Harry Slatkin Reveals The Family Fight Behind His Fragrance Empire

This is StRest! Kerstin Lindquist sits down with Harry Slatkin — known as the king of home fragrance, co-founder of Slatkin & Co, QVC favorite, business builder and co-founder of Next for Autism — for a heartfelt conversation about fragrance, family, severe autism, stress, faith, health and turning deep pain into purpose. Harry shares how he started his first business at 15, went from finance to fragrance, and helped change the home fragrance industry by bringing candles out of the home department and into the beauty world. He opens up about working with iconic names like Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Elton John, Princess Diana, Tory Burch, Christian Dior, Bath & Body Works and more, while explaining why scent is not just a product but an emotional and physical experience tied to the brain. Then the conversation turns personal. Harry talks about his son David’s severe autism diagnosis, the early years of biting, clawing, screaming, medical uncertainty and family stress, and how he and his wife Laura decided they could either sit in their sorrow or get to work. That work eventually helped lead to major autism advocacy efforts, including Next for Autism, Autism Speaks, schools, adult programs, workplace programs and support for families living with autism. Harry also shares how his family handled Laura’s breast cancer, what faith looks like for him, why every family is carrying something, and how honesty helps him manage stress. He explains why he and Laura have watched The Golden Girls almost every night for decades, how he learned to shut his brain off, why sleep matters, and why phones, food, blood work, magnesium, vitamin D and small health changes are all part of the bigger conversation. TODAY'S SPONSORS⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Waco Shoe Company ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- CODE: KERSTIN20 |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wacoshoecompany.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vivoro⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - KERSTIN50 | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vivoro.com/kerstin50⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ BONUS CONTENT: JOIN OUR COMMUNITY ON YOUTUBE ⁠⁠YouTube Community⁠⁠ PROGRAM ⁠⁠Fast2Faith Fasting Program⁠ CHAPTERS (00:00) Harry Slatkin Joins StRest (01:47) Pain, Purpose And Family (04:18) Building A Fragrance Empire (07:42) Vera Wang Changed His Path (11:13) Working With Famous Icons (13:14) Why Scent Changes The Brain (20:38) David’s Autism Diagnosis (25:24) Surviving Family Stress (37:03) David’s Life Today (48:01) Golden Girls And Stress Relief WORK WITH KERSTIN ⁠⁠Workshops & Events⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Health Coaching with Kerstin⁠⁠ MORE ABOUT KERSTIN Website: ⁠⁠kerstin-lindquist.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠@kerstin.lindquist⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠Kerstin Lindquist⁠⁠ YouTube: ⁠⁠@Kerstin.lindquist⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠@kerstin.lindquist⁠⁠ CONNECT WITH HARRY SLATKIN Instagram: @harryslatkin Slatkin & Co: slatkinandco.com Next for Autism: nextforautism.org A Night of Too Many Stars: nextforautism.org Production, Distribution, and Marketing By Massif & Kroo Website: ⁠⁠MassifKroo.com⁠⁠ For inquiries/sponsoring: ⁠⁠[email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices