ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
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.
NATALY DAWN + ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Rohan and singer/songwriter Nataly Dawn invite us to consider what it is to be a beginner, and why it’s so easy to experience shame when we’re completely new at something.
KINO MACGREGOR
Growing up half-Japanese in South Florida, Kino MacGregor spends a lot of time feeling uncomfortable in her own body. But her Japanese grandfather is always there for her.
HENRY SHUKMAN
Rohan spends time with Henry Shukman, author and spiritual director of the Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Santa Fe. The two dive into the theme of deep listening and what it can open up in us
MARK NEPO
As an author and poet, Mark Nepo has spent decades writing about spirituality and serenity. But his life wasn’t always as calm as it is now. Growing up, Mark feels challenged by the demands of his perfectionist father and struggles to feel seen. Years later, after surviving a battle with cancer, Mark looks back and realizes that watching his father refurbish a boat in their backyard provided one of the most important, surprising lessons of his life.
MORGAN HARPER NICHOLS + ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Rohan speaks candidly with songwriter, poet, artist, and musician Morgan Harper Nichols about the creation of her Meditative Story. They explore the role art plays in helping her to connect with herself and others, and how to stay open to the unforeseen ways in which a sense of belonging may arrive in our lives
CARLA HALL
Celebrity chef Carla Hall wasn’t always interested in cooking. As a child, she finds that puzzles and play help her to discover her true character. When she falls upon a hard time, she instinctively turns to memories of her grandmother’s kitchen for comfort. In this episode of Meditative Story, Carla shares how sensory play finally allows her to solve her biggest puzzle yet — herself.
JOE WICKS
In the UK, Joe Wicks became a household name early in the pandemic with his daily workouts. Early on in his own life, Joe learns first-hand how fitness can help people survive hard times, as he runs miles to escape from a chaotic childhood. As he begins his adult life, he embarks on a 2,000-mile bike ride — but this time, he realizes, he’s not racing away from his fears, but running toward his purpose.
LEX GILLETTE
Lex Gillette is a 5-time medalist at the Paralympic Games, and a world record holder in the long jump, but he’s more than that too. As he learns to navigate the world after losing his sight, he’s worried about being left out and overlooked — or, just as bad, being seen only in terms of his disability and his athletic gifts. Lex shares the story of how he began to forge his identity on his own terms, creating a spotlight that he steps into with his entire being.
NATALY DAWN
When Nataly Dawn’s family moves from to France, she’s unable to speak, read, or even play the way the other kids do. It’s embarrassing, but as she slowly learns the language, she finds a new kind of joy in the process of discovery. The singer-songwriter shares how a beginner’s mindset can be a doorway to connection and joy.
HENRY SHUKMAN
As a boy in Oxford, Henry Shukman seeks refuge from a painful childhood by disappearing into poetry, immersing himself in nature. But the beauty and clarity he finds there is only fleeting. A visit with a mysterious old family friend helps him to understand that experiencing beauty doesn’t have to be a chance encounter. Through listening deeply, she shows him how to unlock beauty at every moment.
DALLAS TAYLOR
Dallas Taylor, the host of the 20,000 Hertz podcast, gives us a peek behind the scenes of the creation of his Meditative Story. This exclusive excerpt comes from his companion podcast, MicroHertz. Bonus: Rohan interviews our composer, Ryan Holladay, who shares how he approaches creating the music for Meditative Story.
STEVEN HO
Steven Ho grew up in a strict Vietnamese-American household where the stakes were high. He felt an overwhelming pressure to walk the straight line set before him — a line of overachieving and excellence. As Steven grew up, he encountered circumstances that catapulted him into a deep curiosity for the world around him. Steven began to wonder if there might be more than he could have ever expected, waiting for him outside the lines.
MORGAN HARPER NICHOLS
Morgan Harper Nichols is a songwriter, poet, artist, and musician who was diagnosed with autism as an adult. Growing up, she yearns to see the wider world outside her rural home. When she spends a semester studying abroad, she finds herself surrounded by the unfamiliar — and feeling rejected and lonely sometimes. But by stepping into the unknown, she begins to discover what is most important to her — and finds a new path to belonging.
MAYA SHANKAR
As a child, Maya Shankar struggles with taking things too seriously, but her father helps her understand her place in the universe. When her adult life brings unexpected sorrow, she turns to these lessons again, to find a balance between the seriousness that comes with loving life and the perspective of knowing we’re all just passing through.
SHARON SALZBERG + ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Rohan and Sharon wind their way back through Sharon’s story, exploring the key theme: Being kind, loving, patient with yourself.
HRISHIKESH HIRWAY
On his podcast and TV show Song Exploder, Hrishikesh Hirway digs deep into the creative process of legendary songwriters. But before Hrishikesh becomes a podcast creator, he’s a working musician himself who finds his ability to create being slowly drained away by self-doubt. He shares the story of how he gets drawn back into creating music through an unexpected collaboration.
SHARON SALZBERG
By the time Sharon Salzberg is 16 years old, she knows the people around her don’t admit to suffering. A year later, she makes a life-changing decision to travel alone to India to study meditation. It doesn’t all go as expected. Through the journey’s disappointments, discomforts, and surprise lessons, she finds an unexpected friend: herself.
GORDANA BIERNAT
Gordana Biernat grows up in a household full of mayhem and darkness. But there’s one saving grace: her grandfather, who spins legendary stories of the quirky folkloric magic he sees all around them. In this Meditative Story, she talks about reopening herself to the unseen that she encounters all around her when she stops dodging fear and starts seeking new chances to grow.
DALLAS TAYLOR
Today, Dallas Taylor is a creative director and creator of the beloved podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz. But before this, he had another life – one that brought immense pressure. He shares the story of how he comes to realize that feeling the weight of anxiety and fear doesn’t mean he’s broken. It means he’s human.
ISHA SESAY
Writer Isha Sesay is happiest when she is caring for others; it’s a lesson she learns from her mother while growing up in Sierra Leone. But as an adult, there’s another lesson her mother teaches her, in quite another way: that even the most caring and giving among us must learn to receive help too.
MATTHEW MERCER
Every Thursday night, Matthew Mercer leads a merry band through a maze of goblins, spells, and enchantments, as he plays an immersive role-playing game. In our story, Matthew explores what these creative games open up in him and how shining his light into the world gives others permission to do the same.
KRISTIN WINDBIGLER + ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Together, Rohan and Kristin wind their way back through Kristin’s story, and talk about the key theme that her story explores: “How can I connect with those who are different from me?”
CHAD SANDERS
Like so many of us, Chad Sanders has strived to belong for as long as he can remember — thwarted in the shadows of other people’s judgements of him. Fortunately, life has its way of giving us glimpses into our limitless possibility, when we allow our natural creativity and curiosity to embody our highest expression, regardless of the friction that people and circumstances place upon us.
KRISTIN WINDBIGLER
When Kristin Windbigler moves to rural Humboldt County, California, she falls in love with the wild, green and growing landscape. Her dream of being a journalist leads her to San Francisco. And it isn’t until she moves back home again that she realizes just how special her hometown is — a place where our differences fall away. As he sits with his wife in the 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.
SILVIA VASQUEZ-LAVADO
Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is the first openly lesbian woman to climb the famous Seven Summits, a bucket list of the highest mountain on every continent. But while preparing for the seventh summit, she realizes that she can’t charge forward with the same conquering mentality.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Like so many of us, Rohan is navigating the tragic daily news coming out of Ukraine. He offers words of calm and a simple way to balance our attention when we find ourselves glued to the headlines on our phones.
AL HARRIS
For the first 22 years of his life, Al Harris singularly focuses on one single goal: to play basketball in the NBA. That dream comes to an end when he’s passed over during the 2008 NBA draft. In the ensuing years, Al is recruited to play professional basketball throughout Europe. He learns that the experience of impacting others along his journey is what will result in a lasting legacy.
MORGAN SAYLOR
Morgan Saylor is an actor of stage and screen, best known for her portrayal of the teenage Dana Brody in the series “Homeland.” But, before acting, her first passion was mathematics. Morgan unfolds how math has given her a way to approach the unknown with trust and openness, accepting that each moment and every relationship contains infinite possibilities.
FRED MINNICK
When Fred Minnick returns from his military service, he finds himself haunted by what he saw. Trauma, as a result of the battlefield and his childhood, holds a grip on him until a bag of barbecue potato chips unlocks something in his brain. An untapped talent — he was born with a remarkable sense of smell — serves as a lifeline back to the present moment, and back to himself.
JACOB SARTORIUS
By age 14, Jacob Sartorius had millions of social media followers who loved his honest, heartfelt content. But on the flip side of that love, he discovered a darker side to his celebrity — one that threatened his own well-being. Until a simple technique helped him find a way back to himself, one breath at a time.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
We’re inviting you into the Meditative Story library to explore the idea: what’s possible when you reframe the question? You’ll hear excerpts from some of our most beloved episodes in which storytellers see challenges from a new perspective, reframe something that they might have been stuck on, and ultimately move forward with a new sense of possibility.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Rohan Gunatillake recounts his 2005 trip to Plum Village, the monastic community founded by the great Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. Author of over 100 books across mindfulness, Buddhism, activism, and nonviolence, Thich Nhat Hanh inspired generations of people all around the world to explore mindfulness and meditation.
KEITH FERRAZZI
Before Keith Ferrazzi became an expert on building bonds at work, he’s busy building emotional armor around himself – to hide his background, his ambitions, even his true feelings. He shares his story of building that armor, and then slowly learning to dismantle it, piece by piece.
GRACIA MARIA
Gracia María is a modern-day medicine woman, in the tradition of her Peruvian ancestors. In connecting with her deep and ancient roots, though, she realizes she also needs to rebuild the bonds with her immediate family, in order to share with them the person she’s become.
AUSTIN MAO
Austin Mao – a listener in our community and a friend – shares a love letter to his wife, Chuchu, and another to his mother. These are letters of love, grounded in vulnerability and integrity. The lesson here: When we let go of judgement, there is freedom. Fluent in cheating time to squeeze productivity out of every minute, entrepreneur Keith Yamashita recounts the frightening details of a devastating stroke as it is actually happening, and discovers the second part of his life. It isn’t a medical recovery. It’s an awakening.
VANESSA HUA
As the pandemic drags on, Vanessa Hua finds herself in a dark place of panic and doom-scrolling. But that begins to change on one spring day, when she recognizes a small jewel-green plant growing on the forest floor. Her discovery helps her tap into a body of shared, ancient knowledge, one that helps her find steadiness within the chaotic present moment.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Under the starry night sky, Rohan shares with us a ritual of ending and beginning. Bring to mind something you want to celebrate from this past year; release something you want to let go of; and mindfully choose a word, a beacon, that represents, in this fresh and unwritten year ahead, something that you want to become.
BETH LISICK
As an artist and writer, Beth Lisick has had her share of freelance side gigs. But nothing can prepare her for this latest assignment: tending to the unforgettable Bill, who leads Beth on an epic journey through New York City. What she learns along the way: Everyone’s struggles are not immediately visible. And neither are the gifts they have to offer us.
COURTNEY MARTIN
The end of a troubled life ignites a search for answers – a truth long buried, and a truth not yet formed.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Learn these calming techniques to help navigate tricky family dynamics, the challenges of disconnecting from work, and the loneliness that can arise at even the most joyful times of year. Notice them, name them, release them.
MEREDITH ARTHUR
All her life, Meredith Arthur is a model of competence and control, and it sweeps her higher and higher up the professional ladder. But inside, something isn’t right. After a painful wake-up call, Meredith drops the version of herself that she’s constructed and starts noticing the one she’s long neglected.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
During some of the tougher days of the last two years, Rohan takes refuge in learning a new dish: aubergines with fermented chili bean paste and black vinegar. The project grounds him at an ungrounded time, and gradually leads to a singular form of mastery – no recipe required. A meditation about learning the ingredients, practicing the steps, and ultimately stepping into your intuition.
STEVE ALMOND
It happens not in a yellow wood, but in author Steve Almond’s befuddled 20s, when he is facing for the first time a decision that might actually matter. To the left lies success. To the right, something more interesting.
REV. MONIQUE ORTIZ
As a Night Minister with San Francisco Night Ministry, Rev. Monique Ortiz walks the dark streets of a beautiful and aching city – a city that transforms completely when the sun goes down. Reaching out to the most desperate souls, she learns to help in a way she hadn’t imagined.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Standing at the door of the airplane, a new thing called “snow” swirling around her, Rohan’s mom is about to take a momentous step – making a life change that reverberates down the generations. A meditation about the steps we take when the outcome is uncertain.
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
Growing up, Milana Vayntrub has a tender but challenging relationship with her father: All their happy times together end with him getting back on a plane. What might it mean to forge a new kind of intimacy?
What she learns: How to make right what was once wrong
ANDREW REA
Years before his YouTube-phenomenon cooking show Binging with Babish, the filmmaker Andrew Rea finds himself slipping into despair. His day job is draining him; so is an unhappy marriage. He finds the courage to take big bold steps toward a new life that’s centered on his passion for food. But there’s a Part Two of this story. Because even as he finds a more fulfilled version of himself, he learns to temper some of his younger ideas about happiness.
RUSS ELLIS
Russ Ellis has led the kind of life they write books about. But as he reveals in this episode, even the fullest life can be haunted by a single event half a century earlier.
MARIANN BUDDE
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
The idea of a meditation retreat is deeply romantic. But the reality can be very different. Join our host Rohan Gunatillake on his first retreat, at a monastery in the English countryside, where he locks in to his meditation practice for the first time – and on the same night, almost gives it up altogether.
RANDALL PARK
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
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
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
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
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
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.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
Loving football – specifically loving England’s team during a cup final – means resigning yourself to heartbreak, over, and over, and over. In this meditation, Rohan Gunatillake explores the singular anguish routinely visited upon dedicated fans of a favorite team. Within a mindful life, that anguish can become its own kind of beauty. 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
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
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
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.
ROHAN GUNATILLAKE
In a meditation for all the senses, Rohan guides you into a relaxed state that will quiet your mind and help you drift to sleep.
TRI ROBINSON
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
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.
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
As a young man, facing two great tragedies, Sam Harris falls into a deep sadness. But in a chance experiment, Sam stumbles on a breakthrough that gives him the ability to think more clearly about every experience, good and bad.
AASIF MANDVI
When Aasif Mandvi contracts tinnitus (nonstop ringing in the ears), he has to come to terms with his own vulnerability and the unpredictability of life — and helps him imagine a world with more possibilities.
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
After years of self-doubt, country singer Mickey Guyton discovers that her biggest breakthrough comes when she leans in to her true voice.
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.
REV. DR. OTIS MOSS III
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, Sinéad Burke 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, writer Thomas Page McBee 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, music producer Larry Jackson 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.
