Women of Lola&Lykke: Celebrating our Remarkable Women-Led Team

Over the past five years, we've witnessed an incredible societal movement to bolster women's voices across all industries and sectors of life. Despite calls for further representation, women-led startups account for just 2.2% of the $150 billion invested in companies by VCs annually. What's more, due in large part to the Covid-19 pandemic, that number has decreased in recent years. 

At Lola&Lykke, we are a women-founded startup, which continues to be firmly women-led. This is a core part of our beliefs, as we know that it keeps our advice real and personal, in every sense.

Our pieces are created by women, for women, building a community of support and guidance, with content created by people who know the struggles of new motherhood and have experienced them first-hand. 

On the 8th of March, the world will be uniting to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. In celebration of International Women’s Day, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the talented, inspiring all-women Lola&Lykke team.

In this blog post, we celebrate the people behind Lola&Lykke. In a series of interviews, we spoke to some members of our team about their inspirations, career journey, goals, and experiences of intertwining careers with family life.

Meet Laura, Co-Founder and CEO of Lola&Lykke

Laura is a mother of two, whose journey into founding Lola&Lykke started after the traumatic birth of her son, in 2011. She felt like she went into labour feeling out of control, without support or guidance, for a role that she felt completely unprepared for.

“Weeks after the birth, I sat home and cried, wondering how this could happen to anyone and how you could feel so utterly alone after birth. At my six-week check-up I wondered just how minimal the postpartum support was we offer to new mums.

I felt frustrated at how one was supposed to recover and thrive when everyone around me was focusing solely on the needs of my baby.”

Laura is a deeply driven person. And she firmly believed that women deserve to continue to have a life not just as a mother, but as a person in their own right.

But, she felt like societal pressures and outdated beliefs put numerous barriers in place for women wanting to achieve this.

So, after reflecting on their experiences of becoming mothers and their shared disappointment of the lack of postpartum support available to mothers in general, one day, Laura and Kati decided it was time to do something about it.

“And so, the idea of Lola&Lykke was born; a community for mums, offering support from start to finish and ensuring mothers had access to the tools and information they needed to thrive. We did not want other mums to feel alone in this experience that joins us women together in such a profound way."

And now, Laura uses her role as mother to her strengths, shaping the approach she takes to managing her company.

“I found motherhood initially confusing, I wasn't sure who I was meant to be, as everyone expected me to be known as a ´mother´. I honestly wondered for years whether myself from before having a child was meant to have vanished altogether.

“But then, through motherhood, you learn and grow so much, you just look at life in a different way. Then I came to see motherhood as a huge strength and the fact that I could still continue to be an independent woman in my own right – that I could be multiple things at the same time.”

Learn more: Female Changemakers: Laura McGrath

Meet Kati, our other remarkable Co-Founder

In a close parallel to Laura’s story, Kati’s maternity journey began with the struggles she experienced, both mental and physical, after giving birth to her son.

“For two years, I tried to find help and answers to my symptoms. Finally, I found the cause. I was suffering from severe abdominal separation and the only way to recovery was through surgery as normal physical rehabilitation was not working in my case."

“During this time, I decided that I would work hard to share information and increase awareness of the many postpartum challenges with other mums so that others would not have to go through the hardship I went through.”

"Motherhood has shown me who I really am and the kind of strength you can find within yourself. Anything is possible in life when you just believe in it. Now, with a growing team of women working for our business and a readership of mothers across the globe, Lola&Lykke is achieving exactly that."

Laura (left) and Kati (right)

Meet Miia, our B2B Coordinator

Miia works with the Lola&Lykke partners, as part of our B2B marketing. Originally from Finland, Miia now lives in rural South Africa where, before the COVID-19 pandemic, she was working as a Safari Tour Guide.

“My name is Miia, I joined Lola&Lykke about 10 months ago, and I work with our B2B partners. Mine is an ever-evolving and exciting role in this young and fast-growing company. In my previous roles in the hospitality industry I have worked mostly with male colleagues, so being part of a team that consists of females only, has been a refreshing change: there is very little that we as a team can't, or won't discuss.

“I've been lucky to have had (and continue to have!) many great role models in my life, many of them female. My mother is probably my earliest role model and from her I learnt early on that you must meet life's challenges head-on, and as long as you choose to put your mind to it, you can achieve anything.

“So that's a principle I try to live by, and it's led me to the most incredible journeys and life experiences across the globe.”

Meet Phuong, our E-Commerce Growth Hacker

Phuong is our newest addition to the team, and she is our e-commerce growth hacker.

Originally from Vietnam, Phuong moved to Finland in 2014 to study for her Master's Degree. It was during this move that she learnt a whole new meaning to the concept of purpose, and what gives life value.

“My mum used to be a teacher, and my dad used to be a militant. They wanted me to become a traditional woman, sharing the same journey with many other Vietnamese girls and women: finish high school, go for four-years university, find a job, get married, have kids, take care of her family, and support her husband."

“But I don't want to be the same. I'm the kind of woman that likes to go against the crowd and prejudice. So I consider myself a strong and independent woman."

Now, she lives on the beautiful Åland island with her family. 

“I have my supportive husband, my sweet son, a lovely dog, a stubborn cat, a small place to live, a tiny garden to grow flowers in the summer, and a job for earning and self-developing. Finland has changed my point of view about life and what matters to me."

“I believe that women can accomplish anything men can, and Vietnamese women can go much further than what society has shaped them to be.”

Meet Matilda, our very own in-house Lactation Consultant

Matilda is our sales coordinator, doula, in-house lactation consultant, and proud mum of a two-year-old. 

Her experiences of parenting inspired her to become a doula, supporting and guiding new families.

“Pregnancy, birth and postpartum are such major experiences and I think it’s so important that families get the kind of support they need during these times. I’m so grateful to have found my calling and that my path has led me here. 

Motherhood gives me so much meaning in life. I can honestly say these past two years have been by far the happiest of my life (of course being a working mom of an active toddler is challenging at times, too!)."

“Working at Lola&Lykke alongside inspiring and ambitious women is super motivating and I’m so happy and honoured to be a part of this team on an important mission - to take care of mums.”

Matilda and her son

Meet Saara, our Customer Support superstar and proud mother of two

Saara is the Customer Support Specialist and Health Expert Coordinator of Lola&Lykke. She is currently on a 4 month trip to Indonesia, with her Indonesian husband and two children.

After having her children, Saara pursued a career change in the customer service industry.

“I wanted to find a company with high-quality products I would be proud to represent and to genuinely make customers happy. My dream came true even more - I found a team of inspiring, empowering women who are helping and supporting mums around the world. I consider myself very lucky. Strong women supporting each other. I love the saying: Real queens fix each others’ crowns. I couldn't agree more. 

“Being a mum has taught me to be proud of my body, to be gentle to myself and also to be less judgemental about other people as well, as we really don't know their story behind the scene, and the battle they are dealing with. 

“I am proud of being a woman: capable, strong, and thriving when supported by others.

“Being a mother has changed me. I know that my children will see me as a role model and I want to teach my son and my daughter to be caring, kind and that it's alright to be strong and fragile at the same time. I hope they will learn how to open up, to speak up their mind and to be true to themselves.”

Last but not least, meet our Digital Marketing Specialist Jan

Jan, our Digital Marketing Specialist, is another new member of the Lola&Lykke team.

Before Lola&Lykke, Jan didn't have any plans to work in the field of maternity aids, as she is one of our younger team members, with no plans to start a family in the near future.

“Everything was new to me, and a bit overwhelming to be honest. I started to learn more about women and realised that I didn't know much about women and motherhood as I thought I did.

“But the more I work, the more I feel like I'm not only supporting mothers but also helping the future me - when I become a mom.

“Lola&Lykke is not selling things, we are building a "village" where mothers get the help they need. And I can't wait to be a part of that community boasting about how my team changed the world.”

A proud all-female team

We are immensely proud to say that at Lola&Lykke, our company culture allows our all-female team to use their own experiences and values to provide the best possible support to new mothers across the world. We´ve adopted flexible working patterns, so that when family life gets in the way of your working day, there´s support for that. As working mums, we know that juggling a busy job with a demanding home life can at times be tough. But we also know that when our children need us, we need to be there for them. We all work at times that best suit us and not a week goes by without one of us attending one of our online meetings with their child! We all believe that this freedom makes us all happier at work and allows us to perform better as a team. After all, we are all shaped by our personal experiences and personal circumstances, and to celebrate these aspects at work allows us to find a deeper meaning in everything we do.