By Jaimee Lupton and Arabella Peterson Entertainment Wellness 13.06.2025

Jaimee Lupton on Fertility, Grief, and the Healing Power of Home

How the 'MONDAY Haircare' founder built a home of peace and purpose – all while helping others through her foundation ‘Gingernut’s Angels’.

There are moments in life that redefine you, and for Jaimee Lupton, motherhood was one of them. But before welcoming her daughter Noa, Jaimee experienced the devastating loss of her first baby – a heartbreak that would shape not only her path to parenthood, but the direction of her life’s work.

Best known as the founder of MONDAY Haircare, Jaimee has built a career on bold ideas and relentless drive. But it was the loss of her first daughter nearing the third trimester that called on a kind of strength she never imagined she’d need. Turning that pain into purpose, she launched Gingernut’s Angels alongside her partner Nick – named after their daughter, a tribute to Nick's auburn hair and Jaimee's pregnancy craving for gingernut biscuits.

Jaimee is intimately familiar with the emotional toll of fertility struggles, undergoing multiple rounds of IVF herself on the road to growing her family. It’s a reality more common than many realise – statistically, one in eight people will require some form of medical assistance to conceive.

Motivated by her experience and the gaps she saw in public support, Jaimee launched Gingernut’s Angels to offer other families financial grants toward their own unique journeys. “Becoming a mother to Gingernut, who was born perfect but still, shaped my strength and resilience… going through something I never thought I’d go through, but being able to channel it into a positive is something I’m proud of myself for,” she says.

But even as she reflects on what was born our of bereavement, Jaimee doesn’t shy away from the pain of it. She’s clear-eyed about the emotional reality of baby loss – and the way it lingers, even when transformed into something meaningful. “I don’t want to romanticise losing a baby. It’s unbearably painful, you only really get through it because you have to.”

According to the World Health Organisation, a majority of women experience shame, self-blame, and guilt after a miscarriage or stillbirth. Mental health effects can last months or years – even after later successful pregnancies. Jaimee acknowledges the complexity that comes with fertility struggles, grief and recovery, wishing more people knew how crucial it is to be as educated and aware as possible taking the leap into parenthood. “I think I’d want people to know that it can be hard to get pregnant, and to not take that for granted. If it’s something you’re sure you want, naivety isn’t always a blessing. It’s important to be informed, and to take steps like testing your AMH levels. The more information you have, the better equipped you can be to make decisions for yourself.”

During her most difficult periods, Jaimee was sustained by a sense of resolve, even if she couldn’t yet see what shape it would take. “We had the means to continue with multiple rounds of IVF, which we’re very fortunate for, but so many people don’t or simply can’t,” she says. “Even in the moment, I knew I wanted to create something that would financially help people going through difficult fertility journeys, I just didn’t know what it would look like at that point. It’s such a rollercoaster."

The clarity of what Gingernut’s Angels would become arrived while she was pregnant with Noa. “My heart broke to think that finances could be the barrier between someone and their chance to have a family,” she says. “It just didn’t seem fair.” Through Gingernut’s Angels, Jaimee has helped dozens of couples access treatments they may not otherwise have been able to afford. And she’s done so with the support of leading fertility clinics and ‘Guardian Angels’ like Dr Mary Birdsall and Dr Devashana Gupta, who came on board early in the foundation’s journey.

Jaimee’s own experience shaped how the foundation’s support was structured. “I connected with countless women (and men!) all across New Zealand who had run into guardrails with public assistance,” she explains. “There are age limits, restrictions around health and BMI, rules about how long you’ve been trying to conceive… Even if you qualify, the waitlists can be months long.” From the start, she was determined that the grants would be inclusive, accessible, and responsive to people’s lived realities.

The foundation is only in its second year, but the impact is already profound. To date, Gingernut’s Angels has provided 72 grants, supported 25 pregnancies, and raised $180,000 through community donations – alongside a personal contribution of $500,000 from Jaimee and Nick – with a goal of reaching $1 million this year. “I won’t stop until the whole country is covered in little orange hearts,” Jaimee says. And through it all – loss, advocacy, and new beginnings – Jaimee remains steadfast in a powerful truth: “As difficult as it is, there is hope in the process. I wanted to help keep that hope alive for as many people as possible.”

“Being a mum is the best thing I’ve ever done,” Jaimee says simply, “even despite everything we went through.” After the deep ache of losing her first daughter and the highs and lows of IVF, becoming a parent to Noa brought with it both joy and unexpected challenge. “How hard it is – that really surprised me,” she reflects. “I was not prepared for that. It’s relentless and can be exhausting – but it’s the hardest thing you’ll ever love. It’s crazy how something can come along and change your whole life and bring you a whole other level of joy you never knew before.”

That shift has influenced not just how Jaimee sees herself, but how she approaches her work – both with MONDAY Haircare and Gingernut’s Angels. “I not only have more drive for success,” she says, “but a stronger will to compartmentalise and set boundaries.” With four brands currently in the market and more in the pipeline, she’s mindful of carving out protected time with Noa. “The nature of our business is that I could work 24 hours if I let myself. I’m really cherishing the quality time now that Noa is one and developing so much personality.”

Looking ahead, Jaimee hopes her daughter grows up with a deep understanding of the strength and legacy behind her family’s story. “I just want to make her proud. I always say, I want her to see that what dad can do, mum can do also. When it comes to her goals and dreams, she’s just as capable as her male counterparts. I want Noa to know about her sister,” she adds, “and I’d love for her to be involved in Gingernut’s Angels one day when she is older, in her sister’s memory.”

In the wake of loss, it's often the everyday moments and familiar spaces that offer the greatest comfort. For Jaimee, the idea of home has taken on deeper meaning since becoming a mother. “For me, home is about peace and purpose,” she shares. “I hope home is a place for Noa to thrive and achieve whatever she sets her mind to." In times of uncertainty, home can become a haven, a compass, and a place of healing.

That healing doesn’t always come in the form of rest – and Jaimee is the first to admit that finding downtime in her current season of life is a challenge. “There’s not a lot of time for rest in my routine as a mum and business owner,” she says. “But I feel strongly about the need to be transparent around this... There’s a saying I love from fellow beauty founder Emma Grede: ‘You can have it all, but not all at once.’ Something is always going to have to give, and this stage in my life is (mostly) about work and family. I do love it though. Rest doesn’t come naturally to me – I feel most in my element when I’m working toward something.”

Still, she’s found small at-home rituals that help her stay grounded. “Massage and Pilates help me feel a little more connected to my body,” she says, noting that nutritious home-cooked meals are another vital part of her routine. “My partner Nick has had some health struggles in the past few years that have really cemented the importance of taking care of yourself – and the idea of health stemming from a solid diet. So we really prioritise this.”

To Jaimee, self-care isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s not always candles and face masks. Sometimes, it looks like showing up, even when it’s hard. Sometimes, it’s creating a home where your daughter can grow into her strength. And sometimes, it’s turning the most painful chapter of your life into a beacon that helps others hold on to hope.

“I’d love for fertility care to be treated as part of women’s basic healthcare,” she says. “There are still so many barriers – even in a country as progressive as New Zealand – for people to access public assistance. With one in four people experiencing infertility and one in eight requiring medical help to achieve pregnancy, this needs to be a bigger part of the conversation.”

For those currently navigating that journey, Jaimee recalls a message from one of Gingernut’s Angels’ first grant recipients: It gets easier. “Those three simple words really helped me,” she says. “And they’re what I’d want others to hear.”