Cleopatra's Bling Podcast
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. Cleopatra’s Bling travels around the world, meeting fascinating creatives, craftspeople, and cultural experts to inspire our artisanal collections. This podcast invites you into those intimate conversations which bring tradition and practices from the past into the present.
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Homecoming
06/29/2023
Homecoming
Olivia first came across Charnel Rizk when she read her moving short essay My Family’s Yellow Fibro Home was my Greatest Teacher. As a young writer Charnel writes about her identity as a Lebanese-Australian, and how her background forms an indelible part of the performer, musician, and creative she is today. Talking to Charnel gives us new insights into the way that coming from an immigration background can be simultaneously difficult and breathtakingly beautiful. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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News as a Force for Good
05/23/2023
News as a Force for Good
Do you sometimes feel scared about the direction that the world is going in, but not sure what you can do to help? Too overwhelmed to turn on the news? is a journalist and researcher for , covering everything from the most headline-grabbing events to some of the forgotten stories of our times. Her dedication to bringing to light stories from far flung corners of the world that deal with oppressed peoples gives her deep insight into lesser known details about important political dynamics. She shared her insights with Olivia about the state of journalism in the world today, offering a better understanding of what we as news consumers can do to help. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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The Business of Building Brands
04/26/2023
The Business of Building Brands
This episode contains inspiring ideas, intimate connection, and practical advice, as we explore the power of purpose-driven work. Less an interview and more a free ranging and informative conversation between two longtime friends and successful businesswomen. Ethical beauty brand founder sat down with the creative director of , , to delve into the pressing issues of our time and the role that a life's vocation can play in shaping a better future. Don't miss this opportunity to understand the journey from launch to legacy, and to learn about the business of building brands that truly matter. This episode was live-recorded Wurundjeri country. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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Relationship Revelations
04/12/2023
Relationship Revelations
is a bestselling writer and journalist whose passion is having . Her weekly newsletter and her essay compilations of the same name help us understand how relationships function, and how they grow through our lives. Natasha has interviewed Alain de Botton, Esther Perrel, and David Sedaris about love, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview her. I walked away from this conversation feeling wiser about love, life, and the length and breadth of all human relationships. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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The Story of Who We Are
03/29/2023
The Story of Who We Are
A dinner party guest we'd all love to be next to (or, frankly, be!) is the warm, encylopaedically knowledgeable historian . As quick with an interesting anecdote as with unexpected insights into the connections between far reaching areas in the ancient world, listening to her is like being transported to Egypt, India or the Middle East in times gone by. Bringing the lofty topic of history down into the earthy realm of the "story of who we are and how we came to be here", Erin takes facts and makes them a human drama that teaches us about our past in a vivid and gripping way. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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Cheesy Feelings
03/15/2023
Cheesy Feelings
If you’ve ever wondered why a chef might need to know the exact temperature of a cow's fourth stomach, chef Lucy Whitlow - is here to fill you in. She turns dairy produce into delicious cheeses, creams, and milk products, balancing the slowness needed to keep cheese "happy" and "calm" with the fast paced restaurant industry. She and Olivia discuss emotions that go into food, the complex qualities of milk, the intricate processes of making cheese, and how she balances her life as a restaurant chef with the meditative and time-consuming process of working with dairy. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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Creative Soul Corporate World
03/01/2023
Creative Soul Corporate World
understands the predicament many of us are in in the 21st century - we need a money job to pursue a creative passion. As an author, he managed to capitalise on his experience working as a brand strategist and use it to fuel his writing with biting humour and detailed observation. Ennis’ work deals with disillusionment, displacement, and the odd feeling of living in our modern world. His debut short story collection Sadvertising is published by Penguin Random House. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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Words From Ghosts
02/15/2023
Words From Ghosts
There is a moment in every child's life when they realise that the relationships around them may not be as simple as they seem. It's a perplexing sensation that can stay with us well into adulthood: times when you see your partner speaking, but hear the words of their father or grandmother emerging from their mouth. That generations present are haunted by generations past is something that poet contemplates through moving, spare writing. Trivarna calls up ghosts sensed from absences felt, creating sequeneces of words that make the poet's almost 200k Instagram followers feel seen and understood in just a few lines. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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Loving When It's Hard
02/01/2023
Loving When It's Hard
Bestselling , and marriage and family therapist, has been helping couples and parents for decades. She uses attachment theory to help individuals understand better how and why they are reacting to emotional triggers. Her insights have been featured on the Huffington Post, the New York Times, and Oprah. Olivia sat down with Elizabeth to discuss how to love, even when it gets hard, getting into the nitty gritty of our relationships, both good and bad. Elizabeth's ability to explain these emotionally charged and deep topics with effortless simplcity is just one of her amazing talents. Content Note: Grief, infant loss, child loss, topics about difficulties in relationships i.e. infidelity briefly touched on in this episode. Cleopatra's Bling Podcast was produced by and the CB team. Original music by Cameron Alva. You can discover Cleopatra's Bling designs, .
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Olivia and James Chat: Love Rings
06/29/2022
Olivia and James Chat: Love Rings
What kind of engagement ring would a jeweller want for herself? These questions and more in our final episode of the season that covers the earliest ever love rings, engagement rings' secret codes, and how capture by pirates led to one of the world's most iconic love ring designs.
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Interview with Sustainable Florist, Petrina Blooms
06/15/2022
Interview with Sustainable Florist, Petrina Blooms
Our guest today is more often referred to by the charming moniker “Blooms” which she uses as her Instagram handle . This cheerful gardener is as riotously colourful and funny as the wild and varied flowers she tends to in the green expanses of her suburban Melbourne home. It’s these flowers that Petrina Burrill handpicks and sells as part of her sustainable floristry practice. In signature pale pink overalls you can find her in a garden that , frollicking amongst pastel petals, and deep green fronds.
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Interview with Forager and Chef, Liam Spurrell
06/08/2022
Interview with Forager and Chef, Liam Spurrell
Many of us spend our whole lives attempting to climb the ladder of success in our chosen profession. Liam Spurrell found accolades and opportunities early: thanks to his talent for flavour and keen eye for detail already at a young age he found positions opening up to him in some of Melbourne’s best restaurants. But rather than stay in the ratatouille race, Liam decided to trade in his chef’s whites for muddy boots, secateurs and scissors. He is now a full time forager, sourcing ethical and sustainable produce from beach bananas, to mountain marigold, to olive herb.
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Olivia and James Chat History: Ancient Spies and the Death of a Star
05/25/2022
Olivia and James Chat History: Ancient Spies and the Death of a Star
Co-host James is back to the Podcast to talk a small but ubiquitous accessory with a very long history: the silk scarf. This week we've got ancient spies, martial arts, war propaganda, and the death of a star of the stage. Plus: Listener questions!
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Interview with Political Commentator, Yousef Alreemawi
05/11/2022
Interview with Political Commentator, Yousef Alreemawi
Over the past years Olivia has found twin passions in learning the Arabic language and advocating for Palestinian liberation. A mentor and teacher who helped to guide her in this journey is Yousef Alreemawi - a lecturer, political adviser and commentator, editor, and friend. They discuss the beauty of Arabic as a language, its unique expressiveness, and his experience as part of the Palestinian diaspora.
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Interview with former Vogue Editor in Chief Kirstie Clements
04/20/2022
Interview with former Vogue Editor in Chief Kirstie Clements
Kirstie Clements has presided over the most glamorous corners of the Australian fashion industry throughout her long career. At one point in time her role took her from clubbing with supermodels and Guns N’ Roses in Paris, to high tea with Estée Lauder at the Plaza New York, to travels alongside Armani in Shanghai. Despite these stylish credentials, she finds that much of her creative and professional inspiration has been drawn from fine art, poetry, music, film, and travel. She sat down with Olivia to dish on how to reinvent your creative message, adapting to life in a new country, and how it felt to be elevated to Vogue's editor in chief.
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Olivia and James Chat History: Murder, Gold, Necromacy
04/06/2022
Olivia and James Chat History: Murder, Gold, Necromacy
Co-host James returns to the Podcast to talk the life and times of the Renaissance's most infamous scoundrel: Benvenuto Cellini. This week we've got murder, sex, war, poetry, goldsmithing... with a touch of necromancy and some favours done for the Pope. It's the history of the life of Florence's most famous goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini. What better man or place to cover than that which inspires so many of our collections and where our first bespoke solid gold pieces were made? Plus: Listener questions!
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Interview with Olympic Boxer Harry Garside
03/23/2022
Interview with Olympic Boxer Harry Garside
The male boxer you see fighting it out in the ring at the Olympics, or the man who comes round to repair your burst water pipe - these might be the last kind of people you would stereotypically expect to pull off their gloves to reveal bright nail polish. Our guest today, Harry Garside, happens to be both: a professional fighter, and a tradesman. He also happens to be a laid back pioneer of the diverse possibilities of gender expression, having sported nail lacquer in the ring. His colourful hands were shown to the world when the gloves came off for a celebration of his Bronze Medal-winning stoush.
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Interview with Permaculture Expert, The Urban Nanna
03/09/2022
Interview with Permaculture Expert, The Urban Nanna
Permaculture is the development of agricultural systems that are sustainable and self-sufficient. Anna, more widely known as "The Urban Nanna", is a former primary school teacher with a horticultural background. Nowadays, rather than a stuffy building, the great outdoors is her classroom. Anna teaches traditional ways of crafting, preserving, and cooking, all the while living in the precarious rental market of suburban Australia. Olivia spoke with Anna at her wifi-less home, to discuss how foraging goes far beyond food, and the reviving of cultural traditions involving connection to Country and community. Listening to this episode will make you see the urban world around you in a completely new way, from using roses for flavour, to hawthorn for lowering blood pressure, wild violet and cherry blossom for infused sugars, and pine mushrooms for pizzas, stocks, and risottos.
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Olivia and James Chat History: Jade
02/23/2022
Olivia and James Chat History: Jade
We welcome new co-host James to the Podcast, who will join for regular chats that will give you a laugh as you cook or commute. CB founder and designer Olivia, and musician James are good friends with a wealth of stories and banter between them. They'll also provide insight into the historical backgrounds of some of the world's most famous materials, places, and objects that historically connect us to the jewels we wear today. This week we've got Big Men, brain goo, and a treasure map of precious minerals told through myth. It's the history of the gemstone jade, which features heavily in all Cleopatra's Bling collections. Plus: Listener questions!
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Interview with Linguist, Leo Kretzenbacher
02/09/2022
Interview with Linguist, Leo Kretzenbacher
Leo Kretzenbacher views language as a collective artwork created by all people who use it. He was born in Austria, grew up in Germany and has been teaching and researching in the German Studies Program of the University of Melbourne’s School of Languages and Linguistics for over a quarter of a century. While Leo has done literary and cultural studies as well, his main interest is in linguistics. Collectively he and Olivia speak over 15 languages. They discuss the best ways to learn a new language, frankness vs politeness in different languages, proxemics or "closeness" in intercultural communication.
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Interview with Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's Pat Nourse
01/26/2022
Interview with Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's Pat Nourse
Imagine trying to feed one of the world's most famously foodie cities in the middle of a pandemic. With COVID-19 forcing us to cover our mouths, that's exactly what Pat Nourse with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival somehow managed to do. Pat and his team not only found creative ways to bring incredible food to people, he also delved deeper into writing about food once more. Against a backdrop of chirping native birds Olivia talks with the one man who knows more about the world's best restaurants than just about anyone. They share their favourite eateries with each other (and us!), discuss how the table was a place to put down our weapons and lean across cultures, and give insights into what defines Australian cuisine. Check out the MFWF March edition (March 25-9 April). Tickets on sale in February via . Mentioned this episode:
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Goddess of Love and War, Inanna
10/26/2021
Goddess of Love and War, Inanna
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. In this new series of minisodes, Olivia takes us on a journey to the far reaches of the globe, giving an insight into the historical and cultural practices that inspire the Cleopatra's Bling artisanal jewellery collections.
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Interview with Everyone at the Table's Julie Marr
07/21/2021
Interview with Everyone at the Table's Julie Marr
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. Cleopatra’s Bling travels around the world, meeting fascinating creatives, craftspeople, and cultural experts to inspire our artisanal collections. This podcast invites you into those intimate conversations which bring tradition and practices from the past into the present.
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The Seven Headed Serpent, Muš-saĝ
07/07/2021
The Seven Headed Serpent, Muš-saĝ
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. In this new series of minisodes, Olivia takes us on a journey to the far reaches of the globe, giving an insight into the historical and cultural practices that inspire the Cleopatra's Bling artisanal jewellery collections.
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Interview with Birth and Postpartum Doula, Kalifa Doucet
06/15/2021
Interview with Birth and Postpartum Doula, Kalifa Doucet
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. Cleopatra’s Bling travels around the world, meeting fascinating creatives, craftspeople, and cultural experts to inspire our artisanal collections. This podcast invites you into those intimate conversations which bring tradition and practices from the past into the present.
/episode/index/show/cleopatrasblingpodcast/id/19487627
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The Mother of Cradles, Aisyt
05/19/2021
The Mother of Cradles, Aisyt
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. In this new series of minisodes, Olivia takes us on a journey to the far reaches of the globe, giving an insight into the historical and cultural practices that inspire the Cleopatra's Bling artisanal jewellery collections.
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Interview with Cook, Author, and Teacher Julia Busuttil Nishimura
05/18/2021
Interview with Cook, Author, and Teacher Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. Cleopatra’s Bling travels around the world, meeting fascinating creatives, craftspeople, and cultural experts to inspire our artisanal collections. This podcast invites you into those intimate conversations which bring tradition and practices from the past into the present.
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Interview with Lindsay Magazine's Beth Wilkinson
04/20/2021
Interview with Lindsay Magazine's Beth Wilkinson
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. Cleopatra’s Bling travels around the world, meeting fascinating creatives, craftspeople, and cultural experts to inspire our artisanal collections. This podcast invites you into those intimate conversations which bring tradition and practices from the past into the present.
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Interview with Author and Italian Food Connoisseur Paola Bacchia
03/15/2021
Interview with Author and Italian Food Connoisseur Paola Bacchia
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. Cleopatra’s Bling travels around the world, meeting fascinating creatives, craftspeople, and cultural experts to inspire our artisanal collections. This podcast invites you into those intimate conversations which bring tradition and practices from the past into the present.
/episode/index/show/cleopatrasblingpodcast/id/18332489
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Interview with Singer-Songwriter Julia Stone, Pt. 2
02/16/2021
Interview with Singer-Songwriter Julia Stone, Pt. 2
Host Olivia Cummings is the founder of the jewellery brand Cleopatra’s Bling. Cleopatra’s Bling travels around the world, meeting fascinating creatives, craftspeople, and cultural experts to inspire our artisanal collections. This podcast invites you into those intimate conversations which bring tradition and practices from the past into the present.
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