonigal tells a story of similarity and divergence as she explores the magic of sharing DNA while becoming an individual. If this episode resonates with you, w…
Introducing: Pioneers of AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:58
We’re excited to launch WaitWhat's newest weekly series, Pioneers of AI — your guide to the latest technological frontier. Hosted by AI thought leader, scientist, and investor Rana el Kaliouby, tune in for insights from…
The perfect photograph I never took, by John Moore [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:43
While filming one day in the Congo Rainforest, legendary photojournalist John Moore pursued the vision of a perfect photograph — a vision that literally brought him to his knees. He shares the magic that can occur when y…