Be it Pine, Juniper or Bay - Tanin, Resin, Leaf Litter, Wood Smoke or Quinine… This episode explores the rich, invisible world of smell — and I use that word very deliberately — with my guest Frauke Galia, host of An Aromatic Life , a podcast that elevates the sense of smell in a world dominated by sight and sound. Together, we dive into how fragrance can shape identity, stir memory, and deepen emotional connection. We also talk a lot about trees — including 13 ways to smell them — and how recon...
Jul 01, 2025•54 min
“An android,” he said, “doesn’t care what happens to another android. That’s one of the indications we look for."“Then,” Miss Luft said, “you must be an android.” ― Philip K. Dick In this episode I’m joined by content creator, photographer, and fellow sci-fi geek LC James to explore the fragrant and philosophical depths of Philip K. Dick’s literary work Together, we dive into the ethical implications of empathy in distinguishing humans from androids, and how scent plays a subtle but powerful rol...
Jun 24, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 52
“ The first function of mythology is showing everything as a metaphor to transcendence”. - Joseph Campbell In this episode, I sit down with Michael Nordstrand, a renowned perfumer and the visionary founder of Mythologist Studio. Michael takes us on an aromatic journey into the world of perfumery, where he reveals the profound importance of mythology and storytelling in the creation of fragrances. Throughout our conversation, Michael shares his creative process, emphasizing the significance of ra...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 29 min•Season 2Ep. 51
“How cyclical and bittersweet for a child to retrace the image of their mother. For a subject to turn back to document their archivist.” ― Michelle Zauner, Crying in H Mart This episode’s guest is Thomas Dunckley — fragrance expert, six-time Jasmine Award winner, and the voice behind the much-loved blog The Candy Perfume Boy . Thomas has made it his mission to make perfume accessible, joyful, and free from snobbery through his podcast Making Scents Make Sense . Our conversation explores the deep...
Jun 10, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 50
“People need things like perfume and poetry, music and art more than ever during times like this. People need to remember the simple joys in life. If you forget, if life loses its colour then they have won. Those cowardly, heartless bastards have won.” ― Kate Lord Brown, The Perfume Garden In this episode we explore the House of James, a fragrance house that treats scent as a form of storytelling. Founded by Justin James, a graphic designer from Somers, Victoria, House of James is all about push...
Jun 03, 2025•52 min•Season 2Ep. 49
“Already your future has been planned out. There is not much choice about what to become in the small town where you live . . .” ― Adelle Stripe, Base Notes: the scents of a life This episode’s guest is Dr. Adelle Stripe — a Sunday Times best-selling author whose remarkable work dives deep into the rich heart of Northern England’s complex cultural and working-class history. Her impressive body of works includes Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile , a powerful and evocative novel inspired by the re...
May 27, 2025•58 min•Season 2Ep. 48
“The time I think of you the most is when the sun comes up. The moment before, the minute or two, when night yawns for morning and the sea starts to separate from the sky.” ― Emma Stonex, The Lamplighters In this episode’s guests are Juliette Fournier and Richard Adamson from NSW-based Hart + Hedi. Juliette, a former fashion designer, and Richard, a brewer and part owner of Young Henry's, share their journey into the art of scent creation. They discuss how their backgrounds have influenced their...
May 13, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 47
“Kya knew judgment had no place here. Evil was not in play, just life pulsing on, even at the expense of some of the players. Biology sees right and wrong as the same color in different light.” - Delia Owens, Where the Crawdads Sing This episode’s guest is Aysha Hansen, a passionate perfumer with a fascinating story. Aysha shares her unique journey from being a fragrance lover to becoming a professional perfumer. She discusses her early memories of scent, recounting how these experiences shaped ...
May 06, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Smells s enrich our life experiences like colours on a canvas. When asked to reflect on their sense of smell, people often have many a story to tell… In this episode, we have a slightly different focus, thanks to the fascinating work of our guest, Erin Adams. Erin is behind Smell Art, a unique blend of art and science that explores the power of scent. Her journey into olfactory art began in 2007 at a Secret Chiefs 3 concert in Melbourne, where a captivating scent from the stage sparked her fasci...
Apr 29, 2025•40 min•Season 2Ep. 45
“Can you walk the road your dream goes?Sometimes. Sometimes I am afraid to.Who is not.” -Ursula K. Le Guin Dr Caroline McMillan is a researcher, designer, speaker, olfactory art expert, and smell tech founder and we discuss science fiction and possible futures of olfactive design. Dr McMillan’s work has been featured at SXSW, Cannes Lions, CTM Festival Berlin, Holitopia Festival, the BR41N.io residency at Ars Electronica, the Digital Olfaction Society and the ACM International Conference on Tang...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 44
“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest. To live fully is to be always in no-man's-land, to experience each moment as completely new and fresh.” Storytelling is key in creating fragrances and how scents connect to our emotions. Using Pema Chodron’s ideas on change and fear, Karen Gilbert helps examine how these themes relate to personal growth and perfume-making. Karen is a teacher of perfumery, hosting in person and online masterclass an...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 39 min•Season 2Ep. 43
“I should like to bury something precious in every place where I've been happy and then, when I'm old and ugly and miserable, I could come back and dig it up and remember.” Fliss Walton returns to the podcast to engage in a thoughtful discussion about Evelyn Waugh's 'Brideshead Revisited,' a novel that stands out as one of her all-time favourite books. Waugh’s has a beautifully light touch when it comes to the intricate themes of love, profound loss, and the weight of social expectations, examin...
Apr 08, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Life choices can be reflected in the narratives we create, But we can change the narrative at any time. This conversation features Diane Risopoulos, a perfumery apprentice in Rome and a graduate of the 5eme Sens school in Grasse. She also is the author of the blog Pixidis Perfumes. We talk about how literature and perfume connect, focusing on how scents trigger memories and emotions. Diane collaborates with the Aromata Prize, a new perfume competition in Rome that celebrates perfume as an art an...
Apr 01, 2025•59 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Stories and fragrance are portals into other worlds. There are opportunities for connection and understanding when we experience both. In this conversation, I explore with Yosh Han the profound connections between scent, literature, and cultural identity, particularly through the lens of Octavia Butler's 'Kindred'. We discuss the serendipitous journey of discovering the book, the complexities of decolonizing scent, and the spiritual and physical connections that fragrance evokes. The dialogue de...
Mar 18, 2025•50 min•Season 2Ep. 40
"We are nothing but the stories we tell ourselves..." In this conversation, Purvi Joshi, the creative director of Peosym, shares her journey into the world of niche fragrances, inspired by personal loss and the stories that shape our lives. We discusses the significance of storytelling in fragrance creation, the cultural inspirations behind her scents, and and how we change and grow when we move into new spaces. Our chat explores themes of loss, memory, and the evolving nature of language and id...
Mar 11, 2025•48 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Illustrations of Science, Colonialism, Feminism and the natural beauty of birds. Experiences, science, observation, and the act of sharing stories are fundamental parts of the vibrant community of readers, fragrance enthusiasts, and birdwatching aficionados. This week’s guest is the remarkable Kirsty Costa, a long-time educator, dedicated lifelong learner, and passionate lover of nature – with a special affinity for birds. Kirsty is the host of the wonderful Australian podcast Weekend Birder, an...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 38
When Humans and Books are so delicately intertwined that you don’t know when one ends and the other begins. This episode’s guest is the remarkable renaissance woman, independent perfumer, avid reader, and keeper of random bits of fragrant knowledge, Jocelyn Fullerton. Her impressive body of work spans an array of specialties, including fine fragrances, skincare, and homecare, as well as innovative performance art installations, cinema projects, and inspiring exhibitions. In addition to her creat...
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Chose your own adventure. Take control of the narrative. Make the scent experiences you want to see in the world. We are playing in a slightly new and intriguing space for this week’s episode. Jinx Strange, the innovative creator behind Strange Fire and Fumery, is here to discuss their latest creative venture, known as Hero Scent. In this unique project, you have the exciting opportunity to purchase distinctive scents while also building your own roleplaying character and developing an ongoing c...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Nature is not always good for you when power and politics are in play. This episode features Anh, the Fragrance Curator for Connection Parfumerie, a well-known store that offers a unique selection of luxury perfumes from around the world. Connection Parfumerie is Australia's top choice for special fragrances. Founded in 1954, this family-run business is one of Melbourne's oldest and most reliable retailers. They operate in Prahran and South Melbourne, delivering a great shopping experience for f...
Feb 11, 2025•53 min•Season 2Ep. 35
The English language has few words to describe scents. Creating fragrances is an art form that tells intricate stories and forms deep and transformative connections This episode’s featured guest is William Borrell, who is the cofounder of Vallense, an innovative UK fragrance house that emphasizes the transformative and evocative qualities of scent. William brings a rich background, having previously built a successful career in alcohol distilling, which gives him a unique perspective on fragranc...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Historically, the world has offered easy access to women feeling their power. But, find yourself your own island, depict your stories and make sure your voice is heard. It’s the first episode of Season 2 and let’s kick down some doors was a pair of scuffed Doc Martins with feminism written on their soles. Jen from Immortal Perfumes made this topic particularly easy has we weave starting out in perfume as her own ‘girl boss’ and name car’s Medusa, because she turns men into stone. A lover of hist...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 32 min•Season 2Ep. 33
The landscape of fragrance easily can fall into the realm of collection, be it materials or the search for the ultimate scent. But what if this process becomes something a little bit darker… This is the last of the special spooky season series, as well as the final episode for season 1. It has been a true pleasure to talk to such a wide variety of guests, and this week's guest is no exception. Nadia Vitlin is a perfumer who specializes in bespoke creations, scent visual art, and offers training ...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 32
If you were to sum up the theme for episode four of the spooky season series, it would be this: Life can get pretty dark if you can’t take a joke… Let’s catch up with the second part of the red string, photo board and many drawing pins that is pulling together two more text and a few more fragrances with Nuri McBride Nuri is not just a perfumer; she is also a dedicated community educator and an insightful writer who regularly explores the rich intersection of olfaction and death rituals througho...
Oct 22, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Onwards to episode three of the spooky season series where we talk about Death, rituals, the creation of meaning and mystery. Now with a dash of necromancy… How can one truly discuss the intricate topics of fragrance, death, and rituals without the invaluable insights of Nuri McBride? It seems only fitting that we take this opportunity to ‘resurrect’ a former guest who has made significant contributions to the conversation. Nuri is not just a perfumer; she is also a dedicated community educator ...
Oct 15, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In this second instalment of our Spooky Season series, we explore the theme of horror through anxiety—the unsettling sensation that something catastrophic lurks just beyond our perception. Anxiety manifests in many forms, often creeping into our thoughts like a shadow in the dark. It amplifies our worries, transforming mundane situations into catastrophic scenarios. The potential for things to go horribly wrong becomes a breeding ground for horror, as our imagination runs wild with the possibili...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In the first of our Spooky Season series - we talk about how we can ‘defang’ death, the loneliness of grief and different cultural perspectives on ritual those no longer with us. In this episode, we discuss Louise’s first book, Hungry Bones , which explores profound themes of loneliness and connection. We discuss how cultural perspectives on death shape our understanding and acceptance of it, and how open conversations can demystify and reduce the fear surrounding death. Louise shares insights o...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 28
Our companions are not always human. The meaningful and grounding connections that we make can easily be with an animal or a tree… In this episode, we explore the intrinsic bond between humanity and companionship, emphasizing the profound impact that our beloved animal companions on our lives. Liz Moores, a self-taught perfumer and the creative force behind Papillion Perfumery, shares her insights on how these relationships with creatures and nature that inspire her craft. Liz captures the essen...
Sep 23, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Are the stories about our culture and community what we make or what are given to us? Örök Fragrances is a freshly launched fragrance house that passionately focuses on the rich stories and unique experiences of the queer community, all intricately told through the captivating medium of scent. In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with John, the visionary founder of the new Melbourne-based brand, Örök Fragrances. These thoughtfully crafted fragrances range from the delightfully weird ...
Sep 17, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Joy is both a Noun and a Verb. It is a radical act in the face of shame and derision. You cannot have the light without the dark. Joy ultimately is a doing word. I had not been exploring the world of fragrance long before I heard about Olfiction and Boujee Bougies (I may or may not have paid closer attention because of the clever play on words). One half of this astounding word-smithery is creative director Nick Gilbert. Nick has done the hard yards behind a perfume counter and has worn many hat...
Sep 10, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Political machinations are always interesting and show much safer when you are in the cheap seats of being a reader. Keeping your head above water in a historical context may just be about keeping it on your neck You have to be a little bit brave to start out as a fragrance reviewer in the world of social media these days. Charlotte has recently started reviewing scents and sewing as a side hustle to expand her collection. Charlotte like to deep dive into the history of fragrances as well as off...
Sep 03, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 24
