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Steven Webb
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Awakening the Child Within: A Window of Wonder

Stevens new course: Finding Peace in Everyday Life (you choose how much to pay)

Title: Awakening the Child Within: A Meditation on Pure Seeing with Meditation Teacher Steven Webb

Description: Meditation teacher Steven Webb guides you through a gentle visualisation practice that reconnects you with the wide eyed wonder you had as a very young child. Inspired by Rumi’s timeless words “sell your cleverness, buy bewilderment,” this meditation invites you to stand before an imaginary window of wonder and rediscover the extraordinary mystery hidden inside everyday life. It is a companion to the Stillness in the Storms episode exploring the question “Is this all there is?”

Who this meditation is for:

  1. Anyone who has felt that quiet inner whisper of “is this all there is?”
  2. Listeners looking to reconnect with childlike curiosity and beginner’s mind
  3. People who feel stuck in overthinking, labelling, or needing to figure everything out
  4. Anyone drawn to contemplative practices inspired by Rumi and Zen wisdom

Key benefits:

  1. Reconnects you with the sense of wonder and awe you had as a child
  2. Eases the pressure of needing to know, understand, or fix everything
  3. Cultivates presence, openness, and beginner’s mind
  4. Offers a fresh perspective on the mystery of simply being alive
  5. Pairs beautifully with the Stillness in the Storms podcast episode for deeper exploration

If you’d like to contact Steven or support his work, go to https://stevenwebb.uk

"Is This All There Is?" Answering the Quiet Question in Your Heart

Links to Steven Webb’s podcast and how you can support his work.

Episode Description

You’ve built a life. You’ve done the things you were supposed to do. But underneath it all, there’s a quiet question that won’t leave you alone: “Is this all there is?” In this episode, Steven Webb shares the deeply personal story of lying in a hospital bed at eighteen, paralysed and unable to speak, wrestling with the two biggest questions of his life. What he discovered is that “is this all there is?” isn’t a sign of ingratitude or crisis. It’s a doorway to something extraordinary: wonder, mystery, and the breathtaking magic of not knowing. Drawing on the wisdom of Rumi, Alan Watts, and Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki, Steven explores how we can trade our cleverness for bewilderment and see the world through beginner’s eyes again.

Who Is This Episode For?

This episode is for anyone who has ever looked at their life and felt that quiet ache of “is this it?”, especially when everything looks fine on the outside. If you’re in midlife and questioning what it’s all been for, if you feel guilty for wanting something deeper when you know you should be grateful, or if you’ve simply stopped seeing the magic in everyday moments, Steven Webb recorded this conversation for you.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

Steven opens with a vivid image of a butterfly landing in front of you and asks when you last truly saw the world for the first time. He then takes you back to his hospital bed at eighteen, where two questions rattled around in his mind for months: “Who am I?” and “Is this it?” He explores why this question tends to arrive in midlife, when the forward momentum of building a career, a family, and a life finally slows down enough for you to look around and wonder what it was all for. Carl Jung’s idea of the second half of life as a turning inward sits alongside Rumi’s invitation to sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment, Alan Watts’ beautiful image of the unknown becoming a window rather than a blank space, and Shunryu Suzuki’s teaching on beginner’s mind. Steven weaves in a story about a little girl discovering that the world through a caravan window is the same world outside the door, and his own moment watching a wave at the Headland Hotel and realising that exact wave would never happen again. The episode closes with a powerful reframe: the question was never really “is this all there is?” The question was always “am I paying attention?”

Memorable Quotes from This Episode

“That question is not a sign that something’s wrong with you. It might actually be one of the most important questions you’ve ever asked.” — Steven Webb

“You are not ungrateful. You’re not broken. You are not having some kind of crisis.” — Steven Webb

“Not knowing didn’t become a wall. It became a window.” — Steven Webb

“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” — Rumi

“In beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in an expert’s mind there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki

“The magic is in not knowing. The magic is in the fact that right now, in this moment, you are a conscious being in an incomprehensibly vast universe, and you have no idea why. And to me, that’s not depressing. That’s breathtaking.” — Steven Webb

“The question was never really, is this all there is? The question was always, am I paying attention?” — Steven Webb

Try This Today

Next time the “is this it?” feeling visits you, don’t push it away. Go outside or look out of a window. Pick one thing: a tree, a cloud, a bird, a wave. And look at it as if you’ve never seen it before. Because in a very real sense, you haven’t. That exact moment, that exact configuration of light and shadow, has never existed before and will never exist again. Let yourself be bewildered by it.

Supporter Thanks

This podcast is completely free and has no adverts or sponsors. It is made possible entirely by the kind people who treat Steven to a coffee. Every contribution pays for the podcast and supports all of Steven’s work.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to this episode’s supporters: Angie, Helen, Suja, Suzanne, Lorna, Liz, Daphne, Sarah, Mikey, Jen, and Venetia. And to the monthly supporters: Joe, Audra, Sin, Jack, Glen, Barb, and Venetia. Thank you also to the wonderful supporters on Insight Timer.

If this episode helped you, please consider buying Steven a coffee. Even one makes a difference.

About Steven Webb

Steven Webb is a meditation teacher, former Mayor of Truro, and C5 tetraplegic. He has spent decades learning what it means to find peace in the most difficult circumstances. Through Stillness in the Storms, he offers honest, warm conversations to help people navigate life’s hardest moments. Through Inner Peace Meditations, he provides guided meditations as companions to each episode.

Find out more and explore all of Steven’s work at stevenwebb.uk

Connect

Website: https://stevenwebb.uk

Listen, subscribe, and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. Sharing this episode with someone who needs to hear it is one of the best ways to support the show.

When Letting Go Feels Impossible, Try This Instead

Title: When Letting Go Feels Impossible, Try This Instead — with meditation teacher Steven Webb

Description: Meditation teacher Steven Webb guides you through a practice that challenges one of the most common pieces of mindfulness advice: “just let go.” Instead of forcing difficult thoughts away, Steven shows you how acceptance creates the space that resistance never can, using a powerful open hand visualisation.

Who this meditation is for:

  1. Anyone who feels frustrated when told to “let go” but can’t seem to do it
  2. People carrying persistent worry, tension or unresolved thoughts
  3. Those new to acceptance based meditation looking for a practical way in
  4. Experienced meditators wanting a fresh perspective on working with difficult emotions

Key benefits:

  1. Learn why forcing yourself to let go often strengthens the very thing you’re resisting
  2. Experience the physical difference between resistance and acceptance in your own body
  3. Discover a simple visualisation you can use anytime stress or tension arises
  4. Build a more compassionate and sustainable relationship with uncomfortable thoughts

If you’d like to contact Steven or support his work, go to https://stevenwebb.uk

When Letting Go Feels Impossible, Try This Instead

Links to Steven Webb’s podcast and how you can support his work.

When Letting Go Feels Impossible, Try This Instead

Stillness in the Storms with Steven Webb

Episode Description

Everyone tells you to “let go.” Let go of control, of worry, of the past. It sounds lovely, but how do you actually do it, especially when it feels like you’re holding everything together? In this episode, Steven shares a deeply personal story about stubbornness, disability, and the moment he discovered that freedom doesn’t come from letting go at all. It comes from acceptance.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

Steven opens with the story of his first years after leaving hospital with a spinal cord injury, and the nearly two year battle with his own stubbornness before accepting an electric wheelchair that transformed his life. From there, he explores why the phrase “let go” can actually create more suffering, not less, and offers a powerful alternative: acceptance. The episode includes a simple practice you can try today to step out of the tug of war with whatever you’ve been fighting.

Key Themes

Identity and stubbornness: how pride keeps us stuck

Why “letting go” can become just another thing to fail at

The difference between letting go and acceptance

The quicksand effect: the more you force, the deeper you sink

The butterfly analogy: opening your hand without expectation

How acceptance creates space for life to move

Freedom as a result of acceptance, not force

Memorable Quote

“Freedom is not about letting go. Freedom is about acceptance. When you accept something, truly accept it, you take away its power over you.”

Try This Today

Find a quiet moment. Think about something you’ve been trying to force yourself to let go of. Instead of pushing it away, open your hands, palms up, and say to yourself: “This is here. I’m not going to fight it today.” Notice the gap between struggling and stillness. That’s where peace lives.

Support This Podcast

Stillness in the Storms is completely free with no adverts. It is made possible entirely by the kind people who treat Steven to a coffee. Every contribution helps pay for the podcast and supports all of Steven’s work.

If this episode helped you, please consider buying Steven a coffee. Even one makes a difference.

About Steven Webb

Steven Webb is a meditation teacher, former Mayor of Truro, and C5 tetraplegic. He has spent decades learning what it means to find peace in the most difficult circumstances. Through Stillness in the Storms, he offers honest, warm conversations to help people navigate life’s hardest moments.

Find out more and explore all of Steven’s work at stevenwebb.uk

Connect

Website: https://stevenwebb.uk

Listen, subscribe, and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. Sharing this episode with someone who needs to hear it is one of the best ways to support the show.

Morning Abundance: Seeing What Was Always There

Stevens new course: Finding Peace in Everyday Life (you choose how much to pay)

Inner Peace Meditations — Episode 92: Morning Abundance: Seeing What Was Always There

In this gentle morning meditation, Steven Webb guides you into a quiet practice of rediscovering the abundance that is already present in your life. Not the abundance we’re told to chase, but the ordinary, faithful things that hold us every single day without us ever noticing. Through a simple process of imagining life without the things we take for granted, and then welcoming them back, something shifts. Gratitude moves from being a thought into something you can actually feel. This meditation was written and guided by Steven Webb.

This meditation is for you if:

  1. You move through your mornings on autopilot and want to arrive more fully in your day
  2. You know you have much to be grateful for but struggle to really feel it
  3. You want a gentle, unhurried start that grounds you before the day begins
  4. You’re drawn to mindfulness that is simple, honest, and free from pressure

Benefits:

  1. A genuine felt sense of gratitude rather than a surface thought
  2. A calmer, more open quality of awareness to carry into your day
  3. A shift in perspective that can last well beyond the meditation itself
  4. A reminder that this moment, just as it is, is already enough

Thank you so much for listening and for being part of this community. To find out more about Steven and to support his work, visit https://stevenwebb.uk

Who Are You When No One Needs Anything?

Links to Steven Webb’s podcast and how you can support his work.

Episode Description

For years, you’ve been the go to person. The mother, the partner, the colleague, the carer. Your whole identity is wrapped up in what you do for others. But what happens when the kids leave, or the career changes, or you just stop long enough to ask… who am I underneath all of that?

In this episode, Steven shares a personal story from his time as Mayor of Truro, where former mayors warned him about the strange emptiness that comes when a defining role ends. He explores why losing a role can feel like grief, why that “who am I now?” question is not a sign of ingratitude but an invitation to go deeper, and how you can start the quiet, beautiful process of meeting yourself again.

If you’ve ever felt lost in the space between who you were and who you’re becoming, this one is for you.

In This Episode

Steven talks about the identity we build from doing things for others and what happens when those roles shift or fade. He explores why this transition hurts so much and why grief and gratitude can exist side by side. He shares wisdom on sitting in the uncomfortable “in between” space rather than rushing to fill it. And he offers a simple five minute practice you can try today to begin reconnecting with who you really are beneath the roles.

Key Themes

Identity and midlife transitions. The grief of losing a role. Empty nest and changing family dynamics. Finding stillness in the not knowing. Meeting yourself again after decades of caring for others.

Memorable Moment

“You are not your roles. You never were. The mother, the carer, the professional, the person everyone depends on: those are things you do, and you do them beautifully. But they are not who you are. Who you are is the one who remains when all of that falls away. And she is still there. She’s been waiting for you.”

Try This Today

Find five minutes of quiet. Sit with a cup of tea, go for a short walk, or sit somewhere peaceful. Ask yourself: “What would I do today if nobody needed anything from me?” Don’t judge the answer. Just notice what comes up. That’s a thread. Keep pulling gently on it and it will lead you back to yourself.

Support This Podcast

Stillness in the Storms is completely free with no adverts and no sponsors. It exists because of the kind people who treat Steven to a coffee. Every contribution helps pay for the podcast and supports all of Steven’s work.

A huge thank you to this episode’s supporters: Tiffany, Fran, Kay, Caroline, Ruth, Mazdak, Cara, Suja, and several generous anonymous donors, along with supporters on Insight Timer.

If this episode helped you, please consider buying Steven a coffee. Even one makes a difference.

About Steven Webb

Steven Webb is a meditation teacher, former Mayor of Truro, and C5 tetraplegic. He has spent decades learning what it means to find peace in the most difficult circumstances. Through Stillness in the Storms, he offers honest, warm conversations to help people navigate life’s hardest moments.

Find out more and explore all of Steven’s work at stevenwebb.uk

Connect

Website: https://stevenwebb.uk

Listen, subscribe, and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. Sharing this episode with someone who needs to hear it is one of the best ways to support the show.

Meditation to Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts

Stevens new course: Finding Peace in Everyday Life (you choose how much to pay)

This meditation is for anyone who experiences intrusive thoughts, rumination, anxious loops, or repetitive mental chatter. It is especially helpful if you tend to get caught in arguing with thoughts, trying to suppress them, or worrying about what they mean. You will practice relaxing the body, letting the breath be natural, noticing thoughts as they arise, and choosing not to engage with them. If you notice you have already been pulled into a thought, you will practice returning gently without judging yourself. The intention is not to eliminate thoughts but to reduce their emotional grip by changing your response.

Morning Stillness for a Tough Day

Stevens new course: Finding Peace in Everyday Life (you choose how much to pay)

Some days, you wake up already knowing it’s going to be hard. This 10-minute meditation helps you find a pocket of quiet stillness before the world rushes in — a chance to settle, breathe, and prepare yourself for whatever lies ahead.

This meditation is for you if:

  1. You have a difficult family gathering or conversation coming up
  2. You’re facing a challenging day at work
  3. You have an interview, presentation, or meeting you’re dreading
  4. You’re anticipating anything emotionally or mentally taxing
  5. You just need a moment of calm before the storm

About Steven Webb

Steven is a Zen meditation teacher and one of the top teachers on Insight Timer. After a life-changing accident left him with a C5 spinal injury, he discovered that inner peace isn’t about escaping difficulty — it’s about meeting it with stillness. He shares guided meditations through his podcasts Inner Peace Meditations and Stillness in the Storms, helping people find calm in the chaos.

Learn more at stevenwebb.uk

Apricity and the Calm After the Storm

Links to Steven Webb’s podcast and how you can support his work.

Episode DescriptionIn this episode, Steven shares a personal update following the record-breaking winds of Storm Goretti in Cornwall. After the chaos of the storm, a chance encounter with a lady named Joanne reminds him of the beauty of “apricity”—the warmth of the sun on a cold winter’s day.

Join Steven for a gentle conversation about finding calm in a noisy world. He explores why we often “doom scroll,” the relief of realising how little we are actually in control of, and why slowing down might be the best way to handle uncertain times.

Key Highlights

  1. The Calm After the Chaos: How quickly things change from 100mph winds to a beautiful, spring-like day, reminding us that nothing is permanent.
  2. Word of the Day: Steven shares his favourite word, apricity, and why we need to appreciate those moments of warmth during life’s winters.
  3. The Illusion of Control: Why realising we aren’t in control of 99.9% of things (including world leaders or the weather) can actually be a huge relief.
  4. Simple Wisdom: A reminder that knitting, walking, or just taking a breath at a traffic light can be as powerful as formal meditation.

Memorable Quotes

“Apricity… it means to feel the warmth of the sun on a cold day.”

“Once we realize we’re not in control of 99.9% of the stuff that happens to us… you can look at it as, ‘Thank Christ for that.’ I wouldn’t wanna be in control of all this anyway.”

“Just rest your mind. Give your mind something else to do than scrolling your phone.”

Links & Support

  1. Website: stevenwebb.uk

Support the Show: Treat Steven to a coffee at his website to help keep the podcast ad-free.

Inner Peace Meditations: Listen to Steven’s meditation podcast for more ways to slow down.

Stop the World… I Want to Get off

Stevens new course: Finding Peace in Everyday Life (you choose how much to pay)

Stop the World, I Want to Get Off

This new 15-minute guided meditation is designed for anyone feeling completely overwhelmed or anxious because life is moving a little too fast. We often feel like we need a superpower to just press pause and catch our breath, and this practice offers you exactly that necessary timeout. It helps you slow the world down and creates a vital gap between everything arising around you and your reaction to it. By finding this space, you can step out of the rush and find the calm you need to wisely respond to life rather than just reacting to the noise.