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Episodes 1 & 2 Companion
Compiled by Kia Kiso-Brennan | Convos about Conscious Media
What is Conscious Media you ask? It's not the easiest thing to describe, but you know it when you see it.
In Episode 1, I deliberately don't hand you a definition, because this one is alive and often debated. I walk through how the people and companies in this ecosystem define it: Gaia, Mindvalley, the Shift Network, Next Level Soul, and Oprah define it. All of them are right. And… they're all drawing a slightly different map of the same territory.
Mine, the one I've used for years: entertainment that creates awareness and has a positive impact. Media that represents the best of humanity and reveals solutions for what we want to change. Media that meets you where you are, and takes you a little farther down the continuum.
Conscious media Is either something you're familiar with or something you've never heard of before, but once that connection is made for you, the value of it is pretty clear. You’ll get hooked. But its a good kind of drug.
But don’t take my word for it.
Understand why you should care (the science section below). Get more conscious about what you’re choosing (start with the recommendations on this page). Watch intentionally. And then notice what happens.
—Kia
HOW TO USE THIS GIFT
Finding media that's life-affirming, creates awareness, and has a positive impact is often hard to do. You need to know what some good selections are.
Part 1: The titles. Hand-picked recommendations of fifty films, series, documentaries and podcasts, mapped into eight regions, each with a reason it's there.
To make good media decisions, you need to understand why it is important to know how media affects you and your world.
Part 2: The science. Six decades of peer-reviewed research on what media actually does to your body and your attention.
That’s why this gift was made for you.
In Episode 1, I named over 40 titles across some of the thematic regions of the conscious media map. I’ve listed those titles for you, all in one place.
Every film, series, documentary, and podcast recommended in Episode 1, organized by theme, or as we call them, regions on the map of the conscious media ecosystem.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. However, this is a good start.
Your watchlist begins here…
Walking the Camino 2013 · Documentary
Six pilgrims walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago and are changed by it.
Funny, tender, and it just might make you want to book a flight
P.S. My dear friend Lydia Smith directed this one. I did a whole Pick of the Week on it. youtube.com/shorts/6zcAWtrp0i4
Forrest Gump 1994 · Film
A simple man drifts through decades of American history and never stops loving.
Runs on pure heart, and somehow says something true about all of it.
P.S. Won Best Picture.
It's a Wonderful Life 1946 · Film
A discouraged man is shown what the world would be without him.
The original reminder that one ordinary life quietly holds everything up.
P.S. It underperformed on release. Took decades to become the thing it is.
Walking the Camino 2013 · Documentary
Six pilgrims walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago and are changed by it.
Funny, tender, and it just might make you want to book a flight
P.S. My dear friend Lydia Smith directed this one. I did a whole Pick of the Week on it. youtube.com/shorts/6zcAWtrp0i4
Forrest Gump 1994 · Film
A simple man drifts through decades of American history and never stops loving.
Runs on pure heart, and somehow says something true about all of it.
P.S. Won Best Picture.
It's a Wonderful Life 1946 · Film
A discouraged man is shown what the world would be without him.
The original reminder that one ordinary life quietly holds everything up.
P.S. It underperformed on release. Took decades to become the thing it is.
Soul Surfer 2011 · Film
A teen surfer loses her arm to a shark and finds her way back to the water.
A true story about faith that doesn't flinch when life gets hard.
P.S.
Whale Rider 2002 · Film
A Maori girl claims a leadership role tradition says is not hers.
Quiet, fierce, and it will get you right in the chest.
P.S. Keisha Castle-Hughes was thirteen and got an Oscar nomination.
Love on the Spectrum 2019 · TV series
Autistic adults navigate dating and connection with disarming honesty.
You will fall in love with every single person in it.
P.S.
Inspired to Ride 2015 · Documentary
Riders race self-supported across America on the first Trans Am Bike Race.
Endurance as a spiritual practice, one pedal stroke at a time.
P.S. I co-produced this one.
CODA 2021 · Film
Six pilgrims walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago and are changed by it.
A film about the road doing its slow work on people.
P.S. I did a whole Pick of the Week on this one. youtube.com/shorts/6zcAWtrp0i4
The Tree of Life 2011 · Film
LOGLINE
Less a plot than a prayer; let it wash over you.
P.S. Not a half-watching film. Give it the room.
Wonder 2017 · Film
LOGLINE
Choose kind, and then go ahead and cry about it.
P.S.
Baraka 1992 · Documentary
LOGLINE
A wordless, awe-soaked tour of being alive on this planet.
P.S. No narration at all. That is the point, not an omission.
Between the Mountain and the Sky 2025 · Documentary
LOGLINE
Maggie Doyne, a young woman from New Jersey, adopts fifty Nepali children, and her heartbreak emboldens a movement.
P.S. Executive produced by the Duplass Brothers, and an Oscar contender.
Groundhog Day 1993 · Film
LOGLINE
The most re-watched spiritual text in America, disguised as a comedy.
P.S. Written by Danny Rubin, my screenwriting instructor.
The Mindfulness Movie 2020 · Documentary
LOGLINE
A gentle on-ramp to why slowing down actually changes you.
P.S.
The Secret 2006 · Documentary
LOGLINE
Love it or argue with it, it started a lot of conversations.
P.S. Rev. Michael Beckwith is in this one. It launched a worldwide phenomenon.
Aware: Glimpses of Consciousness 2021 · Documentary
LOGLINE
Where hard science and deep practice actually meet.
P.S.
The Matrix 1999 · Film
LOGLINE
The action movie that smuggled in a philosophy seminar.
P.S. Won four Oscars.
“If my thoughts create my reality, does our entertainment collectively create our world?”
From Episode 1
Inside Out 2015 · Film
LOGLINE
The best explanation of feelings ever made, for any age.
P.S. Won Best Animated Feature.
Peaceful Warrior 2006 · Film
LOGLINE
A gymnast, a mysterious mentor, and one instruction that sticks: take out the trash of the mind.
P.S.
Eat, Pray, Love 2010 · Film
LOGLINE
Permission to go looking for yourself, plus really good pasta.
P.S.
Highest Pass 2012 · Documentary
LOGLINE
Facing fear at 18,000 feet as a literal spiritual practice.
P.S.
My Dinner with Andre 1981 · Film
LOGLINE
Just two people and a table, and somehow it is riveting.
P.S. Wallace Shawn and André Gregory, playing versions of themselves.
Ted Lasso 2020 · TV series
LOGLINE
Relentless kindness disguised as a soccer comedy.
P.S.
Heroes 2006 · TV series
LOGLINE
Save the cheerleader, save the world; comfort-watch sci-fi.
P.S. The first season is the one.
What the Bleep Do We Know!? 2004 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Ghost 1990 · Film
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
What Dreams May Come 1998 · Film
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Somewhere in Time 1980 · Film
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Waking Life 2001 · Film
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Wolf’s Message 2025 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
My Old Ass 2024 · Film
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Touch 2012 · TV Series
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
The Good Place 2016 · TV Series
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
The Telepathy Tapes 2024 · Podcast
LOGLINE
WHY
Check it out. Episode 10 is killer.
“There’s no wrong place to be on [the spectrum of media you watch]. This is not a ladder to be better at the top, for the better people.”
From Episode 1
May I Be Frank? 2010 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Source 2024 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Heal 2017 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Rescued Hearts 2025 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Fantastic Fungi 2019 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Winged Migration 2001 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Common Ground 2023 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
The Big Blue 1988 · Film
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Mile... Mile and a Half 2013 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Spiritual Liberation 2008 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
You Can Heal Your Life 2007 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Dying to Know 2014 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
Awake: the Life of Yogananda 2014 · Documentary
LOGLINE
WHY
P.S.
“Watch intentionally and notice what happens.”
From Episode 1
Episode 2 covers the science of how media affects us.
[summary of episode 2]
Below is every study I referenced, organized by topic, with the key finding and a link to the source. Save this page, share it, come back to it. This is the research that greatly improved how I watch what I watch.
STUDY
The Mobile Internet Study
75% of participants who blocked mobile internet on their smartphones for two weeks reported improved well-being. 68% reported improved mental health. Nearly 60% showed improvements in sustained attention. The attention gain was equivalent to reversing about 10 years of age-related decline.
Castelo, N., Kushlev, K., Ward, A., Esterman, M., & Reiner, P. (2025). Blocking mobile internet on smartphones improves sustained attention, mental health, and subjective well-being. PNAS Nexus, 4(2).
THEORY
Cultivation Theory
People who watch large quantities of television develop a worldview shaped by what they see on screen. Heavy viewers of violent content are more likely to believe the world is more hostile and dangerous than it actually is. The effect is small but consistent across decades of research, and it holds even when controlling for age, gender, education, and reading habits.
Gerbner, G., & Gross, L. (1976). Living with Television: The Violence Profile. Journal of Communication, 26(2), 172-194.
THEORY
Mean World Syndrome
A specific effect of cultivation: heavy consumers of violence-related media develop increased levels of fear, anxiety, pessimism, distrust, and a heightened sense of insecurity. Viewers do not need to believe what they're watching is real. The cumulative weight of violent imagery over time shifts how they perceive the world.
Gerbner, G. (1980). The "Mainstreaming" of America: Violence Profile No. 11. Journal of Communication, 30(3), 10-29. See also: Shrum, L.J. (2017). Cultivation Theory: Effects and Underlying Processes. The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects, Wiley-Blackwell.
THEORY
Media Exposure and the Boston Marathon Bombings
A specific effect of cultivation: heavy consumers of violence-related media develop increased levels of fear, anxiety, pessimism, distrust, and a heightened sense of insecurity. Viewers do not need to believe what they're watching is real. The cumulative weight of violent imagery over time shifts how they perceive the world.
Gerbner, G. (1980). The "Mainstreaming" of America: Violence Profile No. 11. Journal of Communication, 30(3), 10-29. See also: Shrum, L.J. (2017). Cultivation Theory: Effects and Underlying Processes. The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects, Wiley-Blackwell.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paper"Your brain doesn't know the difference between watching something happen and having it happen to you."
From Episode 2
Study
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Study
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Study Title Here
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paperStudy
Self-Selected Inspiring Content
Description of the study goes here — what was tested, what was found, and why it matters.
Author, A. B. (Year). Title of paper. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
Read the paper"You are what you watch. The research says so. And that's not a warning. It's an invitation."
From Episode 2
Hear how all of this research connects, and why it changed how I watch what I watch.
I'm building something for people who care about what they watch. YOUR ANSWERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I read every response personally. No obligation, opt out at any time.
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