Great brands start with a problem. Gutology started because our founder’s gut would not heal.

In our latest episode of The Gutology Podcast, Why We Built Gutology: The Future Is Alive, Julia, practitioner and host, sits down with our founder Ollie to share the real origin story behind the brand. Not the polished version, but the honest one.

The frustration of chasing symptoms, the cycle of temporary fixes,and the moment the thinking shifted from fixing a problem to understanding an ecosystem.

When Symptoms Keep Returning

In his twenties, Ollie went through multiple rounds of antibiotics. Years later, digestive symptoms kept returning. There were appointments, tests, restrictive diets and different approaches, yet nothing that truly explained why things weren’t resolving long term.

When he first met Julia, he was sceptical of the microbiome conversation. If something was wrong, surely it would have been caught by doctors? Surely the answer would have been obvious?

Instead of focusing only on supplements or elimination protocols, Julia asked different questions. She explored early life factors, daily exposures and the wider environment shaping the body. Not just what was being eaten, but what was being absorbed, inhaled and used every single day.

That conversation was the turning point.

The Inputs We Don’t Think About

Toothpaste. Deodorant. Aftershave. Candles. Cleaning products.

The quiet background inputs most of us never question, yet interact with constantly. It became clear that health is not simply about removing the “bad” or adding the “good.” It is about supporting living systems that are already working hard to maintain balance.

You can optimise your diet.

You can improve digestion.

And still be surrounded by negative inputs your body processes every single day.

The Mouth Is Not Separate

The real turning point came with a simple but overlooked realisation: the mouth has its own microbiome.

For decades, oral care has been framed around sterilisation and killing bacteria. Yet the mouth is not separate from the rest of the body. It is the beginning of the digestive tract and part of a wider ecosystem.

If our skin and gut benefit from balance rather than eradication, why would the mouth be different?

Your mouth is alive with bacteria. Your skin is too. Even your home carries its own microbial community. The question is not whether to be clean. It is whether our default approach has become unnecessarily aggressive.

From Sterile to Supportive

In this episode, Julia and Ollie explore:

• The blind spot in modern oral care
• Why the home environment may matter more than we assume 
• The cumulative effect of synthetic fragrance
• The difference between feeling clean and living in a chronically sterile space
• Why the goal is not zero exposure, but a stronger baseline 

What emerges is a shift in perspective. A move away from fighting biology and towards working with it. From stripping everything back to thoughtfully supporting the ecosystems that support us.

That is what we mean when we say the future is alive. 

Connecting the Dots

This way of thinking is what ultimately shaped Gutology’s microbiome-first approach to daily rituals, beginning with a probiotic-powered toothpaste and expanding into a wider rethink of oral, skin and home care.

If you’ve ever wondered how this philosophy became a product and a brand, this conversation connects the dots.