You wake up already behind.
The toddler’s crying, the forms are late, the fridge is empty.
And somehow, it’s still on you to hold it all together.
You don’t need another productivity system.
You need something that actually lightens the load.

I don’t think moms should need a tool like this. But I built one anyway.

We shouldn’t have to outsource bits of our brain just to get through the day.
We shouldn’t need tech to reclaim a moment of calm.
But here we are—and I built Lighten because I am right there too.

• Read why I built it

Built by a mom, for moms

I’m Holly. After a decade as a hairdresser, I became a stay-at-home mom during COVID. We moved cross-country, had another baby, and I found myself deep in the chaos of motherhood.

Even with a thoughtful and helpful partner, the daily logistics mostly landed on me—because of how our time was divided, and the cultural expectations we live under.

I was skeptical of AI at first. But I started experimenting with ways to offload just a few mental tasks: packing lists, grocery lists, dinner ideas. Slowly, it gave me more bandwidth. I had space again—for myself.

That’s how Lighten was born. A system of ready-to-go helpers designed to reduce the mental load of motherhood, built for moms who don't have time to figure it out themselves.

• Read the full story

Learn how to use AI to support your actual life

AI can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. This free email series walks you through 7 small ways to use ChatGPT for real-life relief—meal planning, decision-making, mental resets, and more.

• Start the 7-Day AI Habit Builder

Not quite ready?

You can join the waitlist for the full launch of Lighten. You’ll be the first to know when it opens to everyone, and you’ll get early bird pricing and bonuses.

The Story Behind Lighten

Hi, I’m Holly.

I spent 10 years as a hairdresser, helping women feel seen and cared for.When COVID hit, I left my job to stay home with my daughter. Our family ended up moving cross-country back to the Pacific Northwest, and I never went back to work outside the home. A few years later, we had another baby—and I was deep in stay-at-home motherhood.

Motherhood I Chose—And Still Found Overwhelming

I love being a mom. I love supporting my family in this way.But even with a thoughtful, helpful partner, the daily logistics mostly landed on me. That was just the nature of how our time shook out.And the truth is: we live in a culture that offers very little real help to parents—especially moms. We’re expected to hold it all, perfectly, quietly, endlessly.

“We’re expected to work like we don’t have kids, and parent like we don’t have jobs.”

It’s a lose-lose, no matter where you land on the spectrum.

I Had the Privilege to Choose.

And even then—it was too much.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve had the privilege to choose where I land. I know many don’t.But even with choice… the mental load, the emotional labor, the constant decision-making—it adds up. It wears you down.I didn’t want a new planner.
I didn’t need another app.
I needed help.

I Didn’t Expect AI to Be That Help.

When ChatGPT came around, I was skeptical. Honestly, I still am.I didn’t love the idea of relying on a robot. I wasn’t techy. I didn’t want to turn into some hyper-efficient automation queen.But I started using it in small, quiet ways—packing lists, grocery ideas, kid activities, cleaning rhythms.
Tiny tasks I used to carry in my head… now I didn’t have to.

I wasn’t trying to get ahead. I just wanted to catch my breath.

What If Moms Could Have That Too?

The more I shared with friends, the more I heard the same thing:

“Wait, you can use it like that?”

Yes. You can. And it helps.So I created Lighten—a plug-and-play system of helpers and tools designed to offload the invisible labor of modern motherhood.No pressure. No perfection.
Just more bandwidth for what matters.

Me, mid-season. Overwhelmed and still showing up.

Ready to try the system?

• Start with the Over It Toolkit

Why I Don't Think Moms Should Have to Use AI Tools Like Lighten (But I Built One Anyway)

Let me start by saying something that might sound crazy coming from the creator of Lighten:
I don't think moms need a tool like this.
We shouldn't have to outsource bits of our brain just to make it through the day.
We shouldn't have to employ AI in order to gain a few minutes of comprehension.
We shouldn't be shouldering the entire mental, emotional, and logistical load of raising children—alone.
But we are.
And that's the reality I built Lighten around.

The Actual Problem Isn't the Mental Load. It's That We're Meant to Do It Alone.

There's no shame in needing help. What is shameful is how little we offer parents—and especially mothers—
No universal childcare.
No guaranteed parental leave.
No built-in village or community.
No mechanisms for normalized sharing of the mental load between partners.
And yet, expectations haven't shifted. We're still somehow supposed to be good partners, present parents, competent professionals (or breadwinners), home managers, schedulers, snack makers, birthday rememberers, and emotional safety nets—without dropping a ball or losing ourselves.
For most of us, that math doesn't work. So we look for patches. We get by with tools. We create systems to muddle through.

I Built Lighten Because I Was Drowning

I didn't build Lighten because I think technology should raise our children or replace our instincts.
I built it because I was drowning in the sheer number of micro-decisions I was making every day—meals, naps, doctor appointments, activities, cleaning systems, emotional check-ins, shopping lists, and more. And I knew I wasn't alone.
I needed something that could lighten some of that load—not all of it, not at all, but enough so that you can breathe.
That's what Lighten is. A scaffold for a little time.
A assistant to whom you don't have to apologize.
A temporary stopgap while we keep hoping, pushing, and building towards more.

Tech Can't Solve a Cultural Problem—But It Can Help You Through It

Lighten isn't here to fix what's broken in our culture.
It's here to make that brokenness a little less awful for the people who are fighting to survive inside it.
I don't think tech is the hero.
I think you are the hero—for showing up every day and still trying. For carrying so much, even when no one is looking. For being willing to receive help in whatever way it shows up.
Lighten won't solve everything. But it might give you a little more space. A moment of calm. A few fewer decisions to make.
And sometimes, that's the difference between falling apart and catching your breath.

If you’ve felt this too, I made Lighten for you.

• Learn more about it here