‘Everything just stopped’: How Lucy Durack and Elise McCann started voicing pep talks for your wellbeing

A desire to give people a lift during the pandemic is the catalyst behind leading theatre stars Lucy Durack and Elise McCann’s new mental health app.

Theatre stars Lucy Durack and Elise McCann were leading busy lives when the pandemic brought their work to a grinding halt in 2020.

At the time, Durack was playing Princess Fiona in Shrek The Musical and McCann was working for Sarah Jessica Parker’s production company in New York.

“Overnight, everything just stopped and it was really tricky,” Durack says.

Forced to return home to Melbourne, McCann met up with Durack for a walk during one of the city’s lockdowns to boost their spirits.

They realised an encouraging chat with one another had lifted their moods and decided to create a wellbeing app that would offer short pep talks.

They named it Hey Lemonade – making lemonade from the lemons they’d been dealt.

“Hey Lemonade really is one of those silver linings of Covid,” Durack says.

Lucy Durack and Elise McCann created a wellbeing app Hey Lemonade during Covid lockdowns. Picture: Nicole Cleary

The three-minute pep talks are described as “warm, comforting verbal cuddles” and have been developed with input from experts, including psychologists.

They address everyday stressful moments in life such as public speaking jitters, relationship ups and downs, emotional turmoil and when you need a motivation boost.

“We are trying to be really specific in the topics,” McCann says.

“So it can support people in the moment when they need something efficient and perhaps a bit practical.”

The pep talks are voiced by well-known Australian identities such as TV presenter Tony Armstrong, cook and food author Maggie Beer and transformation coach Chief Brabon.

“Hey Lemonade is a quick chat with a friend and we want it to be like your best friend in your pocket,” Durack says.

Diving into the world of technology and apps was initially daunting for the duo, but they are proud of how they have “worked their butts off” on the concept.

They did a 12-week SBE Australia accelerated business course, applied for grants and sought advice from mentors such as Zoe Foster Blake.

“We were doing this because it gave us a sense of purpose and a goal – and that really gave us agency again that we had the ability to create something that was for ourselves as well as other people and that was useful,” McCann says.

Durack and McCann intend to extend their Hey Lemonade offerings in the coming months to offer a platform aimed at teenagers, and are looking into creating their own podcast.

“We’re working with the NSW government to create a high school version,” McCann says. “And we’re also working on a Hey Lemonade live brand, which will be a series of curated live talks with people who are really inspiring.”

Durack adds the duo are “really proud” of the platform they’re creating.

“It all comes back to we really want to bolster millions of people around the world on their best, worst and in-between days,” Durack says.

Hey Lemonade is available to download at the App Store or via Google Play.

For more, visit heylemonade.com.au