Podcasts · Health & Fitness · Fiction

Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep

Wellness Loud

300 episodes

Can’t sleep? You’re not alone—and there’s help. Nothing Much Happens is a bedtime story podcast beloved by millions. Yoga and meditation teacher Kathryn Nicolai tells soothing, cozy stories where—just as the title says—nothing much happens. That’s the magic. Instead of spiraling thoughts or anxious scrolling, you’ll be gently guided to a calm, comfortable place. Each episode is read twice, with a slower second telling to ease you into rest. Trusted by listeners for over seven years and streamed more than 180 million times, it’s a ritual of safety, comfort, and sleep. Subscribe to our Premium channel. The first month is on us. 💙 Find our bestselling book Nothing Much Happens in over 20 languages worldwide.

Episodes page 2 of 6

  1. The Lilac Booth, Part 1 (Encore)

    · 38 min · S17 E39

    Originally aired April 28, 2025 (Season 15, Episode 34) Our story tonight is called The Lilac Booth, Part 1, and it’s a story about a Spring morning at a familiar farm house. It’s also about bullfrogs and garden…

  2. Slightly More Happens - May Mischief

    · 1 h 25 min · S17 E38

    Our stories tonight feature a fan favorite character who has been known to get up to some gentle floral-related trouble. We’ll come along for a lilac heist in the countryside, then spend some time restoring an old…

  3. A Month of Sundays (Encore)

    · 29 min · S17 E37

    Originally Aired May 13, 2024 (Season 13, Episode 39) Our story tonight is called A Month of Sundays, and it’s a story about finding a way to make time for rest and enjoyment. It’s also about a tin box of recipe…

  4. The Wind Phone

    · 33 min · S17 E36

    Our story tonight is called The Wind Phone, and it’s a story about a gentle way to say what’s heavy on your heart. It’s also about wood chips and lilacs, a private spot protected by trees, and lifting a handset to set…

  5. Tiny House (Encore)

    · 32 min · S17 E35

    Originally aired April 14, 2025 (Season 15, Episode 30) Our story tonight is called Tiny House, and it’s a story about a snug small space to relax in. It’s also about impatiens for the flower bed, sunny days on the…

  6. April Showers

    · 33 min · S17 E34

    Our story tonight is called April Showers, and it’s a story about a cloudy day spent window shopping in the village. It’s also about the lovely sound the point of an umbrella makes against cobblestones, a bicycle ride…

  7. The Tulip Farm (Encore)

    · 38 min · S17 E33

    Originally Aired: April 18th, 2021 (Season 7 Episode 8) Our story tonight is called The Tulip Farm, and it’s a story about a bright spring day among beds of flowers. It’s also about a gift left at dawn, redwing…

  8. Late at the Library

    · 35 min · S17 E32

    Our story tonight is called Late at the Library, and it’s a story about an evening of study in a quiet spot. It’s also about pens and pencils, a story told on a felt board, hushed footsteps through the mezzanine, and…

  9. First Mow of the Year (Encore)

    · 34 min · S17 E31

    Originally aired April 29, 2024 (Season 13, Episode 35) Our story tonight is called First Mow of the Year, and it’s a story about a day of yard work as spring arrives in full. It’s also about pinecones and ladybugs, a…

  10. Slightly More Happens - April Adventures

    · 1 h 15 min · S17 E30

    Our stories tonight carry us into the bright days of Spring, with stories about time spent in gardens and neighborhood streets, enjoyable chores and small adventures, seeds and shovels, and the joy of growing sunlight.…

  11. Piano Lessons (Encore)

    · 32 min · S17 E29

    Originally aired April 15, 2024 (Season 13, Episode 31) Our story tonight is called Piano Lessons, and it’s a story about a well-loved upright piano and the boy who plays it. It’s also about a little cottage where ivy…

  12. Connect the Dots

    · 33 min · S17 E28

    Our story tonight is called Connect the Dots, and it’s a story about a moment carved out of the afternoon and a method to reorder a busy mind. It’s also about raindrops and a birdbath, a clear spot at the kitchen table…

  13. Toast and Marmalade (Encore)

    · 37 min · S17 E27

    Originally aired April 5, 2021 (Season 7, Episode 7) Our story tonight is called Toast and Marmalade, and it’s a story about the first few months of a lifelong friendship. It’s also about a collar with a bell on it,…

  14. Crayons and Grains of Sand

    · 35 min · S17 E26

    Our story tonight is called Crayons and Grains of Sand, and it’s a story about a quiet morning at home on the cusp of a new season. It’s also about a warm patch of sunlight on the wood floor, a clementine peeled in one…

  15. Rain on the Lake (Encore)

    · 32 min · S17 E25

    Originally aired March 24, 2025 (Season 15, Episode 24) Our story tonight is called Rain on the Lake, and it’s a story about a sudden arrival of drops and dark clouds on a spring afternoon. It’s also about a brooch in…

  16. Soap Bubbles and Sidewalks

    · 31 min · S17 E24

    Our story tonight is called Soap Bubbles and Sidewalks, and it’s a story about some spring cleaning done in the fresh air. It’s also about a curtain shifting near an open window, a hose and bucket, old CDs in the…

  17. Mudlarking on the River, Part 2 (Encore)

    · 29 min · S17 E23

    Originally aired March 11, 2024 (Season 13, Episode 21) Our story tonight is called Mudlarking on the River, Part 2, and it’s a story about a search for ordinary treasures in the sand on a bright spring morning. It’s…

  18. Slightly More Happens - March Mutts and Meows

    · 1 h 28 min · S17 E22

    Our stories tonight speak to the magic of the Inn on the lake, a secret space behind a hidden door, coffee cake and cat companions, getting to redo a formative moment with your present day heart and mind, music and…

  19. Mudlarking on the River, Part 1 (Encore)

    · 30 min · S17 E21

    Originally aired March 4, 2024 (Season 13, Episode 19) Our story tonight is called Mudlarking on the River, Part 1, and it’s a story about a sunny morning in early spring that inspires a walk along sandy banks. It’s…

  20. The Temperature Blanket

    · 34 min · S17 E20

    Our story tonight is called The Temperature Blanket, and it’s a story about a project inspired by a chance meeting and a yen to keep track of the days as they pass. It’s also about blank books and seashells, granny…

  21. Catnap (Encore)

    · 30 min · S17 E19

    Originally Aired: March 5th, 2023 (Season 11, Episode 10) Our story tonight is called Catnap and it’s a story about Marmalade the cat and Crumb the dog as they find ways to play through the winter. It’s also about a…

  22. Paczki Day at the Bakery

    · 36 min · S17 E18

    Our story tonight is called Paczki Day at the Bakery, and it’s a story about a bustling morning in a shop downtown. It’s also about rose hip jam and powdered sugar, wax paper and yearly traditions that have lasted for…

  23. Supper Club (Encore)

    · 33 min · S17 E17

    Originally Aired: February 14, 2022 (Season 9, Episode 7) Our story tonight is called Supper Club, and it’s a story about adventures in cooking and friendship. It’s also about less being more, a bubbling pandowdy, and…

  24. The Ducks in the Middle

    · 36 min · S17 E16

    Our story tonight is called The Ducks in the Middle, and it’s a story about a walk over snowy fields on a mid-winter day. It’s also about a collection of old watches in the back of the closet, stepping into a ray of…

  25. Little Harmonies (Encore)

    · 31 min · S17 E15

    Originally Aired: February 3, 2025 (Season 15, Episode 10) Our story tonight is called Little Harmonies, and it’s a story about small bits of ordinary magic that happen everyday. It’s also about new specials at the…

  26. Slightly More Happens - February Fun

    · 1 h 37 min · S17 E14

    Our stories tonight speak to the magic of the Inn on the Lake, a secret space behind a hidden door, coffee cake and cat companions, getting to redo a formative moment with your present-day heart and mind, music and…

  27. Keepsake (Encore)

    · 37 min · S17 E13

    Originally aired February 8, 2021, Season 7, Episode 3 Our story tonight is called Keepsake, and it’s a story about stepping back through time to remember a particular rainy day. It’s also about sunflowers, the things…

  28. The Valentine in the Drawer, Part 2

    · 37 min · S17 E12

    Our story tonight is called The Valentine in the Drawer, Part Two, and while it is connected to Part One, it is actually set long before the bit we heard last week. This is actually our first ever historical Nothing…

  29. The Greenhouse (Encore)

    · 32 min · S17 E11

    Originally presented February 12, 2024, Season 13 Episode 13 Our story tonight is called The Greenhouse, and it’s a story about flowers and vases, and the deep green scent of plants in a warm space in the winter. It’s…

  30. The Valentine in the Drawer, Part 1

    · 34 min · S17 E10

    Our story tonight is called The Valentine in the Drawer, and it’s a story about a lost missive waiting to be found. It’s also about icicles and second-hand furniture, a sunny window alcove, and a coffee cup ring on a…

  31. Sunny Skies (Encore)

    · 36 min · S17 E9

    Originally aired January 27, 2025, Season 15, Episode 8 Our story tonight is called Sunny Skies, and it’s a story about our little village of Nothing Much, stepping back into the light after a long winter storm. It’s…

  32. In For the Night

    · 36 min · S17 E8

    Our story tonight is called In For the Night, which is a special story I wrote for my first book many years ago, and it’s never been heard on the podcast before. It’s a story about a trip to a special shop in downtown…

  33. The Innkeeper's Blanket (Encore)

    · 31 min · S17 E7

    Originally presented January 23, 2023, as Episode 4 of Season 11 Our story tonight is called The Innkeeper’s Blanket, and it’s a story about a favorite hobby, rediscovered in the quiet of winter. It’s also about a…

  34. Slightly More Happens - January Delights

    · 1 h 17 min · S17 E6

    Our stories tonight lean into the winter season with tales of walks in the snow, time by the fire, thick blankets and hot drinks. If you’ve ever wished not so much to be warm as to be chilled first and then warmed with…

  35. The Solarium (Encore)

    · 36 min · S17 E5

    Originally Aired: January 10, 2022 (Season 9, Episode 2) Our story tonight is called The Solarium, and it’s a story about a sunny break in a cold month. It’s also about sweet-smelling citrus, a warm, bright place to…

  36. Return to the Chalet, Part 3

    · 37 min · S17 E4

    Our story tonight is called Return to the Chalet, Part 3, and it is, for now, the last in this series. It’s a story about a trek through the snow to the home of a friend, it’s also about French Toast and roasted…

  37. Window Weather (Encore)

    · 39 min · S17 E3

    Originally aired on January 6th, 2025 (Season 15, Episode 2) Our story tonight is called Window Weather, and it’s a story about the deep cold of mid-winter and calm cozy feeling of watching it from your window. It’s…

  38. Return to the Chalet, Part 2

    · 32 min · S17 E2

    Our story tonight is called Return to the Chalet, Part 2, and it’s picking up where Part 1 ended, at a little cabin at the foot of a snow-covered slope. It’s also about waking without an alarm and coffee by the fire,…

  39. Winter Getaway, Parts 1 - 3 (Encore)

    · 1 h 30 min · S17 E1

    Originally Presented as Episodes 1 - 3 of Season 11, January 2023. Our story tonight is called Winter Getaway, and it tells, from two perspectives, the tale of a snowy mountain, a warm cabin, and a meal shared between…

  40. Return to the Chalet, Part 1

    · 43 min · S16 E52

    Our story tonight is called Return to the Chalet, and it is a sort of "season two" of a fan-favorite series from a few winter’s back called Winter Getaway though you don’t need to listen to that three-parter to find…

  41. Game Night (Encore)

    · 37 min · S16 E51

    Originally presented as Season 6, Episode 13 (December 8, 2020) Our story tonight is called Game Night, and it’s a story about ringing in the New Year with friends around the kitchen table. It’s also about a memory of…

  42. Candlewalk

    · 35 min · S16 E50

    Our story tonight is called Candlewalk, and it's a story about a special Holiday tradition in downtown Nothing Much. It's also about tea lights and snow shovels, Christmas cookies, and cocoa, keeping warm in a thermos.…

  43. Out of the Cold (Encore)

    · 34 min · S16 E49

    Originally presented as Season 14, Episode 57 Our story tonight is called Out of the Cold, and it’s a story about a windy day and a place to warm up. It’s also about pine boughs and an open wrought iron gate, smoke…

  44. Merry Much Happens - 2025

    · 3 h 03 min · S16 E48

    Our stories tonight have been picked by the team that makes Nothing Much…Happen. They are stories of snowfall and market stalls draped with greenery, quiet moments at home and exciting new meetings, some comfort some…

  45. Mistletoe and Marmalade (Encore)

    · 31 min · S16 E47

    Originally presented as Season 12, Episode 39 Our story tonight is called Mistletoe and Marmalade, and it’s a story about decorating for the holidays with the whole family. It’s also about birds at the feeder,…

  46. Fogged Glasses and Felting Fibers

    · 37 min · S16 E46

    Our story tonight is called Fogged Glasses and Felting Fibers, and it’s a story about an evening spent working on a project among friends. It’s also about a tote bag full of spools of colored thread, the moon reflected…

  47. City Sidewalks (Encore)

    · 34 min · S16 E45

    Originally Aired: December 14th, 2020 (Season 6, Episode 12) Our story tonight is called City Sidewalks and it’s a story about an evening looking into shop windows filled with Holiday displays. It’s also about…

  48. Outside At Night, With My Dog

    · 29 min · S16 E44

    Our story tonight is called Outside at Night, with my Dog, and it’s a story that you might have read if you have my book, but has never appeared on the podcast before. I picked it to read for you this week in tribute…

  49. Thanksgiving at the Cabin (Encore)

    · 35 min · S16 E43

    Originally presented as Season 14, Episode 51 Our story tonight is called Thanksgiving at the Cabin, and it’s a story about a walk through the woods with a friend to start the day. It’s also about the sun on your…

  50. After Dinner

    · 34 min · S16 E42

    Our story tonight is called After Dinner, and it is the third part in a series featuring some favorite animals in the Village of Nothing Much. You could go back and listen to the previous two if you’ve missed them, but…

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