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

What if one song could become your anchor in the darkest hours?

In this episode of One Song One Story, I’m joined by Colleen Grimshaw for a powerful conversation about fear, resilience, and the kind of strength you discover when life gives you no choice but to find it.

Colleen shares how Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia became her soundtrack during the early days of a breast cancer diagnosis. When nights felt long, the future felt uncertain, and even the thought of an MRI brought her to the edge of panic, this song became her steady ground.

Not just because of the words, but because of the energy in Sia’s voice. The feeling of being held. The reminder that even if life knocks you down, you can get back up.

This episode explores:

• The shock and denial of diagnosis

• How fear changes at night when everything feels louder

• Music as a mantra when reassurance doesn’t reach

• Learning to advocate for yourself

• Finding strength without letting everyone around you see the fear

• Why some songs become part of who we are

If you’ve ever needed something to hold onto when everything felt uncertain, this story will stay with you.

🎶 Song featured: Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia

00:00 Intro: resilience, fear, and finding strength through music
01:01 Welcome Colleen in Florida
01:50 If today was a song
03:30 How Colleen knows Jim Farfaglia
05:26 Early music memories and dancing as a child
06:58 Teen years listening: Moody Blues, Carole King, James Taylor
08:33 Music today: dancing, family, and grandkids
09:42 Sabrina Carpenter, K pop, Taylor Swift and modern listening
12:21 Setting the premise of the show
13:11 Song reveal: Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia
14:37 Hearing Titanium for the first time in the car
15:54 Early days of diagnosis and why the lyrics hit
16:32 Strength, energy, and Sia’s voice
17:42 Why Colleen avoided the music video
18:41 Breast cancer diagnosis on her anniversary
19:45 Fear, uncertainty, and claustrophobia before MRI
20:00 Playing Titanium on repeat through panic at night
21:36 Feeling empowered and believing she could be “titanium”
22:34 The pressure of being strong for family
23:25 Loneliness at night and the song as an anchor
24:10 Using Titanium again during a recent cancer scare
25:22 Physical reaction to the song and singing it loudly
26:16 Surgery, mastectomy, reconstruction, and recovery
27:40 Different treatment path and healing over time
28:09 Reaching ten years and what the song means now
30:01 Strength becoming affirmation and pride
31:09 The shock of a new scare before Christmas
32:03 Taking control, researching, and advocating for herself
33:21 The difference between the first diagnosis and now
34:55 Who is “you” in “you shoot me down”?
36:48 What the song gave her that she couldn’t share with others
39:20 Advice for others facing breast cancer
41:33 Relief, gratitude, and closing reflections
42:10 Final goodbye

In this episode of One Song One Story, I’m joined by my friend Hannah Bergin – a dancer, creative, and someone whose relationship with music lives deeply in the body.

We talk about movement as memory, music as something you feel rather than think, and what it’s like growing up in a house where everyone seems to be accidentally singing the same song in different rooms.

Hannah shares the track that’s been with her since she was just three years old – a song that didn’t just soundtrack her childhood, but quietly shaped how she moves, listens, and expresses herself in the world today.

This is a conversation about embodied memory, early musical imprinting, and the way certain songs stay with us long before we have language for why.

If you’ve ever felt music in your bones before you understood it in your head, this one’s for you.

00:00 – Welcome to One Song One Story
01:00 – Introducing Hannah Bergin
02:10 – Music that lives in the body
04:30 – Growing up in a house full of shared songs
07:15 – Movement as memory
10:40 – The song Hannah has loved since she was three
14:20 – How early music shapes who we become
18:30 – Listening with the body, not the mind
22:10 – Why some songs never leave us
26:00 – Reflections on music, memory, and identity
29:30 – Final thoughts and closing

Most of us have an old version of ourselves we secretly miss.Not because life was perfect back then.But because we were lighter. Less aware. Less shaped by everything that came after.In this episode of One Song One Story, I sit down with Nora, a Nashville based songwriter, to talk about nostalgia, growth, and the emotional chaos of becoming yourself.Her song choice is:🎶 Dangerous Levels of Introspection by JP SaxeIt opens up a real conversation about:Missing your old self while still being proud of who you are nowThe difference between self awareness and overthinkingWhy introspection can feel comforting and exhausting at the same timeHow songwriting becomes therapy without trying to be therapyTaking the riskier path when the safe option is right thereIf you’ve ever felt stuck inside your own thoughts, or caught yourself romanticising a past chapter, this is for you.👇 Comment your “nostalgia song” below.The track that instantly takes you back to an old version of you.00:00 Intro01:05 Welcome and meeting Nora03:10 Nora’s background and becoming a songwriter06:10 Music as emotional processing08:40 Today’s song reveal09:20 Dangerous Levels of Introspection by JP Saxe11:30 Why this song hit Nora so hard14:05 Missing your younger self vs outgrowing her17:10 When introspection becomes overthinking20:05 Nostalgia, tenderness, and self compassion23:30 Choosing the brave path over the safe one27:10 What this song means now vs when she first heard it30:05 Final reflections and what Nora hopes listeners take away32:00 Where to find Nora and closing

In this radiant and heart-opening episode of One Song, One Story, Shub sits down with his friend and creative inspiration Marc-John Brown — a coach, medicine man, activist, and father — to explore the power of rhythm, voice, and the universal language of music.

Marc-John brings the timeless “Chan Chan” by Buena Vista Social Club, a song that changed the course of his life. What begins as a nostalgic trip to Buenos Aires at age 19 — a sunny day, a sweet coffee, a drifting breeze, and that hypnotic Cuban rhythm — unfolds into a story of identity, ancestry, and soulful connection.

Together they explore:
🌎 The roots of world music and how Afro-Cuban rhythm connects continents and cultures
🪘 Music as resistance — and why beauty often blooms in hardship
🎶 The role of sound in healing, ceremony, and family life
👨‍👩‍👧 How “Chan Chan” became the soundtrack of a household — from washing dishes to bedtime singalongs

Marc-John’s reflections ripple across creativity, spirituality, and love — from discovering rhythm on a metal sink to playing percussion on a Malaysian beach. It’s a conversation about belonging, resilience, and the music that keeps us alive.

Hit play, pour a coffee, and feel the warmth.
Because sometimes the world’s most powerful songs don’t just move you — they become part of your story.

00:00 Introduction and Connection03:28 The Role of Creativity in Life05:47 Exploring Musical Influences08:31 Rhythm and Personal Experiences11:04 The Evolution of Musical Tastes13:41 The Essence of Folk Music16:38 World Music and Cultural Identity19:13 Music's Role in Daily Life21:54 Introducing the Song: El Chan Chan24:23 The Story Behind El Chan Chan27:52 The Indescribable Connection to Music31:21 Music as a Symbol of Resistance33:04 Personal Journey Through Music35:34 The Evolution of a Song's Meaning36:31 Family and Music: A Daily Ritual41:10 Cuban Folklore and Cultural Connection43:39 The Deeper Meaning of the Song45:12 Symbolism and Personal Reflection48:28 Imagining a Cover of the Song49:04 Final Reflections and Connections51:22 Riverside Intro : Outro.mp4

In this deeply personal and beautifully nostalgic episode, Shub from North of Normal sits down with music lover and self-confessed audio nerd Alex Baker — a man with over 2,000 records, a dream of running a “listening bar,” and a lifelong connection to sound.

Alex shares the story behind his song choice: “Have You Heard” by Pat Metheny Group — the tune that first made him cry at ten years old and still moves him decades later. What begins as a simple childhood memory turns into a touching reflection on family, emotion, and the strange power of music to hold us through life’s chaos.

Together, Shub and Alex explore:
🎧 The lost art of listening — from hi-fi systems to headphone rituals
🎵 How a single song can become a comfort blanket through the years
🕊 Why music often says what words can’t — and why that’s enough

It’s a soulful dive into jazz, nostalgia, and the frequencies that make us feel alive.
If you haven’t heard the song yet, pause, listen to “Have You Heard” by Pat Metheny Group, and then come back. You’ll hear this conversation in a whole new way.

00:00 Introduction and Connection Through Music

03:00 Personal Journeys and Reflections on Recovery

05:58 Creativity and the Impact of Parenthood

08:39 The Art of Listening and Audio Quality

11:26 Musical Background and Influences

14:13 Early Musical Memories and Tastes

22:29 Vinyl Culture and Record Collections

24:25 Song Choice and Personal Connection

24:47 The Emotional Connection to Music

29:19 Memories and Music: A Personal Journey

35:06 The Power of Music in Emotional Moments

37:20 Exploring the Impact of a Song

42:17 The Comfort of Familiar Tunes

46:29 Imagining Covers and New Interpretations

50:50 Riverside Intro : Outro.mp4