Fashioning The Future: Moom Health’s Mili And Maya Kale Are Forging A Path In Natural Remedies And Holistic Healing
The sisters chat with us about Moom, adopting a holistic approach to healing, and self-care.
This International Women’s Day, we present a special edition of Fashioning the Future, where we turn the spotlight on inspiring individuals who are forging their own paths in male-dominated environments and find out what keeps them going.
In an industry saturated with competing products and confusing claims as well as one-size-fits-all solutions, it’s a long and often frustrating journey to finding a wellness solution that works for you. Enter Moom Health, co-founded by sisters Mili and Maya Kale, that develops natural remedies targeting common female issues such as gut health, hair loss, stress and sleep in the form of personalised, expert-formulated supplements.
Born out of the sibling’s shared passion for women’s health and Maya’s firsthand experience managing Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Moom creates healthy daily rituals to meet the needs of modern women.
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On Maya: Crop top, Longchamp. Top, Issey Miyake. Trousers, & Other Stories. Loafers, CELINE. Earrings, Holly Gray, Olio Stories.On Mili: Blazer, Sandro. Trousers, The Frankie Shop. Sneakers, Onitsuka Tiger. Earrings, Laura Lombardi. Bracelets, Cartier. Ring, Bvlgari.
Here, Mili and Maya chat with us about Moom, adopting a holistic approach to healing, and self-care.
Tell us about yourself and what you do.
We are Mili and Maya, sisters and co-founders of Moom Health. We are originally Indian but both grew up in Singapore. We were competitive swimmers through school in Singapore and then we went to college in the US. We pursued very different careers after graduating—Mili in education policy and Maya in marketing. During the pandemic we were living under the same roof for the first time in 10 years, which gave us the time to sit down and finally launch Moom! We create natural supplements for the modern Asian women that’s 100% natural and 100% convenient.
How did you discover your passion for women’s health and wellness?
Wellness has always been part of our lives and an important factor around our house. Our mom is a trained pilates teacher and a huge believer in alternative healing. She’s used nutrition as medicine and incorporated supplements into our daily routines for as long as we can remember! We like to say that our mom was truly the original green juicer, natural remedies queen—we just were lucky enough to grow up around all of that.
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How did Moom come about and what do you hope to achieve?
We might not have started our careers in the wellness industry but Moom was always part of our lives. We grew up with wellness all around us; our mom being the original “green juicer” and supplement feeder. We have always understood the importance of traditional medicine, and at the same time, valued and believed in modern science.
Moom is a culmination of our experiences, specifically Maya’s battle with PCOS since 15—it was through holistic healing and natural medicine that she found a solution after years of research, countless appointments and too much money spent on managing her symptoms—and of the conversations we have had with countless women. The issues seem to be unanimous but the solutions can’t be. We aim to take the guesswork out of finding high quality, effective, and tailor-made natural remedies for every stage of womanhood.
What have been your biggest struggles and triumphs as women in business?
I think our biggest struggle has been trusting ourselves! We know why we started Moom and we know what drives us—no one knows our business better than we do. But, we still question ourselves all the time. I think our biggest triumph has been building our team and community and working with other female founders to truly build an ecosystem of supported women.
How do you succeed in a male-dominated environment?
We just try our best! Men don’t know the intricacies of the complicated world of women’s health and what women want as well as we (women) do, and we remind ourselves of that constantly.
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On Mili: Sweater, Loro Piana. Skirt, A.W.A.K.E. Mode at Net-a-Porter. Earrings, Laura Lombardi. Bracelets, Cartier. Ring, Bvlgari. On Maya: Vest, Maje. Trousers, COS. Earrings, Holly Gray, Olio Stories.
Moom Health Mili & Maya Kale
How does your work positively impact Singaporean women and/or women of the world?
We believe Moom is creating a community of women, in Singapore and now, Malaysia, who care about taking care of themselves. This is something women should be proud of and take full ownership of, and have Moom by their side through their journey!
How do you think women can develop/grow into entrepreneurship or leadership roles?
Again, this goes back to trusting your gut and confidence! Take the risk, trust yourself, and just go for it! Whether its starting your own business, going for a promotion, pitching a project—those ethos remain.
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What inspires you?
Our community. The amazing women that surround and support Moom are what inspires us everyday and continues to motivate us to create products and remedies that support all women.
If you could have dinner with three inspirational women, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
Ty Haney (founder of Outdoor Voices)—she is an inspiration to us (and probably most female entrepreneurs), especially given her focus on community built brands.
Baby Nani (aka our Grandma’s youngest sister)—she’s the #1 person talked about in our family with only the most positive light, and we never had the chance to.
Our mom—because having dinner and spending time with her always cheers us up.
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What is one important message you’d like to send out to young women?
Our biggest piece of advice to young women is to walk when others run. Remember to take things at your own pace.
What did you dream of becoming when you were little?
Maya: I dreamt of becoming a vet. It’s got nothing to do with what I do today, but I do babysit dogs on the side.
Mili: It changed on a weekly basis but one that stayed quite consistent was wanting to be a fashion designer.
Photographer: Wee Khim
Stylist: Gracia Phang
Digital Content Manager: Navin Pillay
Producer: Cindy Ow
Video Camera Operator: Lawrence Teo
Hair: Karol Soh using Keune Haircosmetics
Makeup: Manisa Tan using YSL Beauty
Stylist’s Assistant: Isabella Low