For Honey & Sage founder Kate Ivancic, building a business was never simply about creating a range of products for new parents. It grew from her own experience with postpartum depression and a desire to step away from corporate life and create something that felt genuinely meaningful. With honesty at the heart of everything she does, Honey & Sage focuses on thoughtfully chosen essentials that have been tried and valued by her own family. Now, as she prepares to expand that vision through The Honest Collective, a podcast and two new apps, she is creating a wider space for honest conversations and practical support across the journey of motherhood and beyond. Here, Kate talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business, how she balances work and family life, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Honey & Sage came from two places at once – my own experience with postpartum depression and a growing pull to step away from my corporate career and build something that was actually mine. I wanted to create something honest out of an experience that was really hard.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Slowly, and honestly, like a hobby at first. I’d carve out small pockets of time to plan the website, source products and figure out what this could actually be. There was a real crossroads moment where I had to decide if I was serious about it – and once I did, I started giving it dedicated time each week instead of squeezing it into the gaps.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Honesty. We won’t sell something we don’t genuinely think is valuable for a new parent to have with their baby. We’re not a volume business – we’re about essentials, and everything we sell, we’ve used ourselves.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Honestly, I don’t do this very well! What I try to do is use my work time as well as I can, so the time with my family is present and not split. I work while the boys are at school and daycare. On the days they’re not, I try to do as little work as possible, and if I do need to, it’s a short, timed effort – not the whole day disappearing.
I try to protect family time and a bit of space for myself too, as burnout can quickly creep up on you. As much as I love my business and what I’m building, my husband and my family always come first.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Learning not to give up and understanding this is a marathon, not a sprint. Also, getting past the fear that the market is too saturated and putting real belief in the fact that what I’m offering has value, regardless of how many other people are in the space.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The best part is also the hardest part: it’s all mine. I get to build something around honesty and my own family’s experience, set my own pace and say no to things that don’t align with what I believe in.
The flip side is that there’s no separation between me and the business. The wins are personal, but so are the setbacks, and there’s no one else to hand the hard days to. I’m slowly learning that’s not something to fix, just something to work with.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
What’s next is The Honest Collective – the wider world Honey & Sage sits inside, alongside the Motherhood Undone podcast. And two apps: Still, for women moving through pregnancy, postpartum and beyond, and HOLD, built for the partners walking alongside them.
Motherhood Undone, Still and HOLD are all launching later this year. It’s all the same honesty, just built out to hold more of the journey.
Visit the Honey & Sage website to find out more, and follow them on Instagram.
