The HelpMe Feed team retreat

A look inside our team retreat and workshop

by Karina Ayers, Head of Maternal Child Health

Last month in preparation for HelpMe Feed’s upcoming app launch, our team gathered for a working sprint on retreat in a beautiful part of Australia: Hepburn Springs, Central Victoria. Over 10 days we managed to make some intensive progress on the app development and launch plan, while enjoying some time together as a group.

We narrowly avoided the bushfires that swept alongside the town the weekend following our stay. All are safe and the grand Continental House (our base for the 10 days) remains unscathed by the fires.

The Retreat

Travelling from Cowaramup Western Australia to Hepburn Springs marked a major step for me. Our years of research, meetings, thinking big and developing resources had culminated in 10 days dedicated to the execution of bringing our 'one of its kind' healthcare app to life. In my career I've cared for countless families, and listened to so many mothers tell their personal stories of struggle. Finally having produced a large-scale solution for these deeply personal struggles is so exciting.

How perfect to have a dedicated team of designers, technologists, business experts, entrepreneurs, project managers, legal advisors, community engagers, creatives and more, all in the same space to crack out something worthwhile.

I think it was around Day 3 we decided to go global.....and I was just coming to grips with launching in the US!

Global app. Local mothers and babies

With all the tech and communications conversations floating around the workspace, as the sole clinical representative it was a relief to meet some mothers and babies around the half way point of our retreat. These local families gave generously of their time and shared their stories.

The conversations we had about breastfeeding and the brilliant photos taken by Sarah Lynch (like the lovely shot above) added to our growing content repository.

When you work as a remote team, nothing beats having everyone together in the same house, kitchen, badminton court, lake and mind-set for 10 days straight.

Watch this space for launch announcements. It's so close and I'm humbled to have been part of this journey.