In this episode of the HerStory Podcast, Kylie King sits down with the inspiring Maha Dunne, founder of Luxe Memories Australia. Born from a promise Maha made to her mother, Luxe Memories is dedicated to helping busy families and individuals transform their overwhelming digital and physical photo collections into high-quality, curated legacy books.
Maha discusses the urgency of preserving family history in an age where we take trillions of photos but rarely print them. She explains the “tragedy of the single point of failure” – keeping all your memories on one device – and shares her professional expertise on how to protect fragile black-and-white originals from the Australian elements. From the psychological benefits of physical books to the beautiful way they act as “storytellers” for future generations, this episode is a heartfelt call to action to stop “faffing around” and start preserving your legacy.
What You’ll Learn in Episode 73
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Maha shares the touching “Mother’s Promise” and how a conversation in residential care sparked the birth of Luxe Memories Australia.
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You will learn about the “Single Point of Failure” and why relying solely on your phone for photo storage is a recipe for heartbreak.
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Maha explains the world best practices for backups using the 3-2-1 Rule, which includes three copies, two types of media, and one offsite location.
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We discuss preserving “Legacy Photos” and why black-and-white originals are more fragile than you think, especially in the Australian climate.
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You’ll discover the “Storytelling” process Maha uses to go beyond just placing photos by capturing the names, dates, and inside stories behind the images.
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Maha opens up about her personal journey as a businesswoman and how she worked to overcome the “Fear of Failure” when leaving the corporate world.
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We explore the value of curation and why a physical book is significantly more likely to be passed down through generations than a digital folder.
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Maha shares her future vision for giving back, including her goal to create legacy books for elders in residential care to honor their life stories.
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You will get practical tips for becoming the “Family Historian” by starting to gather your photos today to ensure there are no gaps in your history.
Guest: Maha Dunne
Luxe Memories Australia was founded on a promise I made to my Mum.
Although Mum lived a traditional life as a mother and homemaker, she had an entrepreneurial spirit and I’m sure she would have loved to have her own business. Her dearest wish was to see her children thrive and succeed doing work they loved. Dad’s passion was photography – even though it was a ‘hobby’, he was rarely seen without a camera hanging around his neck! He would have loved the smartphone era!
Dad’s sudden passing devastated the family and created an urgent need in me to preserve his legacy of thousands of printed photos. I took up the mantle of family historian and archivist. Mum could clearly see how much preserving our family’s history meant to me.
When Mum eventually needed residential care and the contents of her home were distributed among the family (an emotional and heartbreaking time), she gave me the push I needed to create my own business to help other families preserve their memories. So, after a career that included several ‘reinventions’ from Beauty Therapist to Personal Assistant to Billing and IT Support for corporate clients, my little business was born.
Luxe Memories Australia provides a customised, end to end service, starting with the curation of your images (hardcopy and digital), we can include images of family documents or favourite items – like that ever present linen or lace tablecloth on the dining table, favourite pieces of jewellery, or a worn-out pair of sneakers; and we weave them into a beautifully crafted, custom designed photobook that tells your story – a tangible keepsake that you can pass down through generations. We can also create books for your business.
Each book can be printed on a variety of premium quality papers with a range of high quality cover finishes that reflect your personality, values and style.
We want you to sit down with your book and lose yourself in the memories and emotions on every page. Besides the gift of time spent together, these are your most precious assets – your images – the stories that come flooding back, the smell of meals cooking in your Mum’s kitchen and the bonds you formed over a lifetime of adventures!
Why create a photobook?
Because regardless of how technology evolves over the years, you will always be able to open your book and share your stories with those that are dearest to you – being able to do this is absolutely priceless!
It’s my privilege to work with clients to create a treasured photobook or album they will enjoy for many years to come.
Find Maha:
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