Welcome to the next in the Podcast Showcase series, where we share podcasts with you in the words of the podcasters themselves. This time, we talk to Be Calm on Ahway Island.
Sum up your podcast in three sentences
Be Calm on Ahway Island® podcast episodes feature a kid-friendly meditation followed by a calming, original story with a positive message. The imaginative world of Ahway Island is an inclusive place where our characters (kids, animals, vehicles, toys, and our beloved, mysterious Dragon!) learn about and celebrate each other’s differences.
Our stories teach children critical life skills such as mindfulness and self-regulation, and emphasize values such as kindness, acceptance, and gratitude, all while helping children relax and fall asleep.
Who is your ideal listener? Who loves your show?
Our show is primarily intended for children 3-10 years old. However, we’ve learned that children of all ages and abilities, as well as university students, adults, and even pets listen to our episodes to find calm and fall asleep.
We have listeners worldwide, including significant fanbases in the US (our home country), the United Kingdom and Ireland, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and India. We rank highly in our genre in South Korea, the Philippines, and the Middle East as well. We’ve just hit our 5 millionth download, so we’re very grateful that so many people throughout the world enjoy being calm on Ahway Island!
What made you start this podcast?
When we started this podcast in early 2017, there weren’t very many kids’ podcasts available, and almost none in our exact niche, which is programming that offers both meditation and bedtime stories.
With each episode, we want children to have a safe “place to go” regardless of their physical surroundings. In this safe place, children learn techniques for emotional regulation and mindfulness, and listen to a comforting but fun bedtime story with relatable characters who model positive behaviors and attitudes.
Over the years, the world of Ahway Island has grown to include a pantheon of characters, including a diverse group of children, differently abled animals, helpful vehicles and toys, and our signature Dragon character. Dragon is a loveable, curious, and child-like individual who communicates non-verbally. We want all children, regardless of their gender identity, physicality, abilities, or cultural or ethnic background to be able to identify with and relate to Dragon in whatever way that resonates with them.
What have you learned about your subject thanks to this podcast?
We’ve learned a lot about podcasting as an artform, as Be Calm on Ahway Island is the first and flagship show of our production company, Sheep Jam Productions. Regarding children’s programming, producing this podcast has reinforced for us how important it is for children to have tools and techniques available to them to manage their emotions, and for children to have relatable examples (such as our characters) who successfully use those tools and techniques.
It’s a stressful world, so we believe it’s a wonderful thing to empower children to be proactive in managing their own feelings. Children are indeed capable of taking a moment to be mindful and grateful and to just breathe — or as we like to say, “to take a deep Dragon Breath, in and out.”
It’s been humbling and very gratifying to hear from so many listeners that our episodes truly help kids (and even adults) stay calmer in their daily lives and to fall asleep more easily.
What has your experience of podcasting been? What do you love / hate about the process?
Podcasting is an enormously satisfying activity, and in our case, enormously labor intensive as well. As of this writing, we’re currently in pre-production on episode #576 of our show. We presently release 3 episodes per week: one for our public RSS feed, one exclusively for our Patreon supporters, and one re-release of a past episode. In the past, we’ve released up to 5 episodes per week.
We do all the production, publishing, and marketing in-house. Every one of our stories is carefully written to maintain continuity across our hundreds of episodes, dozens of locations, and nearly 350 characters. And it’s a careful balancing act to write a story that’s fun for kids and yet not so exciting that they can’t fall asleep after listening! We also want children to listen and learn about how our characters deal positively with challenges, without depicting situations that could be potentially stressful to young listeners who are trying to fall asleep.
We have an incredible team who truly love the podcast and its mission and who work very hard to convey inclusive messaging and positive learning moments in every story. We’re grateful to know that young listeners are using our Dragon Breaths in their everyday lives, and that our podcast has become a treasured bedtime tradition for so many families.
If someone wants to start listening to your podcast, which episode would you recommend they start with? Why?
Although we’ve built a whole world with recurring characters, we want listeners to relax and hopefully fall asleep right after an episode. All our episodes are complete stories by themselves, so they can be listened to in any order. We can always recommend listening to the newest episodes (released on Mondays and currently numbered in the mid-500s). A very popular recent episode is #528 (The Book of Music). We also recommend #470 (Sudden Snow) and #319 (Girl Power) – two of our biggest hits!
Which other podcasts do you love listening to?
Podcasts that feature strong storytelling & dynamic interviews!
If people want to find you online, where can they do so?
- https://ahwayisland.com
- https://www.facebook.com/ahwayisland/
- https://twitter.com/AhwayIsland
- https://www.instagram.com/ahwayisland/
- https://www.youtube.com/c/BeCalmonAhwayIsland
- https://www.patreon.com/ahwayisland
Read the rest of our Podcast Showcases here and find your new listening addiction from among our features!
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Image credit: Annie Spratt