ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
DR. MARLA SPIVAK
Before becoming a MacArthur-winning entomologist, Dr. Marla Spivak is adrift – first as a young woman in search of direction, then deep in the Amazon, severely ill and fearing death. Time and again, it’s the hum of bees that shows her a path forward.
MILANA VAYNTRUB,
Actor, activist, comedian
MICHAEL IMPERIOLI
Actor
You might know Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti from The Sopranos and The Many Saints of Newark. But before all that, he was a 17-year-old kid, adrift, curious about acting. His parents give him an enormous gift: they trust him.
What he learns: It’s your life
RUSS ELLIS
Sociologist
MARIANN BUDDE
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese in Washington, DC
Crisis can descend on you in unexpected places – and so can clarity. All that’s required of you is to be there for it, and to stretch yourself in ways you hadn’t expected. Mariann Budde tells of three defining moments of struggle and grace.
What she learns: Finding yourself in what’s easy, not just in what’s hard
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
RANDALL PARK
Actor, writer
Boy meets girl, girl notices boy’s squirrel painting, boy and girl fall in love. The plot of a Hollywood romcom? Not even close. But when struggling actor Randall Park meets the person of his dreams at an LA party, it’s the start of an epic love story.
What he learns: How we grow in relationships
ROBIN ARZÓN
Peloton superstar
Join Robin Arzón on the longest run of her life: the Florida Keys 100 Ultramarathon. As difficult as it is to run 100 sweaty miles in the South Florida heat, far more challenging is the mental fortitude to keep doubt at bay.
What she learns: When to think big, when to think small
KAYWIN FELDMAN
Dirctor, National Gallery of Art
Arriving in a strange town, disoriented and desperate to crawl into bed, Kaywin Feldman realizes she is just steps from an eight-century-old art treasure: a small chapel covered floor to ceiling with frescoes. She wanders inside, and the course of her life abruptly changes.
DR. LAURIE SANTOS
Professor and podcaster
Journey with Dr. Laurie Santos to an island in Puerto Rico where she is one of only a few people among thousands of monkeys. The company of non-humans, it turns out, can help us better understand ourselves.
What she learns: To look for unlikely teachers
JOEL McHALE
Comedian and actor
As he sits with his wife in pediatric cardiology unit, Joel McHale is struggling to feel anything but helpless. His infant son has been born with two holes in his heart; an operation is underway to repair them. In that moment, Joel begins to see the unpredictable journey of parenthood that lies ahead.
What he learns: Life’s randomness — and perfectly random miracles
DAVID DUCHOVNY
Actor
Years after graduating, actor David Duchovny realizes that what he mistook for dislike from a teacher was in fact an encouragement to go his own way, in his own time.
What he learns: The importance of giving ourselves time
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
The heart of storytelling is a journey, across time and place. In these four short stories, travel to a remote and lonely farm … a village alive with family … an island teeming with unique life … and a city street that suddenly begins to feel like home.
PAOLA ANTONELLI
Curator, MoMA
Struggling to make a decision that will shape the rest of her life, a young artist returns to the place where she feels most true to herself: the sea.
What she learns: The courage to make a change
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
CAL RIPKEN JR.
Baseball Hall-of-Famer
Legendary shortstop and third baseman Cal Ripken Jr. holds the record for the most consecutive games played. But just showing up was never an end in itself – it’s how he showed up that distinguishes his legacy.
What he learns: How to show up for others
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
All our problems haven’t magically vanished after the dark year gone by, but perhaps we’ve begun a new chapter, a slow re-awakening. In this collection of short stories, Rohan finds moments from four storytellers – Diana Nyad, Nalini Nadkarni, Franklin Leonard and Florence Williams – that explore the singular moments that set us on a new path.
Wayne Little
Nurse
Inspired to become a nurse, Wayne Little is starting to wonder if he’s taken the wrong path … until he meets a mentor who helps him to understand the mission, and the calling, of a life in healthcare. Years later, in the middle of a global pandemic, he calls on those lessons he learned so long ago.
S.G. Goodman
Singer/songwriter
As a young girl, mowing her neighbor’s lawn in the Kentucky heat, S.G. Goodman learns many important things: how to avoid running into the chain-link fence, the art of blowing the grass away from the house … and the way these small, regular acts of community become the glue holding the world together.
ROBERT REICH
Economist
In a story he’s never told before, Robert Reich shares the pivotal moment when he turns his economist’s eye on his own life, and realizes: It’s fallen out of balance. On a muddy cross-country field, watching his older son run through the rain, he realizes what he must do to fix things.
What he learns: To create space for the truly important
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
THOMAS PAGE McBEE
Journalist and amateur boxer
In a quest to define masculinity on his own terms, writer Thomas Page McBee trains to become the first transgender man to box in the ring at Madison Square Garden.
What he learns: When to advance, and when to drop back
TRI ROBINSON
Pastor
In the morning, Idaho pastor Tri Robinson herds cattle and mends fences; in the evening, he writes sermons for his growing congregation. But the two parts of his life don’t feel connected. What is he doing, as a leader, to help preserve the precious creation called Earth?
What he learns: To choose what’s right
MAX RICHTER
Composer
As a young composer, Max Richter is searching for his voice, the sound of a music that is uniquely his. But what he has is only a box of fragments, half-formed questions. He sits with them, he thinks on them, he lets them mature – and then he realizes: This is exactly the music he wants to make.
What he learns: The beauty between modes of being
BRIAN AND SCOTT NICHOLSON
Twins Brian and Scott Nicholson are dancers and choreographers on tour with Ariana Grande. But when an unimaginable tragedy strikes, that energy is shattered. Until they realize – they must keep moving. Together.
TONY TJAN
Tony Tjan grows up in the cold and dramatic landscape of Newfoundland, where snow piles high and storms rage – but the neighbors always keep a door open to help one another.
OMAR WASOW
Omar Wasow had a fabulous life as a reporter and tech expert, but an important piece of unfinished business from his college days kept nagging at him. Why did this one-time gifted kid struggle to complete something that mattered to him? Why couldn’t he even get started?
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Love sneaks up on us. It’s a sudden awakening from the mundane. It’s divinity in the everyday. In this special episode, Rohan shares a trio of stories about his love, Lucy. The childlike purity and sweeping hold of love will wash over you in this intimate listening experience from Meditative Story’s very own Rohan.
ANGELA AHRENDTS
After a series of bold choices, legendary executive Angela Ahrendts realizes that with each new day she has an opportunity to discover a new sanctuary – and that the truest sanctuary is the one within us.
DAVID WHYTE
As the wind howls around his camping caravan on a remote Welsh farm, poet David Whyte sits at a table, trying – and failing – to write. But just outside, invisible and unexpected, is someone who offers him help – and friendship – at the exact moment he needs it.
MICHAEL IMPERIOLI
When actor Michael Imperioli is 17, he makes an impulsive move: on the day he’s supposed to drive up to college, instead he takes the train down to New York City and signs up for acting classes. Later, Michael realizes that the courage to trust – in your instincts, in your teachers, and in one another – is what forms the foundation for a brave, creative life.
MAJORA CARTER
As the youngest of 10 kids, Majora Carter is used to being a little bit invisible, shyly watching the world around her as she draws with her crayons. But her first-grade teacher sees that she has a special talent for art and encourages her to share her gifts. Years later, Majora realizes she can return the favor.
FRANKLIN LEONARD
Filmmaker Franklin Leonard encounters plenty of dramatic moments as he seeks to follow his creative dream. But those big moments, he comes to realize, aren’t what will change him into the person he truly wants to be.
FLORENCE WILLIAMS
Writer Florence Williams, grieving the loss of a long marriage, finds herself in Tulsa, Oklahoma; she’s come to sit with Penny, her former mother-in-law, who is dying of cancer. As Penny begins to withdraw from the world, she has one final question for Florence, and one final piece of advice.
NATE BERKUS
When young Nate Berkus pushes open the door to his new bedroom, an unfinished space in his family home, he doesn’t know it yet – but he’s opening the door to a new vision of what his life can be. A life that he can design for himself. Because sometimes, choosing a new paint color is shorthand for choosing a new path.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
In telling three short stories from his life as a meditator, host Rohan Gunatillake explores the way a few simple words of wisdom, said at the right moment, can build your strength and resilience for a lifetime.
ADAM GRANT
Standing at the edge of the highest diving board at the aquatic center, a young Adam Grant tries and tries, and tries to leap off. Grant, now a famed organizational psychologist, shares how a wise diving coach helped him outsmart fear – and take the leap.
SAM HARRIS
AASIF MANDVI
DAVID DUCHOVNY
Years after graduating, actor David Duchovny realizes that what he mistook for dislike from a teacher was in fact an encouragement to go his own way, in his own time.
NALINI NADKARNI
When an accident brings her work to a halt, ecologist Nalini Nadkarni is forced to view the interdependence she’s spent a career studying through a profoundly personal lens.
JAI PUNJABI
Hoping to preserve the recipes of his beloved family dishes, Jai Punjabi returns to his parents’ home in Bombay and discovers that the secret lay not in the ingredients, but in a way of being.
DIANA NYAD
A meeting with “Superman” actor Christopher Reeve inspires Diana Nyad to live every day just past the limit of what seems endurable.
KAYA HENDERSON
Falling short of her own exacting standards, Kaya Henderson reframes her perspective on failure, and turns what feels like the end of the road into a provocation to push on.
NADIA OWUSU
Grappling with a fractured identity, Nadia Owusu returns to her family’s homeland and finds an unexpected and affirming answer to the question of who she is.
STEPHEN WILKES
Photographer Stephen Wilkes transcends his family’s traumatic past by turning his gaze outward when darkness threatens to consume him, transforming it into art.
GINGER ZEE
Ginger Zee’s passion for adventure belies an emotional turmoil that’s been churning since childhood – until, on assignment in Nepal, she finally lays claim to the pain she’s long denied.
CAL RIPKEN JR.
Hall of Fame baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. holds the record for the most consecutive games played. But just showing up was never an end in itself – it’s how he showed up that distinguishes his legacy.
GHUAN FEATHERSTONE
Ghuan Featherstone discovers a path to honor on the back of a horse, casting the iconic American hero in his own image by embracing the Cowboy Code.
WADDIE MITCHELL
Growing up on his father’s ranch, Waddie Mitchell learns that adventure and freedom aren’t things to seek elsewhere, but are embedded in the raw materials of his own life.
MICKEY GUYTON
JENNIFER 8. LEE
Author and filmmaker Jennifer 8. Lee on discovering she lacks an inner monologue – and accepting that its absence may be a blessing in disguise.
LANG LANG
Concert pianist Lang Lang on the most important lesson he ever learned, and how it transformed his craft – and himself.
WAJAHAT ALI
Author Wajahat Ali on how his daughter’s fight with cancer taught him to strike a balance between faith and action.
SHAWN COLVIN
Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin on the power of forgiveness.
DONALD MIRALLE
Award-winning photographer and competitive paddleboarder Donald Miralle on transcending his fear by surrendering to forces beyond his control.
ANGELA AHRENDTS
After a series of bold choices, legendary executive Angela Ahrendts realizes that with each new day she has an opportunity to discover a new sanctuary – and that the truest sanctuary is the one within us.
PASTOR OTIS MOSS
Pastor Otis Moss shares a timely, deeply personal story about the American jazz narrative – how a disparate and diverse people who are not supposed to make music together do – and do so beautifully.
JUDITH GRISEL
Neuroscientist and former addict Judith Grisel shares a powerful story about embracing uncertainty and learning to sit with our most uncomfortable feelings.
GRETCHEN RUBIN
A series of chance encounters, and a healthy helping of curiosity, helps happiness expert Gretchen Rubin realize that maybe there isn’t one path to a meaningful life – just the path that works for you.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Host Rohan Gunatillake with a meditation on the seasons, on change, and on the magic of knowing that days will someday be different.
ELIZABETH LESSER
As a midwife, Elizabeth Lesser is witness to a miraculous lesson: that we must all stay open to the wild pulse of life to give birth to our wiser selves.
ANDREW BIRD
Looking for space to recalibrate, singer-songwriter Andrew Bird heads to his family’s desolate farmhouse. It’s there that he begins seeing, sensing, and hearing new music.
LEHUA KAMALU
Lehua Kamalu is a navigator aboard a Polynesian ship sailing from Tahiti to Hawaii. It’s only by reading the signs that she’ll get to where she wants to go.
THOMAS CHATTERTON WILLIAMS
Author Thomas Chatterton Williams on expanding your sense of self in language, in life and in love, when words fail.
JULE HALL
Newly aware of the outside world, one man shares his fresh observations about the technology we wrap our lives around.
CARL SAFINA
Ecologist and author Carl Safina on the one truth he’s learned: that we all need to love and be loved – humans and animals alike.
SHEA HEMBREY
Artist Shea Hembrey on the moment he learns to trust his intuition, lean into patience, and let the world reveal itself.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
In this unprecedented moment in time, a Meditative Story unlike any other. Host Rohan Gunatillake creates a moment to breathe.
FORREST GALANTE
Chimps in the house, elephants at his door. Forrest Galante grows up in Zimbabwe, steeped in the natural world, but a sudden move to the U.S. puts him in foreign territory, where he has to rely on completely new skills to survive.
LINDSEY STIRLING
Violinist Lindsey Stirling sits by the campfire, mesmerized by the best storyteller she’s ever heard: her dad. In those moments she realizes the ultimate power of storytelling: connection.
JAY SHETTY
A young Jay Shetty taking an art class is inspired by a perceptive teacher to dig deeper into the layers of his work — and in so doing reveals the layers inside himself, and inside us all.
PAOLA ANTONELLI
Struggling to make a decision that will shape the rest of her life, a young artist returns to the place where she feels most true to herself: the sea.
DERAY MCKESSON
Fighting loneliness at a small college, one student starts a simple craft project that builds a profound connection – and sets the stage for a lifetime.
REID HOFFMAN
A busy venture capitalist realizes that the driving force in his life are his friends. In his story, he celebrates the way friendship has shaped his life.
SINÉAD BURKE
People once told this passionate teacher she’d never be able to lead a classroom. Now, she shows us how she connects with the most “difficult” kids.
A.J. JACOBS
A writer uses a surprising tactic to calm and center his nerves while on the world’s most popular talk show.
SUSAN DAVID
In the sad days after she lost her father, one little girl learns to fully feel her own grief; in later years, as a mom, she shares the lesson forward.
SIRI HUSTVEDT
A quiet afternoon at the art museum, for one writer, becomes a journey into the heart of looking and seeing.
MOJ MAHDARA
A rebellious young girl learns the stories of her two grandmothers – and begins to understand how their strengths and rebellions have shaped her identity too.
KEITH YAMASHITA
A rushed and busy executive suffers a massive stroke; in the days and months that follow, he learns to live again, more wisely and more lovingly.
CATHERINE REITMAN
When she becomes a mom, this busy comic actor struggles to balance her two leading roles … until she figures out how to combine them.
STEPHEN KUUSISTO
A small boy on a ship, born blind, navigates the vessel and the world around him through sound; as an adult, he shares the continuing beauty of listening for small wonders.
HANNAH BRENCHER
One lonely college student keeps a treasured relationship alive with an old-fashioned tool: pen and paper.
ZENJU EARTHLYN MANUEL
One small girl, in the backseat of her family car, takes a road trip through the segregated South to her father’s Louisiana hometown.
JOSH RADNOR
After starring in the school play, a young man feels more alive than he’s ever known – but it takes a wise school counselor to encourage him to commit his life to art.
PETER SAGAL
In the wake of a dying marriage, one man takes an epic motorcycle journey that takes him further than he planned.
JANE MCGONIGAL
As half of a pair of twins who grew up into very different people, one woman asks: If I’m not just like her, who am I?
DANNY MEYER
On a memorable trip to Italy, one young man eats the meal that convinces him of his life’s path.
JOHN MOORE
Halfway up a side of a mountain in the Congo rainforest, a photographer pursues the perfect photograph – with unexpected results.
Krista Tippett
In the midst of the Cold War, a young security analyst steps away from the tables of power, and finds herself in an island garden, reconnecting with what truly matters to her.
THOMAS PAGE MCBEE
In a quest to define masculinity on his own terms, this writer trains to become the first transgender man to box in the ring at Madison Square Garden.
Dan Harris
Broadcaster Dan Harris shares a candid look at his attempts to connect more with his son, Alexander, on their first father-son trip.
MICHELLE THALLER
While working on an experiment about the age of the universe, an astronomer is reminded once again about both the impersonal immensity around us, and the deeply personal significance of each of us.
Larry Jackson
Working late nights in the studio on a project that feels like it’s going nowhere, a young music producer learns the clarifying power of setting audacious goals.
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON
Arianna Huffington takes us on her journey from Athens to Cambridge, and shares a lesson she learned from her mother of embracing life’s journey without being attached to the outcome.
PICO IYER
Stuck on a long layover in Japan, a young writer steps out to see the city – and finds himself feeling at home, for the first time in his life.
LUCY KALANITHI
While grieving her husband, a young mom helps their daughter build a relationship with him that is based on joy as well as loss.
