STARTUP STORY
EMPOWERING MĀMĀ TO PRIORITISE PERSONAL GROWTH AND SELF-AWARENESS
During the 2020 lockdown, Kiani Tuhua found inspiration in the challenges of motherhood, leading her to create Māmā Glow—a platform designed to help mothers reconnect with themselves and each other. Co-founded with her sister Ngaire, Māmā Glow offers a supportive community, coaching, and personal development programs tailored to māmā at all stages of their journey. Now, with the help of coaching from Startup Aotearoa, Kiani is taking her vision to the next level.
In the midst of the 2020 lockdowns, Kiani Tuhua was juggling a global pandemic and a toddler. Fortunately, though isolated, she wasn’t doing it alone. Her sister, Ngaire Tuhua, had a daughter a few weeks older than hers.
“It was just nice to have somebody who intimately knew the ups and downs of life as a māmā at that time,” Kiani says.
Reflecting on how lucky they were to have each other, the new māmā had an idea: a personal development platform through which māmā could connect with each other – and, perhaps most importantly, themselves. With that, Māmā Glow was born. While the first iteration was directed at new mothers and those with toddlers to “reignite the things that might have been lost in the course of being a māmā”, Kiani says it became apparent those at all stages of motherhood were eager to explore their aspirations and connect.
Now the venture, founded by the Tuhua sisters, offers community to māmā at all stages of their journey through its Facebook group, Māmā Glow – Align | Connect | Create, and also offers a Signature ‘Reset’ Programme and coaching sessions built around a holistic well-being model.
These offerings align with our objective of māmā making themselves a priority in their life, Kiani says. Māmā Glow also draws on the sisters' upbringing and culture, incorporating te ao Māori and te reo into its programmes. “It’s very much a global language and global energy in terms of what māmā go through,” Kiani says.
"We know the demand is there; now we’re trying to figure out how to take it from a hobby to a business"
Taking action
Now entering its second year of business, Kiani says Māmā Glow is ready for the next level. The sisters are working on launching ‘The Māmā Glow Podcast’ and a goal setting workshop that follows on from the Reset programme. The goal is to see 50 māmā participate in the launch of the #māmāgoals workshop coming up in June and 150 māmā participate in the Reset programme by the end of the year.
“We know the demand is there; now we’re trying to figure out how to take it from a hobby to a business,” she says.
With that in mind, Kiani “reached out [to Startup Aotearoa] for a bit of mentorship and guidance” which saw her paired with Kate Wightman, a Waikato-based business growth adviser for Soda – a partner of the Startup Aotearoa programme.
Startup Aotearoa has a pool of coaches in each region. When founders make applications, they are typically sent to coaches in their area who then assess the skills and experience best suited to each entrepreneur. Wightman, a scientist by trade, also has a background in the startup scene. She worked in R&D for Comvita from 2015 to 2016, before helping set up First Cut Ventures, a student-run venture fund now managed by Icehouse.
That project sparked a love of startups for Wightman, who resonates with those who have a real purpose behind their vision and are not just in it for the money.
“I find it exciting how you can take something literally from a piece of paper and create an amazing business from it,” she says.
When Kiani’s application came through, it ticked all of Wightman's boxes.
Baby steps
From the start, Wightman says Kiani’s vision was clear.
“Even from the written application that came through Startup Aotearoa, it was like: ‘This is what we do, and this is what’s important to us.’”
“That’s more important to me than figuring out the mechanics of the business and how much money they could make. Having a strong ‘why’ is crucial,” she says.
So far, the pair have had one meeting, which Wightman used to go back to basics with Kiani, establishing the business goals and key challenges:
“She’s got this cool idea and a lot of bits and pieces going on, and it was like, ‘okay, how can this be focused to get the first win on the board and some early success?’”
That first mentoring session focused on exploring different revenue streams to make Māmā Glow viable and sustainable, while continuing to build a community and a place of connection.
It concluded with a homework assignment which Wightman says is a standard part of her mentorship approach as it helps founders learn about their businesses.
“It’s really valuable to have a discussion and have a business owner go away and work on it in their own time, to let the theory absorb, do a bit of market testing, talk to their customers and get some feedback.”
Following Wightman’s direction, Kiani plans to unpack Māmā Glow’s business plan in the short term, using the resources Startup Aotearoa has provided, and get a good grasp of her business’ foundations.
From there, she’s thinking big; taking Māmā Glow global. She sees becoming a more comprehensive online provider as a critical part of this, as it will help reduce barriers and improve access to support for new mums.
Kate Wightman - Startup Aotearoa Coach
"Even though it can feel lonely to be a founder, it doesn’t have to be. There are a lot of people out there, founders and mentors, that you can ask for help from."
Value gains
It’s been great to speak to someone outside my circle who can provide feedback without bias, she says. “I actually have a pathway I can work towards.”
She encourages anyone with an idea to invest their time into working with a mentor or finding similar support as it will save a lot of frustration and resources. Also because “having someone behind you is just a really nice feeling”. Wightman agrees that reaching out for help is a key part of building a business.
“Even though it can feel lonely to be a founder, it doesn’t have to be,” she says. “There are a lot of people out there, founders and mentors, that you can ask for help from.”
“Just having that person to rant to about things you’re going through – having that sounding board – is important.”