The XYZ Experiment

In this week's episode, Fiona and Darsh stir up a conversation about when they first learnt to cook. What they started with, who taught them, their favourite cook books, and how their relationship with cooking has changed over time.

Our Gen X, Fiona finds peace in the kitchen, loving the creativity of baking and crafting meals from scratch.

Meanwhile our Gen Y Darsh, admits it's more if a chore than a joy.

From childhood kitchen memories to the role cooking plays in their adult lives, this episode serves up a delicious mix of nostalgia, honesty and generational flavour.

Hosted by Darsh & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

This week's episode gets personal. Fiona opens up about the heartbreak of almost losing her beloved dog, Suki - her soul dog and constant companion. She shares the fear, the tears, and the overwhelming love that surfaced as she and her family did everything they could to save her (spoiler alert: Suki made it through).

Darsh reflects on her own bond with her aging dog, Peduncle, and what it means to love and care for a pet who holds such a special place in your heart.

Together, they explore why our dogs can become our anchors, healers and family and how they teach us unconditional love and loss.

Maybe the generations aren't that different when it comes to the love of their fur babies.

Hosted by Darsh & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

This week, Gen Y Darsh reveals how her friendship catch-ups come with a plan - from planned agendas to voice memo updates in recurring chat groups.

Meanwhile, Gen X Fiona is amazed; her friendship catchups are random, spontaneous and unstructured.

Together they explore how different generations maintain connection, the rise of 'admin in friendship' and whether planning makes us closer as we navigate friendship maintenance in the age of constant communication.

Hosted by Darsh & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

Dr Minto Felix is not a stranger to migration across borders. In this episode we hear his experience of the Gen Y rite of passage of working and studying in the UK. But Mintos story extends beyond the experience of work, to stories of self discovery and becoming.

Note: We apologise for the sound quality of this episode. Dr Minto was dialling in from the UK

Hosted by Darsh & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

This week, Fiona and Darsh sit down to explore what it really means to grow older.

From shifting priorities to letting go of things that once felt urgent, they ask: do we actually become more relaxed with age, or just more selective about what matters?

Join the conversation as our Gen X and Gen Y share their discoveries, wonderings, and the surprising ways perspective changes across generations.

Hosted by Darsh & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

In this episode , Darsh and Luke delve into what lifelong learning means across the generations.

From school, to self education, career growth to personal passions, they explore how learning has shaped their lives and why it continues to matter.

They reflect on the role of curiosity, technology, and opportunity in keeping the mind open, and ask: is learning ever really finished?

Hosted by Darsh & Luke

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

In this episode of The XYZ Experiment, Darsh and Luke dive into the foods that make them squirm.

From childhood experiences to cultural quirks, they share the stories behind why certain dishes give them the dreaded "ick".

Along the way, they explore whether eating is just about survival or if its something to savour - do we eat to live, or live to eat?

Join us for a fun, honest, and slightly gross conversation about food aversions, taste, and everything in between.

Hosted by Darsh & Luke

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

This week on The XYZ Experiment, we sit down with Dr Scarlett Howard (Head of the Integrative Cognition, Ecology and Bio-inspiration Research Group at the School of Biological Sciences) to explore the surprising intelligence of tiny insect brains.

Her current work focuses on bees and whether they can understand mathematical concepts like odd and even numbers - spoiler alert, they can!

How do miniature brains solve such complex problems? What might this reveal about animal cognition, climate change, and even our own understanding of intelligence?

Join us for this absolutely fascinating conversation that will change the way you see the next bee buzzing past.

Hosted by Darsh & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

This week, Luke (our resident Gen Z) is grappling with the harsh reality that his beloved 7year old iP{ad has hit its expiry date. No longer able to support the latest apps, it's sparked a bigger question: is it fair - or even ethical - that technology becomes obsolete so quickly?

From nostalgia for the vices we once loved to the environmental and financial cost of constant upgrades, we unpack what it means to live in a world where tech has a shelf life.

Hosted by Darsh, Luke & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly

Perfume is no longer just a luxury, it's a booming multibillion dollar industry, growing at record speeds.

In this episode, we explore the world of fragrance from a generational lens. We talk about perfumes and colognes we grew up with, the scents that defined our youth, and how a simple spray can transport us back in time.

Do we still wear perfume today? Why do some of us feel unfinished without a final spritz before we leave the house, while others have abandoned it entirely. We explore what scent means to identity, confidence and memory and whether the industry's explosive growth reflects a deeper human need for connection, nostalgia and self-expression.

Hosted by Darsh, Luke & Fiona

Produced by Fiona Kelly & Darsh Ayton

Show runner Darsh Ayton

Original music created and performed by Luke Champion

Social media content created by Darsh Ayton & Fiona Kelly