The Courage to Begin Again
Some chapters begin because we choose them.
Others begin because life quietly closes a door for us.
For Yuliana, starting over came after a turning point she didn't necessarily expect. Being retrenched last year gave her an opportunity to pause and ask a question that perhaps had been waiting underneath the surface: What do I truly want to pursue?
The answer began with something she had always been curious about: perfumery.
What started as a hobby slowly became a new sense of purpose. She began learning, experimenting, and eventually built Perfume Friend Studio, creating a space where others could discover fragrance and make something personal of their own. But Yuliana doesn't see herself as someone who has figured it all out. She still considers herself a student. This is what makes her story of starting over so compelling. It isn't about arriving somewhere certain. It is about having the courage to begin, and allowing the next chapter to reveal itself along the way.
More Than What We Accomplish
Beyond her work and achievements, Yuliana hopes people see something much more human. Someone they can laugh with and can have meaningful conversations with. Also, someone who can be caring, thoughtful, and compassionate while at the same time can be impatient in traffic, or perhaps a little annoying when she's hungry. She doesn't expect people to see only her best sides. She would rather be known as a whole person, imperfections included.
For her, character is revealed in the way we treat other people, especially when there is nothing to gain in return. She has that gentler way of thinking about who people are. They are not a collection of achievements to present to the world, but the definition of people is how the way they make other people feel.
Yuliana and her friends hanging out at the mall
The People Who Taught Her How to Care
When Yuliana thinks about the person who quietly shaped her, she returns to her mother. Her influence wasn't necessarily found in grand lessons, but in the everyday things she did for her family. Through her, Yuliana learned compassion, care, and strength.
Today, those lessons remain in small details: the familiar aromas, comforting rituals, and the way Yuliana tries to treat the people around her.
Losing her mother has also changed the way she sees those memories. Sometimes, we only recognize the beauty of ordinary moments after they have become memories.
A kitchen.
A familiar scent.
A simple ritual.
A presence we once assumed would always be there.
And perhaps that is another thing fragrance teaches us: some things may leave the room, but they don't necessarily leave us.
A picture of Yuliana and her mother while on holiday
The Scent of Her Mother's Kitchen
Some memories don't need photographs to survive. Sometimes, all it takes is a scent. For Yuliana, it is the warm, sweet aroma of banana bread. It takes her back to childhood, to the kitchen where her mother would bake banana cake for the family. The scent would fill the house, bringing with it a sense of warmth, safety, and simple happiness.
Her mother is no longer here. But today, a memory of her carries something deeper. The scent of banana bread has become more than a childhood memory but has become a small doorway into a past she can still visit.
A familiar aroma. A familiar kitchen. A mother's love.
Sometimes, fragrance reminds us that home can disappear as a physical place, yet remain remarkably alive within us.
The familiar scent of banana bread brings warmth to her
Where She Can Be Completely Herself
Yuliana feels most like herself around the people closest to her: her family and dearest friends. With them, there is no need to impress anyone. She can laugh freely, be silly, share what she is thinking, reveal her vulnerable side, and allow herself to be imperfect.
There is comfort in being around people who don't require us to constantly explain ourselves. Perhaps that is why her definition of a safe space is not tied to a particular address. It is a feeling.
The feeling of being accepted, understood, and loved.
The feeling that you don't have to appear strong all the time, or have everything figured out. Sometimes, home is simply where you can put your guard down
The Quiet Ritual of Returning to Herself
When life becomes overwhelming, Yuliana knows when to step away. She retreats into her own private space and allows herself some quiet me time. She has also learned to protect parts of her life from the outside world. Not everything needs to be explained and not every moment needs to be shared. There are moments she can find a safe space:
A good book.
A cup of coffee.
Journaling.
A long, guilt-free rest.
A good night's sleep.
None of these things seem particularly extraordinary. But perhaps that is exactly why they work. In those spaces, there are no expectations to perform and no need to shape an experience for someone else's perception. In a world that constantly asks us to respond, produce, achieve, and keep moving, choosing to pause can become its own form of care. She doesn't always need to solve everything.
Sometimes, she simply needs to become quiet enough to hear herself again.
Yuliana's reset by going to the beach enjoying sunset
The Beauty We Walk Past
Yuliana believes we have become so focused on reaching the next destination that we sometimes overlook what is already accompanying us.
Morning sunlight.
The earthy scent after rain.
Flowers quietly blooming in a garden.
Moonlight falling softly at night.
None of them demand our attention.
They simply exist.
And perhaps that is precisely why we miss them. Life often teaches us to look ahead—to the next achievement, the next milestone, the next version of ourselves. But beauty doesn't always wait at the destination. Sometimes it is already beside us. We simply have to slow down enough to notice.
Current Chapter: Starting, Again
Learning and experimenting at her own perfume studio
Yuliana is currently rebuilding. She found herself at a pivotal moment after being laid off last year. What initially felt like an ending eventually created space for something she had always been curious about: perfumery.
She began learning. Then experimenting. Then creating.
Through that process, she found a new sense of purpose. Her Perfume Friend Studio today has become her anchor in this new chapter. A chapter where she can share her knowledge and create a space for others to discover fragrance for themselves. There is something beautiful about finding a new direction in a moment when the old one suddenly disappears.
Bentala first crossed paths with Yuliana at one of our exhibitions in Jakarta. We quickly discovered a shared passion for fragrance and, perhaps more importantly, a similar belief in the stories and emotions that can live within it.
Since then, our conversations have gone beyond perfumery. We have shared thoughts about the challenges that come with building something, the uncertainties that accompany starting again, and the quiet persistence required to keep going.
Perhaps that is what Along the Way is about.
Sometimes, we meet people while we are still figuring things out ourselves. There is no need to have all the answers. We simply share where we are, learn from one another, and continue moving forward.
For Yuliana, that means beginning again without pretending to already know the way. Continuing to learn even after finding a direction. And allowing curiosity to remain alive. Her dream is to eventually create her own perfume brand: one that carries emotions, memories, and meaningful stories within its scents.
My dream is to establish my own perfume brand. I hope to create fragrances that are not only beautiful but also carry emotions, memories, and meaningful stories. I am still at the beginning of this journey, but I hope that someday I can build a brand as thoughtful and inspiring as Bentala.
She is still at the beginning. But perhaps beginnings are not meant to be certain. They are meant to be explored. There is a beauty of starting again: you don't have to know exactly where the road will lead. You only have to be willing to take the next step.
We are grateful that, somewhere along the way, our paths crossed with Yuliana's. And we hope the road ahead brings her closer to the dream she is building, one small step at a time. Yuliana's story reminds us that starting over isn't necessarily about becoming someone new. Sometimes, it is about finally giving something that has always been inside you the space to grow.
Yuliana with her students at her Perfume friend studio
Along the Way is a conversation series by Bentala that celebrates every person we cross paths with on this journey of life. Through honest and meaningful dialogues, we explore the memories, values, and quiet moments that subtly shape who we are today. Because inspiration doesn't always come from extraordinary lives. Sometimes, it comes from people simply learning to live more truthfully, one step at a time.