Stillness in the Storms cover art

Stillness in the Storms

Stillness in the Storms

By: Steven Webb
Listen for free

About this listen

 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?Steven Webb Hygiene & Healthy Living Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • "Is This All There Is?" Answering the Quiet Question in Your Heart

    "Is This All There Is?" Answering the Quiet Question in Your Heart
    Mar 15 2026
    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.ukEpisode DescriptionYou'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 EpisodeSteven 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 WebbTry This TodayNext 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 ThanksThis 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 WebbSteven 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.ukConnectWebsite: https://stevenwebb.ukListen, subscribe, and leave ...
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • When Letting Go Feels Impossible, Try This Instead

    When Letting Go Feels Impossible, Try This Instead
    Mar 6 2026

    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

    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.
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • Who Are You When No One Needs Anything?

    Who Are You When No One Needs Anything?
    Feb 26 2026

    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

    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.
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.