Priyanka Aggarwal challenges the status quo in women’s health with Aura, enabling hope and agency

Success can often feel like a destination, but for Priyanka Aggarwal, it began to feel more like a mirage. As her corporate career flourished and promotions came quickly, an unsettling emptiness grew within her.

A sense of fulfilment, she discovered, couldn’t be found in climbing the corporate ladder. And that recognition would prove to be the catalyst for a much more profound transformation. The shift in Aggarwal’s life wasn’t immediate, but it was profound.

“The tipping point in my personal life came after my health struggles, when I felt dismissed by the system. That’s when I realised that this was bigger than just me, and I had to do something about it,” she says.

“I wasn’t alone in this. Many women are quietly suffering in the same way, and I knew I had to do something about it,” she adds. This sense of urgency drove her to leave behind her corporate career and found Aura Fem Health, or AURA, in July 2024.

“Women’s health is a continuum, right from menarche to lifelong,” Aggarwal says, pushing back against the conventional, narrow scope of women’s health. “Women’s health needs to cover more than just fertility, pregnancy, and menopause. It spans from adolescence to menopause and beyond.”

The truth is, women’s bodies are in constant flux — physically, emotionally, and hormonally — and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for these changes.

The platform combines technology with real practitioners to offer personalised care across multiple aspects of health. “Why isn’t this kind of support available to every woman?” Aggarwal had previously asked herself. This question became the foundation of AURA.

AURA takes a radical approach, addressing the complex and interconnected aspects of women’s health. “I believe in personalised care,” she explains. “It’s about taking a whole-body approach, one that spans not just physical health but also emotional and mental well-being.” 

Through detailed health assessments, AURA’s platform creates individualised care plans that consider nutrition, movement, rest, rituals, supplementation, diagnostics, and even emotional support. This holistic care, rooted in clinical evidence, aims to help women reclaim their health and, ultimately, their sense of self.

Aggarwal’s focus is on a demographic often overlooked in the health conversation: women aged 35 to 52. “This age group faces a unique set of challenges,” she says. “Burnout, stress, mental health struggles — they often carry these burdens in silence, without the support they need.”

Blending ancient wisdom and modern science

The path to creating AURA was a delicate balancing act, integrating the precision of modern medicine with the wisdom of ancient healing practices and the science of behavioural change. “In my experience, both modern medicine and holistic practitioners — including positive psychology and life coaches — appreciate a complementary approach,” Aggarwal observes, reflecting on the tension between the two fields.

Acknowledging the limitations within traditional care, she adds that “doctors often don’t have the time to address the emotional and daily struggles that women face”. Meanwhile, holistic practitioners were eager for a more structured, science-backed approach to care. “What I saw was a gap: a need to combine the best of both worlds,” she explains.

From this alchemy of ancient wisdom and modern science arises AURA’s strength: a more comprehensive and effective approach to healing. The platform integrates practices like syncing with the circadian rhythm and using self-massage to boost oxytocin and improve mood. “These aren’t just nice rituals. They have real, science-backed benefits,” insists Aggarwal.

But convincing sceptics, particularly male investors, was a challenge. “Some didn’t get it,” Aggarwal admits. “They didn’t understand what women go through daily.”

Yet, the story of AURA is one of perseverance. As the company’s message continued to resonate with women, the tide slowly began to turn. More investors and healthcare practitioners started to see the value in Aggarwal’s holistic, personalised model.

Today, AURA is serving users in 10 countries, with a primary focus in the US and Europe, striving to offer the support that women desperately need.

Focusing on building trust and community

What also sets AURA apart is its commitment to trust. Women who use the platform often feel judged or ignored by their doctors or even their families — much like Aggarwal’s own experiences. “AURA offers a safe space where women can open up without fear of being judged,” says Aggarwal.

This emphasis on privacy has been vital to AURA’s success, with 70 per cent of users saying they value the platform’s anonymous features.

AURA has also worked hard to build lasting relationships between users and practitioners. Many health platforms see high dropout rates due to one-off consultations and transactional models. AURA stands out by offering continuous care with a retainer model. “Healing takes time, and real care takes trust,” says Aggarwal.

This long-term commitment to user well-being has led to impressive retention rates, reinforcing the importance of community and trust in the healing process.

Success is more than metrics

For Aggarwal, AURA’s true success isn’t measured in downloads or revenue. “The real metrics are the changes we see in our users: how their health improves, how they feel more in control of their bodies,” she says.

She relates the story of one woman who, after a hysterectomy, had no post-surgery care plan and felt overlooked by the healthcare system. After joining AURA and focusing on her gut health, she saw both physical and emotional improvements. “It’s not in my head. Now I understand what’s going on,” the user shared.

For Aggarwal, that move from confusion to understanding is the real measure of success.

Aggarwal looks forward to a time where women fully reclaim agency over their health, where personalised care is not an exception but the standard: accessible, affordable, and deeply empowering for women of all ages. “I want women to understand their bodies fully,” she says, “and to know that they can make a difference in their health with the right tools.”