Stillness in the Storms

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Two words I have said roughly 25,000 times. Most of them on autopilot.
Description
Two words. Probably the most common two words spoken in the English language. Two words I say almost every single morning, and you probably do too. I'm fine. In this episode I work out that I have said it about 25,000 times to my carers over the last 35 years, and almost none of those times did I actually stop and think about it. I want to look at why we say it, what it costs us, and what happens when we don't. There is a Brené Brown quote, an old Zen master story I have always loved, a Thursday afternoon last week where I cried for 20 minutes and then bought a book on Amazon, and a small image about letting go before your hand hurts. You don't have to stop saying I'm fine. You just have to notice when you do.
Key Topics
25,000 mornings, two carers, and the most automatic answer in my life
Why "I'm fine" is armour, and why armour is not always the wrong thing to wear
The three reasons we wear it (and why "just think positive" is the worst advice in self help)
The cost of saying it on autopilot, especially to the people who actually want to hear you
An old Zen story about a master on his deathbed who said the most enlightened thing he could have said
Brené Brown on numbing emotions, and why you cannot block only the bad weather
A real Thursday afternoon I sat here and cried for 20 minutes, then immediately bought a book
The hand metaphor: I let go a little earlier than I used to, before my hand hurts

Companion Meditation
When Anxiety Visits (IPM101). Five minutes. You sit down, you say hello to whatever is actually here, and you ask it why it came. It is the practical opposite of saying "I'm fine." Available on Insight Timer, Aura, and the Inner Peace Meditations podcast.
If this episode meant something to you, please share it, leave a review, or treat me to a coffee at stevenwebb.uk.
Supporters
Alex, Nina, Zoe, A Ma, Kevin, Katarzyna, Deborah, Christopher, and Ariel for recent coffees and PayPal donations.
Special thanks: MumMik's Cleaning Services for buying a course this week.
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Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work.
Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.uk
Steven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk

There are eight billion minds in the world, and not one of them was made to fit the same cushion.
Description
This week I want to talk about why meditation works beautifully for some people and barely at all for others, and why no single teacher, book or technique was ever going to be the answer for everybody. I tell the story of my own rock bottom at forty, a Saturday afternoon in town with a broken wheelchair and a security guard who said nothing but meant everything. From there to the slow accidental discovery of meditation through As a Man Thinketh, and what it really means to live with an ADHD mind that refuses to sit still. We're all on our own road. The world wasn't designed for you, or me, or any of us. But you can widen your road, push your boundaries, and stop trying to fit into a shape that was never yours.
Key Topics
Why one meditation method will never work for eight billion different minds
The night I hit rock bottom, and the kindness that started everything
Reading As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, and why ten books saying the same thing is hard to ignore
Neuroplasticity, and how you can widen your road even if you can't change it
ADHD, dyslexia and finding ways to meditate when your mind refuses to be quiet
Why accepting yourself is so much easier than trying to change everyone else

If this episode meant something to you, please share it, leave a review, or treat me to a coffee at stevenwebb.uk.
Supporters Thanked in Episode
Suzanne, Maria, Michael, Tiffany, Ellen, Kathleen, Edyll, Nicola, Jess, Lynette, Linda, Laura, Yavuz, and a few kind anonymous souls.
Special thanks: Jane, marking one year as a monthly supporter on 15th April 2026.
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Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work.
Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.uk
Steven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk

Back to Basics: Why Meditate?
Description
You've tried meditation. Maybe you dip in and out of it. You feel a little better for a few days, then life gets loud and you forget. Then you snap at someone, or you fire off the email you regret, and you think "I know better than this." This episode is for you, and honestly, it's for me too.
In this back to basics episode, I bust the biggest myths about meditation. I talk about why we don't meditate to clear the mind, why five minutes really is enough, why a wandering mind is not a failed mind, and why the real test of meditation is not how peaceful you feel on the cushion, but how you handle the family barbecue, the doctor's waiting room, and the colleague who winds you up.
If you've ever felt like you're doing meditation wrong, this is your invitation to start again. Simply, honestly, and from wherever you are.
Key topics
Why meditation matters in real life, not just on the cushion
The seven biggest myths about meditation, busted
The gap between thought and reaction, and why it's the whole game
Why little and often beats long and rare
How to know if your meditation practice is actually working

Companion meditation
Inner Peace Meditations #99: Peace Right Where You Are. A simple five minute guided meditation to go with this episode. No visualisation, no setup, no special place. Just breath, thoughts, and the peace that's already here.
With thanks to
Sin, Margaret, Annie, Melike, Helen, Laura, Adam, Dominique, and a special welcome to Linda who has just joined as a new monthly supporter. You are the reason this podcast stays advert free.
If this episode meant something to you, please share it with someone who might need it, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or treat me to a coffee at stevenwebb.uk.

Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work.
Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.uk
Steven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk

The Dignity of Being Tired: Give Yourself a Break
What if tiredness isn't weakness? What if it's the most honest thing your body is telling you?
In this episode, we talk about why we treat exhaustion like a personal failure instead of listening to what it's actually telling us. I share what it was like being Mayor of Truro, running on empty, showing up to every event because stopping felt like letting people down. We explore why busyness has become a badge of honour, why animals rest without guilt and we can't, and what actually happens in your brain when you don't get proper rest. This isn't about life hacks. It's about giving yourself permission to stop before you have nothing left.
Key topics:
Why tiredness is not a weakness but honest information from your body
The culture of celebrating exhaustion as proof of commitment
What happens in your brain during deep sleep and why rest matters
Thich Nhat Hanh on how animals rest and heal without guilt
Practical permission to disconnect and stop being on call

Companion meditation: Inner Peace Meditations #98 — Permission to Rest
If this episode meant something to you, please share it, leave a review, or treat me to a coffee: stevenwebb.uk
With thanks to: Senga, Sujata, Jack, Denise, Glenn, Aileen, Joe, Laurie, Barb, Audra, Bronwyn, and Emily.

Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work.
Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.uk
Steven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk

What Rises When You Stop Pushing
An Easter Sunday conversation about what comes back to us when we finally stop forcing. Steven opens with daffodils appearing on Cornish roadsides and moves into a wide-ranging reflection on renewal — drawing on Alan Watts, Shunryu Suzuki, and Junpo Denis Kelly to explore why the things we thought we'd lost often return on their own. This one speaks directly to anyone at a low point.
All episodes of Stillness in the Storms are brought to you without adverts by the generous donations of listeners treating Steven to a coffee.
DETAILS
Level: All levels Type: Conversational podcast episode Duration: ~20:00 Companion meditation: Inner Peace Meditations EP97 — "Find the Green Shoot"
IN THIS EPISODE
Daffodils on roadsides and what spring actually looks like before it looks like spring
Alan Watts on waves and rhythm — the wave rises, crests, and falls, but the ocean never runs out of waves
Junpo Denis Kelly on what arises first: caring. Anger comes from caring.
Shunryu Suzuki and beginner's mind — meeting the season as though you've never seen one before
A reference to Tony Hoagland's poem "The Color of the Sky" and the line about the end turning out to be the middle
Steven's own recent hospital stay and what it clarified about renewal
A direct word to anyone feeling behind or broken: you're neither

WHO IS THIS FOR?
You're going through a difficult period and need to hear that it doesn't last forever — without being told to think positive
You're curious about Alan Watts, Zen philosophy, or contemplative ideas but want them grounded in real life, not theory
You've been forcing yourself to recover, improve, or move on and it's not working
You want a thoughtful Easter listen that goes deeper than chocolate eggs
You enjoy Steven's conversational style and want something reflective to sit with over a cup of tea

WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY
A different way to think about low points — not as failure but as the turning point of a wave
Permission to stop forcing renewal and trust that some things return on their own
A felt sense of being spoken to honestly by someone who has been there
Fresh ways into Watts, Suzuki, and Kelly that connect to everyday experience
The companion meditation (IPM EP97) as a practice to carry the themes further

ABOUT STEVEN WEBB
Steven Webb is a meditation teacher, podcaster, politician, and the host of Inner Peace Meditations. A former mayor of Truro in the county of Cornwall, Steven continues to split his time between politics and the contemplative work he is best known for. After a life-changing accident left him paralysed from the chest down, he found his way to inner peace through mindfulness, Zen philosophy, and the teachings of Alan Watts and Shunryu Suzuki. He now helps others find calm and resilience — especially those who find meditation difficult. Steven lives in Cornwall, England and shares his work at stevenwebb.com. You can also find his podcast on politics and public life, Stillness in the Storms, at https://stillnessinthestorms.com/
KEYWORDS
stillness in the storms, renewal, spring, Alan Watts, Shunryu Suzuki, Junpo Denis Kelly, beginner's mind, Easter, inner peace, low point, waves