In our Season 2 finale, we sit with D.K. Lyons, a singer-songwriter whose artistic journey has been shaped by personal tragedy, unwavering advocacy, and a fierce commitment to using music as a tool for both healing and social change.

Born in Massachusetts, D.K. began writing songs as a way to process profound loss, discovering that music could hold what ordinary language couldn't carry. But his artistry has evolved far beyond personal expression into something that actively engages with the world's injustices and possibilities.

His upcoming EP Darling Kiss Louder represents an ambitious fusion of influences — drawing inspiration from classical literature while critiquing contemporary digital culture, centering women's voices while tackling systemic issues, creating art that's both deeply personal and broadly political.

This conversation explores how tragedy can become a catalyst for advocacy, how artistry and activism intersect, and what it means to create with both vulnerability and purpose. It's a fitting close to our second season and a powerful reminder that healing work is never just individual — it's always connected to the larger project of creating a more just and beautiful world.

What We Talk About:

• Balancing artistic vision with authentic emotional experience
• The responsibility that comes with having a platform
• Using creativity as a tool for both personal and social transformation
• The ongoing choice to remain engaged with life's full emotional spectrum

Resources:

• Connect with D.K. Lyons and his music HERE
• Support the show: Not Today Media
• Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

A Note from JD: D.K.'s conversation felt like the perfect way to close our second season because it embodies everything this show aspires to be: deeply personal yet broadly relevant, artistically ambitious yet emotionally honest, individual yet collective in its vision.

His commitment to using his platform for advocacy reminds us that creativity isn't separate from consciousness, that healing isn't separate from justice, that the work of becoming fully human necessarily involves working for a world where others can do the same.

If you're an artist wrestling with how to balance personal expression with social responsibility, or anyone trying to figure out how to stay engaged with the world's pain without being crushed by it, I hope D.K.'s story offers both inspiration and practical wisdom.

Come Back To Earth exists to explore these intersections between creativity, healing, and social change. Thank you for being part of this community, for supporting these conversations, and for doing your own work of creating meaning from difficulty.

Season 3 will bring new voices, new stories, and new explorations of what it means to be human in complex times. Until then, keep creating, keep caring, keep coming back to whatever grounds you in hope.

Your voice matters. Your story matters. The work continues.

In this episode, we sit with Jody Cooper, a D.I.Y. artist and full-time father whose music emerges from the intersection of creative necessity and lived experience. Jody's story isn't about chasing musical success in traditional terms — it's about using songwriting as a tool for processing mental health struggles, pandemic reflections, and the complex realities of modern parenthood.

The conversation explores how the pandemic served as a catalyst for deeper reflection on mental health, creativity, and resilience. We discuss the particular challenges of being an independent artist while managing family responsibilities, and how music can serve as both personal therapy and a bridge to others navigating similar experiences.

Jody's approach to creativity is refreshingly honest — he creates not from a place of having answers, but from a need to explore questions. His music reflects the raw, unpolished reality of someone working through life's complexities in real time, without pretense or easy solutions.

What We Talk About:

• How the pandemic forced a reckoning with mental health and creative purpose
• Balancing independent artistry with full-time parenting responsibilities
• Using music as a tool for processing difficult emotions and experiences
• The role of vulnerability and honesty in authentic songwriting
• Finding resilience through creative expression during uncertain times
• The intersection of mental health awareness and artistic practice
• Creating meaningful art outside traditional industry structures

Resources:

• Listen to Jody Cooper's music HERE
• Support the show: Not Today Media

A Note from J.D.: Jody's conversation reminded me why I'm drawn to artists who create from necessity rather than ambition. There's something deeply honest about musicians who use their craft primarily as a tool for understanding and processing their own experience, and who share that work not because they think they have answers, but because they know others might be asking similar questions.

If you're an artist trying to balance creativity with other responsibilities, or someone using creative expression to work through mental health challenges, I hope Jody's story offers you both permission and encouragement. The most necessary art often comes from the least glamorous places — from the daily work of showing up, processing, and choosing to keep creating even when the path isn't clear.

Come Back To Earth exists to honor these kinds of authentic creative journeys and the profound humanity they reveal. If these conversations resonate with you, consider supporting the show.

Your struggles are valid. Your voice matters. Keep creating from wherever you are.

Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

In this episode, we sit with James Snelling, a neurodivergent singer-songwriter whose journey into music began not in youth but in midlife, after losing his job and facing the kind of life upheaval that forces you to reconsider everything you thought you knew about yourself.

James's story challenges conventional narratives about when and how artistic careers begin. His path to sharing his music publicly came through loss and transformation, proving that creativity doesn't follow standard timelines and that some of the most authentic art emerges from life's disruptions rather than its certainties.

We explore how neurodivergence shapes his songwriting, the unique perspective that comes from feeling like an outsider, and the courage required to share vulnerable art when the world has already signaled that you don't quite fit its expectations.

What We Talk About:

• Finding music as a voice for neurodivergent experience and feeling different
• Beginning an artistic practice in midlife after career upheaval
• Writing about mental health, addiction, and social justice from lived experience
• The relationship between neurodivergence and creativity
• Creating art that refuses to be palatable or easily categorized
• The courage required to share vulnerable, honest songwriting
• How difference can become artistic strength rather than limitation

Resources:

• Listen to James Snelling's music
• Support the show: Not Today Media

A Note from J.D.: James's conversation reminded me that some of the most necessary voices in music are those that have been waiting the longest to be heard. His willingness to begin sharing his art in midlife, after experiencing significant life disruption, speaks to something beautiful about human resilience and the way creativity can emerge from unexpected places.

If you've ever felt like you don't fit the traditional mold of what an artist should be — too old, too different, too late to the game — I hope James's story offers you permission to begin anyway. The world needs the songs that only you can write, the perspective that only you can offer.

Come Back To Earth exists to celebrate these kinds of unconventional artistic journeys and the profound humanity they reveal. If these conversations resonate with you, consider supporting the show.

Your difference is not a deficit. Your timing is your own. Your voice matters.

Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

In this episode, we sit with Perfect Cadence, a band whose music serves as a lighthouse for anyone navigating the complex terrain of mental health, isolation, and the ongoing work of healing. Their approach to songwriting isn't about offering easy answers or quick fixes — it's about creating space for difficult emotions and transforming them into something that can be shared, understood, and held.

We explore how their song "Shine" became a lifeline for listeners struggling with depression and isolation, the responsibility that comes with creating art that addresses mental health, and the power of music to bridge the gap between individual experience and collective understanding.

This conversation touches on themes that feel especially relevant in our current moment: how we support each other through difficult seasons, the importance of speaking openly about mental health struggles, and the way that honest art can become a form of connection and healing.

What We Talk About:

• The genesis of "Shine" and its message of hope for those struggling with mental health
• How music can serve as both personal processing and public healing
• The responsibility of creating art that addresses difficult topics
• Building community through vulnerable storytelling
• The role of music in mental health awareness and support
• Finding hope without minimizing struggle
• The power of saying "you're not alone" through song

Resources:

• Listen to Perfect Cadence's music HERE
• Support the show: Not Today Media

A Note from J.D.: This conversation with Perfect Cadence reminded me why music matters so much in conversations about mental health. There's something about melody and rhythm that can carry truths our regular speaking voices might struggle to hold. Their willingness to address depression and isolation head-on, while still offering genuine hope, feels both brave and necessary.

If you're in a season where "just staying" feels like the best you can do, I hope this episode offers you both permission to be where you are and gentle encouragement for the journey ahead. The light returns, but it's okay if you can't see it yet.

Come Back To Earth exists to create space for these kinds of honest conversations about the intersection of creativity and mental health. If these stories resonate with you, consider supporting the show.

You matter. Your story matters. Keep going.

Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

In this episode, we sit with Mars Hendrik, a musician and coach whose journey from Costa Rica to international stages is really a story about learning to climb — not just toward success, but toward the fullest expression of who you're meant to be.

Mars grew up immersed in a rich blend of musical influences, from Santana's guitar mastery to Sublime's laid-back rebellion, and these early sounds became the foundation for a career that spans over a decade of inspiring audiences across continents. But what makes Mars's story unique isn't just his musical evolution — it's his understanding that true performance is about more than entertainment. It's about transformation.

We explore how Mars has learned to be both artist and guide, helping others find their own voices while continuing to develop his own. His approach to music and coaching reveals someone who understands that potential isn't just waiting to be discovered — it's waiting to be claimed, one courageous step at a time.

What We Talk About:

• Growing up in Costa Rica and the musical influences that shaped his artistic foundation
• The evolution from passionate musician to international performer
• How cultural diversity influences creative expression and artistic identity
• The intersection of music and personal development
• Learning to guide others while continuing your own growth journey
• The role of music in helping people connect with their potential
• Building confidence through creative expression and performance

Resources:

• Connect with Mars Hendrik's music: HERE
• Support the show: Not Today Media

A Note from J.D.: Mars's conversation reminded me that some of the most powerful artists are those who understand that their gift isn't just about what they can create — it's about what they can awaken in others. His approach to music as both personal expression and collective inspiration feels especially relevant in a world hungry for authentic connection and guided growth.

If you're on your own creative climb, whether that's musical, professional, or personal, I hope Mars's story offers you both inspiration and practical wisdom. The summit you're reaching for isn't just about arriving somewhere new — it's about becoming someone new in the process.

Come Back To Earth exists to explore these intersections between creativity, personal growth, and the ongoing work of becoming who we're meant to be. If these conversations resonate with you, consider supporting the show on Substack, where we continue diving deep into the stories that shape us.

Keep climbing. Keep creating. Keep trusting the path.

Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

In this episode, we sit with Lepani, an artist whose journey through the music industry reads like a map of what it costs to lose yourself — and what it takes to find your way back.

Lepani's story begins in the bedroom studio, creating the kind of honest, experimental music that emerges when no one is watching and nothing is at stake except the pure joy of making something beautiful. But as his career progressed and industry pressures mounted, that creative freedom began to erode. What started as artistic guidance slowly became artistic control, until the music he was making felt more like performance than expression.

The toll was real: mental health struggles, creative burnout, and the particular kind of loss that happens when the thing you love most becomes the source of your pain. But this isn't just a story about what the industry can take from artists — it's about what happens when an artist decides to take it back.

Now independent and based in the UK, Lepani is rebuilding his relationship with music on his own terms. He's sharing his story openly, knowing that artistic authenticity and mental health are deeply connected, and that someone else might need to hear they're not alone in the struggle.

What We Talk About:

* The evolution from bedroom pop experiments to industry pressures

* How creative control can be slowly and subtly eroded

* The mental health impact of losing artistic authenticity

* The decision to go independent and what that means

* Rebuilding a sustainable relationship with music and creativity

* The importance of speaking honestly about industry struggles

* Finding freedom in creating for yourself rather than for approval

Resources:

* Listen to Lepani's independent work: HERE

* Support the show: Not Today Media

A Note from J.D.: Lepani's conversation struck me deeply because it illuminates something we don't talk about enough: how the pursuit of musical success can sometimes distance us from the very thing that made us want to make music in the first place. His story isn't unique, but his willingness to speak about it honestly is both brave and necessary.

If you're an artist struggling with similar questions about authenticity, independence, or finding your way back to the joy of creating, I hope this episode offers you both company and courage. The path back to yourself isn't always linear, but it's always worth taking.

Come Back To Earth exists to hold space for these kinds of honest conversations about creativity, mental health, and the ongoing work of staying true to yourself in a world that profits from your compliance. If these stories resonate with you, consider supporting the show on Substack, where we continue exploring these themes with the depth and care they deserve.

Keep creating. Keep questioning. Keep coming back to what's real.

Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

Leave a comment on the episode HERE

Some love stories begin with fireworks.

This one began with a railroad conductor, a circus artist, and a song.

When Michael and Kayo met online, they were each carrying a lifetime of stories—some beautiful, some heavy, and all still echoing in how they showed up in love. Instead of running from their pasts, they did something brave: they wrote through them.

Together, they left the familiar behind and started over in Dixon, New Mexico, where the landscape is wide and the healing feels just a little more possible. Through songwriting, they began to name their traumas, rebuild trust, and give voice to the versions of themselves they were still learning how to love.

This episode is a window into that process—honest, unfiltered, and full of hope.

Whether you’re partnered or on your own path, Michael and Kayo’s story reminds us that healing doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be true.

🔗 Follow Box Canyon Barbies: Website

Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

Leave a comment on the episode HERE

Subscribe to the show: Not Today Media

What happens after you’ve already grown up… but your heart still has some catching up to do?

Composer and songwriter Adam Schumaker calls this next chapter “the second growing up”—a quiet reckoning with love, loss, and the slow understanding that we never stop becoming who we are. From his roots in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to the haunting beauty of his new album Love, Death, Sleep, Money, Adam has learned to turn personal transformation into poetry.

In this conversation, we talk about the sacred mess of middle life, the role music plays in navigating grief and joy, and why songwriting isn’t about finding the answers—it’s about holding space for the questions.

If you’ve ever stood at a threshold and asked, Now what?, this episode is for you.

🔗 Follow Adam: Instagram

Theme music by: Lincoln Parish

Leave a comment on the episode HERE

Subscribe to the show: Not Today Media