Welcome to Umi Spark—we're so happy you're here. Right about now, you might be wondering what we're doing here, exactly. Well, the short answer is that we're here to help busy families thrive. Some of that is about sharing content, advice, expertise, and support, but we're also building and innovating in the background as a part of Panasonic Well.

We figured the best way to answer those bigger, more existential questions about why we’re here was to sit down with Umi Founder and Panasonic Well CEO, Yoky Matsuoka herself. She's a co-founder of Google X, a former CTO of Nest, a MacArthur Genius Grant winner, and a mom of four, but this isn't really about credentials. So, let's dive right into why wellness matters so much with Yoky.

Tell us more about Umi. What does it do—and how is it related to Panasonic Well?

This is such an important question. Thank you for starting here. : ) In short, Umi is a family wellness solution the Panasonic Well team has been working on that we are bringing to market for consumers very soon. And to take a step back, Panasonic Well is the innovation arm of Panasonic Group, where we are leveraging AI and advanced technology to pioneer possibilities that enable people around the world to live healthier and happier lives. All offerings brought to life through Panasonic Well have one clear objective: to make a meaningful impact on people's lives, their families, and society, and Umi is the latest offering we are bringing into the world.

Both Panasonic Well and Umi feel like an incredible culmination of what I've been working toward since I first realized my passion for building technology that can help people, back in the robotics lab. That passion evolved into a clear mission, one that I've pursued from my time in academia to my time in Silicon Valley, and the reason why I ultimately joined Panasonic almost five years ago—to leverage technology to help people become who they want to be.

As a mom of four, who has spent the last decade caring for aging parents in Japan, and working full time, I feel the pain points and struggles of modern family life. The truth is, most families deeply want to prioritize their health and connection. But between packed schedules, competing demands, and the beautiful chaos of family life, those good intentions often get squeezed out by everything else that feels urgent.  Over the past few years we've conducted immersive research and have been listening and learning from real families about what they need to feel better. Umi ultimately helps families to care, coordinate, and connect with each other by replacing a slew of fragmented tools with one simple solution that supports the family as a whole. 

What problem is Umi trying to solve for families?

We live in an unprecedented age of wellness. The global wellness industry has swelled to a staggering $6 trillion, offering families more health and wellness solutions than ever before. From meditation apps to fitness trackers, meal delivery services to sleep optimization platforms, the modern family has access to an almost infinite array of tools promising help, yet families report feeling more overwhelmed, disconnected, and stressed than ever before.

Think about it: A typical family might be juggling a fitness app for mom, a different one for dad, educational apps for the kids, health trackers for aging grandparents, meal planning services, meditation apps, sleep trackers, and more. Instead of feeling a sigh of relief, these families are now managing a dozen different platforms that don't talk to each other.

The U.S. Surgeon General issued an unprecedented advisory on the mental health of parents last year, officially recognizing parental stress as a public health crisis and acknowledging that the foundation of our society—the family unit—is in crisis. This validates what so many of us have been feeling for a long time now.

As a mom, I feel like it's my duty and responsibility to make sure the whole family is well. Many of the tools I use in my daily life are targeted for individuals, not families —but when we actually do things together as a family, it enhances wellness in a totally different way. That's a white space we discovered from years of talking to families. That's why we know we need to throw out the old wellness playbook and create something entirely new built for families, by families. Umi is consolidating wellness services in one intuitive ecosystem, so families have more energy to focus on what truly matters.

What is your mission and vision for Umi?

Our vision is to transform how families approach wellness—moving from individual fragmented solutions to approaching wellness as a team. We want every family to feel more connected and supported in the constant motion of everyday life.

We're developing something entirely new that will help families create meaningful support systems, shared goals, and resources designed specifically for families who want to grow stronger together.

Every day, families are bombarded with media headlines and social media posts about the dangers of technology. But my mission is for Umi to become something different—technology that genuinely enhances people's lives. I believe technology still has a positive role to play, and that when designed with real people in mind, we can create solutions that change the world for the better.

Whenever I talk to people about who they want to be, they always go back to their family roots. They want to be healthy. They want to be happy. It's rarely about making more money—people have this deep, core desire for family wellness. That's exactly what we want to help families achieve with Umi: not just surviving, but truly thriving.

Why does this work matter so much to you personally?

I feel this pain point more than ever right now, and I've learned I'm not alone. The pace of modern family life has become nearly impossible to keep up with. Especially if you are a single parent, a working parent, or a caretaker in any family capacity, your well-being so easily falls by the wayside. And this mental health crisis parents are facing has a ripple effect on our kids too.

But here's what gives me hope: Becoming a parent is by far the best thing I have ever done in my life. I cherish every moment of being a mom. For so long families have been suffering in silence, but I believe we're reaching a turning point as a society. We're creating safe spaces for all of us to have conversations more openly without shame or judgment, and we're intentionally building solutions for the family unit—including our chosen families and our close-knit communities. There is nothing more important than this.

Plus, the awareness around family and individual wellness is so much better than it was five years ago. People have become keenly aware that wellness is incredibly important and it needs to be balanced with career ambitions and other goals. That's very different from how it was in my day, so I'm genuinely hopeful about the future.

What family wellness practice are you loving lately with your family?

I put family at the absolute center of everything I do. Some rituals we have: We make sure to eat dinner together with no technology. That's not easy with four teenagers, so sometimes it’s a short dinner. But that’s okay. On weekends, we choose a place to eat together and then move together—maybe go on a hike after brunch. It's the simple things that make the biggest difference for us. 

That's what Umi is all about: making those simple, meaningful moments easier to prioritize and protect. Because when families approach wellness as a team, something beautiful happens. Relationships get stronger, everyone feels better, and life flows a little easier. When families thrive together, everyone wins.