They say, “don’t quit your job after your first Burning Man,” but that’s exactly what Rob did. He left behind a successful career as a retail executive and went on a journey to reconnect with himself. It was during a plant ceremony that he gained clarity on a new life purpose: opening a gender-free shopping environment. Less than a year later, in 2018, he launched The Phluid Project, a queer-centric store in New York City, the first of its kind, blending fashion, community, and activism. More recently, this vision has expanded to fragrance with a collection of four scents that blend feminine and masculine notes and break down barriers to self-expression.
In this episode, Rob sits down with Brittney Jackson Mosley, who runs integrated marketing at Scentbird. He talks about his most popular scents (including a bestseller that’s perfect for summer), opens up about his journey embracing his full self, and answers intimate questions from his TikTok community.
Chapters:
[01:05] A life-changing Burning Man experience
[02:52] The plant-based ceremony that “birthed” Phluid
[05:30] Dissolving artificial labels
[06:50] The “third gender” in indigenous wisdom
[08:14] Phluid’s gender-free NYC fashion store
[10:53] Queer centric vs. queer exclusive
[12:05] How Rob learned to embrace his full self
[14:10] Mixing traditionally masculine and feminine notes
[15:53] Transcend: dragon fruit and palo santo
[18:43] Balance: the strongest Phluid scent
[22:45] Intention: the newest (and bestselling) scent
[25:33] Humanity: a great summer vibe
[26:50] A super collaborative way to develop scents
[29:38] Rob answers questions from his TikTok community
[30:49] “Will it be easier to accept that some family will never support me?”
[31:54] “How do you find queer communities in real life?”
[33:24] “How do I express my gender fluidity in the corporate world?”
[39:02] “How do you find the energy to keep going?”
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