Stillness in the Storms

Steven Webb
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  • Spirituality
  • Every two weeks

Stillness in the Storms brings a fresh voice to mindfulness - one that truly understands transformation comes not from escaping hardship, but finding peace within it. Join Steven Webb, a man who turned personal tragedy into an uplifting journey, as he reveals how to uncover inner calm and meaning in life's toughest moments. After a devastating diving accident left him severely paralyzed at 19 years old, Steven emerged with deep insights on resilience, presence, and living fully. Now, he shares those hard-won lessons to help you transform adversity into personal growth. Blending Zen Buddhism, Stoic philosophy, and his own story, Steven speaks to those struggling with grief, health challenges, burnout, and other storms we all face. Through relatable examples and practical wisdom, he makes mindfulness feel accessible - no retreat required. Inspirational yet down-to-earth, Steven will reframe how you approach life’s difficulties. You’ll gain tools to build courage, practice gratitude, release regret, manage stress, and unlock contentment - no matter what comes your way. Join the Stillness in the Storms community by subscribing and sharing your own journey. Help Steve keep these calming conversations flowing for everyone searching for inner peace in chaotic times. The storms of life do not define you. But with Steven’s guidance, you can find stillness and meaning within them. Are you ready to transform?

  1. Giving Space: Love Without Taking Over

    1 day ago

    Giving Space: Love Without Taking Over

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is stay close without stepping in too quickly. This week I want to talk about one of the hardest forms of love: giving someone space. Not walking away. Not going cold. Not pretending we do not care. But staying close without taking over. It came up for me while talking with my daughter, noticing how quickly I wanted to jump in with answers, advice, solutions and opinions. And I could see the same thing in myself, in council meetings, in family conversations, and even in the way I meet my own thoughts and feelings. Something arises and I want to fix it before I have really heard it. But space is not neglect. Real space says: I am here. I trust you. Take your time. In this episode, I explore why the instinct to help is not wrong, but why fixing too quickly can sometimes be about easing our own discomfort. We look at the small pause after a feeling appears, the gap between notes in music, the three seconds before we answer, and the strange wisdom that often appears when we stop crowding the moment. Key topics: Why giving space is not the same as walking awayThe urge to fix the people we love, especially our childrenHow a few seconds of pause can let wisdom appearThoughts, feelings and body sensations that do not need an instant storyThe gap between the notes, and why space gives life meaningCouncil meetings, family tables, and the need to prove we know somethingAsking whether we are helping or reducing our own discomfortThe three second rule for conversations, emotions and difficult moments Companion meditation: IPM 105, Giving Space. A gentle Zen influenced meditation using the image of a closed shed and an open field to feel the difference between being crowded by what arises and giving it room to be seen clearly. If this episode meant something to you, please share it, leave a review, or treat me to a coffee: stevenwebb.uk With thanks this week to: Cheryl, Nitya, Yvonne, Eleanor and Ryan, Karen, Lani, Jess and Stuart. And thank you to the kind anonymous souls and everyone who supports the work quietly in the background. You keep this podcast advert-free. Thank you.

    17 min
  2. The First 30 Seconds: Why Every Feeling Is a Gift

    31 May

    The First 30 Seconds: Why Every Feeling Is a Gift

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk The First 30 Seconds: Why Every Feeling Is a GiftYour body's fear response is not a fault. It is thirty seconds of something brilliant. You hear two cars crash outside your door, or a horn behind you, or the word "bear" round a campfire, and before you have thought a single thought your body has already moved. This week I walk through what actually happens in those first thirty seconds, a bit of it borrowed from David Ji's book Destressify. The adrenaline, the heart, the sugar your liver lets go, the hands that go cold so a cut would bleed less. None of it a malfunction. All of it the body doing the most competent, protective thing it knows. Then I want to go further than the science. Fear is a gift. So is anxiety, alertness, even stress. We are taught to get rid of them, and I once sat on a show whose whole aim was to delete fear for good. I spent every break arguing the other way. The trouble is never the feeling. The trouble is when it takes over, when it runs eight hours a day, when it stops you doing the things you want to do. So we keep the whole stick, the joyful end and the hard end, instead of chopping the bad bits off and ending up with nothing. We hear the feeling, we understand it, we let it be there, and then we decide. Hear it, then decide. That is the whole thing. Key topics: What really happens in the body's first thirty seconds, step by stepWhy none of it is a malfunction, and why the calm ones round the campfire did not surviveFear, anxiety, stress and alertness as gifts, and the show that wanted to delete fearThe healthy and unhealthy version of every feeling, including the misread "everything is just thoughts" version of ZenThe stick you keep chopping, and why you end up unable to tell the joy from the painOnly ever seeing three colours, and what we miss when we numb the spectrumThe five second gap, and hearing the feeling before you decide what to do Companion meditation: IPM 104 on Inner Peace Meditations. [insert IPM 104 title] Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If this episode meant something to you, please share it, leave a review, or treat me to a coffee: stevenwebb.uk With thanks this week to: A warm welcome to Susan, a brand new monthly supporter. And a special word for Stuart, who reached two years as a monthly supporter this week. That is not a small thing. To everyone who supported the show across these past two weeks: Addie, Amy, Barbara, Michael, Karen, Laura, David, Jenna and Mia, and Johnny. And the kind anonymous souls and everyone on Insight Timer. You keep this podcast advert-free. Thank you.

    16 min
  3. Waking Up to Body Betrayal: How to Find Peace in the Pain

    17 May

    Waking Up to Body Betrayal: How to Find Peace in the Pain

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk Waking Up to Body Betrayal: How to Find Peace in the PainYour body isn't letting you down. It's been carrying you all along. Do you ever wake up and just know it's going to hurt the second you move? I do. Most mornings. This week I want to talk about what to do with a body that feels like it's letting you down, betraying you, or just isn't what it used to be. About the soldiers inside you that have been quietly repairing you all night and why they get tired. About the difference between pain (the fact) and suffering (the story you add on top). And about an ancient violin, which turned out to be the image I needed for the body I've been carrying for thirty years. We are in a partnership with this body. It is not the enemy. It is the only one we get. Key topics: The morning moment when the body hurts before you've even movedThe soldiers inside you who repair you every night, and why they get tired as we ageWhy we treat the body as the enemy when really we are this bodyThe "where are you, really?" tennis-ball thought experimentThe difference between pain (the fact) and suffering (the story we add)Treating your body like an ancient violin: more careful, more respectful, a different tune Companion meditation: A Morning Meditation for the Body You Wake Into – a gentle, lying-down practice for that moment before the day begins. Find it on Inner Peace Meditations. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. If this episode meant something to you, please share it, leave a review, or treat me to a coffee: stevenwebb.uk With thanks this week to (this is actually three weeks worth): New monthly supporter: Sin. Monthly supporters whose contributions came in this cycle: Ellen, Dominique, Adam, Annie, Joe, Sujata, Senga, Jack, Glenn, Denise, Laurie, Audra, Rosie, Laura, Kasia, Megan, Alison, Mallory, Elizabeth, Stefan, Barb, Cheryl, Katarzyna, Jill, Tracey, Hannah, Emmanuelle, Rita, Julie, Daniel, María. And the kind anonymous souls and everyone on Insight Timer. You keep this podcast advert-free. Thank you.

    16 min
  4. "I'm Fine": When It's Armour, When It's Honest, and How to Tell

    3 May

    "I'm Fine": When It's Armour, When It's Honest, and How to Tell

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk Two words I have said roughly 25,000 times. Most of them on autopilot. DescriptionTwo 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 Topics25,000 mornings, two carers, and the most automatic answer in my lifeWhy "I'm fine" is armour, and why armour is not always the wrong thing to wearThe 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 youAn old Zen story about a master on his deathbed who said the most enlightened thing he could have saidBrené Brown on numbing emotions, and why you cannot block only the bad weatherA real Thursday afternoon I sat here and cried for 20 minutes, then immediately bought a bookThe hand metaphor: I let go a little earlier than I used to, before my hand hurts Companion MeditationWhen 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. SupportersAlex, 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. You keep this podcast advert free.

    22 min
  5. 8 Billion Minds. Why Meditation Doesn't Work for Everyone (And What You Can Do About It)

    26 Apr

    8 Billion Minds. Why Meditation Doesn't Work for Everyone (And What You Can Do About It)

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven'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. DescriptionThis 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 TopicsWhy one meditation method will never work for eight billion different mindsThe night I hit rock bottom, and the kindness that started everythingReading As a Man Thinketh by James Allen, and why ten books saying the same thing is hard to ignoreNeuroplasticity, and how you can widen your road even if you can't change itADHD, dyslexia and finding ways to meditate when your mind refuses to be quietWhy 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 EpisodeSuzanne, 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. You keep this podcast advert free.

    23 min
  6. Demystifying Meditation: What You Need to Know

    18 Apr

    Demystifying Meditation: What You Need to Know

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven's courses, podcasts and links: stevenwebb.uk Back to Basics: Why Meditate?DescriptionYou'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 topicsWhy meditation matters in real life, not just on the cushionThe seven biggest myths about meditation, bustedThe gap between thought and reaction, and why it's the whole gameWhy little and often beats long and rareHow to know if your meditation practice is actually working Companion meditationInner 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 toSin, 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.

    30 min
  7. The Dignity of Being Tired: Give Yourself a Break

    11 Apr

    The Dignity of Being Tired: Give Yourself a Break

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven'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 bodyThe culture of celebrating exhaustion as proof of commitmentWhat happens in your brain during deep sleep and why rest mattersThich Nhat Hanh on how animals rest and heal without guiltPractical 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.

    16 min
  8. What Rises When You Stop Pushing

    5 Apr

    What Rises When You Stop Pushing

    Links to Steven Webb's podcast and how you can support his work. Donate paypal.me/stevenwebb or Coffee stevenwebb.ukSteven'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 springAlan Watts on waves and rhythm — the wave rises, crests, and falls, but the ocean never runs out of wavesJunpo 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 beforeA reference to Tony Hoagland's poem "The Color of the Sky" and the line about the end turning out to be the middleSteven's own recent hospital stay and what it clarified about renewalA 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 positiveYou're curious about Alan Watts, Zen philosophy, or contemplative ideas but want them grounded in real life, not theoryYou've been forcing yourself to recover, improve, or move on and it's not workingYou want a thoughtful Easter listen that goes deeper than chocolate eggsYou 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 wavePermission to stop forcing renewal and trust that some things return on their ownA felt sense of being spoken to honestly by someone who has been thereFresh ways into Watts, Suzuki, and Kelly that connect to everyday experienceThe 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

    21 min
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About

Stillness in the Storms brings a fresh voice to mindfulness - one that truly understands transformation comes not from escaping hardship, but finding peace within it. Join Steven Webb, a man who turned personal tragedy into an uplifting journey, as he reveals how to uncover inner calm and meaning in life's toughest moments. After a devastating diving accident left him severely paralyzed at 19 years old, Steven emerged with deep insights on resilience, presence, and living fully. Now, he shares those hard-won lessons to help you transform adversity into personal growth. Blending Zen Buddhism, Stoic philosophy, and his own story, Steven speaks to those struggling with grief, health challenges, burnout, and other storms we all face. Through relatable examples and practical wisdom, he makes mindfulness feel accessible - no retreat required. Inspirational yet down-to-earth, Steven will reframe how you approach life’s difficulties. You’ll gain tools to build courage, practice gratitude, release regret, manage stress, and unlock contentment - no matter what comes your way. Join the Stillness in the Storms community by subscribing and sharing your own journey. Help Steve keep these calming conversations flowing for everyone searching for inner peace in chaotic times. The storms of life do not define you. But with Steven’s guidance, you can find stillness and meaning within them. Are you ready to transform?

Information

  • Creator
    Steven Webb
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    169
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Steven Webb
  • Show Website
    Stillness in the Storms

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