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“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 HERE
Theme music by: Lincoln Parish
Go backstage HERE
Theme 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.
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
Creators and Guests
What is Come Back To Earth | Music & Mental Health?
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.
[00:00:00] Every story begins somewhere. This one begins with Story House Studios.
OPENING MEMORY
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There's a moment after crisis when everything finally stops moving, and that's when it hits. You held it together. You made the phone calls. You showed up. And then one day, you're sitting on the floor, not dramatic, just empty. Sometimes that's where the truest songs begin. That's where this episode begins
STANDARD INTRO
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This is Come Back to Earth, a show at the intersection of music and mental health from Story House Studios.
I'm JD, the storytelling alchemist, and each episode is an invitation to return to the stories, wounds, and hopes behind the songs
EPISODE ORIENTATION
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When I sat down with Grace Palmer, what struck [00:01:00] me wasn't just the grief, it was the rebuilding. After her mother passed away, and after her relationship fell apart under the weight of it, Grace took the three thousand pounds her mother left her and chose to record the songs that she'd carried for decades.
Not for trend, not for timing, but as tribute
Conversation With Grace Palmer
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I'm Grace Palmer, and I'm in the UK. I'm in Birmingham, right in the center of, of the UK. And I started writing songs probably when I was five or six, to be honest. And I used to carry around a little notebook with me. And I carried on writing them for, probably started again when I was about thir- in my 30s, and I wrote quite a few songs.
And then I just, I never really considered getting them recorded. Yeah. So I ended up about, um So I'll kind [00:02:00] of just carry on Yeah, absolutely. You're good My intro's the whole podcast. So yeah, I ended up having just, like, a collection of things that I'd written and been working on for fun. And then about four years ago, um, my mom passed away, which is obviously awful.
Yeah. Anyone that's lost a parent knows that it's just incredibly painful. And after that... Oh, thanks, Reg. For any listeners, that's my dog just giving me a hug 'cause I'm sad. You got this, Mom. You got this. And, um, at the time I was engaged, and then his dad passed away as- three weeks after my mom's funeral.
It's just, it was really hard, and I'm not saying that we wouldn't have maybe broken up anyway. Like, nobody knows, do they? Sure, sure. It could have gone that way anyway, and it may not have done. It might have been all the stress and the grief and everything. So [00:03:00] we ended up breaking up a few months later.
And when my mom had passed away, my dad has said there was a bank account that there wasn't a lot in there but, but there was about three grand. And so he wanted to give it to me, you know, from Mom for my wedding. But then obviously that wasn't gonna happen. Well, yeah. So that wasn't gonna happen. So after, like, we'd had this breakup, it was really, it was quite turmoil.
I think I'd got made redundant that year as well. Like, it just everything- Everything, yeah ... it's, it's life, isn't it? That's what happens. Like, everything- Your int- your internal landscape just gets, like, completely uh, wi- like, wiped out, yeah. Yeah. So it must've been, like, a while after that, maybe, maybe six to nine months after the breakup, that I sat there and I thought, "What am I gonna do with this money?"
Because it's not a lot of money. It's not 50 grand or 100 grand that you, you know. Right. But it's something, yeah. But it's [00:04:00] the amount that you could, you could easily fritter away. You could- Yeah ... book a holiday or something. I just thought I don't wanna waste it, and I wanna do something- Yeah ... that she would want me to do.
And my mom was super creative, so she was, like, painting and drawing and writing poems and playing guitar. So I thought I'm gonna get some of my songs recorded, so that is what I started doing. So I thought, well, my first, like, six songs, which I've just finished, the first six, are all from, you know, a gift from my mom really.
Yeah. That's the right story. And the first song that I recorded, I'd written that probably 10 years before- And kind of gone through everything I've got and just sort of thought, "Well, I quite like this," you know? "I'll give it a whirl and see- Yeah ... how it comes out the other side." And I used to have a theater show called California Dreamers, which was about California, and [00:05:00] it was like the Mamas & Papas, the Eagles, The Byrds, The Monkees.
And it was the rise and fall of the hippie era. So we toured- Yeah ... the UK with it. So there is a story here. So I'd gone- Is it? ... I'd gone to the guitarist's wedding, and someone had said to me just randomly, like, "Oh, that guy over there is an amazing producer." But this was, like, a year before, and I hadn't taken- Yeah, right
any notice of it. Yeah. And then, so when this came that I thought, "Right, I need to do a song," I then just, like, got in touch with them and said, "Who was that guy at the wedding?" So I got in touch with Scott. Scott is really super cool, and we get on a m- we got, like, a really good vibe. And so he started doing my producing for me.
And then it just rolled on from there, and then I started- Oh, yeah ... started, like, actively writing music then. So with this collection, you know, and you don't have to, like, you know, make this entire, like, you know, detour and, like, huge deep dive into it, but, you know, along the way from five, and I'm just imagining, I have a five and a [00:06:00] three-year-old, and I'm just imagining my five-year-old and, like, what he could come up with, um, which is, like, makes it more entertaining here, um, as to what's in that little notebook.
But, like, along the way, like, y- you know, are you... I mean, you call them songs. Like, are you, like, you know, trying to sing anything? Are you trying to... I mean, you, you know, mentioned the theater, so that kinda connects it there. But, like, it makes it seem beautiful and wonderful that it jumps from, like, "This is kinda what I enjoy doing, but I have no real reason or no outlet that I necessarily wanna do with this.
This is just something creative and beautiful to, to write down, and, you know, maybe, maybe not it does something." But then here you are with this, which I've gotta imagine is a, you know, a large collection of things to, to kinda work and weed through, and not to mention the emotions that go from, like, the age you are now to the age you were then, and, like, you know, kind of almost, like, laughing at the angst of, you know, a teenager.
But y- you know, where does the... Like, does, is there a tr- I guess, is there a through line there of, you know, did you say to yourself, "One day I'm gonna sing these," or is it really just, [00:07:00] "You know what? This is, this is, this is the..." And everything happens for a reason. I mean, I hate saying that, but, you know, it's like, "This is, this is the reason now.
This is my calling, that I'm gonna actually do something with it." Or was it never really- Yeah, I- ... never really meant to do anything other than putting your thoughts and emotions onto paper? I think... So When I was younger, I've always sang, right? So I used to be on the swing outside singing all night. I used to sing.
I had like a little band, right? I used to get my friends and be like, "Yeah, let's make a band. I'm the lead singer," right? "You've got a cardboard box there. You're the drummer." You've got a cardboard box. We actually wrote a song called The Red Hot Chili Peppers. There we go. There we go. We did not even know if this band existed.
Uh, interesting lyrics, I still remember them. So- So yeah, I've always sang and- Yeah ... but I've been in and out of it, 'cause what I've really struggled with is life. So there's two things- Yeah ... I think. [00:08:00] One is that you've gotta pay all your bills and do all your stuff, so you've gotta have a job. So like today- That's right
I've been, like, running around doing my job, and then it's just so much on top of everything else. And actually I think to be a music artist, even an unsuccessful or unwell, not very well-known one, it takes... It's basically a full-time job. It's a full-time job, yeah. On top of a full-time job. So I think what I'd done for a long time, I'd been, I'd been in some theater shows, then I'd been in a couple of bands, 'cause I didn't really fancy going out on my own.
I think I had, you know, I definitely had actually a very, like a confidence thing. I still do. Sure. So I'll still think, "Oh, I'm not very good. I don't know why I'm doing this." And then I just won't do anything for a, a while. I think that I'd wr- I'd written the things not knowing that I would do it, but actually I definitely had goal boards.
Definitely used it. It definitely was on my bucket list to do an album. Yeah. But I never did it. And it got to, to be honest, [00:09:00] I'm, I'm 42. So I actually recorded my first song when I was- See ... 39. Yeah. Um, so but I'd always got it like that I wanted to do it, but I just never, I just never did it. And then it got to the point that obviously I had that, and I thought, "Well, this is...
I've got no reason not to do it." Yeah. And then I started from there. And now I'm moderately obsessed because because I'm always writing, so- Yeah ... I really sit around writing, and it is all about your feelings. And I mean, you know, when, when, when a loved one dies, like, you know, life really does... I mean, we, we say that very cliche-like, but life really does just kind of pause and stop for a moment, and you don't necessarily have to have this profound, like, you know, "I need to make something of my life" thought.
But you do, you do at least, at the very least, get a chance to just, like, take a breath [00:10:00] where you didn't and take stock of things, and it sounds like, you know, you- that, and I get that. Like, you know, life is all around you, and it's like, "Well, I'd love to do that, but I don't have time." You know? Or, you know, and it, like, even the most creative and fun things that you could do and should be a refresh, you know, at the end of a day don't necessarily feel like that when all you wanna do is just, you know, collapse.
And so it's wa- you know, it's, it's fantastic to hear that that's at least what's been provided for you, is the fact that you could just, like, take that one breath that you needed and couldn't find, and be able to outlet it this way, whether that's 39 or 59. I'm 44, so I'm, I get that. You know, it's just, it's finding this is something I love to do, but I even find myself with the same excuse.
It's like, hold on, so I've got 10 minutes here. I can either, you know, go back and write another story, or I can sit and read a book and do nothing. That nothing sounds wonderful, even though both of them have the same, you know, same outcome, um, of refresh. So [00:11:00] when it comes to these songs, and more specifically, you know, songs with, like these beginning ones, um, and as you mentioned, like Breathe- So there was this By His Side- Go ahead
and this Breathe. So Breathe, I wrote nine years ago. And that was, I basically- my mom, my mom has been poorly since I was little. So, it's really difficult to explain to people, if they haven't had somebody in their life that they love who's chronically ill- Yeah ... what it's like to go through that. Because every time the phone rings, it could be, like, a hospital thing or, you know, it was very, very stressful.
And she, at this point, so this was about four years before she passed away, totally different health problem. And she'd gone in with a cold to the hospital, and um, the doctor thought it might be sepsis, so they sent her in. And then when my dad went to pick her up in the morning, they said, "Oh, she's fine, but her oxygen is a little bit low."
To get her in the morning, and she was in, [00:12:00] um, ICU in a coma. So we had about... She was in a coma for a, a couple of weeks, and then it was v- it was touch and go at this point. Yeah. Um, and that touch and go probably lasted for, it was more than two months. And, um, so this had, say, been like the March, April. And I'm like going to work every day, getting home, driving to the hospital 45 minutes away- Yeah
sitting in the hospital all night, coming back. And that's kind of your life. And it is so upsetting and depressing. And then when she did get better- Yeah ... I went on a holiday with my friend. And we basically just got really drunk, like, like every day. And we were- we had so much fun. We didn't stop laughing, actually.
It was brilliant. While I was there, I had a ball, and we're dancing on the bars. We are absolutely raving. She'd had a similar experience. We'd both had a [00:13:00] terrible start to the year. Yeah. So we went and just totally let loose. But the thing is, I hadn't had hardly any sleep all week. Yeah. I'd been... I was tired.
I was emotionally drained. So although I'd spent the whole week laughing, when I got home, I kind of wanted to throw myself off something. Yeah. Like s- I was in a bad place, really bad place. Yeah. And I think-
I think I cried for like Sure ... couple of days. Like, I was really low Yeah And, um, I remember, like I was s- here where I am now, and like- Yeah ... feels like now. But I was like, w- you know, I'm just... I just felt like so disappointed in myself 'cause I just expect mu- expe- I have expectations about the way that, you know, the way that you behave or I hadn't done anything- Yeah
terrible. But also I think with alcohol, I have really bad hangovers, like hangxiety times by a million. Yeah. [00:14:00] So I go into quite a bad place where I'm like, "I'm a awful person. I'm a bad person," when I haven't done anything to deserve that. Yeah. Um, I was in a bad place. I was sitting on the floor there, like, and my guitar is hanging on the wall, and I just got my guitar and wrote that song, like straight off, probably within- Straight on
like five minutes. Yeah. And just, oh, sorry. I wrote that song within five minutes and- Yeah ... played the guitar. I'm not amazing at guitar, but I can play enough to write songs. Yeah. And so that was the second song I got recorded. Um, so yeah, and that's kind of like, it's kind of a, kind of an anxiety song, right?
'Cause it's sort of about, like really no matter what you've done, because I think there's lots of people that struggle like this. Yeah. You, you don't have to have gone and done something that's bad, but if you do anything that's maybe slightly against your values, [00:15:00] or maybe you drink too much and you've got this terrible hangover and it doesn't go for like three days, or people get into really, really low places- Yeah
right? And it was about that, and it was about, you know, that there is redeeming grace. And- Yeah ... breathe is literally to say that's all you've gotta do. Yeah. You know, you feel awful. You just literally breathe and it- Yeah ... will be okay. But at the time, if you're in a bad place, you don't feel like it's gonna be okay.
No. No. You feel like that's how you're gonna feel forever, and it's not, it's not true. And logically we know it's not true, but in that place, that's just how it seems. That's it. Yeah. And so it's almost like, you know, you gave... It was like a, like a twofer. You know, you're giving yourself permission to feel and, and feel whatever that, that, that, you know, your human side of you wanted to, but then permission to also kinda heal from it too, and not necessarily like, you know, perfect and like all [00:16:00] better.
But that, that there is a moment to just be able to find a way through eventually from it. And I, I mean, all those things are, you know, just relax or just take a breath. Like we take, almost take those moments for granted, you know, and it's like, well, if I could, I would. You know, like you get frustrated at the person that shares that with you.
But I think like, I mean, hearing it in this moment and hearing it for yourself, you know, and hopefully, you know, as you, when you sing the song, right? you, you know, recorded especially that you, it's almost like a re-up, you know, of, of that feeling and like reminder and then, you know, is that your, is it the hope then, you know, as people hear it, is that, is that the emotion that, it comes out on there?
Or is it kind of a this is mine kind of song, you know? And, and you know, this is for me to feel, hopefully you do too. Or is it the other way around where it's this is a gift for other people? This is a gift for other people. Yeah. Yeah. Because there's so many people, and like to be honest, everybody, like mental health is [00:17:00] not, you know- designated group of people.
Obviously, there are people- No, no ... who struggle way more than others, but we all have down days. We all have bad times. We all have... Life's hard, right? We have a lot to cope with, and you never know what's coming, and, um, yeah, it's just, I love the fact that if people were to not be feeling great and they, they, they heard that and it made them feel a little bit better, that's, that's what it's for.
Yeah. And, you know, to... I mean, I'm, I'm sure, you know, obviously it's not the only song that, like, you know, touches upon such heavy topics. Is it hard to, to be able to, to create a song, you know, like that and, I mean, not even just the words, you know, but combined with the, you know, putting the music to it and, you know, the performance of it eventually.
Is it hard to kinda know that this is, like, uncomfortable for, you know, many people to talk about? You know, we don't... I mean, I said it so freely, you know, that, you know, somebody died and, but, like, [00:18:00] to say that word even, you know, we t- we almost, like, skirt around that, you know, even if it was our own, own situation, you know, that we don't, we don't wanna make somebody uncomfortable.
We don't wanna make somebody upset, even though we know, like you said, we all go through something, you know, some version of the same thing. Is it hard to, to write a song like this knowing that that emotion is so heavy and people might react to it and just go... They could say thank you, and hopefully they do, for being able to name something and say something that they weren't able to.
But the other side of it is that, you know, I know, like, the extreme is like, you know, how dare you, you know, say something like, you know, like, you can't say that. You know what I mean? Like, the, the taboo-ness of just a mental health topic altogether, but especially something like grief and loss. So on the other one for the grief and loss, I mean, it's a bit of a tricky one, 'cause how do you...
The other side of music is, is marketing and- Yeah ... because if you make the most amazing product in the world and then put it under your sofa, [00:19:00] what's the actual point, right? And I've really only- Right ... just kind of started. But how do you, how would you even start putting that in front of anyone? Because you can't target pe- like- Right
the thing is, it's kind of a universal thing, but it's also not. And there's a time- Yeah ... when people would need it, and it's sort of, I would say, right, it's difficult. It's a difficult... That song is a difficult song- Yeah ... because it is about my mom. But it's also, it is positive, so it's not... It's saying- Yeah
how hard it was, but it's also, it's by his side is God. So it's to say, you know, that I know that you're now by His side. Yeah. So that's a really positive message again. So I feel if somebody, you know- has belief or may, may, like maybe they don't, but it still might give them comfort to think- Something.
Sure ... that actually their loved one is now with God as opposed to just- Yeah ... because I think if you look at it that [00:20:00] way, it does help you in your grief as well. Yeah. And you're right. I mean, that, there's, there's the other side of it and, you know, certainly like, you know, I'm gonna put you on the pe- on the pedestal of like being able to explain this for everybody trying to market a song like this, but that, that to me is always the wildest part, I mean, about anything creative is that there's a, whatever you wanna call it, you know, another voice, a man, the man or whatever it is that is almost like a gatekeeper, and in this sense you're like the gatekeeper of like an emotion that everybody feels and it, like, you know, I could just see somebody like, you know, in charge of, you know, giving this song, you know, a bigger audience for you and like that's the thought that they have to have is like, "Well, I can't just go to funeral homes and find out, you know, anybody that passed away and here's this song," right?
That wouldn't work. But then at the same time, since it doesn't work, it's not ... I hate saying it, like it's like not trendy enough you know? And- No, it's not. It's not trendy ... that, that to me like is just wild when it comes to any, any song. I don't care if you were talking about death [00:21:00] and it was like, you know, a, you know, a super pop song either.
You know, it was, it doesn't matter. It's just the fact that the emotion in it is like, it's almost disregarded. Y- you know, when it comes to music, it's like, well, it's not catchy enough. And it's like, well, this was a really big moment in my life, you know? And so how do you ... I mean, you're, like you said, brand new to it, but I think it, I mean, brand new to it or not, it's gotta be the same, same conversation.
Like, how do you, how have you wrestled with that or how do you wrestle with that notion that like, yes, you want an audience, but you also know that this is gonna be a tough one to, I don't wanna say sell, but tough, tough, tough audience to sell it on, right? So I think that You've gotta really be true to yourself- Yeah
that's what I think. So I think if I come up with something, which I have, you know, like I've got a release on the 14th of February, which that is like a, a kind of like kind of upbeat kind of love song, and it's, it's catchy. And but again, I wrote that probably 13 years ago, [00:22:00] right? Um, and I pulled that and I was like, "Wow, oh, I need to do this."
But I think you've gotta be true to yourself because people don't really fall in love with songs. Songs, like if you look at marketing, what they used to say about when a new song would come out and an artist, they are literally like ram it down their throats. That's what it is. Yeah. It's not about how talented you are, it is about how much money you've got- Yeah
how much marketing you do, how many posts you make online, if that's the way that you do it. That is what it comes down to. It is not- Yeah ... talent. Like I'm not saying the people who are famous are not talented, by the way. Correct. I got that. Like I'm not saying that, but what I'm saying is there's, there's a lot of talented people.
If you can't back it up with some kind of advertising, marketing, growing p- anyway. So I would never really try and grow or push that song, to be honest. Yeah. Yeah. I think that if somebody finds me and they start listening to my songs, and then they hear it, and then maybe when they need it, they go back to [00:23:00] it.
There it is. Yeah. But that's just what it's there for You know. But that song, right, By His Side, I was... So it was probably, so I'd already recorded my first two, so that was the third one. This is probably, like, 2024. I'm not very good with time. And I was watching, do you know the podcast Louis Howes? Mm-hmm.
Yeah. I was watching that. There was a guy on there, and I can see his face in my head, but I don't know what his name is. I've gotta find him, right? Because- We're gonna find him, right ... I was lying on the sofa watching his podcast, and at the start of the podcast, he started talking about, I can't remember if it's mom or dad, but one of his parents had died.
And, um, he said, he said, "I can't explain the pain that I went through." And I thought, I know that, and that is the lyrics. Yeah, I gotcha. Yeah. So my, my first lyric, so I [00:24:00] literally turned it off, and the lyrics are, "It's so hard when I lost you to put into words what I went through." Yeah. Yeah. Because I think he said, like, "I just couldn't put it into words actually how painful it was."
So really watching that kind of opened up my feelings, and then I kind of took- Yeah ... what he said, wrote the lyrics. And then once I got it recorded, then I tr- I wanted to find him 'cause I wanted to send it to him. So, but I just, I couldn't find it, and I was like, it's gotta be in my history in YouTube.
Can't, can't find it. I even messaged Louis Howes to be like... He did reply. Nice. Well, p- maybe one of his team. I don't think it was him, but- Somebody did. At least somebody replied ... somebody did We'll give it that. That's, that's a, that's a plus So I sent him this message saying like, "Oh, hi. Like, you had this guy on your show, and he was talking about this right at the start of the interview.
Like, I don't suppose you could tell me which, which episode it was?" Yeah. "So I could speak to him." And I told him, like, "I've written this song and I've just had it [00:25:00] recorded, and I just wanted to send it to him." And, um- Yeah ... I do need to get back on that, actually, 'cause he just replied and said, like, "I've done over 1,000 podcasts.
I can't remember." At least you got a reply. That makes you wonder if, like, you really did see it, or were you just, like, kinda like blacked out maybe. Like, uh, you know, like, as you're, like, watching, like, you were just so tired and, like, saw it, and then you needed to see it. Um- Just hallucinating. Yeah, so j- even just to find it for that, your own sanity, I guess, at this point, but- No, it's definitely- No, it- I do remember his face, though, so I've got to find...
To be honest, if he's got 1,000, that's not that many thumbnails to go through, is it, really? Yeah. So I'm gonna have to find it. We'll find it some way. We'll find it some way. So I, I, like, just to kind of, like- Stay in the, the realm here, you know, at the end, um, of just, like, how you view just the world of music, you know, now and, and by, but again, like, not even, like, close to being, like, old, but certainly, you know, as you say it, like, it's one of these professions where people, like, stop and go, "You're just getting started now."
You know, like, nursing's another one. Like, you could be in your [00:26:00] 30s, and like, "You mean you didn't go to high school to become a nurse?" You know, it's just all... It's just... And it, it's, like, silly, but it almost feels like, you know, it's one of these moments where you, you're at an advantage. You know, that you aren't in a spot that you've been doing it so long that you become, like, jaded by it, you know?
And it's like, "Well, I've been trying for so long, so it's still new." But then you have a different frame of mind the way you enter the world of music. It's just, not to say that other artists didn't go in, like, you know, "I just wanna make music and, and hope people inspire." But, like, this, that truly is the, the, the entry point for you is that you, you came in not with a, "Watch me change the world with my voice."
You came in with a, "Watch me change the world with, you know, the words that I have." And I think that kinda sets at a different mark, you know, for where the industry is as a whole, and that's another conversation for a different day. But, like, do you feel that when you, like, put that hat on when you come home from, from work and have to put on the, you know, the, the artist hat?
You know, do you feel that kind of, like, push, you know, for yourself that like, "Hey, [00:27:00] I'm, I'm, I don't need to doubt myself. Like, I'm in a good fresh spot here altogether"? Or no? Is it just- Well- ... this is so overwhelming, like, of a weight of an industry that- It's- ... I don't get a chance to breathe. So, so I am, you know, I'm, I'm probably the wrong end of the age scale, right?
But I don't give a shit. That's the answer. Do you know? Because- Yeah ... it's taken me 40 years to have the courage to do it. Yeah. It's taken me that long. It's taken me that many years, so yeah, you can say I could've done it... I felt when I was 30 that was too old, and then as I got older, I thought, "I'm 35, I'm too old."
And the thing is, you can keep telling yourself you're too old- You keep telling, yeah ... or you're too young, or you haven't got time, or you haven't got enough money. But I actually feel that if I Don't do it, then that is a massive problem for me. It's just a massive problem. Yeah. Like, I used to go out in my [00:28:00] 30s to a club night.
I became a clubber in my 30s. I did everything a bit backwards. So I used to go out to, like, a club at night, and then I'd be, like, upset in the morning. Yeah. And I'd be sad because, and everyone knew this, I'd be like, because I'm not singing. I'd just sit and cry. Yeah. So the thing is, it took me so long to get the courage up to go and do it and to put myself out there, that I just don't care how old I am, and I don't think it matters, actually.
Yeah. Because it's music. Not- Yeah ... you know, it's music, and no, I'm not gonna be competing with 18-year-old girls who are on TikTok doing dances, right? That's not gonna be, like, where I am, but I'm not trying to be anything. Yeah. Trying to be myself. Yeah. That's it. And I personally feel that, you know, you're given gifts and talents, and that could be music, it could [00:29:00] be creative, it could be that you are a life coach, it could be that you're a counselor, it could be that you're a helper.
Like, whatever you've got that is meant to, that you're meant to do while you're here. Yeah. I kept thinking, "If I go up there and meet God, and he said, 'Well, I gave you this and this and this and this. Did you do everything you could with it?'" I'd have to say, "No." And he'd say, "Why?" And I'd say- Yeah ... "'Cause I'm too scared."
Yeah. And that's pathetic. That's sad, yeah. Yeah. I'm sad. That's a sad... That's a- Yeah ... that's a real way to look at it, but it's a very sad way to look at it, too. But you're right. Yeah. So, and I don't wanna, I don't wanna do that. Yeah. So I'm like, I'm now like, "Right, okay, I've got this. Okay, I'm kind of halfway through my life, but now I'm just, like, gonna give it 100%."
Yeah. Because I can't go back. I can't change my age. I can't- Yeah ... you know, so I just think you have to go for it. And- Here it is. Yeah ... I think that message to lots of people as well, where they feel too old. Like, the [00:30:00] average age for an entrepreneur who's successful is 42. 42, yeah. Yeah, and there's lots of people who either started businesses or started designing clothes or started music or whatever that may be, when they're a lot older and they've got a lot of life experience, and they were really successful.
And I'm not saying everyone's trying to be famous, but, you know- Feel comfortable, yeah ... yeah, it, it's nice they did well. And I think- Yeah ... age is a massive thing that stops people, and we should- Sure. Oh, yeah ... should ban that. Ban our own ageism to ourselves, 'cause it's just another excuse. Thank you so much for, for coming and sharing your story.
More importantly, though, thank you for gifting your music to the world. Thanks so much. You're so wonderful and kind and warm
CLOSING REFLECTION
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There's something about writing from the floor. No stage, no spotlight, just honesty. Listening back, I kept thinking about how many songs are [00:31:00] born in private collapse, and how often those songs end up carrying other people through theirs. I think about that image, sitting on the floor with a guitar.
There's no glamour in it, just truth. Listening to Grace talk about using what her mother left behind to finally record her songs, it's a reminder that sometimes the way forward isn't grand. It's simply choosing to build something beautiful out of what broke you. And sometimes, that's enough
OUTRO
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Thank you for joining me on this journey with Grace Palmer.
If this conversation stayed with you, carry it into your next walk, your next quiet moment, your next horizon. Music connects us not just through sound, but through shared experience and the courage to keep evolving. If you've got something you wanna share about this episode or how music has supported you in your life, you can send me an email anytime at [00:32:00] storytellingpods@gmail.com.
Until next time, keep breathing, keep listening, and keep coming back to Earth