Come Back To Earth | Music & Mental Health

J.D. Murgolo | Story House Studio
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

What does it cost to make music, and what does it give back? Come Back to Earth is a weekly music interview podcast where host J.D. Murgolo sits down with musicians and songwriters to explore mental health, creative survival, and the stories hidden behind the songs. We go beyond the stage to uncover the wounds, turning points, and hard-won hopes that shape an artist's life. Through honest conversations about the creative process, music and mental health, and what it means to keep going, this is a show where the music is the doorway — and the soul is the destination. Because the most important thing an artist makes isn't the record. It's the decision to come back to themselves.

  1. Aug 7

    Grace Palmer: The Song You Wrote on the Floor

    “Breathe” was written during one of the most difficult seasons of Grace Palmer's life, when her mother was in intensive care and the weight of uncertainty felt unbearable. After briefly escaping the heaviness on holiday, she returned home and crashed, sitting on her floor with a guitar and writing a five-minute song that would later become an anchor for others navigating anxiety and depression. Years later, after her mother passed away just days before Christmas, Grace wrote “By His Side,” a song about grief, faith, and the unbearable weight of loss and the hope that love doesn’t disappear. From using her inheritance to finally record her music at 39, to rejecting industry narratives about age and relevance, Grace shares a story of rebuilding choosing to create something meaningful out of what broke her. This is a conversation about collapse, courage, and the quiet decision to build anyway. Go backstage HERETheme music by: Lincoln Parish From the Studio This episode is part of Come Back To Earth, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance. Leave a voice message or reflection The Letterbox I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it. Email me at: storytellingpods@gmail.com Find the House Long-form writing and studio notes: https://story-house.beehiiv.com/Support this work: http://storyhousestudio.org/community Presence over persuasion. Consistency over frequency. http://storyhousestudio.org (00:00) - Grace Palmer (00:07) - OPENING MEMORY (00:35) - STANDARD INTRO (00:57) - EPISODE ORIENTATION (01:25) - Conversation With Grace Palmer (30:50) - CLOSING REFLECTION (31:34) - OUTRO

    Grace Palmer: The Song You Wrote on the Floor

  2. Jul 24

    Robin Vincent: Modular Synths, Hardware Culture & Why Building Sound by Hand Keeps Us Sane

    In this episode of Come Back to Earth, I reflect on the grounding power of having something small you can control — a dial, a cable, a circuit — when the rest of life feels unpredictable. I then sit down with music technology veteran and journalist Robin Vincent to talk about modular synthesis, hardware culture, and why building electronic music by hand keeps people curious, engaged, and sane. This conversation explores tactile creativity, community, and the difference between scrolling presets and crafting sound from scratch. It also asks a bigger question: In an era of instant generation, what do we lose — and what do we gain — when we stop building things ourselves? This is an episode about process, presence, and the quiet joy of plugging cables into possibility. Go backstage HERETheme music by: Lincoln Parish From the Studio This episode is part of Come Back To Earth, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance. Leave a voice message or reflection The Letterbox I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it. Email me at: storytellingpods@gmail.com Find the House Long-form writing and studio notes: https://story-house.beehiiv.com/Support this work: http://storyhousestudio.org/community Presence over persuasion. Consistency over frequency. http://storyhousestudio.org (00:00) - Robin Vincent (00:07) - Opening Memory (00:38) - Introduction (00:57) - Episode Orientation (01:25) - Interview with Robin Vincent (32:37) - Closing (33:36) - Outro

    Robin Vincent: Modular Synths, Hardware Culture & Why Building Sound by Hand Keeps Us Sane

  3. Jul 10

    Elle Indigo: From Poetry to Music

    Elle Indigo has been finding words for things most people leave unnamed. She started in poetry, the private kind, written for no one in particular. Then the words started needing music underneath them. And somewhere in that transition she discovered something about the difference between writing to process and writing to connect. This conversation goes into that space. The vulnerability of making something personal and then handing it to a room full of strangers. The way metaphor can say the thing you couldn't say directly. What it costs to stand on a stage with a song that came from somewhere real and trust that the audience will meet you there. Elle doesn't have it all figured out. That's what makes this worth listening to. --- From the Studio This episode is part of Come Back To Earth, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance. Leave a voice message or reflection The Letterbox I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it. Email me at: storytellingpods@gmail.com Find the House Long-form writing and studio notes: https://story-house.beehiiv.com/Support this work: http://storyhousestudio.org/community Presence over persuasion. Consistency over frequency. http://storyhousestudio.org

    Elle Indigo: From Poetry to Music

  4. Jun 26

    Brittney Jenkins: Bending Instead of Breaking — Generational Trauma, Identity & Healing Through Music

    Some stories don’t change. We do. In this episode, J.D. sits down with Brittney Jenkins to discuss her song 'Bend to Break' from her album 'Faultlines'. Brittney explores themes of identity, distance, generational trauma, and the power of reframing the past after growing up in a conservative North Carolina community and building a life in the UK. This conversation covers music as a tool for healing, the artist's creative process, and the strength required to bend instead of break. Key topics include:- Generational trauma and identity- Music and mental health- The creative process of songwriting- Healing through storytelling Go backstage HERETheme music by: Lincoln Parish --- From the Studio This episode is part of Come Back To Earth, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance. Leave a voice message or reflection The Letterbox I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it. Story House 370 Mallard Loop Dr.Clayton, NC 27527 Find the House Long-form writing and studio notes: https://story-house.beehiiv.com/Support this work: http://storyhousestudio.org/community Presence over persuasion. Consistency over frequency. http://storyhousestudio.org

    Brittney Jenkins: Bending Instead of Breaking — Generational Trauma, Identity & Healing Through Music

  5. Jun 12

    Joe McLeod: Songwriting Through Grief and the Weight of Becoming the Protector

    Grief doesn’t always arrive as tears. Sometimes it arrives as instinct, the sudden, sharp reflex to call someone who isn’t there anymore. I’m sitting down with Canadian folk-pop songwriter Joe McLeod to talk about his single, “ARROWS” the first release from his upcoming album TORN. Written over years of reflection following the loss of his father at age 22, “ARROWS” explores the weight of becoming the protector. From writing in solitude on an acoustic guitar to intimate house shows in Switzerland, this conversation explores loss not as a one-time event, but as a lifelong reshaping.  In This Episode: Navigating the loss of a parent in early adulthood.Understanding grief as an evolving process, not a destination.The journey of writing alone versus the energy of the studio.Creating a shared, present-moment refuge for the audience.Go backstage HERETheme music by: Lincoln Parish --- From the Studio This episode is part of Come Back To Earth, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance. Leave a voice message or reflection The Letterbox I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it. Story House 370 Mallard Loop Dr.Clayton, NC 27527 Find the House Long-form writing and studio notes: https://story-house.beehiiv.com/Support this work: http://storyhousestudio.org/community Presence over persuasion. Consistency over frequency. http://storyhousestudio.org

    Joe McLeod: Songwriting Through Grief and the Weight of Becoming the Protector

  6. May 29

    Emilie Thorsby: Songwriting, AI in Music, and the Human Touch

    Some songs are written during the day. Others are built in the quiet hours, when no one is watching, when exhaustion meets inspiration, and when something inside refuses to let you sleep. I’m joined by Danish pop artist Emilie Thorsby to talk about her single, “Late Night”—a vibrant celebration of hardworking musicians in an era increasingly shaped by AI and automation. From global radio play (including a surreal first spin in Uganda) to studio sessions fueled by disco beats and live saxophone, Emilie shares why she believes in breath over perfection and live performance over simulation. This is a conversation about the craft of songwriting, the ethics of AI in the music industry, and the simple truth that some things can’t be generated, they can only be lived. Go backstage HERETheme music by: Lincoln Parish --- From the Studio This episode is part of Come Back To Earth, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance. Leave a voice message or reflection The Letterbox I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it. Story House 370 Mallard Loop Dr.Clayton, NC 27527 Find the House Long-form writing and studio notes: https://story-house.beehiiv.com/Support this work: http://storyhousestudio.org/community Presence over persuasion. Consistency over frequency. http://storyhousestudio.org

    Emilie Thorsby: Songwriting, AI in Music, and the Human Touch

  7. May 15

    Lavender Fire: Songwriting as a Path to Self-Acceptance and LGBTQ+ Identity

    Some songs are written to be heard. Others are written to be seen. I’m joined by singer-songwriter Lavender Fire to discuss her debut album, From Shadows to Light. Her work is a four-year journey of reclaiming parts of herself and stepping fully into her identity. Built primarily around piano and voice, the album traces a profound arc from self-realization to radical self-acceptance. Connect with Lavender Fire HEREGo backstage HERETheme music by: Lincoln Parish --- From the Studio This episode is part of Come Back To Earth, produced by Story House. We believe story is a tool for meaning-making, not just performance. Leave a voice message or reflection The Letterbox I read every letter. If something in this episode landed for you, or raised something you're still sitting with, I'd love to hear it. Story House 370 Mallard Loop Dr.Clayton, NC 27527 Find the House Long-form writing and studio notes: https://story-house.beehiiv.com/Support this work: http://storyhousestudio.org/community Presence over persuasion. Consistency over frequency. http://storyhousestudio.org

    Lavender Fire: Songwriting as a Path to Self-Acceptance and LGBTQ+ Identity

  8. May 1

    Alex Loeb: The Courage of Direct Expression

    Growth isn’t always about finding a voice; often, it’s about the decision to stop softening the one you already have. Today, we sit with Germany-based artist Alex Loeb to explore the shift from genre-controlled narratives to the raw clarity of direct expression. Connect with Alex Loeb HEREGo backstage HERETheme music by: Lincoln Parish

    Alex Loeb: The Courage of Direct Expression
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What does it cost to make music, and what does it give back? Come Back to Earth is a weekly music interview podcast where host J.D. Murgolo sits down with musicians and songwriters to explore mental health, creative survival, and the stories hidden behind the songs. We go beyond the stage to uncover the wounds, turning points, and hard-won hopes that shape an artist's life. Through honest conversations about the creative process, music and mental health, and what it means to keep going, this is a show where the music is the doorway — and the soul is the destination. Because the most important thing an artist makes isn't the record. It's the decision to come back to themselves.

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