76: My Podcast Hiatus and The Inspiration That Brought Me Back

Summary
In this episode, Liz Fulcher shares a personal story about her year-long hiatus from the Aromatic Wisdom Podcast. She explains why she almost quit podcasting, what led her to step away, and the spark that brought her back to sharing her passion for aromatherapy and teaching.

What You Will Learn in Episode #76:

• The factors that contributed to Liz's burnout
• The importance of community and student interaction for her as a teacher and podcaster
• The challenges she faced trying to adapt to new online teaching platforms
• How discovering the Skool platform reignited her passion for connecting and teaching
• The value of taking a break, listening to your needs, and rediscovering joy in creative work

Smell My Life:
Liz Fulcher describes how she used frankincense hydrosol, helichrysum hydrosol, and a homemade jojoba and beeswax salve with helichrysum essential oil to care for a post-surgical wound after having a basal cell carcinoma removed—choosing natural remedies over petroleum-based products for her healing.

Resources and Links:

• The Aromatic Wisdom Community: www.skool.com/aromaticwisdom/about
• Upcoming episode: "Inhaling Wellness – all about nasal inhalers"

Transcript

Here’s a summary of the key points from Aromatic Wisdom Podcast episode 76, “My Hiatus,” hosted by Liz Fulcher:

• Liz Fulcher opens up about taking a year-long hiatus from the podcast, sharing honestly about the reasons behind her break and her eventual return.
• She reflects on the origins of the podcast, her passion for teaching aromatherapy, and how podcasting originally felt like a channel for her creativity.
• The COVID-19 pandemic halted her ability to teach live classes, which significantly impacted her sense of connection with students and made the podcast feel more like a chore than a joy.
• Attempts to move her teaching online using various course platforms (like Thinkific, Teachable, and ThriveCart Learn) felt unfulfilling and lacked the sense of community she craved.
• Feeling discouraged and questioning her purpose, she considered retiring from aromatherapy and podcasting altogether.
• The turning point came when Liz Fulcher discovered the Skool platform in August 2025—a community-oriented space that rekindled her excitement by allowing real interaction with students.
• She emphasizes that what she truly needed was community and human connection, not just another content delivery system.
• The renewed sense of community and daily student engagement on Skool reignited her creativity and desire to podcast.
• Liz Fulcher shares an aromatherapy segment called “Smell My Life,” detailing her use of hydrosols and a DIY healing salve after a minor surgery.
• She provides information for listeners to join her new Aromatic Wisdom Community on Skool, which is currently free.
• The episode ends with a message of encouragement for anyone feeling burnout: sometimes stepping back can help you rediscover your passion.
• Liz Fulcher previews the next episode, which will focus on nasal inhalers.

Overall, this episode is a candid, heartfelt reflection on burnout, the need for connection, and the rediscovery of creative joy through building community.