Hello! We’re Kelly and Frauke, dear friends and respected colleagues who share a deep passion for sustainability and smelling.
Our mutual interests led us to write a children’s picture book, No Place for Plants, which we believe meets the moment we find ourselves in.
You might be wondering, why the name “Pukuu’ One World”?
Well, the main character in our book is named Pukuu’ (pooh-koo), which, in the Gabrielino/Tongva language of the Indigenous people of the Los Angeles Basin in California means “One.”
Pukuu’ symbolizes the connection and “oneness” of all living beings, whether human, plant, animal, insect, or otherwise. The air that we’re all breathing is the air that we’re all sharing. We’re equal and no one species is superior.
Here in this space we aim to build community and dialogue around connecting children to Nature through plant advocacy and smelling. We believe both are under-appreciated and perhaps exactly this combination could be part of the solution.
More About Us
Kelly Ablard, Ph.D., is a biologist and a certified aromatherapist. As the Founder and CEO of Airmid Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, she is dedicated to the global education, research, and sustainability of medicinal and aromatic plants, with a focus on their traditional uses in Indigenous communities.
Kelly's work spans diverse fields, including conservation biology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and behavioral ecology. She has conducted in situ and ex situ research worldwide, studying traditional medicine practices, protecting threatened species, and understanding chemical communication in nature. Kelly has also enjoyed her role as a presenter and lecturer throughout the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, South Korea, Peru, and Indonesia.
Her achievements earned her recognition as an outstanding alumna by Simon Fraser University in 2022. Kelly is also the Co-Owner and Co-Principal of Essence of Thyme College of Holistic Studies, Ltd.
Balancing her time between Los Angeles, CA, and Vancouver B.C., you can find Kelly on an exciting journey where science intertwines with spirit.
Frauke Galia is a smell coach, certified aromatherapist, and podcaster. After spending over 20 years in and around the fragrance industry, her current aim is to get people to use their sense of smell more purposefully and to harness it for health and wellbeing.
She is often referred to as “the smell lady” because of her deep passion for connecting people with their sense of smell. She believes that smelling is a privilege and that society undervalues this beautiful and critical sense. Her philosophy encourages a mindful connection with smelling for both health and well-being.
Frauke is also a professional ambassador for the non-profit U.K. organization Fifth Sense, a charity focused on supporting those with smell and taste disorders. It is her mission, as a person with “smell-ability,” to bring more awareness and compassion for people with anosmia, those affected by the inability to smell. Her aim is to bring closer those who have the privilege to smell with those who are unable to smell.
She is also host of the podcast An Aromatic Life which aims to shed light on our beautiful sense of smell, and increase its profile in a culture dominated by sight and sound. Furthermore, Frauke is the creator of the Scent*Tattoo project, which aims to connect humans through scent and scent memories.
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two boys, where you can find her smelling everything.
