A Sleep Podcast for
Performers & Creators
Taking you back to the words you love to perform.
In the press
About The Show
Sleepless Creatives was created by it’s founder, Florence, during lockdown in 2021.“I saw a lot of anxious actors, directors, writers and other creatives talking about how they felt like they were losing their spark for their job or losing hope for the industry, so I wanted to do something to help, even if it was small.
When I was training at Drama School, I really struggled with a lot of things in the rehearsal room, and I found that each director told us the same thing: ‘if you're feeling stuck, there's nothing wrong with going back to your script.'
And I really feel like that's something we can apply to our lives as people.”That's when the idea became solid: a sleep podcast centred on mental wellbeing in the Arts
Helping to bring them back to the script and back to the words they love.
Host & Founder
Florence St Leger
Florence is an award-nominated Actor, Voice Actor, and Writer from Bristol UK.
She trained at Fourth Monkey Actor Training Company in London, where she rediscovered her love for words, language, and the true beauty behind them.She is currently living and working as a Voice Actor in Yorkshire with her beloved rescue cat Teacake.Florence is Neurodivergent, Queer, and identifies as Non-Binary (She/They)Instagram, Bluesky & Linkedin: @florencestleger
Listen Now
All episodes are available to re-listen to whenever you like.
Full Episode Playlist
From Shakespeare & Bronte to Beatrix Potter, just press play and drift off.
About our Guest Reader Series
The Guest Reader Series
Something we launched in 2023 that very quickly became a fan favourite.
This limited series featured episodes in collaboration with professional Actors, Writers, and creators with a background in the Performing Arts, who took us on a journey through some of their favorite and most influential pieces of literature.
Guest Reader playlist on Spotify
In The Press
Read all about the podcast in newspapers, magazines, and online features.
Yorkshire Evening Post
‘The Story Behind Leeds' First Ever Sleep Podcast for Performers'
All Ages of Geek
‘The Story Behind Leeds' First Ever Sleep Podcast for Performers'
Online Articles
Sleepy Story Podcasts - Our Top 5
Tired of looking through endless sleep podcasts trying to find the perfect sound for your ears?We can be particular about the types of shows, themes and voices that help us sleep - so hopefully this article will make it just a bit easier to choose.
I’ve listed below 5 sleep podcasts featuring stories that cover a few different themes, with each one detailing who it’s for, the hosts reading qualities and a link to listen to the show, all to save you time and stress.
Short Summary
for people in the Performing Arts
for the whole family
for mindful original stories
for classic literature
for fantasy and folklore
1. Sleepless Creatives
Perfect for: Actors, theatre geeks, writers and book worms
Host: Florence St Leger
Host voice: young, soft, genuineA sleep podcast for performers and creators.
Each episode features a gentle reading of a piece of literature related to the performing arts, and the idea behind the niche is to bring creatives back to the script and back to the words they love to perform, relighting the spark of inspiration when they’re feeling lost.
The podcast also features a GuestOur favourite episode: Unveiling Carmilla: The Forgotten Mother of Vampire Literature
2. Dreamful Bedtime Stories
Perfect for: families, young listeners, mythology geeks
Host: Jordan Blair
Host voice: young, warm, gentle
If you want variety, then look no further.Dreamful is a bedtime story podcast perfect for the whole family.
Their episodes cover stories ranging from classic literature and short stories to fairytales and mythology from around the world.Our favourite episode: The Entangled Mermaid
3. Listen To Sleep
Perfect for: younger & older listeners, original stories
Host: Erik Ireland
Host voice: low, gravely, comfortingIf you want a podcast that gives you a ‘mountain grandpa reads you to sleep’ experience, look no further.
Erik records all of his episodes from his cabin in the hills of Northern California, surrounded by nature and away from the craziness of life.
This energy is reflected in every episode, where he lulls us to sleep with his original stories and meditations.Our favourite episode: The Remembering - A Bedtime Story About Coming Home
4. The Sleepy Bookshelf
Perfect for: adults, classic literature lovers, bookworms
Host: Elizabeth Grace
Host Voice: low, velvety, warmIf you’re a lover of the classics and crave simplicity and familiarity, then you’ll love The Sleepy Bookshelf.Elizabeth’s velvety voice can soothe even the most active minds before bed, with her genuine and emotional depiction of each character she reads, always capable of injecting drama into the scenes without it taking away the feeling of relaxation.Our favourite book: Anne of Green Gables
5. Sleep & Sorcery
Perfect for: D&D geeks, fantasy & folklore lovers
Host: Laurel Hostak Jones
Host Voice: low, youthful, soft
Another great one if you love guided stories with a fantasy theme.Sleep and Sorcery is a sleep series inspired by the host’s love of folklore and fantasy, and is part story, part visualization meditation.
There’s no limit to imagination here, each episode takes you on adventures through magical forests, cozy villages, and famous locations found in well-known myths and legends.Our favourite episode: Arcade of the Arcane | Urban Folklore Inspired Sleep Story
Do you work or train in the arts?We are a podcast for creative minds, designed to help you find solace after a long day and return to the words that inspire you.
New Listener? Here's our top 5 episodes
Are you an Actor who's had a long day? Perhaps a writer or an artist who's at the end of their tether.Whatever you do for a career, if you're new to Sleepless Creatives and don't know where to start, here are our top five recommendations to help you settle in.Ranging from fan favourites to episodes particularly beloved by our host, just click play and let us transport you to a world of relaxation where you'll hopefully find your inspiration renewed.
Short Summary
1. Carmilla
Category: Halloween, sapphic, gothicSink your teeth into this gothic novella about friendship, temptation and bloodlust.Published in 1872 and written by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Carilla is the first book of its kind featuring a female vampire and themes of sapphic romance.It predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by over 20 years, but remains the lesser-known story, despite being adapted into a few screen versions in recent years.
2. Don Quixote
Category: whimsical, classic, comical
If comedic whimsy is your thing, look no further than one of the most beloved classics of all time, written by the Spanish writer Miguel De Cervantes.This novel, published in 1605, tells the story of Don Quixote, an ailing yet energetic man determined to live out his final years as a Knight Errant, much like the tales of the heroes of yore found in his library.Adapted into films, plays and musicals, Don Quixote makes for an easy read and relaxing listen for both younger and older audiences alike.
3. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Category: spooky, Halloween, mysteryAlways a spooky favourite, Sleepy Hollow has made spines shiver since the American writer, Washington Irving, wrote it in 1820.It tells the story of Ichabod Crane, a harmless and romantic schoolteacher in the town of Sleepy Hollow, Massachusetts, who has a terrifying run-in with one of their most feared local spectres, the legendary Headless Horseman.A very well-known short story, Sleepy Hollow, has gone on to be adapted into many stage, film and animated productions, and is still an inspiration today.
4. Anne of Green Gables
Category: cosy, classic, heart-warmingAn episode from our exciting Guest Reader series, Voice Actor Sarah McPhee, reads us the first chapter of this timeless tale.Anne Shirley is a 9-year-old orphan, adopted by brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who take her to live at their farm, Green Gables.The chapters that follow take us through the years of Anne's life, from finding her feet and making friends as a child, to leaving home as a teenager.Sarah masterfully reads us the first chapter and takes us through her connection to the story, and who knows? Maybe we'll continue the book as a series.
5. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck
Category: nostalgia, easy-listening, cosyRaise your hand if you read Beatrix Potter growing up!I had (and still have) the whole set as a child, which my mum read to me almost every bedtime.Part of being a creative is taking inspiration from the stories we loved as children, and Jemima Puddle-Duck stands strong as a regular favourite among our listeners, so why not treat yourself to a bit of nostalgia?
Do you work or train in the arts?We are a podcast for creative minds, designed to help you find solace after a long day and return to the words that inspire you.
Get in Touch
General enquiries: [email protected]Production enquiries:
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