‘Fragrance, faith and the power of story’

The trauma Tonya Kidd-Beggs endured as a pre-teen blocked out all the joy and light of her childhood, but the evocative power of scent helped bring it back

I’m a passenger in a car, cruising out of Belfast and up the M2, bound for the newest boutique hotel on Ireland’s North Coast. Beside me sits a glamorous woman, eyes forward, quietly preparing to lead 30 women through a perfumery masterclass. It’s hard to believe that just eight years ago the same woman, Tonya Kidd-Beggs, was living the rhythm familiar to so many mums – juggling school runs, packed lunches, sports drop-offs and parent-teacher meetings. For two decades, she had poured herself into life as a stay-at-home mum to her four children. It was the world she knew, and she was perfectly content in it – until a one-week trip to Grasse in France changed everything.