Steeped in Storytelling

Welcome to the final episode of Steeped in Storytelling season one. I’m your host, Sarah DeLong. Today we reflect on the arc of our season of sound, science, and storytelling; how we begin, how we build, and how we let go. We talk about endings and what they offer us: closure, integration, gratitude, expansion, movement, and transformation. 
 
Show Notes
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating and review, or share the link with a friend.
Steeped in Storytelling, Season 1, Episode 10 “The End: On Release, Integration & Expansion.” Hosted and Produced by DeLong Voiceover. Released 8 January 2026 via Podbean.
Some of the spaces I spent time in, researching for this episode: 
Frontiers in Neuroscience
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
ScienceDirect.com
NeuroscienceNews.com
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Wikipedia
My mindfulness space   
Sound Credits
Sound effects by freesound_community from Pixabay
Music by folk_acoustic from Pixabay

This is me in a deeply emotional moment while recording episode 10. It's an audio of me crying and utilizing my breath to regulate in a moment of overwhelm. As I was listening back to and editing the episode, I decided this audio needed to be shared in its own file. A year ago, I might not have been brave enough to share for fear of seeming weak and imperfect and messy and human. But I'm proud now. What a remarkable thing that I can witness myself feeling super intense things and processing it and getting through it.  
I always love watching and listening to outtakes. It shows how raw and real the creative process is. 
In episode 10, we reflect on the arc of our season of sound, science, and storytelling; how we begin, how we build, and how we let go. We talk about endings and what they offer us: closure, integration, gratitude, expansion, movement, and transformation. 

I always love watching bloopers and outtakes. And listening to them. It shows how raw and real the creative process is. 
This is me doing some of my warmups before recording episode 10! A silly funny way to get out of my head, into my body, and engaged in the moment. 
In episode 10, we reflect on the arc of our season of sound, science, and storytelling; how we begin, how we build, and how we let go. We talk about endings and what they offer us: closure, integration, gratitude, expansion, movement, and transformation. 

Welcome back to Steeped in Storytelling. I’m voiceover artist Sarah DeLong, and I love weaving connections between art and science. 
Today we’re venturing into the tangled garden of narrative ecosystems—how stories live, grow, cross-pollinate, and what happens when we start pruning for profit, predictability, or ease.
 
Show Notes
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating and review, or share the link with a friend.
Steeped in Storytelling, Season 1, Episode 9 “Page to Ecosystem: What We Lose When We Streamline and Standardize Stories.” Hosted and Produced by DeLong Voiceover. Released 25 December 2025 via Podbean.
Some of the spaces I spent time in, researching for this episode: 
Frontiers in Neuroscience
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
ScienceDirect.com
NeuroscienceNews.com
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Wikipedia
My garden  
Sound Credits
Sound effects by freesound_community from Pixabay
Music by folk_acoustic from Pixabay

This is some unused audio from episode 8! I recorded it once as a read-thru, before I decided to replace it with the current cozy sci-fi scene, Observation Deck Theta.  

Welcome back to Steeped in Storytelling, where each episode we reflect on the beauty of interweaving story, science, and sound.
I’m your host, voiceover artist Sarah DeLong. I come to the mic with experience as an integrative somatic facilitator (a mindfulness guide with training in anatomy, neuroscience, and cultural somatics), a public librarian (no, I didn’t get time to read at work—unless you count storytime), and, for a brief time, a chef. 
This episode we’re letting ourselves get cozy. We’re tucking in with tales that comfort, voices that soothe, and stories that offer shelter. And no, not every cozy story has to involve a kitchen; sometimes comfort sounds like building spreadsheets in a blanket fort or hexing your ex in a mossy cave.  
Today’s brew: a hot, spiced, freshly-pressed apple cider with ginger, cinnamon, and maybe a bit of bourbon. It’s up to you.
 
Show Notes
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating and review, or share the link with a friend.
Steeped in Storytelling, Season 1, Episode 8 “Stories as Shelter: Cozy Fiction & Sensory Joy.” Hosted and Produced by DeLong Voiceover. Released 11 December 2025 via Podbean.
Some of the spaces I spent time in, researching for this episode: 
My kitchen
A nearby coffee shop
My cozy reading nest 
Sound Credits
Sound effects by freesound_community from Pixabay
Music by folk_acoustic from Pixabay

Welcome back to Steeped in Storytelling, where every cup is a portal to the interconnected power of story, science, and sound.  
This is an episode about what's fading, how words change, and what we can choose to carry forward. Today we’re sipping a tisane full of berries, mint, rose, and hibiscus.
 
Show Notes
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating and review, or share the link with a friend.
Steeped in Storytelling, Season 1, Episode 7 “Crafting Meaning: Language Extinction & Revival.” Hosted and Produced by DeLong Voiceover. Released 27 November 2025 via Podbean.
Some of the spaces I spent time in, researching for this episode: 
Indigenous Corporate Training ictinc.ca 
youtube.com/@PuyallupTribalLanguage 
youtube.com/@NavajoGrandma 
aacimotaatiiyankwi.org 
tulaliplushootseed.com 
HowtoPronounce.com 
National Geographic
Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages 
Wikipedia
Hawai’i Public Radio 
Sound Credits
Sound effects by freesound_community from Pixabay
Music by folk_acoustic from Pixabay

Welcome back to Steeped in Storytelling, where we uncover the power of story, science, and sound. I’m so glad you’re here. In today’s episode, we’re getting into the very thing I use to speak to you now: the body. More specifically, the story our voice tells, not just through what we say, but how we say it. And how we sound like ourselves.
 
Show Notes
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating and review, or share the link with a friend.
Steeped in Storytelling, Season 1, Episode 6 “Stories of the Body: How to Sound Like Yourself.” Hosted and Produced by DeLong Voiceover. Released 13 November 2025 via Podbean.
Some of the spaces I spent time in, researching for this episode: 
Frontiers in Neuroscience 
National Institutes of Health 
National Library of Medicine 
Reviewing my coursework at somapsych.org 
Sound Credits
Sound effects by freesound_community from Pixabay
Music by folk_acoustic from Pixabay 

In this episode, we’re leaning into the magic of storytime, not just as entertainment, but as essential nourishment for growing brains, bodies, and bonds.
We’ll explore how stories shape development, offer regulation, and plant the seeds of identity. We’ll read a bit, play a bit, and remember the power of voices that wrapped us in safety.
Today’s brew is a childhood memory in a cup—light and effervescent tisane that smells like flowers—lavender and chamomile with a drop of peppermint. 
 
Show Notes
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating and review, or share the link with a friend.
Steeped in Storytelling, Season 1, Episode 5 “The Science of Storytime: Why Kids Need Narratives.” Hosted and Produced by DeLong Voiceover. Released 30 October 2025 via Podbean.
Some of the spaces I spent time in, researching for this episode: 
American Library Association 
American Academy of Pediatrics 
National Institutes of Health 
National Library of Medicine 
ScienceDirect.com
NeuroscienceNews.com
Wikipedia  
Sound Credits
Sound effects by freesound_community from Pixabay
Music by folk_acoustic from Pixabay 

Today’s cup is earthy, grounding, with a whisper of honeyed wood: ceylon with dried flowers and orange peel.  
 
Show Notes
If you enjoyed this episode and you’d like to help support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating and review, or share the link with a friend.
Steeped in Storytelling, Season 1, Episode 4 “Crafting Connection: Rhythm, Chorus & Repair.” Hosted and Produced by DeLong Voiceover. Released 16 October 2025 via Podbean.
Some of the spaces I spent time in, researching for this episode: 
My copy of Cognitive Neuroscience 4th Edition by Marie T. Banich and Rebecca J. Compton 
My collection of children’s picture books 
Frontiers in Neuroscience 
National Institutes of Health 
National Library of Medicine 
ScienceDirect.com
NeuroscienceNews.com
National Center for Biotechnology Information 
Wikipedia  
Sound Credits
Sound effects by freesound_community from Pixabay
Music by folk_acoustic from Pixabay