An Aromatic Life

#55: In Part 2 of a two-part series, Frauke sits down with renowned brain expert Professor James Goodwin to talk about brain health and olfaction. Dr. Goodwin explains the link between your sense of smell and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and surprises us with the revelation that "we're conceived old." He shares the good news that although th...

#54: In Part I of a two-part series, Frauke sits down with renowned brain expert Professor James Goodwin to give a historical perspective on our understanding of the brain and sense of smell (because smelling is in the brain). Dr. Goodwin shares how the scientific community evolved in their perception of the brain and olfactory system, what evolutionary role our sense of smell has played to make u...

#53: In this episode, Frauke sits down with Mexico City based olfactory artist, perfumer and designer Lula Curioca to discuss the importance of smelling everything. She explains what the sense of smell means to her, what potential she sees for this beautiful sense, and describes what smelling everything actually means. Lula takes us through her aromatic life journey, being born in Mexico and raise...

#52: In this episode, Frauke sits down with designated noses Mark Wiegers, who lives with his partner Dia, who has congenital anosmia, Kiki Poupazis, who lives with her daughter Thelma, who has acquired anosmia, and Mark Winnington, who lives with his fiance Anne Louise, who has parosmia to talk about what it's like, as a person able to smell, to live with a person experiencing a smell dysfunc...

#51: In this episode, Frauke sits down with The Institute for Art and Olfaction director and founder Saskia Wilson-Brown to discuss the democratization of scent. Saskia takes us through her early years living with a Cuban father and British mother, reveals how traveling a lot shaped who she is, and shares how her relationship to smell really changed in her teenage years going to school in Paris (h...

#50: In this episode, Frauke sits down with congenital anosmic Charlie Atkins to answer her curiosities about smells. Charlie was born without a sense of smell and had a bunch of questions about smells she wanted to ask Frauke. These are everyday curiosities about odors that we, as smellers, frankly don't think about much. Questions like "W hat does it feel like to smell ?", "H...

#49: In this episode, Frauke sits down with Nigerian perfumer, teacher, mentor, and artistic curator Deola “Abela” Paul-Inyang to talk about all things olfaction in Nigeria. Abela reveals how the smells of her childhood, and the influence of her mother, informed the work she does today. She also explains how she went against traditional norms to follow her heart (and nose) for more creative pursui...

#48: In this episode, Frauke sits down with award-winning natural perfumer, educator, and author Mandy Aftel to talk about her amazing museum in Berkeley, California called the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, plus a whole lot more. Mandy takes us through her creative journey that led her to the work she's doing now, incl. why she insists on keeping things small. She reveals how much has chang...

#47: In this episode, Frauke sits down with Perfumer and Scent Docent Terees Western to talk about her mission to help people open up their hearts & minds, and have new experiences, through scent and flavor. Terees takes us on a scented journey through her childhood growing up in Detroit and spending summers with her grandparents in Alabama. She also shares a unique perspective on what the sen...

#46: In this bonus episode, to celebrate Anosmia Awareness Day, Frauke sits down with award-winning filmmaker and congenital anosmic Jacob LaMendola to talk about all things anosmia. Frauke shares the story of how Jacob's award-winning short film " Anosmia " changed her life and influenced the work she's doing now. Jacob talks about what brought him to make the film, how it's...

#45: In this episode, Frauke sits down with experimental psychologist, Assistant Director, and Assistant Member of the Monell Chemical Senses Center Valentina Parma, PhD to discuss where we are today in terms of testing and diagnosing the health of a person's sense of smell. Valentina shares how COVID became a magnifying glass for connecting the sense of smell to our health, and how unprepared...

#44: In this episode, Frauke sits down with actor, certified sommelier, and natural perfumer Rachel Binder to discuss the importance of having real-world olfactory experiences in a more holistic way. Combining her unique professional experiences, Rachel discusses the value of smelling blind to remove preconceived notions, the benefit of connecting with the "energy imprint" of plants, and...

#43: In this episode, Frauke sits down with art and sensory historian Caro Verbeek to discuss what riches we can learn from smelling the past. Caro takes us through her personal scent journey growing up in the Netherlands and reveals the moment she knew that being a smell historian was what she was meant to do. She explains the role that historical smells can play in helping us to understand the p...

#42: In this episode, Frauke sits down with Clinical Aromatherapist Madeleine Kerkhof to discuss the role that our sense of smell, and scents, can play in oncology, palliative (incl. dementia and Alzheimer's), and end of life care. Madeleine shares her journey that led to the work that she does now, why she believes integrative care should be the true focus of health care (and not sick care),...

#41: It's the 1 year anniversary of An Aromatic Life! To mark the occasion, Frauke wants to celebrate our beautiful sense of smell. So, in this New Year episode, she's sharing a synthesis of what various guests have answered to the question " What does the sense of smell mean to you ?” You might be surprised to learn that there are a lot of different ways that people connect with thei...

#40: In this episode, Frauke sits down with perfumer and interdisciplinary artist Dana El Masri to talk about representation, culture, and identity through the lens of scent. As a Lebanese-Egyptian born in Budapest, raised in Dubai, and working in New York and Montreal, Dana shares her aromatic life journey that led her to ultimately create her brand Jazmin Sarai. She reveals how she uses the bran...

#39: In this episode, Frauke sits down with the CEO of Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils, Guy Vincent, to talk about the Australian sandalwood industry and much more. Dutjahn is unique in the industry in that it's a Western Australian based sandalwood oil distillation company that is 50% Indigenous-owned. Guy talks in detail about the significance of that partnership and the importance of collaboration...

#38: In this episode, Frauke sits down with perfumer and founder of Bravanariz, Ernesto Collado, to discuss the joy of capturing the smell of the wild landscape of the Catalonia coast in northeast Spain. Ernesto shares what the sense of smell means to him and reveals how his grandfather, a famous perfumer, was an early influence on his love of nature's smells. He describes what it was like to...

#37: In this episode, Frauke sits down with aromatherapy pioneer and author Robert Tisserand to reflect on 50 years of Aromatherapy. Robert takes us through his life's journey growing up in London, incl. his studies and original career ambitions (you might be surprised!). He shares what got him interested in essential oils, how he ended up writing that now famous book The Art of Aromatherapy ,...

#36: In this episode, Frauke sits down with cognitive scientist and empirical philosopher, Ann-Sophie Barwich, PhD to talk about her book Smellosophy: What the Nose tells the Mind, which highlights the importance of thinking about the sense of smell as a model for neuroscience and the senses. Ann-Sophie shares her perspective on why smelling is so underappreciated, what we get wrong about this elu...

#35: In this episode, Frauke sits down with Otolaryngologist Dr. Zara M. Patel, Director of Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Stanford University to talk about olfactory health, dysfunction, and the latest in olfactory research. Dr. Patel explains how doctors clinically define a healthy sense of smell, how she recommends we maintain smell health, and the ro...

#34: In this episode, Frauke sits down with Lucie Kratochvílová from the Czech Republic to talk about living with a rare smell dysfunction called hyperosmia, where you have a heightened sensitivity to smells. Lucie shares what daily life is like when you can smell everything, good and bad, and how she copes. She reveals what smells are most difficult and which ones she enjoys. She also shares the...

#33: In this episode, Frauke sits down with multi-disciplinary artist, writer, designer, and curator Catherine Haley Epstein to talk about her book Nose Dive , a book which explores the intersection of creativity with the science and anthropology of scent. This is a thought-provoking discussion about how we think and talk about scent. Catherine shares her journey to writing the book, which reveals...

#32: In this episode, Frauke talks about forest therapy, sometimes referred to as forest bathing. Learn all about this wonderful therapy, which has been scientifically proven to boost your immune system, reduce stress, increase energy, unleash creativity, decrease anxiety, enhance memory, and improve sleep (to name just a few). Frauke explains why we humans are meant to be in nature, what we can l...

This bonus episode is a companion guide to Episode #32 Forest Therapy for Healing and Wellbeing. Listen as Frauke explains exactly what you need to do before starting your forest therapy session. She explains the four rules to follow in order to get the most out of your session, and she takes you through how to engage each of your five senses, one at a time, to connect with nature in the most inti...