A future of health equity

We're redesigning health for real life, not ideal conditions.
Starbound combines AI, lived experience, and empathy-led evidence to support the people systems forget.

Build your Complexity Profile See how it works

We start with empathy, not assumptions.

Who gets to be 'well', anyway?

When health advice assumes privilege, it fails people in survival mode.

Health shouldn't rely on having time, money, or the right postcode.

🧊

"No fridge? No insulin."

Prescriptions that don't match people's housing or income reality.

💧

"Boil your water, but cut your energy bill."

Contradictory advice that blames people for systemic failures.

🧠

"Just try harder."

Health support that ignores trauma, burnout, and neurodiversity.

We're building something different

Empathy-led evidence

We combine behavioural science, lived experience, and cultural knowledge. Because health isn't just data, it's personal.

Designed for complexity

Life is chaotic, layered, and unpredictable. Our tools adapt to your context—not some wellness fantasy.

Built with, not for

From prototypes to product lines, we co-create everything with the people who've lived through the system's failures.

STARBOUND SYSTEM // EXPERIMENT 001

:: LOADING USER INPUT ::

What you get with Starbound

Ask Starbound

Ask Starbound

An AI-powered tool that gives answers with context.

Health Forecast

Health Forecast

See what your habits could mean in 1 month, 1 year, 5 years.

Support Circle

Support Circle

Connect with community orgs, local nudges, and dignity-first resources.

This isn't hypothetical.

These stories are based on real posts shared publicly between 2023–2024 by people navigating health challenges under systemic pressure.
Names and details have been changed for privacy, but the struggle is real.

Jamal had just lost his place to sleep and was now carrying his insulin in a backpack, unsure how long it would stay usable. He'd already skipped meals and was starting to feel dizzy. With no fridge, no microwave, and no idea where the next safe space was, he turned to his phone — not to track steps or calories, but just to figure out how to stay alive through the night.

Choices:

  • Stuck to insulin treatment despite sleeping rough
  • Tried to keep insulin cool without a fridge
  • Looked for low-sugar food from food banks or convenience stores

Chances:

  • No stable meals and no refrigeration
  • No safe storage for medication
  • Access barriers to diabetic-friendly food or health services
  • Fear of judgement and being turned away

How Starbound Helps:

  • Offers fridge-free insulin storage hacks (e.g. using ice bottles, cool cloths)
  • Suggests low-GI food swaps that are realistic for people relying on food vans or servos
  • Maps nearby clinics, shelters, or mobile vans with refrigeration or nurse support
  • Works offline and delivers no-jargon instructions in moments of crisis
  • Never asks for sign-in or pressure to track progress

Mel had downloaded five different self-help apps in the past month and deleted all of them. Her ADHD made routines feel impossible, especially on days when even brushing her teeth felt like a win. The apps expected too much. She needed something simple, low-pressure, and made for the kind of messy, stop-start progress she was dealing with.

Choices:

  • Tried self-help apps but couldn't stick with them
  • Sought ADHD strategies that don't need money, time, or consistency
  • Hoped to rebuild routine after burnout or a mental crash

Chances:

  • No access to care like ADHD-specific coaching or support
  • Low energy + executive dysfunction made consistency difficult
  • App overload and guilt from failed systems
  • Shame around impulsivity and inconsistency

How Starbound helps:

  • Recommends low-effort, no-cost strategies
  • Offers flexible templates for morning/night routines built for ADHD brains
  • Includes energy check-ins to adapt suggestions in real time (e.g. "just do one thing")
  • Provides dopamine-boosting nudges without pressure to be perfect
  • Visualises how micro-habits compound over time

Lina, an international student, had been to the doctor three times for the same pain. Each time, she left with vague advice or painkillers. It wasn't until she collapsed that anyone took her seriously. She knew her symptoms were real, but she didn't know how to explain them in a way that got her heard — especially in a system where she didn't fully understand the rules.

Choices:

  • Tried to explain symptoms but wasn't taken seriously
  • Googled symptoms to double-check her concerns
  • Navigated health system alone including OSHC and clinics

Chances:

  • No Medicare access and limited OSHC coverage
  • Cultural + language barriers made communication difficult
  • Fear of being overcharged or wasting the doctor's time
  • Social isolation from family or local support

How Starbound Helps:

  • Helps build a symptom summary using plain, common phrases
  • Offers structured language for describing pain or illness at appointments
  • Suggests what to say and how to prepare before seeing a doctor
  • Lists low-cost clinics that accept international students
  • Shares tips to reduce anxiety — like writing notes or requesting another doctor
  • Gently flags when urgent care is needed, without fear or pressure

Jake finally tried therapy after years of anxiety — but even with a discount, it cost more than he could afford. He cancelled after two sessions and went back to free YouTube meditations and late-night Reddit threads. He wanted help, but the system made him feel like you had to be wealthy to deserve it.

Choices:

  • Tried online therapy but couldn't afford to continue
  • Searched for self-help like meditations and breathing tools
  • Used support forums like Reddit to cope alone

Chances:

  • Unaffordable services even with discounts
  • Public waitlists or lack of culturally safe care
  • Shame + hopelessness about not being able to "fix it"
  • Burnout made it hard to research or try new options

How Starbound Helps:

  • Shares free, instant tools for tough moments (e.g. breathing or reflection prompts)
  • Links to anonymous helplines and local mental health services
  • Gives low-effort support suggestions based on current energy levels
  • Recommends affordable or free therapy options if users choose to explore them
  • Affirms that micro-coping counts — without toxic positivity
  • Visualises how small steps compound to improve wellbeing over time

Aunty Kay felt most well when she was on Country: walking, sitting, yarning. But the health clinic didn't recognise that as "care." After years of being dismissed or rushed through appointments, she avoided mainstream services entirely. What she really wanted was support that respected her culture, her rhythm, and her way of healing.

Choices:

  • Practiced land-based healing like walking, yarning, or grounding on Country
  • Avoided harmful care systems that didn't respect her experiences
  • Sought connection to culture, rhythm, and self-led healing

Chances:

  • Faced racism in mainstream health settings
  • Remote location made food and services harder to access
  • Dismissed or misdiagnosed by Western medical providers
  • Low connectivity and limited access to digital tools

How Starbound Helps:

  • Offers culturally sensitive health info with a choice to start from traditional or Western knowledge
  • Shares offline-first wellbeing prompts (e.g. grounding, breathing, cooling down on Country)
  • Uses clear, respectful language — no jargon
  • Lists ACCHOs and mobile supports nearby (only if users want that info)
  • Never assumes a diagnosis or path — users guide their own journey
  • Supports self-determined health with tools that adapt to community needs

Let's chat!

Still thinking about something you read here?
Had an idea? A story? A question?
Let's have a chat — about health, care, systems, survival, or whatever else is on your radar.

STARBOUND TERMINAL v1.0 — CONNECTING…
[✔] Input accepted
[★] Encoding message for transmission...

Your message won't be tracked, mined, or forgotten.