Основатель Upriva Никки Хилл: как личные трагедии и суицид мужа стали основой её лидерства

The Limitless Equation Podcast, hosted by Chloe Hooper, has released a new episode featuring Nikki Hills, Founder and CEO of Upriva. In a raw and generous conversation, Hills unpacks 25 years in business, the launch of Upriva, and the personal losses that have shaped her leadership. Please note: this episode includes discussion of grief, bereavement and suicide, including the death of a child and the loss of a husband. Listener discretion is advised. The episode arrives as Hills relaunches the business she has spent decades building, from Mouths of Mums to Upriva, a platform designed to create authentic human trust for brands at the source, then hand it back for them to carry across their marketing ecosystem. It is a proposition Hills believes matters more than ever as AI reshapes how consumers discover and choose brands. “My mission is to make sure that all of our brand partners are bubbling up in search, that they are the two or three brands that the engines are actually recommending for purchase,” she says. Hills built Mouths of Mums 16 years ago, a community that now reaches 15 million Australian parents every month. She resisted pressure over the years to chase influencer trends, holding instead to a simple discipline: “We are about real people… if we’re going to be this pinnacle of trust, we need to make sure that we remain true to the process, trust the process.” But the conversation goes far beyond business strategy. Hills speaks with striking candour about the losses she has carried through her career, including the death of her infant son, her father, her brother and, three years ago, her husband Warwick, who died by suicide. She describes the discipline of showing up regardless: “I’ve taken the bullet now. Nothing bad can happen.” Of the period since Warwick’s death, she says simply: “Foot down. Let’s go.” She is equally clear-eyed about the loneliness of entrepreneurship, describing the constant self-doubt of building something alone: “With entrepreneurship, the money doesn’t necessarily come… there is a lot of sacrifice and a lot of having to back yourself.” What has carried her through, she says, is processing rather than suppressing pain, and the relationships built on trust: “Trust is foundational to strong relationships.” Hills’ honesty is the kind rarely heard in a trade podcast, and it is exactly why the conversation matters. She does not offer a tidy resilience narrative. She offers the truth of what it costs to keep going, and keeps going anyway. “Nikki is one of the bravest women I know. What she shared about business, about grief, and about trusting herself when the noise around her was loudest, is a masterclass in resilience. Her story is proof that you can turn the hardest chapters of your life into something meaningful, and keep showing up anyway,” concluded Hooper. Listen to the full episode of The Limitless Equation on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If this episode raises concerns for you or someone you know, support is available. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.