What does it mean to live with dignity, devotion, and deep reverence for life?

In this episode of One Song One Story, I’m joined by Blagomira Kostova, speaking to us from the Sacred Valley in Peru, where nature, ritual, and presence are woven into everyday life.

Blagomira is a plant medicine facilitator, preparation and integration coach, and mindfulness guide. In our conversation, we explore what it really means to walk the inward path with humility and bravery, and why healing is less about becoming someone new and more about remembering who you already are.

Her song choice is a prayer more than a track.

🎶 Solo Dios Sabe Si Vuelvo by Coral Rojo

A song about the red road of the heart, the elements, the sacredness of water, and the radical truth that death dances beside us, not as fear, but as a reminder to live fully.

We talk about:

• Indigenous wisdom and the relationship to nature

• Plant medicine, dignity, and personal power

• Creativity as devotion, not performance

• Vision quest, silence, and the discipline of presence

• Water as a bringer of life

• How a song becomes prayer when you stop thinking and start feeling

This episode is grounding, poetic, and deeply human.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to slow down, reconnect, and remember what matters, this one will land.

00:00 Intro: dignity, devotion, remembering our place in nature
00:58 Welcome Blagomira in the Sacred Valley, Peru
01:31 If today was a song: Just a Perfect Day
02:14 Speaking to the mountains and relating to nature as alive
03:48 Indigenous relationship with nature and offerings
05:00 Shubeeh’s connector song: Dignity by Deacon Blue
06:11 “Bring some dignity to your posture” memory
06:51 Blagomira’s work: plant medicine, mindfulness, empowerment
09:09 Bond between facilitators and retreat guests
10:16 Creativity through hands: ukulele, embroidery, writing
11:20 Creativity as presence in everyday life
12:20 Ukulele journey and learning to sing with it
13:13 Dignity in action and washing the dishes as art
14:09 Human spirit, healing circles, shared stories
15:36 Shipibo lineage and uninterrupted healing traditions
17:20 Songs gifted by plants and indigenous healing music
18:15 Indigenous threads: relationship to nature
19:07 Plant diets in the jungle and walking the inward path
20:59 Only you can access your internal landscape
22:10 The red road, bravery, and the sacred hoop
23:12 Early music memories: Italian estrada to punk
25:13 Hardcore music and raw nature forces
26:15 Rhythm of life and humbleness in discomfort
29:11 Introducing the song
29:57 Song reveal: Solo Dios Sabe Si Vuelvo by Coral Rojo
30:51 Synchronicity and “the great mystery”
32:26 First hearing the song before a vision quest
33:56 Camino Rojo and “only God knows if I return”
35:34 “Full of joy, death dances by my side”
38:21 Vision quest: four days and four nights, no food or water
41:36 Mental purge, then silence and presence
42:56 Sweat lodge, hydration, and receiving water again
44:07 “We no longer sing to you water” line and tears
46:40 The red road as hero’s journey and inner bravery
50:14 Singing as prayer and finding your voice
53:52 How the song now lives in the body
56:26 What the song choice says about Blagomira
59:35 “Change your project of death with the project for life”
1:01:18 Closing reflections and harmony with self
1:03:30 Where to find Blagomira and Soltara
1:06:17 Final goodbye

What if one small step could change the entire direction of your life?

In this episode of One Song One Story, I’m joined by Deb Van Schaack, calling in from Bisbee, Arizona, for a conversation about courage, kindness, and trusting the path as it unfolds.

Deb shares the song that became a quiet companion during her 2,000 mile walk across the Appalachian Trail. A journey that began with a single intention and unfolded one step at a time.

We talk about setting goals later in life, listening for the moments when music finds you exactly when you need it, and the powerful realisation that nothing is fixed, your story is still being written.

At its heart, this is a conversation about possibility. About choosing movement over fear. And about the songs that remind us that the ending is never decided.

If you’ve ever wondered if it’s too late to begin again, this one might stay with you.

🎵 Song featured: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

00:00 Welcome to One Song One Story
00:55 Meeting Deb and setting the tone
02:00 Kindness, community, and everyday music
03:55 A song that connects us
05:30 How Deb fell in love with walking
08:10 Deciding to hike the Appalachian Trail
09:00 2,185 miles across 14 states
10:00 Age, goals, and proving what’s possible
11:15 From endurance hiking to “diva hiking”
12:45 Early memories of music
14:00 Broadway, bluegrass, and evolving taste
15:45 Music as a daily companion
18:20 Introducing the song choice
18:40 Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
20:00 The moment the song found her on the trail
22:30 Why the lyrics hit so deeply
24:40 Music as motivation and medicine
26:20 When songs arrive exactly on time
27:20 How the song’s meaning has stayed simple
28:30 Freedom, change, and rewriting your story
30:15 Dream cover versions of the song
32:00 Looking back on the journey
33:35 What’s next for Deb
34:20 Closing reflections

⏱️ Episode Chapters

What happens when a song feels less like music… and more like a spiritual experience?In this episode of One Song One Story, I’m joined by Dr Gareth Palmer: therapist, musician, artist, and someone who has played a quiet but meaningful role in my own creative journey. Together we explore creativity, discipline, therapy, and the strange way a single song can carry deeper meaning across decades.Gareth brings a track that isn’t just about lyrics or melody. It’s about seeking, transcendence, and those rare moments that arrive without warning. No method. No teacher. No guru.🎶 Song Choice: In the Garden by Van Morrison(From the album No Guru No Method No Teacher)We talk about:Hearing this song for the first time on cassette in the 1980sWhy the music hit before the lyrics made senseJung, creativity, purpose, and the need to keep making thingsSpirituality that feels grounded, not performativeHow songs change as we changeWhy some art can’t be improved, covered, or explainedIf you’ve ever heard a song that bypassed your brain and went straight to something deeper, this episode will land.🎧 Subscribe for more episodes exploring music, memory, identity, and the stories hidden inside the songs we love.00:00 Welcome to One Song One Story00:12 Intro to the episode and Dr Gareth Palmer01:06 Gareth’s morning routine and “if your day was a song”01:54 Today’s vibe: “Resolve” by Röyksopp02:38 A song that connects host and guest03:08 Shubeeh shares his song “One Way Fare” and therapy connection05:11 Gareth on writing songs in his head and early songwriting06:43 Shubeeh’s piano journey and writing without distractions08:20 Do therapists play music in sessions08:52 Gareth’s unexpected connector song: Ernie the Fastest Milkman in the West11:04 Gareth’s creative life: music, art, and therapy12:25 The Nice Fish band and writing hundreds of songs13:28 PhD years, freedom, golf, and creativity15:18 Purpose, work ethic, and stepping away from Instagram16:22 Using art to support therapy and insight18:02 Sitcoms, humour, and cheering yourself up20:16 Song reveal: In the Garden by Van Morrison20:54 Van Morrison as seeker and spiritual artist22:15 Creativity, ageing, and the need to keep going25:28 Alternate song choice: Public Service Broadcasting (Race for Space)27:25 First time hearing In the Garden on cassette28:44 Why the song hit so hard emotionally30:37 Lyrics vs music and how meaning evolves31:42 From love song to spiritual encounter32:40 No guru, no method, no teacher and the idea of transcendence33:38 Effortless craft and envy of artistic flow34:46 Van Morrison’s career, freedom, and experimentation36:05 Gareth’s spiritual journey and Jung38:26 Gareth’s creativity as constant motion40:06 Losing old work, not looking back, always making the next thing41:22 Rehearing the song decades later with new understanding42:19 Transcendence arrives without instruction43:49 Shubeeh’s deep dive and what the song unlocked for him45:54 Nostalgia, vinyl culture, and listening to new music48:29 First gigs and Pink Floyd memories51:03 Who should cover this song (and why nobody should)53:55 Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin, and when covers work56:05 What the song choice says about Gareth57:02 Where to find Gareth: menshouldtalk.com57:28 Closing