We envisioned kicking off a new season of Slow Stories on a different note, but as we all know, the widespread tragedy caused by COVID-19 has forced us to slow down in more ways than one. Still, we wanted to think about the most effective way to contribute to an ever-evolving, noisy landscape that has spread uncertainty to every corner of the globe — our answer: storytelling.

If you’ve listened to past episodes of Slow Stories, you might be aware that we begin each episode with a "slow story" contributed by a member of our community. These stories have inspired each of our contributors to "stop in their scroll" or slow down and unplug. In light of everything that’s happening in the world today, we couldn’t be more proud to kick off a new season of Slow Stories then by resharing some of these stories along with a few new voices in this special segment.

In this episode, you'll hear slow and soul stories that members of our community return to not only when looking to slow down, but when seeking out happiness and peace.

A special thank you to our newest contributors: Ali Alquiza, Larissa May, Alexandra Fine, Stef Etow, Natalie Skoblow, Grace Lee, Ash Souza, and Chelsea Nicholson.