Pippa Health aims to improve support for mums around the world. We caught up with founder, Lizzie Governor to learn about the progress she is making and discuss her Ministry of Awesome experience.
Pippa Health is a startup with the vision to reinvent mother and parental care for the digital age. They do this by focusing on two main areas: enhancing support for mothers through a mobile-first solution that boosts maternal mental health and wellbeing, and optimising the parental leave/return-to-work journey. This approach not only addresses critical health and wellbeing needs but also contributes to better business outcomes by enhancing productivity, creativity, and innovation in the workplace.
With a philosophy of blending empathy and technology, Pippa Health creates a supportive haven for new mothers seeking guidance, support, and connection and is an absolute ally for businesses wanting to attract and retain female talent.
The platform for mums acts as a pocket-sized ally, offering tailored support, clinical and expert insights, evidence-based mindfulness and wellness therapies, on-demand resources, an AI companion, tools for early detection, and access to a vibrant community. And their tools for business, whilst still in stealth mode are going to do great things.
Lizzie is on a mission to boost mental health and wellbeing for mothers
Can you tell us a bit about your journey and what inspired you to start your venture?
Pippa Health started from my own lived experiences. I am a mother of two and I suffered with postpartum depression after the birth of both of my girls (and I had a very average return-to-work experience the second time around). And since those experiences, as I dived deeper into the world of postpartum support and the journey of motherhood and all that entails including parental leave and the return-to-work journey, I learned that as many as 90% of women suffer from some type of postpartum distress or challenge. Half of these women won’t even share how they are feeling with their closest friends and family, and most will wait until crisis point to ask for help.
As many as 90% of women suffer from some type of postpartum distress or challenge. Half of these women won’t even share how they are feeling with their closest friends and family.
I looked at that, and thought, the math doesn’t math, and we simply need to be doing better. Not only for our mums (although that’s compelling by itself) but more broadly for our economy, our productivity and for our societal health. So I started talking to people, I’ve spoken with hundreds of mums, physicians, practitioners, businesses, community groups, you name it I’ve probably spoken to it – holistic, clinical, therapeutic, academic and everything in between to really try and form a picture of what mums might need. Not only in the initial postpartum period, but in the extended postpartum period and beyond to really, improve their lives and achieve, better outcomes for them across the board.
How can a new mum benefit from Pippa Health?
A new mum can benefit from Pippa Health because we're putting a world of support in the palm of your hand. Navigating motherhood isn’t always easy (not just the first time) but getting support should be. Women in this time and space are really looking for connection and answers—a judgment-free space to talk freely and an easily accessible place where they can have there most common questions answered and feelings reassured. Pippa provides both.
We also provide access to the knowledge and insights of global and local experts in a complete range of fields - because what we know is it’s about so much more than just breastfeeding. So, whether you're in Gisborne or Auckland, Melbourne or LA we democratise access to these experts ensuring all mums get the support they need.
We also enable a mum to dip her toe into the wellbeing pool, trying practices the evidence base tells us work but without feeling like she must overcommit. We want to make it easy, accessible, low barrier – a place to come as you are, try something, and walk away (or stick around) and truly feel better.
One of our early beta testers described it as: “The system today is so focused on the baby, and Pippa Health finally provides true mother care and connection in a super convenient form. It really is the one-stop shop for all things motherhood.”
How has your time with the Ministry of Awesome impact your business?
The "aha" moment for me wasn't just one conversation but an accumulation of many over time, so maybe it was really a series of micro-aha moments. These discussions constantly challenged me to think differently and provided insights, networks and wisdom I wouldn't have accessed on my own. So, for me, the “aha” moment was more about realising the impact of those cumulative micro moments and the groundswell that can initiate and create for the traction of your business.
Ministry of Awesome exposed me to a network of phenomenal individuals generous with their time and knowledge. This network led me to see the path to commercialisation while staying true to my values and achieving social impact. This cumulative effect has been the most significant part of my experience with Ministry of Awesome, it cast a different lens on my business.
Have you leveraged the Ministry of Awesome community?
Being part of the Ministry of Awesome community has completely opened up my networks. I've connected with people (globally) I wouldn't have had easy access to as a single founder in Wellington. The conversations with these individuals and the generosity of their knowledge and wisdom have been imperative to our path. Before joining, it was very challenging, especially transitioning from a corporate career to startup land. The community provided by the Ministry of Awesome has been invaluable.
It's challenged me and provided the biggest supporters and ultimate hype people. They've grounded me at times, and I don't think I'd be at this point in my journey without that support network.
You made close connections with two other founders, what difference has that made to your journey, and how do you plan to support each in the future?
Meeting like-minded women solving problems for women, parents, and families has been amazing. Our products complement each other in helping mothers and families thrive. Its really the ultimate trifecta, Pippa supports mothers with their mental health and overall wellbeing, PAM helps with the invisible load, and Jobs for Mums addresses workplace flexibility and family-friendly work. When we look at the stats and what the key issues for mums are, these solutions truly have the ability in my opinion to change the world.
Nicole from PAM and I, both in Wellington and in similar stages of our journey, have found great camaraderie. There aren't many FemTech products in New Zealand, making our connection even more valuable. It's tough to navigate as a female founder, especially if you are a non-technical founder building tech and dealing with perceived “female-centric” problems.
Collectively we know the challenges women face converge in their journey. So it's truly about redesigning the system to make a real impact. It's not about picking one winner but about creating a holistic approach to support women and families.
Join the 700 women and businesses already on the waitlist for early access to Pippa Health. Sign up now www.pippahealth.app