What happens when a transit strike cab ride turns into a lifelong friendship… and that friend grows up to write a Mormon musical, reunite with her birth parents, launch a songwriting podcast, and casually sing about having a nervous breakdown in IKEA?

This week on Put Your Books Down hosted by Natalie Sanderson Jones and Angela Bingham, we sit down with pianist, singer-songwriter, and human beam of light Deidre Struck — and let's just say… we laugh, we cry, we overshare.

From writing lullabies through Carnegie Hall's Lullaby Project to interviewing musicians on her podcast The Song Inside, to creating a bold Mormon musical called Fun Spot, Deidre shares how art isn't frivolous — it's survival.

We talk:

• Finding your voice in your 40s & 50s
• Growing up in high-control religion
• Reuniting with birth parents (bring tissues)
• Why teenagers are actually awesome
• And yes… the IKEA panic-attack song you didn't know you needed

If the world feels heavy, this is your 45-minute pop culture meditation. Take a breath. Laugh with us. Then put your books down.

👉 Subscribe to Put Your Books Down
👉 Watch the full episode on YouTube
👉 Follow us on social @putyourbooksdown

Check out our website here: https://putyourbooksdown.com/

Watch the show on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb18ywHqVOG_d2BKfy_-XS3MaDi6dz6s7

Follow Put Your Books Down on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/putyourbooksdown

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Natalie on IG: https://www.instagram.com/nataliesanderson/

Angela on IG: https://www.instagram.com/angelabinghamofficial/

Podcast produced by http://clantoncreative.com

Natalie Sanderson Jones is fresh off emergency gallbladder surgery, Angela Bingham is emotionally bracing for house-party chaos, and together they ask the real question: why does this comedy feel like a horror movie for adults with anxiety?

This week on Put Your Books Down, we revisit the 2015 cult comedy Sisters, starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and unpack why nostalgia hits harder when your joints hurt and you care deeply about drywall.

From Gen-X references and crazy house parties to John Cena playing a drug dealer with a heart of gold, this episode spirals delightfully into:

• post-surgery depression honesty
• why destructive parties are NOT relaxing
• high school reunion trauma
• and the emotional cost of being "the responsible one"

It's funny, unfiltered, slightly unwell—and exactly why you should put your books down and laugh with us.

👉 Subscribe to Put Your Books Down
👉 Watch the full episode on YouTube
👉 Follow us on social @putyourbooksdown

Check out our website here: https://putyourbooksdown.com/

Watch the show on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb18ywHqVOG_d2BKfy_-XS3MaDi6dz6s7

Follow Put Your Books Down on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/putyourbooksdown

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/putyourbooksdown/

Natalie on IG: https://www.instagram.com/nataliesanderson/

Angela on IG: https://www.instagram.com/angelabinghamofficial/

Podcast produced by http://clantoncreative.com

What if we told you Hollywood has been operating on a completely different rulebook this entire time?

In this episode of Put Your Books Down, hosts Natalie Sanderson Jones and Angela Bingham dive headfirst into the wildest, messiest, most jaw-dropping celebrity stories you probably should know — but somehow don't. From cult-adjacent beginnings and extreme method acting, to legendary breakups, behind-the-scenes power plays, and pop culture moments that make you ask, "How was this allowed?"

This episode is part trivia, part pop culture therapy, and part "wait… is this real?" Expect famous feuds, chaotic romances, artistic egos, questionable creative choices, and stories so outrageous they sound fake (but unfortunately aren't).

No homework. No moralizing. Just deeply entertaining pop culture storytelling designed to give your brain a break and your group chat new material.

Take a breath. Put your books down. And prepare to say "I DID NOT KNOW THAT" on repeat.

If this episode made you pause, gasp, or immediately text someone —
👉 Subscribe to Put Your Books Down
👉 Watch the full episode on YouTube
👉 Follow us on social @putyourbooksdown

No notes. Just vibes.

Check out our website here: https://putyourbooksdown.com/

Watch the show on our YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb18ywHqVOG_d2BKfy_-XS3MaDi6dz6s7

Follow Put Your Books Down on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/putyourbooksdown

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/putyourbooksdown/

Natalie on IG: https://www.instagram.com/nataliesanderson/

Angela on IG: https://www.instagram.com/angelabinghamofficial/

Podcast produced by http://clantoncreative.com